Honda CRF150L

Overview

The Honda CRF150L is one of the fewest, and also the newest, motocross bikes available in the Philippines. The company unveiled the off-road cross bike in March 2018 but hadn’t spoken about the pricing. But even as we were running short of the details, we knew it would be a more than a deserving bike.

The all-new Honda CRF150L is listed on the company’s Philippines website as a model that could un-limit the world of the riders with its off-road prowess. It has got the sporty styling and the vigor of an off-road, a combination lethal enough to conquer the untamed terrain. It has got the right mix of features and physical traits that can help the riders have a fun ride downhill along the rocky banks of a river.

Design

Unlike other off-roaders, the Honda CRF150L is fairly tall, thanks to its very-high ground clearance. Plus, it is made up of the right mix of features at the disposal of the riders. It has a very compact headlamp, which does not take up a lot of space and is still bright enough to give proper visibility. The tail light is new and compact too.

The front wheel is a 21-inch unit and has 70-section tyre while there is a smaller 18-inch wheel and a thicker 90-section tyre at the rear. The bike suspended over inverted telescopic forks in the front and Swingarm-type Pro-Link suspension system at the rear. Plus, the higher suspension travel results in a high ground clearance of 285 mm. The wheels have aluminium rims, which make it more-or-less immune to damages and natural wearing.

Another important highlight of the bike is that it has the off-road racing stripes and design inspired from bigger CRF250R.

Ride & Handling

The Honda CRF150L is quite an excellent entry-level motocross bike and is the perfect choice for all the beginners as it has every such element provided in the package. The presence of kick as well as power start makes sure that getting the quickest ignition at the right time is possible.

The suspension is finely tuned and is neither too soft nor too hard. The long suspension travel soaks up most of the small bumps pretty easily. Plus, with a weight of just 117 kgs, it is not difficult to be ridden on the rocks.

However, unlike most other off-road bikes, the saddle height is pretty high in order to accommodate the long suspension and high ground clearance. At 863 mm, it is very difficult for people with shorter legs to reach the ground. And though the bike itself is light, the uneven surface could make it more difficult for the rider to reach the ground.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

The Honda CRF150L has an air-cooled 150-cc engine. The total power production from this motor is 12.24 PS at 8,000 rpm along with peak highest torque of 11.94 Nm at 6,500 rpm. The power is sent down to the wheels via a 5-speed, constant mesh gearbox which is specially tuned to handle the uneven roads quite well with the right amount of torque distribution at all the gears.

Braking & Safety

There are wavy-design disc brakes at both the ends, which increases the braking efficiency. Drum brakes could cause the bike to have an increased stopping distance, which may work against the rider if riding on extreme road conditions. Plus, the brakes have a decent bite on the big yet lightweight wheels in order to increase the overall efficiency.

Verdict

The Honda CRF150L would be capable of doing a pretty decent job in the Philippines market and though it may not be a rank best-seller, a half-decent job could be taken any day.

The features and the design are the biggest highlights served on the platter as the bike probably has the best design in the segment. However, in terms of the engine and performance, it looks a little inferior to competitors like the Kawasaki KLX 150L and the Yamaha XTZ125, the latter, though having a small engine, is more powerful than the Honda.

The pricing is very much at par with the Kawasaki but higher than that of the Yamaha, which acts as a slight drawback.