{"id":4389,"date":"2024-06-04T19:19:06","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T19:19:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/how-the-honda-crf300l-became-the-bestselling-dual-sport\/"},"modified":"2024-06-04T19:19:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T19:19:06","slug":"how-the-honda-crf300l-became-the-bestselling-dual-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/how-the-honda-crf300l-became-the-bestselling-dual-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"How the Honda CRF300L Became the Bestselling Dual Sport"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"This<\/p>\nThis budget-friendly dirt bike outsold every other dual sport in 2023. (Honda\/)<\/caption>\n

The small-bore dual sport<\/a> is going through a renaissance, and there\u2019s really no question as to why. User-friendliness, simplicity, affordability, and versatility are virtues we can all get behind, and few motorcycles exemplify those qualities quite as well as Honda\u2019s CRF300L<\/a>. Not a Big Red rider, check out the Top 5 Best Cheap Dual Sport Motorcycles 2023<\/a> article to see other brands\u2019 fine examples in this segment.<\/p>\n

The 300L was a major hit when it got its big overhaul in 2021 (read the 2021 Honda CRF300L Dual Sport First Look Preview<\/a> article), and it didn\u2019t take long for the budget-friendly enduro to top the dual sport sales charts in the States. According to American Honda<\/a>, the CRF300L outsold every other dual sport in 2023 regardless of brand, chalking up more than 5,000 sales over the course of the year.<\/p>\n

\"Affordable,<\/p>\nAffordable, low maintenance, and highly capable. The 300L is a lot of bike for $5,449. (Honda\/)<\/caption>\n

So what\u2019s made the little 300 America\u2019s darling? According to Colin Miller, American Honda\u2019s manager of powersports and experiential, it comes down to two words.<\/p>\n

\u201cVersatility and affordability. It\u2019s got the best of both worlds. You can use it to go back and forth to work every day but at the same time you can explore the backcountry or go hit some single-track.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Looks<\/p>\nLooks the part, rides the part. 300L owners praise the bike\u2019s dirtworthiness and all-around usability. (Honda\/)<\/caption>\n

Having just wrapped up a week riding the CRF300L on North Georgia\u2019s \u201cSmokey Mountain 500,\u201d we\u2019re inclined to agree. The bike is a surprisingly good time on a twisty road, feels tailor-made for gravel two-track, and handles the technical stuff alarmingly well for a $5,449 motorcycle.<\/p>\n

A comparatively low seat height, approachable engine, and featherlight clutch have also made the 300L a favorite among new riders and those new to dirt. Interestingly enough, those same features may cost the 300L its \u201cbestselling\u201d title by the end of 2024.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/b><\/i>Best Cheap Dual Sport Motorcycles of the Year<\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFunny thing is, the 300L is likely to be overtaken this year by the XR150L<\/a>. It\u2019s selling that well, and if it outsells the 300L, and there\u2019s about a 99 percent chance that it will, it\u2019ll become the bestselling dual sport on the market.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sales<\/p>\nSales figures from Honda illustrate both the CRF\u2019s popularity and the XR150L\u2019s unexpected success in the US. (Staff\/)<\/caption>\n

Mind you, we\u2019re not talking about the global market here, where smaller-capacity bikes like the XR are the norm. We\u2019re strictly talking about the USA.<\/p>\n

So what gives? Could an air-cooled 149cc single with a rear drum brake and 11 hp really be the bike America\u2019s been pining for? Miller says there\u2019s more to the little XR\u2019s success than meets the eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a broader appeal to it than just a beginner bike. It\u2019s great for that, or for someone that wants to get out and ride the trails with zero experience, but then you\u2019ve also got this whole segment of people who are going out with their camper and they just want something to putt around on once the campsite is set up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Parking<\/p>\nParking lot princess: The XR\u2019s light weight, low seat, and easy clutch are ideal for training new riders. (Kurt Spurlock\/)<\/caption>\n

Miller says the XR150L\u2019s $3,099 MSRP, combined with Honda\u2019s reputation for reliability, has been a windfall for the little bike. Considering most new motorcycles at this price point feel about as legit as a Wish.com<\/a> Rolex, there\u2019s no denying dealer support goes a long way with potential buyers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this day and age everyone is stretched thin. The fact that it\u2019s that affordable and it\u2019s a Honda is big. You can go buy some unknown brand at a random little motorcycle shop, but you\u2019ll have no idea where to get parts or if you\u2019ll even be able to fix it if you break something. Customers know there\u2019s going to be support for their XR, but then again they also know it\u2019s gonna be reliable. I mean that\u2019s the core of Honda\u2019s business: It\u2019s that reliability factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"While<\/p>\nWhile the XR\u2019s limitations are clear, we\u2019ve had our fair share of fun with it around camp. (Honda\/)<\/caption>\n

The XR150 got a minor price increase for 2024 (it retails for $3,099 currently), but if Honda\u2019s sales figures are anything to go by, the minor bump hasn\u2019t curbed appetites in the US whatsoever. Any way you look at it, Big Red stands to hold the title for bestselling dual sport two years in a row, but if the rest of the Big Four throw their hats in the ring next year, you won\u2019t hear us complain.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This budget-friendly dirt bike outsold every other dual sport in 2023. (Honda\/) The small-bore dual sport is going through a renaissance, and there\u2019s really no question as to why. User-friendliness, simplicity, affordability, and versatility are virtues we can all get behind, and few motorcycles exemplify those qualities quite as well as Honda\u2019s CRF300L. Not a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4390,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/WRW5ny64OHauE0se18kW2GXg_u0=\/845x634\/filters:focal(NaNxNaN:NaNxNaN)\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/octane\/J4RNXNSOXFFOVF5CFZMBRTE234.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-4389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.motorcyclistonline.com\/resizer\/WRW5ny64OHauE0se18kW2GXg_u0=\/845x634\/filters:focal(NaNxNaN:NaNxNaN)\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/octane\/J4RNXNSOXFFOVF5CFZMBRTE234.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4389\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4389"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dealstore?post=4389"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcsite.com\/wpstore1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/offerexpiration?post=4389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}