Is the CRF250L a worthy adventurer
 

So I've wanted an Adventure bike since 2004 when I fell in love with Ewan, Charlie and the R1150GSA. Now is the time to get away from work and life and start riding again.

I almost bought a R1200GS late last year until I realised it will cost a fortune to service and I don't want to be that middle aged guy at breaking point trying to pick up his 250kg bike in the middle of nowhere.

Here's bikes I considered in order:
KLR650 - was perfect when I wanted fire trails but I think I want to get more off piste
DR650 - crappy range (upgradeable) and more capable than the KLR but still heavy
690 Adventure - probably a great bike but getting old
DRZ400S - getting lighter, probably great but seems expensive and rare used examples in VIC
WR250R - Looks like fun but $2k dearer than the CRF250L
CRF250L - my latest suits me bike

So the CRF250L looks interesting - it's a reliable dual purpose bike light enough for me to brush up on my off road skills. The 6spd box and wide ratios I am hoping are enough to commute to dirt.

My idea for the next 12-24 months is to ride 50kms of tar from my house and explore the dirt roads of South Gippsland, The Yarra Ranges National Park and into the Victorian High Country. I'm sure there will be additional stretches of tar between destinations including he Princes Hwy/Eastlink home from places like Traralgon and Seymour after long days off road when the sun is getting low.

Is the CRF250L a sensible choice with an upgraded tank and/or RotopaX fuel cells for the above riding?

NB: I'm not really aiming to be the latest MX hero but more load up my lightweight collapsable fishing rod and lightweight gear and do long day trips and the odd overnighter exploring the state. I don't need every last HP but I don't want something completely gutless either.

Feedback appreciated.

2 video off road
1 Video on road

You make up your own mind 3 videos was take in the last 2 weeks in North Thailand.

Steph seems to think so.
http://www.stephmoto-adventurebikebl...blog-page.html

Leonie and Peter from Amsterdam to Anywhere - Wereldreis op de motor - Avontuurlijke reis van 3 jaar, meer dan 100.000 km op 5 continenten | Amsterdam to Anywhere – Wereldreis op de motor seem to have been pretty happy with them for almost 3 years on the road.

The Honda is fine. But the Yamaha (WRR) has better spec. Either way, it's a good choice if you're not experienced off road. I'd stay clear from anything large to learn (we made that mistake learning to ride off road in Qld). The DRZ-E is an awesome trail bike but it's a trail bike. The S is a little different, but I think the gearing is the same. Different suspension and carb. The gearing on the road is a compromise. I'd take the E over the S any day. The reverse on compromise is true with the CRF and WRR which are adventure bikes by nature.
It is counter intuitive to think of those 250's are adventure bikes, but they really are. Small bikes on the road? Yup they made it work. You don't need a bigger bike for that. If your balance is more like 90% road (paved or unpaved) and 10% tracks then a 650 makes sense. Or 80-20. But I really don't find the 250's a burden on the tar. Fun on the twisties. Motorway is not their terrain but short 100km stretches is fine.

Yep, nice little bike, used one for 7 weeks doing Northern Thailand and Laos.
If I had a gripe it would be that its is a little underpowered, but hat could just be me because I owned a CRF250X in the UK at the time for my Enduro riding.
Once I get settled in Thailand I will be getting another L

Wayne

I'll be selling mine after a year of riding 95% off-road.
Not too happy with the bike except for the price I payed.

Out of the dealer floor it's really pathetic and under powered,
so I had to change front and rear sprockets, change air filter,
put on folding gear lever, put bash plate as stock one is a joke.
Also adjusted TPS to get more life from it. Suspension is very soft
so only relatively slow trail/track riding is possible. I was planning to upgrade the suspension but decided not to as the bike is very heavy for what it is and
I knew it's not a keeper for me.

But, for a smaller person or a women this bike is not that bad for commuting or relaxing trail riding. For a long adventure rides not really, unless somebody is very patient :scooter:

A 250 will be about the best if you're re-learning off road riding. Not great on longer tarmac sections but fine for an hour or so. The CRF is a good starter bike but the Yamaha WR250R is the better off road bike ... and has the most potential overall. More expensive, yes, but the better bike by quite a margin among 250's. Only the KTM,Husqvarna or Beta are better, but quite expensive.

If your off road ends up just being dirt roads ... then I'd go with one of the 650's. The DR650 being by far the best for the money. If you ever get out of Oz and actually follow the path of your heroes, you may want to re-think your bike choice but for now, just going dirt riding close to home, the 250's are great. Your learning curve will go up fast.

If your budget is high, you could go with one of the new Huskies or KTM's. More maintenance but SUCH great performance. Up to you. I've ridden the CRF, not that exciting but will get you there.

slippy red ruts full of water... My least favourite kind of off-roading.

They didn't look like they were running knobblies either !

The Red stuff can be hard work.
Was running (IRC) factory standard Knobblies all round

The CRf250L is a great bike that still weights 320lbs (what an older Honda 600 used to weight). The DR 650 SE weights 320 lbs too. Swap the heavy muffler and replace by anything else and you shave 6 lbs. Ditch the heavy steel fuel tank and replace it by an Acerbis or Safari to reduce weight and increase range.

If weight is the ennemy, then there are a few European bikes that weight around 250lbs. Look for KTMs and Huskies.

All'n'all, the best way to decide what bike you'll prefer is to try them. ;-)

Weight is only half that story. Size is the other half. The laws of physics say that the distance impact of the mass away from the centre of mass is squared.
I stripped my F650 to about 180 kg wet, too me about a year to do with custom carbon fibre parts etc, but it didn't really feel any lighter due to this.
I would think long and hard about considering an enduro bike for a long trip. Lots of additional logistics with that.

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I rode a Kawasaki KLX 250 from Germany to Vietnam. My Trip will end in Malaysia.

The weight of the bike is just awesome. You can ride bad/offroad sections much easier than with big bikes. Unfortunately the KLX 250 has a lack of power once you hit the highway or ride at high altitude. So the perfect bike for me would be Japanese bike under 140 KG and 350-450 cc for a decent price :D

I "downgraded" from a heavy 750 Africatwin to a CRF250L. For adventure traveling I would now call it an upgrade!

On a 250 your really can go anywhere! After a long day of heavy offroad you are still smiling instead of exhausted from manhandling the heavy monster.

I recently came back from a 3 year 110.000 km rtw trip on the CRFL. They are very smooth and dead reliable.
Also a point to consider is that it is a very quiet bike. Traveling on my Africatwin with Leonvince pipe became very tiring and annoying, hearing the loud pipe all day everyday, not to mention drawing to much attention arriving in small villages.

Cheers,

Peter


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So true. Not only will a big bike exhaust you off road ... it can also result in serious injury if you're unlucky or try to "over-ride" the big bike. Very hard to pick up and if it falls on you ... not good! :helpsmilie:

I struggled with my DL1000 Vstrom on several long rides into Baja, Nevada and mainland Mexico including Copper Canyon. Once things got rough the Vstrom was a real liability for me. Deep sand very tough and nasty rocky tracks were a no go on the big Vstrom. A buddy riding the same terrain on the lighter DL650 Vstrom also struggled in these conditions.

Since then I've ridden most of this on either my XR250 or my WR250F. Both now sold. :( The XR was the better bike over long distance and great just about every place.

The Vstrom could cruise highway all day at 90 mph ... and I miss that, but the trade off is well worth it if you intend any sort of serious off road riding.

Also, the 250 will allow your off road skills to improve quickly. This is quite important. More skills means less stress and more FUN! Toughest thing for overland on a 250 will be packing in all the gear and spares. bier