The CRF250L Owners thread

[TIKI-da-MAN]

Originally Posted by Wargasm

Be patient this is sent from my phone.

For those of you looking to change bars and grips be forewarned, I've discovered why these bikes are so cheap. The stock bars have no less than three locator pin holes on them, meaning you can try drilling replacement bars which seems like and impossible task, or grind off the stubs in the switchgear pods, unfortunately when you do this you will discover that the switchgear does not clamp to the bars, it needs the pins to keep them from spinning around the bars. I solved this with a few wraps of self sealing wire sheathing, very rubbery and once applied rarely moves. On the grips front, Honda has seen fit to use one of the throttle tube grip combos that only work with each other and with no other grip or tube on earth. And the CRF250L does not use the same throttle tube as the MX models or the 230 I suspect. So if like me you wish to change your grips for grippier, higher quality grips such as renthals et al you will be left with a gap of about 1/2" and exposed plastic grip engagement molding.

just my 2 cents worth on this. I just this past weekend replaced the stock bars with a set of 7/8" Renthal RC High(20mm higher). This gave me just the right amount of increase in height to stand up comfortably without having to use any bar risers. Yes you do have to either drill locator holes in the bars(not the reccomended route) or, as i did, just grind the pins off and wrap the new bars with two layers of black eletrical tape. As far as grips go; I went with Pro-Grip gels.Much better vibe isolation. Take the throttle tube to a bench grinder and simply rotate round and around until all ridges are ground smooth. I also installed a set of Acerbis Rally III hand gaurds with no problems at all. You will need to drill a hole in the end of the t/tube slightly larger than the hole in the end of the bars to get the the mounting bolt in. In all it took about an hour and a half to complete. Very happy with the results both functionally and astetically.

[meams]

Hey all.

I'm lookin to get a bike for my short city commute, and for the occasional trek out to some trails. Rode as a kid but not as an adult, and am considering this as a good solid beginner DS. Was also considering the XR650L and Yamaha's WR250R.

I like the 250s for their size, but I would be taking the DS on the interstate to get to the mountains (live in the city), and am not sure I'd feel comfortable goin down 81 (2lanes, full of semi's, most doing ~75) on so few CCs.



Thoughts?

[TNC]

[QUOTE=Downstater;19538132]Yes, the KLX is a far superior machine to the CRFL....

Really? I have personally ridden both on the same day and in varying terrain, and wholeheartedly dissagree. I wont bother talking about power because as you have agreed, even a "corked" CRFL will easily pull on a modded out KLX. regarding suspension, while the crfl may not have all of the adjustability and a hair less travel, it felt much better planted through turns in sand and packed dirt and soaked up the choppy stuff with ease compared to the KLX I rode. The CRFL also felt better on the small jumps we were hitting and did not bottom out once, unlike the KLX. BTW this was a 2009 KLX250S with a slip on and jet kit, stock susp.. The owner of the KLX (Who is a good friend of mine) started immediately bashing on his own bike after we switched back. He and I have been riding in the pine barons for 20 years and now that were old and married, we decided to get dual sports. Needless to say, he is already looking to sell his KLX and pick up a CRFL.

...Now dont get me wrong, the KLX is a decent machine but to put it on the same level as a WRR and then to basically say it is superior to a CRFL and that the CRFL is really only good for pavement duty...is just asinine.[/QUOTE

Where did I say a stock 250L would pull a modded KLX? I definitely said the KLX in stock form is a dog as far as power. I also didn't say the Honda is "only" good for pavement duty. The KYB suspension components on the KLX are superior. And the even bigger issue is that both the WRR and KLX have so much more potential for suspension mods than those units on the Honda. Remember...my post is clearly pointed toward those who have real aspirations of riding some really rough off road. The suspension units on the Honda will not have the same capability as those on the other two bikes being compared. And as I clearly said, this doesn't make the Honda a "bad" bike. But it isn't and won't be the more dirt capable bike that the KLX and WRR can be...at least without a full fork and shock swap. And at that point you're talking some money and time. You need to read my posts more closely. And I haven't come to this thread with the purpose of bashing the Honda. I want to see what some folks are going to do to their bikes...more in the area of engine performance and suspension to try to make it more dirt worthy. Anyone who wants to semi-seriously off road most of these DS bikes is going to have to do some modding...especially in the suspension department. I still contend that the KLX and WRR have the edge in this area. You are also entitled to your opinion.

[ramz]

I'm hoping the CRF250L has a foam filter.

It's paper. Sticky.

I do not believe the FI can be reprogrammed, it is what it is.

Actually, it isn't. There are already two different systems for reprogramming the FI.

[RED1]

Originally Posted by Wargasm

Be patient this is sent from my phone.

For those of you looking to change bars and grips be forewarned, I've discovered why these bikes are so cheap. The stock bars have no less than three locator pin holes on them, meaning you can try drilling replacement bars which seems like and impossible task, or grind off the stubs in the switchgear pods, unfortunately when you do this you will discover that the switchgear does not clamp to the bars, it needs the pins to keep them from spinning around the bars. I solved this with a few wraps of self sealing wire sheathing, very rubbery and once applied rarely moves. On the grips front, Honda has seen fit to use one of the throttle tube grip combos that only work with each other and with no other grip or tube on earth. And the CRF250L does not use the same throttle tube as the MX models or the 230 I suspect. So if like me you wish to change your grips for grippier, higher quality grips such as renthals et al you will be left with a gap of about 1/2" and exposed plastic grip engagement molding.

Just about every honda has the locating pin for the switches, nothing new or "cheap" there, the grips do seem harder than normal and not what I would expect and the throttle pipe has its own part No. Same thing happened when the NX650 was made in Italy, hard grips!

[RED1]

[QUOTE=ramz;19538722]It's paper. Sticky.

We are working on a foam element for our country as a lot of these bikes will end up on big cattle stations.

[joec63]

Originally Posted by Balkan Boy

Here's a possible can of worms:

How are you guys breaking in your CRFs? Easy and lean or fistful of throttle?
I ask only because I'll have to ride 1000km on the first day to get the bike home.

Other than the first few miles when I left the dealership I've ridden it like I stole it.

[G19Tony]

Originally Posted by Balkan Boy

Here's a possible can of worms:

How are you guys breaking in your CRFs? Easy and lean or fistful of throttle?
I ask only because I'll have to ride 1000km on the first day to get the bike home.

How ever you do it. It will certainly be broken in by the time you get home! Good luck.

[strongbad]

Originally Posted by TNC

... I still contend that the KLX and WRR have the edge in this area. You are also entitled to your opinion.

The folks who have ridden both machines seem to favor the CRF250L over the KLX, specifically because of the suspension and lower ride height. So far, the most detailed comparison of the two machines on the web is on rideasia.net:

http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-f...shoot-out.html

So it seems that many others have a differing opionion. I agree with you about the foolishness of splittling this thread. The other thread had lots of useful information. Now folks interested in the CRF250L have to track two threads. Hopefully the moderators will merge the two.

[Spud Rider]

I'm not addressing anyone in particular, but what's the problem with two threads? I follow a lot of threads of several different forums. I don't have a problem with the other thread; I still follow it. However, the other thread was centered on the anticipated introduction of the new bike, and speculation about its performance, specifications, et cetera. Now that the bike has arrived and many people own it, it only seems natural for this thread to concentrate on modifications, aftermarket support, et cetera.

Spud

[Downstater]

Originally Posted by Balkan Boy

Here's a possible can of worms:

How are you guys breaking in your CRFs? Easy and lean or fistful of throttle?
I ask only because I'll have to ride 1000km on the first day to get the bike home.

I never baby a new bike but I also don't redline them and I try to vary rpms. I believe strongly in this method and have always had good results. I'd also suggest stopping a couple times on your ride so it can go through a couple thermal cycles.

To be honest it might be a better idea to just rent or borrow a truck and bring it home if it's that far away.

Either way good luck and enjoy. It's a great bike.

[TNC]

Originally Posted by strongbad

The folks who have ridden both machines seem to favor the CRF250L over the KLX, specifically because of the suspension and lower ride height. So far, the most detailed comparison of the two machines on the web is on rideasia.net:

http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-f...shoot-out.html

So it seems that many others have a differing opionion. I agree with you about the foolishness of splittling this thread. The other thread had lots of useful information. Now folks interested in the CRF250L have to track two threads. Hopefully the moderators will merge the two.

Yeah, I've seen that "test"...interesting but not really on par with a more objective magazine test. And remember, I'm talking more about potential on these DS bikes. More serious riders...or incessant tinkerers...rarely leave any bike in stock trim, much less OEM condition DS style bikes. I think I've already stated in other posts that the Honda will be more than adequate for most people who buy any bikes like the Honda, WRR, or KLX. But there is a decently large number of folks buying true DS bikes...not plated race models...who want to stretch these DS bikes to cover a wider variety of riding...even extending to some decently gnarly conditions. Even then, I haven't said you can't ride some decently gnarly terrain on the Honda, but I think from a truly analytical perspective it gives the suspension components on the WRR and KLX that edge I refer to. And to those willing to tweak what comes on these bikes, the WRR and KLX can be revalved to truly deliver some high quality suspension performance. They have cartridge forks and piggyback shocks that are rebuildable, tunable, and capable of on-the-fly adjustments. I'm under the impression that the Honda fork is a ported orifice damper and not cartridge...but that might be clarified later. The Honda's suspension components don't appear to have the delivered performance and certainly not the potential of the two other bikes.

I also have to admit I might have more a skewed result of suspension performance on my KLX because the '06/'07 models were 11". Still, the '09 and later models were just reduced in travel to lower seat height and didn't changed the suspension components in terms of the quality level...same KYB components as before with travel reduction.

What would be mouth-watering for me would be to see the Honda with a 10'-11' Showa or KYB fork and a Showa or KYB piggyback shock to match. While that may sound too far for some, the pages of ADV are full of similarly modded bikes of various kinds with many/most of them being DS style bikes. Just for example, there are quite a few KLX's running around with older KX forks attached...not a hard transition at all. But like I've said several times already, most people who buy any of these DS bikes won't head down a path anywhere close to what I'm describing and will therefore have no issue with any of these bikes or be disappointed. I find it interesting that a small few here would get their shorts in a wad by someone suggesting the "ultimate potential" of the Honda is a little less than the WRR and KLX because of the factors I've laid out here, but I realize opinion covers a great deal of perspective.

[joec63]

Not that it matters much but I've seen different specs for front wheel travel than on the Honda US site. Verified that the travel is closer to 10 in. (250mm) 9.8in to be exact.

http://www.hondamc2013.com/bikes/crf250l/

[bungie4]

Originally Posted by G19Tony

How ever you do it. It will certainly be broken in by the time you get home! Good luck.

... and so will his ass. A 1000km on that seat would require a Navy Seal, a shot of cortisone and a 303 orally fixated virgins waiting for you at the end in order to complete.

[joec63]

Trying out my new AFX-39. Couldn't resist the Marpat camo!