2023 Honda CRF300L Owner Review

I purchased my 2023 CRF300L new in 2024. I’ve owned a few other dual sports (DR350S, KLX250S, DR650SE), several street bikes, as well as a few dirt bikes (CRF250F, XR200R, …).

Pros

should be reliable, long maintenance intervals, full instrumentation, reasonable weight for the class (feels light), good bottom-end power, good value, the cost of OEM parts is lower (overall) than some other bikes in the class

Cons

front brake line obscures instruments, side stand is too short, thin paint on frame, small fuel tank, the buttons on the instrument console are difficult to press, jerky throttle response in low gears (but there are reports that it improves)

Riding Impression

The engine is barely broken-in, and I haven't ridden it that aggressively yet. I haven't pushed the bike to its limits, so I can't say for sure what the full capabilities of the bike (in stock form) are yet, but I can provide some insights.

I've ridden the bike on pavement (city, rural backroads, highway) for about 2/3 of the distance traveled, but I have also ridden it about 500 km on a mix of gravel roads, FSRs and twin track. The twin track varied from easy and smooth to moderately rough with loose rocks in some sections, some shallow ruts, potholes and ditches across. I've done one creek crossing (20-30 cm deep). I've ridden through small woops, up and down moderate hills with some rocks and ruts and some wet trails with a bit of mud and puddles. The bike did quite well on my last few trail rides.

I generally like the bike so far, with one exception: the fueling. The bike starts fine, and accelerates okay, has never stalled, but the throttle is like an on-off switch under some conditions. The ride can be quite jerky when trying to hold a steady, low speed on a level (horizontal) road, for example riding at 30 km/h. At higher speeds (and gears), the problem is not so pronounced. When there is continuous load on the engine, it's also fine. It's when you're transitioning on and off the gas in low gears, especially at low revs, that the ride can be jerky. Another situation where I've found it a little annoying is when descending long hills and alternating between engine breaking and giving it a bit of gas. The jerkiness / snatchy throttle is more pronounced under 4500 RPM. Maybe it will improve in time (adaptive ECU). Some owners have said that by 2500 to 3000 km on the odometer, the ride, fueling, throttle response are much improved (smoother) and not really a problem anymore. I hope that's true. We'll see. It wasn't too much of an issue on my last two trail rides. Possible fixes include adjusting the free play in the throttle cables, installing a "throttle tamer" or an after-market ECU, or so I've read. Also check your chain slack.

When I first rode my 2022 CRF250F, I thought I had made a mistake in buying the bike because the throttle was also very snatchy resulting in a very jerky ride when transitioning on and off the gas, especially in the lower three gears. This is no longer an issue; the fuel delivery is much smoother now and is probably no worse than any other smaller / lighter fuel-injected dual sport or dirt bike. Fingers crossed that this turns out to be the case with the CRF300L too.

Some owners state that the following procedure reduces the snatchy throttle issue (I haven't tried this yet). This supposedly adjusts the throttle range for the throttle position sensor (TPS). Check throttle cable free play first, and adjust if necessary:

1. Turn key on, then off, then on.
2. Turn the throttle from fully closed to fully open three times (while engine is not running).
3. Turn key off and wait a few seconds.
4. Turn key to on, start engine and test.

I've found the steering to be a little light on the CRF300L, and the bike does not feel as stable or planted on the road as my DR650SE does, but the DR650SE is quite a bit heavier. The 300L tends to wander a bit on some paved surfaces at lower speeds. The tires may be a factor in this. I think the CRF300L feels more stable than the KLX250S I had, though. I think mostly this is just a general characteristic of small dual sports.

There has been a lot of online criticism of the suspension on the CRF300L. Many complain that the suspension is too soft and under-damped. There has also been criticism about its lack of suspension adjustment, other than rear spring preload. So far I'm finding the suspension okay on road, FSRs, easy trail riding at a moderate pace. I've hit some shallow dips in the trail at 30 to 50 km without issue. I haven't noticed any wallowing in the corners on the road. Granted, I weigh less than some other riders. I probably weigh about 73-75 kg (160-165 lbs) with gear and my backpack, and I'm about 173 cm (5'8+") tall. The front suspension feels superior to the rear shock. I admit that the rear shock isn't great. If you ride more aggressively, or if you're a heavier rider, you may not be happy with the stock suspension.

There is some high-frequency vibration produced by the engine at some RPMs which is noticeable in the handlebars. I wouldn't say it's a problem, but it seems more pronounced than in our CBR250RA, whose engine is the basis for the engine in the CRF300L. I haven't been revving the engine out on the 300L (max 6500 RPM, sustained). It buzzes more at certain RPMs than at others. Compared to some bikes, the engine is smooth - it's all relative.

The engine feels powerful enough on the backroads, FSRs and trails; for extended, or main highway use, you might want a bit more power, but it's still adequate. Gear changes have been smooth and trouble free. The brakes feel fine. I'm not really fond of the tires. I wouldn't say that the tires are terrible; they're okay as 50-50 tires. I have found that the tires slip too much on gravel when braking, and break traction too easily under acceleration. I don't like the feel of them on some paved surfaces, though the feel has improved somewhat with some distance on them. The tires are okay in some off-pavement conditions. I haven't tried them in really muddy conditions or deep sand. I'll stick with the stock tires for now. When I do replace them, I'll probably put MT21s on, which are more offroad biased. The stock tires (D605) on my KLX250S weren't great either.

The seat doesn't feel any more comfortable than the one on my DR650SE, well, maybe slightly. The clutch lever pull is very light. I don't like the horn button (location and design/shape). I'm fine with non-LED lights as I rarely ride in the dark. LED lights tend to be expensive to replace if damaged in a spill (price out a new OEM headlight for a KLX300).

I've had the bike up to 105 km/h on the highway (it will go faster). The bike is more relaxed below 95 km/h. Like other smaller dual sport bikes that I have ridden, the CRF300L would not be my first choice for extended highway riding. The bike is capable for highway use, but I just don't find riding it on a main highway for an extended period that enjoyable (especially the ride home after hours of riding on the trails and FSRs); the CRF300L is more fun on the backroads, FSRs and trails (twin track and rough roads, so far). The bike is fun to ride on tight, twisty, paved backroads and secondary highways where speeds are lower than the main highways, and the traffic is light. I wouldn't want to ride the bike on the freeway or major highways with heavy traffic for any significant distance, though.

Other Negatives (minor)

This has been mentioned in many other reviews of the CRF300L, and that's the routing of the front brake line. The bike has a gear position indicator but the view of it is blocked by the brake line. The brake line also partially obscures the speedometer. There is no excuse for this design flaw which could be considered a safety deficiency. There should be a recall for this. The problem still exists on the 2024 model. Some owners have resolved this by moving the brake line guide forward.

Another minor problem is that the side stand is a bit short by about 2 cm, I'd estimate. The bike leans too far over on level ground when on the side stand, but it can be an advantage in some situations.

The fuel capacity on the CRF300L is only 7.8 L, which is close to that of the KLX300. This isn't enough for some of the rides that I like to do. By comparison, our DR200SE has a 13 L tank. So, my options include installing an after-market fuel tank (expensive, but larger than the one available for the KLX300 the last I checked) or packing a fuel container (inconvenient).

The paint on the frame is quite thin (as is the case on our CRF250F and KLX140L) and will wear through within a ride or two where it makes contact with your boots if you don't have some kind of frame protection. As a preventative measure, I applied white electrical tape to the sides and front of the frame before I rode the bike. The paint on our DR200SE and DR650SE is far superior to that on the CRF300L.

I've read some accounts of the rear turn signals breaking off in a tip-overs. Upon inspection, it is evident that the way the rear turn signals are mounted is not very robust. They should have been attached to metal brackets, but they are only attached to the plastic rear tail section, which is what breaks.

Maintenance

Service Info

According to the owner's manual, the initial maintenance is due at 1000 km (600 mi). The first service basically includes just an oil and filter change as well as servicing the chain. I needed to adjust (tighten) the chain by 600 km. I've done the initial oil and filter change. The oil filter cover uses a fiber gasket rather than an O-ring like on some bikes. The valve clearances are not scheduled to be checked until 25,600 km. The bike has a fibre type air filter that can't be washed, rather than a washable foam filter like on the DR650 and KLX300.

Accessories

I installed an Acerbis plastic skid plate (seems okay so far). The bike is completely stock otherwise.

Comparing the CRF300L to other bikes

The main competitor in this class is the Kawasaki KLX300. Other bikes in this class include the discontinued Honda CRF250L, discontinued Kawasaki KLX250/KLX250S, discontinued Yamaha WR250R, Suzuki DRZ400, Yamaha XT250 and the Kawasaki KLX230/KLX230 S. I've owned a KLX250S, and I have had short test rides on the DRZ400, CRF250L and XT250.

The 2023 CRF300L has a 286 cc, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, electric-start, four-valve motor with a 6-speed transmission. The seat height is 880 mm (34.6 in) and the curb mass is 139 kg (306 lbs) with a 7.8 l fuel capacity. The suspension is non-adjustable except for the rear spring preload. It has front and rear disc brakes. Instrumentation includes a tach, fuel gauge and gear position (plus more). The CRF300L uses a fiber-type (like paper) air filter. The MSRP for the 2024 CRF300L (non-ABS) is $7672 CAD, including $773 for fees, + taxes and comes with a 12-month warranty. The ABS model lists for $200 more. I'm not aware of any changes over the four model years, 2021 - 2024.

The 2024 Kawasaki KLX300 has a 292 cc, fuel-injected, liquid-cooled, electric-start, four-valve motor with a 6-speed transmission. The seat height is 895 mm (35.2 in) and the curb mass is 137 kg (302 lbs) with a 7.5 l fuel capacity. The suspension is adjustable front (compression damping) and rear (compression and rebound damping, preload). It has front and rear disc brakes. Instrumentation includes a tach (plus more). The bike does not have a fuel gauge, and apparently, the trip meter display becomes replaced by a low fuel warning message when there is less than half a tank full of fuel left; this is not good if you're like me and reset the trip meter when you fill-up, so you can track your fuel range. The KLX300 uses a washable foam air filter. The MSRP for the 2024 KLX300 is $6999 CAD + fees + taxes and comes with a 12-month warranty. ABS is not available. There do not appear to be any changes for the 2025 model, including the price.

I sold my KLX250S a long time ago, but if my memory serves me correctly, the KLX250S felt more dirt bike-like, and I didn't enjoy riding it on the highway. The engine was less vibey, but the seat was horrible (pain inducing). The steering of the KLX250S was very light requiring you to constantly focus on your lane position when on the highway. The bike would also weave a bit at slower speeds on pavement (there might have been an issue with steering head bearings). I liked the suspension of the KLX, but the bike had a very week bottom end (the CRF300L feels much stronger).

Comparing the CRF300L to the Suzuki DR650SE, I have to say that so far, I prefer my DR650SE on the road (paved and gravel). The throttle response and feel are so much nicer on the carbureted DR650SE than on the fuel-injected CRF300L. The engine in the DR650SE doesn't have the high frequency vibrations as the one in the CRF300L, either. The DR650SE has a lot more torque than the CRF300L. The DR650SE is also more stable and planted on the road than the CRF300L is. The CRF300L is a lot lighter and has lower gearing than the DR650SE, so I expected the 300L to outperform the DR650 on the trails, and so far it does, in my opinion, even with the stock tires. The CRF300L is easier and more fun to ride on the trails.

Last Words (so far)

It is too early to provide a final judgement on this bike. I'll update this review as I put more km on it. I bought the CRF300L because I wanted a lighter dual sport that was more manageable than my DR650 on the rougher trails. The CRF300L is indeed easier and more fun to ride on the trails, but I find the jerky throttle annoying in some riding situations. I hope the throttle smooths out in time as some other owners have reported. Yeah, the suspension (especially the rear shock) could be better, but I'm finding it to be good enough for the riding I've done so far.

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