Honda Crf 250 Rally presented at EICMA

A sweet looking bike and a potential new small overlander favorite?

A bit heavy for what it is and the gas tank could have been bigger than 10,1 liters. And why not use the 300 ccm engine from Cbr 300? But definetively sweet looking...

New 2017 HONDA CRF250 RALLY Unveiled at EICMA - ADV Pulse

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

BMW have also announced a 310 GS, pretty heavy at ~180kg but I'm very pleased with the way the market is going.

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/globa...65624EN/371770

390 Adventure in 2019 too!

I don't understand what is a positive in this direction? The only positive is that it's not another 1100cc overweight monster. It's a small displacement overweight monster with poor suspension and pointless electronics.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

I like electronics.

The weight is insane though, barely a decent lunch different to my Honda NC and that comes with 200 mile tank and an engine so under stresed you could probably double the okl change intervals at a push.

Jumping and band wagons springs to mind.

Andy

If you call 150 kg ready to go bike overweight - what do you call all those bikes who are + 200 kg dry or + 250 dry???
It would have been great with a few kg less - but overweight - nonsence!

Does this bike have more electronics than other similar bikes?

Poor suspension? Have you been riding the bike?
Very few bikes nowadays comes with top end suspension as standard. I think that this bike is probably not an exception. But most Hondas comes with quite decent suspension - and I belive this one will too.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

I call those ridiculous. But this, abs. Seriously Honda? They're following BMW's shit buckets and still call it a rally. Oh, and ite won't be ready to ride but under sprung.

Do you consider the suspension on it's brother or Yamaha's 250 top end?

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Come on man, these are budget bikes, complaining about the suspension is a waste of time.

I'm excited because anyone who's had to pick up a bike multiple times or muscle it through some rough ground knows that every kg counts.

Fair enough. But you must think factories pay the same amount for good suspension as you do when in reality they would have to spend 50 bucks more. Let them mark it up 10x. I'd still pay it. There is no excuse to put poor and as such unsafe suspension on bikes with those capital costs.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Have I called anything top end at all? Where did you get that from?

I meant exactly what I wrote, almost none bikes comes with top end suspension nowadays but for what you pay you get decent suspension. And as Tea wrote above here - its a budget bike. Any bike will need upgrades nowadys to get the full potential out. But for people considering buying 250 cc advbikes I dont think that top end suspension is their highest priority. And anyhow - a light bike will not require so much out of suspension just because its lighter.

My main concerns about these bikes are as mentioned above: could have been a bigger gas tank and it could have been a bigger/more powerful engine, for example the one from Cbr 300. And a bit lighter would also have been a positive thing.

Both Kawasaki, Suzuki and BMW have presented what one can call "mini advbikes" this year - and although the Crf 250 rally could have been better it seems to me as the best bike of those four.

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In the end everything will be fine. If its not fine its not the end....

Fair enough. I may have expanded on you referring to decent. But I still think most underplay the importance of good suspension and it's relative cost compared to shit suspension. It doesn't matter if its small or budget. Suspension is of number importance, or it should be. If you look at budget bikes having damper rod forks vs say the Wrr with upside cartridge forks most consider this decent. But the difference between that and good forks is often the shim stack which isn't a high cost item by any stretch of the imagination. Dollars if anything. The shim stack on the suspension of a wrr is woeful. Sure, if you poodle asking you probably never know it. Leaf springswould be adequate. Thing is you never know what you encounter. Could be a bull dust hole which you can't see. I've seen footage of ridiculous rebound on the shock that cause the rider to get launched over the bars. That's not good enough, even for a budget bike. We should demand better. So when a manufacturer with a pedigree like Honda comes with a "special edition" of a current bike that conjures the idea that it's ready for anything, I don't think that ok, which is what it looks like it is, is good enough.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Old thread - anyone bought one of these and put some miles on it. I'm thinking about it - planning to get a test ride.


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I've only ridden the CRF250L ... not the Rally or ABS versions.
I've read several recent reviews comparing new CRF250 Rally with X300 Versys. One surprising review from guys at Motorcyclist magazine. It pits new Thai made Kawi X300 Versys against new CRF250 Rally. (also made in Thailand)
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SINyNWwFvFk

The written reviews I've read (many out there now!) puts X300 Versys on top, siting very weak power on the Honda, plus too much weight, poor brakes and way too soft suspension. I was surprised that they like the revvy 300cc Kawi twin engine, but they did! It really out paced the Honda badly.

This Thai made Honda may have had a slight edge off road but NOT MUCH.
Question would be ... which bike has more potential as a RTW ADV Travel bike?

Seems to me, both would need better suspension, better seat and probably lots more. The fact the Honda is so UNDER POWERED to me ... is the deal breaker.

I predict Honda will UP the CRF250 to a 300cc engine straight away. Adding ABS on an ADV Travel bike is also, IMO, a mistake. Simply adds unneeded complexity, cost and weight to an already overweight package.

The X300 Versys also has issues (for me anyway). I don't want that body work and am not fond of super revvy twins that don't deliver much torque off the bottom. But I've only ridden the CRF (standard version), not ridden X300 yet.

Meanwhile, while Honda and Kawasaki are screwing around with these bikes ...
both BMW and KTM are set to sweep in with two very interesting bikes in this mini ADV class.

The Indian made BMW G310GS is most surprising for it's projected low price. Won't see it here in USA until next year. KTM? I haven't followed it, not interested. Both KTM and BMW made in India.

Overall, all these bike are a breath of fresh air on the ADV bike scene. I'm still
shopping for a deal on a WR250R. (but will never sell my DR650!)

Thanks Mollydog

I am pretty sure in Europe all new model bikes over 125cc are legally required to have abs.

Sadly the wr250r is not available in the uk, only the wr250f.

Will watch the market developments with interest - i want a bike to do uk trail riding (proper off road gnarly trails), the TAT (planning for 2020) and some slow paced travel around Europe for trail riding and TET.

Im fortunate enough to have a road bike too (XT1200z) so looking for something lightweight/off road orientated.


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really? which one...
let's see, crf250l - horrible suspension unless you're riding a football field, nc750x - very bad suspension unless you riding German autobahn,
crf 1000l - bad suspension unless you stick to gravel roads. All recent "adventure" hondas are setup for 165 cm tall guy weighing 60 kg...

I'm aware of new ABS regs. I think (not sure)UK may have got WR250R for a few years? (it was first launched in 2008) ... then Yam cut it off. So, if that is true, you may look round for used one. A great all round dual sport bike.

For "knarly" off road the CRF would not be my 1st pick. Prefer older XT250 Yam, XR or XL Honda (250 or 400) and if you've got the money, a KTM of some kind. Truly knarly off road, I'll take a Two Stroke 250, KTM's make great 2 strokes.

For TAT you'll need a more road oriented dual sport, like the 250's mentioned above or even a 650 single dual sport. TAT is not all that bad, from what I've seen. (only rode bits/pieces of that route)

Unfortunately, the CRF250L suspension is pretty grim, although my short test ride was only on road. But soft suspension is not the end of the world. Add heavier springs, new shock and re-valve front forks.

Getting more power? More of a challenge ... but I know some are swapping in the 300cc CBR engine into CRF frame.
I'm betting Honda upgrades the RALLY to the 300cc motor in a year or two if not sooner.