Despite it's compromises it's the perfect bike for me with the Philippines roads and traffic. I bought one in January for $1815 OTD with tt&l , free helmet and shirt. I'm 6'2" and I fit fine. I had bigger enduros in the US, but a 150cc is a good size here.
You have no idea how inexpensive that is in the US. We pay, in California, at least $3900 for a new 2023 Honda XR150L. They are hard to find and some Honda dealers are adding an additional $1100 on top of that. They must make that bike in the Philippines for your market. The US restricts how many new carburetor motorcycles allowed into the country.
Great review - thank you! I have the Honda XL200 and what you've said about the XR150L applies to my little 200 too. My experience is that it's super reliable unit, that's great for single tracks and technical off-road riding, but just too slow for highways and main roads. It's light on gas and just keeps on going! I have 3 other motorcycles too, but this little Honda remains a firm favourite, as it's simple, light, and very easy to ride! Thanks again for your review & greetings from South Africa.
I own one and been using it as my daily commute in Vietnam for the past 3 years. I bought mine second hand with 35k km on it. I find it reliable and very easy to ride in almost any situation. It's top speed is 110kmh or more if you prepared to rev it that high, it doesn't like anything over 100 imo. I've done some modifications, like aftermarket handlebars, indicators and headlight. Engine wise I fitted a big bore, 177cc, kit with a cam upgrade, porting and polishing and a aftermarket pipe. With all that done it now delivery 15 horses on the dyno and is equal in acceleration to a new Yamaha WR155 which a friend owns. The review is accurate, it likes dirt road but it's not made for motocross. I'll add that passengers say it's very comfortable with a givi box on the back passengers feel even safer I guess. The front brakes are very good and offer excellent control.
@@TheManoy66 I think it's more expensive here because they not officially imported by Honda. Import tax here is very high. The XR is generally Imported by rental companies. Tax on bikes over 175cc is even more ridiculous. If you want to be really surprised look into the cost of cars here, I still find it laughable.
I was in thailand a few years ago and was shocked by the prices alright! Whats even more shocking was the interest rates for financing a brand new car. The thing i do not understand at all is the sheer number of vehicles running around despite the prices. 😳
It's ridiculous how much cheaper the exact same bike is anywhere but the US. $3200 where I live now and $4000 in my homestate. Also cooler models throughout the world too. On a waitlist for one thought. Still can't wait. Cheers from Alaska!
I live in Panama. I like this bike. You see them everywhere now also. They are cheap, practical and dependable. Nothing to brag about unless you value cheap and dependable. We are in a bad economy right now. No one has much money now it seems. This bike is in most people's price range and its not a piece of junk. It will last.
Man, I want one, I'm 69 years old in the past I've had a XR80, XR100, a XR250, CRF250L, XT225 and of course a CR250, out of all the bikes I had more fun on the XT225 !
should have kept the XT. You'd be smart to spend you money on a new XT over this Honda China bike clone. The XT's are every bit as easy to ride plus you get fuel injection, much faster and safer road speeds and lower seat height with the XT. The Hondas are copied from the Chinese Hawk motorcycles, carbureted, and are quite tall and weigh a lot for a small bike, about as much as the XT does. Yeah they cost more but worth it you'll be much happier with the Yamaha.
Yamaha WR155 is something you should look into as well. You get fuel injection (god send), water cooled (for long full bore highway) six speed transmission.
Thank you for the objective review. I am tempted to buy one in Canada. It's not just that I'm not rich, it's that a bike which costs less than the luggage of a BMW and weighs half as much is a lot less intimidating to risk taking off pavement and I think it would be a more fun at any price. A rough backroad is where I'm in my element. More miles of old logging roads here than paved roads. Also, i'm a big fan of simple things like valves I can adjust with a feeler gauge and a deck screw. Add comfy seat, a long range fuel tank, and built in luggage rack and it's more tempting than any other bike on the market. I am curious if the CRF triple clamp would just swap over for more robust forks.
There is a guy here who has traveled all over the country on his XR150L with a homemade luggage rack and all of his things strapped to it. Bike was all stock. Would share his channel to you if he had one though.
Speaking of forks, a youtuber named Torture test magazine, talked about this bike and finds the frame similar to that of a CRF150/230F. If thats the case MAYBE the aftermarket for those bikes will fit the XR150L.
This bike seems to be exactly what I'm looking for too. And yes, that fork looks awfully dinky but I imagine it's good enough for puttering around town on errands, short camping trips, and trail riding that I want to do. I'm in US and these bikes will arrive soon. I've never ridden motorcycles before and want to start but almost all of our options here are too big, too expensive, too small, or too slow. It's especially appealing since it's $2971 USD, cheaper and more capable than anything else like it in the 125-150cc range.
@@TheManoy66 I follow that guy! Good stuff with 24 hour enduros and other madness :D Thanks for this great quick review. Any idea how many real world mpg, lp100km, or kmpl? 3 gallon tank with I'm guessing ~100mpg means long time between gas station visits :)
This was a good, if not abbreviated, review. Since this bike is finally available in the states, I have been considering it as an alternative to the Yamaha TW200. Where the Tdub excels on exceedingly rough terrain and works well as a pack mule, the XR150L seems like a comfortable and capable option for short rips on fire roads or less technical areas, especially if you need to ride the pavement for an hour before you reach the trail head. I also see it being an excellent travel bike to throw on the back of an RV. And at nearly $2k less than the Tdub, it might be a hell of a fun experiment.
Here in the US, if you can find one, the 2023 Honda XR150L sells for roughly $4000 out the door. I just bought one today from a dealer. I’ve been looking for months. MSRP $2971, destination charge was $200, set up fee $150, and in California I paid about $650 additional for sales taxes, license, and other bull crap to the state. Another dealer in Southern California wanted an additional $800 on top of that. Converting Philippine pesos to the US dollar, 90,000 Php is about US $1600. That’s a steal for that bike. (About 55,000 pesos to $1000 US)
Mines still a baby with only 600 miles. Love this little pony bike. It has a lot of heart and I'm loving it here I Western North Carolina. Great short review
It'd be a great little bike for 'just for fun' riding. I could see a heap of people, who'd be too intimidated by more serious enduro bikes, having a ball on this. Great, honest look at a not too serious bike.
I just ordered one of these in the US, I was really only shopping it against the Kawasaki z125 and the Honda PCX. I feel like I made the right choice, mostly I just wanted the bigger wheels as I want to take it on dirt roads and commute daily. I'm super excited for it to be here next month.
@@r4avn Thanks, it's great to hear about people's experiences with it because it's so new to the states, I didn't get a chance to ride it before I put the deposit. What's the fastest you've gotten yours up to?
I just laid down my deposit at a dealer in Mississippi last weekend. My KLR got to be too much for me so I’m hoping to ride this into my 70’s. Can’t wait to take delivery! Do you know if our US version has a kickstart? Congrats 👍
Congratulations! Based on the images in this site, you guys won't be getting the kickstart on the XR150L. 😔 powersports.honda.com/motorcycle/dual-sport/xr150l
My friends had the XR dirtbikes when we were kids.. Their tanks.. I've ridden them. Strictly off road.. They're capable.. I've seen my friends jump their bikes 15ft in the air.. They had the 250cc bikes though and they're fast too.. Super low maintenance bikes.. I doubt they even maintained them.. We were kids. I had a Honda 400EX and a KX125. My bike was a 2 stroke motocross bike. That thing was super high maintenance. I would eat an XR250 up in a drag race on my KX125 but they would creep by me in a long distance race. I'm thinking about getting an XR150 just to zip around town and go trail riding.
It's about all-around utility, not about speed. If you wanna do some trail riding and some non-highway street riding for very little money and very little gasoline then this bike would be a good choice.
With the work I did on it. It's good for everything it's small can go anywhere with a little power enhancement and gearing mine goes 75mph change my tires and a sprocket I'm all ready for off road.
@BillySBC we are big and have a lot of space, gas , and necessity to move between long distances in a short time. As nice as it would be for me to dilly dally on over to my local grocer at 45mph all surrounding roads are minimum 45 mostly 55 60 and 65 to commute local if I want to go to the next town I need 65 or 70. There are a lot of states in the US with 60mph highest speed limit. Mine isn't one. I do appreciate the bike no discredit to its design and purpose. I love my xr the way I made it for me it needed more.
I bought a brand new of this unit in March this year. First time ever to ride an mc on EDSA or anywhere outside Honda's riding academy, which was more than a decade ago, I brought it home over 5 km one rainy and hectic Friday afternoon . At 6ft 190 lbs and I have nothing to compare the ride with any other mc on and off road, I find it light and easy to handle and it can be fast (after about 3 months riding) when I wanted to. Achieving close to the advertised 52kmpl at 48 kmpl mostly city rides, I am having great fun. A very basic and simple piece of machine that I think I can maintain myself, I am learning it's proper maintenance via YT University.
I got the MX 250 from Microbikes dealer, much more lighter and higher cc if you opt an upgrade and able to find one in your area in the PH. Also parts are similar to the honda xr 150L so you'll don't have any trouble with the repairs or maintenance. It costs 68,000 pesos depending on your province.
Good bike for beginners I think. Reliable like a Honda, simple and you will get to work or where you are going with no drama. If you are a biker and been riding long time maybe something else.
I like what this bike represents: simple. And it's got a proper kick starter, too! Around town I ride a spiritual cousin to this, a 1982 CM200T. Although a street twin "mini cruiser," it's objectively a similar target audience so long as I don't take mine off-road. But of course, Honda now courts new riders with their "mini moto" lineup for the street instead. None of them are suitable to highway riding, and that's OK. That likely applies to their larger, 300 models too. But yes in the States, a $3K USD Honda that's not a scooter is a big deal, even if every RU-vid channel will recommend new riders spend 2 times that on something else for their first bike. That's a reflection of our unfortunate car culture dependency.
I've been driving one of these here in Vietnam since 2017. I actually like it much better than the larger XRs, largely due to the larger fuel tank and increased range. As a note for upcoming US buyers, the US/Canada version does not come with the kick start.
It would be a good bike for a smaller person or a woman. For anyone over 180 lbs, I think you would be better off with one of the 300 cc dual sport bikes like the CRF 300 or KLX 300. I have the KLX 300 and I wouldn't want to go any smaller than that. It's good for off road riding and secondary paved roads but not so great on the highway (over 100 kph makes the bike a bit buzzy and the wind can push you around sometimes).
I agree.. I just left a comment saying people should opt for the Hawk/TBR7 250 if anything because its a bigger motor, taller bike, delivered to your door (but one has to disassemble and reassemble every bolt tightening to spec with lock tite, something one doesnt have to do with the Hondas), for $1000 less! IIRC the Hawk/TBR7 250 is EFI too!
@@ChristopherJones16 Yeah but with the Hawk you have to do so much to it before it genuinely ready to ride. Even then it’s always something with that bike. It’s not bad for budget riders but honestly if you can go Honda all the way (Former Hawk owner)
The more I watch these XR150 videos the sexier the Hawk/TBR7 250 looks. For $1000 USD less, one can have 100cc more, a slightly taller bike (great for guys like myself who are 6'+) delivered to your door. So far the $1000 USD more one will get a bike that says HONDA and Honda's warranty which is good, but im not sure $1000 is worth the warranty and the smaller motor size.
I have a Suzuki Raider 150 which I've owned since 2006. I never liked the riding position much and also the fact that it can't handle potholes, which there are quite a few of in Manila. So I'll be sell ling it and buying one of these on my next visit to the Phils.
@@maxn.4616 The Honda is from the Chinese arm of Honda to keep the cost down. Even the instruments on the Honda are the same as a Bashan Brozz and the Tao Tao TBR7. believe me the Honda is Chinese can't remember the exact name but it starts with the letter T and then the word Honda.
Im an australian living in vietnam . I just bought an XR150L yesterday and was wondering why some do not have a killswitch ? is it because they are required in some coumtries and not others ? . By the way thanks for your informative review mate . Cheers .
I highly recommend you sit on one to find out. I'm 6'1 217lbs with a 32" inseam and i feel comfortable on the 150L. A taller handlebar or a set of risers is a must though.
Thanks for this review like the others here I am interested in this bike also here in the u.s... I am a older rider I own a Tao Tbr7 that I enjoy riding this looks similar. I agree with you it looks like a China bike or vice versa lol. Do you work on any Suzuki DR's at your shop? I have been checking those out lately.
I had a DRZ400SM before and that was probably one of the most versatile bikes i had. I made a talking head video about it also. There is a DRZ400E in the shop right now due for some repairs and supermoto conversion.
or better.. design a completely new design that is modern and sleek. Something setting it apart from all other competitors bike in its class. Honda has the R&D, and the money to do it but they basically went budget on a budget bike. Im tired of the same old style.. I'm actually now thinking about builing an old 1910's style bike because their style is nicer to me than the styles weve seen these past couple decades.
@@ChristopherJones16 Not for me. Give me a nicely painted metal tank, no extraneous plastic except for the fenders, no weird tail end design, a chrome headlight, no weird plastic fairing, analog speedometer and tachometer. Make the seat height friendly first, then give it as much travel and ground clearance as possible. Bolt on a good metal skid pad to protect the bottom wnen hopping over logs and rocks, Make the seat plush and long. Design it so that it opens on hinges and you can actually store a few things under it. It ought to hold a pair of riding gloves bare minimum. It's where I used to keep mine all the time. Put this bike up for sale and I will buy one.
It's a very strong and reliable motorcycle I'd like to make mine a supermoto. Can everything from the crf 150l supermoto build work on the Honda xr150l since they are similar?
Hey thanks for watching. In terms of supermoto wheels for the XR150L, i would recommend a slimmer wheel setup compared to the CRF150L sumo build i did recently. Go for a 3.50x17/3.00x17 rims and 130/70 & 100/80 tires. Reason being clearance issues on the XR150.
Hi, sir. I'm planning to buy this as my first bike and i would like to know if you recommend this to newbie riders. Im choosing between honda xr150l or yamaha xtz 125. I would love to hear ur thoughts about it. Thank you!
As someone who rides a 2022 Africa Twin Adventure Sports w/ DCT and feels even an XR650L is woefully underpowered, I would be miserable with this bike.
Boss PTPA ..yung XR150 ko 2016 nabili.. 20k lng odo di masyado gamit lagi naman alaga sa oil. Nag ka problrma simula nun pandemic di n masyado nagamit pero pinapalitan pdn ang oil.. pinapainit nmn mga 1 to 3x kada month. Ngunit nung gagamitin na lagi namamatay tpos lagi umuugak ugak pag tatakbo prang hinihila ka pabalik. 3 honda casa na dinalhan puro linis carb/tune carb at adjust timming barbula ngunit hngat ngyon same issue lng :( bakit po kaya ganito sana may makatulng ..maraming salamatt Notr:sabi ng mga mekaniko ok pdaw tlga yung carb.
ganyan tlaga yan pag hindi nagagamit. saka papainit lang 3x a month? di yan enough. Ang motor na yan yung engine is designed to be used frequently to be in top condition. Gamitin mo araw araw at i long ride mo, gawin mo yan isang buwan. Tignan mo babalik yan sa condition nya na maganda.
