What we’ve learned
2200 miles on our Honda CRF250L
proved a hit for riders who like the idea of heading down a muddy lane, but don’t want the hassle, aggression and ridiculous maintenance regime of a ‘proper’ off-road bike.
Launched in 2012 and made in the Far East, it uses the single-cylinder fourstroke motor from the CBR250R, packing 24bhp in a steel frame with basic suspension.
With its can-do attitude and keen price, we’ve been impressed — it has proved to be far more fun and capable when the going gets sticky than most adventure bikes. And it has converted two staffers into card-carrying greenlaners. Here’s what we learned…
1 It can tackle anything
Dirtbike snobs will scoff but the bare essentials are there for a great bike. Its measured 146kg isn’t light by enduro standards, but it feels like a feather compared to any adventure bike. And that lightness helps you build confidence and tackle things you’d never think are possible. RIDE’S CRF been though huge mud-holes, forests and ruts deep enough to lose a horse in while at the same time delivering 60mpg and being happy flat-out down the A1 at an indicated 80mph.
It’s never got stuck, has rarely crashed and laps up the abuse with a smile and even if you’ve thrown it down a muddy gully, it always starts first time. Perfect.
2 It ISN’T a proper dirt-bike, and that’s the attraction
Service intervals are 6000 miles (it’s an oil change and valve-clearance check every 600 miles on a CRF250RX enduro bike); the comfy seat’s a manageable 875mm that gets lower thanks to lots of sag (961mm on a hard CRF250RX); and it’s £4949 compared to the RX’S £7489 (plus more to make it road legal).
Of course, the 250L is 30kg heavier and has worse suspension, and the engine needs working hard to get any kind of throttle connection at all, but that won’t matter for a lot of people. For most, the attraction of no-frills thrills is hard to argue with — and it has such a forgiving character that you feel like you’re always in charge.
3 The build quality is very impressive
Sure, it’s made in Thailand, but so is every Triumph and aside from the suspension quality, there is very little ‘budget’ about it. The plastics are excellent, the paint on the frame and cases is thick, the dash clear and functional. The mirrors work, too.
It hasn’t used any oil and is smoother and quieter than when it arrived. The fasteners have stood up well to weeks of caked-on mud and the cheap-looking chain hasn’t worn like I thought it would. Nothing, apart from a flat battery due to a power-hungry press-bike tracker, has gone wrong.
4 You can make it better
In fact, you HAVE to make it better if you fancy doing more than heading down a slightly muddy lane. We improved the suspension with a Hagon shock, fitted better Michelin tyres, shortened the gearing and gave it a more roomy riding position with some bar-risers.
Best of all, these modifications were all far cheaper than fiddling around with road bikes and had an instant and marked effect — you can make them much better than standard without spending a fortune.
5 It’s a great introduction…
If you want to enjoy the gentler side of greenlaning it is fun, reliable and perfectly adequate. It’ll tackle any obstacle but if you want to up the pace or ride with skilled riders, you could well find the lack of torque and suspension control frustrating.
It is really the engine’s limitations that hold the bike back — it is just too feeble for some. Of course, changing the gearing helps and some owners go as far as fitting performance exhaust systems for more pep but it can only mask the problem: whatever you do, it isn’t a fast motorcycle. But if you’re not bothered by such things, there is lots to love.
Both myself and Art Ed Steve spent a lot of time on the 250 — and it converted both of us to the joys of light, fun trail bikes. It was enough for more budgetconscious Steve to buy a CRF250L himself, but I bought a lighter, more torquey, better-suspended CRF450L. It just offered more of everything, even if it is harder to ride and more expensive.