Motorcylist Magazine's Top 2 Best Lightweight Dual Sport Bikes
Motocrossers and enduros are great, but off-road-only machines come up short when it comes to practicality. If you live in the right place (and know the right people), you might be able to score a license plate for your dirt bike of choice, but for most of us, a lightweight dual sport is the most viable solution to (legally) explore dirt trails and the paved roads between them.
To make the cut, these bikes had to be street-legal from the factory, limit their wet weight to around 300 pounds, and be legitimately capable in the dirt. These two selections run the gamut from ultralight and powerful to ultra-affordable and beginner-friendly.
1. Honda CRF300L
Honda’s popular CRF300L gets a face-lift and suspension improvements for 2025.
Honda’s CRF300L remains among the bestselling dual-sports on the planet, and Big Red is introducing further refinements to the platform for 2025. The handsome face-lift combined with improved suspension damping and rider comfort leaves no doubt the latest 300L will be the best version yet.
Browse our inventory of the CRF300L
We’ve logged our fair share of all-terrain miles on these machines, and when it comes to bang for your buck, Honda has the best deal going in the dual sport world. Dirt-capable yet reasonably comfortable at highway speeds, the CRF is a full-sized machine that truly does it all from weekday commuter to lightweight adventure bike and is backed by a healthy aftermarket for performance-minded upgrades.
2. Honda CRF450RL
Honda’s 450RL is essentially a hard-nosed racer that has been softened up for reliability and street use.
Honda’s 450cc Unicam engine is nothing short of legendary, having powered the CRF450R motocrosser to World Championship status this year under racer Jett Lawrence. The CRF450RL is based on that very same machine, albeit one that’s heavily massaged for dual sport use.
Browse our inventory of the Honda CRF450RL
The CRF450L is currently the only option out there if you want a hard-nosed street-legal enduro from Japan, and lucky for us, it delivers the goods when it comes to performance. We’re talking 12 inches of suspension, around 40 hp, and a 291-pound curb weight, plus the peace of mind that comes with Honda’s legendary reliability and extensive dealer network.