2025 Honda CRF300L Review

Over the years, I’ve noticed a change in dual sport riders’ buying habits.

For decades, middleweight models were the go-to choice, with the Kawasaki KLR650 and Suzuki DR650 dominating the market as sensible all-rounders. But in recent years, I’ve seen a lot of riders shifting to the Honda CRF-L series.

Frankly, I wondered why. I’ve ridden the CRF250L in the past, including a long-term test, and while it was reliable it required considerable aftermarket add-ons to make it a decent trail bike. When Honda announced updates to the CRF-L series for 2025, I resolved to find out if the improvements made the machine a viable contender against 650-class bikes.

Back to Basics

To be clear, the 2025 Honda CRF300L has not gotten a revamp that brings it to the level of lightweight European enduros, which are basically dirt bikes with lights. Instead of a race-bred aluminum frame, the CRF-L has a steel semi-double cradle setup; this helps keep the price down.

While the heavier chassis is a bit of a trade-off, Honda put quite a bit of work into reducing the weight of the frame compared to the previous version of this machine, which keeps curb weight at a very manageable 141 kg (311 lb). On the street, that’s pretty svelte; off-pavement, the CRF300L isn’t intended to be ridden at speeds where that weight is a problem.

That’s because the suspension is very basic as well, with a rear shock that’s adjustable only for preload and a non-adjustable fork. While the suspension saw some updates for 2025, it’s basically the same as the 2024 model.

The engine is also basically the same as the 2024 model. It’s a 286-cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder, fuel-injected with a four-valve dual overhead cam top end. While the capacity has grown slightly over the years, the engine follows the same basic architecture that Honda introduced with the CBR250 in 2011, carrying into the CRF-L series in 2012. The motor has a six-speed gearbox, and for 2025, output is unchanged at a maximum of 27 hp and 19.6 lb-ft of torque.

The front wheel has a 21-inch diameter, like a proper trail bike should, and the rear wheel is an 18-incher. Honda specced disc brakes at each end, with two-channel ABS that can be switched to off-road mode (allowing you to lock up the rear while the front still spins freely). 

Lighting all-round is of the LED variety, and there’s a simple LCD display that offers speedometer, tachometer, odometer, dual tripmeters, a gas gauge, and fuel consumption data. In short, it’s all stuff we’ve seen before.

In the Saddle

For this test run, I took the Honda CRF300L to Canada’s self-proclaimed Ocean Playground: Nova Scotia. Actually, I took it to the Cape Breton Highlands, and I can’t think of a better place to test a dual-sport motorcycle. The terrain was perfectly suited to the occasion, with paved twisties, bumpy two-track, and wide-open gravel. Based out of the Silver Dart Lodge in Baddeck, N.S., I was able to sample all of this terrain within just a few miles of our base.

The bike impressed almost immediately, with a super-light clutch pull — it has a slip/assist clutch that reduces the pull to be practically unnoticeable — and a lack of low-end vibration. Small dual-sports are almost always rattletraps, even for the more expensive models, and this one felt quite civilized as we ran through the street sections of our first day’s ride. On this machine, you’re getting the benefit of the past 14 years of Honda’s refinement in the engine’s tuning, even if the major parts haven’t changed all that much. It doesn’t have the grunt of a 650 dual sport, or even a 400, but it’s a far cry from the weedy 250s that used to represent the small-displacement end of this class.

The chassis is nothing remarkable on the street; maybe a bit gangly feeling, but that’s no shock with a tall dual sport. With a 30-inch inseam, I didn’t find the bike sat too high. But when we headed to the gravel roads of the Cape Breton Highlands’ interior, I could immediately feel — and greatly appreciate — the work Honda had put into refining the suspension’s damping.

The re-tuned setup is one of the major upgrades on the 2025 model, and the bike has come a long way from my original test of the CRF250L back in 2012. That bike’s shock was akin to a pogo stick when off-roading, with chattery sections causing it all sorts of grief. Not so with the new 300; Honda’s suspension keeps the rear tire planted to the ground, pumping all available output into the dirt instead of spinning in the air. 

Along with the shock (which also gets a new bearing in the top frame mount, instead of a bushing, for smoother action), Honda also stiffened the damping in the fork. Again, performance is noticeably better, and I was able to hold a strong line while cornering along the legendary Cabot Trail while staying on-point while off-road, with minimal issues with front wheel deflection. This was my biggest beef with the original CRF-L series, to the point I was reluctant to try any subsequent models. Suspension is the most important performance upgrade for most motorcyclists, and also one of the most expensive, so Honda’s improvement here is a very big deal.

Over the course of five days in Cape Breton, I laid down hundreds of kilometres, which means I had plenty of time to fiddle with the gauges and switchgear and judge the seat’s comfort — stuff you might not really get much time on during a factory launch event. For the most part, I was happy with the switchgear and dash, although somewhat annoyed that Honda carried over its turn-signals-on-the-bottom, horn-in-the-middle arrangement for the left handlebar controls. Riders used to the arrangement on other brands’ bikes will inevitably honk the horn once or twice by accident when looking for their signal lights, and I found it easy to accidentally press the oversized button even when I wasn’t trying to indicate a turn.

The seat itself is what you’d expect; the narrow saddle is fine for a few hours at a time, but all-day, every-day for a week meant some soreness. No worries — most riders’ backsides will break in soon enough, or their seat will.

Room for Improvement

Along with the switchgear struggles, there are other areas that need improvement. There’s a shift light on the dash that’s relatively learner-friendly; but while the bike has more than enough power to handle speeds of 120 km/h, the shift light stays on the whole time, since it kicks in at 7,000 rpm. A Google search tells me it can be reset; if I’d been on the machine longer, I would have tried, but I’d returned the bike before I found this out.

Another of the very minor complaints I had was, on the hottest days, my left leg got a bit warm where it sat over the exhaust. Honda reconfigured the bike’s cooling system for 2025, with new radiator design to lessen the heat blasted at the rider, but the machine is still just a tad warm on that side. However, it’s certainly nothing like the current-production Kawasaki KLR650, which has a reputation as a thigh-roaster.

Finally, I applaud Honda for including basic handguards on the bike, in an age where other OEMs skimp on this basic accessory. But a similarly cheap plastic skid plate — or even better, a thick plastic skid plate like Acerbis makes for other models — would have been a low-cost improvement. There were several places during my test that I had to dial back my attack on the trails, lest I catch a rock that punctured my sump. As it was, the lower frame was pock-marked by rocks kicked back from the wheel, and I also noted the sides of the frame quickly had the paint worn off where my legs had gripped the bike during off-roading.

The Bottom Line

The 2025 Honda CRF300L impressed me mightily. It climbed North Mountain, Cape Smokey, and all the other peaks along the Cabot Trail at faster speeds than most cars. Even on Kelly’s Mountain on the Trans-Canada, it kept ahead of traffic. It handled a wide variety of off-road terrain with aplomb; during long days in the saddle, the bike itself did not wear me out with excess vibration. Fuel economy was excellent — right around the 3.8 L/100 km mark (delivering a practical range of roughly 150-175 km from the 7.8L tank, before getting seriously worried about gas).

The price — $7,799, including freight and some other fees for 2025 — might scare off some buyers, as that’s getting pretty close to 650 territory, and a lot more than the 250 dual-sports of the pre-pandemic days. But remember: it’s still less than the current 650 dual-sport class, and this 300 is a lot more usable than the old 250 models. If my current garage full of bikes burned up, I could very well see myself joining the crowds and buying my own Honda 300, because it does everything I need a dual sport bike to do, and does it well.