2009 Honda CRF230M: breaks fun limit, not speed limit
Rick Romanyk for the Toronto Star
Lack of horsepower aside, Honda’s 230M is still a pretty good street bike, with its sticky rubber mounted on 17-inch spoked rims, responsive handling and supple suspension for nasty potholes and pavement heaves.
The pickings have long been slim if under-500 cc street bikes are your passion.
However, small bike enthusiasts, rejoice. The famine has become a feast and I got to sink my teeth into a Honda CRF230M – the street version of the 230L dual purpose motorcycle that's selling like waffles in Belgium.
The 230M aspires to be a supermoto, a genre of motorcycles with specific styling and performance qualities:
Dirt bike styling? Check.
Good handling? Yep.
Fat, sticky rubber mounted on 17-inch spoked rims? Check.
Abundant horsepower? Uh, not so much.
Lack of ponies aside, the 230M is still a pretty good street bike, although at $6,399, the air-cooled, two-valve, SOHC Honda faces stiff competition.
Kawasaki has the $6,299 KLX250SF, which has 26 cc (more than 10 per cent) more displacement, liquid-cooling and a four-valve, DOHC head.
But the Kawasaki weighs 12 kg more, which somewhat offsets the extra horsepower from its more modern engine.
Yes, the Honda's engine is simple but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Being carburetted, the 230M requires a bit of warm-up with the choke on first thing in the morning. But once up to temperature, throttle response is flawless everywhere in the rev range.
The little Honda is absolutely miserly on fuel consumption, too, returning an average of 3.4 L/100 km (83 m.p.g.) under my normal (i.e. "flogging it") riding conditions.
The 230M has basically the same frame and suspension as the 230L, although the M's steering geometry is slightly quicker due to its intended pavement-only use.
Front forks are non-adjustable 37 mm Showa units with 229 mm of travel while the preload adjustable rear shock has 167 mm of travel.
Spring and damping rates seemed a bit on the soft side for someone of my (ahem) size and girth but then again, riders like me are not the intended market. It would likely be much better for smaller, lighter riders.
Gearing is slightly taller overall than the 230L, but you'll still be into second gear by the time you're halfway through an intersection – and grabbing third shortly after.
Even using lots of throttle while tap-dancing through the excellent gearbox, acceleration can only be described as leisurely, although it's more than enough to keep you out in front of the cages.
Short trips on Hwy. 401 reveal that the 230M is (mostly) capable of keeping up with traffic, but it's pretty much wrung out at those velocities.
Clearly, its natural habitat is not the superslab.
Where the 230M really shines is as a commuter or city bike. The feathery 125 kg weight (and that's with a full tank of gas), narrow profile and upright riding position make it ideal for zipping around town.
The supple suspension protects the Royal Bottom from nasty potholes, craters and heaves. The sticky 110/70 front and 130/70 rear Dunlops allow for some very aggressive cornering angles and the little Honda is an absolute hoot to throw around.
The 240 mm front disc is lifted right off the enduro model, as is the single, dual-piston sliding caliper – while another single piston caliper squeezes the 220 mm rear disc.
Braking power is up to the task of slowing the 230M, although under moderate-to-heavy braking, the forks dive excessively, and when the brakes are released, they pogo right back up again. I found it better to brake early and lightly when hustling around corners so as not to upset the chassis.
The square headlight, large rectangular turn signals and instrument cluster look like they were lifted off a mid-1980s XR500. Functional, yes, but it's almost 2010 and it makes the bike look a tad dated. And, when you're coughing up six large, a tachometer should be included.
The 230M's relatively low 805 mm (31.7-inch) seat height means it was a bit cramped for me, but new riders or those short of inseam will find it a very hospitable place to be.
The narrow, hard seat means you won't be spending hours on end in the saddle but bikes like this aren't made for day trips in the first place.
The cool thing about the Honda 230M (and, indeed all 250 class streetbikes) is that you can ride them flat-out and nobody cares.
Come up to a corner, grab a couple of downshifts, throw it over and power it out (and I use the word "power" here loosely) and nobody gives a damn.
You're not making any noise and, even better, you're not breaking any speed limits.
Honda's CRF230M is practical, well-finished and gets great fuel economy but it's also a return to motorcycling's roots – it's fun.
Freelancer writer Steve Bond reviews motorcycles for Wheels. stevebond8@yahoo.ca
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