2018 HONDA CRF250L RALLY
FULL TEST
P100
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 of-
fer 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 dis-
placement, inexpensive and less intimidat-
ing 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 fac-
tory CRF450 Rally—hence the name—that its Mon-
The CRF250L Rally
looks like it would cost
five digits, but it's yours
for under $6000.
The windscreen
is a nice touch,
but it's mostly
for looks.
The real key to
having good time
on the Rally is to
not be in a hurry.
