BMW G 310 GS vs Honda CRF300L Rally - Lightweight ADV Comparison & Test Ride 

New to bikes, male, aged 66, 5' 10''. I bought a G310GS with Rally Raid two suspension upgrade. Done 4k miles in 6 months. The RR upgrade transforms the bike for on and off road, puts it top of its class.

I sat on the Honda and it felt like I was doing a wheelie. I ended up getting the bmw g310gs. I have a whole dedicated channel on the baby g.

Owned both, and both are great machines 👍 Cheers for the up-load 😎

I bought a BMW G 310 GS three months ago and have done close to 4k Km (~2.5k miles) on it and it doesn't stall like that (maybe an issue with your bike) you can easily start from a standstill in 2nd gear. I completely agree with you on the riding height, it is perfect for beginner riders with less than 6 feet of height.

I bought a 2019 G310GS over three years ago as a 60th birthday present. A friend rode it and he bought a CRF300 L Rally. I'd always ridden small displacement dual sport thumpers so I liked his CRF300L with its greater off road performance but I was surprised how much engine braking it has. I do enjoy the road performance of my G310GS and it does well enough off road for my old man adventures but it needs a much larger fuel tank.

scorpion exhaust sounds great on this bike. also going down one tooth on the front sprocket completely solved the stalling issue for me. I can take off in 3rd pretty easily now

Appreciate the comparison. I've been riding an XT250 (low seat height bike) offroad, and I have a Rally on order. Hoping I will be able to adapt. If not, they do have an LS model out this year. Much cooler paint scheme also!

The honda is the go anywhere motorbike!

You need me there to help😁 Hope things are good! KTM 390 next? Stalling, lack of torque or crank weight.

With some suspension work, you can absolutely rip off road on the CRF300L. It is the perfect road-biased dual sport. I dare say that it is as much fun off road as my CRF450RL.

I currently ride a 2003 BMW F650CS but plan to eventually replace it with the BMW G310GS. I rode a G310R and liked it but I like the riding position of the G310GS better.

I had a 310gs and loved it until i wore out a crank bearing under 4k miles. Upon tear down the intake cam had some bad heeling. Sold it, bought a drz400sm and never looked back.

I’m not sure what the point of this comparison is. You have taken one of the best small dual sport bikes on the market and compared it with the adventure looking road bike from BMW then ridden them in town and on very straightforward gravel tracks. As an experienced motorcyclist I see the BMW as a bit of a joke, a badge to bring in the unwary while the CRF is a serious machine.

Don’t know if you said it but if you don’t mind what’s your height and weight? I’m considering a 300 Rally, just waiting to see the new Triumph Scrambler 400x before I pull the trigger. I’m 6’2” around 220 now but plan to get it back down to around 200lbs.

4:00 & 8:30 - You seem to hang around intersections in neutral a lot more than I do. I'm always in first, watching my rear view mirrors, ready to leave the scene of a rear end accident before it occurs. 14:25 - I can turn the rear ABS off on my 2019 G310GS but that button went away in 2021, probably for homolugation to satisfy some government regulator who wants to claim that she saved X lives by reducing road fatalities by mandating always on ABS, and never mind the 4X lives lost off road because ABS couldn't be disabled. Off road fatalities aren't on her spreadsheet so they don't count. To improve the ergonomics on the G310GS you might consider a 30 mm bar riser. It's an inexpensive upgrade that was a huge improvement for me. I'm 6'2" with long arms. I raised the bars up and pivoted them forward to open up the bike for my larger frame. BMW designed this bike for beginner (younger) riders and the Asian market. The baby GS looks like a larger and heavier bike than it is. It's far more nimble on the road than the small dual sport bikes I've always ridden. I've made a lot of mods and upgrades to my baby GS to optimize it for how and where I ride, with a few more to go. I do all of the regular maintenance and it's been 100% trouble free so it hasn't seen the inside of a dealership since I bought it on the internet and had it shipped to me.

I just did a demo ride on the 310. I haven’t rode in five years. I never stalled it. That is weird.

Nice comparo review!👍 It's a 💯% uniquely "Ride Red" all the way, for most of us, at least.👌😎🤙 Knowing what a machine's capabilities are out of the box is fairly important to avoid turning it to something that it isn't. As for the rest, it's really down to a matter of choice, i guess.✌ Whichever you guys prefer, drive safe, enjoy your rides!✌🤙

It's not the throttle by wire causing the delay, it's lack of airflow

The BMW looks like something you’d by off of Amazon

I had the Honda and it blows. I have a 310 GS now and really like it. Watch itchy boots on her Honda. It’s been a part more times than a three dollar watch.

The KTM 390 ADV is better than both of those bikes with the features you get. I have a 2023 390 and I like it quite a bit and am impressed with what that 390cc single motor can do.

Dirt. dirt. Dirt. Dirt. !!!!!

I think it's a crime to compare the 310 gs to any honda.

Breaking the law riding between cars. Not right bud

Hondas are ok, but they are twitchy and you don’t feel the road. Suzuki and Yamaha much better