Honda CRF250L Adventure Setup
Why did we choose CRF250L?
For a long-distance motorcycle adventures, we’re always looking for bikes with the following characteristics:
- Reliable
- Light
- Affordable
- Easy to maintain & repair
- Plenty of parts available anywhere in the world
- Good fuel range and fuel consumption
- Good Suspension
- Comfortable to ride over long-distances
For our first long-distance trip around Australia we chose Suzuki DR650, and we absolutely loved it. However, Honda CRF was also a solid candidate at the time, so for our trip to Japan in 2023 we decided to give Honda CRF250L a go.
Arguably, the CRF250L doesn’t fit all of the above criteria right off the bat, but with some modifications, the little Honda CRF250L can be a great adventure bike.
We bought both bikes in Japan with some modifications already on them. We then upgraded them even further to make sure they fulfil all our requirements.
CRF250L Adventure Setup
Below is a list of all the upgrades and modifications we did on our Honda CRF250L to transform them into comfortable cruising and adventure machines.
We’re aware that for more extreme terrains & countries, we would need to do further upgrades, but for riding around Japan and some light off-road this was good enough.
Fuel Tank
- 12.5L Acerbis tank (link):
- Increases range to 400 km / 250 miles
- Very sturdy
- Lighter than the original Honda tank
Protection
- Barkbusters Handguards two points mount (link)
- An absolute must!
- Protects your hands & levers in case of a fall or from branches when off-roading
- Some wind protection when driving on the freeway
- Protects the side of your bike when you fall
Suspension
- No Modification
- The original is OK for road and some light off-road
- Highly Recommend getting an upgrade if planning more technical off-road and with heavy load!
Wheels & Tyres
- No modification to the wheels
- For our DRs, we had rimlocks and heavy-duty tubes, but for the CRFs we didn’t feel like we needed them (at least in Japan). While these are useful upgrades in some conditions, they also make changing the tire more troublesome (especially when you need to do it yourself on the side of the road!).
- For our DRs, we had rimlocks and heavy-duty tubes, but for the CRFs we didn’t feel like we needed them (at least in Japan). While these are useful upgrades in some conditions, they also make changing the tire more troublesome (especially when you need to do it yourself on the side of the road!).
- 50/50 tyres
- There is much to be said about finding perfect travel tires, and we spent a lot of time testing different combinations. We’re quite happy with the Bridgestone Battlax Adventruecross AX41 for the front (the rear is wearing off too fast). For the back, our current favorite is Motoz GPS Tractionator, followed by Michelin Anakee Wild.
Battery & Electronics
- LED Auxiliary Lights (for Aga’s Bike)
- The original lights are weak… the LED provides superb lighting during the night!
- USB Charger (link)
- Charge our GPS, phones, and power banks
Ergonomics & Comfort
- Original Seat
- We kept the original seats for our CRF250L in Japan, but you start to feel your butt after 200-300km, so an aftermarket seat is definitely recommended.
- Seat Concepts (link)
- Our CRF250L in Europe has this one and it’s very comfortable for long distances.
- Consider using a taller version of the seat if you are above 180cm tall (5.9foot) this will improve the ergonomic for you.
- Adventure Specs Mini Fairing (link)
- A great little fairing that you can keep for your next bike!
- Allows the installation of USB charger, GPS mount… and Gopro!
- Some wind and rain protection
- Original handlebar
- Too low for standing up when off-roading.
- Recommend installing a bar raiser if doing a lot of off-road and standing up for long periods of time.
Luggage System
- Precision Motorcycle Racks : Side Luggage & Rear Rack (link)
- Very sturdy and well-built. Do not bend in case of a fall.
- Provide adequate mounting point for our AndyStrapz side luggage (35L each) and the backcountry Mosko rear luggage (30L)
Key issues to be aware of
We owned 3 different CRF250Ls and were impressed with how reliable they were. So far the only issue we had was a faulty rear lightbulb! We’ll keep monitoring as we increase the mileage, but so far so good.
Pros and Cons of CRF250L
Pros
- Extremely reliable
- Light!
- Low fuel consumption
- Long service intervals
- Comfortable cruising all day at 90kph (55mph)
Cons
- Not comfortable at speeds over 110kph (70mph)
- Original seat not great for long-distance
- Original suspension not good enough for technical off-road even less with heavy loads
- Original tank is too small and too heavy
- Original handle bars may be too low
Most of the cons can be easily addressed with aftermarket upgrades. With the appropriate mods (i.e. aftermarket Tank, Suspensions, Handle bars Raiser and Seat), the Honda CRF250L becomes a great around-the-world adventure motorcycle due to its impressive reliability, lightness as well as low maintenance and running costs!
Hi, if you were to do cape york again, which bike would you chose, crf300l or dr650 or drz400?
Cheers, gordon
Hey Gordon, thanks for your comment! It depends which tracks you’re planning to take, but here is our take on it:
– DR650 – Great if you’re doing the main road, and not the Old Telegraph Track as it’s a bit on the heavy side (especially with luggage). But if you’re a skilled off-road rider the DR650 will take you anywhere. Some suspension upgrade may be recommended because of all the corrugation.
– DRZ400 – Cool bike, most of the organized tours that go to Cape York use it and do all the tracks with them. It’s very capable, but we’ve never ridden it. Solid choice, however we’ve heard the oil change is a bit tricky, because of strange screw positioning.
– CRF300L – We’re testing it know in NZ. It’s light and easy to maneuver, but a suspension upgrade is a must if going to Cape York.
For all the bikes, you would probably need an aftermarket fuel tank to extend the range to about 400 km. Another bike that you may consider is WR250R – we’re loving it.
Hope this helps, if you need anything else, let us know!
Yan & Aga