Riding Impression: 2020 Honda CRF250L Rally
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- Опубліковано 19 гру 2019
- Watch @Bermcannon Mark as he gives his riding impression of the 2020 Honda CRF250L Rally after a multi-day ride through the Sierras. Watch • Finding Holes In Mount... and • A Trip To Star Wars Ca... to see more about the adventures on the little CRF.
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Thanks for the great content!! I rode in my twenties and thirties, mostly small 2 strokes. Now since I'm closer to sixty than fifty I think this will be a perfect return to my two wheeled adventures. Thanks again Mark.
I've owned many big bore thumpers over 40 years. Now at 55 I'm very happy on my Rally. Everything about this bike is easy. I tackle evrything , except 2 up touring. I have a larger Honda for that. Anything else, the Rally doesnjust fine. A ton of fun, affordable, reliable as the Sun coming up.
It is my Detroit urban transportation scooter with the added benefit of joyous movement. It works well. I ride it a lot. It makes me smile. No better value. It needs nothing. Thank you Honda and please don't change a thing. Small displacement is awesome. Many of us in the US will choose to not spend $$ on cars and trucks going forward. Consider this vehicle as a better option as most of us prepare for extended time frame where less is more. Fun bike. 75 mpg. $104 Full coverage insurance per year.
This is what I needed to know. I will do 99% driving on normal streets. Not off road. What do you think of the ergonomics? Is the gearing pretty short? Does it get hot quickly? Have you swapped out to more tarmac friendly tires?
Ergonomics are old school and a bit cramped compared to modern (KTM) standards. The handlebars are a little low and too close to the rider (I’m 5’9”). I don’t find the gearing short. Seems just about right to me. I’m not sure the little Honda could pull much of a taller 6th in certain conditions - after all it’s got 24.6 HP. I don’t think it gets hot too quickly. When I’ve been sitting in traffic the fan will kick on during longer idle sessions. I replaced the stock IRC’s after they wore out with Dunlop 605’s.
Awesome review thanks mate
just love the freedom a bike like this gives... put shinko 705's on and totally suit my style of riding.. see a track or gravel road and i'm off exploring, went 13 tooth up front, doesn't die on hills on road now and like a tractor on the trial.. brilliant little bike, easy to pick up when I drop it lol. and the lights are best I've had at night!!!
You nail it..thank you for this description..
Great review.
Good review. I like my litte Africa Single. It took me safely through all the fords on Iceland. Great little bike it is.
It is a pretty blant review, not critical at all and it is far from being a great bike, Honda is too lazy to update it .. sadly a nice bike like the GPX FSE250R will never come to THailand ...
I have had more fun on my 250L than any other bike I have owned. Love it.
@@WojciechKalka far from a great bike? How do you figure?
Great review!
I owned it as well as every other 250cc dual sport. CRF250L Rally is comfortable but low power. The Yamaha WR250R is by far the leader of this class. Like any cycle in this category, under 70MPH there fun!
A note on the base 250L front suspension. There is a spring only on one side; the fork tubes are not identical, and the seals tend to blow out very easily. It's not a bike killer, but maintenance is a little more like a dirt bike in this case.
Is there an aftermarket fix for this problem?? Good to know!
Loved mine for 2 years but to get to good spots here in Canada the bike showed its anemic highway qualities. For countries that actually have turns on their roads then this is a great bike. Too small an engine though for straight long commutes to trails.
Thanks for this review. My experience, in my 20s, and 30s, is with a Honda CB 350, Suzuki GS 750, and later, a Honda CT-90. I am now 55 years old, and looking to get back in to riding. I could care less about going fast. My main goal is to see what is around the next corner, and have fun. I do not want to worry about whether I can pick the bike up by myself if I drop it on the trail. I started looking at the KLR 650, and then fell in love with the RE Interceptor 650, but became disenchanted with the corrosion issues, and short service intervals. I just don't want to spend all my free time working on a bike. I am more and more leaning towards the CRF250L Rally. I like the long service intervals, and even though I am north of 250LB, I am still well south of the 250s max load range.
I looked at the 450, but for the price, and ridiculously short service intervals, that is not the bike for me. I have just now found out that Kawasaki may be introducing a replacement for the KLR. That is now my only stumbling block. I need to wait to see what they introduce. I live in Washington state. I have relatives in Star Idaho, that I regularly visit, and I am perfectly happy to use the avoid freeways check box on Google maps. I would love to have something with more power, but there just isn't anything in the CRF250L Rally's class. If Kawi doesn't introduce something revolutionary this year, I think the CRF250L Rally is my bike.
Got one and love it
Me too!
Love the bike but super hesitant on picking it up, as I ride 2 up very often. Small adventure bikes are great and wish there were more capable ones out there.
Great honest review.
Being a 6 footer I love the seat height and it's off road capability.
Hello ,did anyone try to swap this non adjustable fork with let's say crf250x fork ?It will fit ?
Excellent review. I’m thinking to get one and your video solved my doubts about it!
Kellogg must love your captain crunch plug you had 40,000 people listening to that
Excellent video thanks for all the great info did you find that the regular light was good on the highway or did you have to go to the highbeam. Does the handlebars feel lighter being that the windshield and instrument panel is mounted to the frame? Thanks for sharing
Great video. I live in Phoenix and am researching which dual sport to buy. Your final areal video makes me want to ride in that place - amazing! Can you include a google link to that spot or the name of that location?
excellent
I owned an xr 400. You alluded to this bike having the spirit of the Xr400. Why is that? Thx
Good review but why does the audio sound like you’re under water?
How was the seat comfort is it wide enough is it supportive enough?
Did you buy this bike or is it a long-term review? The aftermarket has taken on this bike. I'm guessing you took a look on ThumperTalk and seen some examples of how far you can take this bike. It's a hell of a starting point. I ride in similar conditions as you did in this video and I routinely hit the low to mid 60's fuel economy wise. Keep up the great vids. I showed my wife the first few High Sierra series. She's hooked.
Please HONDA make a 350 again, that would be perfect: 250 too small, 450 too big.
Or just make a 250 with decent power like the WR.
@@perrinayebarra the wr doesnt have decent power lmao. A 350 or 400 would be great provided they can keep the matinence schedule low (unlike the 450)
I would upvote this comment to the Moon if I could.
@@perrinayebarra Not much difference power wise between the 250L and WR.
a 350 would be pretty cool
Look up 2000 1999 yamaha xt 350 was a great bike good suspension sear 6 speed enuff power and light weight
Where is this filmed?
Why do you say the Spirit of the Xr400 is in that bike I know the Xr 400 well
the issue is the power! not in lower elevation states, but try taking a crf250L on over to Mt Antero CO at 13-14k feet elevation or mosquito pass. the entire ride will be 1st gear only and yet alone Climbing Mt Antero is impossible with a 250. My KLX250 could not climb it...like literally would not go. other than that, this is a perfect bike in every way as far as dual sporting goes. if this had the 701 enduro engine with same exact body style and frame, I would pick this honda. the wind protection is so nice and it honestly feels like a street bike on the road. too bad they killed a perfect bike with a 250 engine. unless you live in states like FL and Georgia and hit flat forest roads with back roads of 50 60mph
I have one. Its a great bike. Its a 250. You want more power? Just buy a bike with a bigger engine! And the rear suspension does adjust for pre load, so try it before swapping out the shock.
Had one, put 14000 kilometers on it in all sorts of terrain. Verdict- very under-powered, very slow. Very high revving on freeways and very heavy- but a very reliable, quality product from Honda. Wound be a great bike with a 500 cc motor...
Yes that would be a great bike with a 500cc motor
All the comments are correct! There is no 'ideal' adventure bike as it depends on the balance between off road on road riding and ability level. I have owned a Rally since 2017 and it introduced me to trail riding and is perfectly happy sitting on the motorway (freeway) at 70mph. For the money it's a great introduction to the sport. Could it have more power. Yes. Could it be lighter. Yes. But as a package its pretty good just decide before you buy what ratio of on road you'r going to do compared to trail. If it's more road, use the Rally its more trail perhaps go for an SWM or similar.
@Philip Thomas Single White Male
🤙🏻
Right on. No perfect bike. I own BMW 310GS mainly for adventure riding (more on road, limited off road), my max speed 92 MPH. But I am considered to pick up CRF250L for trails riding (more off road, limited on road). Though, I wish the CRF250L would weight a little less, under 300 lbs.
How does thing do on the pavement though? And how would it do carrying luggage?Just seems too small for me..
Marky mark and the bunky funch Don’t be shy; say how tall you are and what weight?
@@valaudae1809 6'9 389lbs..Ohhh and i have a 24 inch long penis I'm scared will get caught in the chain..
It’s a 2020 model? How so? It has yet to be unveiled according to Honda.
Hey guys if you want my opinion I have probably the most modified Rally on the planet. I have spent 6300$ in upgrades so far not including the bike. I know I’m going to get comments on why I would put so much into a cheap bike and the answer is, I just like the bike and want it to be the best it can be. I wish it came in a 350 or 450 but I still love it and I’ll give you my thoughts.
1. -Price-I bought it brand new 4000$ from the dealer. Amazing price to get you into adventure riding for a brand new bike. Mine was two years old so the dealer needed to get rid of it. Those are the best deals.
2. -Parts-This is a global bike so parts are easy to get and dirt cheap if you break something. A huge plus for your first bike that you may be crashing a lot.
3. -Weight-At 350lbs this is a light bike for adventure riders to get started with before they upgrade to maybe a Tenere 700 or 790 KTM. No it’s not a light enduro bike like a 250 EXC BUT it isn’t marketed as such. It doesn’t give too much power to get new riders into trouble.
With all that being said you don’t have to spend as much as I did in upgrades but I will tell you what you absolutely MUST upgrade on this bike. Get a 13T up front. Get a FULL FMF exhaust and an EJK tuner. Get a full Racetech suspension if you’re over 150lbs. Change out the terrible stock tires for D606 and as with every bike get a Seatconcepts seat for comfort. I changed the bars immediately and put on Barkbusters as well but those are less important. The nice thing is you can buy the bike and the upgrade as you get money you don’t have to do it all at once. I built mine up over the course of one full year and I have nothing left to put on it. I will be making a video of it soon for my channel. Thanks for reading
We would love to do something with your bike and see what is can become...I know this guy who will be on Tech Talk Taco Tuesday #57 tonight that might like to ride it too...
Can u post the link to your video of the bike?
And what is a “13T”??
@@grumpysquid I am trapped overseas with no way to fly back to the US, I will make a video for my channel but god knows when
Someone knows if its possible to put a crf 450 L engine in that bike?
Direct bolt in. Who knows. But with Enough money anything is possible
I don’t understand why it’s called “entry level” the bike looks great and much prettier than any other, pretty good in power too. Very serious bike for me
Honda, please put your 300cc motor in this bike!
@UnderBridge Rock Done....now put the 450 in it.
done!
liked the vid
Im 5'9, will this be too tall for me?
Sat on one on at the dealer, at my age it's hard top get my leg over, seemed awfully high and I'm 5'9".....however I'm pushing 60 and haven't ridden in 20 years
Light weight adventure bike like the rally Does not denote beginner bike -it’s really for an advanced rider like myself that wants a light agile all around bike
😍😍👍👏
the fucking kimi raikonnen showing me the motorbike im looking for....thats a great intro
That is a high compliment for or commentator!
Is this a good beginner bike ?
Are you using the stock tires there?
Nope STI Tires,
Love my crf250L rally!! I’m actually getting new tires for mine soon. Can’t wait for some killer tires. The stockers are slick as owl shit.
Man I dont get it, The bike is about 350 Pounds. Thats on par with the xr650L and not far Behind the Dr 650..The advantage of the 250 class is that they are light, whats the point of getting a 250 if it weighs as much as a 650 and has half of the power?
For the less power, of course. It does not feel this heavy till you have to pick it up.
@DBT - are you guys sponsored by Honda?
@Thorsten Wanoth - do you like conspiracy theories?
Make a 500 or even 650 similar to Xr650r motor. Not a lightweight engine but a solid, powerful engine that will last for ever. Then I’ll buy one.
If only it was a 350 or 400...same price and weight.
Agree. I drove a Yamaha 250wr for a year and the only thing I missed was a bigger motor.
I hear the cbr350 motor fits this bike nicely. The main difference is bottom end torque and a better clutch.
The real problem is that the suspension is extremely soft. If you want more power than you're gonna want a whole different bike.
Otherwise this bike does it's job extremely well. Scoot around town, dirt roads, light trails.
Change the rear sprocket to 2 more teeth and it creeps better in first gear and pulls better in all gears.
I was starting to think this was the first rally video you didn't comment on. Too soon.
@@kade41200 Who cares? It is cold and raining lately so motorcycle videos are second best.
@@yessure5291 ha, come down to Florida. Riding season every season.
@@kade41200 You do not have any hills to speak of. Western Canada has mountains with 30,000 kilometers of forest trails. And we don't have people running around with hand guns. A lot less stress. ;) ha
@@yessure5291 well I'll be riding all tomorrow, enjoy the vids, eh.
New knobs make this bike a offroad viable bike.
I think the xr650lLis better same weight 346lbs and 3 times the power and torque
sure and 10 years older and still better
@@WojciechKalka more than 10 years xr 650L came out in 1993. Modern look means norhing the 250 does nt even have better suspension or seat .
about 25lbs heavier... the 650 is awesome though
@@MrHeepspo crf250L is lighter ut the crf250 Rally is the same as the 650. 346lbs.
@@SolomonsMartialArts
Ahhhh, got it. Bummer that the Rally is so heavy.
My height is 5'8" can I ride it?
You should have no issue
At that height you should be able to ride any bikes, no question. I am shorter than you, with my 30-ish inseam and I can ride this bike tip toes on one leg only. Now, they sell a lower seat that drop down another 2 inches if that makes more comfortable for you.
mine does 85mph-90mph with a yoshimura exhaust and a EJK controller + airbox mod. acceleration is alot better too.
Mine too but I did the FMF full exhaust (megabomb) with EJK n air box mods...brings the little unicorn bike alive
It would look a lot better if both headlights were the same size and each was a low/high beam combination. The headlights would be the first thing to go for me.The headlights are too damn ugly.
They found an old XLR 250 from the 80s in some abandoned warehouse in Japan and said "Wow! For sure youngs don't remember this old piece of crappy iron. Let's clean it from the rust and put again on the market!"
Ejk fmf exhaust change the sprockets. Its a different bike
I love this review but have to watch at 1.5 speed because narration very slow. Great review, great channel, I am a subscriber. Just very slow narration.
Friend, slow down... Enjoy the life. 😉
Yes get into the Baja speed. Keep it up Mark I think Your speed and cadence are fine. But to defend Paul we all have different speeds.
No more hp than the CRF L, just heavier ... not changed in 5-6 years could use -20 kilo +10 hp and some other updates
junk get wr250r and u golden
or learn how to talk/write/type
Not very good aftermarket items catered for.Also not much official info on maintainance .Honda miserly keeps info away for people that want it for example why doesn't nobody put the wording diagram on the internet to see.Why is it a secret ?Have to assume it's the same as crf 250 l as that's available.Come on Honda more info please to your customers
Meant to say wireing diagram
pretty stupid Honda made a RALLY a 250. should have been a 350 at least. crf450 Rally with the same maint schedule and weight of the crf250L and take my money
Low power
They might as well offer it with training wheels.
definitevely the bike is very good, but engine by far too weak, yes 350 would be perfect
This bike scares me just cause it sounds so incredibly gutless and heavy
I still don't get this bike.....it's torque and hp juxt isn't enoughj for the price.
"Complete stock but not rly" lol xd ok
a 250 that weighs .. 350 lbs.. thats embarrassing !
250 = no power
Why waste your money? SMW 300 eat it for breakfast for less money. Hell for few hundred more an SWM 500 will jack this crap into the ground.
@Philip Thomas Google...
Yeah, if you like a whole lot of chinese sauce with your bike.
Never heard of it lol
@Philip Thomas
Shitty Wuhan Motorcycles
When you keep saying "entry level" and "beginner" I know you are being PAID to say what you say. YOU are ruining motorcycling for EVERYONE when you are this DISCRIMINATIVE!!!
YOU should be banned from motorcycle journalism.
NOT everyone wants to operate at 300% !! WE want to see things and experience them!
SO if you must be-little people who want to explore the world at an enjoyable pace, PISS OFF!