CRF300L Rally Abs, The Joy of Dual Sport
Discussion
I've wanted another dual sport motorcycle for a while. Living on O'ahu Hawai'i, there are not many places to ride off road. I knew I was planning on moving back to mainland USA in late 2021, so when the CRF300L was announced I tried to order one on the mainland to collect upon my return.
Due to the shortages I was told many things from many dealers. The best I could do was put my name on a waiting list, not guaranteed of course and I was not able to put a deposit down.
Buying a motorcycle in Hawai'i guarantees you will be ripped off in dealer markup fees and your shiny new bike will start to rust in the tropical climate.
The CRF300L in my opinion is the best value for money lightweight dualsport available on the American market.
The Suzuki DR200 is a great bike for a beginner but hasn't been upgraded in decades.
The Yamaha WR250R is a great bike but no longer produced, requires super unleaded and is slower than the 300L.
The Kawasaki KLX300 has better suspension but the fuel tank is too small and there aftermarket isn't there yet.
The excellent fuel economy and fuel range of the rally made my choice easy.
So 9 months later on the mainland. A shipment of CRF300Ls come in. Looking at the data labels I'm not seeing any of them with the ABS (switchable). Tearing open the cardboard covers of the crates, one after another it was a regular CRF300l or a non ABS rally. The next day I had another look. I'm not sure how I missed it but CRF300LRA is the nomenclature for the rally abs. There was only one available and I took it.
Setup was rather easy.
Zero miles on the odometer. The display is nice and easy to read. Abs is switchable via the grey button, no multiple screens to access to deactivate.
The side stand does lean the bike over pretty aggressively.
My initial impressions are that the build quality is very good. The suspension is very soft, I'm going straight to maximum preload. The seat is not that bad. The footpegs are pretty wide and have removable rubbers. They look similar to the Africa Twin footpegs.
Right now it's too cold to ride it home, so I've ordered some things for it that I'll post soon.
Due to the shortages I was told many things from many dealers. The best I could do was put my name on a waiting list, not guaranteed of course and I was not able to put a deposit down.
Buying a motorcycle in Hawai'i guarantees you will be ripped off in dealer markup fees and your shiny new bike will start to rust in the tropical climate.
The CRF300L in my opinion is the best value for money lightweight dualsport available on the American market.
The Suzuki DR200 is a great bike for a beginner but hasn't been upgraded in decades.
The Yamaha WR250R is a great bike but no longer produced, requires super unleaded and is slower than the 300L.
The Kawasaki KLX300 has better suspension but the fuel tank is too small and there aftermarket isn't there yet.
The excellent fuel economy and fuel range of the rally made my choice easy.
So 9 months later on the mainland. A shipment of CRF300Ls come in. Looking at the data labels I'm not seeing any of them with the ABS (switchable). Tearing open the cardboard covers of the crates, one after another it was a regular CRF300l or a non ABS rally. The next day I had another look. I'm not sure how I missed it but CRF300LRA is the nomenclature for the rally abs. There was only one available and I took it.
Setup was rather easy.
Zero miles on the odometer. The display is nice and easy to read. Abs is switchable via the grey button, no multiple screens to access to deactivate.
The side stand does lean the bike over pretty aggressively.
My initial impressions are that the build quality is very good. The suspension is very soft, I'm going straight to maximum preload. The seat is not that bad. The footpegs are pretty wide and have removable rubbers. They look similar to the Africa Twin footpegs.
Right now it's too cold to ride it home, so I've ordered some things for it that I'll post soon.
Almighty said:
So 9 months later on the mainland. A shipment of CRF300Ls come in. Looking at the data labels I'm not seeing any of them with the ABS (switchable). Tearing open the cardboard covers of the crates, one after another it was a regular CRF300l or a non ABS rally. The next day I had another look. I'm not sure how I missed it but CRF300LRA is the nomenclature for the rally abs. There was only one available and I took it.
That looks really great - enjoy! Also, I love the process of choosing your bike from a selection of cardboard boxes that you just open up and, if you like what you find inside, you buy it 
ThreadKiller said:
Nice! I have considered all the bikes you mentioned and am gravitating to the Rally. Did you consider DRZ400e? Don’t really want a brand new bike, but there seems little other option considering the points you raise.
In America the DRZ400S is still available brand new albeit there has never been an update. It is a great bike and under normal circumstances a great used buy. Everything used in America is hyperinflated in price making it usually a better deal to buy new. The main issues I read with the DRZ400 is the fact that it needs a 6th gear and it is buzzy at motorway speeds. It is also carb which may or not be an issue for you. If I am going to buy a carb dual sport then I would have to look at the DR650 and the XR650L, both are still sold new in the USA.For the intended purpose of a dual sport the DRZ400 is one of the best. If there is a big price difference for you between the DRZ400 and CRF300L then i'd consider the DRZ. Also the fact that the DRZ has a huge and established aftermarket. Having said that the aftermarket support for the CRF300L is also there. Personally I'd love a DR800 Big but they were never sold here.
Bob_Defly said:
Great choice, well done!
Thank you, I've only rode the bike home 40 miles as it is very cold in the mornings and evenings. I was being very gentle on the throttle on the way home due to the freezing temperature and the engine not being broken in. The seat is not bad at all. I was pretty comfortable on it for most of the way. I am going to improve the ergonomics of the bike, footpegs, handlebars, windshield and foot controls. I achieved 88 UK MPG taking the backway home, so doing around 55mph._Neal_ said:
That looks really great - enjoy! Also, I love the process of choosing your bike from a selection of cardboard boxes that you just open up and, if you like what you find inside, you buy it
So there is a bit of background to me opening those boxes. I have just early retired and I am in a solid financial position, debt free, mortgage paid etc. I really enjoy working on motorcycles so I'm going to a technical school studying motorcycle technology. I also work at a dealer as an apprentice motorcycle technician for the knowledge and experience. My name was on the CRF300L waiting list for a long time, but I could not get an estimated time of when any would arrive. Whatever comes in the trucks is whatever there is. Being that they are shipped from overseas and the massive shipping container mess at the port of Los Angeles means that there are tons of bikes sitting in the Pacific Ocean waiting to be unloaded.
ATV's and SXS (side by sides) are made in the USA so there is a steady flow of those coming in. Out of 8 300L's mine was the only one that is a Rally and ABS. I think all UK 300's have ABS but I would assume they are switchable. Based on the UK website, UK models have the same USA ugly incandescent egg shape turn signals/indicator. I have currently ordered front and rear LED turn signals, their rubber grommets, metal collar and screws from a 2019 CB500X. They should be plug and play or I may have to depin a wire into 2 separate connectors. Its the same turn signal/indicator as the 2020 Africa Twin.
Edited by Almighty on Monday 7th February 17:13
The rally has wider footpegs than the regular 300l including the on road rubber cushion. They are sized pretty well.
Honda does have Enduro footpegs available.
These pegs are a bit bigger and do not come with a rubber cushion. I don't want to feel the vibrations through my feet so I didn't get them. However the part number matches the same as the 2020 + Africa Twin.
I already had some SW motech on/off road foot pegs from my last bike. I purchased SW motech adapters for the 2020 Africa Twin and the footpegs fit perfectly. They are a bit bigger than factory and have a high and low position. In low it's the same height as factory.
Honda does have Enduro footpegs available.
These pegs are a bit bigger and do not come with a rubber cushion. I don't want to feel the vibrations through my feet so I didn't get them. However the part number matches the same as the 2020 + Africa Twin.
I already had some SW motech on/off road foot pegs from my last bike. I purchased SW motech adapters for the 2020 Africa Twin and the footpegs fit perfectly. They are a bit bigger than factory and have a high and low position. In low it's the same height as factory.
Almighty said:
So there is a bit of background to me opening those boxes. I have just early retired and I am in a solid financial position, debt free, mortgage paid etc. I really enjoy working on motorcycles so I'm going to a technical school studying motorcycle technology. I also work at a dealer as an apprentice motorcycle technician for the knowledge and experience.
My name was on the CRF300L waiting list for a long time, but I could not get an estimated time of when any would arrive. Whatever comes in the trucks is whatever there is. Being that they are shipped from overseas and the massive shipping container mess at the port of Los Angeles means that there are tons of bikes sitting in the Pacific Ocean waiting to be unloaded.
Excellent stuff - definitely a good way to do it! My name was on the CRF300L waiting list for a long time, but I could not get an estimated time of when any would arrive. Whatever comes in the trucks is whatever there is. Being that they are shipped from overseas and the massive shipping container mess at the port of Los Angeles means that there are tons of bikes sitting in the Pacific Ocean waiting to be unloaded.
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