Honda introduced the CRF250L for the 2013 model year and the CRF250L Rally in 2017, and both dual sport bikes have sold in vast quantities. According to Honda, it has sold more than 35,000 units since both motorcycles first hit the market, with 86 percent being the CRF250L and 14 percent attributed to the CRF250L Rally. Among the many revisions both bikes received for 2021 was a 36cc displacement bump, which Honda achieved with an 8mm longer stroke, prompting a model name change to reflect the larger engine size.
After riding the new CRF300L and CRF300L Rally at the intro in Santa Clarita, California, we got our hands on the standard version to run it on our in-house dyno before further testing on the trail and putting it up against the new 2021 Kawasaki KLX300 for a head-to-head comparison test. With 22.7 hp at 8,400 rpm and 16.7 pound-feet of torque at 6,400 rpm, the CRF300L produces 0.7 less peak horsepower than the KLX300 but 1.3 pound-feet more maximum torque.
