2017 CRF250L vs Bashan Enforcer

[mcwhorter-enforcer]

So I am sad to say that I have sold my Enforcer. I needed a bike with a little better top end than what it could provide. I did really enjoy my ownership of it and to be honest the guy that bought it bothered me to death with complaints for several days. I really think he was expecting Honda quality at a Chinese price....and it got me thinking. I am going to do a comparison...and this might surprise a lot of people.

Keep in mind..these are both bone stock bikes

Let the games begin..... 2017 CRF250L vs 2017 Bashan Enforcer:

Gauges Crf is the winner but it has its disappointments. Crf comes with a digital gauge w/ a tach. The Bashan didnt have a bad stock cluster and the thing that beats the Crf is the gear indicator. That is a nice stock feature especially since I went form a 5 gear to a 6 gear bike. It is also nice for the trails.

Stock Tires and wheels- Enforcer gets the win here. I am sure the wheels on the Crf are better but the sh**y and let me say skinny tires suck. I do found I dont get stuck in groves on the road as much, but man do I miss the knobbys that thing came with. I did have to replace the front tube on the Enforcer but that price compared to tires....makes all the difference plus the need for a knobbier tire on the trails.

Power train(this part is going to be kinda long)- This is kind of a draw to be honest. The Crf does have a higher top speed and it is a lot stronger of an engine. What I dont get is that there is a power band that runs from 6k-8k rpm. Seems way up there when you are use to the Enforcer that was smooth power and throttle response all through the gears. The throttle response is very touchy CRF and is almost unpredictable on the trails I ride, with the Enforcer I knew what I was getting every time I opened the throttle approaching a hill. May just need some getting used to but the Crf wins on the road side....Enforcer on the trailside.

Obviously the EFI DOHC is way better than the Push Rod and Carb...hands down, not much to say about it, except...EFI is touchy...throttle response is faster...good and bad.

There is no replacement for displacement, the Crf is a true 250cc machine.

Service intervals on the Crf are almost nill...I am talking once a year or 6,000 miles for the oil change nill.

Clutch/Gears Honda is smoother, but does have issues with first and nuetral like the Enforcer. They both felt like they were hung up and I have actually went to pull away from a red light just to realize I am still in 2nd on the Honda...it just felt like I was in 1st when I was dropping through the gears.

Cost of ownership- Enforcer..Enforcer..Enforcer.. is the winner...winner..winner.. Lets face it the Enforcer was cheap to upgrade(even though mine was completely stock). Exhaust, Mods, and honestly the excellent support of this group. Hands down it was cheaper to get the look and feel you wanted. Honda is like Harley and everything you want seems to equal multiple one hundred dollar bills. That stupid gear indicator the seems so silly...$87 bucks on ebay...its the size of a quarter.

Reliability- So far its a draw...its hard to beat a Honda but that China bike never once left me stranded, started every single time. As hot as that motor would get running through trails it never died or flinched.


Summary- I love them both and if the wife wouldn't have thrown such a fit the Enforcer would still be sitting next to the Honda in the garage. So to the guy that wined and cried expecting Honda quality out of a China bike...there is my run down and I seriously hope you took my advice and joined this site and have started to watch Motocheez on youtube.

[Megadan]

Good comparison, and pretty much everything I expected you to say. When it comes to such small engines, you basically have to choose between torquey low rpm grunt that the 2 valve pushrod CG clones designed for "every day" use in the real world deliver, or a higher horsepower peaky powerband of what is essentially a race motor.

Just a suggestion to you, that twitchy throttle that you complain about is a common complaint with many Honda motorcycles. Consider having a flash tune done to the ECU. Honda is well known for tuning their engines on the lean side at low revs, and it tends to make the throttles very herky-jerky. My VFR had this same issue until I had a flash tune done. It should help smooth out the low RPM throttle response and power delivery, and may even bring out a little more power down low as a result. Also consider a G2 "Dirt Tamer" throttle tube. It has a progressive cam profile for the throttle cable, so it gives a bit better control in the lower throttle positions.
https://www.g2ergo.com/store/g2-dirt-tamer/

[mcwhorter-enforcer]

Thanks, I will start looking into them.

You know its kinda funny, the first thing I looked up after seeing the price for mods on this thing was "chinese parts for crf250l"

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by mcwhorter-enforcer

Thanks, I will start looking into them.

You know its kinda funny, the first thing I looked up after seeing the price for mods on this thing was "chinese parts for crf250l"

Honda motorcycle parts are always a bit on the pricey side, but often times the genuine parts are worth the extra cost. Two things almost all Honda motorcycles tend to need are: ECU tuning and Suspension tuning. Honda is really bad about too soft suspension and too lean fueling.

[culcune]

What about comfort? My TMEC 200 has a fairly comfortable seat, and got me to and from work, 33 miles a day roundtrip, with no complaining in the comfort dept. I sat on a CRF at the dealer and that seat was definitely NOT comfortable; it seemed like they wanted you to purchase an aftermarket one as your first aftermarket purchase.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by culcune

What about comfort? My TMEC 200 has a fairly comfortable seat, and got me to and from work, 33 miles a day roundtrip, with no complaining in the comfort dept. I sat on a CRF at the dealer and that seat was definitely NOT comfortable; it seemed like they wanted you to purchase an aftermarket one as your first aftermarket purchase.

Comfort is very subjective. I, like you, find the stock CRF seating to be like sitting on a barely cushioned 2x4. My Hawk is like sitting on an over soft cushioned and poorly shaped 2x6.

[mcwhorter-enforcer]

Wasn't really impressed with the comfort at first but now the seat has broke in a little. Not sure if it is the seat or suspension but I dont seem to have back pain anymore after riding.

[culcune]

Originally Posted by Megadan

Comfort is very subjective. I, like you, find the stock CRF seating to be like sitting on a barely cushioned 2x4. My Hawk is like sitting on an over soft cushioned and poorly shaped 2x6.

Originally Posted by mcwhorter-enforcer

Wasn't really impressed with the comfort at first but now the seat has broke in a little. Not sure if it is the seat or suspension but I dont seem to have back pain anymore after riding.

Megadan--yes, it reminded me of a board; I understood if it was the racing model, but it was the street version!

Mcwhorter--my guess is Honda will sell you a shiny new, comfortable aftermarket seat for $XXX dollars if you wanted one. Then again, sitting on one at a dealership vs. owning one, I would never have considered a seat to get worn in, and would have probably taken Megadan's suggestion and ordered a genuine Honda aftermarket seat, but I do find it a little annoying that they charge nearly $5k for a street bike with such discomfort. Obviously, the rest of the bike is top-notch, but a seat is a first impression!


In spite of the seat, I am still eyeballing the 'adventure' version of the CRF250L...