2021 CRF300L Review at 13,000 Km

My likes and dislikes of the CRF300L after 13,000 kms. Has it treated me well? Is it a good value? Is it reliable? Does it perform?

[@gtptvanbuuren3795]

Hi Scoot T. Loving my CRF300L. About 1300km so far. Selling the DR650. I live in Tea Tree Gully, South Australia. The Honda is perfect for me (same size as you @65yrs)in the Adelaide Hills area. No modifications but with additions of Bark Busters completed with black Storm handguards (very good product). 'B&B Offroad', bash-plate, which does make the engine noises come out as it's alloy (Well made and proven and noises keep the kangaroos away I suppose) and a rear carrier from B&B (not a real fan of this but well made.). Also have B&B's counter shaft sprocket cover which make inspection and cleaning easier and looks cool too. Thanks for your videos, Ride healthy and have fun. Tim

[@Scoottoots]

Hey thanks, Tim. Good to hear you're enjoying your 300L. I don't have to worry about kangaroos here; maybe bears, moose, and cougars, but no kangaroos :-) I should look into that front sprocket guard. Not a fan of the fully enclosed one. Have fun abnd ride safe :-)

[@purdoy25]

I agree with the older 250s shocks being far better than the 300’s that I actually mounted a modified ‘14 shock on mine (made it match the length of 300L shock) and it feels way better.

[@Scoottoots]

Ha, that's very interesting. It certainly seemed that way to me. That confirms it isn't just my bike that had a weaker shock than the old 250. Thanks 🙂.

[@purdoy25]

@@Scoottoots What I've also found is that the bouncy shocks can be traced back from the 2017 models. I guess that's when Honda started to cut corners.

[@Scoottoots]

@@purdoy25 What a dumb corner to cut. They crippled the handling improvements made to the platform with the weak shock.

[@richardcawthorpe]

Hi it richard in the UK , i have watch so many video's people talking about their crf300l's and NO one has spoked about THE single worst thing !!! THE ON OFF throttle , i was so disapointed with the bike when it arrived , but 550 performance to the rescue ! with a ecu mod that matches with the straight through exhaust and snorkel upgrade , the throttle response is 90% improved also loads more torque , bike was horrible before , i would have sold it if 550 had not been able to sort it

[@Scoottoots]

I guess I forgot about that. I know it annoys lots of poeple but it's common on loads of fuel injected bikes. And yes, the 550 ECU does help quite a bit. I noticed a marked improvement after installing the new ECU. I wish manufacturers would put more effort into reducing that issue. Thanks for pointing that out :-)

[@JamesPiccone]

Welcome to fuel injected bikes LOL.

[@richardcawthorpe]

@@JamesPiccone Hi james , yes , last off roader i owned was a yamaha it 175j , bit different !!!

[@KC-fu6qd]

I replaced the stock chain on my 2018 250l with a did x ring. Noticed a power increase.

[@Scoottoots]

When mine was needing replacement I also used the DID X-Ring. Nice chain.

[@koshtie]

Hi John my bike still has stock suspension & like you say it's quite bad, It feels like you have got loose wheel spokes (wallowing) terrible ? first time i hit some twisties i thought i was going to loose the bike (But puckering moment for sure) that's the only way i can explain it, & a shock cures that hay, ATB Wayne UK...👍😀

[@Scoottoots]

Hey Wayne, Honda made some excellent changes on the 300L compared to the old 250L. A new shock makes all those good changes come to life. Can't understand why Honda would upgrade the platform so much then cripple it with a poor shock. Enjoy the difference when you install a new shock :-)

[@koshtie]

@@Scoottoots Many thanks John ATB

[@erichalitsky1285]

Hi John , I noticed you have the Zeta short levers. Did you have any trouble getting the proper amount of free play between the clutch lever and the clutch perch ? I can't seem to get any free play in mine . 🤔

[@Scoottoots]

Hi Eric, Those aren't Zeta levers. They are very innexpensive levers from Ali Express. They fit nicely though. I had no issues at all in install and adjustment ;-)

[@Mr450pro]

I want one so bad, but I can’t justify the price here in Denmark. 10300$🤮 it’s just too expensive for a bike like that 👎🏻

[@Scoottoots]

That's sad they price it so high. Hopefully you have lower priced options at a similar level of quality.

[@greasyzach]

no issues with the handguards? ive seen where some people have to replace the bars, as the ends won't accept the guards

[@Scoottoots]

The internal weights in the bars will accept handguards in two ways. 1.) Drill and tap the weight inserts to accept the M8 bolt that comes with the Zeta handguards. That's what I did. 2.) Use an M6 bolt to attach the guards. The weight inserts are threaded to M6. I did a video on how that's done. Check it out.