Remember the famous Remington shaver TV ad - ‘I liked it so much I bought the company’?
After road-testing Honda’s great little CRF 300 trail bike I did the next best thing.
I couldn’t afford the company so I bought a used version of this bike that’s finding mass appeal among commuters, weekend riders, round-the-world travellers and off-roaders, instead.
In 2021 the legendary CRF leaped from 250ccs to 300ccs, along with a host of other improvements including a new, lighter frame, uprated suspension, more ground clearance, improved steering geometry and a new LCD display.
Available in two guises, the more road-focused Rally and the leaner, trail-focused L, both have the same single-cylinder 286cc engine producing 10 per cent more power (27bhp) and 18 per cent more ‘torque’ (19.6ft lb), the low-revving ‘grunt’ that’s good for acceleration, or lugging along muddy trails.
According to Honda the new power delivery combined with a lighter bike means a 13 per cent improvement in power-to-weight ratio and - having ridden the 250 including off-road - it is noticeable. With a small engine it’s no fireball but acceleration is slightly brisker, making it more effective in town and on the open road, as well as on the trails.
Other improvements on the latest bike include better engine breathing thanks to new inlet cam timing and a revised exhaust system, while shorter ratios on the first five (of six) gears make the new machine feel livelier. There’s a slipper clutch to cut any wheel ‘hop’ with harsh down-changes.
Weight shavings
Most of the 4kgs shaved off the new bike are down to that redesigned frame but also a new aluminium rear swingarm. So it’s not only lighter on the trails - great when you pick it up after a tumble - but the suspension is 10mm longer at the front and 20mm at the rear on the L, and 10mm longer at the front on the Rally. Better for lumps and bumps.
Which brings us to the other differences between the two models... and my reason for choosing to part with my cash for one over the other. The CRF300L has a slimmer 7.8L fuel tank and seat which is 5mm higher than on the old 250, at 880mm. The CRF300 Rally’s broader seat height is 885mm; the fuel tank growing from 2.7L to 12.8L.
We reviewed the L first (https://bit.ly/49fs6i6) and concluded that It looked great; the bodywork had been sharpened up with new shapes and decals making it look beefier - sportier - than a ‘mere’ 300, while the new LCD instrument display worked well too.
While the L felt tall at first acquaintance, its narrowness made it a highly manageable bike making it relatively easy to get at least one foot - if not both - comfortably on the floor, for most riders.
It felt particularly light - just 142 kgs - making it a cinch to manoeuvre on - or off - the saddle and it felt nimble from the outset. The front wheel - at the end of those long forks - feels a long way away at first, especially if you’re used to a street bike but it soon feels natural in town or on the twisties.
Rally useful
With off-roading in mind, there is a 21-inch wheel at the front and 18-inch at the rear (same as the Rally) and the side stand had been redesigned, with a useful 10 per cent larger footplate.
The LCD display numbers are 6mm larger, at 23mm, and information includes gear position indicator, fuel mileage and consumption, average speed, stopwatch and rev-counter. It’s easy to read on the move.
Compared to the 250 the gearing is noticeably improved - especially for slogs along the motorway or A-roads where the higher top gear takes the strain, and the revs, off. Handling - even on standard ‘knobbly’ tyres is assured and the riding position more spacious than on the 250. The brakes make for easily controlled and modulated stopping power.
The engine pulls well for its size but - if revved hard - hardly feels refined, often the nature of a single-cylinder unit. Fortunately, with that new spread of torque, there is never any need to wring the bike’s neck. The suspension is soft, but absorbs road lumps and bumps well, while the steering is always nimble.
Now we’ve tried the Rally version, with its uprated headlamp, nice, protective, tall screen and improved wind protection for the rider. It also has a larger, more powerful front brake than the L, as well as handlebar-end weights and removable rubber footpeg inserts to cut vibration. Overall the Rally is around 9 kgs heavier than the L, although much of this is accounted for by the extra fuel. It’s still, of course, lightweight. I had little trouble wheeling it around like a (slightly heavy) bicycle, into a tight parking space on a slope.
Trailing off
Honda’s thinking is that riders setting off around the world will get the slightly more comfortable, long-legged Rally. If you’re hitting the trails more frequently for off-roading, and will instead be making shorter trips, the L’s probably the one.
Around town and on fast A-roads, the better-faired Rally was a lot of fun - even during a January storm involving torrential downpours. Wind it up and there’s plenty of acceleration, so it’s perfectly happy at motorway speeds, and with the assurance of good stopping power from the front 296mm disc, compared to the L’s 256mm disc.
The Rally’s a fun, great-looking, relatively inexpensive bike. But it’s not for me. I’ve gone for the lighter, more indestructible, cheaper L as I want to enjoy trail-riding and don’t want to risk damaging the fairings and big screen on the Rally. I’d have been tempted to fit engine protection bars too, which would have added weight. I’m definitely not the world’s greatest off-roader so anticipate picking my bike up more than once in a while. The lighter the better.
Next steps? I’ll be getting in touch with the Trail Riders Fellowship to pick their brains on where best to head to for green-laning fun, from The Smoke. First, I’ll carry out some minor mods - the Honda owners forum is jam-packed with them - including sump and hand guards, more off-road-biassed tyres, a ‘tail tidy’ (the factory one, carrying the number plate, can be vulnerable off-road), some tougher, taller handlebars to make standing up easier and mirrors that fold when the bike hits the dirt. And I’ll be reporting back.
Honda CRF300 Rally
£6,549 (£5,799 for the L)
Engine: 298cc single cylinder
Power: 27 bhp
Torque: 19.6 lbs/ft
Seat height: 885 mm
Fuel consumption: 32.3 km/L
Ground clearance: 275mm
Lock it – or lose it
You’ve bought your new bike - but how do you keep it? From June 2022 to May 2023 18,361 police reported more than 18,000 motorcycles stolen in the UK.
Many thefts are opportunistic, others planned. In both cases the trick is to use the best security you can possibly afford.
For most - especially in London where garages are scarce - the most practical solution is a ground anchor and chain, the heavier duty the better. Or - as round-the-world record-breaking motorcyclist Nick Sanders says: “If you want your bike where you left it in the morning, take the biggest-bastard Squire lock you can afford’.
He should know. So we recently tried UK firm Squire’s latest, imposing, thief-deterrent kit: its chunky £99.99 Himalaya ground anchor and aptly-named £649.99 10-year guarantee Behemoth padlock and chain set - incorporating what’s claimed to be the world’s strongest production padlock.
The visually impressive Stronghold SS 100CS lock is large and weighty at 4.34 kgs, requiring the insertion of not just one but two separate, heavy-duty keys, simultaneously, to open it up. It has a huge 20mm hardened boron steel alloy shackle... and is an engineering work of art. It not only looks but feels exceptionally solid and works slickly. It’s too heavy to carry on the bike but as a forecourt or garage security measure it is highly impressive.
Together with the accompanying 22mm 1.5-metre chain it poses a formidable challenge to would-be thieves. The chain is sheathed, to prevent scratches to your bike, and is also reassuringly heavy. We didn’t destruct-test the Bethemoth but it’s rated Motorcycle Diamond by Sold Secure.
We looped the chain through Squire’s rugged, heavy, Himalaya anchor which is also Motorcycle Diamond-rated and which can be attached to wall or floor. Fixed with heavy-duty security bolts, it is undoubtedly solid and - with the bolt heads sitting below the surface, as well as being obstructed by ball bearings hammered into the Allen-key holes - appears dauntingly tricky to get the better of. It is easy to install but check the solidity of your wall or floor first as that - rather than the anchor - will most likely be the weak point.
Downsides? Naturally, the heavier the security device, the trickier it can be to manipulate after a hard day in the saddle, especially within a confined space. Using two keys is fiddlier too - but that’s the point. You put the extra effort in so that a thief will give up at first sight - and try somewhere else instead. More information and buy online here
