Honda Crf 250L

[Bung]

I thought it read like company talk but didn't know that! Cheeky bugger, I even credited the "author" !!

Still, not a bad desciption of some of the engine tech.

Well spotted.

[kvic]

@SumetCycle - excellent info, thank you so much! That was my guess too.

As for Chiang Mai prices I just so happened to walk by a shop I'd never really noticed before, and they had a CRF on show. Price 234,000 includes a 200 baht helmet, a jacket (didn't see but I guess nothing special) and mandatory and accident insurance, and registration. The accident insurance brings it in pretty close to what I was going to pay, 130k. The very nice lady didn't want to go down to that, but theft insurance would be an additional 2,000 baht. I don't know why the insurance is so cheap - but I'll take it!

I am expecting a call with prices for nearly all the accessories. She asked me which one I liked and I went through the list and with one or two exceptions checked all of them

The talk about the "promotion price" is just talk - it's a sales tactic. Nothing is stopping them from later offering another, even better "promotion". It's just supply and demand - wares need to be moved. Prices are always negotiable.

PS: I've got the feeling that ramp up for this bike is going to be really fast. All dealers that want it seem to already have one show model, and all of them say they have a couple coming next month. This is much better than was the case with the CBR250.

Nikster can you share which shop that was?

Been looking around CM and Nat quoted me the lowest, but got best trade price for PCX at the shop northeast of the moat. Even with the 139,900 price tag it came out lower than Nat. Planning on going back tomorrow to see if they will come down on price.

Stopped by the shop on Mae Rim road next to the Toyota dealer yesterday, and they had at least 4 sitting on the loading dock in the back with a bunch of other new bikes, and one inside. Listed price was 139,900.

[nikster]

^ changklan road - not very far past the traffic light at the end of the night bazaar / pantip, left hand side before butter is better... They have a crf in the window...

[kvic]

^ changklan road - not very far past the traffic light at the end of the night bazaar / pantip, left hand side before butter is better... They have a crf in the window...

Thanks!

[taninthai]

dirtshop have done a dyno run seems the power is not what some have claimed

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dz0i1z67Vf9U%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded&feature=player_embedded&v=z0i1z67Vf9U&gl=US

[taichiplanet]

dirtshop have done a dyno run seems the power is not what some have claimed

http://m.youtube.com...i1z67Vf9U&gl=US

interesting. Looks like a brand new bike, i wonder if the engine has a few kms on it and has freed up properly? Also would be good if they do a run with the CBR250 to get a reference point, as dynos do read different.

I couldn't get that link to work so here is the vid

Edited May 24, 2012 by taichiplanet

[apetley]

dirtshop have done a dyno run seems the power is not what some have claimed

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dz0i1z67Vf9U%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded&feature=player_embedded&v=z0i1z67Vf9U&gl=US

Japanese hp claims always seem to be at the filler cap rather than back wheel:-)

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[karlos]

dirtshop have done a dyno run seems the power is not what some have claimed

http://m.youtube.com...i1z67Vf9U&gl=US

interesting. Looks like a brand new bike, i wonder if the engine has a few kms on it and has freed up properly? Also would be good if they do a run with the CBR250 to get a reference point, as dynos do read different.

I couldn't get that link to work so here is the vid

Ouch, try to avoid my Mio 125 at the traffic lights boys

[taninthai]

The other thing I noticed was if he was taking it up to top speed I only saw 118 max on his dyno displayon my bike I have had it pinned in 5 gear clock reading 130 gps reading 120 never got a gps reading pinned in 6 gear but have seen 140 on the clOck

[JonnyF]

Bit disappointing for a bike carrying that much weight. Sometimes you just have to ride the bike to get a feel for whether its got enough power to make it worth buying. I wonder if Honda will offer test rides like Kawasaki, even a blast round the car park can give you a feel for the bike. Otherwise i guess its a case of waiting for the rental companies to get them in and then hire it for a day or two.

Probably a few weeks before they can be rented, i guess bangkok bike rental (is that their name?) will get a couple in soon.

Taninthai, what's your gut feeling for the bike, is it reasonably strong or does it feel underpowered/overweight ?

[BigBikeBKK]

Bit disappointing for a bike carrying that much weight. Sometimes you just have to ride the bike to get a feel for whether its got enough power to make it worth buying. I wonder if Honda will offer test rides like Kawasaki, even a blast round the car park can give you a feel for the bike. Otherwise i guess its a case of waiting for the rental companies to get them in and then hire it for a day or two.

Probably a few weeks before they can be rented, i guess bangkok bike rental (is that their name?) will get a couple in soon.

Taninthai, what's your gut feeling for the bike, is it reasonably strong or does it feel underpowered/overweight ?

Already a bunch for rent up in Chiang Mai.

As far as the dyno is concerned, it's obvious the bike is not in top gear (nor does it need to be to calculate max power) because he bounces the bike off the 10.5k rev limiter at an indicated speed of just under 120kph.

If someone knows the gear ratios they can calculate which gear he was in. I'm guessing 4th?

Yeah, just shy of 18 rwhp is a bit disappointing, but perhaps the bike is brand new and not broken in yet. Once broken in one might expect another 1-2 rwhp.

Gonna take a bit of work for the CRF250L to catch up to the KLX 351

Edited May 24, 2012 by BigBikeBKK

[dave_boo]

At 10,5K rpm the CRF with the stock gearing and tyres would be running 76,3 MPH (122 km/h) in fourth (4^th) gear. I put the bike in as a selectable bike in a gearing website.

Did the dyno tester have the right parameters in for the bike? That makes a world of difference. As I also remember the dirtshop dyno run on the CBR was some 93% of what every other dyno in the world found.

Of course we can just ignore those folks who have owned/rode both bikes and go with the anamoly.

[BigBikeBKK]

At 10,5K rpm the CRF with the stock gearing and tyres would be running 76,3 MPH (122 km/h) in fourth (4^th) gear. I put the bike in as a selectable bike in a gearing website.

Did the dyno tester have the right parameters in for the bike? That makes a world of difference. As I also remember the dirtshop dyno run on the CBR was some 93% of what every other dyno in the world found.

Of course we can just ignore those folks who have owned/rode both bikes and go with the anamoly.

Cool, so my guess at 4th gear was correct

I knew Dave would do the math- thanks bro

Khun Bai is a certified dynojet tuner and normally runs the dyno at Dirtshop, and that's not who is sitting on the bike in that video... I don't recognize that fellow so can't speak to his competence in setting up and doing the dyno run.

Question- isn't the engine in the CRF250L the exact same engine that's in the CB'r' 250?

If torque and rpm are the same on both CRFL and CB'r' bikes, then a difference in horsepower can only be explained by a difference in gearing.

[nikster]

Already a bunch for rent up in Chiang Mai.

POP bike rental has about 10.

IDK nobody's complained about the power or lack thereof so far. But if you want a HP monster, a 250 is probably the wrong choice

[JonnyF]

Already a bunch for rent up in Chiang Mai.

POP bike rental has about 10.

IDK nobody's complained about the power or lack thereof so far. But if you want a HP monster, a 250 is probably the wrong choice

Good to know, but it's not realistic for me to fly up to Chiang Mai to test ride a bike so i guess I'll wait until I can rent in bkk. I'm not after a HP monster, but a bit of drive out of corners would be nice, maybe the front wheel trying to leave the tarmac/dirt in the first couple of gears?

Everything is relative, I'm still undecided but as i'll be using this almost exclusively off road then a 2 stroke125/250 and a trailer might be a better option, I'll reserve judgement until I've had a chance to ride it.

[wantan]

Errr, my conclusion of this is: A dyno run is correct if the result is what you expected to be

Yes, i know nothing about dyno runs, but have seen a lot youtube videos

[JonnyF]

Errr, my conclusion of this is: A dyno run is correct if the result is what you expected to be

Yes, i know nothing about dyno runs, but have seen a lot youtube videos

For once I agree with you.

The dyno could be off, the operator could be inexperienced, the bike could be too new, too old, a lemon, modded etc.

Seems like 'let's wait until we see it on a dyno' has an asterisk with some small print at the bottom.

[johnboy3739w]

Me 52 - Biking since 16 had over 100 bikes, living in Pattaya 3 years .....

Went into Mityion in South Pattaya Road today to get my scooter serviced.......

Took the opportunity to have a good look round the new CRF 250 L which i was considering to replace my 12 month old PCX.........

A few years ago i had a Honda 400 NSX Falcon - which was prob the best "all round" bike i've ever had - a delight on the road and tough enough for some minor off road riding....

i some how thought the CRF was going to be a 250 version of the Falcon, which would make it ideal for the busy pattaya traffic.

How wrong i was - Its more off road than on road (IMHO) - Seat as hard as a rock, with a tiny pillion seat, proper enduro tyres - in fact it reminded me of the Kawasaki KDX 220 that i owned umteen years ago.

But the problem with the KDX for me was it was great off the road, but pretty darn horrible on the road - hence why the NSX Falcon i had several bikes later was such a breath of fresh air....

So my conclusion - for day to day driving round pattaya, bit of shopping here and there, taking my missus on the back and some "days out", the CRF 250 L would be a complete non starter for me.....

If i lived out in the country, where most of my driving was off the road, drove mostly on my own, wasn't bothered about a numb bum - then then i might consider one...

[dave_boo]

Johnboy; it doesn't cost that much to get seats remade to your liking in LOS. It's also a bit far to compare a proper 2T bike to a lite-offroad bike like the much softer KLX/CRF being offered for sale. The power in either bike is much more accesible in that it's a gradual (very gradual for either bike!) build up over a decent range rather than an on/off switch that a smoker usually has.

Also, as an aside, I am having a bit of a problem reconciling the math here. Taninthai claims that he does 120 GPS with the throttle pinned in 5th. Anybody can check my previous link to the gearing website against the Honda specifications and make sure that my claim of 122 'real' can be reached at 10,5K in fourth. I don't know DirtShop's setup; has anyone used their dyno before and note if they had to input the correct gearing or did the dyno determine it by itself (using a engine rpm/drum rpm and a tyre size)?

[taninthai]

Gut feeling for me

Feels fine on and off road,carries it weight well,weight is only a pain inthe arse when you keep dropping it in the trails

It's my first off road bike though and I'm 60 kg any tubbies may find it underpowerd .....

From me seeing a gps reading of 120 full throttle in fifth gear on my bike I would guess he is on 5 th but then that does not add up with d boos speed calc wrong

[BigBikeBKK]

Gut feeling for me

Feels fine on and off road,carries it weight well,weight is only a pain inthe arse when you keep dropping it in the trails

It's my first off road bike though and I'm 60 kg any tubbies may find it underpowerd .....

From me seeing a gps reading of 120 full throttle in fifth gear on my bike I would guess he is on 5 th but then that does not add up with d boos speed calc wrong

Do you remember your rpm? Oh, wait, I forgot- the CRF250L doesn't have a tach...

Don't forget that on a dyno the bike doesn't have any aerodynamic drag so it's normal to record a higher top speed than what you would get on the road where you are pushing through air.

[taninthai]

I need to put 80 km on it today as it's in for it's 1000km service tommorow will get a speedo reading pinned in 4th today

[madjbs]

If torque and rpm are the same on both CRFL and CB'r' bikes, then a difference in horsepower can only be explained by a difference in gearing.

And tyres, knobbly tyres = lower dyno readings.

[BigBikeBKK]

If torque and rpm are the same on both CRFL and CB'r' bikes, then a difference in horsepower can only be explained by a difference in gearing.

And tyres, knobbly tyres = lower dyno readings.

Yeah? I didn't know that... Is that from the knobbies slipping on the drum?

Could the knobbies account for the 4+ hp difference between the CB'r' 250 and the CRF250L? I thought the bikes are supposed to have identical engines and gearing?

Stock CB'r' 250 Dyno:

[madjbs]

I think the tyres plus the dozens of other possible variables with the bikes and the dyno, you could see a 4hp difference.

I am not exactly sure why different tyres give different readings but as you say I guess it's due to them not gripping the drum as well or different rolling resistance / friction.

Edited May 25, 2012 by madjbs

[loserlazer]

Sad to hear that the bike is only 18 hp.

Sure honda tune it like that to create a market share to the expensive version crf 250 r - or was it x? - as they were claiming 30 hp in motoshow.

So one must be crazy to buy honda crf l over kawa klx.

Price wise, there are only 15 k thb between them but performance wise kawa is 40 % better and years ahead in terms of reliability.

Heartbreaker honda:)

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[Spoonman]

Anyone having issues with poorly adjusted clutch cable that allow slip and the resulting burnt out clutch pack ?

[madjbs]

Sure honda tune it like that to create a market share to the expensive version crf 250 r - or was it x? - as they were claiming 30 hp in motoshow.

No, I don't think so....

[Spoonman]

Sure honda tune it like that to create a market share to the expensive version crf 250 r - or was it x? - as they were claiming 30 hp in motoshow.

No, I don't think so....

Must be a one-off case then.

[Bung]

Sad to hear that the bike is only 18 hp.

Sure honda tune it like that to create a market share to the expensive version crf 250 r - or was it x? - as they were claiming 30 hp in motoshow.

So one must be crazy to buy honda crf l over kawa klx.

Price wise, there are only 15 k thb between them but performance wise kawa is 40 % better and years ahead in terms of reliability.

Heartbreaker honda:)

Sent from my GT-P1000 using Thaivisa Connect App

Really?The KLX is 40% more powerful than the CRF-L? That flies against all the guys who rode a KLX with pipe, air filter and modded ECU then jumped off that onto a stock CRF and said the Honda was faster......

Just because one Thai guy dyno'd it doesn't mean that his readings are correct

How is it years ahead in reliability?

You need to stand up when you talk so we can hear you!

Edited May 25, 2012 by Bung