Alright folks, grabbed Chad’s 2015 CRf230f for a proper shake-down yesterday. Been curious how this old thumper stacks up on some gnarly trails plus wanted hard numbers on speed and gas mileage. Buckle up.
Getting Ready & Hitting The Trails
First things first, loaded up my gear:
- The trusty CRF230f (bone stock, Chad swears he never fiddled with it)
- Garmin GPS watch for speed tracking
- A fresh gas can and measuring jug
- My old dirt helmet, feeling heavy already
Filled the tank right to the brim – exactly 2.1 gallons total capacity. Zeroed out the trip meter. Kicked it over cold, took three good stomps to wake it up. That carburetor whine is pure nostalgia. Shoved the GPS watch into my glove pocket hoping it wouldn’t bounce out.
Headed straight for Ponderosa Trail. Gotta say, the suspension on this thing is forgiving as heck. Roots and rocks? It kinda just floats over, real comfy at slow crawls. Feels planted. Engine’s pulling smooth and easy in second and third gear, even crawling up loose gravel climbs. Doesn’t fight you. But man, on anything faster? Forget it. Hit a stutter bump section doing maybe 25 mph? Rattled my damn teeth out, front end felt like it was dancing on marbles. Had to scrub speed way back. Suspension is soft, great for learners or putting around, but pushes through the travel quick on real chop.
The Need For (Moderate) Speed
After about an hour of trail slogs, found a straight, flat gravel service road. Perfect for a top speed run. Downshifted to fourth (it’s only got five gears, remember!), pinned it wide open. Felt it pulling… pulling… slowing… yep, that was it. GPS confirmed: 67 mph. And man, it felt sketchy. Bike buzzing like crazy under me, thin front tire feeling vague. Tried again later after warming up properly – same deal, 67 max. Seems solidly topped out there. Definitely ain’t no highway cruiser, hah! Okay for fire roads if you’re patient.
Sipping Or Guzzling? The Gas Test
Rode trails for another solid two hours. Mix of slow crawling, short bursts of speed, lots of gear changing. Got back to the truck feeling it. Time to see how thirsty it was.
Drained the remaining fuel into my jug. Did the math:
- Started with full tank: 2.1 US gal
- Rode 34 miles (per trip meter)
- Refilled with 0.89 gallons from the jug
So, 34 miles divided by 0.89 gallons = roughly 38 miles per gallon. Not too shabby, honestly. Figured it’d burn more. Putts around slow trails sipping fuel nicely. It’ll go all day if you’re gentle on the throttle.
Wrapping It Up
Final thoughts? This little tank kicks ass on technical slow trails. Easy as pie to ride, suspension soaks up the small bumps, super reliable feel. Top speed is a solid 67 mph but feels like riding a washing machine at anything over 50. Fuel use is pretty great – got 38 mpg while really mixing it up.
Honest take? Perfect beginner bike or a trail plonker. Don’t expect modern performance. Suspension limits harder riding, and the vibe gets old fast at speed. But for puttering around trails with friends? Simple, cheap to run, hard to break. Kinda love it for that, even if my back is yelling at me now.
Maybe Chad’ll let me borrow it again… after some suspension mods?
