Honda CRF230L (2008-2012) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals

This is the maintenance schedule and associated service intervals for the Honda CRF230L.

The Honda CRF230L is a dual-sport motorcycle made released by Honda in 2008 and made until 2012, when it was replaced by the 2013 model year Honda CRF250L. Like its more well-known (these days) successor, the CRF230L was designed as a small, lightweight, affordable four-stroke dual-sport good for beginners, commuters, or adventure riders.

Honda released the CRF230L to succeed the XL185S. In fact, the CRF230L was Honda’s first new dual sport motorcycle in sixteen years since the introduction of the XR650L in 1992.

Like other single-cylinder dual sport motorcycles, the CRF230L is easy to maintain and very forgiving if you get something wrong (either in riding it or fixing it).

This was originally published on Feb 5, 2021, but has since been updated with more detail.

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Honda CRF230L Service Intervals

The CRF230L has 6000 km or 4000 mile service intervals, at which point you have to check the valve clearances.

But you should replace the oil more often, changing it every 2000 miles or 3200 km per the service schedule.

Every two services (every four oil changes), clean the oil strainer and centrifugal filter, and change the spark plugs.

There are a number of other standard inspection items to check at every service.

Honda CRF230L Maintenance Schedule

Below is the maintenance schedule for the Honda CRF230L.

The below schedule is an improvement over the schedule in the manual in the following ways:

1. Honda recommended difficulty levels of each maintenance task. Most things are marked as user-serviceable, including valve inspections. But Honda recommends you take it to a dealer for servicing the steering bearings and wheels.
2. The order of items is changed, placing oil changes and other important items at the top.

Maintenance Procedures:

• I: inspect and clean, adjust, lubricate, or replace, if necessary
• C: clean
• A: adjust
• L: lubricate
• R: replace

Notes on the maintenance schedule:

• At higher odometer readings, repeat at the frequency interval below.
• Observe the earlier of distance or time-based service intervals.

x 1000 km	6	12	18	24	30	36
x 1000 mi	4	8	12	16	20	24
Months	6	12	18	24	30	36	Every
Engine Oil (see note, do more often)	R	R	R	R	R	R	Replace between services — every 2000 mi / 3200 km or every 2 years
Engine Oil Strainer Screen		C		C		C
Engine Oil Centrifugal Filter		C		C		C
Spark Plugs	I	R	I	R	I	R
Valve Clearance	I	I	I	I	I	I
Air Cleaner			R			R	More often if riding in dusty or wet conditions
Sub Air Cleaner			R			R
Fuel Line		I		I		I
Fuel Strainer Screen	C	C	C	C	C	C
Throttle Operation		I		I		I
Choke Operation		I		I		I
Crankcase Breather	C	C	C	C	C	C	More often if riding in rain or at full throttle
Engine Idle Speed	I	I	I	I	I	I
Secondary Air Supply System		I		I		I
Drive Chain Slider	I	I	I	I	I	I
Brake Fluid	I	I	R	I	I	R	Replace every 2 years
Brake Pad Wear	I	I	I	I	I	I
Brake System		I		I		I
Brake Light Switch		I		I		I
Headlight Aim		I		I		I
Clutch System	I	I	I	I	I	I
Side Stand		I		I		I
Suspension		I		I		I
Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners		I		I		I	Inspect every 2 years
Wheels/Tires		I		I		I	Inspect every 2 years
Steering Head Bearings		I		I		I

Maintaining Your Chain on the Honda CRF230L

It’s important to maintain your chain on the CRF230L, as you’re likely to ride this bike in adverse conditions, like in the rain, off-road, or both at the same time.

Use a good-quality chain lubricant like Motul chain paste, or a Motul chain care kit which comes with a couple of handy tools to maintain the chain.

Honda recommends you follow the following chain maintenance schedule:

Chain maintenance item	Every
Check drive chain lubrication condition, lubricating if necessary	600 mi / 1000 km
Check drive chain slack, adjusting if necessary	600 mi / 1000 km

Of course, this is a general recommendation. Adjust the schedule as you see fit, e.g.

• Do these items (checking/adjusting slack, and checking/applying lubrication) more often if you ride your CRF230L in dusty or rainy conditions.
• Always lubricate the chain after washing the motorcycle.

Tire size and tire pressure for the Honda CRF230L

The Honda CRF230L uses tubed tires. The manual gives the following tire sizes, brands, and recommended tyre pressures.

Tyre	Size	Brand(s)	Tyre pressure
Front	2.75-21 45P	BRIDGESTONE TW27	125 kPa (18 psi)
Rear	120/80-18M/C 62P	BRIDGESTONE TW30	150 kPa (22 psi)

About the Honda CRF230L

Honda has been making dual-sport motorcycles for many decades, and the CRF230L was the latest in the series at the time.

These days, it has been eclipsed by the CRF250L and the more recent Honda CRF300L. But still, there are used examples of the Honda CRF230L going strong.

The CRF230L is powered by a torque-rich 223 cc air-cooled four-stroke single-cylinder engine. It puts power to the ground through a six-speed transmission and chain drive. It makes fairly diminutive power, as you’d expect, but it’s a dual-sport bike. Needless to say, you probably won’t be droning down the highway on one.

The CRF230L has a lightweight frame, and long-travel suspension that’s suitable for bumpy roads. It weighs just 121 kg (267 lb) fully loaded and with a full tank of gas, making it very easy to manage on a wide range of terrain.

The CRF230L has the weight and torque of a dirt bike, but with a headlight, tail light, turn signals and mirrors to keep it street legal.

The Honda CRF230L is extremely reliable. The air-cooled engine has just a 9.0:1 compression ratio — meaning it’s very under-stressed and will last for a long time with just oil changes.

Oil change intervals are a fairly short 2000 miles / 3200 km, which is more a reflection of operating hours rather than distance. You don’t ride the CRF230L very quickly! At every oil change you also should check the valves.

Luckily, there are just two valves — one inlet, one outlet, on the one cylinder, making the maintenance schedule for the Honda CRF230L very easy to follow.

Reference — Manual for the Honda CRF230L

The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Honda CRF230L (from the 2008 model year, but it’s the same as for other years).

You can get manuals for early Honda motorcycles from Honda directly. However, this is an older motorcycle, so you can get an archive copy of the service and maintenance-related sections below.