CRF300L Riding Impression
Story and Photos by Trevor Hunter
Dirt bikes have come a long way over the years in terms of both performance and styling. Modern bikes pack a lot of performance in a small package. And in recent years, even the bikes that aren’t the premium offering with a focus on high level performance are seeing updates and upgrades, including styling. The entry level dual-sport market is growing in demand and many of the OEM’s have taken note. In 2021, Honda revamped the popular CRF250L, bumped up the CC’s, reworked the body styling, and more to unveil the CRF300L. It still remains in that entry level category, but it looks like a serious bike and its performance capabilities aren’t lacking either. To note, we rode the bike with full knobby tires since we spend so much time in the dirt and know the limiting factors of the stock tires.
The motor on the 300L is easily one of its strongest features. The 300cc liquid-cooled four-stroke powerplant packs a lot of torque, doing its best work at lower RPMs. You can rev it and make more noise (still not a lot though!), or you can short shift it and keep it in the meat of the power where it lives in the bottom to mid-range. There are more exciting 300 four-stroke motors out there like the higher revving Kawasaki, but this Honda is very functional and gets the job done and is more often preferred with the type of rider these bikes are designed for.
We primarily ride in the dirt, and with that, we feel we could go for a bigger rear sprocket to tighten the gaps in the transmission ratios as we aren’t too concerned about top speed on the highway. Though with the stock gearing, we can very comfortably go ~55mph without running the little engine too hard. Once we get above 60-65mph, the engine starts to become strained and we’d rather not push it that hard unless needed.
As much as we like the engine, the suspension is arguably the weakest part of the build. Saying it’s soft is a bit of an understatement, even for novice level riders. The forks in particular are good at soaking up the smallest chatter and small rocks, but hitting any dip or bump that loads the front end will use up all 10.2 inches of travel in the 43mm fork. Out back, the shock is still soft, but more adequately set up for the level of rider this bike is intended for. Hitting whoops, large holes, or even dips in the road at speed will bottom the shock out, but it has more control than the forks and generally stays straight even when bottoming. If you go in knowing this, and you ride it accordingly, it’s still an enjoyable ride in suitable terrain.
We’ve had beginner riders with very little experience on any form of motorcycle spend time on this bike and one of their complaints is that the suspension is just too soft. The only other complaint? It’s too quiet and doesn’t sound fast.
The chassis is small and compact, making it great for newer riders who want to feel in control of the motorcycle. You sit in the bike and have plenty of this gives newer riders a lot of confidence as they feel bigger than the bike. There is also a low seat option (which we currently have) which cramps the cockpit more, but allows shorter riders to touch the ground easier. For those that are newer and still place importance on being able to do so, the shaved seat is welcomed. For those that don’t place as much importance on this, the regular seat height is recommended as it’s already slightly cramped for riders of most sizes.
One thing that comes with the territory of these entry level dual-sport models is there isn’t much importance placed on weight savings and the CRF300L fits the bill. It’s a heavy bike and once it starts tipping, it takes a lot of strength to keep upright. However, there are positives to the weight and when you’re on the road or blasting fire roads, the added weight increases stability and helps keep the bike planted for a more confidence inspiring ride.
The bike performs best on smooth fire roads, smooth trails, and even technical singletrack. The smooth, torquey power delivery makes even the toughest trails not so hard and can mask rider deficiencies in throttle and clutch control. The smoother the terrain, the better the bike handles, and avoiding trail settings where a lot of movement is required is welcomed. The heavy scale weight of this bike is felt when you have to muscle, or even lift, the bike and can wear you down rather quickly.
As an entry level bike that’s designed with more beginner level riders in mind, this platform boasts a lot of positives in teaching the fundamentals with an easier success rate. The mellow motor and smooth power delivery is easy to grasp and learn both throttle control and clutch control. It’d be damn near impossible to “whiskey throttle” this bike, it turn scaring off new and inexperienced users. Plus, the abilitiy to ride on the streets makes it a great bike to hop on and cruise around turn for some added seat time and thrill mid-week! And with a lot of rules changing at race tracks with the banning of pit bikes, a licensed motorcycle is typically looked at differently and a unit like this is far more comfortable than a small 110cc playbike yet still just as easy to move around on.
For the price, this bike truly does pack a lot of performance and it’s far more capable than most would ever think. We took one last year and finished the 200 mile Big Bear Dual Sport ride, beating hundreds of thousands of dollars in blinged up 450 and 500cc dual-sports on a couple of stock 300’s with tires, mousses, and skid plates. It may not feature all the bells and whistles of the high dollar offerings, but they’re more than capable and a fraction of the price.
