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2012–2016 · Enduro · Buyer's Guide
Buy It, Ride It, Forget It
The CRF250L keeps things refreshingly honest. Its liquid-cooled 249 cc single, drawn from Honda's CBR250R roadster, trades peak numbers for smooth, tractable pull you can lean on all day, and 25 hp is plenty to point this bike up a fire road or through town without drama. A tall 21-inch front wheel gives it real dirt geometry, while a wet weight of just 317 lb keeps it flickable and unintimidating. In a class that often asks you to choose between capable and approachable, this Honda quietly refuses to pick.
Ride it and the character reveals itself slowly. The suspension is set soft, so it soaks up pavement and mellow trails beautifully, though it protests when you push hard into rougher terrain. It rewards riders who value trust over ego: it starts, it runs, it forgives. That makes it a genuine first dual-sport or a low-stress second bike for trail weekends. The honest caveat is reach and pace. At 34.4 in the seat is tall for shorter riders, and with a 70 mph ceiling it feels stretched on long stints of interstate.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 25 hp (18 kW) @ 8,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 16 lb-ft (22 Nm) @ 7,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 249 cc |
| Engine | Single-cylinder |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Front tire | 3.00-21 |
| Rear tire | 120/80-18 |
| Ground clearance | 10.0 in (255 mm) |
| Front travel | 9.8 in (250 mm) |
| Rear travel | 9.4 in (240 mm) |
| Seat height | 34.4 in (875 mm) |
| Wet weight | 317 lb (144 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 2.0 gal (7.7 L) |
| Top speed | 70 mph (113 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 78 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Swing a leg over and the CRF feels narrow and airy between your knees, the bars falling naturally to an upright, roomy stance that suits a full day standing on the pegs. The single sends a steady, honest thrum through the frame at a cruise, never harsh, just present enough to remind you it's working. At low speed it steers with almost bicycle lightness, the tall front wheel tracking straight over ruts and gravel. Hold 65 to 70 mph on the highway and the motor buzzes with clear effort, the mirrors going soft, telling you where this bike would rather be. The soft seat and long travel let you thump over broken pavement and washboard without your spine keeping score. It asks for nothing and gives back confidence.
What follows is the collected voice of riders I've heard from over the years, in the messages they send me directly and the long conversations about the bikes they actually live with. For the CRF250L that feedback is unusually settled. Owners describe a machine they trust and quit fussing over, alongside a familiar handful of upgrades they reach for anyway.
The praise settles on two points. Riders of every size call it light and easy to place, steady in the dirt and simple to thread through traffic. And it keeps running: owners report long, low-fuss ownership, with maintenance that asks little of them and running costs they rarely think about. Beginners off-road add that the easygoing power lets them pick through tricky ground without paying for a clumsy hand.
The gripes are just as repeatable. The soft, non-adjustable suspension draws the most heat: comfortable on the road, overwhelmed once the terrain gets serious, and many owners fit stiffer springs to sort it. Pavement miles expose the motor too, which labors to hold speed up grades and into a headwind. The little tank forces early fuel stops on longer rides, pushing some to bolt on a larger one. More than a few mention a stock seat that grows punishing somewhere past the first hour.
Starter relay (magnetic switch) recall (2013–2015)
NHTSA recall 15V439000: certain 2013–2015 CRF250L units (among other Honda models) were recalled because the starter relay (magnetic switch) could fail, potentially preventing the engine from starting or causing intermittent starting problems. A separate 2018 CRF250L campaign (18V630000) covered a wiring-harness issue.
Where this Honda CRF250L pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the CRF250L is actually built for.
For Moab slickrock and desert sand, this light, forgiving single is a real skill-builder you can save when it steps out. Just know the soft fork and 25 hp set a ceiling once the terrain turns truly technical.
Made for Bar M / Kane Creek · Imperial Sand Dunes · Johnson Valley OHV Area
This is a featherweight single, not a middleweight hauler, so it eats BDR dirt with ease. The 2.0 gal tank and 70 mph pace make long, loaded, highway-linked days a real stretch.
Made for AZBDR — Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route · California BDR South · COBDR — Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Honda CRF250L. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
