VOLUME 58 ISSUE 26 JUNE 29, 2021 P97
don't usually see on sub-$6000
motorcycles. Hats off to Kawasaki.
Honda, on the other hand, went
the cheaper route. Honda offers
none of these things with the L's
suspension, except for shock
spring preload. Honda wanted to
keep MSRP as low as possible,
figuring that the entry-level rider,
which this bike targets, won't truly
reap the benefits of the better per-
formance of a higher-priced shock.
Heck, Honda might just be right.
After all, Big Red has done well
with the L when it comes to sales.
Despite the CRF's simplistic
suspension, it does work just fine
for the newbie. It comes from the
factory set up quite soft with both
the spring and damping, which,
again, a beginner rider won't think
twice about. But novice-skilled-on-
up riders will quickly out-pace the
under-sprung and under-damped
shock on a rough road and will
have to pay a lot more than $350
to remedy the situation.
The Kawasaki's shock comes
from the factory much stiffer, though
still a little on the soft side overall,
than the Honda's and can take far
more abuse before reaching its limit
in the hands of a more experienced
rider, who will also appreciate the
shock's fine-tune-ability.
The Honda's fork is, like its
shock, very soft. The Kawi's fork
is soft, too, but much firmer than
the Honda's and, as mentioned,
offers damping adjustability.
The Kawasaki's suspension is
cushy enough for the beginner
Newer riders will
enjoy the Honda's
ultra-cushy
suspension.
