The Honda CRF250L (2013model) is a small but very capable bike to do long trips and even off-road. However it doesn't come with a rack to attach extra luggage to. That's why with the help of Outback Motortek and Radeck Fiala we made a custom rack for the CRF250L based on the X Frame Rack available at Outback Motortek. We took the existing structure of the X Frame rack and added custom plasma cut corners to be able to attach hooks and straps to cinch down extra luggage to the bike.
The X Frame rack is compatible with many brands of soft paniers however not with the Bumot Paniers. Bumot makes very durable paniers in Cordura, a strong metal back plate and a strong lock to lock the paniers to the rack. Moreover, Bumot paniers cost twice as cheap compared to many other brands like: Giant Loop, Mosko Moto, Kriega...etc. This is why I made this rack compatible with the Bumot paniers.
In the middle of the hoop two attachment points are foreseen to attach a rotopax attachment plate. This allows for the possibility to carry more fuel. The Honda CRF250L comes with a 7,7Liter (2Gallons) Tank which has a range of about 168km (only off-road you can go up to 200km if you stay on the tarmac). With the extra 3,7Liters (1Gallon) of the Rotopax you can go up to 240km (only off-road). This gives you extra confidence to reach the next gas station if you are in a remote area.
To finish the rack it is powder coated in black to be more rust resistant and to match with the rest of the bike.
The X Frame rack is compatible with many brands of soft paniers however not with the Bumot Paniers. Bumot makes very durable paniers in Cordura, a strong metal back plate and a strong lock to lock the paniers to the rack. Moreover, Bumot paniers cost twice as cheap compared to many other brands like: Giant Loop, Mosko Moto, Kriega...etc. This is why I made this rack compatible with the Bumot paniers.
In the middle of the hoop two attachment points are foreseen to attach a rotopax attachment plate. This allows for the possibility to carry more fuel. The Honda CRF250L comes with a 7,7Liter (2Gallons) Tank which has a range of about 168km (only off-road you can go up to 200km if you stay on the tarmac). With the extra 3,7Liters (1Gallon) of the Rotopax you can go up to 240km (only off-road). This gives you extra confidence to reach the next gas station if you are in a remote area.
To finish the rack it is powder coated in black to be more rust resistant and to match with the rest of the bike.
As you will see in the pictures I have tested the custom rack, combined with the Bumot paniers and the Rotopax on a 3 week adventure following the Trans European Trail (TET) across France, traversing the Pyrenees from West to East and the French Alps from South to North. The bike crashed several times, the custom rack, Bumot paniers and Rotopax held up totally fine and gave extra protection to the bike. The Rotopax was definitely welcome not because I was in a remote area with a lack of gas stations but because I was traveling with two people on big KTM bikes (tank volume of up to 20L). With the extra fuel in the Rotopax I had the same range as one full tank on the big bikes before needing to visit a gas station but I had the advantage of a small and lightweight bike when doing off-road which was a great advantage.
The X-Frame Rack from Outback Motortek, the inspiration for my custom rack.
3D Model of the Custom Rack
3D Model of the attachment plate for the Rotopax
3D Model for the custom corners to attach hooks and straps to cinch down extra luggage to the bike. It can also be used to attach your bike to a trailer.
Here you can see the attchment plate for the Rotopax
The Hole is for hooks and the Rectangular shaped holes are for straps to cinch down extra luggage on the soft paniers or on the top rack.
This is the connection to attach the Rotopax plate to and to prevent the paniers to slide from side to side.
A crossbar keeps everything ridgid in the latteral direction
Wide top rack easy to attach a waterproof bag on it.
As you can see the rack is close to the bike so it doesn't make the bike much wider when doing comutes without any luggage. It also gives your bike extra protection which always nice because you will have less costs when having to repair your bike.
Attachment plate for the Rotopax.
The Rotopax is nicely tucked away but still accessible when filling up at the gas station without having to take of the Rotopax from the rack.
The Bumot paniers come with a sturdy lock to prevent thieves from easily pulling off the paniers with all your belongings inside.
Cordura is very abresian resistant so even at a high speed crash your panniers will hold up a lot better compared to polyurethane coated waterproof paniers.
Two buckles to hold the cargo in the paniers together and narrow down the bags as much as possible.
Good visibility at night is always a plus.
Pockets on both sides for extra fuel, waterbottles or gas for you stove.
The paniers close by rolling the textile. The bag is pretty much waterproof I can tell because I was in a storm with it and only a tiny bit of water came inside. If you put all your belongings in smaller waterproof bags you can solve this issue and the Bumot paniers are delivered with big waterproof bags anyway.
The remaining of the straps is held together with an elastic so you don't look like a complete fool riding down the road.
The Paniers have a strong metal backplate
My setup for the TET France
Important with lightweight bikes like the Honda CRF250L is to pack as light as possible because the extra weight has more effect on the handling compared to with bigger bikes. In case of the CRF250L the suspension is soft and this is noticible when riding off-road with all this luggage however it still manages but you have to keep it in mind when going through bigger holes in the trail. In the ideal world you would change the suspension and replace it with stiffer and more progressive springs.
As you can see the longest distance I have travelled (off-road) using the tank and the Rotopax without fueling is 240km. I probably could have pushed it a liitle more
