WR250R vs CRF300L: Which Is Best For You?
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- #wr250r #crf300l #dualsport
The big battle between the Yamaha WR250R vs the Honda CRF300L. Both bikes are fantastic little dual sports that can do everything from multiday adventures all the way to single track. Check out the chapter times for in depth comparison.
Chapter Times
00:00 Intro
00:16 WR250R Specs
00:48 CRF300L Specs
01:22 The Stronger Motor
03:04 Weight War
04:18 Suspension
06:58 Subframe
07:41 Gearbox
08:52 All The Bling
10:20 Price
11:19 Safety
11:57 Reliability
13:07 Value vs Quality
13:53 Dino Juice Use
14:44 Forgotten Differences Makers
15:39 Which One Is For You?
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I love both bikes and it both are so capable for what they are. Not for everyone but for those who want a small, lightweight do all then they are great!. Have to give the edge to the CRF300L but I still have a soft spot the the WR250R. Let me know if you want a similar video with the DRZ400?
Why not both? One of each sounds great to me.
What are you going to do with the drz solid ?
@@user-tq1sp5ly9l Sold 🙃
I chose the Honda. I have the CRF 250 L now and will get the 300 in a couple of years, when eventual problems are fixed and it has LED lights as standard. Cheers from Sweden! A want a proper dual sport and a proper Enduro bike!
The Honda was a big let down let's be honest here riders wanted a 300cc bike cause they said the 250cc was lacking power so what does Honda do they come out with a 300cc that still can't keep up with the Wr... The 300L is not better in anyway I kinda hate typing this cause I don't wanna sound like I'm just some Yamaha fan boy cause I'm not I do own a Wr but it's just the truth keep it 💯... With that said the Honda is a nice looking bike just not better then the Wr in anyway. Riders are looking for that next step up from the 250cc class that's what this is all about but in noway is the 300L a step up it hangs with the Wr but be honest it's not what we was all wanting to see Honda missed big time.
What we want is a WR 350 R !!!
Idk 450 or 650 wouldn't be that bad
@@lade2336 Put an MT09 engine on it and call it a day
If you want 650 just get a tenere brother😂.
Wr 350-400 less than 320lbs efi same suspension 40hp 30 ft and just take my money please.
Until then me and my wr 250 chilling
I got WR250R with a few extras on it. Very impressed with it. I think with 310 kit added it’s a bike for life especially now got super moto wheels😊
Looks like lil' WR just wouldn't go away! :)
God damn you, Yamaha, announce something already!
We need a WR350r!
@@ganuvien WR400r cheap insurance (here under 400cc) and in the middle of the original 250 and 650, being lightweight, long intervals, proven dependability would be a big seller
Replaceable sub frame is underrated. My ‘14 CRF250L needed a replacement after a wreck. $110 later, good as new.
I fixed my one by welding for 10 dollars. It is forced by parts of stronger steel pipe in place of wreck. Your new one will broken too, because it brakes where inforcer is over
Great comparison video, Solid! Particularly since you have owned and ridden both. Really enjoyed this one, mate.
Thanks Stitch 👍
Thanks Solid for all your videos, it really helped me narrow down my choices. Just got myself a 2018 wr250r!!! I wanted the CRF300L but I didn't want to wait any longer as it took 5 months to sell my 1190. Going out for my first proper off road ride tomorrow!! There are so many local trails I can't wait to explore with the more off road capable bike. I will miss the power of the 1190 but I get more thrills going slow mo offroad as I do going flat out on the tar. Your channel not only has been a great source of entertainment but also a great source of knowledge for us Duelies. keep it up.
Congrats mate, brilliant little bikes and enjoy 👍
I own a wr250r and a crf250l. The yamaha is miles ahead in the dirt! It actually feels like a proper dirtbike. The honda feels like a street bike with dirt tires. Im curious to see the improvements that were made on the 300l.
Great comparison, Solid. Top marks for the content, editing and camera work.
This is an excellent comparison review, probably the best I've watched in years, great work.
I have a WR450F which I have been considering downsizing to smaller dualsport and keep coming back to the 300L. It just seems to tick all the boxes for me now. Thanks again for a very informative review.
Cheers Dion
you won't regret the 300l
Excellant review and comparison. Well done Solid!
Cheers Hugh
A well balanced interesting and informative comparo. Thanks Solid.
Itchy boots was riding her bike in an African Rally with fuel on the rack. She had ridden the bike fully loaded for months around Southern Africa prior to this. In the rally, she wasn’t riding at true rally speeds and probably not as far but she was overdoing the normal use of this bike and the subframe broke behind the seat. It could happen on any normal lightweight “trail” type bike with their limited suspension and standard frames.
not to mention she bought the bike secondhand, so who knows what life the subframe led prior to her ownership.
Great review Solid. 👍
Hi mate, really like your videos man. You answered my questions exactly between these two bikes. Chizz
👍
Great comparisome thank you.
Great review! These 2 bikes are at the top of my list for a small dual sport to add to my BMW R1200GSA. I'm leaning toward the 300L due to usable power and better on-road.
Great video mate, well done
Thanks 👍
thanks. you're good at this. very informative baldie
the Zeta Adventure Screen for the CRF300L is absolutely fantastic - I have done about 1000klm with it and I am sold on it.
Nice work!
Nice video. Thank you for sharing
Great review.
You made a great point early in the video. Higher torque figures is what moves the motorcycle down the trail/road, high horsepower figures is what moves the motorcycle off the showroom floor 🏍😉👍!
Very true Dan
Honda. I have the CRF 250 L now and will get the 300 in a couple of years, when eventual problems are fixed and it has LED lights as standard. Cheers from Sweden!
Great video. Which motorcycle has less vibration? Thank you.
All buttons related to safety should have a dedicated button which indicates it's current state. ABS in particular should not change it's state after you shut the motorcycle off. You should be able to glance down and quickly determine if the ABS is on or off. This should be entirely reasonable to do in the case of turning ABS off for the rear wheel. The FAA did studies on this for airplanes from which the motorcycle industry should learn.
The abs stays in whatever mode you left it in **if you just use the kill switch and leave the ignition key alone** - very handy when out in the bush and just stop for a “cornerman wait” or to check a GPS/map - if you don’t touch the key, the system remembers where you left it (in my case, off, when riding off-road.) Warning light remains lit too….
Hell, colored LEDs would be adequate. Not expensive, and pretty reliable as an indicator
Also worth adding the CRF300 is two bikes (the L and the Rally) and although the same platform are actually surprisingly and yet subtlety different - ride both and you’ll know what I mean !!
Loved the review, where in Australia was this filmed?
West OZ Darling Range
As a WR owner who bought in 2017, I am glad I got it over the CRF250 that was available at the time. I spent an additional $1000 CDN on professional adjustments to the damping along with lower, higher rate springs for my portly, 32" inseam, advanced beginner skill set. Love the WR and I think spending money on suspension tuning was the best bang for the buck of any farkle I have done.
Notwithstanding my love for MY WR, if I was buying today, or recommending to a friend less than 6'3" or so, I would go with the CRF. It is adequate for a beginner straight off the showroom floor, and the lower price allows for a full suspension replacement in the future if desired, winding up at about the same total cost with a better drivetrain and an active aftermarket.
Also, I recall that the Honda has lower 1st and 2nd, with higher 5th and 6th gears. Can you confirm this? I geared my WR down a lot to make it easier to ride at low speed on the steep terrain of western Canada. She will barely get to 110kph now...
As always, your videos are a weekend highlight. Cheers!
Cheers David, yes the Honda has a lower 1st/2nd and a higher 6th. Feels about the same as my WR with 2 teeth up at the back but with a much higher 6th 🙂 Lets hope Yamaha come to the table!
@@chroniclesofsolid WR350R for the win!. Just sayin...
Hey thanks for the thoughtful review. I am looking for my first dirt bike to learn on, have been riding on the road 30 years though. Am 6’2” and 95kg. Your review suggests I should be leaning to the Honda, but am a bit concerned the seat height is too low (?). My road bike is a Hypermotard with a 910mm seat height! Any thoughts welcome
Great comparison! Would love to see another one for 250L vs. 300L!
From my experience with both. CRF300L for lighter trails/road riding, WR for more aggressive riding offroad.
Also, one thing no one mentions about the WR is that it has a full diagnostics menu built into the dash and the WR is built in Japan.
Dear honda ? (Made in?)
@@janandaweraniyagodage3324 Thailand. The 300L is made in Thailand
Honda has always made a good engine but for a seasoned rider I think the WR is the better bike all around especially in the frame and suspension dept. The Honda is a good deal for the price and more of a beginners or novice level off the showroom floor but there's nothing that says you can't mod it to be quicker and more planted.
WR chassis with the Yamaha 320 twin in it? (note the 300L is 286)Would it sell? Great review thank you.
Great comparison Solid. Had a WR and have to say it was the most versatile bike I've ever owned. Worked equally well as a dual sport and as an adv bike. I believe with a 26k valve check interval the WR might be cheaper to service over the long term. Still, I am hoping to find a 300 Rally in the near future. That bit of extra torque and rally front end really appeal to me.
The valve checks for newer WR's is 40k. I have a 2017 and it's printed in the manual.
Hi Chronic. I have 2020 Crf250l. I did lots of changes and upgrades , and I did 8000km in 1,5 year. 70% off road . I’m from Europ, I took the bike on mx track and TET, and enduro track and amateur navigation rally.I’m missing only 1 thing. Suspension. Can I keep up with my friends? Yes . I tried my friend Husky 701 as well, klx 250, xr 250 . The Crf250l is perfect, if I compare the price, service and quality. I’m missing only a bit better suspension, but it is no worthy to spend 600 or 800€ for suspension on 4800€ bike. I just use it like this. I have the money to get the better suspension, but in the and of the day, I’m doing the same stuff like my friend on Husky 701 for 2,5x times more money , and you need to be a good rider to be able to use more than 40hp off road.
Also at least in the US, consider the constant flameout issues on the hondas.
Right on!👍
Interesting. Here in the northeast USA the WR is quite a bit cheaper to find used. Great comparison.
You're comparisons are fucking perfect! Cheers from the U.S.
In your last video I commented that the seat and ground clearance on the Thailand 300L is considerably less than the bike in Australia but it comes in at 138 kg, 6 kg lighter than the Western market bikes
To be fair when you were talking about Itchy boots 250 sub frame breaking at 7:25 in your video She was on a rally race doing high speed hard rear hits and she was carrying a roto gas tank on the very back end of the sub frame . She also has a full bag of tools for the rally . With the heavy weight at the tip of the subframe and the thousands of hard hits for 3 days and night is why it broke . This would never break with regular riding to cause a breakage . No the crf 250 L was not made for dakars
both fun trail bikes, and i think it would be difficult to buy any modern bike that wasn't fun on some level. what works best for your sphere of soil, does the wr come in red?
Very nice review! In what areas do you see the quality better on the Yamaha over the Honda 300? Usually the fit & finish of Honda's very good but I would just like to see your opinion on that. 👍 Yamaha is a badass bike I used to have the '08 wr250x... I missed it so much after I sold it years later I just picked up that 2018 CRF rally I just wish I had ABS but can't be too picky in the market nowadays in 🇺🇸 🤷🏻
Thanks George, it's splitting hairs and its not an apples to apples. I do believe the 300L has more than caught up to the quality of the WR but the WR has been since 2008. I think its mainly the suspension and frame design but I would not die on a hill to defend that argument.
Hello . What is your choice about 250 cc Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki motorcycles for adventure?!
What weight maximum are you thinking before upgrading the honda suspension?
Just got a 300L Rally and will be picking it up hopefully next week.
Congrats
Where are you mate? Which Country? I have a Rally on order in Perth Australia and waiting to get it. They couldn't say when though. Hopefully early in the year for me
@@infernotrout7801 USA
I wanted a wr 250 but since they discontinued it and haven't announced any plans to replace it and they never pop up on the used market near me ever, ive finally decided to put a down payment on a crf 300l but it wont be here till august.
I would 100% still go for the WR.
I ride a CRF250L that's been upgraded to 286cc and my regular riding buddy rides a WR250R.
I agree with what you said here for the most part except when to comes to weight. I have an aftermarket exhaust, evap delete, toolbox and exhaust guard removal, and a few other things that lower my bikes weight from stock, (It's lower weight than a stock 300 at this point) and yet his WR250R feels much lighter when riding and lifting. The WR250R feels very nimble compared to a Honda.
Where the Honda really does shine, as you said, is where the power comes in. The WR250R really does demand you wring its neck to get the power and torque. IMHO that makes the Honda a better choice for a newer rider. - Frank
Is your buddy's wr250r modified at all?
What's the top speed of the CRF300L please? Some say it's only 70 miles an hour (112 km/h) but I see you getting up to 120 easily? I want to be able to use it on the highway from time to time. Thanks
Wr250r is number one in the world moreover pure japanese made in japan 🇯🇵❤️
Who's bright idea was it to put the brake lines in your face? That's almost a deal breaker right there combined with the availability.
What's the power/ torque delivery of the WR, when compared to the CRF250L?
My Honda 125 Grom did highway just fine. 1200km's from Alberta to Vancouver and back, through the mountains and everything. A 250cc is definitely highway worthy.
I just picked up a 2018 250 rally with only 172 MI it works really good for me I don't ride too hard my buddy's looking to get the KLX 300 I know I'm going to get my ass kicked but we're just going out to have a good time we don't ride that hard we just want to have fun. The little 250 on the freeway 65 mph pretty solid once you get over 70 it's pretty sketchy. Thanking about changing the sprocket up 1 🦷 drop the RPMs n' spread out all the gears 👍👍
Get a WR or a Honda to learn on. The WR is a lot of fun with its titanium high lift valves.
Has anyone tried different weight fork oil in the CRF300L?
I love having the extra torque of the 300l
well i went for the ktm 390 adventure , i have my ktm250 exc for real off road stuff , atm i finding it well balanced well mannered bike . ill let you know how im going after the first service . cheers Steve / Geraldton
no first service yet?
Nice vid solid. I'm not sure the HP numbers are legit or have any context though. The 300L has only measured 22 on a dyno if you check the dirtrider channel (IIRC). Your numbers are probably crank or countershaft, so no one can verify them. Looks like they both do about a 7.5 0-100 so they must be pretty close. I saw 8.5 for the 250L. Some heavily modded 250R's claiming 6.5. Test yours for us ?? :-D
Thanks mate 👍 HP numbers are from the manufacturer so you can bet they would be at the crank.
Nice video! I’m trying to decide between a highly farkled wr250r with 7k miles and a new crf300l. The Yamaha has a full graves exhaust, EJK programmer, aibox mod, rental handlebars, handguards, seat concepts seat, heated grips, ims 3.5 gal tank, yamalink, rear rack and bash plate. Most of my riding will be dirt roads (55mph) and through fields since I’m a farmer. It’s about $1000 more for the Honda and I figure there’s about $2000 of parts added on the Yamaha. I’m a short lightweight (5’6” 130 lbs) guy so either will have plenty of ooomph. Leaning toward the Yamaha and gearing it lower for better slow speed. Your video makes me want the Honda more!
I used to have a WR250. Very well built machines
@@slakk5093 I agree on the Yamaha quality. I've noticed little things like the bolted on subframe and pegs. Really can't go wrong with either brand. Little higher spec suspension on the yamaha but will I ever adjust it, probably not.
I'm about the same build as you, 5'7" 135 pounds and I have a wr250r. What kind of seat concepts does he have -tall/short? I have a seat concepts low height and I can tippy toe. I feel like you would be more confident riding the honda with lower seat height.
@@JohnnyBoy919 he said it was a normal height version. It does have a yamalink installed too and I figured I could slide the forks up a little too. I could tiptoe on a stock wr so I might be ok by the time I back off the preload. I haven't been on the honda yet but it sounds like the suspension is softer and a couple inches shorter seat height. Might be the direction I take.
@@jimdiamond5352 gotcha, I didn't realize you had sat on a wr before, it's a pretty tall bike.
American viewers are not interested in how many legs a centimeter has.
Luckily they started making the wr250 again sadly didn’t upgrade to a 300cc tho 😢
To be fair ,Itchy Boots broke her sub frame riding in the Kalahari Rally , and she was pushing it so hard ,she was in the lead at times. Plus it was a used bike ,I think 6 years old when she bought it.
Yer the little L subframe definitely got a work out!
She just bought a 300 rally
Great review!! You should consider fuel requirements in your analysis. Two riders in my group have the WR. The WR requires premium fuel (in the States). Both have experienced issues when they topped off with low octane fuel.... Anomaly? possible...The Honda: can run crappy fuel all day long... winner, winner, chicken dinner.
Here where I live in the states, I wouldn’t run lower octane fuel through it anyways because it all has ethanol in it. I run premium in all my small engines to avoid ethanol.
It wreaked havoc on my old DRZ. Running 87 with ethanol I was rebuilding the carb basically yearly.
I learned years ago after rebuilding carburetors every year. Only clear gas now in anything I own that I don't drive every day. My lawnmowers now start every spring after sitting all winter, and my motorcycles run like a top
@@OgreMoto You don't need premium... you need non-ethanol in whatever grade your bike requires.
You’re correct. Premium fuel DOES NOT mean ethanol free. In fact, ethanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline, so there’s more incentive to cut gasoline with it as octane increases. Search for aviation or racing fuel near you.
@@OgreMoto Aviation and race gas are both ethanol free. But not widely available. Here in Oregon ethanol-free gas is available at select neighborhood gas stations. Ask around it is not hard to find, although it is at least $1 more than premium.
250L subframe is bolt on so would of been an easy fix on Itchy Boots bike.
Why didn't Honda just leave it as a bolt on for 300L?
Bit of a misstep on Honda's part.
How much does the WR weigh with all that extra fuel, up high in the aftermarket gas tank though ?
311 lbs with the 4.7 tank
I have both in my garage at present and the 300L build quality is not comparable to the Yamaha in my opinion. I'm now on to my second WR250R and when I finally blow this one up I think getting a 300L as its replacement would be quite a step backwards. I sure hope Yamaha bring something to the table soon otherwise I may well turn orange...
I sure hope they do!
How is the build quality better on the wr250r?
I had a 250L for 7 years and now own a 2020 WR250R. My CRF 250L had some ignition gremlins that neither myself nor the Honda dealer could ever figure out. The 250L, like the 300L, is made in Thailand to keep the price down and I think that was a factor in its unreliability. I still like the Honda brand, but I would not buy one unless that model is actually built in Japan like the WR250R.
@@akpilot5510 I have a 2015 wr250r and I'm considering the crf300l. But yeah, I'm sure the quality on the wr is slightly better but that doesn't necessarily mean the crf isnunreliable. I'm pretty sure the crf has longer service intervals than the yamaha. Think I heard somewhere there were cases of the crf250l with over 100k miles. Guess there's a reason the wr was discontinued and crf is still going on...lack of sales I'm guessing with the wr due to higher price. Got a good deal on my wr used.
@@akpilot5510 how funny this trope of it’s built somewhere else ergo it’s crap. You do realize there was a time where we talked down about Japanese stuff right?
It didn’t magically get better people stopped listening to the big three tried it themselves and found them to be good.
Same here with Thailand 🙄
As much as I like Yamaha I'd go with the Honda for the lower seat height, bit better torque and better mpg. Upgrade suspension to suit. Larger tank or carry a bottle of fuel if needed. Performance is fun for sure but the bikes that are easiest to get on and go with no fuss are typically the most ridden.
I missed this review somehow but figured it was coming... nice comparison.
I like the 300l rally
WR with a R3 engine would be sick!
Sick as in ill.
Dont think R3 engine is good for offroad. It have low torque and needs to be revved very high. It is good engine but for street use.
😎👍🏿
Between the WR250R and CRF-300L, the winner is the KLX-300. At least, if your region can get it, think I remember hearing they aren't coming to Australia. But compared to the CRF-300L, it has a removable subframe and adjustable front suspension at the cost of not having a slipper clutch (and a few instrument cluster features).
134-142kg for a 250/300. Just get the Montesa 4Ride which is 82kg 260cc and has a lower seat.
You can get a reusable air filter it's made by DNA you can get it on Amazon it's way overpriced it's about 120 130 dollars and they don't make the wr anymore and I see them used selling here in the states for up to $8,000
Air filters? Come one... those are like 10-15 bucks
I don't think I'll ever "grow out" of my WR250F. I've yet to go up a slope or over a log where I think, "This bike just doesn't got what it takes."
But it's no adventure bike. The longest trip I've done is 5 days, and I tend to pack light. "no camping gear". After 5 days of riding, that sucker is in need of an oil change.
Enduro bike will rip your face off, but they have "princess" engines that need frequent servicing. It's perfect for me, but I don't recommend it to most my friends.
But, fully adjustable suspension? I can never go back to not having it. I'm spoiled.
Wr250F and Wr250R are very different bikes. The R model have valve adjustments every 42,000KM and oil every 5000KM
Crf is also $100 a year more to register
With the WR250R out of production now what?
We wait and hope
@@chroniclesofsolid I’m hoping 350
Surely Yamaha will follow suit a bring out a WR 300 or 350? The WR was a great selling bike Surely yamaha are not just gonna discontinue it? Lol
They’re probably gonna come out with some environmentally friendly over engineered POS. The wr was perfect the way it was, I’m just glad the new bike will have a different name if they do release it. Hope I’m wrong
@mememe yea hopefully they don’t make a CRF450l episode 2. I’ve seen people say that the 450l really needs that vortex ecu and an aftermarket exhaust. Ends up costing like 2.5 crf300l’s.
Wr is better everywhere I don't understand how you can't feel it unless you can't ride 😂
Drz400s unchallenged
idk about that one comment. 2 stroke motocross bikes are for small pp people? lmfao. yeah it needs more clutch work to access the power, but thats skill. hmmmmmmm
Mmmm i do like my coffee machine ..
I reckon if you don't have a drz you like men
I cringed a bit when the Yami went into the surf. ;-)
PLEASE............. no background music in the future.
Downgraded mate
Blah blah blah get a Drz
Drz400 or dr650 uncorked is best by far super fun on road as well since they got fun power