2012 Honda CRF250L

Nov 7, 2007
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KZ25;279463 wrote: 18 horses?? You have to be kidding!! My 20 year old AX1 had more power than that!

Please tell me this is a mistake...

The CBR is no powerhouse by a long shot - to neuter that engine even more is an insult.

Disappointing. :(
i agree, this has to be the wrong data we are looking at. ... hopefully!
come to think of it. my tiger boxer 250rs which i had 3years ago, the engine being as low tech as can be with 233cc had 18hp (with bikes weight of only appr 120 kg) and with a few mods it got 20-21hp. ...on the wheel! so i cant imagine that a 249cc detuned cbr250 engine is that messed up. ...it would be a great disappointment to an other wise very interesting bike.
 
Nov 7, 2007
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Ian Bungy;279473 wrote: Don't believe everything that You Read! I don't go to much off the Spec sheets, how it feels when You Ride it is the important factor and so Far it feels better then the KLX!
Ian, agree not to believe everything what we read...the problem is we have a video from an crf250l being dyno'd with the said nrs....i too agree that it is most important how it feels to ride. But being a road bike with a offroadish look and for some light offroad capabilitiies i would want to see it doing well on street-use. It would be great to have a thorough report on the bike including medium range riding with some climbs in it. Would even be better if someone, such as yourself, with good motorbike background could do it. So far i read mostly crf250l feedbacks from people that either haven't ridden for a millenium or upgraded from a smaller auto-scooter. Needless to say that those reviews are very positive. .... its like giving a starving man a Big Mac and ask him how he likes it. thanks for any further info on the Bike
 
Sep 19, 2006
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The CRF has More low down Torque than the KLX. My KLX has more Top end when the Revs get over 7500RPM but Mine has had some work done to it and performs much better than Standard so isn't really a Fair comparison? Riding around the Samoeng Loop the Honda is Faster than the Kawasaki. Who says the CRF has only light off Road capabilities? It has just as much if not More than the KLX? I Personally think the CRF is a better bike on all fronts and that is saying something for me as I really like My KLX and have ridden it really Hard for most of it's Life so far! If The Honda has the same Durability then it will be a real Winner!
 
Jul 8, 2011
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Ian Bungy;279488 wrote: The CRF has More low down Torque than the KLX. My KLX has more Top end when the Revs get over 7500RPM but Mine has had some work done to it and performs much better than Standard so isn't really a Fair comparison? Riding around the Samoeng Loop the Honda is Faster than the Kawasaki. Who says the CRF has only light off Road capabilities? It has just as much if not More than the KLX? I Personally think the CRF is a better bike on all fronts and that is saying something for me as I really like My KLX and have ridden it really Hard for most of it's Life so far! If The Honda has the same Durability then it will be a real Winner!
Hi Ian,

I have 2 questions maybe you can answer. I also had the KLX but...
-couldn't get the front suspension hard enough (preload) for my weight approx 95kg with gear.
-The seat was terrible for trips. Was a real dirt-bike seat, narrow and hard.

How is the CRF doing on these 2 points?

Thx,

nicky
 

KZ25

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Nov 19, 2011
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I'm not a power maniac and don't buy only what has top horsepower, but when it comes to a small 250cc bike every hp counts. The Ninja makes 26hp on the dyno, the CBR 25, a bit less, depending on which dyno. I had a Ninja and a VTR250 and 25hp is minimum for my taste.
Low and midrange power is very welcome but not when the top end loses 25%!
If I had a Ninja 650 it wouldn't be a big deal if it had 63hp instead of 70; but when the 250 loses 7hp it's a big difference.
I ask myself what is the wisdom behind it? Is it supposed to help beginners? Why does the CBR then have more power?
Something is wrong when models built ten, twenty years ago like the XR250L or the AX1 Dominator had more power than a modern bike with 27 engine patents.
Let's just hope that parts are available to hop it up some!
 
Sep 19, 2006
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In Answer to everyone's Questions.
HP, I don't believe it is underpowered and question the Dyno Figures or the People using it?
Suspension, I haven't done any off Road yet but I actually think that the Suspension is Firmer than the KLX and it doesn't Nose Dive like the Kawasaki under Heavy Braking?
Seat, This is a Personal Preference thing? I have never had a problem with any Bike Seat but definitely Dirt Bike Seats are not as Comfortable as a Touring Bikes Seat, Apples for Apples! Having said that I am against Butchering a Great looking seat and ending up with a Ugly Fat deformed Monstrosity just so My A**E feels a little better?
There are plenty of New CRF250L in the Rental Shops now so I recommend if You are genuinely interested in one or want to check for Yourself, Rent one for a Day and take it for a good Ride? You may well be surprised just how good it is!!! It is Possibly the Nicest Bike I have ever ridden around the Samoeng Loop and one of the Fastest yet easiest to Ride!
 
Nov 7, 2007
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Ian Bungy;279499 wrote: In Answer to everyone's Questions.
HP, I don't believe it is underpowered and question the Dyno Figures or the People using it?
Suspension, I haven't done any off Road yet but I actually think that the Suspension is Firmer than the KLX and it doesn't Nose Dive like the Kawasaki under Heavy Braking?
Seat, This is a Personal Preference thing? I have never had a problem with any Bike Seat but definitely Dirt Bike Seats are not as Comfortable as a Touring Bikes Seat, Apples for Apples! Having said that I am against Butchering a Great looking seat and ending up with a Ugly Fat deformed Monstrosity just so My A**E feels a little better?
There are plenty of New CRF250L in the Rental Shops now so I recommend if You are genuinely interested in one or want to check for Yourself, Rent one for a Day and take it for a good Ride? You may well be surprised just how good it is!!! It is Possibly the Nicest Bike I have ever ridden around the Samoeng Loop and one of the Fastest yet easiest to Ride!
Thanks for the info Ian. I had only testsat on a crf250L and in that short time i sat on one i found the seat comfy enough....of course riding it for a while i don't know. Unfortunately i have no rental place here for renting it...and as i can see it is actually slow in sales where i live ( nakhonsawan). of the 4 "big" Honda dealers i know the biggest one decided not even to stock it! i have so far seen one who rides it here ...but he may have been from another place. Hope it gets more sold here as i feel it suits my location pretty well. But then again the KLX250 was not sold well either here...i think it has something to do with seat height.

In regards of mention the light offroad capabilities i was merely following other feedbacks (from other forums/websites) plus the fact that the crf250R is meant to be the "proper" offroader while the crf250L is the dual purpose....anyways it is good to know if the bike also can take some serious offroading although it will never be going that way if i would ride one :)

happy trails and the more info we get here about the crf250L the better.

mbox
 

KZ25

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Nov 19, 2011
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Well if the Honda is faster around the block it couldn't have only 18hp if the Kawa has been modded a bit...

I wonder how many hop-up parts you can buy for the 15K+ baht you save with the Honda.

What about the seat height, which one is taller?
 
Nov 7, 2007
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KZ25;279513 wrote: Well if the Honda is faster around the block it couldn't have only 18hp if the Kawa has been modded a bit...

I wonder how many hop-up parts you can buy for the 15K+ baht you save with the Honda.

What about the seat height, which one is taller?
to me it feels the crf has a little lower seatheight. and yes, the dyno reading on the video may not be the right nrs....would be great if it was dyno'd a second time...having said that i did ride 1011km with my 18hp bike into umphang and back home in one day....my buddy was sitting on a ninja250. so an 18hp with the right gearing can do ok....but it wont do wonders :)
 
Nov 7, 2007
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Ian Bungy;279499 wrote:
Seat, This is a Personal Preference thing? I have never had a problem with any Bike Seat but definitely Dirt Bike Seats are not as Comfortable as a Touring Bikes Seat, Apples for Apples! Having said that I am against Butchering a Great looking seat and ending up with a Ugly Fat deformed Monstrosity just so My A**E feels a little better?
++++++1 LOL totally agree.
 

KZ25

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Nov 19, 2011
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The problem with the seat may be that many riders sit for the first time on an Enduro like on a street bike - too far back, where the padding is thin.

You ride an Enduro sitting forward, very close to the tank. There the seat is quite thick and should be fine.

Of course they're not made for hours on the highway!
 
Nov 7, 2007
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KZ25;279539 wrote: The problem with the seat may be that many riders sit for the first time on an Enduro like on a street bike - too far back, where the padding is thin.

You ride an Enduro sitting forward, very close to the tank. There the seat is quite thick and should be fine.

Of course they're not made for hours on the highway!
i cant speak from riding experience, but i found seat and seating position surprisingly comfy when i sat on it in showroom for probably around 10min....as ian pointed out i too wouldnt butcher this seat. in my opinion honda did a good job on this seat wether you sit close on the tank or not. having said that i am no lightweight with 3digits in kg's ;-)
 
Jul 8, 2011
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Ian Bungy;279499 wrote: In Answer to everyone's Questions.
HP, I don't believe it is underpowered and question the Dyno Figures or the People using it?
Suspension, I haven't done any off Road yet but I actually think that the Suspension is Firmer than the KLX and it doesn't Nose Dive like the Kawasaki under Heavy Braking?
Seat, This is a Personal Preference thing? I have never had a problem with any Bike Seat but definitely Dirt Bike Seats are not as Comfortable as a Touring Bikes Seat, Apples for Apples! Having said that I am against Butchering a Great looking seat and ending up with a Ugly Fat deformed Monstrosity just so My A**E feels a little better?
There are plenty of New CRF250L in the Rental Shops now so I recommend if You are genuinely interested in one or want to check for Yourself, Rent one for a Day and take it for a good Ride? You may well be surprised just how good it is!!! It is Possibly the Nicest Bike I have ever ridden around the Samoeng Loop and one of the Fastest yet easiest to Ride!
Thx Ian but I really couldn't deal with the KLX seat. Its a perfect dirtbike seat but for a KLX.... I don't know. It's not THAT much of a dirtbike to me.

Nicky
 
Apr 20, 2011
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the klx and the crf of course will not be winning any paris dakar, or any motox race, but i can assure you both will take you on any road or trail (double or single track)in thailand with relative ease! the biggest question everytime is , is the rider capable?
 
Oct 17, 2006
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Mityon pattaya have them in now but want 150,000 baht salesman says its due to price increase???? BS methinks
 
Nov 7, 2007
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monsterman;279615 wrote: Mityon pattaya have them in now but want 150,000 baht salesman says its due to price increase???? BS methinks
wow, 150k thb...? in nakhonsawan one of our dealers raised the price to 135k thb. ...the thing is, it sells pisspoor here in nakwan and would think the dealers want now a higher margin?
anyways i think price will go down eventually...... i hope :)
 

KZ25

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Nov 19, 2011
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Here in Songkhla the only CRF250L sitting on the showroom floor is 135,000 THB. 130K seems to be the exception.
 
Apr 20, 2011
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hey crf report trackers, i've just realised i didnt post my 4 day off road report here! soz i'm a newbie remember! i started a new topic!! bollox!! fail!!!
 
Jan 14, 2010
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bigalthaibiketoursuk;279812 wrote: hey crf report trackers, i've just realised i didnt post my 4 day off road report here! soz i'm a newbie remember! i started a new topic!! bollox!! fail!!!
Well at least post a link to it here ya numpty ;)

Here tis
 

bung

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Feb 6, 2006
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Got mine yesterday and right off the bat I was surprised at how responsive it is, seems to be pretty quick in the mid range considering what it is and loved the quick blat of the throttle and snicking through the gears, I had no trouble riding along as quick as I felt I needed to go. It is actually a pretty short throttle which is nice, not having to twist it to much or worse, taking a second go at it to hit the stop. Very easy to ride as well, it took no effort at all to be completely at home on it.

I got it home and put a set of fat bars and adaptors on it I had ready and was torn between having a beer and checking it out in the driveway, riding it and having to look after my son but got 100k's on it already. He was laughing at my weak excuses to go ride- "Oh, I forgot something, just going to nip down to the shops" kind of thing. :)

It certainly exceeded my expectations and all the photos hardly do it justice, it is a very nice looking bike and has quality to it as well.

Seems to handle great as well. My only gripe so far is the brakes. I thought they may need bedding in as they were terrible leaving the dealer and although they have got a little better they are still below par. Maybe I will take the pads out and scuff them up to see if that helps.

The gearbox and clutch are great. The only thing I noticed was it would bind up if you stopped in a highter gear it would be hard to get it back to first and needed the clutch slightly disengaged to to allow it to change down. This may well get better but I needed to be conscious of changing down before slowing too much or stopping.

I could have easily just thrown a bag on the back and taken off into the hills for the night, really looking forward to getting out and about.

I do the hard run in style, not thrashed but get those rings bedded in nicely by constantly rolling on and off the throttle to keep the combustion pressure up. 100k's and the rings are bedded in. Clean oil and she will be good up to the first service at 1000 k's. I do all my new bikes this way.

I think I will change the oil tomorrow, check the chain, strap my wet weather gear on the back (need that rack!) tomorrow and do the samoeng loop.

Anyone want to buy an airblade? It is already tucked away in a corner of the shed, I doubt I will use it anymore....I did ride it around the block and after the CRF it felt comical to ride. The CRF and Thruxton will be a great combo.

Happy days.

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Sep 19, 2006
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Hi Dave,
Top stuff Mate, congratulations! Great set of Bars those Pro Taper! I agree with You about the Brakes, The only thing that My KLX has better are the Brakes! I thought they will get better as they bed in but I don't see any great improvement yet and I have done over 1000kms! See You soon.
 

bung

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Feb 6, 2006
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So I went to the shop to tell them to change the oil. "Nooo! Only 120klms!" "Do at 1000klms". I couldn't be arsed arguing with them and explaining it all so I went and bought a filter and oil and did it myself.

Dropped the oil, pretty dirty.

But more interstingly was the small particles of metal I saw in the oil and filter. Nothing major but I am glad I changed it, 350B well spent. Took about 20 min to do and the great thing is it takes exactly 2 bottles of oil (Hondas 10w 30) so no messing about checking the level.

Took it for a fang around the Samoeng loop and it went great but struggled a bit on the steep hils with my 100kgs. It would be ok if you caned it a bit but I wasn't ready to do that yet. My **** was killing me.

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