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Honda CRF300L and Rally and LS

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Revelc said:
Havent posted in a while.

Heres a photo from my last adventure. A Whataburger/Liquor run.

Still riding it every day to and from work and have made about 5 trips to Barnwell Mountain so far.

No big trips but have racked up about 5,800 miles so far sine June.

The Oxford Heated grips have been a life saver in the cold weather we have been having.

The Rally Raid suspension really transformed the bike and with the Tubliss 2.0 system front and rear now its performed very well for such a heavy piglet on single track.

Since my last update I also added a used Flatland skidplate and radiator guard I scored on a Facebook group.

Pretty much have it how I want it now, though I may be going for the 550 Performance Stage 1.5 setup that uses CBR300 cams and intake tube with a Frogskin/slotted airbox door for just a little more power.



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You won’t regret the cam upgrade.

I did this a long while back and actually did lots of the data logging for 550performance to build the tune.

The power is better everywhere. Bottom to top. You will need to open the airbox up and also replace the intake tube with the cbr one. That’s the most restrictive part of the entire deal.
 
Struggle said:
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5000 miles on mine now, few power mods, little suspension work, tires, gearing, and it’s a pretty sweet dual sport. I sometimes want to step up to like a KTW/Husky 500/501 but I’m not sure I would gain twice the price.
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You'd also be gaining 3 times the maintenance as a bonus lol.
Struggle said:
You won’t regret the cam upgrade.

I did this a long while back and actually did lots of the data logging for 550performance to build the tune.

The power is better everywhere. Bottom to top. You will need to open the airbox up and also replace the intake tube with the cbr one. That’s the most restrictive part of the entire deal.
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Id like the bike to be a little less strained around 75mph so that sounds like a winner. Also props for doing all the ground work with data logging for everyone else.

Will probably do it once we recover from the holidays.

Kind of neat that it uses Honda OEM parts.
 
Struggle said:
You won’t regret the cam upgrade.

I did this a long while back and actually did lots of the data logging for 550performance to build the tune.

The power is better everywhere. Bottom to top. You will need to open the airbox up and also replace the intake tube with the cbr one. That’s the most restrictive part of the entire deal.
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Any data on just how much improvement you get? I'm curious about a 300 Rally, but worry I'd be chasing my tail trying to get more power.
 
William Wolfen said:
Any data on just how much improvement you get? I'm curious about a 300 Rally, but worry I'd be chasing my tail trying to get more power.
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About a 6hp gain

From 22ish to 28.8ish

That may not sound like a lot but it is, relative…it’s 25%

Dynos are tuning tools though, don’t try to race one.

But I can tell you it’s a completely different machine, it’s not powerhouse. But it does awesome and a million times better than stock, throughout the entire powerband.

I run 13/42 gearing vs the stock 14/40 which gives me a much better feeling for both woods and highway. Yes the revs are higher but the bike needs that to be able to accelerate 60-80.

Mine will run over 90, and will crawl through trails, scoot through sandy roads, throttle wheelie in second when leaving the gas station lol.

It’s pretty fun for a $5500 bike and a total of $1000 in upgrades, suspension and performance together.
 
Struggle said:
About a 6hp gain

From 22ish to 28.8ish

That may not sound like a lot but it is, relative…it’s 25%

Dynos are tuning tools though, don’t try to race one.

But I can tell you it’s a completely different machine, it’s not powerhouse. But it does awesome and a million times better than stock, throughout the entire powerband.

I run 13/42 gearing vs the stock 14/40 which gives me a much better feeling for both woods and highway. Yes the revs are higher but the bike needs that to be able to accelerate 60-80.

Mine will run over 90, and will crawl through trails, scoot through sandy roads, throttle wheelie in second when leaving the gas station lol.

It’s pretty fun for a $5500 bike and a total of $1000 in upgrades, suspension and performance together.
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Very impressive gains! One of these days I'm gonna have to get a decent test ride in on one of these. With that sort of power gain, I think I'd be good with it. I never had an issue on my DR650, though that's a bit if a different beast.
 
Spyvsspy said:
Those are CBR250 wheels? If so, what is involved to make them fit?
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And is that a KLR top box? :rofl:

Struggle said:
It’s pretty fun for a $5500 bike and a total of $1000 in upgrades, suspension and performance together.
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Yeah, that's a big gain in performance for not a lotta dollars. Well done...
 
Spyvsspy said:
Those are CBR250 wheels? If so, what is involved to make them fit?
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Yes cbr250 wheels

I followed a thread on thumpertalk for the mods needed.

Had to do a good bit of work on the rear, killing down the hub and Cush drive, as well as mill down the spacers. The front just needed a bearing swap since the 300 axle is larger and some mods to the spacer, brake caliper Bracket obviously for the larger brakes.

I put around 500 miles on them before I decided that while I love them on the street, I go Offroad too often.

They are for sale…..brand new tires ready to go… $500
 

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Here's the video from Honda Japan. You can see at about 45 seconds that there are 2 versions of the CRF250L and again at 1:30 for the Rally. Honda should introduce a "low suspension" of its CRF300L soon. A lower Rally might be tempting...

 
William Wolfen said:
Very impressive gains! One of these days I'm gonna have to get a decent test ride in on one of these. With that sort of power gain, I think I'd be good with it. I never had an issue on my DR650, though that's a bit if a different beast.
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I did it a few months ago and it made a huge difference. More power up top as well as mid range and down low.

Even as a larger rider I can hold 80mph with stock gears without downshifting on hills.

Raced a buddy with a stock DRZ400SM and we were neck and neck up to around 72mph and he slowly started to creep away.

Highly recommend the velocity stack, cams, and tune. This is how the bike should have from the factory.
 
The rally version looks really cool and I bet it’s decent off road with the crawl gear but hear me out.

The whole point of getting a dualsport or adv instead of a dirtbike is being able to ride it to and from the trails. In most parts of TX you need to get on the interstate and go 80+ mph to do that. I’m having a hard time believing a mild 300cc Honda single is enough for that.
 
dashiznit1 said:
The rally version looks really cool and I bet it’s decent off road with the crawl gear but hear me out.

The whole point of getting a dualsport or adv instead of a dirtbike is being able to ride it to and from the trails. In most parts of TX you need to get on the interstate and go 80+ mph to do that. I’m having a hard time believing a mild 300cc Honda single is enough for that.
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I have over 8,000 miles on it so far. About 40% of those are highway miles.

I'm also 6'3" 260lbs so that's something to consider. Adding the cams and tune made a huge difference in the confidence I have on the highway.

Ridden an hour on I-20 to Barnwell Mountain, rode a tough 26 mile Enduro/single track loop, and ridden home several times with no fuss.

Wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere.

Planning to ride it down to Austin soon to meet some old riding buddies at Hidden Falls Adventure Park for some single track runs. It's about 240 miles one way for me and I won't be worried at all about riding on the highway.
 
Revelc said:
I have over 8,000 miles on it so far. About 40% of those are highway miles.

I'm also 6'3" 260lbs so that's something to consider. Adding the cams and tune made a huge difference in the confidence I have on the highway.

Ridden an hour on I-20 to Barnwell Mountain, rode a tough 26 mile Enduro/single track loop, and ridden home several times with no fuss.

Wouldn't hesitate to take it anywhere.

Planning to ride it down to Austin soon to meet some old riding buddies at Hidden Falls Adventure Park for some single track runs. It's about 240 miles one way for me and I won't be worried at all about riding on the highway.
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What kind of speed is it happy cruising at and how fast does it top out? I’m shocked cams and a tune made that much of a difference but glad to hear its working well for you.
 
dashiznit1 said:
What kind of speed is it happy cruising at and how fast does it top out? I’m shocked cams and a tune made that much of a difference but glad to hear its working well for you.
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It's not buzzy or sounding unhappy at 80mph (GPS). But 70-75mph are fine cruising speeds and you get there really quick. It tops out around 87mph(GPS) though.

One of the biggest restrictions is actually the velocity stack (little boot that goes between the air box and throttle body).

The stock one is smaller and quite long. The CBR300R velocity stack is wider and stubbier. Allows for far more airflow.

If you just add cams and a tune it starves for air.

It's all Honda OEM parts aside from the flash on my ECU. CBR300R Cams are $80 and velocity stack was $28. Stage 1.5 Tune was about $150.

It's the same exact motor that's in the CBR300R but Honda detuned it to make it more forgiving on the trail.

I plan on seeing how it performs with 14/42 gearing.

Could get the front wheel up in 3rd with 13/40 gearing but it was way too buzzy on the highway with that smaller front sprocket so I am back to stock gearing for now.
 
dashiznit1 said:
What kind of speed is it happy cruising at and how fast does it top out? I’m shocked cams and a tune made that much of a difference but glad to hear its working well for you.
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If you are seeking more power with unicorn characteristics you should check out the Kove 450

They look like they will tick all the boxes for a lot of people that want more power for the highway it beats a stock KTM500 EXC-F. 51hp with 6-speed transmission. 330 mile range with 8 gallon 3 tank setup. Seems pretty decent off-road too with fully adjustable suspension.

3 of them entered and completed the Dakar Rally.

They will be a little more than the CRF300L Rally. I believe MSRP is around $9,000 when they launch here.

Once you add adjustable fork cartridges and a good rear shock to a CRF300L you're already pretty close to that price.
 
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