2013 Honda CRF250L

ItIsWhatItIs

ItIsWhatItIs

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I hope this bike is also coming to Canada in the spring. My cbr125 is serving me well, come next season I will be seriously looking for that next "new" bike. I would like an adventure bike but my budget is quite limited. I want a "new" bike that can handle on/off road conditions and is robust enough to handle a drop. I don't ride my bike like a pu#$y and I ride in all inclement weather conditions.


http://blog.motorcycle.com/2012/05/...f250l-dual-sport-officially-announced-for-us/
 
I was looking at this bike as well. I'd use it for Enduro type trips. Yeah buddy! :)
 
i've been following the thread on adv rider.

a lot of dirt guys say it's too heavy
my concern is the mileage (small fuel tank)
can't see it being used as long distance.
WAY cheaper than the wr250 series

[video=youtube;ooBCpalv0ss]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooBCpalv0ss[/video]
 
It is now on the Honda Canada website, no msrp. It was supposed to be available this month. I am waiting for one, the dealer has my info, but he still doesn't have a delivery date. The WR is probably a better dirt bike, but too tall for me. Just looking for a bike to ride back roads at the cottage. The EFI is why I am waiting for one or I would have gone with the KLX250, I had a KLX250 SM and sold it as it would never start half the time, it went back to the deAler many times and it just never got sorted out. The dynojet kit was a must, the bike ran really badly until it was rejetted.
 
yyz said:
It is now on the Honda Canada website, no msrp. It was supposed to be available this month. I am waiting for one, the dealer has my info, but he still doesn't have a delivery date. The WR is probably a better dirt bike, but too tall for me. Just looking for a bike to ride back roads at the cottage. The EFI is why I am waiting for one or I would have gone with the KLX250, I had a KLX250 SM and sold it as it would never start half the time, it went back to the deAler many times and it just never got sorted out. The dynojet kit was a must, the bike ran really badly until it was rejetted.
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http://motorcycle.honda.ca/dual-sport/crf250l

You are right.
 
This thing has the turn signals and all, is it street legal? I wish it was a 350cc, 250cc doesn't cut it for me.

Is it faster than the Honda Tornado 250cc?
 
I really don't want a bike weighing more than 400 lbs. This bike boasts 104 mpg and 330 lbs. The tank is small but if these numbers hold the bike will get 300 km a tank which is good enough for me.
 
vrus said:
you might be able to achieve that with an upgraded tank, but not stock. here is one rider account :
http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=18883497&postcount=543

and at that time, you add weight to an already heavy weight. imo, it might be just better to get a KLR for the 'do-everything' bike.
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That's pathetic... 120 km's on a full tank and the fuel warning light goes on. My old 350cc Yamaha XT would go 210 km's before you had to switch to reserve.
 
Um 120 km on a bike like that is a long way in the bush.
Yes good trade off with an extended range tank. KLR likely more comfortable ( not by much ) but the Honda certainly lighter which I missed in the Australian venturing. Still it was generally at least 100k there and back if not more to get to the various off road regions. Most there had 400s or 650s mostly offroad and the rules for road machines more relaxed.

For a mainly off road/forest track machine you can ride to Ganaraska it's a cool machine and easy to tow or load into a pickup.

YOu can tour with the KLR 650 AND do some reasonable off road which is why I said all around - but for mostly offroad with a "get there capacity " the 250 might work very well.

The CRF230 we had was a very tough machine - took lots of abuse kid is 200 lb

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- always started and rarely broke - put some barkbusters on and you're gold.

I'm still conflicted on what to buy for Aus - I need to go either more off road which this would work and I could still putt around town and a lighter lower machine and that would be fun. The KLR650 is a bit of a brute but the grunt is nice.
It's 390 lb dry 400 wet and that's with the 25 litre tank which I really liked.
 
MacDoc said:
BTW the Suzi DR-Z400S is very popular in Aus - same weight as the Honda -

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_DR-Z400

They seem about the same price as the KLR650s.
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I think they are carbed and the cdn price is 7 to 8 k new. There are to many other bikes that can be bought for that kind of money. For a 250 the CRF may be on the heavy side.

http://www.husqvarna-motorcyclesna.com/product.php?pid=41&cid=15

Husqvarna TE250 is quite a bit lighter than my cbr125 @ 246 lbs and has a 10 litre tank which is the same size as my cbr125. This bike is efi, 4 stroke and liquid cooled. The price is quite high though at $7600. Why is the CRF250 almost 100 lbs heavier?
 
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I think they are carbed and the cdn price is 7 to 8 k new.
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but $3500 - 4k used. How much is the 250 - it's CRF I think yes? But you have to look at commuting and two up as your key issues.
You'll commute 80% and there is a minimum to do two up in any sort of comfort.

or just get an unplated or green plated for real offroad ( insurance is cheap ) and ride a bigger dual sport or road bike for two up.
 
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DRZ all the way.

Cheap used. Bulletproof motor. It can actually go offroad (The KLR is not meant for trails). Sub 300 pounds (290 with gas weighed on thumpertalk). Proven platform(Same bike since 2001).

I ride mine on the Track, the Street, and the Trails. It's a do all bike that actually does all, pretty well.
 
The KLR is not meant for trails)
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depends on what you mean by trails - geared properly with 50/50 it will do quite nicely tractoring along. Did very well by me.

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I had no issue going most areas these guys would but simply did not have the correct tires on for the steeper hills and it't been a long time since I've been off road.

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They had better bikes and were younger more fit riders who knew the area but the KLR hauled my rickety *** home
But the bike was bullet proof - started every time even when I dropped it on too steep and muddy a hill.

It's weakness is weight - it has lots of grunt and suspension tho and it's fine on highway and dirt road - we did 100 km pf pretty marginal road/track in the savannah with a number of stream crossings and tricky conditions - then had to retrace it in 35 degree heat when we got to one river too deep - only 8 km from the highway at the other end :(

Screenshot2012-03-05atMar5201264650PM.jpg


That was a long hot day but rolling along home at 110 on the highway the KLR is quite decent and stable and even did okay on the twisties in the Gillies.

My inseam is only 31 and the KLR is a bit tall and heavy for my age and height but for a bit taller and fit rider there are few places it won't ( and hasn't gone ).

Certainly I would never consider taking a Vstrom into spots I took the KLR in tropical Australia.

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So depending on the OP height and weight certainly stuff like the Ganaraska Forest should present no issue on a KLR and you can trick it out with full bags and relatively comfortable two up riding.

It's not bad as 20+ years of an almost identical machine production shows.

I could put 400k on getting to some of the further national parks and rattle along the tracks and dirt roads at a comfortable speed for me - ( 20-60 kph )

That one day we got turned back was 420 of which 220 was outback track with any number of nasties waiting to trip up the unwary rider. Mind you we were both tired and hot given the temps.

••

That said - I'm considering either a DRZ 400 next year in Aus for the lower weight and agility or just get a intermediate sport tourer and do some longer trips.
I'm conflicted for similar reasons to the OP.
 
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I took the CRF250X and Made it street legal so I get all the benefits of a full on liquid cooled Four Stroke 250 with the ability to be legal!

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