I have heard that Honda introduced the manual/auto clutch in 2006. What system of clutch did the 250ex use before this? Was it a manual clutch because I am looking at getting a 2003 250ex and I am just curous about it.

 

The old style is a classic "autoclutch" system found on all the Honda manual trans utilities.

The newer "sportclutch" system is very much like the aftermarket Rekluse clutch mod that dirt bikers use. It has a left hand clutch lever like a full manual system, but also has a centrifugal clutch so you can't stall the engine from forgetting to pull the clutch in when you stop.

Pretty nice system and great learning tool for beginners, but I wish they had gone with the standard full manual 1-N-2-3-4-5 shift pattern, rather than the old autoclutch N-1-2-3-4-5 pattern.....