Dirt bike riders always want to know how fast their bikes go. You, me, and pretty much anyone who owns a bike with an engine. In this article, we’ll be looking at the CRF150R top speed.
If you want to learn more about the bike than just the top speed, check out our full CRF150R overview.
CRF150R Top Speed
Honda was one of the first brands to popularize dirt bikes in the 1900s.
Today, you don’t usually think of Honda as having the fastest machines. Honda is more commonly known for its reliability.
That said, Honda’s professional riders, specifically the Lawrence brothers and Chase Sexton, have been proving otherwise over the past few years. They’re not on a CRF150R, though…
The top speed of a CRF150R is about 55-65 mph.
Despite being down a bit on power, about 10 horsepower, the CRF150R top speed is right around the same as the YZ 125 top speed and pretty similar to the YZ85 top speed as well.
How about Honda’s similar-sized trail bike? Read about the CRF125F top speed here.
That said, there are a few things that have a big impact on this CRF150R top speed number.
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What impacts the top speed of CRF150R?
As dirt bike riders, it’s inherent in our nature to want to know how fast our vehicles go. Really, most motorheads want to know how fast their vehicles go, whether it’s cars, trucks, snowmobiles, or something else.
That said, it can be pretty difficult to know the true top speed of a dirt bike. The reason for that is that there are so many variables that go into determining the top speed.
Let’s look at some of the items that impact the top speed of a CRF150R.
Modifications
Modifications and after-market parts are the items that impact the top speed of CRF150R the most. If your CRF150R has a ton of engine work done to it and a pipe, that’s not comparable to a stock CRF150R.
The top speed of a stock CRF150R will be significantly less than the top speed of a CRF150R with a bunch of work done to it. After all, you bought and installed those aftermarket parts to make the bike faster, right?
Hundreds, if not thousands of dollars spent, I’d hope the modified bike goes faster…
The more work that’s done to the bike, the more the top speeds are going to differ.
You might be thinking, “okay, that makes sense, but what is the top speed of a CRF150R before I make any mods to it?”
If that’s what you’re wondering, it’s a bit easier to answer, which we answered above, but there are still more variables to consider, such as gearing, riding conditions, the rider, and more.
Gearing
The item that has the second largest impact on the Honda CRF150R top speed is the bike’s gearing.
For those unfamiliar, gearing refers to the size of the front and rear sprockets, specifically the relationship between the two.
For reference, the stock gearing for this bike is a 15-tooth front sprocket and a 50-tooth rear sprocket.
Riders choose different gearing based on the conditions they’re riding in. If the rider is racing supercross, they generally want more acceleration (known as more bottom end). To do this, they’d use a smaller front sprocket or a larger rear sprocket. This is a low gear ratio.
If the rider is racing motocross, they may want more top speed (known as top end). To do this, the rider would use a larger front sprocket or a smaller rear sprocket, which is a higher gear ratio.
This may sound like a small thing, but it has a huge impact on the top speed of a CRF150R (any dirt bike, really). Depending on the gearing changes, it can increase or decrease the CRF150R top speed by more than 5-7 mph.
A bike that has a 13-tooth front sprocket instead of the stock 15-tooth sprocket is going to have a different top speed.
Also, changing the front sprocket has a larger impact, or greater change, on the bike’s speed and bottom end than changing the rear sprocket. Going up or down one tooth on the front sprocket is not equal to one tooth on the rear sprocket.
Changing the front sprocket by one tooth is equivalent to 3-4 teeth in the rear.
Riding Conditions
Another factor that can impact the CRF150R top speed is the riding conditions. This can be the location where you’re riding and the conditions of what you’re riding on.
For the location, are you riding at sea level or thousands of feet above elevation? Generally, dirt bikes produce more power closer to sea level than at high levels of elevation. Of course, this will impact the top speed of a CRF150R. It impacts all dirt bikes. All things with an engine, really.
If you’re riding in Colorado, thousands of feet above sea level, your CRF150R top speed is going to be lower than if you’re riding on the coasts of the US at sea level.
Also, for the location, are you riding in the woods, on a motocross track, or on a paved road? Are there hills or is it flat?
If you’re riding in the woods, your Honda CRF150RB top speed might be limited by trees or other obstacles (mud, train tracks, logs, etc.). If you’re on a motocross track, you can only go so fast while maintaining control and staying within the course.
This type of location consideration also impacts the conditions of what you’re riding on. If you’re riding on a flat paved road your Honda CRF150R top speed is going to be entirely different than if you’re riding on a tight, sandy racetrack or in the woods.
Rider
Who is riding the bike is also going to impact the top speed of CRF150R. This has an impact on the top speed for two reasons: 1) their size/weight, and 2) their ability.
First, let’s consider the rider’s size and weight. Someone who weighs 250 pounds is not going to be able to go as fast on the bike as someone who weighs 125 pounds. The top speed of a CRF150R is going to go down the heavier the rider is.
In this weight example, the lower rider’s weight is half of the heavier rider’s weight. The top speed of CRF150R will not be cut in half, like the weight, but it will still be impacted.
Also, someone who is a skilled rider can likely get the Honda CRF150R top speed to be a bit higher than someone who is brand new to riding. A rider who can quickly and smoothly shift through the gears can hit a higher top speed on a CRF150R than someone who is just learning how to use a clutch.
Plus, someone who is just learning how to ride might be a little nervous (scared, frankly) to really run the bike wide open to hit its top speed.
Take Honda’s factory rider Jett Lawrence as an example. Not only is he just 150 pounds, but he is also very skilled. The top speed of a CRF150R with Jett Lawrence riding it is likely quite a bit higher than a brand-new rider and weighs 250 pounds.
Year of CRF150R
The year of your bike also has an impact on the CRF150R top speed because of technological advancements.
Four-stroke technology has come a long way over the years. Older four-stroke models don’t have the same technology in the engines that new four-strokes do. Honda says they’ve taken technology advancements from the CRF450R motor and used that in the R&D of the CRF150R motor. As the 450 motor improves, so does the 150’s.
Therefore, a 2008 Honda CRF150R top speed is likely going to be less than a 2022 Honda CRF150R top speed, or any older year model compared to a newer model.
How different? It depends.
It depends on how much the bikes have changed over the years and how much technology has advanced. A year of changes isn’t always equal to a year of changes.
A 2010 CRF150R might not be too different from a 2015 CRF150R if they don’t make many changes. While the 2015 could be entirely different from the 2016 CRF150R if Honda made a lot of changes in that one year.
Other than just the technological advancements and improvements to the engine, different year bikes may also have different stock gearing. Some years have the same gearing, but some are different.
As we mentioned above, the gearing of the bike can change the top speed of CRF150R.
Other Items Impacting Top Speed of a CRF150R
A few other items that will impact the top speed of a CRF150R are the condition of the bike, riding weather, and how the top speed is being recorded.
A bike that hasn’t had maintenance kept up on it or has issues and isn’t running properly won’t be able to reach the peak top speed that the bike is capable of. The top speed of CRF150R that is maintained very well and running perfectly will be faster than that of a bike that is not taken care of and running like poorly.
Similar to location, the weather you’re riding in can have an impact on the Honda CRF150 top speed. If you’re riding in the rain, causing the pavement to be wet, the top speed is likely going to be lower than it otherwise could be. If the motocross track is super dry due to a lack of watering or rain, you might not have much traction, and therefore the bike likely wouldn’t reach it’s top speed in those conditions.
Also, the temperature you’re riding in can impact the top speed of your bike because it can impact how the bike is running. Since the CRF150R is still carbureted, it might not run right in cold or humid temperatures, which would lower the bike’s top speed.
The final item we’ll mention that can impact the CRF150RB top speed is how the top speed is being recorded.
Technically, this doesn’t change the top speed the bike is actually going – it only changes what you think it is. If you record a bike as going 35 but it’s really doing 55, that doesn’t mean the bike did 35. It did 55, you just recorded it inaccurately. I digress…
If you are recording the top speed of a CRF150R with an onboard GPS, that’s likely going to be more accurate than someone pointing a speed gauge at you as you go by.
Checkered Flag on the CRF150R Top Speed
When it comes down to it, most people just want to know how fast their bike is capable of going. All the mods and items covered above are important and impact how fast their bike goes, but, most people would be satisfied with simply knowing how fast, roughly, their bike is.
Is it 20 or is it 50? It doesn’t really matter if it’s 21 or 22 instead of 20, but roughly how fast is it.
In that case, the top speed of a CRF150R is about 55-65 mph.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Top Speed of CRF150R
A 150 Honda dirt bike can go 55-65 mph for the CRF150R model. The CRF150F model will be quite a bit slower, despite both bikes being “a 150 Honda dirt bike.”
It depends on which Honda 150cc bike you’re referring to. A CRF150R has a different top speed than a CRF150F, despite both being Honda 150cc dirt bikes. The CRF150R goes 55-65mph, while the CRF150F only does about 45 mph.
A 150 R goes about 55-65 mph.
