That was the period of time after dropping lots of weight but before starting to train much. I'm also probably a higher body fat there - skinny fat I suppose you'd call it! 100% feel better now!
Good video. Useful tips. Im 62 and I bought my first motorcycle since 1972. I chose the 2017 Honda CRF 250L. Look forward to taking it offroad in a few weeks.
Good review Mark. Some of the mods I wouldn't do, like the suspension lowering that you mentioned. Understand why though. And you're a good man for taking care of Jenna so she can enjoy the sport with you. Thumbs up
Great, down-to-earth, informative and honest review, thank you! Sadly, I notice the few 'thumbs-downs', and I can't help to wonder why on earth some people on this earth always have to knock others trying to help and do the right thing! 'Small-person syndrome' I call it - I suppose we ought to feel sorry for those ... Anyway great video, well done and heaps of thumbs-ups :-) !
Nice job with this Mark Lewis. A bit refreshing for me, as most CRF250L videos seem to focus on untested mods based on urban myths. I have an OEM engine, to date. My opinion is that it is not under-powered, but it is as you suggest, overweight. I am gradually scrapping parts in favor of lighter ones. Anything I can do in carbon fiber and alloys, I do. Fun! I am currently under 300 pounds and have more room to cut. For the record and understanding: I am going to run 19" wheels/tires with VRM-394 street tires. Some think a compromise between dirt and super moto. I think it is a new beginning. (I am not the first) In Thailand, we run in hot and humid and rainy weather. All year! Swapping for conditions is not an ideal option. Did this on a Kawasaki motard bike...the dirt track tires kicked butt off-road, were near equal on.
Good work. You've reduced the "machina mystique" down to "kitchen table" simplicity, reducing complexity to the basics that the average person can grasp and deal with. Good luck on your trips, thanks for a great video.
@@MarkLewisfitness fair play to you ,loved one of your comments on the vid the other day, talking about people who have great shiny things but dont invest their time/ money in themselves , very very true ! Keep up the great work Mark !
At last! Someone on RU-vid that doesn't pretend to be an expert in everything...you have the same method as I do for learning how to do "technical stuff".. watch a video
OK, I feel better about my wheel weights (The same as you have on your CRF). I see very few people with wheel weights on their Enduro machines here in the U.S. I was always a bit leery and mildly concerned that my WR 250 R and My Wife's converted TTR 230 looked crazy with the amount of weights on each wheel. I got over it though as both bikes rode substantially better at highway speeds. nice video, I am hoping to convert my wife to a little better machine over her TTR, would like her to get the CRF. Cheers.
Humble, personable and very reassuring. What could be better to encourage newbies and proto-tinkerers. Lucky, lucky bro to have a friend and fellow enthusiast, riding buddy who, (even better) is female.
Good video.I found the fantic 250cc alot easier to ride off road for a first time rider.The crfl feels to heavy to me and underpowered and back suspension is to soft. Fantic casa 250cc seems to be a little bit of a step up not alot but rides alot better off road with a better suspension and its alot lighter.The two bikes are same price same service schedules and the fantic is showing to be quite a reliable bike,ive done over 3000 miles with no problems. Glad crfl is working out for you,but im glad i changed my mind. Give it a look.
I don’t know about ‘must do’ but a couple of those things are nice :). The clutch issue is a good one, for people using it as a real dirt bike. I hear a lot of flak about the tires, but I really haven’t had any issues with mine - to be fair though, perhaps I just don’t know what I’m missing. I may change rubber the next time my tires need replacing, so I can see what all the fuss is about. Are you going to raise the bike back up now that she is more comfortable and experienced with it?
Tyres are the biggest change you can do to the bike. I went from crashing every km on loose terrain to being right up the arse of all the ktm n huskys all day long.
Great clip. Can I suggest another easy mod? Change the sprockets to 13 - 42. You will have better in gear acceleration and it defies logic, a higher top/cruising speed. When you did your clutch did you also change to EBC updated springs? Another great mod is to put a CBR300 front master cylinder and HEL braided lines on. Far better braking and feel. I’ve subbed so looking forward to more great clips
Thanks. I am new to your channel. I look at CRF250L videos because I am thinking of buying one (in Thailand). Nice job both with the info and with the good presentation.
It is my forth or first bike and is certainly the one that I ride the most, I have it done up to where I love it and will never sell it for any reason. I commute when I can even on the interstate over an hour to work and an hour home, take long trips, and also rip through the woods a ton on mine. I found a second set of wheels to be nice to have! One with a road biased 60/40 or 70/30 longer lasting tire on the one set, and a more aggressive 50 50 on the other set kept fresh for off road use while still not wearing out too fast on the road to be very nice to have. I also run a 42 tooth larger sprocket on the more off road set up. I put 11 thousand miles on my crf250l in year and a half. I also ride my other bikes as well, now that I have a plated lightweight dirt bike a wr250f with 10/90 off road biased tires my second set of rims on my crf250l do not change as often as they did when it was my only dual sport option, but now I am buying a second rear wheel for the wr250f and plan on mounting the same 50 50 tire I use on my crf250l as my off road tire, that way I can ride the 45 mins road to where I do most of my off road group riding without burning a rear 90 10 tire each time I take the Yamaha, or just taking the crf because I do not like to waste money, or change tires. I do not own a truck atm. 2014 crf250l completely done how I want it, and I love this bike. Have you had to adjust your valves?
Great video Mark. Thanks for sharing. I’ve just bought myself a 2014 CRF250 so found you video really useful. I’d be interested to know where you got the USB charger you have on both bikes and if you have a link that would be really helpful.
Yea for sure! One of The best mods to my 250l I have made along with a 13 tooth front sprocket and a rear rack. I Have a lot done to my bike as well, and love it. Comfort, power, trip, and bling mods all done as far as I will want to go, along with a second set of rims with a different tire combo and slightly different size rear sprocket for a better bottom end for off road fun. I ride the tires off of this bike while I also own a Harley and a wr250f that is made street legal to connect the trails, but this bike see's the most use by far. over 11 thousand miles in a year and a half.
THANKS FOR THE BATTERY TIP! I was looking for a UK stockist of batteries with a jump start built in so I don't have to carry one! Curious about your opinion on BMW f650 GS Dakar's btw - rekon they're too heavy for the TET? This is my current bike which I bought for an epic adventure a few years ago. I can't really afford a 250L you see :\ So you took the 250 to spain? Did you do a lot of motorway driving on it to get there? How did it fare with the luggage as well? I wish they were faster, I really do. I'm so interested in them. The 300 model only ACTUALLY HAS 26CC more than the 250L. Literally only a few HP more and it's 2k more than a fairly new 250 model. Urgh.
Hi Mark, ... Thanks for sharing your experience setting Jenna''s bike up. I ride a H-D Sport Glide as my cruiser. However, as we have a lot of dirt roads here in Australia, I have been looking for a suitable bike. Triumph Tiger 800 XRt fits me well, .... just heavy for what I need? Sat on the Honda XR190CTAG bike 835mm seat height, not flat footed, more soles. OK. I was keen on the CRF250L but when I got on it in the showroom, I was too short to even get it off the stand! &^%$# There is hope! I'm the same height as Jenna and thanks to your post it seems like the CRF250L is back on the short list. Do you know what seat height you got it down to? mm Ride safely and enjoy Africa. You might try Australia next? No lions but everything else here can kill us! LOL.. Kind Regards Baz Australia PS thumbs up and subscribed.
Go have a look at an XT 250....looks old but is much better built than the Honda, lower seat & great fun to ride. My wife has one and easily keeps in front of me on the CRF...you can probably find a good 2nd hand bike cheap....or lower the Honda. Both great bikes.
Thanks for the video...considering the bike for my wife also. You made the process of lowering the linkage sound easy. Thanks for including the link for the Kouba product. I am trying to find the right mirror at the moment for my DRZ400S and have been looking at the Ram system, but heard it vibrates excessively on the road. Do you find that also or is it steady at higher speeds on the tarmac?
"It lives underneath the bottom of the bike". I guess that's just something you would say in English, but since it is not my mother tongue that's actually the creepiest sentence I ever heard in a motorbike video. :D :D :D
Awesome video, thanks! Two questions, Firts is what Brand of Clutch did you installed and the second is if you had any issue with wiring/cables when installing the handle bar raisers? Thank in advance!
one easy mod you can make is disconnect everything off the motor, that will make sliding the motor out easy, then just slide in a 450 cc motor and everything will be better.
@@MarkLewisfitness thanks. Just bought my CRF this September based on the fact that Ben King and Steph Beacons have used them for adventure touring. Looking forward to getting further afield on mine next year.
Hi mark im interested in your opinion on your husq701, I want to start riding tet and I am looking at either crf l or 701 very different bikes I know. Why did you choose 701? And not crf? Have you used the honda off road and what did you make of it? Maybe do a vid on the comparisons and your thoughts. Cheers.
Thanks mark, I guess that's where my thinking takes me too. Practical,economical and reliable verses fun, image and horse power. I look forward to the vid when it's done. Thanks.
I've used Stan's in my bicycle tubes and found that after a few months the latex would just ball up and leave nothing but non sealing liquid. Have you had this issue or do you breakdown the tire, remove the ball and refill regularly?
I find it very interesting what you say, but it's hard to understand some words. There are very few videos in Spanish about the 250 l CRF. Can you translate it with subtitles in Spanish ?. with google translator for example. you would reach more subscribers. Thank you
I need to re-spring the rear shock on my CRF. I was told that the stock shock will not adjust to my weight and need to replace it. I'm 200 lbs and their is not enough adjustment on the shock to fix my sag. What are your thoughts?
I like this bike but was on tiptoes at the showroom so it’s nice to see it’s very easy to lower. She’s back on the short(arse)list. Thanks for the good info.
I have the same stuff, bought a kit from an online site called 'BigDug'. Think it was around £400 all in, but I spend a lot of time working on my bikes so they're so much more comfortable on feet/knees etc than bare concrete, also much warmer!
I envy you so much living in EU. Here, there's only one other country I can visit wich doesnt interest me at all... Other than that, Id have to ride 4000km to get in a other country with different culture and language... Mehhh ! Anyway, great video!
I mean the cosmetic items are a personal preference, seems like aluminum this and that make people feel good. Not sure why. The clutch issue, is a worn clutch. Not sure what to say, clutches don't slip with power unless the plates are not engaging and providing friction. I mean is a road going bike going to have purposeful slippage? That would be so dangerous and illegal in the U.S.! A beginner might be using the clutch incorrectly and glazing the plates. Or you have a lemon.
@@MarkLewisfitness Lol. you are new! work on bikes a bit more, you'll realize the difference between a working clutch and a slipping one. I can understand it not being easy to have a feel for yet! Clutch pressure plates have usually at least 4 springs and not "spring" a judder spring is in mannnnny offroad bikes (including mine), no slippage at all.
@@MarkLewisfitness I should give more info on a judder spring, but it's in the basket itself, im assuming you put the pressure plate and new springs when you replaced yours. since it was ridden by a beginner that makes sense. It was worn. :/
@jai yen yen it's just weird that other bikes with a judder spring do not suffer from this. It could be the plate material itself, as the crf is not a bike for technical riding. It's a dual sport not a trail bike and weighs a whopping 320 something pounds for example. But the idea of a clutch that slips is completely opposite of each other. I know people with crf 250ls and they report no slippage...
Thanks for the vid, lots of helpful tips. love the battery upgrade, i bought mine with some upgrades and one was the tail trim kit but it has no blinkers and its built into the main tail light and thats not going to be good enough for trafic with idiots behind me so i still have the original and that has been trimmed down to a much more useful smaller version and will also help stop mud roosing up on everything!! I might consider changing the clutch after a bit but i need to ride it much more before i make that decision!! Thanks again.