• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

2021 Honda CRF300 and CRF300L Touch Down In Europe

What an attractive bike!
Is the seat padding plank-like, or is it reasonably tolerable for an hour of sitting?

It is easily good for 2/3 hours for me on the 300. However for longer trips on the 250 I needed to use an Airhawk.
 
Well today I learned that in the USA, the 300 Rallys are arriving at the Honda Powerhouse dealer but they are charging MSRP plus freight. That is not something I typically go for. Even when the NC arrived in the US in July, 2012, I didn’t pay MSRP. For my 250 Rally, I bought it as a leftover from the previous model year and paid significantly less than MSRP. The dealer I use does not take deposits unless the specific motorcycle unit has been scheduled for release from the warehouse. I may just wait for the early adopters to pay the top dollar, then make the switch from 250 to 300 when Honda has a surplus of unsold 300s and the pricing is more reasonable. It’s not like I don’t have anything to ride, having 4 bikes in the stable, so what’s the hurry?
 
Last edited:
Well today I learned that in the USA, the 300 Rallys are arriving at the Honda Powerhouse dealer but they are charging MSRP plus freight. That is not something I typically go for. Even when the NC arrived in the US in July, 2012, I didn’t pay MSRP. For my 250 Rally, I bought it as a leftover from the previous model year and paid significantly less than MSRP. The dealer I use does not take deposits unless the specific motorcycle unit has been scheduled for release from the warehouse. I may just wait for the early adopters to pay the top dollar, then make the switch from 250 to 300 when Honda has a surplus of unsold 300s and the pricing is more reasonable. It’s not like I don’t have anything to ride, having 4 bikes in the stable, so what’s the hurry?

Indeed no hurry. However these are different times, and production in some manufacture has been curtailed because of covid. We have had shortages of certain brands of motorcycle tyres. So far here, dealers can't get enough 300's. Any they are getting are gone in days. I was told that the next tranche are due in June. . I too could have waited but when the chance came I took it. I did not get a reduction for cash as the dealer pointed out that the markup on the less expensive bikes is low. He did however offer me a concession on gear to make up for that. Also at 70 for me life is too short to be waiting ;)
 
Indeed no hurry. However these are different times, and production in some manufacture has been curtailed because of covid. We have had shortages of certain brands of motorcycle tyres. So far here, dealers can't get enough 300's. Any they are getting are gone in days. I was told that the next tranche are due in June. . I too could have waited but when the chance came I took it. I did not get a reduction for cash as the dealer pointed out that the markup on the less expensive bikes is low. He did however offer me a concession on gear to make up for that. Also at 70 for me life is too short to be waiting ;)
Those are all very good points, Griff. And even though I’m not 70 yet, even your last sentence is something I remind myself of often.
 
Those are all very good points, Griff. And even though I’m not 70 yet, even your last sentence is something I remind myself of often.

Just today I set about fitting the handguards off my 250 to the 300. I came up against threaded inserts in the bar ends that seem permanent. That means that I cannot insert the expanders on the handguard ends. Did You come across this on Your Rally ?
 
The handlebar weights are held in place by two clip tabs in holes under the grips near the end of the bar. Take off the grips and push in on the retaining clip tabs with a small punch to remove.
 
The handlebar weights are held in place by two clip tabs in holes under the grips near the end of the bar. Take off the grips and push in on the retaining clip tabs with a small punch to remove.

Thanks for the response. I assume that the "Weights" You refer to are the inserts in the bar ends ? Otherwise there were no visible handlebar weights on this bike and I only discovered the inserts when I was cutting a hole in the grip ends to insert the expanders of the Hand guards.
 
Griff,
My 250 Rally came with light duty factory handguards that mount to the lever brackets but not the bar end. It had no factory handlebar weights. The bars were hollow. I thought the bar vibration was more than I liked. I found some heavy steel bar end weights that had an expanding rubber sleeve and installed them on my Rally. They significantly reduced the handlebar vibrations.

It sounds like the 300 is coming with different handlebars than what was on the 250. I'll need to inspect and evaluate that before I decide to buy a 300.
 
The handlebar weights are held in place by two clip tabs in holes under the grips near the end of the bar. Take off the grips and push in on the retaining clip tabs with a small punch to remove.
You're saying the CRF 300 does come with internal bar weights? I have not yet seen a 300 in person so am trying to understand all the features.
 
Ok. I assumed the bars on my 300 would be hollow the same as the 250. However when I used a drill bit to commence cutting out the centre of the rubber grip ends I met resistance once thru the rubber. I had a peek thru the hole and there is already an insert in there. It appears to be steel and it is threaded for a light screw which would not be substantial enough to effectively hold the handguards which are KTM items. That is where I am at currently. My mechanic will drill them out and retap for a more substantial bolt and we will proceed from there.
 
Further word received from the shop. It appears that some Rally models in some jurisdictions have bar end weights fitted as standard. I am further told that the parts fiches show that the related inserts can be removed, so Hulkss's suggestion may well be relevant. I will investigate further and report back
 
Ok. The inserts are permanent. I threaded a screw initially on the left bar end and gave it a few sharp taps but it wasn't moving. At that point I decided to work with the thread that was in the inserts. I have a couple of robust Allen keys that would fit and got on with it. Then when I removed the twistgrip it was clear why the inserts could not be removed. See the bottom photo. Anyway the handguards are on and I am happy with the job.

IMG_1095.JPG

IMG_1096.JPG
 
Next important farkle to be fitted to the little bike. I have had good experience with this brand on my former 250L and it proved reliable over 18,000kms of hard use. They also reasonably priced shocks for the NC range.

DQHK6569.JPG
 
Back
Top