News

Jun 23, 2023

Honda CRF300L Returns To Europe (And Presumably North America) With Minimal Changes

2023 Honda CRF300L. Photo: Honda The Honda CRF300L, one of the most popular dual sport motorcycles in the world, is returning for 2023 with very minimal changes. According to a European-market press

2023 Honda CRF300L. Photo: Honda

The Honda CRF300L, one of the most popular dual sport motorcycles in the world, is returning for 2023 with very minimal changes.

According to a European-market press release that came out this morning, the 300 gets a new paint option (see above), and “standard fit knuckle guards” for 2023. It seems the rest of the bike is unchanged.

Those knuckle guards are a useful update, but they’re not the robust wraparound design, which is what you really want if you’re off-roading. Instead, Honda opted for the el cheapo plastic handguards that every Japanese manufacturer used to include on their dual sports until the past decade or so, when they all deleted the accessories off their machines in a mad rush to save $2 of plastic per unit. Is it just a coincidence that some of them (not pointing the finger at anyone in particular here) have then turned around and offered those same $2 handguards as a $75 accessory (plus cost of installation)? Surely the beancounters wouldn’t be that greedy… would they?

Either way, it’s good to see Honda include these minimally protective pieces as standard, because they’ll probably save a few busted knuckles, even if they don’t provide the protection to hands and levers that a set of wraparound handguards will offer.

2023 Honda CRF300L. Photo: Honda

As for the Bold New Graphics option: It’s definitely a sharp look, and if you’re tired of Honda’s usual red, red, red paint scheme for the CRF250L/CRF300L since the line first released, then it’s a welcome change.

Honda hasn’t confirmed either of these changes for the 2023 machines in North America, but it seems likely Canada and the US will see the same updates. But we’ve got to wonder: This bike has been around since 2012 now, with a couple of major updates along the way… but will we ever see it come out as a CRF350L, which would be fairly easy to do with the current engine design? Despite the success of Itchy Boots, Steph Jeavons, Austin Vince and other adventurers who use this machine, a few extra cc would go a long way towards those of us riding the machine in the mountains or on high-speed highways. Sometimes there is no other way to get from A to B, after all.