Don't call it a 250, unless someone asks! Ride on review of Honda CRF250 Rally
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- Don't call it a 250, unless someone asks! Ride on review of Honda CRF250 Rally.
The Honda CRF 250 Rally, is a new Dual Sport Offering from Honda. Perhaps it is the sentry heralding the renaissance of the class.
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I just bought a crf250l rally. Got two more motorcycle but the rally is my favor. Love it👊🏻
I've recently come down from big bore thumpers to a 250 rally...it's in standard trim and I love almost everything about it out of the box.
I have one. The first thing I thought of when I saw the horn button placement- Boeing. They take a time tested proven industry standard and change it for no apparent reason. Other than that, I really like it.
Honda motocross have plastic guards for the shocks.. They also have a plastic bash guard.... They work well, flex and are easy to replace..
the engine is not comfortable at 4k rpm. it makes peak hp at 8.5k. comfortable is more around 6.5-7k
I was thinking about a comparison with the Himalayan. The Himalayan seems more solid. The wider, longer seat and the racks makes the Himalayan feel like it has added value. The CRF is light and nimble. Definitely has more usable power, which is surprising. The sheer amount of plastic on the CRF, makes the bike feel more budget - even though it is £2700 more expensive. I'll have to do some research about racks and crash protection for the CRF - as it stands, the bike seems vulnerable. As I say in the video, the engine sounds a bit wimpy - it is anything but. I agree with overbost7667, the sag of the suspension makes it the right height for us short folks. The long kick stand was a conundrum - I was convinced I was going to drop it. You have to understand it is an off-road bike made road legal. It is a dual sport, not an Adventure bike. Worth consideration though.
Only sat on a Himalayan, but your observations seem spot on. I reckon there is even a 300 € price advantage for the RE, as they deliver stuff you'd had to fit yourself anyway like rack, engine guard and shield. That said, there is a disadvantage for the Honda, as you need a rack and a real engine guard sooner than later.
Dick Whistles i have a CRF250l, IMHO i believe the L is a better value for money, tons of after market parts nowadays that the sky is the limit. You can fit a proper skidplate, after market fuel tanks and loads of suspension options. Its lighter with a lower seat height but still plenty of ground clearance for offroad stuff. I saw one at the dealer ship and it look more as a poser than a proper adventure machine, u pay the extra for some extra plastic, nothing else.
ripmax333 Thanks for the comment. Surely the cost of aftermarket bits lessens the value? I think the Rally has a larger gas tank as well. I am all for finding a bargain. I think I saw a larger tank for the L online - don't know where savings can be had. At its heart, they are the same bike and I like the performance.
All the best.
In the showroom it does hide well parked by the crf250x and crf250r but this is no off road bike. Bit higher and softer than a road bike that's about it. Really just the same as an kawasaki klr250 from 92-98 with less power
No it's all about what YOU are capable off, no it's not a fully fledged off road machine BUT a Dualsport.
th-cam.com/video/jmAaPU8O4Vg/w-d-xo.html
I have a 2020 rally and it has- in my opinion- one of the best stock engine sounds. Pretty good grunt and to me it doesn’t even sound like a stock exhaust
Right on!
God, I really hope this is a renaissance, I've been waiting ever since the RD03...
Enjoyed this, shame it wasn’t a bit longer.
Wheelbase?
@@DickWhistles ha ha. No i meant longer in time.
Ah. It's a tricky thing the length (duration of a TH-cam video). If you are interested in more Honda CRF 250 content, check out my videos on my own CRF 250 L. There is also some footage of me riding it in Classic Trials events. Very capable bike. One of my favourites after a bit of time as an owner. In a class by itself really. The Himalyan, which I initially thought was comparable cannot hold a candle to it. Thanks for your comment.
Honda out shines that thing. Twice the hp and 100lbs lighter. Reliable, and service and parts available around world. RE doesn't come close.
I love your intro.
Why not? Looks like a very nice and capable bike. Looks like nothing is wrong with the 250.
S. Palmer nothing wrong. Implying it punches above its weight!
Thanks for the comment.
Fun video I have the bike the gearing is pretty good for off road. I think it’s a good compromise between street and off-road
Thanks for the owner's perspective.
Nice looking bike
Looks like it would be good for city commuting also you said it’s comfortable at 4000 RPM red line is 10 1/2 it should be comfortable closer to 7000 RPMs
Plastic guards will do better then you think. I beat the shit out of everything I own and plastic skid plates hold up just fine.
I just don't get all the comments here... This is a dirt bike with indicators... Take it to the dirt... You should only drive it in pavement in order to get to dirt... And don't even compare it to the Himalayan. Any comparison has to be with a wr or a KTM.
I never understood the plastic skid plates. On my 250L I have an aluminum one, and it's really needed. I was riding through some long grass and didn't see a big rock sticking up out of the ground. If I had a plastic skid plate, there would have been some damage.
65 miles an hour fourth gear 5500 RPMs? I have a 2020 I don’t think I’m close to that I am in sixth gear 65 at about 6500 RPMs
3 fingers on clutch lol
has someone come up with a big bore kit for this one? fork guards have always been plastic in these type of bikes.
I loved the 230km test ride with it. How do you compare it to the Himalayan ? 85mph top speed here easily.
yes please what's your opinion between these two, i'm still deciding my way to go. My body 5.5 height and classic ascetics sends me to RE platform but in reliability/construction and functionality the Honda seems better bet. Does the Honda vibrates more??? thanks
One thing to consider: I am 5.9 with short legs. I sat perfectly on it an was easily able to tip toe because the suspension sags A LOT. To get off though, I had to lean the bike a little bit to the right to get the side stand out, which was a bit unnerving and first I thought I had to stay on it forever. Another quirk was the gear shifter, which was repeatable not going from neutral to first after first startup without double clutching on my demo bike. Weird that. Else it was lovely and I am seriously considering it. 3.2 liter/100km is a big bonus too.
yes a CRF translates a more off road capable machine, that for me is aspirational I like that, but in real life a will use tarmac road more of course. I presently own a Derbi 659 Mulhacen and I love going into off main roads with it but I think I'm killing it. I've been seated on both bikes ( RE and Rally) but no test drive and that is holding me back. It's a good input that Dick Whistles feels the Himalayan more solid because at first glance the Rally seems a space ship next to the Himalayan exposed wiring and suspicious welding spots. I know they a very different approach to similar end.
You're shifting to soon, rev it up it will handle it !
Mark Collins thanks for the suggestion. I do tend to short shift, due to my Enfield ownership.
All the best.
Since the CRF250L and CBR250R shared the same engine, I wish they had shared the CBR300R with the Rally.
Caz Gerald Haven’t ridden the 300. Is it a spirited engine?
Thanks for the comment.
It's essentially the same engine - Honda stroked the engine in their existing CBR250R in 2010 for their new restyled CBR300R. That added about 28% more power and about 57% more torque for CBR300R vs the CBR250R. I just figured they have the engine in production, it's the exact same engine block, so using it for the Rally would have been kind of cool.
Caz Gerald agreed.
@@cazgerald9471 Not sure where your numbers are from. The CBR300R is a 286cc engine. The Honda numbers reported are ALL engine HP numbers...not BHP. I do not recall torque data being offered. My 250L has 286 cams and 28mm throttle body, plus some fun head /intake work/EFI mods and makes 24.7 or.8 at the rear wheel...and still gets near 70 mpg. No OEM CBR250R can pass it. most "300's" cannot either. I run it as a motard or as an adventure setup. We also build 305CC engine for these.
@@artthurman3446 I'm not sure, but I do agree I'm way off. It would appear that the stock 300 has about 17% more power.
I believe the bike is designed to rev high for proper power
allan Shuben actually Honda specifically turned it for mid-rev top performance to directly oppose the Yamaha WR, which finds peak performance at 10k rpm.
Thanks for the comment.
Take it off road and see how it performs. From the way you describe, he gearing seems to be crying out to be shown a little bit of slippy dirt, some tricky undulations and a few challenging inclines. I'm guessing its still a real bike without ABS etc. go for it.
I miss that shit. My Bultaco 350 and 250 twinshock Sherpas are in pieces awaiting restoration. One has to be sold to finance a secret streetfighter project, but the other might be a toy. But if I can find a Bultaco enduro, both will go.
These new bikes cost too much and have far too many vulnerable plastic bits to be real long term off road options IMO. I love Hondas generally, because they're usually better built than their competition.
But when Midland Moto (?) dropped the Africa Twin on a simple moorland gravel trail, and wrecked an engine side casing - despite the presence of OEM engine bars, I laughed my fucking head off. That's just wrong on so many levels, I just don't know where to begin. Adventure bike? Fuck off. It was apparently the dual clutch bit in the right casing that took the blow of a low speed off. The bars allowed that to happen. Just stupid on Honda's part.
It's nice to find solid validation for not buying the bikes I can't afford;))
Moderate Fkr “Secret Streetfighter Project” I’m curious. I agree about the Africa Twin. There’s a great video of a father and two sons doing the TAT and the Dad kept dropping the AF every five feet. Hilarious.
Great minds Dick Whistles :))
Is that Harry's Garage? He went to Spain and France I believe on old and new Africa Twins. I suspect the early ones were better.
Moderate Fkr I don’t think it’s Harry’s Garage, but I’ll check. I think by the second day one of the sons was riding the AF and the Dad was on one of the 250s. I’ll see if I can find it.
Yep, different vid Dick Whistles. But the experience with the AF seems to be universal. I rode road bikes in road bike trials. The best was my 1970? CB125. But I also entered on my 1976 CD175. All I did was remove the mirrors! I never dropped either of them, and these were timed events on actual trials courses! Size has a great deal to do with it, but I maintained control of the CD175 despite being a twin with low ground clearance and very narrow bars.
The streetfighter project is a long term thing that will break new ground concept, theme and design wise. It will turn heads and set new bars - hopefully.
Many of the ideas have been done before, but none all on one bike, or to the level I intend to take them.
I'm all about originality, but there's nothing new under the sun, and like Woody Guthrie and Steve Jobs, I steal (a little bit) from EVERYBODY!:))
I think the trick is to look in some new places for novel solutions, tell a story, and make people smile - whilst being as original as possible.
If I thought someone had done a better version, I wouldn't even compete.
The challenges will be very very challenging. One aspect alone is a totally unknown field as far as I know. I'm currently playing with the theory and doing research. I know which bike it will be based upon (that was a no brainer from the outset), and the basic look and colour scheme.
Devising the best way to achieve one of the paint effects literally keeps me awake at night. I know it's never been done, and that might be because it's impossible. But I plan to try. If all else fails, I may need to employ 5D CNC machining to create the effect!! Yep, I'm a little bit crazy!!;))
How tall are you does the bike feel top-heavy
Great review. Really like your perspective. It doesn't sound like it would be good at HWY speeds. What is the speed in the top gear @ 4K to 4.5K rpm?
John Roth Thanks for the comment. I can't remember precisely, but from what I recall, it would probably sit comfortably at 50/55 at that gear/Rev. Check the earlier comments on this video. There was a viewer who had very specific gear/Rev statistics when arguing a point in my video. That might be more helpful.
Ride safe.
Thanks for the input. I like the 250 - especially the weight. However, I live in southern California. Highways speeds range from 70 to 80 mph when we don't have grid lock. I think the CB500X would probably work better for those speeds. Although it might be a little under powered @ 80 mph. If that bike will work on the HWY, maybe I'll Rally Raid it for off road needs.
I believe it needs a few mods and add ons to make it just a better bike..
Mark Bennett like what?
Can you try out a Kawasaki versys 300??
I wish Honda would make a 250 cc bike with similar engine and softish suspension for the road. I would love this spec of bike but for road use, and a much lower seat. I assume the rear suspension drops a lot as you sit on the seat. Are you tall? I do think the CRF is way over priced and those brake lines look hideous in front of the dash readout! I do realise the CRF is not made for the road at all but I love its get up and go, sound, and simplicity.
fingerhorn4 I agree. Funny you say it’s not for the road. True off-roaders were scolding me for calling this an off-road bike. But I too think this is not meant for the road (exclusively). I am not tall. 5’7”-ish. I hear tell of a Cb300x coming soon. I am interested.
Buy one and change the tires and it's a road bike. Most of these work never see a trail in their lifetime
Holly cow!!!
If at LEH LADAKH have 250rally with topbox and RE himalayan with sidebox for hire. what you choose guy?
Nicky458itl Great question! Hmmmm... the CRF is tall. So my gut says the Himalayan. But if you’re tall than the 250 ( unless you need to carry gear) or petrol.
Leaning toward the RE, but...
When are you going?
How does the Versys 300 compare?
dry509 haven’t ridden one. I’ll see if I can find one. From the specs, the Versys looks more road oriented.
Thanks for the comment.
I ride my crf250l over my fz6 all the time
Jayraab OK...
Bumper to bumper traffic on tarmac.. hardly its designated usage..
Have you ever heard of the Honda XRE300? If so, how would you compare that bike to the CRF? I find this bike more appealing but for some reason is not available in Mexico... bastards!
Eliut Thanks for the comment. I know of the XRE, but from what I understand it is only available in Brazil... which sucks. It would be the answer to all of these crappy 300 wannabe ADV bikes on the market. The ground clearance with the wheelbase and engine looks like a perfect little dual sport. The design is right out of the BMW school. Actually looks a lot like the old g650gs - which I like.
I’ve read that it was specifically designed to take on the Royal Enfield Himalayan (which I love) so this would certainly tick all of my boxes!
What are import laws like in Mexico? Could be a great road trip. Fly to Brazil - pick up an XRE - and ride home!
Let me know if you find one.
Actually it is available now (recently, so there are no local reviews yet) here in mexico. It feels a tad tall for me, where the BMW g310gs felt perfect, nevertheless this honda looks more the part. You know, some guys told me to avoid the himalayan, also I found people on the internet pissed with royal enfield. It is controversial but I must confess I dig the looks on that bike (himalayan).
Eliut I love the Himalayan! And they have seemed to iron out the Himalayan issues. (Just be sure to get a BS4 - Second Gen version). Will not rev like the Honda though.
I loathe the BMWannabe. The Honda will run rings around it. I want that Honda now that I’ve looked more at it. Thanks a lot!
это motoland 250 dakar/// )1800$ !!!! )))
where can I buy a bike like this?...I am in Tanzania ..any recommendations please.
Great bike,but the side mirrors doesn't look good😖they look like pig ears😁🐷
I can never un-see that now
I want one ☝️
are u.new.rider? this.is.not.off.roader....these.can.be.a.commuter.and.some.light.trails...
Doctor Cheng Thanks for the comment. No, not a new rider. It’s funny the comments I get on this video. One viewer comments that I don’t understand the bike. “It is an off-roader and should not be considered for us in the city.” And then there is you saying, “it’s not an off-roader, it’s a commuter...”. I view it as a wannabe dual sport - which is how It is being marketed by Honda. I am also aware of how owners are using it as such.
All the best.
@@D4Z35 ur mama aught me wrong....respect ur father young blood.....
@@D4Z35 you probably are old and over weight like most americans...this bike is just the Honda Tornado 250cc with a new skin.. which been selling in south America for ages ...use Google and search homie... lol..
travel a little and have some life experience....America is not the world.....small cc bikes been all over the world except America cause all they want is big engine to carry their big asses....but the world is downsizing......less is.more....Americans are getting poor now ..so looking for cheap toys now.
America stole wealth from all over the world and the media make stories and Americans believe it...as long their population are happy they will back their government.......but now, there is no more stuff to steal, so time to hit home and steal from Americans..
U guys have hidden taxes for everything....gas, road, house, cars, food ...th US population is not aware of it....before one man working 8 hours a day can feed entire family plus their parents........now both husband and.wife (the lower creatures) both work long hours and can barely get by.....
before there wasn't even income taxes...... its taxes every where...for ur trash, dog , water, the air u breathe ...they call the pollution or emission taxes..invent names for taxes..
time for u guys to revolt agaisnt ur government or be their slaves ...
they print.monry from.thin air and.borrow you and u pay interest on top of the worthless papers......
its caughting on homie....u been warm...
buy the motorcycle from.gov fake money and drive to end of the world before u become slave...dont pay them back.....
This guy knows nothing about dirt bikes
kha wen pretty sure I say as much. Funny that this was your comment. Others have commented that this is not a dirt bike...
Your comment doesn’t change my opinion.
Thanks for it anyway.
@@DickWhistles i was gonna call it offroad bike or dual sport but that sounds kinda stupid
kha wen so your comment extends to me knowing nothing about both?
Thanks again.
I have older model CRF250L, and you are right, it doesn't feel like it wants to go over 6000ish rpm even though there is some power there, its sweet spot is 3000-5000rpm and there it can keep up with anything, casually, on low throttle, like a diesel (in lower rpms has bit more torque and power then WR250R in same rpm range). Plus side no vibrations in that range either, fuel consumption is kept low and it wont stall as easily.
Break Man Thanks for the owner's perspective!
Safe riding.
Rice review! I am looking at the new CRF300 Rally as a city commuter and for weekend adventure. Do you think something like cb500x would be better suited for that than the CRF Rally?
Yes!
The CRF300 is said to be very vibey at fast road speeds. If you are not going off-roading, the CB500X is the superior bike. The 500x can easily do fire roads and light ADV and ALL OF THE ROADS you will ever ride.
I just came here to say I own one and I really, really love it. It’s not my only bike, I also own a SuperTenere and a MotoGuzzi. Love them both but I find myself choosing the CRF AKA “coyote” most of the time...
One of the better reviews I've seen on this bike. Thank you.
This bike is designed to be modified. Honda have opened up lots of choices to mod this 250 rally. The price is good, has a decent sized tank, lighter than any 4 or 500cc and love the looks. Im sold.
Dominic Shaddick I took a heavily modded one green laning a few weeks ago. I’m sold too!
city guy reviews dirt bike ? he has no idea about off road bikes .
Henry Higgins You got me! I have no idea!
Thanks for the comment.
I have a CRF250L...and ridden many Rally's. I'll take the "L". Both of these bikes are street bikes with some off-road ability. The Rally? Just OK off-road, won't hold a WR250's sack. Not meant to. On the highway? It is a CBR250 with off-road appearance. I rode my "L" in OEM trim, but with 17's...about 820 km in one day. It did not like 100+ kph speeds, with engine heat that meant poor load cooling. (35C/95F ambient) No issues however, but took 7 fuel stops. It is NOT a dirt bike. Analyze it such. IT is a light weight dual sport.
You can cut about 1 1/4 inch off the end of each bar and move everything in........ you will narrow by 2 1/2 inches ;)
6 gears or 5 ???
Gnosis Essene Pretty sure I said, six.
Thanks for the comment.