10 Upgrades For The Honda CRF 300 L
Essential Parts To Get Your CRF 300 L Trail Ready
Introducing the new and improved Honda CRF 300 L
In 2021 Honda launched the all new CRF 300 L, following on from the success of the CRF 250 L that was first brought to the market in 2012. Described by Honda as an easy going commuter bike but that's not what we're planning on using it for! Just like the 250 the 300 comes in 4 different model options, the standard CRF 300 L, the ABS model, the CRF 300 L Rally and the CRF 300 L Rally ABS.
Due to the popularity of these bikes and the lack of aftermarket upgrades available we decided to purchase one to use as a project bike. We went for for the standard CRF 300 L with the ABS brakes as shown in the photo below and added some protection parts and performance enhancing features to take it from "an easy going commuter" to a trail weapon! Below we list our top 10 AS3 Performance upgrades for the Honda CRF 300 L.
Skid Plate
We'll start with one of the first and most important parts when riding off-road, a good, strong skid plate. We already stocked an aluminium skid plate for the CRF 250 L and when we offered it up to the 300 it was almost a perfect fit, the only real difference was that the mounting holes at the front were in a slightly different position on the 300, we fed this information back to our protection parts supplier and they could then easily make the modifications which were then tested on the bike before being put in to production. The CRF 300 L comes as standard with no protection to the lower engine so the addition of a skid plate is essential when riding off-road. Our aluminium skid plates are 4mm thick and will provide solid protection to the engine casings on rocky trails.
Radiator Braces
Radiator braces are also another essential protection part that are popular with trail and enduro riders. Although it's not as big and heavy as say the Africa Twin adventure bike the CRF 300 L is still quite heavy compared to a motocross bike for example and even the slightest of tip overs can be enough to bend or damage a radiator as the plastic shrouds don't offer much protection. Our radiator braces are manufactured from a 3.5mm black aluminium frame but the protection come from the 3 x 5mm aluminium bars that run horizontally across the top and bottom of the radiator. Our radiator brace kit is supplied as a single brace as the CRF 300 L only has the one radiator on the right side of the bike.
Silicone Radiator Hoses
Next on the list we replaced the stock OEM rubber hoses with a set of our silicone radiator hoses. Our silicone hoses are slightly thicker than the standard rubber hoses with a 4.5mm wall thickness, this makes them stronger and less vulnerable to damage from small rocks kicking up on fast trails or sharp branches in narrow woodland terrain. There are only 2 main radiator hoses on the CRF 300 L, one from the water pump to the lower radiator outlet and one from the cylinder head to the upper radiator outlet so it was a relatively simple kit to develop. Our silicone hoses for the CRF 300 L are available in a choice of red, blue and black, for our project bike we went with the blue set to match the slight hint of blue that appears in the graphics on the radiator shrouds. As with any silicone hose kits that we install we matched them up with a set of our stainless steel hose clips, our hose clips are specifically designed for silicone hoses and will not damage the hoses when installing them like some OEM clips can.
Braided Front And Rear Brake Lines
All Honda CRF motorcycles come with rubber brake hoses as standard from the CRF 250 R motocross bike to the CRF 1100 L Africa Twin Adventure bike. So we decided to upgrade the brake lines on our CRF 300 L to a set of our stainless steel braided front and rear brake lines. Braided brake lines can improve the feel and responsiveness from your brakes and eliminate that soft feeling you can often get from OEM rubber brake hoses. Replacing the brake lines on most off-road motorcycles is usually a relatively easy task, by simply removing the banjo bolts at the caliper and master cylinder, installing the new line and bleeding the brakes up. However with our CRF 300 L being the ABS model both developing and installing the lines was a slightly more difficult task due to there being 4 lines in total running from the ABS unit to the calipers and master cylinders in some tight and tricky areas around the bike, at the time of writing this the brake lines for the ABS model are still not currently in production as the samples that you can see on the photos of the bike still need a couple of slight modifications before going live on our website, however the front and rear brake lines for the non-ABS model are currently in stock and available in black or red.
In the photo below you can also see our anodised black aluminium front brake line clamp, this part is also specific to the ABS model as it has the secondary clamp for the speedometer cable where as the non-ABS model uses a different part with a single clamp for the front brake line. These are available for both models in a choice of black or red.
Featherlight Throttle & Clutch Cables
Following on from the brake lines, we added another upgrade that we developed alongside our cable and brake line partner Venhill Engineering with the addition of a set of featherlight throttle and clutch cables. Venhill use some of the highest quality marine grade stainless steel for the inner wire on their cables so that they out perform and out last the standard OEM cables. They also have a Tefon inner liner to reduce friction and provide a smoother pull of the clutch or twist of the throttle, overall a Venhill cable will feel better for longer than the OEM cables. They are finished with a PVC outer conduit that can be colour co-ordinated to match the plastics and graphics of the motorcycle. With this being a project bike we decided to go for the red finish on the cables to match the red brake lines, these are also available in black too if you prefer a more natural look but still want the performance benefits of an AS3 Venhill featherlight cable. If you have the Rally model you will need different throttle and clutch cables than the standard CRF 300 L but we also carry those in stock too.
Rear Brake Disc Guard
We went all out for the rear brake disc guard and developed one that replaces the whole caliper mount too. It is CNC machined from a solid block of billet aluminium and fits perfectly around the caliper and rear axle. The red fin is replaceable and held in by 3 countersunk bolts which allows you to replace it if it becomes worn or damaged without having to replace the whole guard. A black fin version is also available. We already produced this style of rear brake disc guard for the KTM, Beta and Gas Gas enduro models which has proven to be very popular especially with our sponsored riders Jonny Walker and the Fast Eddy Race Team as it provides such solid protection for the rear brake disc which can be very important when negotiating rocky terrain or navigating your way around obstacles between trails.
Foot Pegs
The foot pegs seem to be one of the first things our customers change on both the CRF 300 L and the CRF 250 L and one of the main reasons for this is due to the narrow width of the steel pegs that come as standard on the bike. The OEM foot pegs on the CRF 300 L are only 45mm wide, where as our Factory Series foot pegs shown below measure 60mm wide which can make a big difference to your riding position and how comfortable you feel on the bike. Our aluminium Racing Series foot pegs are also available for the CRF 300L in both red and black. We also have a stainless steel option or if you want ultimate combination of grip and strength we have a titanium option too. All of our foot pegs will fit both that standard and the Rally models of the CRF 250L and the CRF 300L. Stainless steel replacement foot peg pins and springs can also be supplied if required.
Rear Brake Pedal
Another popular product for the CRF 300 L is our rear brake pedal, to look at the brake pedal on the CRF 250 L and CRF 300 L look almost identical but there is a slight difference between the two and they are not compatible with each other. We offer 2 different styles of rear brake pedal for the CRF 300 L. The first one as shown in the photo above features a spring loaded flexible tip that will pivot on impact to help prevent damage to the pedal. The second as shown in the photo below has a fixed tip, more like the OEM pedal, with the option 2 different mounting points allowing you to move it forwards or backwards to better suit your riding style, this pedal is only available as part of our Factory Series rear brake pedal and gear lever kit. Both pedals are cold forged from 6061 aluminium with CNC machined tips.
Gear Lever
We also supply a matching gear lever for both rear brake pedals as mentioned above. The gear lever fits both the CRF 250 L and CRF 300 L so this part can be interchanged between the two bikes, it will also fit the ABS models and the Rally models. The features of both our standard gear lever and Factory Series gear lever are also identical, the only difference being the finish. The standard gear lever has a gloss black anodised finish with a red tip and the Factory Series gear lever comes in more neutral colours with a matt black anodised finish and grey tip, the latter only available as part of a kit with the rear brake pedal.
Water Pump Cover And Oil Filter Cover
Two areas that are left very exposed on the right hand side of the engine on the CRF 300 L are the water pump cover and just behind that the oil filter cover. Our skid plate helps to protect these parts but it's not possible to cover them completely so we developed a billet aluminium version of each part that will stand up to impacts from rocks and other debris kicked up from the front wheel or anything else they may come in to contact with on narrow trails. They are much stronger than the cast OEM parts and will help prevent an oil or coolant leak in the event of an impact. Both our oil filter cover and water pump cover are available in either red or black and they are both also compatible with the CRF 250 L.
Anodised accessories
As well as parts to improve the performance of the CRF 300 L and parts that offer protection to the vital areas of the bike, we also offer a wide range of anodised accessories including axle blocks, oil filler plugs, clutch cable brackets, handlebar top clamps and wheel spacers. They are all CNC machined from 6061 billet aluminium and are stronger than the cast OEM parts but the main appeal of these parts is that they look much better than the parts that come as standard on the bike. All of our billet accessories for the CRF 300 L are available in either red or black with some also available in blue like the engine plug kit and the front brake reservoir cover. Other popular parts that we haven't yet mentioned in this feature are the black forged levers that we stock for the CRF 300 L and out TPU plastic chain guide with aluminium mounting bracket.
On the hardware and maintenance side we have a selection of titanium bolts available for the Honda CRF 300 L for areas like the front axle, front brake caliper and handlebars. We also carry in stock a range of bearing kits for the wheels, headstock and rear shock. Our repair kits for the Honda CRF 300 L include the front and rear brake calipers and we are also looking at adding master cylinder repair kits to the website soon.
Honda CRF 300 L Rally Parts
The majority of parts carry over between the standard model and the Rally model however we do have some parts that have been designed specifically for the Honda CRF 300 L Rally. As you can see from the photos below we have a completely different skid plate for the CRF 300 L Rally, it's bigger, provides more protection and fits perfectly around the lower fairing of the Rally model. This is often purchased alongside the crash bars that we offer for the CRF 300 L Rally to give the bike complete protection around the engine area. The crash bars come in the same textured matt black finish as the skid plate and when paired together plus the addition of our DTC plastic headlight guard the bike looks almost transformed from a trail bike to full on adventure bike.
Need Advice On Parts For Your Honda CRF 300 L?
If you own one of the CRF 300 L models and are looking to add some upgrades to get more out of it, hopefully this feature has given you some inspiration, however if you have any questions about any of the parts mentioned above or any other parts on our website feel free to get in touch and we will be happy to help.
See you on the trails.
