Finally, an aftermarket rear brake pedal is available from Moose Racing that replaces that cheap stock brake pedal, which is prone to bending. The Moose Racing Forged Aluminum Rear Brake Pedal, manufactured by Hammerhead Moto, is made out of durable forged aluminum and has an adjustable tip. We recently installed one on our project bike, and it's a nice upgrade over stock. We have one of these on our CRF450RL project bike as well, and these are very high quality. Highly recommended... replace that cheap steel stock brake pedal with something that won't bend so easily!
SEPTEMBER 2022 UPDATE:
Performance: In our previous update, we had installed a CRF300L Akrapovic Slip-On Muffler, which we really liked. Akra finally came out with a CRF300L header pipe for the bike, so we installed it (along with a Z Carbon heat shield). Didn't feel much of a performance difference, but it sounds slightly better, and obviously looks much better than that black painted stock header pipe. This exhaust system is expensive, but it's worth it if you are looking for something a little bit quieter than the other aftermarket exhaust systems on the market, and since the muffler is full titanium, it's very lightweight compared to the stock muffler.
Graphics: Honda did a great job with the stock red/white/blue graphics, but we thought the fenders and lower fork protectors needed something to finish out the look. So, we decided to have some Fender/Fork Protector Decal Kits made up for the bikes, so we've installed those, and we're very pleased with the look.
Kickstand: The CRF300L kickstand is a known problem... it's just too short, and the bike leans over too much. With the Race Tech suspension package, our bike's ride height is about an inch higher than stock, so the bike leans over even more. We installed a T-Rex Racing Adjustable Kickstand, with it extended out as far as it will go, and this helped quite a bit. It still leans over a bit more than we'd like, so it would be nice if we could extend this out another 1/2" (and we called T-Rex to recommend this). If you are at or close to stock ride height though, this kickstand is a nice upgrade.
MAY 2022 UPDATE:
Suspension: We finally received and installed our Race Tech rear shock and front fork upgrades. Out front, we installed Race Tech's Front Fork Spring Kit and their Gold Valve Kit, and in the back, we replaced the stock rear shock with Race Tech's G3-S Internal Reservoir Rear Shock. Because the stock suspension is so soft, and non-adjustable, this is probably the best single upgrade you can do to the CRF300L if you want to do any type of off-road riding. Now our 300L's suspension is setup for my weight and riding style, and initial impressions are really really good. The bike now has proper off-road suspension, and feels as good as our CRF450RL project bike, which IMHO has really good suspension on it.. One surprise was that the now stiffer suspension results in a taller seat height.... approximately 1 inch total. So, if you order from us, mention in the comments at checkout if you want to try to retain the stock seat height or if you are OK with it being taller. Race Tech can accommodate either, but needs to know prior to building out your order.
Performance: Initially we planned to install a Yoshimura RS-4 Full Exhaust System on our bike, but they were out of stock at the time. I managed to get ahold of an Akrapovic Slip-On Muffler though, so we installed it along with a JD Jetting EFI Controller. So far I'm real pleased with this setup. The Akra slip-on is made out of titanium, so it's nearly 5 lbs lighter than the stock muffler. It also has a nice deep sound to it.... not quite as loud as the full Yoshi setup, but definitely louder than stock. Performance is also improved and the bike feels better from the butt-dyno perspective, and doesn't seem to feel as corked up as it did with the stock exhaust.
SUMMER 2022 - CURRENT DUAL SPORT SETUP:
We have our 2021 Honda CRF300L setup with the following parts and accessories...
HANDLEBARS/HANDGUARDS...
The stock handlebars on the bike are very low in profile/height, they're made out of steel, and have threaded inserts in the ends, which makes installing handguards a challenge. We decided to replace ours with aftermarket aluminum bars, and went with oversize 1 1/8" Pro Taper Contours in the CRF Mid bend. To install the oversize handlebars, we used Pro Taper's Universal Solid Mounts, which sit down in the stock 7/8" handlebar mounts and allow you to mount the 1 1/8" bars. Your stock controls, grips, etc will fit right back on the oversize bars just fine, since the handlebars taper back down to 7/8" on the ends. We decided to replace our stock grips and throttle tube with aftermarket bits from Pro Taper and G2. The new Pro Taper handlebars will be much more durable, and they ended up being a little over 1" higher than the stock bars, so this will be much comfortable, especially when standing. We re-used the Zeta Armor handguards we had installed on the stock handlebars, but instead of using their standard handlebar clamps, we used Zeta's hand guard mounts that attach to the top triple clamp.
COCKPIT...
The stock mirrors were one of the first things we replaced... they provide descent visibility, but they can do damage if you drop the bike and one of them breaks off, especially on the front brake reservoir side. We went with the much more durable DoubleTake Dual Sport Mirrors. The stock footpegs are very narrow and prone to bending if you drop the bike. We replaced ours with lightweight Zeta Aluminum footpegs, which are larger/wider than the stock pegs, and will make them much more comfortable when standing up on the bike. They also have have more teeth for added grip. The stock clutch/brake levers are super long and non-adjustable. We replaced ours with the shorter 3-finger Zeta Pivot Levers, which are much more durable AND they are adjustable for reach.
HEADLIGHT, TAIL LIGHT, TURN SIGNALS, ELECTRIC...
The stock halogen headlight bulb is not very bright, and it's yellowish in color. We replaced ours with a much brighter Cyclops LED bulb, that is white in color. Out back, we replaced the stock tail light and turn signals with a very trick 12oClockLabs Integrated Tail Light kit, which really cleans up the back of the bike. Up front, we removed the stock turn signals, and went with Zeta's integrated LED turn signals in the handguards. 12oClockLabs running light adapter keep those front LED's on as running lights, and their fixed rate flasher will prevent the new LED's from hyper flashing.
AUXILIARY LED LIGHTING ...
Small and narrow dual sports like the CRF300L are probably one of the hardest bikes for car drivers to see on the road. We wanted to install front auxiliary lighting so our bike stands out more, and we also wanted something to provide better lighting if we ever get caught out on the road/trail after dark. We've used Denali lighting on our Tenere 700 project bike, and it is super high quality stuff. We went with their small DM line of LED lights, and mounted them to the stock front turn signal mounting location. Now we're much more visible on the road, and the super bright LED's will also work great after dark.
12oClockLabs Turn Signal Mount Plates from SRmoto **
** NOTE: We used the turn signal mount plates to mount the Denali's to the stock front turn signal location
SUSPENSION...
For my weight, and the type of riding I do, the stock CRF300L suspension was way too soft and lacks any way to adjust it, aside from rear pre-load. So, we did Race Tech's Front Fork Spring Kit and Gold Valves for the front forks, and replaced the stock rear shock with Race Tech's Internal Reservoir G3-S shock. What a difference this stuff makes. The bike now has proper dirt bike suspension, that is setup for my weight and riding, plus it has further adjust-ability if I see that as necessary in the future.
BRAKES:
The stock brakes are definitely one of the bikes weak points. We replaced the stock front and rear brake pad with more aggressive Galfer Sintered pads and that did improve front braking. We will also be installing their front/rear braided stainless steel brake lines at some point. We did this same setup on our CRF250L project bike and the brakes were so much improved compared to stock.
DRIVETRAIN...
The stock chain works just fine, but at our bikes first service, when we were replacing our tires with the new Michelins, we decided to swap out the chain for a D.I.D 520 ERVT that we also use on our CRF450RL project bike. And at that same time, we swapped the stock chain guide for Zeta's black/red anodized model.
TIRES & WHEELS...
We weren't a big fan of the stock IRC's, so those had to go at the first service. We've used the Michelin Anakee Wild on our WR250R project bike, and really liked them. It's one of the better 50/50 tire options out there.
Brakes: Galfer Braided Stainless Steel Brake lines will help improve brake lever/pedal feel
Steering Stabilizer: We're hoping Scotts will have a steering stabilizer kit for it soon
Luggage: Probably adding Giant Loop Saddlebags and also Rotopax to carry more fuel
More as we ride the bike and get a feel for what it needs...
NOTE: All parts listed will fit a 2021+ Honda CRF300L
VIDEOS....
Honda CRF300L Project Bike Update #1
Honda CRF300L Project Bike Update #2
Akrapovic CRF300L Sound Demo Video
Akrapovic CRF300L Sound Demo with Brief Review
CRF300L Graphics Package
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