WR250R vs CRF300L: Which Is Best For You?

#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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Thanks for watching,
COS

[chroniclesofsolid]

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?

[bluceree]

Looks like lil' WR just wouldn't go away! :)

God damn you, Yamaha, announce something already!

[cleanandpristine]

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.

[jonerikgreene]

Replaceable sub frame is underrated. My ‘14 CRF250L needed a replacement after a wreck. $110 later, good as new.

[MrEtnorb]

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.

[Whos-That-Guy]

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.

[mabecka]

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!

[Dan-]

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 🏍😉👍!

[PRodent]

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.

[stitch]

Great comparison video, Solid! Particularly since you have owned and ridden both. Really enjoyed this one, mate.

[PrincePlanet-eehn]

the Zeta Adventure Screen for the CRF300L is absolutely fantastic - I have done about 1000klm with it and I am sold on it.

[dionmcintee]

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.

[davidcutube]

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!

[mjc]

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 !!

[rogermeyer]

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.

[OgreMoto]

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.

[bradwakefield]

Another awesome review Solid, well done.

[owlteachereducation]

Great comparison, Solid. Top marks for the content, editing and camera work.

[Sertao]

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

[zone]

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.