HONDA CRF300 RALLY (2021 - on) Review

The standard suspension is dangerously undersprung. The amount of pitching and diving is quite insane. I bottomed out both front and rear suspension around 6 times in a few hours. I honestly don't know how Honda can get away with this. You hit a corner and it just wallows like made. The brakes are OK but not brilliant. You can tell there is a good chassis underneath but the springs are 100% dangerously weak.

A 300 single at the end of the day. Quite rough in the upper reaches but surprisingly torquey lower down. It pulled quite hard in 4th gear from 30kph.

No issues in the time I rode it

Good on fuel

Switchable ABS is a good thing for offroad. Odd there is no engine temperature gauge though?

Seats still a bit on the hard side after 1,5 hours.

Excellent all rounder, 15-20 more horsepower and it’s the unicorn bike.

Absolutely nothing to report. It’s a Honda.

I put on some headed grips for the autumn and winter. Would have been nice if Honda offered original material.

Hard seat after 1 1/2 hours.

The star of the show

Only had the bike for 3 weeks but it feels solid as a Honda should

Only ABS which is both a burden and a blessing

Some buffeting but I am 6 foot odd and it's not awfully bad. Brakes are sufficient.

I like that it's not ever going to get you in trouble

Just the exhaust.

80 plus mpg

Suspension upgrade by k tech

No issues brakes stop well and rides great for commuting.

Plenty of grunt for a 300.

Nothing to report as yet.

Running in service was £135 but the mechanic gave the bike a good check , ensuring spokes etc where all good. Got a walk round personal video which was a nice touch. Averaging around 89 mpg drops a bit when engine is pushed but bike sits happily at 70

No issues once again. Tyres seem good with plenty of feel. But if noise on roads. A c spanner would have been a nice addition to make the adjustments on the rear shock and space is very tight.

If I was planning to adventure bike to Mongolia this would not be my first choice, but you easily could. The bike can hold 70 all day and if you have a cast iron behind probably get you 250 miles between fill ups. I have only been about 100 miles without a break on mine and the seat seems as comfy as you can expect. The fairing doesn't do much for me as I am freakishly tall - a deflector helps a bit. I wouldn't take a pillion on this unless they were about 3 foot tall as the pegs just pay lip service to the concept! The bike is best at B roads and no roads.

I suspect that Euro 5 has squandered a fair bit of this bikes potential. Overseas this is being addressed with ECU tweaks but nothing much is happening in the UK. The engine is fine though, with enough power to be going on with. The fuelling is not great on / off throttle but no worse than some other injected bikes. A full Yoshimura exhaust is on my list, but may have to wait to see what my gas bill is first!

Tiny bit of corrosion on the front tower frame but the rest seems fine. ACF50 is my friend. The bike seems to be the Honda quality you expect!

Buy the Honda service plan if you are buying new - the dealers hate it. After warranty ends I will do my own servicing as it is real easy and parts are cheap.

Some don't rate the standard IRC tyres and maybe off road they could be bettered. I bought a decent rack and tail pack and the bike has engine protector bars. Accessories are dirt cheap from Thailand where the bike is built. The tower on the rally has a bar for mounting gps etc and a fuzed accessory plug so you can fit a USB charger etc. The handguards are cosmetic only and I have fitted better ones. Some say the standard bars bend easily in a fall, but they only cost £23 so are cheap to replace. I had some 30mm risers i fitted and might fit some fat bars one day

After years on road bikes the brakes feel ‘soft’ but this is as much me getting used to the bike as anything else. Rear shock is so so soft but on the road it seems to work adequately if a little vague. Budgeted for a new rear shock when I brought the bike but I will persevere with this one first until my off road skill improves.

Proven power plant not exactly going to rip your arms off but surprisingly torquey which gives you a lot of confidence in attacking the hills.

Considering the price point it represents good value for money although they have recently increased prices. There are some small quality issues which are well documented on forums so just make sure you take any precautions (for example paint on the frame not the best so fit protectors/tape etc). I brought it as it’s going to be a keeper and it will be ridden across to Spain and other long distance adventures so it was important I brought the most reliable bike I could.

Cheap service costs (annually or 8000 miles) played a big part in my decision with the RE Himalayan costs being significantly higher and more regular.

Good dash including average mpg which indicates it’s possible to achieve 100mpg - now that’s impressive!!

The brakes are fine, I've locked up fronts and backs on wet roads (ABS kicked in) so there's plenty of braking. The suspension however is a different story. I'm quite light at 72kg and on sweeping road bends the bike wallows and bounces like a dinghy. I've got used to it but I will be upgrading the suspension!

It's a cracker of a motor, quick enough in the real world. It'll not pull your arms out of their sockets with it's acceleration but it will keep you ahead of traffic and do a ridiculous mpg.

No corrosion and nothing broken so far in the 1500 miles I've done. I've been using it through the bad weather and good and it's standing up well. A coat of acf50 and keeping it clean certainly helps.

I can get 100mpg if I'm not thrashing it or on the lanes but even with a heavy right hand and hitting the trails I'm still getting 85mpg. OE parts are dirt cheap from Thailand but you'll pay the usual dealer fees at a main dealer. Once out of warranty I plan to look after it myself and the running costs will be minimal.

The stock tyres are poor off road and have been replaced. Some of the plastics are brittle, I fell and broke the rear undertray, others have complained that a fall breaks the undertray at the indicators. The dash is clear and everything works like it should, the tool kit is poor, I've had to supplement it with other tools and the manual tells you to take it to a dealer to adjust the chain, ha ha! I've replaced a few things to fit me better, taller bars, heated grips, hand guards and a bash plate. It's cost a bit but is now close to being the perfect do it all bike.

Good but seat is a plank as with most Dual sports. Needs risers and wider pegs.

More than enough power for what it is, will cruise at 70mph all day long and chug lower down.

Had a drop on the right side and the gearshift spindle bracket bent meaning the bike wouldn’t go into gear properly, not hard to fix but I’ve since heard of a few other bikes having the same issue. Otherwise very good. Stock handlebars are made from soft cheese.

Cheap as chips! Great in fuel and parts from Thailand are dirt cheap! £14 for a genuine Honda right hand case cover!

Dash is great and well equipped, the wiring socket for the 12v socket is handy, the engine is a peach once run in and smooths out after the first service, 8000 mile oil changes are a big plus too, stock tyres need changing, d606’s work well so does a MT21 front. Nitron rear shock is a good Investment too.