Honda CRF300L

Better than US edition! – Used to ride the trails on a progression of 4 bikes, finishing up with a Yamaha XT650 back in 1998. Finally sold it too, to get something "safer" - a Suzuki Sierra soft top. Debatable which one was actually safer! Anyway, getting back in after 1/4 of a century's break - with a 1/4 century of maturity added to the mix!! Started very carefully, on a CRF230L - quintessential, bulletproof "returning rider"/learner bike, then added a 250L - heavy, soft, but a lot of fun. Wanted like mad for Honda to "let us have" the legendary XR650L which is almost identical to my all time favourite - the XL600R that I sold to get that XT. "NO" is their answer ... they refuse to import them despite overwhelming demand and suitability to our landscape.

SO, with Suzuki withdrawing their nearly as legendary DR650, leaving only the antiquated 400, and Yamaha withdrawing their WR250 leaving just their insanely overpriced Tenere, and Kawasaki letting their porky KLR slog it out and get bigger and fatter, there wasn't much easy choice.

CRF450L insanely priced with equally insane maintenance requirements meant that when Honda FINALLY released their 300L at a price just north of $9K and a big on-paper improvement over the 250 it superceded, it seemed about the only remaining choice. The reviews were spectacular, so in I jumped.

Wait time was around 4 months, but a bloke cancelled his order and I was next in line ... two months early!!

The reviews say the suspension should be the first thing to chuck out. It hasn't bothered us too much in the 5 months we've owned it. I'm used to the 250L, and my days of doing grand leaps are well passed! The long soft suspension is actually a bonus on the tarmac, although the front can dive a little under hard braking. It is super reliable, the Aussie model by sheer good fortune happens to be the one targetted at greater Asia and scores terrific LED light gear ... our American mates have to suffer the pretty ordinary halogen headlight and bulbous indicators inherited from the 250L!!

Motor breaks in well, fuel economy is astronomical - the computer, which is super accurate shows us averaging over 32Km/L across mostly road, and some belting around the paddock. Many say the tank isn't big enough at 7.8L. There are after market options, or the Rally version of this bike comes with a much bigger tank . So you really must decide what you're hoping to achieve with the bike and choose accordingly. We just have a couple of 1.5 Fuel bottles in Nelson Rigg holders. Perfect.

Apart from the good trip/fuel computer mentioned, there is lots of customisation for the display, and there are 2 different odometer options. Tacho, which can be programmed to momentarily hold the peak on the display - very cool. Easily seen rev limit warning light which can be user programmed too. Gear indicator ... although on the matter of gears it has to be said that sometimes the indicator shows neutral, then when we let out the clutch the bike will suddenly drop into either 1st or 2nd and stall out, so the indicator can't always be relied upon. Sometimes it just can't really decide which gear the bike's in, and displays an utterly useless "-"!!

Good on the road, curves and corners no problems, stock tyres said to be utter crap off road or in the wet. Haven't tried them in the wet yet, and to be fair, they will need to be upgraded if you want to do a lot of offroad. The bike is buffeted around by the wind a bit - it's light in the scheme of things, so you'll feel a headwind or a passing semi. I'm 97Kg suited up, and it's fine at 100Km/hr. Will burst OK to 120, but she's pretty well done at that. To be brutally honest, it's at its most comfortable around 90-95. Another 50cc's would work wonders.

The fuel injection is terrific, starts first time every time in the blistering heat or near zero winter. Throttle can be notchy in 1st, and even 2nd to a certain extent. But you get used to it. Gear spacings good, and 6th can still pull away, despite it being very much an overdrive. First is quite low, and it's pretty easy to just bypass it and start off in second. Fuel cap removal and replacement is a cinch - really groovy system.

Servicing intervals about the best I've ever seen on a dual sport, and you could almost change the oil and filter with your eyes closed! I'm pretty sure it takes the same filter as the 250.

Good on the dirt ... but you'll absolutely need a bashplate - not a lot of protection around the lower sanctum at all. In fact we put a B&B Offroad on the day after we bought the bike, and a set of Barkbuster handguards. There's just enough handlebar space to throw on a quadlock too. Seat pretty well standard fare for the class. 90 minutes or so will see you needing a rest.

Downsides ... the suspension travel is sooooo damned long. It seems like you'll never get your leg over it ... and then it sinks a foot when you finally do. The interplay between kickstand and suspension is such that you will find the stand badly wanting. The bike is unstable at rest on anything other than a firm level surface, or even a slightly uphill one. Don't even try on a soft surface!

If you have limited space in your garage, this interplay can become a pain here too ... the bike likes to really spread out when you park it up, and unless you get your angles just right, you'll find it happily leaning riiiiiight over against your car/boat/wall or whatever. Needs a better designed stand for sure.

Paintwork around your boots is not at all durable. Some blokes fit guards to protect it - we couldn't care less .... matches the 250L!!! Brake lever needs to be a lot wider ... several times I've braked thin air when trying to get it down with the Tech 7's. A really weird experience I've not had before. I've had to develop an unnatural inward thrust of the right foot to make sure it hovers over the pedal in case it's needed unexpectedly. I'm reliably informed it bends like butter too, but it apparently quite happily bends back again too!! The gear lever only just passes. I'm thinking a foray into the aftermarket world may be in order for these two ...

The two selector buttons for the display need ridiculously heavy finger pressure to activate. I mean really silly. You literally have to grasp the display cluster in one hand and wrestle your finger to what feels like the first joint into the button to activate it. This is really unusual for Honda stuff ... but there you go.

Engine note is sort of like an angry buzz ... that matures a little as it breaks in. One youtuber likened it to an angry hornet .... and that's about the most honest description I can think of. Is it good?? Is it bad?? I'll just call it personality!!

It's better than the 250 by a good margin on the tarmac, but doesn't really feel the 7KG it's meant to be lighter on the dirt, in my opinion. Mind you, both it and the 250 are perfect in the dirt ... the 300 just doesn't feel that much lighter despite the on paper figures.

At the end of the day it meets our brief here. It ain't the 650 I reeeeeeally want it to be, but it's honest, reliable, cheap to buy and run, and a miser on the gas. A keeper for now. Until that 650 sneaks under the radar!