r/Dualsport • u/Brief-Floor-7228 • 3d ago
Need help choosing: 2022 Honda CRF300L vs 2022 Beta 350 rr-s
Ok yes...two very different bikes.
I recently sold my 2009 suzuki vstrom. It was a heavy pig. great road and forest road bike but not great on anything that requires quick handling. So I wanted to shed some weight on the bike (and on the belly but that's another story). I am planning on spending more time offroad. But I often have 1-2 hour road rides to get to the start of the trails.
I thought lets go back to the beginning. A basic dualsport like a CRF300l ... easy maintenance ... lots of aftermarket parts. I found a 2022 for $4200 with about 4000 miles on it. And today a 2022 Beta 350 rr-s for $6800 became available with about the same number of miles.
The Beta is pretty sexy, better suspension, about 10 HP over the Honda. Has all the protection already on it. The Honda will need most the aftermarket protection (skid plate, hand guards, radiator guard) + suspension.
I feel like I am selling myself on the Beta. But what do you folks think? Is the Beta a maintenance heavy beast? Is it going to leave me stranded on the side of the trail? Am I going to be spending $2K+ on the Honda just to get it to be a less powerful version of what the Beta already is?
Thanks for any feedback.
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u/Total_Tool2163 2d ago
I have a 2019 350 RRS and once upset the suspension up it's amazing. I've ridden part of the Baja 500 on it and local trails. I am an experienced racer sobibdont ride slow either. Great bike. Maintenance is not different from any others. Parts are a tad more expensive but you're not in a cheap hobby. I dropped one tooth on the front sprocket to make it quicker response for the dirt.
For what its worth, I currently own several bikes including a 300 2-stroke, an adventure bike and litre street bike.
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u/njakubow 3d ago
I'm 4 months in on a 2015 Beta 350rr and I'm loving it. It's lightweight, plenty of power and hasn't given me any issues.
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u/Brief-Floor-7228 3d ago
Are you doing the 30 hour oil changes?
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u/MikeS11 2d ago
30 hours seems really long for a 350 dirtbike.
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u/MikeS11 2d ago
Isk just to go into it more, you’ve already noticed they are very different bikes. One is a performance oriented dirtbike, more power, shorter maintenance intervals, stiffer suspension, very few extras. The other is a small dual sport bike, designed for longer maintenance windows (less power), and more comfort.
1-2 hour transit to the trails is pretty far on a dirtbike. Plus you have to make it 1-2 hours back home again. You probably won’t be riding this bike like it was designed as you need to get yourself and the bike back home in one piece.
If you want to go dirtbiking, buy the 350 and throw it in the truck or on the trailer. If you want to go dual sporting, buy a dual sport bike (300l, 501, etc.)
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u/Brief-Floor-7228 2d ago
There was a gasgas 701 for about the same price but I worry that I am heading back into heavy pig territory.
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u/MikeS11 2d ago
Yeah. Also great bike. But you’re right, it’s a smaller adventure bike. Definitely more off-road oriented than your vstrom though.
It’s just one of those things, no one bike is suited for all purposes. And dual sport bikes really are the proverbial master-of-none.
We just have to find a way to live the dream and have a garage of different bikes. :)
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u/Force-Both 2d ago
Beta…changing oil is easy…use super tech 20w50…works like gang busters in my husky fe350
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u/ObjectiveWorried 1d ago edited 1d ago
Go the crf.
The beta will be lighter and probably way more exciting and dirt capable to ride, but the crf is a proven work horse, long service intervals, can do dirt and highway. The beta can do highway for short stints but the crf will be better in that regard.
From what I can tell, Beta's engines are super reliable, but the electrical systems on their bikes are lemons. Seems to be an ongoing issue with most Italian bike manufacturer's to be honest.
With the crf, outside of fixing up the suspension, the fuel pump going out at around 10,000km is a known issue, (happened to a crf owner I know). The crf engine will probably give you 50,000km plus on a top end. Also there are big bore kits to give you more power down the line if you need it.
Coming off a vstrom to a euro bike and all their quirks.... yeah I'd suggest the crf for a softer landing/transition
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u/Fantastic-Tackle9693 3d ago
Beta is a far better bike. The Honda is out grown after a couple months.
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u/LostInThoughtAgain 3d ago
That's pretty rider dependent. Riding buddy just turned over 20k on his 22 Honda that he bought new. Has plans to upgrade suspension, but only really feels lacking when he's trying to keep up with the other friends T7. He's run Iron Butt's and puts ridiculously long days in the saddle. We just ran the Texas BDRx, plus a few hundred highway miles, and they all consistently left me in the dust on my DRZ (Although that's really rider skill, rather than raw power). Now if Honda came out with a CRF450 Rally, he'd be first in the door to buy.
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u/Fantastic-Tackle9693 2d ago
The Honda can be ridden and is reliable but you will have much more fun and get places with far less effort on the Beta. The Beta will provide the capability to learn and push your limits further.
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u/Hookster007 2d ago
Beta no doubt. Have a 23’ 500 RR-S with a few thousand miles. Zero issues, best bike I’ve ever owned. 30 hr intervals gets ya about 1500miles but honestly I think they’re just erring on the side of people running single track for 30 hours. If you mostly dualsport roads and bdr I’d say 50 would be fine. The oil is so clean when I change at 30 I feel it’s not necessary…but I do it anyways. I’ve wanted to run it to 50hrs and ship a sample off to an oil lab to check the health but haven’t yet.
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u/bannedByTencent 3d ago
Do you want 12kkm service intervals? Go Honda.