Honda CRF250L Rally

[nzspokes]

Interesting bike. Wonder what it would be like on the road?

https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/dirt-bikes/auction-1263647606.htm

Could be a fun gravel road bike.

[BMWST?]

do they have a non lams version

[nzspokes]

do they have a non lams version

Only if you live in a country that doesnt have Lams.

[george formby]

Interesting bike. Wonder what it would be like on the road?



Could be a fun gravel road bike.

I should imagine if you stir the gearbox it would be fun and practical on B roads and gravel but a pain on big roads. No getting away from the 24hp and barn door riding position. Probably an excellent commuter and weekend trail / ADV bike.

That fuel economy is impressive, my 230 2t has the same size tank and can be on fumes at 150km's. Tortoise and Hare springs to mind, I would meet up with it at every second fuel stop. lol.

[haydes55]

I saw a few of these last week in Thailand. They are quite a big bike for a 250

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[neil.]

I'd be interested once Honda gets around to doing what they know everybody wants, and that's putting the CB500x motor in there.

They really need something to take the place of the old 650 trans alp, something mid sized with actual off-road possibilities.

[Scubbo]

reckon it's a missed boat by using the 250 over the bored up version used in the cbr/cbf 300 -- guess its for reliablillity sake offroad shake but still.............. its more heavy and same engine as the crfl so its all looks, still same crap suspension and engine O_o

[Stu999c]

Met a guy riding one to the cold kiwi
He's reviewing it for a magazine article
I think he really likes it
I had a lookie and I reckon it's a good bit of kit

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[rastuscat]

do they have a non lams version

Yes. It has a quieter exhaust.

It has a different model name too. "The Silence Of The Non-LAMS"

[CRM]

I took one for a test ride today. Actually really impressed. You need to rev it out to get it going but seems happy sitting on 100 to 120. Size was perfect for me at 5'10". Plus a great feel on the little bit of grass/mud I took it on - would be fun in gravel and light trails. Good height for me - tall enough to have decent suspension travel but not tall and heavy like a KLR :eek5:. I had written it off being just a 250 but I could see this being a viable adventure bike :2thumbsup.

[R650R]

You could buy a DR650 for same money, also LAMS approved and twice the power and weighs about same.

[Scubbo]

exactly... but people still think its a good bike for the money :weird:

[swarfie]

A bit porky at 157kg for a 250...needs more horsepower!!

[CRM]

I was skeptical until I saw one in the flesh and had a test ride. The bike feels larger than a 250 and is really comfortable to ride on the road. HP seems low but what it seems to have is fairly wide spread of power and from all accounts you can flog them all day and keep up a pretty good pace. Not a sports bike by any means or a real rally/enduro bike but a pretty competent all rounder for us who just like the fun of riding anywhere without having to be fastest. Even though the weight of a DR650 isn't much different the CRF feels lighter - must be just how it carries the weight. Plus the modern fuel injected engine is pretty sweet. I'm impressed.

[CRM]

This was on a post from Adv Rider:
The following are things about the Rally that are better than the MIGHTY DR

1. Range. 15-30 miles.

2. Switchable ABS.

3. Skid plate

4. Wind shield and fairing protection

5. Engine counter Balancer (smoother ride in the highway)

6. Fuel economy. 33%+

7. Longer service intervals. 4,500 more miles on oil changes. 8,500 more miles on valve adj.

8. LED lights and asymmetrical head light

9. 20lbs lighter

10. More Informative and floating cluster

11. Better suspension and travel.

12. More comfortable seat and taller. 35.2" vs 34.9" It's got to be more comfortable.:D

13. 18" tyre allows improved off road manners

14. EFI allows fuel economy to not drop at extreme altitudes. And faster warm ups in the cold.

15. More wattage. 337 vs 200.

16. Less initial buy in. $300.

17. Lower COG

18. .2" of ground clearance

[matdaymon]

You forgot that it also looks a shit-tonne better, CRM! :2thumbsup

[CRM]

You forgot that it also looks a shit-tonne better, CRM! :2thumbsup

Ah yes :confused: - and it's not a Suzuki :Oops:

[CRM]

I had another test ride yesterday and I'm really happy with the bike. Coming straight off my VFR (I took it in to get an idea of what they would give me for a trade) was an interesting comparison. Of course the Rally is way taller than the VFR, and totally different position but the wind protection is actually better on the Rally. The seat is a bit firmer than my Rider seat on the VFR but not especially uncomfortable (mind you I only rode for about 20 minutes). There is plenty of room to move your seating position on the Rally (I tend to get cramps sometimes on the VFR after a long ride as you can't change position that much).

The Rally is really responsive up to about 120km which in most situations is all I want on the road anyway. Being higher you get a great view of the road ahead and it's really narrow for passing traffic. The Rally feels similar in scale to the XR600 that I had. Of course the XR had 46Kw vs 18Kw for the Rally and lots more torque for a bike of similar weight, but in real world riding, if you forget you are on a 250, the Rally is surprisingly quick if you use the revs. The thing with the Rally is it has all the cool stuff - the screen, the LED lights, a great range without having to change the tank, reasonable suspension and proper size wheels for off road without trying to be a competition bike, plus it has real presence about it - not just a little chook-chaser.

What I like to compare it to is the original XL250 Motosport - not incredibly powerful (they were 14.6kw and only slightly lighter than the Rally) or great at any one thing, but just awesome bikes to get out and do almost anything with, super-reliable, not high-maintenance, cheap to run and maintain, but really capturing the essence for me of what motorcycling is about.

[nzspokes]

I looked, sat on. Went brummm.

Bought a 650 BMW.

[CRM]

Picking one up on Thursday :cool:

This is the best video test I've seen so far: https://youtu.be/MeNKhQrVRks :crazy: