Can beginners 2019 Honda CRF250f handle decent trails? 

I spent yesterday trying to find decent reviews on this. And now RU-vid recommends me this. This channel is great.

i got a 2020 crf250f the week it was released. i absolutely enjoy mine on the trails. im a veteran rider and this bike is so simple to handlke on trails. much easier than my 3 ktm 2 strokes

Thank you for producing this very informative video! Been looking for a good trail bike for sometime now. I’ve watched so many videos on many manufacturers. This video has really directed me towards the Honda! Thank you!

I bought mine in May...finally got to start riding late May and on. The weather around here, (Black Hills of South Dakota), has been way wetter than normal. With that said, I'm an older, slower rider, used to race MX in my younger day, and I LOVE this bike. It has zero problem going up any of the trails around here, and is easy on my bones, AND wallet!

I just bought my son and I 2023 CRF yesterday and can be more impressed. He got a 125cc and I got a 250 and I got to say this thing is a beast

You are slowly but surely becoming my favorite dirtbike related channel. Keep it up Rado.

Hey Rado, So stoked to see you make a video on one of my favorite bikes I’ve ever had. I am an avid trails rider, and have had the 230 mode of this bike in our family since 2006. I ride a 17 husky 250 as my daily, and have this bike stored at my in laws. I ride the 230 in C class hare scrambles and I’m always in the middle of the pack time wise. Really underrated bike. Just great at just about everything. Also agree with your statement on following the kids with this bike, it’s great. I could go on. Keep making great videos.

I'd love to have one of these 250Fs. True trail bike. Will last forever.

Picking up a pair of them today. Your video convinced me

That landscape is beautiful

I loved the S/L, XR, and the crf f series bikes. Like a 2 wheeled tractor. Good fun for the whole family.

....back in the day I rode a lot on an early 80s DT175 and an 85 XR250RF and the bike you showed in this makes complete sense. A lot people do not want or require a full blown enduro bike, just something that is cheapish, easy to ride and not too high in the seat....and fun.

I got my 2022 crf250f I rode it on the track still wish I had the race bike but I do not plan on riding trails but the bike handles like a dream on the track.

Just picked up a 2020 250 and a 2020 50 for my six year old son. Great video!!

Just bought my son a crf50. I was thinking about a crf250l but with thousands of trails so close to home and he obviously cant ride his on the highway this bike struck my interest. You nailed everything i plan in using this bike for. Plus.. I haven't been on 2 wheels in a very long time so im a beginner again haha. Just subbed. Love your content.

Thanks for the great review!

I'm 5'8 155lbs and I just got the 2020 CR250F, my first bike. I road it today. It has plenty of power for me. It's no race bike, but I had fun.

Just switched from my 08 KTM 250 SXF to a 2021 CRF 250f after riding my buddies. I finally feel like I’m riding the dirt bike whereas I felt like my KTM was riding me and I was just holding on. Very happy with my purchase and looking forward to building actual confidence in my riding.

It looks like this bike has a true chain guide. That is one of the biggest weaknesses of the 230s is the absence of a real chain guide. Glad they put one on this bike. I had a TTR230 a few years ago and had a lot of fun on it. With fuel injection and air cooling this bike looks like it would provide many hours of trouble free riding.

I bought one of these last April. I’m 64, 6’3”, 200 lbs. I had not ridden dirt since my Hodaka days back in the early 70’s. I ride with a buddy in Oklahoma. We’re members of a club that has 500 acres and 38 miles of trails through woods, creek beds and some hills. Pretty much all single track and technical. This bike has performed flawlessly. Suspension is very soft and comfortable. The bike has a lot of low end power and climbs anything you point it at. The fuel injection and electric start are a big plus also. Ive ridden other bikes in the park with suspensions so stiff that you tire quickly. We typically ride fairly hard for 2-3 hours. This is definitely not a track bike. It is happiest on the ground. Honda has made a very inexpensive, fun bike to ride that I would recommend for just about anybody- beginners or experienced riders.

I have an 06 CR125r(bought new) and an 02 CR 250r(2nd owner). Both of which i ride in trails and are awesome. .......Sometimes ya just wanna throw yer leg over and not worry about anything....this is the bike to do that. Bout time Honda...much appreciated

just bought this bike for my 13 yr old son. so far he is loving it. its an upgrade from the honda 125 bigwheel he had. great bike

Great points about chasing the kids on their 110s….that’s me.

Good video showing what a beginner bike can do. Looks like this bike is great for old guys with years of experience who realize they can no longer ride a XC or MX bike at their full potential but want to keep on riding technical single track.

I've been debating if the CRF250F would be a good choice and this video tells me everything I need to know, Thanks!

I have one and I like it a lot. It does everything I need it to.

Great review . Thanks !

It wasn’t that long ago that the xr250r and xr400 were great trail bikes. I had a ‘97 xr250r that I dual-sported and it was a fantastic trail bike. Rode it all over Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas and at my dirt bike club on singletrack. I also rode it around town.

Awesome video bro thanks for uploading.

I've rode a DR350 (dirt only model) with a pumper carb and cartridge forks. The biggest issues I ran into in canyons and harder single track was the clutch over heating from lack of air flow and heavy use. The area it was ridden in was used as a national enduro it did some "A only trails". Its way better to do once I upgraded, but if your not racing they will likely get you.

I have 2021 , I love ❤️ it , I also have a sherco 250sef 2021 . So to have something totally different, sure is fun.

Thanks Rado. Great videos, subscribed! Bought the 2021 CRF250F for son.... 200RR Beta for myself...

I've ridden street bikes all my time of riding. But I've wanted to get into trail bikes, I was looking at the 8k range of bikes because they had fuel injection, electric start and disk brakes. But now that Honda came out with this for under 5k, for someone like me who just wants to ride off road every once and a while and is still learning it's hard bike to beat.

Hi Rado, Always enjoy your videos and I think you hit this one perfectly. I have this bikes predecessor - the CRF230F. The purpose for this bike from Honda is exactly what you described. However, on Honda's part, they have actually created an extremely high value machine for a low price. This will not do all that well on the motocross track, nor was it intended to. But, its low center of gravity, precise handling, lower gearing and comfort provides a bike that all people who can have fun with on many trails - beginner or not. This one really shines on slower, technically difficult trails. It seems unstoppable. And one of the best atributes of this bike is the low price. Even more, at least for the CRF230F, there are so many hop ups and modifications that can increase the power without hurting reliability, improve the suspension without losing the confidence and comfort factor. I believe this model will continue to be one of the all time favorites for Honda and those who buy it. Bottom line, if you really want to go riding and have fun, but don't have a large bank account, there is one bike you can get for less than $5,000 and ride and have every bit as much fun as those who believe bikes are no good unless they are the latest with the latest trick mods. Most people who ride just want to go out somewhere and ride for fun. This one shines on the trails and in the mountains. Thanks for the review!

I had a CRF230F and I liked everything about it except for the front forks. I ended up putting stiffer springs in them to help my more aggressive riding style. It was a great bike, but I ended up selling it and bought a CRF450X, and that bike is amazing. It has great suspension and has never let me down in any terrain condition. But it suffers from a lack of low end torque when compared to the gearing on the bullet proof 230. I would be very interested in riding one of these CRF250F's to see how they handle. I have no doubt in my mind that they have plenty of power for the trails and average weekend warrior. But the suspension is what makes me wonder. I have heard that they share the same fork diameter as the XR250, so if that's true, there may be some very good aftermarket fork set-ups for this bike. Honda did a great job in my opinion, and they got the price right. that's a lot of modern bike for an entry level price.

This thing looks fun honestly.

I want it .. thank you very much for your sharing 👍👍

Great review.

Looks like a great trail bike, thanks for your review!

I’m a beginner. Learned how to ride when I was about 11 or 12 years old (1983/84) Rode a little more in 92 for a couple months Then decided to get a bike in February to see if I’d still enjoy it Well, I definitely do lol Bought an 03 TTR125L Ride it for like 3 months and sold it for $200 more than I paid for it lol It was too small and no power (think it has 7 hp) at all. So I looked around on fb for a couple months and found a nice CRF150f and I fkng loved it! Perfect for where I’m at in my dirtbike journey. Did some upgrades on it and don’t really have plans to get rid of her If I did tho I’d definitely like to try out these new 250f machines

I have a 250 crf 2014 and a 2018 yz 250f .my 17 year old son loves the Honda and I do too. Although I will admit the bottom end of the Yamaha more powerful.l would be considered a beginner or novice but it seems to me to move to a 450 just isn't needed for a while it's everything that I need as far as power.

Just ordered mine today. 👍 No more high maintenance race bikes for me.

I have this bike and I take it through gnarly stuff all the time and it does great....its the rider not the bike....the suspension so soft it will not thrown you around it'll just soak it up and keep on tracking....

Sure it can, I had a xr 100 growing up, and later a dr 250 offroad only model. The dr was a tank, but it lasted forever, and put out enough smooth grunt. It's about time Honda remade the xr 250, lol. They are great bikes, last forever, go anywhere, and have low maintenance

I'm not surprised.

Used to have a 125f 2017 model. Loved how reliable it was. Sold it for a 99 cr250 and it is a bitch to start when cold

Yes you can this bike may be heavier than your average bike, but I take it from dirt bike race tracks to diamond trails in ocitio wells, hungry valley, and big bear. Did great on jumps if you landed them correctly if not it was a little rough.

thoughts on this vs the crf300l for off road/trails like this? I live here in Arizona so mostly desert riding

I live near Woodstock Ontario Canada I have a 2005crf230f and it is a 6 speed and it is an awesome dirt bike and I ride it on some nice crown Land on trails ner long point lake Erie.

Great Video! Love your content sir. Also, why does my hair look like Bernie Sanders‘ when I pull my helmet off and yours is perfect? Maybe it’s a Scandinavian thing. 😞

Great footage and demonstration of the bike’s capabilities. I’m hoping to get a good trail bike. But I’m six feet and 200 lb with riding gear. I’m afraid this frame might not fit me. I’m also interested in the new klx300r.

I have the 2020, and I love it. I ride motocross and purchased this bike so I could keep the hours low on my comp bike. It don’t have the raw power of a competition bike but it’s still extremely fun to drive, the suspension is a little softer than I would like but you won’t bottom it out unless your really abusing it. One thing I’d recommend if you plan on doing some serious trails is an aluminum skid plate, as this bike comes stock with a plastic one. In my opinion, it’s a bike every rider should have, low maintenance, decent power, extremely reliable, inexpensive, fun to ride. Gas mileage is also really great.

Good stuff.... I honestly think these bike can be alot more fun to ride then big race bikes. They gotta be the easiest way to learn sick wheelies and other goon skills. I would love to have a crf250f or ttr250 as a second bike.

for trail riding should I get the 250f and get stiffer suspension or get the 450x? I'm 5'11 205 lbs

And here I am watching this in the New York suburbs. I should really move tbh

Great non-bias review mate 👍 thanks for going to the effort. I am watching from Australia and want one for cruising round rural properties. Im coming from an 08’ CRF250X. I want something nimble, smooth, comfortable and not stiff like my old one. Does the suspension handle a few hits and small jumps here and there? I have been riding the father in law’s XR150 and it’s rubbish the suspension is bloody woeful!! I cannot believe Honda even sells them like that. It constantly tops out all the time and rear suspension claps about. Keen to hear your thoughts. Cheers!

I grew up riding air-cooled motorcycles, both 2 stroke and 4 stroke, they are not beginner bikes by any stretch just faitly antiquated with the advent of water-cooling small engines

I really miss my 2009 Yamaha TTR-230 that I sold last year. It tractored over and up anything you pointed it at. I perched my kids on its gas tank starting at age two and took them riding. Later I lead my kids when they graduated to mini bikes. The thing was bullet proof. My only gripes were it’s weight and the ankle and wrist busting suspension. It made up for those deficiencies in torque, gearing, low end rideability and balance. Wish I saved the $20,000 in KTMs and just stuck with the TTR and somehow upgrade the suspension.

Glad I found your channel. I like the content you provide. I am just getting into trail riding, what would you recommend as a good starter bike? 6'1" 230lbs without gear. After watching hours and hours of vidoes I am leaning towards the CRF250F or the KLX300R. I would love to see you do a video review of the 2020 KLX300R. The 300R does weigh 282 pounds though so I'm not sure if that would be good for the woods. I was also considering the WR250F but not sure if it's much of a starter bike. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Keep them videos coming!!

Very cool indeed

Pretty good for the price point.

You say Light? Might feel light with weight down low but they are heavy! I just bought a 22 and love it btw

I got one as a put around bike for my family and myself. I find myself taking it out more than my 17 TE300. It’s actually really fun to ride. My favorite thing to do is take it on group rides and smoke my buddies in the single track on their KTM’s and husky’s.

I have a crf150r and I love how aggressive it is in the trails with the acceleration and being able to pop it up so easy, I was looking at the 250f but is it somewhat aggressive and easy to pop up like the r's or really dull?

They call this the resurrection of the XR250. Looks fun and accessible, but without a Kickstart I wouldn't call it a full dirt bike

Been an ATV rider for 3 years recently got into Dirt Bikes and think I found the one

Haha, Im a beginner chick rider in my mid 30s. I just bought this bike in NZ two months ago and I love it. I am tall though (5'9") so I will move onto a taller bike when I'm ready, but I can recommend this as a beginner friendly bike - I hadn't even sat on any kind of bike 'til I bought this. Have already done some excellent mud and decent hill climbs on it, its very agile, and I really enjoy the engine braking on the downhills, which give a beginner a bit more confidence, and it basically just stalls if you do anything wrong, rather than throwing you around haha. I do agree with giving the bike more RPMs on a steep uphill climb than you perhaps think, I keep it mostly in 2nd gear. Such a good wee bike to learn on. The only thing I struggle with as beginner is my height on a smaller bike giving me a bit of grief on my throttle control - im thinking of lowering the pegs a little or doing something to bring the bars up - I lean so far down onto the grips that I sometimes struggle doing the slower technical stuff and keeping the speed the same. Keen on any tips for a beginner for this!

I have a Honda crf250f and has about 1,000 on it and still runs like a champ

You should review the new 2020 klx300 kawasaki.

If I wanted to see how hot the motor is running ,and point one of those digital thermometer at the engine...I should be pointing at the case?

Where was this filmed?

Anyone else like to see Rado compare this to the new 2020 KLX300R?? :-)

if they would release this engine with the rx frame and suspension they would have their new top selling bike

Should be able to swap the suspension for CRF250X suspension and then you can really rip it

So I’ve been doing research for a trail bike and I’m set on the crf250x from what I’ve read, but people on RU-vid say to go for a crf250f, y isn’t the f not as good as the x?? What one is better cus I’m really confused!

It isn't light at all. It weighs almost 270lb, as opposed to a late model KTM XC300 at 220lb, with far more power. Loved the video, just wanted to correct that bit.

Hello, sorry for the inconvenience, how often is your maintenance?

does it have a clutch

I have no complaints about air cooled, but I think they are missing a market by not either taking the 250L and making it dirt only or by not taking this chassis and cramming the CBR300 engine inside. I think Kawasaki will sell a ton of the new KRX300R just by virtue of it being a low maintenance trail bike that isn't severely lacking in power.

Now thats a beginners bike...instead of a 300 ktm..;-)

where are these trails located if you dont mind me asking

I really want the YZ250FX, but I’m looking at this bike, because of the price point. I don’t race, but I still like to get after it, now, & then, hit some jumps.Just afraid, that id be disappointed. This looks better, than the KLX, & TTR. Help !

I am 5’9 155lbs looking at buying her first dirt bike. Do you recommend this model over a CRF250R 2008 I saw a cheap one and only was thinking of buying it because of the price. But now am thinking this might be a better beginner model? What’s your advice?

Hey!!! 'Beginners" dirt bikes are for the cool riders too...... LOL ;)

wondering if this bike would be for me. im 5'10 190lbs. Ive been riding street bikes since 2006 but never on dirt. So im thinking id still be a beginner rider. Or should I get something like the 250R

Dirt bike manufacturers do way too good of a job making people feel like they need to spend 7k or even 10k on their high end bikes to have fun. People don't realize how fast you can go on a bike like this and how easy it is to do so (not to mention how much cheaper it is to run). It forces you to learn technique to keep up with lazy riders on faster bikes. I hope on my wife's ttr-230 from time to time and it can keep up with the best of them if you're willing to put in the added effort of not losing speed in corners/technical sections of trail. I look forward to taking one of these for a test ride to replace my wife's ttr (bc fuel injection) so i can play with it!

could you compare the kawasaki klx230r to the crf250f, thanks

It is way more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

try to compare this bike with the Klx230R or with the Klx300R. I have the crf230f and never have any problem. It is an inmortal bike. Is the best bike to start this sport

Aside from the pogo stick like suspension, the crf230/250f is a really really good bike. Lower seat height, non-intimidating tractor like power and no radiators to smash makes this bike not only a great starter but a great practice bike to learn new techniques with. I rolled my eyes and laughed at my wife's 230 when I first tried it (I'm coming from a Beta 390) but it is starting to grow on me...

This was the replacement for the CR230f wasn't it?

How tall are you and weight? I’m 6’2” and roughly 205 pounds, would this bike be fine for my size? I’m a 100% new rider and am just looking for a reliable trail bike

I have a tao db14 is a 110cc dirtbike am trying to see if the honda crf250f is a good bike for me am 5.1feet tall I weigh about 138 u think is a good bike for me thank u

Can you add a kickstart?

This bike would be perfect for me at 200lbs, but not 265, I can't see dragging this out of a ditch, nearly as easily as I can 190 to 200lbs, I might not be able to. I would be ok with paying 2 or 3k more if the bike was no more than 220lbs wet.

Im 16 5’9 and about 72kg is a honda crf 250 good first bike?

Would you take this over the klx300r I’m torn between the two

im confused when he said it was light that thing weighs 265 fully gassed its way more then normal 250s

ya know I always hear "beginner dirtbike" what exactly does that mean? is it beginner because it has low horsepower compared to the enduro brands? Is it a beginner bike because its classified as only a trail bike? wouldn't you be able to absolutely rip this thing on the trails just as fast and smooth as other performance bikes? just my thoughts I'm not sure that a 250 of any kind is a "Beginner Bike"

Now if they would just bring back the 400!