CRF300L Rear Shock Fix #crf300l #dualsport #2021Crf300l

#crf300l #dualsport #2021crf300l #dualsport #dualsportlife #dualsportriding
#crf300lsuspensionadjust
#honda
#300lshockadjustment
#300lshockupgrade
Okay guys you are going to love this! CRF300L rear shock fix! Stick around to the end to see the before and after as you will be shocked!

[@justinnapper1042]

Dude right on man, I had no idea watching other videos. I started scrolling down to see my type of people and personally I appreciate this info. Ride safe bro. Thx subscribed keep posting.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Lol thanks brother!

[@Mathew187187]

I always want your videos to not be a waste of my time but yet you never disappoint.

[@dbereziuk]

Thanks for sharing great heads up video!

[@petertaylor2148]

Good job.. mine was so stuck from new, I had to take the shock off to free it .. but all good now. You know what. Now that l know the bike, I'll leave the stock shock in .. I'll ride the bike for what it is .. a fantastic light trail bike !! It's fantastic My up upgrades are Olins front fork kit ... handle bars, leavers, hand guards, Bash plate, full exhaust , air filter and tune... back rack carrier then just tighten the back shock right up as I'm only 81 kgs.. I've got the non abs Thai model.. It's an awesome machine 😎

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Sounds like you had fun like I did lol mine was bottomed out bad gave me a fit breaking loose!

[@damacknificent151]

Good stuff. 👍

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Thanks for the support! :)

[@cyclerider5652]

I went 2 turns and it feels more matched to the front now. I may go more after reading the comments. Some going as many as 7. It is just preload though. Still a soft spring. I will likely eventually upgrade front and rear suspension.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Yup no doubt. This will get us by for now lol

[@damacknificent151]

I did 4 complete turns on the shock. My weight is 205-210 and 5'-10" I noticed my feet aren't as flat on the ground as before, closer to almost tiptoes. On the trail it felt real good no more bottoming out. I don't do jumps as this is not what this bike is for, good for some serious whoops though, for some reason it feels tougher now 😅

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

My thoughts “Exactly”!

[@petertaylor2148]

You're absolutely right Spot on 😎

[@57Jimmy]

Now THIS is how I like to learn! Love the attitude!😂 Gonna do it to those ‘this and this’ on my own Honda CFR…RCF…FRC…or whatever the f##k 300 thingy L it is! 😂🇨🇦🍺

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Lol just keeping in real brother. All unscripted so I just roll with it

[@peterjackson2530]

Exactly what I tried first when I got my bike back in Feb when I heard everyone moaning about how soft it was. This solved it 👍🏼

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Right on! No need for a shock replacement!

[@Mark_conor]

5’9 209lbs I did this and it still sucked it’s just too mushy. Doing race tech springs only front and rear see how that goes.

[@westfieldmega]

@@Mark_conor it was fine for 165 lbs

[@Mark_conor]

@@bodaciouscharmer i just finish the race tech kit comes with 1 spring for front left fork and i just the did the race tech rear spring only re used stock shock and omg night and day feels fucking great!!!!!!

[@Mark_conor]

@@JamesPiccone yup I should but I like being heavy 👍🏾

[@clayadams2068]

I weigh about 210 lbs and the shock was only tolerable for street riding. I could easily bottom out the shock on a small pothole. I ordered a new KTech rear shock sprung for weight and it said to set the Free sag to 11mm. Night and day difference. Even riding on the street I felt like I was leaning back from the back squatting so much. Unless you weigh about 120lbs the shock is usless. I also changed out the fork spring also.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Nice. Good feedback on the Ktech!!

[@gailtaylor1636]

This is the right way to fix any suspension. Get the correct springs for your weight FIRST. Only problem with this situation is the shocks damping is too soft. A heavier spring will turn it into a pogo stick. Better shock is the cure.

[@brandmanstorys9216]

Just curious I weigh about the same and ordered a K Tech shock that hasn't got here yet. I ordered the 95. Kg to 110kg Which I believe is set up for 210 to like 240 lbs So I'm just squeezing in to its range. I'm worried about it being too stiff. Would you be able to let me know what weight you ordered and how it feels to you? I would like to be able to change it before it's too late. If needed

[@kennyd6933]

Have a 250l and cranked mine all the way down exactly the same way you are doing it. Hammer and screw driver. I’m 240 lb and it’s not great but tolerable now. Was curious to see it done one a 300. Some are saying the spring on the 300 is softer than the 250 spring. Seems to be the biggest complaint with the 300. I would gladly pay more for a 300 if Honda would but a better fully adjustable suspension on it.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Yah it’s still pretty crappy but I think it’s going to come down to how the rider is going to ride. These days I keep both wheels pretty much on the ground. Anything other than that might be nice to go ahead and upgrade

[@kennyd6933]

@@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding I heard that about keeping both wheels on the ground. I’m pushing 60 and reflexes are not the same for sure.Before I adjusted the spring on my 250l riding any kind of slightly rough trail was no fun at all. Was almost dangerous it was so squirley. I did the racetech front fork spring and that made a huge difference. Probably going to put an Ohlins shock on the rear and call it done. Got many $$$ in mods and it still hauls my heavy but 70+mph down the road. Would like to have a 300 for the extra power but it looks like I would have to do most same suspension mods to make it rideable off road for my weight.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

This reminds me of a video I’ve been wanting to make. Too bad the 250l parts wouldn’t work in the 300 (not sure if they would) than could but it back to stock and trade it in lol

[@lukestringer2177]

3 or 4 turns for your weight //// and 2 turns at fork preload /// static and dynamic SAG ///// You must check the height of the bike from the rear wheel bolt to a point on the saddle for correct SAG STATIC and DYNAMIC ...

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Not much adjustment available in this crap but I went about 1/3 of the adjustment might go a tad more. Stiffened up much better and is a bit more stout now

[@lukestringer2177]

@@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5Wum5JslLB8Z7c

[@Scoottoots]

From the closeup it seems you have gone all the way on the preload. You said you went about 3/8" and had another 3/4" yet to play with. I maxed out my preload a few weeks ago and was shocked (pun) to see there was only 10 mm (less than half inch) adjustment possible. My rider sag at 185 lbs was 150 mm. After maxing the preload it was 140 mm. Still waaay too much, and it of course can't correct the lack of damping. The suspension is okay for conservative riding, but not good if pushing it. I've order suspension upgrades from K-Tech. Each bike is a bit different though; glad your suspension is working for you :-)

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Good info! This shock still is sad but I am happy with the results. Don’t ride as aggressive as I did before I had kiddos. Hopefully this may solve may issues out there without the need to upgrade or replace new. Have to stay frugal :)

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Just went out double checked I still have closer to 1/2” of adjustment left. So yah wow not even an 1” of adjustment! After a test ride bike feels way tighter without the plush. Man that plush was the worst. Wasn’t so bad at first but seemed to get plushier with more riding.

[@Scoottoots]

@@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding Oh man, your shock is different from mine then. That's awesome it worked for you. The 250L had loads of preload possible and it was better damped than this one, at least on mine. Be safe and have a blast :-)

[@frankdecaprio8214]

That is a beautiful screwdriver! At 210, it took about 7 full rotations to get it right for me. Now its tits. Save your money to fix the shit spring in the fork

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Hell yah brother!

[@josephsaia5527]

I have a 300L with ABS on order. Honda is suppose to release it Nov.15.. I will get the dealer to do the shock for me before I pick it up. Bike #70 @ 71 yo. Damn I can’t catch up! Looks like you still have it stock. Will you be doing any upgrades?

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Right on! I most likely won’t be doing the upgrade yet. Rebuilding my recovered WR250r. By then my wife should be comfortable riding her Grom and she will upgrade to my 300L.

[@twowheels833]

Tim & Jim below, eh?😂 The old coots! I'm liking your style backwoods.

[@timbrandon3890]

Whats the link for that plate mount? I can't seem to find much for a 2023. Then again, I haven't looked to hard either.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Amazon special? I personally built mine from a small piece of angle iron

[@BSBBandFitness]

I have a question on the chain tension. I have 300 miles and it looks super loose. Like laying on top. I know the bottom is always loose. Anyway when you measure the 2-2 1/4 range, do you use the actual swing arm? Or do you use the chain guide on top of the swing arm. There is a difference for sure between the 2. And if so what is the rear axle nut torque? They do not provide that with the original manual.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Measure from swing arm. If in doubt go a little on the loose side you don’t want chain too tight under full compression it also if too loose it will jump off sprockets. Either way makes for a bad day lol. 250l torque specs if 65 ft lbs. safe assumption to use the same on our 300l

[@BSBBandFitness]

@@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding thank you sir!

[@Colinmcdougall6996]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@2wheels.are.better.than4]

Interesting, mine came adjusted like that from the dealer.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Nice! Mine was bottomed out and was horrible for me lol

[@Matt-zn4zp]

Mine was all the way soft right from the dealer too.

[@user-se7vt5ow4e]

Honda put the biggest POS shock and forks on this bike they could find. I wound the spring adjuster all the way down to get 30 mm of static sag and 100 mm of rider sag. I only weigh 145 lbs and find the suspension still constantly bottoms out off road and the front forks are as wimpy as they come.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Wow sounds like you got the left overs of the worst! Mine has been doing pretty well offroading and no reason yet to upgrade.

[@donreed1133]

Thanks very much for the video. My weight is 190-200 lbs I think similar to you. I noticed as soon I got my CRF300L that just taking it off the kickstand and before getting on the bike the rear shock felt like it is about to collapse under its own weight. Did this annoyance go away when you adjusted it? Also about what percent of adjustment did it take to get it like you wanted? Thanks again!

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Nope brother bike still feels like it’s going to flip over. We need to get an extended kickstand for sure. Adjustment wise I went 1/3 of what’s there and it’s perfect for my weight

[@donreed1133]

@@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding I’ve got a kickstand extension footpad ordered to try and help with the leaning over so far. Thanks much for the info. Happy Riding!

[@57Jimmy]

@@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding I just got a couple pieces of 1/2 thick rubber conveyor belt from the back of a tire shop, traced the footprint added a bit all around, glued and screwed them together, drilled 4 holes through bottom of kickstand and using stainless screws, screwed down and through the rubber about 1/8 inch for grip (I don’t park on hardwood floors) It adds very little weight, costs damn near nothing and works like a charm! Can always remove one pc if it feels too much upright but good so far!

[@Jayswensonjr]

Doesn't preload just solve the seat height issue workout fixing hour soft the string is? Adjusting the preload isn't supposed to fix the issue

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Did you see the back to back before and after and end of video? Fixed the issue for me. It’s no longer plush I’m no engineer fwiw. Seat height did not change with a 1/3 of adjustment.

[@Jayswensonjr]

@@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding cool. Maybe it will work. I'll try it, but I'm wondering if fixing the preload will fix the damping issue that makes it feel like riding a pogo stick

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Lol it will just do like I did adjust in increments until you like the feel and ride out!

[@Jayswensonjr]

Adjusting the preload will effect how much weight it takes to compress the suspension, but doesn't adjust the damping or how quickly the shock springs back when hitting a bump, which is my major beef with my CRF. Just about through me off the bike last time going over some whoops. Shame on Honda

[@jakkbeyar]

What rear pack are you running?

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

El cheapo from Walmart. Works pretty good as a tank bag and is sub $30.

[@jspeedadventures]

Preload doesn't change seat height or travel.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Changes seat height more while your on it and affects the speed of travel.

[@edenrock1017]

You need to stop with the screws drivers and get on with the video. Dang

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Come’on man I’m proud of that screwdriver lol

[@MLA..]

This is the ghetto way to do it. LMAO

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Lol if it works it works.

[@banhxe924]

Hammer and screwdriver. What a amateur.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

Well this is a special screw driver and not a screw driver anymore. An amateur would have actually used a flat screw driver and destroyed the spanner nuts. Thank you for your support :)

[@tangoindiamike9189]

I was about to give up after 3 minutes of useless rambling. I'm going to unpause now because I THINK he may be ready to tell us something useful. OK, now I'm at the 5:20 mark and a little seasick from all the jerky camera stuff. A flashlight and a tight long camera pause on what we're 'looking at' would be nice. So far he has only called it "this", and "this" is only in view for a second at a time between camera bounces. But I'll pull this up on my 65" TV and see if I can make it out. OK, about halfway through, it starts making sense.

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

I have vertigo so I feel ya pain lol hope ya made it through okay

[@57Jimmy]

A little harsh with the criticism? And as for the “this, and this?”…man, if you don’t know what that and that are, you probably shouldn’t be poking around with a real screwdriver! So what’s next? If a rock gets stuck between your knobs, will that require a tow truck and a trip to the dealership to have it removed? Lol! Sounds like a pampered overgrown child heaving a tantrum to me! Just get out, get muddy and give those ‘this and this’ a smack, shed some flesh off those knuckles, jump back on and GIVE’ER! I am 64 and that’s how I ride!👴🏻🇨🇦🍺

[@tangoindiamike9189]

@@57Jimmy For a little context, I'm 62 (almost 63) and I haven't ridden for a couple of decades or more, and I'm thinking of doing some moto-camping. I've narrowed down my choices and the CRF is on the short list, so I'm doing my due diligence and studying up on the bike. I'm concerned about the soft suspension, but that isn't a deal breaker if I can easily adjust it or another fix. My abilities to turn a wrench, get dirty, or skin my knuckles have no relevance to my "criticism". Everything I said was valid until he finally got in there with a good picture. At that point, I said, it makes sense now. I just started wearing my first ever prescription glasses on the same day I made those comments and they're bifocals. It's hard enough adjusting to that, but when someone makes a video and swings the camera like a monkey slinging crap, and they don't specifically tell you what they are doing, it takes a minute to figure it out. One of the things my wife loves about me is that I'm a man that can do anything and will meet any challenge. But the older I get, the less patience I have for these youtubers that waste valuable time rambling on instead of getting to the damn point. I needed to know the information, so I stuck it out. As I told him, it's constructive criticism. Knowing that will help him to get more viewing hours because fewer people will click off due to the rambling. Hopefully, he'll be more conscious of that in the future and make better videos. Some constructive criticism for you is to stop being a pompous ass and assuming that everyone has the same level of riding and wrenching skills. Just read the comments. They're chock full of people who 'didn't know'. But it's much easier to watch a video that's half as long, with clear steady video, and some resemblance of detail to the explanation. If I didn't need the information, I would have just clicked off and not wasted another minute, but I hung in there and got what I needed, however painful it was to sit through. He seems like I guy I could learn more from, if he makes better videos. That's why I told it to him straight. I don't know why it hit a nerve with you, unless you're one of those overly sensitive momma' s boy who can't take criticism and tries to compensate by telling everyone how big your dick is. Have a nice day.

[@57Jimmy]

@@tangoindiamike9189 Lol! Talk about rambling on. I hear you though. As we get older we do tend to just want to get to the point. Thats why I like the slider bar on the bottom. As for the ‘pompous ass’ comment? Lets just say that if one reads your book above, its easy to see just who the pompous ass is and the author of it. All while hiding behind ‘constructive criticism’. Now, that us two older guys have had our grumble, I truly wish you the best of luck on choice of bike. Like you, I am on my first bike in decades so please be careful, be safe, and most of all have fun! PS, after actually reading yours to the end regarding body parts, I won’t stoop to your level of middle-school mentality and immaturity. That type of comment only comes from the person who wrote it in describing themselves. Thank you for showing us all just the kind of person you truly are.🍺Cheers

[@tangoindiamike9189]

@@57Jimmy Yeah, we could do this all day. Both of us are old enough and clever enough to one up the last comment, so I'll just leave it here.

[@phantomshtter]

😂😂😂 You didn't fix anything, you just changed the preload sag. You can't stiffen this linear coil by compressing it, the rate is constant throughout deflection. It's just as soft as before. You just changed the ride height is all.🤦 We're it a progressive o

[@BackwoodsOffroadOverlanding]

To each is their own, fixed my issue with the rear shock as well as many others. No need to justify emptying pockets for a high dollar shock replacement when a simple tweak gets the job done.