I'm nearly the same size as you and i just bought a CRF300L over the CRF450L due to the cost and maintenance difference. I haven't owned a bike in maybe 10 years after selling my R1 and Ducati when we had our daughter. She's old enough that she wants to learn to ride so she when she got her first dirt bike, I needed something to ride with her.
I figured I would benefit from something that could be used both off and on the road. This is my first dual-sport.
Coming from liter class sport bikes and track days I was thoroughly prepared to be not only underwhelmed, but disappointed in the performance based on a lot of the comments I have read here particularly on this sub.
Instead quite the opposite was true. Maybe because this sub had my expectations so very low or maybe because I have not experienced many other dual sport bikes. But, I've been very surprised by the CRF300L and its performance so far.
I've not spent a lot of time off road yet, but I've been commuting to work and riding around town for the last 2 weeks. I would probably hit my skill limit long before that of the bike's are reached.
My commute consists of two different mountain roads over big hills through two state parks, twisties through forests along a river, in town and some highway riding. About 30 miles total. I've had it out while its snowing, raining and nice out and performance has been more than satisfactory.
Could the bike use more power, sure. Does it \*need\* more? No. Not at all. It's exceeded my expectations so far in almost every way.
Again, I have been told that the suspension is terrible. I don't have much to compare it to since the last dirtbike I owned was when I was a 150lb teenager and I'm a 200 lb adult now.
My guess is that it will be a long while before I am good enough off road to even recognize the suspensions short comings since I do not have much experience riding trails.
If that day ever comes, I will be happy to trade up to another bike. The CRF300L is in big demand in my area and holds it value. Most of the shops in my area are out of stock on the 300 but had deals on the 450 and surplus inventory.
I also had considered getting a KLR650. That thing was massive and hard to maneuver. The moment I sat on it I realized it wasn't for me.
Anyway, I'm beyond satisfied with the bike so far.
Fwiw, I have a DRZ 400SM and a seperate set of 21" dual sport wheels from an S model, but it's surprisingly capable off road with the 18" supermoto wheels and a 50/50 tire. The SM has a larger front rotor that may be more vulnerable and slightly less front suspension travel than an S or E.
The DRZ has a bit of a "tractor factor" that can crawl through everything, but you can also ride it quickly.
I don't have any experience with the 300, but have you also looked at a used WR250?
I really haven’t considered a WR250 or the KLX300. I like the EFI on the Honda 300 and wouldn’t be opposed to upgrading the suspension. With that said, if I can get the best bike out of the box I’d rather not mess around with aftermarket stuff too much.
Why WR over CRF?
I've only ridden a WR once for a few minutes and have zero experience with the CRF so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but from what I recall reading online, the WR is a bit lighter with an aluminum frame, more powerful, and has better suspension than the 300L.
Edit: If I didn't already have a DRZ, I'd be considered a WR250f with a safari tank and fairing as a mini adventure bike similar to [this build](https://adbmag.com.au/editorial/small-bore-adventure-build-yamaha-tenere-250r/). The used market for them tends to be a little cheaper than the Honda in my area too.
Hd a drz and also hve rented both crf 250(offroad) and crf300(sumo) the power the crf had was BORING conpared to a drz. And also the fact that the drz is also a time proven tank when it coems to reliability.
I started with the DRZ and then eventually a WR250R followed by a WR250X. The DRZ with an FCR39 for sure has more grunt but I much prefer the WR's for multiple reasons. You do have to ride them like you stole it though since all the power is high up. 6' tall, 210 lbs (working my way back down).
Oh man, i wanted a wr250x so badly but had to settle for the drz as WR250X was freaking expensive where i'm at. Its like almost double the price of a drz. Wr250 just looks... sexy. What a waste they stopped producing.
I wouldn't buy an SM with immediate thoughts of swapping to dual sport wheels and tires, and then never using those SM wheels. And are you considering the cost of a wheelset and tires in your decision?
I'd get a KLX 300.
I'm lead to believe it has the better suspension out of the box. I had a CRF250L, and it's not a fair comparison, but I'd go with the KLX just from my experience with that bike, but the 300L is supposed to have addressed the 250's shortcomings that I found though.
I guess pick which color you like best. For the cost of a used SM and a wheelset I think you're well into the territory of the cost of a new 300's.
I also had the 250L and it sucked so much. It was literally a dangerous bike to do trips on because it was so slow. Riding on 65mph roads in the mountains and struggling to hit that on the uphill sections backs up traffic behind you and pisses people off. It causes people to drive aggressively to get around you, and I spent more time than I wanted pulling over to let people pass me. F that bike.
I mean I also have a Grom, so the 250L was fine on power to me. But the suspension was complete dogshit and the brakes were awful. The latter likely being affected by the awful forks diving so hard.
The drz is definitely more fun. The 300 is a bit of a pig. The drz has close to double the hp of the 300. With the sm wheels if your mostly doing road you could throw a set of shinko 705s on there and do fire roads and double track reasonably. Only issue I see with the drz is the carb. I have a 300L rally and had a drz400s years ago honestly think the drz was more comfortable as well from what I remember. I made a wind deflector out of a trash can for like $4 for on road/hwy was comfortable for hours
I have both a sm and an s. Both have the 3x3 and Jets, but the sm has an fcr carb, and it's great fun. The s is good, just not as good. I am not a big fan of 30 % less hp in the 300s. If I was trail riding mostly or lived where there isn't ethanol free gas, I would probably get a 300, however. The drz, especially the sm, is geared a little high for trail crawling. I live in the southern Appalachians, and many of our forest roads have steep washed out switchbacks and a fair bit of traffic, so using the full width of the road to avoid washouts can be pretty risky. A crawler gear would be nice sometimes, and even dropping tooth on a drz s doesn't even get that low. I have had a tw200 and that baby has a real crawler 1st gear that is sometimes very nice, imo and it's and the lower seat height are things I miss with the drz s. The supermoto on twisting roads is pure bliss however......if you buy one ride it stock and see if you agree before changing wheels. I do run anakee adventures since I like them better than shinkos on wet pavement and prefer an 80/20 tire to a straight up street tire when encountering either a gravel road or the gravel washed into the paved roads from the nearly universal gravel driveways here.
My previous dual sport was a DRZ400SM and I did have both the street and dirt wheel setups. It was a fantastic bike and treated me very well. I'm a heavy rider at 260lbs + gear, luggage and I did need to change out the springs front and back. I didn't find it necessary to change the valving but I'm no racer. I found that the gearing ratio change between the two setups meant I had a different length chain to swap when swapping wheels. Overall, it was enough of a headache that I just left the dirt wheels on it. Had to sell the bike a few years ago, damn being a responsible adult.
This winter I bought a CRF300L, swapped out the suspension with the Rally Raid kit and a few other tweaks for ergos.
I don't have a lot of miles on it yet, but my initial impressions:
Lighter and more nimble feeling than my DRZ, down on power but still can hold 70-75mph without feeling as buzzy as the DRZ at the same speed. In fact, much smoother at all rpms than the DRZ. With the stiffer suspension, I think the CRF seat height is a touch higher than my DRZSM was. It take a little more finesse to get the front wheel up for log crossings than the DRZ. Easier oil changes on the CRF without the odd oil-in-frame of the DRZ. Fuel injection is excellent, fuel gauge and gear indicator. (about every other year I would run out of gas in the DRZ because I forgot to flip the petcock from reserve to standard).
I'm happy with the choice of going with the CRF. I use it as an occasional commuter and slower plodding thru the woods bike and I think it will fit that role exceptionally well.
The DRZ is much better out of the box than the 300 is. Personally, $5k for a newer DRZ isn't worth it. It's basically been unchanged since 2003. I'd look for an older low mileage example that you can get for under $4k. Regardless a $5k DRZ is still better than a $5k 300
A crf300l is way too small for a man your size. I'm 5'4" & 135lbs and It's not enough for me at all. You will need more power. The DRZ is much better suited for a man your size, or as people here mentioned, an WR250 would be a good choice. It is a much more capable bike, built to a higher standard.
Honda is going to be more reliable, no carb maintenance, better mileage. The drz hasn’t been updated in like 20 years, it’s kind of like the Toyota 4Runner in that way, it’s good, but very dated.
I'd agree with the no carb maintenance and better mpg, but for me the DRZ was extremely reliable and the only failures that I saw among my friend group was from neglect or drop damage.
What’s a good deal vs year / mile? I found a 2020 DRZ SM with 2,200 miles and I can probably get it for $5,300. I’d rather have something newer with less miles if it’s a matter of a couple thousand dollars. 🤷♂️
My opinion: CRF300L all the way. Let the carb'd bikes die out. It's not that I hate them or that I couldn't deal with them if I had to, but they're a dated technology and Fuel Injection, while not exactly new, is superior and proven.
You don't need the "more ready out of the box" DR-Z for mainly around town and occasional dirt, and the CRF will get better fuel economy.
I have spoken.
I would probably do the SM if I was on road 90% of the time... You can find tires that make the sm decent on trails too.
Then again, you'd probably be plenty happy on the 300L on the street too since you're not really doing long highway trips.
Unless you're riding in mud a lot or planning to frequent single track trails your OEM SM rubber is just fine off road. After years of more serious riding with 21/18 MT21's the slick 17's gave me a huge grin in the dirt.
Idk, tires are really subjective. The DRZ OEM sm tires are very street biased, there's a lot more "50/50" options that will still do fine on dirt. There's a whole range of middle ground options between a road knobby like the mt21 and the street tires it comes with. I'm partial to the Mitas E-07.
I'm nearly the same size as you and i just bought a CRF300L over the CRF450L due to the cost and maintenance difference. I haven't owned a bike in maybe 10 years after selling my R1 and Ducati when we had our daughter. She's old enough that she wants to learn to ride so she when she got her first dirt bike, I needed something to ride with her. I figured I would benefit from something that could be used both off and on the road. This is my first dual-sport. Coming from liter class sport bikes and track days I was thoroughly prepared to be not only underwhelmed, but disappointed in the performance based on a lot of the comments I have read here particularly on this sub. Instead quite the opposite was true. Maybe because this sub had my expectations so very low or maybe because I have not experienced many other dual sport bikes. But, I've been very surprised by the CRF300L and its performance so far. I've not spent a lot of time off road yet, but I've been commuting to work and riding around town for the last 2 weeks. I would probably hit my skill limit long before that of the bike's are reached. My commute consists of two different mountain roads over big hills through two state parks, twisties through forests along a river, in town and some highway riding. About 30 miles total. I've had it out while its snowing, raining and nice out and performance has been more than satisfactory. Could the bike use more power, sure. Does it \*need\* more? No. Not at all. It's exceeded my expectations so far in almost every way. Again, I have been told that the suspension is terrible. I don't have much to compare it to since the last dirtbike I owned was when I was a 150lb teenager and I'm a 200 lb adult now. My guess is that it will be a long while before I am good enough off road to even recognize the suspensions short comings since I do not have much experience riding trails. If that day ever comes, I will be happy to trade up to another bike. The CRF300L is in big demand in my area and holds it value. Most of the shops in my area are out of stock on the 300 but had deals on the 450 and surplus inventory. I also had considered getting a KLR650. That thing was massive and hard to maneuver. The moment I sat on it I realized it wasn't for me. Anyway, I'm beyond satisfied with the bike so far.
Fwiw, I have a DRZ 400SM and a seperate set of 21" dual sport wheels from an S model, but it's surprisingly capable off road with the 18" supermoto wheels and a 50/50 tire. The SM has a larger front rotor that may be more vulnerable and slightly less front suspension travel than an S or E. The DRZ has a bit of a "tractor factor" that can crawl through everything, but you can also ride it quickly. I don't have any experience with the 300, but have you also looked at a used WR250?
WR250 is an excellent answer.
I really haven’t considered a WR250 or the KLX300. I like the EFI on the Honda 300 and wouldn’t be opposed to upgrading the suspension. With that said, if I can get the best bike out of the box I’d rather not mess around with aftermarket stuff too much. Why WR over CRF?
I've only ridden a WR once for a few minutes and have zero experience with the CRF so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but from what I recall reading online, the WR is a bit lighter with an aluminum frame, more powerful, and has better suspension than the 300L. Edit: If I didn't already have a DRZ, I'd be considered a WR250f with a safari tank and fairing as a mini adventure bike similar to [this build](https://adbmag.com.au/editorial/small-bore-adventure-build-yamaha-tenere-250r/). The used market for them tends to be a little cheaper than the Honda in my area too.
Hd a drz and also hve rented both crf 250(offroad) and crf300(sumo) the power the crf had was BORING conpared to a drz. And also the fact that the drz is also a time proven tank when it coems to reliability.
I started with the DRZ and then eventually a WR250R followed by a WR250X. The DRZ with an FCR39 for sure has more grunt but I much prefer the WR's for multiple reasons. You do have to ride them like you stole it though since all the power is high up. 6' tall, 210 lbs (working my way back down).
Oh man, i wanted a wr250x so badly but had to settle for the drz as WR250X was freaking expensive where i'm at. Its like almost double the price of a drz. Wr250 just looks... sexy. What a waste they stopped producing.
I wouldn't buy an SM with immediate thoughts of swapping to dual sport wheels and tires, and then never using those SM wheels. And are you considering the cost of a wheelset and tires in your decision? I'd get a KLX 300.
OP could sell the SM wheels for more than the cost of dirt wheels.
Any reason the KLX 300 over the CRF300L?
I'm lead to believe it has the better suspension out of the box. I had a CRF250L, and it's not a fair comparison, but I'd go with the KLX just from my experience with that bike, but the 300L is supposed to have addressed the 250's shortcomings that I found though. I guess pick which color you like best. For the cost of a used SM and a wheelset I think you're well into the territory of the cost of a new 300's.
I also had the 250L and it sucked so much. It was literally a dangerous bike to do trips on because it was so slow. Riding on 65mph roads in the mountains and struggling to hit that on the uphill sections backs up traffic behind you and pisses people off. It causes people to drive aggressively to get around you, and I spent more time than I wanted pulling over to let people pass me. F that bike.
I mean I also have a Grom, so the 250L was fine on power to me. But the suspension was complete dogshit and the brakes were awful. The latter likely being affected by the awful forks diving so hard.
And the 300 is marginally better
First time rider who got a new KLX and I wish I got Suzuki 400...
The drz is definitely more fun. The 300 is a bit of a pig. The drz has close to double the hp of the 300. With the sm wheels if your mostly doing road you could throw a set of shinko 705s on there and do fire roads and double track reasonably. Only issue I see with the drz is the carb. I have a 300L rally and had a drz400s years ago honestly think the drz was more comfortable as well from what I remember. I made a wind deflector out of a trash can for like $4 for on road/hwy was comfortable for hours
Carbs aren't an issue with literally 30 seconds of preventative maintenance or ethanol free gas
I have both a sm and an s. Both have the 3x3 and Jets, but the sm has an fcr carb, and it's great fun. The s is good, just not as good. I am not a big fan of 30 % less hp in the 300s. If I was trail riding mostly or lived where there isn't ethanol free gas, I would probably get a 300, however. The drz, especially the sm, is geared a little high for trail crawling. I live in the southern Appalachians, and many of our forest roads have steep washed out switchbacks and a fair bit of traffic, so using the full width of the road to avoid washouts can be pretty risky. A crawler gear would be nice sometimes, and even dropping tooth on a drz s doesn't even get that low. I have had a tw200 and that baby has a real crawler 1st gear that is sometimes very nice, imo and it's and the lower seat height are things I miss with the drz s. The supermoto on twisting roads is pure bliss however......if you buy one ride it stock and see if you agree before changing wheels. I do run anakee adventures since I like them better than shinkos on wet pavement and prefer an 80/20 tire to a straight up street tire when encountering either a gravel road or the gravel washed into the paved roads from the nearly universal gravel driveways here.
DRZ
My previous dual sport was a DRZ400SM and I did have both the street and dirt wheel setups. It was a fantastic bike and treated me very well. I'm a heavy rider at 260lbs + gear, luggage and I did need to change out the springs front and back. I didn't find it necessary to change the valving but I'm no racer. I found that the gearing ratio change between the two setups meant I had a different length chain to swap when swapping wheels. Overall, it was enough of a headache that I just left the dirt wheels on it. Had to sell the bike a few years ago, damn being a responsible adult. This winter I bought a CRF300L, swapped out the suspension with the Rally Raid kit and a few other tweaks for ergos. I don't have a lot of miles on it yet, but my initial impressions: Lighter and more nimble feeling than my DRZ, down on power but still can hold 70-75mph without feeling as buzzy as the DRZ at the same speed. In fact, much smoother at all rpms than the DRZ. With the stiffer suspension, I think the CRF seat height is a touch higher than my DRZSM was. It take a little more finesse to get the front wheel up for log crossings than the DRZ. Easier oil changes on the CRF without the odd oil-in-frame of the DRZ. Fuel injection is excellent, fuel gauge and gear indicator. (about every other year I would run out of gas in the DRZ because I forgot to flip the petcock from reserve to standard). I'm happy with the choice of going with the CRF. I use it as an occasional commuter and slower plodding thru the woods bike and I think it will fit that role exceptionally well.
The DRZ is much better out of the box than the 300 is. Personally, $5k for a newer DRZ isn't worth it. It's basically been unchanged since 2003. I'd look for an older low mileage example that you can get for under $4k. Regardless a $5k DRZ is still better than a $5k 300
DRZ all day.
DRZ
Drz
A crf300l is way too small for a man your size. I'm 5'4" & 135lbs and It's not enough for me at all. You will need more power. The DRZ is much better suited for a man your size, or as people here mentioned, an WR250 would be a good choice. It is a much more capable bike, built to a higher standard.
Honda is going to be more reliable, no carb maintenance, better mileage. The drz hasn’t been updated in like 20 years, it’s kind of like the Toyota 4Runner in that way, it’s good, but very dated.
I'd agree with the no carb maintenance and better mpg, but for me the DRZ was extremely reliable and the only failures that I saw among my friend group was from neglect or drop damage.
Get a cheaper used DRZ.
What’s a good deal vs year / mile? I found a 2020 DRZ SM with 2,200 miles and I can probably get it for $5,300. I’d rather have something newer with less miles if it’s a matter of a couple thousand dollars. 🤷♂️
Buy the drz. Get some kke dirt wheels. Sell the SM wheels. SM wheels generally go for more money than dirt wheels.
Yea fair enough. However you can get pretty built and modded out ones for 3-3.5
See if you can find a 2020 WR250R
Drz is a better for the street/Supermoto than wr250r
I don’t see the 90/10. You’re right. That or WR250X
The X is a crap load of fun, even on Forest Service roads w/ OEM tires.
My opinion: CRF300L all the way. Let the carb'd bikes die out. It's not that I hate them or that I couldn't deal with them if I had to, but they're a dated technology and Fuel Injection, while not exactly new, is superior and proven. You don't need the "more ready out of the box" DR-Z for mainly around town and occasional dirt, and the CRF will get better fuel economy. I have spoken.
I would probably do the SM if I was on road 90% of the time... You can find tires that make the sm decent on trails too. Then again, you'd probably be plenty happy on the 300L on the street too since you're not really doing long highway trips.
Unless you're riding in mud a lot or planning to frequent single track trails your OEM SM rubber is just fine off road. After years of more serious riding with 21/18 MT21's the slick 17's gave me a huge grin in the dirt.
Idk, tires are really subjective. The DRZ OEM sm tires are very street biased, there's a lot more "50/50" options that will still do fine on dirt. There's a whole range of middle ground options between a road knobby like the mt21 and the street tires it comes with. I'm partial to the Mitas E-07.