Team Honda HRC Progressive and Jo Shimoda are ‘still searching’ for an initial direction on the new 2025 CRF250R Works Edition, early in the process of developing the factory race bike that he will race in 250SX West this season.

With teammate Chance Hymas still recovering from off-season knee surgery, Shimoda is preparing for Anaheim 1 and is set to continue in the western region of Monster Energy Supercross.

“I actually told the team I want to start from production bike,” the 22-year-old Japanese rider explained. “So the day I come back from Japan to here, I rode Pala on a full-stock bike and see what that feels like. And yeah, it’s a total different bike, I feel, than what I’ve been riding.”

For Shimoda, his comfort levels are yet to reach where he was at with the 2024 version, and with one month remaining until Supercross 2025, advancing that feeling is being prioritized to ensure he will be at one with the updated model come January 11 at Angel Stadium.

“Not yet,” he added. “So that’s why I was saying, like we’re still working…. just still kind of searching to be honest. Like really, the testing starts [this] week. The only thing I can guarantee you is that I’ll do everything and hoping it’s gonna work.

“You know, the engine is basically exactly the same, but the frame is a lot different, more rigid… The bike, it’s a lot more rigid feeling. In a way, it’s stable, but honestly, I’m still kind of working.

“It’s a whole new bike, so I have to start from learning the bike, building the bike, and then finding that this is what I need. It just takes a long time, you know? Like, and this is the part, like it’s hard for people to understand, because only the person who rides know that feel, you know?”

Entering his second year with Honda and following in the footsteps of the Lawrence brothers after their title success within the manufacturer’s factory 250 program, Shimoda is continuing to find his way, the direction required to consistently perform – even on the previous generation, title-winning bike.

“I mean, last year the plan was, I just told myself it was a winning bike,” he reflected. “In the beginning of the season, I’m like, ‘I’m going to adjust myself into the bike instead of bike adjusting to me’. Because it’s been proven, trying to do that, and then like I said, something mismatched, didn’t work, and I had to make some changes again.”