T
he Honda CRF300L Rally is
one of a kind. There really isn't
anything like it. Some might find
similarities between it and KTM's 390
Adventure or perhaps BMW's G 310 GS,
but the CRF300L Rally is in a class all
its own. The KTM costs significantly
more than the Honda, and the BMW,
like the KTM, is more street-biased than
the Honda and doesn't really have that
ADV or rally vibe. Some might compare
the Honda to Royal Enfield's 450cc
Himalayan, but Royal Enfield doesn't
scream rally, does it? The CRF300L Ral
-
ly, on the other hand, certainly looks the
part; in fact, once, while riding the Rally,
our test rider was mistaken for Skyler
Howes, a Honda factory rally racer. (To
this person's credit, Howes was riding
nearby. Still.) Technically, our CRF300L
Rally is a 2024 model. The '25s have
yet to be announced, supposedly com
-
ing next spring.
The CRF300L Rally is based on
Honda's standard CFR300L dual
sport. Honda took the L and gave it
some rally spice, resulting in a very
handsome motorcycle. The obvious
differences between the standard and
the Rally are the full plastic body
-
work, rally-style windscreen and black
frame. You can't really tell, but the
Rally also has a significantly larger
fuel tank, 3.4 gallons, versus the L's
2.1. It also has a behemoth skid plate
that the L doesn't. The Rally weighs
about 10 pounds more than the L.
The CRF300L Rally is powered by
a bulletproof 286cc single-cylinder
engine. We say bulletproof because
this engine has been around for a while
now—originally as a 250 and in recent
years as a 300—and history has proven
this. Just recently, our Road Test Edi
-
tor, Rennie Scaysbrook, spent five chal-
lenging days riding the L model in the
jungles of Thailand and was impressed
QUICKSPIN I 2024 Honda CRF300L Rally
P184
2024
HONDA
CRF300L
RALLY
