New Honda CRF300 L and CRF300 Rally

[OB1]

I'm a little disappointed the power gain is marginal and shedding 4Kgs is hardly 'game changing'

You're right, it may not sound like a game-changer, however, the way the power is delivered is more important than how much. Some, like Minky, already have a CRF300 by transplanting the CBR300 engine and, even though the power gain is not earth-shattering, it transforms the bike.

[Brenhden]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but to me as someone who only has one bike for road and off road I'd like to know whether the extra power translates to lower revs at 70mph on the motorway.

[byewayrider]

You would have to compare the gear ratios in each model and the sprockets and max power...

I dowt it changes the evs at a 70mph... Some bikes have a higher 6th gear ratio to lower revs for cruising..

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but to me as someone who only has one bike for road and off road I'd like to know whether the extra power translates to lower revs at 70mph on the motorway.

I think the correct answer would be...yes if it increases torque to the extent that the engine will pull higher gearing without compromising low-speed performance. Be interesting to see if the internal gear ratios, or the final-drive ratio, have been adjusted by Honda to exploit the extra capacity.

[minkyhead]

looks like overall top end power is down from 31 to 27 ..but honda have scope to rework these engines ..they kinda fixed the usless 6th gear on the older model with the rivised 17 motor ..but the big number on that sheet is the touque number
dyno sheet shows a older 250l a cbr300 ..... you can see a big dufference

..but the big number at near 27nm of touque on the new engine it siggests its been retuned for bottom end usability ....that certainly looks quite good ... hopfully that is how it will feel ..it will be interesting to try one out for sure

[OB1]

It must be true... it's now on the MCN website: Honda's new CRF300L and CRF300 Rally are a pair of more powerful mud-pluggers

Honda CRF300L: fast facts

• The engine has grown by 36cc and it’s all in the increased stroke which is now 63mm, up from 55mm

• As well as changes under the skin, the plastics and graphics of both models have been given an aggressive refresh for 2021

• Accessories now include a proper alloy bash guard as well as a topbox if you fancy taking the rough route to work

• Honda have saved weight here and there: 90g, 110g, 300g savings all add up to a 4kg overall weight loss

• Prices are currently provisional and expected to be £4999 and £6100 for the L and the Rally respectively

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

All other things being equal: longer stroke = higher piston speed = more torque across the range, but lower permissible peak rpms so quite possibly lower hp.

So would need a higher overall gearing to take advantage of this.

An analogy:


Torque = the weight of the hammer

Horsepower = the number of hammer blows per minute

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

It must be true... it's now on the MCN website: Honda's new CRF300L and CRF300 Rally are a pair of more powerful mud-pluggers

Honda CRF300L: fast facts

• The engine has grown by 36cc and it’s all in the increased stroke which is now 63mm, up from 55mm

• As well as changes under the skin, the plastics and graphics of both models have been given an aggressive refresh for 2021

• Accessories now include a proper alloy bash guard as well as a topbox if you fancy taking the rough route to work

• Honda have saved weight here and there: 90g, 110g, 300g savings all add up to a 4kg overall weight loss

• Prices are currently provisional and expected to be £4999 and £6100 for the L and the Rally respectively

Not exactly cheap then...

[JtheLakes]

Thank you OB1. I think you’re correct, the power increase may not be as large as I thought from the Thailand specs but if its useable power, all the better. Less stalling when letting the revs dies away when riding up rocks!
Thank you for the graphs Minky, you’re the British Ryan at FortNine.
Apparently they have changed the gears, the first 5 to be more ‘useable’ and the sixth to have longer legs for longer road trips.
I still prefer the look of the Rally but at £1000 more , you begin to question the difference between the two models.

[minkyhead]

hope they bridged the gap from 1st to 2nd on it that would be a very good upgrade ....ill deffo test one ...i suspect my loose plan is to wait until the engines appear on ebay and buy one in for a spare .....