Honda CRF300L & CRF300 Rally (2021+) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule and associated service intervals for the Honda CRF300L and CRF300L Rally, an update on the long-standing Honda CRF250L (which actually has near-identical maintenance when you look at the manual for the last year it was sold, 2020).
The Honda CRF300L is a dual-sport motorcycle, part of the Honda CRF series, manufactured by Honda for their global market. The CRF300L was first released for the 2021 model year. It comes in two versions:
- Honda CRF300L (base model): Dirt-oriented
- Honda CRF300L Rally: Touring-oriented with a larger tank, windscreen, hand guards, design changes, and a few other accessories.
But both models share the same basis — longer-stroke 286cc fuel-injected single that makes 20 kW (27 hp), with a shorter six-speed transmission (an improvement on the CRF250L’s longer gears) and chain drive.
This was originally posted on July 21, 2021, but since has been significantly updated as of September 2023, adding service intervals, chain maintenance, tire specs, and more.
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Honda CRF300L Service Intervals
Overall, the Honda CRF300L has 4000 mile / 6400 km service intervals. Every service, do a number of checks, mostly of safety equipment.
Change the oil of the CRF300L every 8 000 miles / 12 800 km. And a valve clearance major inspection is due every 16 000 mi / 25 600 km.
The good news is that there’s only one cylinder and four valves, and removal of the shims doesn’t mean removing the camshaft and upsetting the timing.
Since the CRF300L is liquid-cooled, make sure you keep the coolant fresh, and replace the brake fluid at regular intervals.
Finally, regularly maintain the chain of the Honda CRF300L according to the guidance below.
What you need to service your Honda CRF300L and CRF300L Rally
Maintaining a fuel-injected dual-sport or adventure bike is part of the ownership experience! You’re going to get the chain dirty, the air cleaner clogged up, and put the suspension and pivot points through abuse.
Aside from regular motorcycle maintenance tools, here are a few other things you’ll need to keep your CRF300L in spec.
| Part | Honda CRF300L and CRF300 Rally |
|---|---|
| Oil | Honda recommends SAE 10W-30, JASO T 903 standard MA (or API classification SG or higher) oil such as Pro Honda GN4 10W-30. Use a torque wrench to tighten the bolt to 24 Nm (18 lb-ft). |
| Oil filter | You can use Hiflofiltro HF112 for the oil filter as a drop-in replacement. Honda OEM is 15410-KYJ-902. |
| Air filter | You can use the reusable DNA air filter, whose part number is P-H3E21-01. The Honda OEM part number is 17220-K1T-E10 |
| Spark plugs | Use NGK spark plug part SIMR8A9. |
| Chain maintenance | To maintain your chain, Motul chain paste is quite well-liked. There’s also the Motul chain care kit which is affordable and good. |
| Brake fluid | You can use any fluid, but Honda recommends Honda DOT 4. |
| Brake pads (front) | Part number for the front pads is 06451-KZZ-902. EBC front brake pads have part number FA465R. |
| Brake pads (rear) | Part number for the rear pads is 06435-KZZ-902. EBC rear brake pads have part number FA629R. |
| Coolant | Use Honda Coolant, which is a long-life coolant with rust inhibitors. |
| Grease | Stock up on lithium soap-based grease and silicon grease to keep pivots and moving parts lubricated and protected. |
Honda CRF300 Maintenance Schedule
Below is the maintenance schedule for the Honda CRF300L and CRF300 Rally.
Notes:
- At higher odometer readings, repeat at the service intervals shown below.
- Honda recommends getting some items, e.g. the wheels, steering bearings, and brakes, serviced by a professional for safety reasons.
- The break-in service isn’t shown — it’s to change the oil and filter at 600 mi / 1000 km.
- For items that are more affected off-road (e.g. nuts and bolts tightness, wheels, air cleaner, chain), service them more often if doing a lot of off-road time.
| x 1000 mi | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x 1000 km | 6.4 | 12.8 | 19.2 | 25.6 | 32 | 38.4 | Every |
| Conduct standard inspection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Engine Oil (Pro Honda GN4) — Replace | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Year | |||
| Engine Oil Filter (HF112) — Replace | ✓ | ||||||
| Spark Plug (NGK SIMR8A9) — Inspect | ✓ | Replace every 32K mi (50K km) | |||||
| Valve Clearances — Inspect / Adjust | ✓ | ||||||
| Air Cleaner (K&N HA-2513) — Replace | ✓ | ✓ | More often when riding in rain/dirt | ||||
| Crankcase Breather — Clean | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | More often when riding in rain or at full throttle |
| Radiator Coolant (Honda Coolant) — Inspect level / Replace | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Replace every 3 years | |||
| Secondary Air Supply System — Inspect | ✓ | ||||||
| Evaporative Emission Control System (CA only) — Inspect | ✓ | ||||||
| Brake Fluid (Honda DOT 4) — Inspect levels / replace | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Replace every 2 years |
| Brake Pad Wear — Inspect | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Clutch System — Inspect | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Spark Arrester (if fitted) — Clean | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Wheels/Tires — Check condition | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Standard service checklist
Do the following checks on your Honda CRF300L as part of every scheduled inspection.
| Honda CRF300L Inspection Checklist |
|---|
| Fuel Lines — Check condition, correct routing, and for no cracks |
| Throttle operation and free play – Lubricate with Protect all cable life Target free play: 2-6 mm (1/16 – 1/4 in) |
| Check engine idle speed Target idle speed: 1450 rpm +/- 100 rpm |
| Cooling system — Check for no leaks, and that fans come on |
| Drive chain slider — Check wear level. Replace as necessary |
| Brake system — Check for proper function |
| Brake light switch — Check lights come on |
| Suspension — Check for smooth operation, no leaks |
| Headlight aim — Check, re-adjust after adjusting suspension |
| Side stand / Centre stand — Check for smooth function, lubrication condition |
| Steering head bearings — Check for smooth operation |
| Nuts, bolts, fasteners — Check for presence. Replace / retighten as needed |
| Crankcase breather (if fitted) — Check, clean as needed |
Maintaining Your Chain on the Honda CRF300L
It’s important to maintain your chain on the CRF300L, as on any chain-driven motorcycle, but particularly on a dual sport that gets lots of time in dust, rain, mud etc.
A good-quality and well-recommended portable chain lube is Motul chain paste, which is easy to pack.
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 |
Notes:
- Do these items (checking/adjusting slack, and checking/applying lubrication) more often if you ride your CRF300L in dusty or rainy conditions.
- Always lubricate the chain after washing the motorcycle.
Measuring drive chain slack on the CRF300L
To measure drive chain slack, put the motorcycle in neutral on a flat surface, and put it on its side stand.
Measure between the top of the swingarm and the top part of the chain, pulling it up slightly to add tension to it. Measure to the middle of the drive chain.
Target drive chain slack: 50-55 mm (2-2 1/4 in)
If the slack is greater than that, you need to adjust the slack.
To adjust the chain slack, follow the procedure below. As when measuring chain slack, make sure that the motorcycle is on a level surface on its kickstand, in neutral, with no weight on it (no saddlebags / luggage).
- Loosen the rear axle and the adjuster lock nuts on either side of the axle.
- Turn the adjuster nuts to tighten (or loosen) the chain. Keep checking the chain tension to see if it has come within spec. (Target chain slack is 50-55 mm)
- Keep an eye on the adjuster alignment marks on either side of the axle. Make sure that the adjustment is to the same point.
- When you’re done, tighten the axle to 88 Nm / 65 lb-ft, and tighten the adjuster lock nuts to 27 Nm / 20 lb-ft.
- Re-check the chain slack again to make sure it’s still within spec.
Tyre size and tyre pressure for the Honda CRF300L
The Honda manual refers to the following tyre sizes, recommended tyres, and tyre pressures (when cold).
These are tubed tyres.
| Tyre | Size | Stock brand | Tyre pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | 80/100-21 M/C (51P) | IRC GP-21F | 22 psi (150 kPa, 1.50 kgf/cm2 ) |
| Rear | 120/80-18M/C (62P) | IRC GP-22R | 22 psi (150 kPa, 1.50 kgf/cm2 ) |
Tightening Torque Specs for the Honda CRF300L
Below are the tightening torque specs for the Honda CRF300L for major maintenance items.
| Item | Nm | lb-ft |
|---|---|---|
| Oil drain bolt | 24 | 18 |
| Spark plug | 16 | 12 |
| Front axle bolt | 69 | 51 |
| Front axle holder bolt | 22 | 16 |
| Front brake disc bolt | 20 | 15 |
| Fork — Top and bottom bridge pinch bolts | 29 | 21 |
| Fork center bolt | 20 | 15 |
| Steering stem nut | 103 | 76 |
| Rear axle nut | 88 | 65 |
| Rear brake disc bolt | 42 | 31 |
| Front sprocket fixing plate | 10 | 7 |
| Rear sprocket | 32 | 24 |
About the Honda CRF300L and CRF300L Rally
The Honda CRF300L is a lightweight and super-reliable 4-stroke dual sport, and the Rally is the version slightly more oriented towards longer-distance travel.
Honda CRF300L takes over from the CRF250L, already a well-liked lightweight dual sport, but the CRF300L and CRF300L Rally was a major update.
At its core, the Honda CRF300L is the same kind of bike: a very simple but modern single-cylinder lightweight adventure travel bike. This is a bike that’s cheap to own and maintain, easy to fix, and capable of going almost anywhere.
Other big-bore adventure bikes will get totally stuck in places like rocky crossings that the CRF300L can scamper up without too much trouble.
But the CRF300L is a significant update on the Honda CRF250L, anyway:
- New longer-stroke 286cc engine — making 10% more peak power, and 18% more peak torque (and more torque across the whole powerband)
- Lighter kerb weight — the CRF300L is 4 kg lighter (despite the bigger engine)
- Improved frame — longer-travel suspension, more ground clearance, improved steering geometry and riding position
- New LCD instrument cluster for both models
- Rally: 2.7L extra fuel capacity (basically another 100 km!), plus improved long-range comfort options, like a short screen and engine protection.
Both the CRF300L and CRF300L Rally get shorter ratios for the first five gears, even further amplifying the increased torque of the bigger engine.
On the other hand, 6th gear is distinctly taller, for relaxed highway cruising. The best of both worlds!
Manual for the Honda CRF300L
The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the 2021 Honda CRF300L Rally. It’s identical for the CRF300L base model.
You can download the manual for the Honda CRF300L from Honda’s website here.
This is a great resource for any CRF300 Rally owner – thanks