A Budget Entry Level Dual Sport…The 2022 Honda CRF 300L

While my Triumph Tiger was down for a considerable amount of time during the winter, I started to jump back into the world of light weight dual sports. I briefly played around with a Kawasaki KLX 230 which was a fun little bike, but its power limitations were pretty evident. I considered looking at those darn Austrian orange kool aid bikes and those white Swedish things, but I really was trying to get back to the roots of this blog with a cheap budget friendly motorcycle. This is where I got lucky and found a 2022 Honda CRF 300L that had barely been ridden.

After a couple short rides in nearby Francis Marion National Forest, I was very surprised in how well the Honda rode, or at least I thought I did. On paved roads it had no issues keeping up with traffic and on gravel and dirt roads it felt very planted. It was a good little bike and a massive step up from the Kawasaki KLX 230. However, it wasn’t until I took it to the Enoree OHV trail system just outside of Columbia, South Carolina a few weeks later that I noticed its biggest flaw…. suspension.

In all of the reviews that I have seen, suspension has been the biggest complaint for the Honda CRF 300L and 300 Rally. From the factory, the suspensions are incredibly soft and set up for someone that weighs in the 150 to 170 pound range. For a bigger guy that weighs 225 pounds like myself the bike was very under sprung, and I could feel the rear end try to pogo me when I was riding on some technical single-track trails. After a rough weekend of this I went to the drawing board and started research my options.

Unfortunately, due to the supply chain shortages sourcing suspension components would be almost impossible so I decided to put the suspension on the back burner for a bit. The previous owner had installed some budget hand guards and a luggage rack, so the Honda was a clean slate for me to build upon. I decided that I was going to turn the Honda into an ultra-light ADV bike that could tackle tough routes and terrain but also be very bare bones in terms of comfort and gear packing capability. I sourced a rally tower from Europe as well as an SRC skid plate, SRC foot pegs and Acerbis hand guards for protection and rideability.

Everything was coming together fairly well, and I rode the Honda all throughout the winter and spring. Despite its suspension flaw the Honda CRF 300L was a solid bike and could do almost anything. I rode the Honda on a couple trail excursions as well as a pair of overnight trips in the ACE River Basin. Maintenance wise it was very easy to work on and the trademark Honda reliability was as expected. However, as spring turned into summer, I was able to get my Tiger back and the Honda just sat in the garage collecting dust. At this point I decided to drop back to a one bike garage and move on from the Honda…a decision that sometimes I do regret.

Wrapping up the 2022 Honda CRF 300L is everything it’s supposed to be. It’s an amazing budget dual sport and a great entry bike for those who want to get into off road riding without breaking the bank. The Honda’s road manners were also very good and it’s a great little commuter bike and back roads cruiser however she’s not ideally suited for highway riding. While the CRF 300L does have a flaw with its suspension that was really the only complaint that I had with the bike. It took everything I threw at it from single track to forest road riding to commuting in Charleston. For the price and what it is the Honda CRF 300L is a good little bike and one that I highly recommend.