2018 Honda CRF250L Rally | FULL TEST

Kit Palmer | April 18, 2018

Looking For Adventure

Thinking about getting into adventure riding? Then the Honda CRF250L Rally might the ideal starter kit.

When you think adventure bikes you think big, heavy, 1000-plus cc’s, multiple cylinders and enough electronics to fly a DC-10 around the globe. ADV bikes are indeed amazing motorcycles that suck you in when you stand near one. They are captivating to look at. You can’t help but want one and give this unique form of motorcycle riding a try, but you don’t just plop down a five-figure check and say, “let’s give this a try.” There really is no simple way to ease into the world of adventure riding, which also requires above-average riding skills to fully take advantage of what you just paid big money for. But, that all changed when Honda introduced the CRF250L Rally, a simple, small-bore, inexpensive and easy-to-ride ADV-type motorcycle. Yes, they call it Rally, but it’s not a competition bike by any means; instead, we look at as a fun and uncomplicated entry-level adventure-style dual-sport bike designed to get you off the couch and far into the hills.

**Click here to read this in the Cycle News Digital Edition Magazine.**

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER

A few years ago, Honda dove back into the ADV market headfirst with its all-new Africa Twin, a high-tech 998cc, eight-valve parallel twin, designed to go head to head against some of the more elite European ADV bikes on the market. Honda did an amazing job with the Africa Twin. Right out of the gate, not only was its performance on par, or even beyond that of its more established and already proven ADV rivals out there—like KTM’s comparable 1290 Adventure R and 1290 Super Adventure, and BMW’s R 1200 GS Adventure—but the Africa Twin was also cheaper! However, even the Africa Twin’s starting price of $13,299 isn’t exactly pocket change. So Honda thought it would be a good idea to offer a more practical and affordable way for people to get into adventure riding. And hey, if they really liked it, then they could step up to the Africa Twin, or simply hang on to it. This bike had to be smaller in displacement, inexpensive and less intimidating to ride. What they came up with was the CRF250L Rally.

Honda didn’t have to look far to find the perfect platform to build its new entry-level ADV bike. They were already 90% of the way there with its CRF250L dual sport.

Honda styled the CRF250L Rally after its factory CRF450 Rally—hence the name—that its Monster Energy Race Team riders compete on in major rallies such as Dakar. As you can plainly see, the CRF250L Rally has a lot more plastic than the standard L model and is simply a gorgeous motorcycle that looks like a $15,000 ADV bike. You will, like me, often times catch yourself just standing there staring at it for way too long, admiring its shiny plastic, complimentary colors, blacked out rims and frame, and excellent fit and finish. This has to be one of the sweetest-looking sub-$6000 motorcycles on the road—certainly off the road.

Unlike the standard CRF250L, the Rally gets a small CRF450 Rally-inspired windscreen. It’s frame-mounted and incorporated into the new dual asymmetric LED headlight bundle. The Rally comes with a higher-capacity fuel tank. At 2.7 gallons, it holds 0.6 gallons more fuel than the L.

Also setting the Rally apart from the L is its large skid plate to protect its underbelly, and handguards to protect your knuckles.

Full of fuel, at 341.7 pounds (that’s what Honda claims), the Rally weighs 24.2 pounds more than the CRF250L. You can blame this on all that pretty plastic, new headlight assembly, windscreen, skid plate, hand guards and larger fuel tank. To compensate, suspension is beefier. Wheel travel has been bumped up by about an inch at both ends (1.2 inches up front and 0.9 inches in the rear), and the fork and shock are tuned slightly stiffer. The Rally also has updated rear shock linkages.

More weight also means the need for more stopping power, so Honda upped the ante with the Rally’s front brake. The disc is 40mm larger in diameter than the L’s at 296mm. The 220mm rear disc remains the same. And, like the L, the Rally is available with ABS. You’ll have to pony up an additional $300, though.

Seat height is taller—it’s gone from 34.4 inches to 35.2 inches—and wheelbase has also expanded from 56.9 inches to 57.3 inches. Even ground clearance has grown, from 10.0 inches to 10.6 inches. Rake and trail have changed as well, from 27°60’/4.4 inches, to 28°10’/4.5 inches. So, as you can see, the Rally is a slightly larger motorcycle overall than the L.

Get Out There

Just as Honda promised, the CRF250L Rally is fun and easy to ride, which I did a lot of with this bike. I didn’t just ride two or three times and formed a quick opinion but I lived with it for nearly half a year. While larger and more traditional ADV bikes can be intimidating and sometimes a bit of a handful on the dirt, the CRF250L is none of these. Instead, the Rally is easy to control and maneuver on any kind of terrain, but it’s most happy on hard-packed flat trails or wide-open fire roads. It can conquer both just fine at whatever pace you chose.

I found, however, that the real key to having good time on the Rally is to not be in a hurry, because, unless you really work at it, its 249.6cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine won’t get you anywhere quickly. After all, it’s a 249.6cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke engine and can offer only so much. It barely makes 25 horsepower. Simply put, the CRF250L Rally’s engine is not powerful by any means, but that’s not a surprise.

Yet that doesn’t mean I couldn’t have fun on the Rally; I did, because it is often times a blast just trying to make it go fast. Even if you’re a novice, you’ll find yourself with the throttle constantly pegged, squeezing every bit of horsepower out of it, on more open dirt and paved roads. In the right frame of mind this can be great fun—makes you feel like you’re Ricky Brabec in a special test somewhere in Peru. However, this motorcycle would benefit greatly with a handful more cc’s. Wouldn’t a 450cc version of this bike be amazing! Perhaps a CRF450RX Rally? (Okay, calm down.)

The Rally’s suspension wasn’t designed for aggressive off-road riding, that is for sure—it’s soft, springy and under-damped, and unfortunately, not very adjustable.

But most of the time I didn’t care about going fast or riding the Rally aggressively; I simply enjoyed taking it out on long casual rides, exploring new places. That’s what the Rally does best. And the engine is fine for that because it makes okay bottom-end power, and throttle response at low rpm is clean and predictable—the perfect combination for carefree cruises. And this engine won’t get you into trouble by having too much power; I was more concerned about it not getting me out of trouble.

You can easily ride the Rally all day long because it has comfortable ergos and a firm seat. It fit my 6’1” frame just fine. Vibration is barely noticeable, the ride is smooth and the bike is quiet. Clutch pull is ultra-light, too, but you’ll be busy shifting the Rally’s six-speed transmission in order to continually get the most power out of the engine. This is a constant battle.

I prefer riding with a buddy, of course, but that’s not always possible these day with everyone’s busy schedules, but I had no qualms exploring back roads and hills solo on the Rally; hey, if I did end up in a ditch, the Rally is small and light enough that I always felt confident that I’d be able to yank it out, or ride it out, on my own. This hasn’t always been the case with larger dual-cylinder ADV bikes; I can personally attest to that. Plus, on the Rally, I could explore smaller and more technical single-track trails that I would never even consider on bulkier and much heavier multi-cylinder ADV bikes. The L, however, I must admit is a better off-road bike in general; it’s lighter, has a lower seat height and doesn’t have a windshield. And it doesn’t have all that plastic to scratch or damage when you drop it.

The Rally is not overflowing with electronics or rider aids. The large and easy-to-read digital meter, which, in light of its size, you’d think would be teeming with information, but unfortunately this is not the case. Instead, it gives you just the essentials, no navigation. You’ll have to bring your own. ABS is the closest thing to a rider aid. (In case you’re wondering, on the ABS model, the rear ABS can be switched off.)

Honda fitted the Rally with IRC Trails GP rubber, which are fairly decent all-around tires. They are the same tires as on the L.

As for the street, the Rally performs well but has barely enough power for California freeways where you have to keep up with the flow of traffic or else. The Rally will eventually reach 80 mph but it doesn’t like it. That’s a lot of work for its little piston. Take side streets instead. However, as an around-town runner, the Rally is the ideal motorcycle, and you’ll look good doing it, too. This bike is an attention-getter. The very first time I pulled into a gas station on the Rally, someone went out of their way to ask what I was riding and how much it cost. He was shocked when I told him under six grand.

In a nutshell, the Rally is a fun, low-stress motorcycle that is easy to ride, especially on the street. It will make an excellent urban commuter or runabout and, as I just said, will make you look cool doing these things. And, as long as you’re not racing against the clock, contrary to what the bike’s name might suggest, the Rally makes a fine and reliable back roads—paved or not—explorer.

Thinking about getting into ADV riding? The Honda CRF250L Rally is a great way to get started. CN


SPECIFICATIONS	2018 Honda CRF250L Rally ($5899/$6199 ABS)
ENGINE:	Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve, 4-stroke, single
BORE X STROKE:	76 x 55mm
INDUCTION:	PGM-FI, 38mm throttle body
IGNITION:	Computer-controlled digital transistorized w/electronic advance
COMPRESSION RATIO:	10.7:1
TRANSMISSION:	6-speed
FINAL DRIVE:	#520 chain; 14T/40T
FRONT SUSPENSION:	43mm inverted fork, non-adjustable
REAR SUSPENSION:	Pro-Link single shock, non-adjustable
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL:	11.0 in.
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL:	10.3 in.
FRONT BRAKE:	Single 296mm disc with twin-piston caliper
REAR BRAKE:	Single 220mm disc
FRONT TIRE:	3.00-21 in.
REAR TIRE:	120/80-18 in.
RAKE:	28°10′
TRAIL:	4.5 in.
WHEELBASE:	57.3 in.
SEAT HEIGHT:	35.2 in.
CURB WEIGHT:	341.7 lbs.
FUEL CAPACITY:	2.7 gal.
GROUND CLEARANCE:	10.6 in.
COLOR:	Black/Red/White