You should do a super budget bike to see if it is worth getting something like the Honda vs a solid but super affordable Chinese bike. Orion Motorsports has an Orion rxb 250l that is a six speed fuel injected bike for less than 3 grand and a little more if you get them to do go through the whole bike and prep it. It would be super interesting to see someone with a better production quality do a cheap adv build and compare it long term against something like the Honda.
Mine accelerated noticeably better after about 3.000 miles, fuel consumption went even lower. No bike ever provided so much fun as this one, and I had some. Thanks for the build, good improvements and very comprehensive videos!
I think we can all agree that Noraly from Itchy Boots, showed what that bike is capable of, as well as its limits. I don't think anywhere a better long term test that her 35,000 km ride from Equator to Alaska via the Darien Gap. Like any bike at any budget, there are compromises that you can live with or decide to improve on. And ... It's a Honda!!!
If you knew anything about RTW riding you'd know Steph Jeavons who visited all 7 continents in her 4 year journey on her CRF250L demonstrated the bikes capabilities well before Itchy Crotch even came along with hers........
Itchy Boots should have had your modded version though she certainly proved the reliability of the stocker. She also demonstrated that most of us have more bike than we can ever use. Great build/review. It needs the old XL-500 engine to solve the power problem.
She also did some mods when she arrived in San Diego, new rear shock and springs for front. She had crash bar protections from the start to. Which seems needed after he dropped it
Yeah she had the rally raid shock and fork kit. Poor woman then had that debacle with the fork instal and her seals popping out bc the dealership couldn’t follow directions. They even routes the brake hose and cables on the wrong side of the fork. The instructions that came with the RR setup are pretty clear. She did get it sorted at least. And yeah, an amazing ride!
Steph Jeavons who visited all 7 continents in her 4 year journey on her CRF250L demonstrated the bikes capabilities well before Itchy Crotch even came along with hers........
@mikemerrill175 the main downside with this bike is the weak engine. If they did a new release of this bike and calling it CRF450L with the same engine but a 450cc version I think that would give it the power it needs without having to designe a new bike and all that.
I recently bought a 250 Rally to leave in Thailand for when I'm here. Coming from bigger bikes I'm a bit shocked how cheap this bike is. And I'm really enjoying having a really light easy bike (relative to bigger bikes). It's geared a bit high for serious off road but for a general travel and exploring bike it's just fine. Highway speed is about 100-105kph(62mph) and it eats that up getting 35km/L (72mpg) on the cheapest gas. I'm super happy with it. I rode the newer 300 and really didn't feel enough of a difference to justify the price difference to get a newer bike (mines a 2017). The saggy suspension is fine if just kinda exploring gravel roads and street use. Best mod you can do, remove that stupid seat strap that the passenger will never use that you feel under your azz. Your butt will thank you and it won't hurt the budget.
I have the 250l and have been really happy with it, I do have the YSS shock and a KTec front spring as the stock suspension just wasn’t up to it. The only other things I’ve done is to swap out the rear sprocket to a42 tooth one and added a skid plate. I don’t mind the lack of power in the highway as I’d normally choose slower roads anyway as there more interesting and the big pay off is when you are off road the bike is much easier to handle 👍
If you are in TH get the ECU flashed--it cost me 1800 baht including dyno testing--went from 23hp-to nearly 28hp and tourqe same same basically a 18% boost--i dont want or need the 300l now--i do some highway but mostly small backroads light ADV style and this bike is perfect--last bike was a DR650 and this bike is like an improved DR to me once i tweaked a few things-seat widened, ECU, stock suspension is great for me, windscreen lip i needed for my height and soft luggage bobs your uncle.
I bought the 300l because I mainly ride off-road. Tires and suspension upgrades are a must. The CPU on the EU model must have different mapping than the USA CPU. The bike runs great as is . I did put a twin air filter in it, hand guards , aluminum bars and a skid plate. I did the YSS shock and open cartridges kit in the forks. Totally changes the bike. The YSS shock is nice but fades a lot when it gets hot wish I had bought the remote reservoir version.
Rally Raid offers an upgrade suspension that allows you to retain a near OEM seat height. Plus with a low profile seat concepts seat, also helps for short people like myself, not to mention how much more comfortable it is than stock!! Installed lower crash bars on mine exactly for the purpose that you demonstrated in this video. Good job. Edit: both Rally Raid and K-tech suspension offer suspension upgrades that offer a solution for maintaining close to OEM seat height. K-tech offers a replacement shock that is one inch shorter than stock, I’m not sure how Rally Raid does theirs, but it’s the level 1 shock that you want from them if your a shorter rider.
@@randylahey7933 I am only 5’7” with a 30” inseam, so there aren’t many bikes that I can flat foot on. There is only about 1” under my feet from being flat footed though, so that’s really not that big of a deal, because it’s just like any dirt bike that I have ever owned. And I never put two feet down at a stop sign anyway. But since I can actually touch the ground with both feet, I don’t even think about it as an issue. So I guess it just depends on what your comfortable with...
Great video. For those wondering about ECU and exhaust upgrades, I did the 550 Performance 91 Octane tune, Moto X full exhaust, and Frogskin mod to the airbox lid. Still running an OEM air filter. The result is noticeably more mid range power. The bike is a lot more fun to ride now. Cheers. 👍
I really wish Honda or Kawasaki had gone with a 400cc engine. I love the grunt of the DRZ400 and if Honda, Suzuki or Kawasaki coupled that with a 6 speed transmission I believe they would sell a ton of them.
Yes, as a bigger rider that gap between a 300 and a 650 seems too big with minimal options in between. Yes there are 450s but the service frequency and tuning makes it much more hardcore, cutting out a chunk of the market. I'd love a CRF400L or CRF500L. Too many people who'd be happy as a clam with a 400ish cc dualsport end up on a F800GS and even bigger because once you hit 650 "you might as well go 800"
Exactly, a 400cc - 500cc w/ 6 speeds including the 6th gearing for highway travels. Honda has a dual sport that's a 450cc bike. The Honda 450L has a 6 speed wide ratio transmission that's supposed to be that bike you're speaking of. I only learned about her lately and it costs $10, 099 plus tax/title & fees. Ahh, I see your post is a year old so you most likely know this at this time but I just learned it & an looking hard. peace
I don't mind the low power, it helps with weight and fuel consumption. If you want more power there are plenty of bigger bikes. That misses the point of what this bike is supposed to be. But Honda should really improve the suspension. It sucks having to change the suspension on a new bike just to use it as its intended.
Yep SirMo, that bugs me to the point that I've been out looking to see what fits in other bikes. I found for example, in the Honda 150L that there is a motorcross 150 that can be swapped. But the guy saying he's done it is overseas & they might have had another version od the two bikes allowing the swap. Having a good set of tires based on your intent for the bike goes hand/hand with a suspension properly set up . Those 2 things are more important than ALL the other mods you can ever do. If your "Intent" is more than 50% for road use, the suspension will be alright but if you're doing more dirt then you'll be having "Bottom Outs" & that's no good. I might add 1 mod for the bottom out issue, add a bash plate b/c the plastic one on bottom won't protect her long, if at all? The 300L has enough power to do a lot & I like the Rally version more for the bigger fuel tank & small wind shield, if you added them to the 300L you'd spend more than the cost difference in the 2 versions. Good luck, peace
I purchased a 2020 CRF250L Rally as my first bike. I really enjoy it, I think it's underpowered but I've never been on a more powerful bike so I don't really have a comparison. I've also pushed it pretty hard offroad for my skill level on stock suspension. Probably harder than I should've. But overall I love the bike, I think it's perfect for a new rider. I also decided to get some new suspension, but this isn't a forever bike for me so I didn't want to spend a crazy amount. I ended up getting a Hyperpro Combi-Kit. Which comes with a stiffer progressive spring for the stock rear shock and a new fork spring + oil. I think it was ~$300 total. I haven't gotten everything installed yet, but based on my research it's a good choice for a budget upgrade. YSS makes a shock for it but it's ~$500. Racetech also makes one, and Ohlins makes one and it's like $800. I think it's definitely possible to take these bikes to a better level on a budget, sure a new shock would be better, but it'll do for my skill level. It's hard to justify spending $800 on suspension on a bike that I'll probably grow out of, especially with the KTM 390 Rally coming. I do think I'm going to try to tackle the IDBDR on this bike. I think little bikes can do it, and I have a lot of faith in mine. EDIT: Y'all better be using his links, this man spent $600 on a new shock and spring for a bike he knew he'd have to take back to stock in order to give us all good information.
I think the Honda CRF300L is a great starting formula for what would be the ideal middle-ground dual-sport/adventure bike. Bump the engine/hp to 400cc and maybe 35-37hp. Better suspension components, slightly increased fuel capacity, and skid plate. That would be my ideal bike to fit neatly in between full-on adventure bikes and dual-sports, especially if one bike is all you intend to own.
After riding almost 40yrs, and owning several bikes I'm really thinking something like this may be my next. I'm not looking for mind blowing power anymore. I want light. And am hoping to visit Alaska in the future.
Getting mine on Wednesday. . . Good to see your mod list. I plan on getting the 550 performance mod to give me a little more power. Suspension, yes. The Luggage system can definitely wait. Top rack and a skid plate, I will be good to go. I will wear out the stock tires before buying new ones. It will help me behave during the break in.
@@BigRockMoto I second this. The IRC stockers are better than most people give them credit for... *especially* if you ride more pavement than you'd like. I am on my second set. No complaints.
@@someguy5035 If you ride on the dirt they are horrible though. I upgraded mine to D606 and it was night and day. But I agree for road, stock are fine.
@@ddg9584 I ride on dirt all the time. I have done the Smoky Mountains 500 twice. The South Carolina ADV Route. (1000 miles). Parts of the Southern Ohio Adventure Loop. Parts of the Daniel Boone Backcountry Byway Trail, Old NC105. Lynnville Gorges, and tons of local dirt/gravel. All on the stock IRCs. It is a CRF 300 Rally, not a 450R.
Watching Itchy Boots trying to pick this bike up in a muddy trench was a real wake-up call for me. It probably won't be an ideal situation that makes you drop in the first place, and every extra pound will be trying to keep that bike down.
I recently bought a 300l it came already with k tech suspension front and back, 550 stage 1 performance ECU with black widow full exhaust , and a 38 t rear sprocket , I haven't experienced the 300l in stock form but in it's current form is not that far off from my previous drz400, but the 300l feels better off road and way less vibrations at 65mph, the 300l is great for back roads, after all it's a 286cc bike Thanks for the great video
100% agree with your comment. This is for back roads and trails. Highway is completely sketchy. If you need to do highway miles, do not get this bike. I don't know how itchy boots does all that highway driving.
@@ddg9584 Well 1st of all she probably doesn't complain about what a bike is or isn't, she just rides the d**n thing. If you put it on the highway, it'll go on a highway.🤷 I swear to god dudes nowadays complain more than chicks. Just ride your bikes and quit incessantly fussing and whining about what they aren't phenomenal at. A dual sport is literally a sacrife by it's very classification. Why the f**k everyone thinks they should do everything great is beyond me.🤦
Thoroughly enjoyed that. The cockpit looks clean and uncluttered. Its a pain having to put risers on because cabling is pretty tight but most necessary. I went all out with suspension up grades and with 20mm yss cartridges and a top yss rear unit I now have and underpowered unicorn. I did the whole nine yards with ecu's 6mm poly sump guard tail tidy wet air filter system. Our open road speed limit in New Zealand is 100kph so I'm happy to cruise at 110kph. Now for some serious tyres. I built it for remote riding off road so the open road speed isn't an issue for me. I must admit when hitting the gravel on the first serious ride I couldn't stop smiling. I've been riding big bikes for so long I forgot how much fun they are. Thanks for another great video.
Good shock choice. I say that because I got the exact same one, and for me that makes the bike ready for adventure. I also go rackless on the bag with a Coyote. No problems over 1000s of miles on and off road. I also left stock plastics, and while they got beat up when I dropped it, I've only had to replace the plastic underplate. What I DID notice is the clutch cover and its equivalent on the other side getting pretty dinged-up after a drop, so to anyone going on a long adventure I'd consider getting protective covers for those. Awesome little adventure bike.
Thanks for staying within budget for the upgrades. It's clear the next investment would be front springs and oil. I can see why the luggage is important, at least for my kind of riding, because I need to carry gear, extra clothes and water for even a short trip - and carry them properly and safely. So I think your spending decisions make sense for most adventure riders. Thanks for a fun time.
@7:55 not for you (because as you say you have to return to Honda) but for others on a budget - a cheap front end upgrade is replacing the fork oil with 15w and overfilling by 20% - ran that on my 250 L and rally for 2 years each - no issues just replace the fork seals with brand new OEM ones while you have the fork apart (~$20 per leg)
I had the YSS fully adj rear shock on my Honda rally 250. It’s a great shock very impressed with it. High quality good looking shock- absorbs the terrain nicely- Just be patient it may take time to get to you-it comes from Taiwan. I also did a Race tech front fork upgrade with heavier oil. But doesn’t dive anymore and stays level
@@swedbear4035 I was able to do it myself. The only challenge was getting a wrench large enough to take off the caps. There are great videos on how to add the spring. Took maybe an hour? - Frank
I see TONS of YSS shocks on motorbikes in Bangkok every day, but I never thought that they made proper motorcycle parts also, even though both the CRF300L and the suspension are both made in Thailand. As usual, this is an awesome video. Thanks for doing this.
Excellent content. God, I've so many stories about turning a 1950s road bike (yezdi 250) I to an off road to race in the Desert-Himalayan, Thunderbolt etc etc rallies in North India (Himalayan mountains). The things we used to do! There was no offroad stuff made in India, to import anything would cost 350% in import duty alone! No money + innovative and cheap labour=some most interesting mods (safety? What's that???!!!). Your clip brought it all back! I ride an R1200RS now. Ride safe, brother!
I think I’d rather get new front suspension to balance the bike properly and match the new rear shock, rather than getting that luggage system. But everyone will have different needs I guess. Great video. Cheers
Yeah, I was thinking exactly the same. For such a build, I'd go for tires, handguards, handlebar, skidplate, suspension front and rear plus some cheaper luggage. I like the idea of universal luggage though.
Please don't buy any motorcycle that needs a shock, fork kit, pipe, ecu, etc to fix a bike off the showrooms floor. Save your money and buy a more capable motorcycle.
I haven't used a d-sport front tire, but I had a D606 on the front of my DRZ. It almost cost me a collar bone when I was riding in some muddy'ish single-track. When things get slick, that front tread-pattern has a tendancy to wash out. I was chasing a buddy on his 500 ex-c, going through a tight'ish turn that was a little muddy, and that front end came right out from under me. I've been running a Shinko 216 on the front ever since. I can live with the extra road noise and wear.
I have one. Here is my setup. -Outback Motortek Crash Bars -Doubletake Mirrors -Rear Rack -Zeta shorty levers -Rear fender delete -USB outlet switched to ignition One of the most fun bikes I have ever owned.
Really enjoy your videos - your assessment process is excellent. I like that you have and or had many bikes and not restricted to a limited knowledge. I myself have ridden on rode and off for many years, now in my later 60's I have decided to do so more dual sport. I watched your review on the CRF300l, which I subsequently purchased. As you had pointed out the suspension is pretty much non-ridable off road if you want a pleasurable and controllable experience. I did full suspension immediately - R-Tech rear and front, a huge difference. Now you have tweaked my interest on the Aprilia Tuareg 660 might become my next touring bike, lol. In closing keep up the great reviews you are certainly one of the best at it. Cheers Gord PS - I like the Tusk soft luggage you used on the Rally:)
Nice job on a sensible build for the Rally. One thing you can do when fitting stiffer springs and still requiring a lower seat height is to run less preload.
I had the Tusk DSport tires, front and rear, on an XT250. I found that I never could get comfortable with the front tire and experienced the same sort of wondering feeling. More than a feeling, actually, the front never was planted and was really horrible in sand. I kept the rear but swapped the front tire for another budget DOT knobby. I put a Shinko MX216 up front and that was a great combination. I recently upgraded from the XT250 to a CRF450L and put the MX216s front and rear and rode it off road yesterday for the first time with those tires and can say I'm happy with the results.
Oh that was a fun one. I hated to watch you push the little bike over, but it proved an excellent point. It lets you know that the bike needs metal frame guards for the radiator and a skid plate. I still hated to watch it... Poor little Honda. I have never ridden one of these. I have bikes where I've lengthened the front end spring spacer to help out the spring rate. It is still a pain to do. I enjoy your testing videos, but for some reason I really enjoyed that one. I think that video proves a lot of major points for people wanting an entry level bike. Excellent job. "Texas" on the prairie
For me, the DRZ400 is still the best budget light ADV. Plenty of really fun torque, about the same weight as this, and you can get them used in very good condition for very cheap, which leaves you money for a SmartCarb and VOILA, goodbye carb issues. And for those who say, “but, but, not good on the Highway!”, I say…what’s the rush, Buddy? Sit back and enjoy the view. Once you get to the next trail, the DRZ400 will put a smile back on your face 😁
I'm thinking about buying one of these so videos like this are great to come across. As a lighter rider (160lbs) I think the power and ride might be just right with this or another slight upgrade to the suspension. Thanks for a solid real world review..!
Honestly the 300L Rally would be a kick ass ADV machine if Honda hadn't completely blown it with the suspension. When Itchy Boots is too heavy for the stock suspension it's telling you a lot.
I really like smaller Japanese bikes, got the CB500X now built into a adventure bike and looking to get a more dirt focused bike in the future that's less likely to break on harder stuff. CRF300L looks tempting but might try Kawasaki or Yamaha too. Couldn't care less about top speed, off-road adventures where the average speed is maybe 40kph are so much more fun for me.
As usual , excellent and informative video….. as for potential buyers of this bike, be aware to what rider group the bike is marketed/caters to…. Beginners…… the financial reality is that a new Rally will be close to $8k OTD…before any $$$ is spent to address the horrid suspension ( F/R @$1k+++) add additional money for, at a bare minimum, the accessories Ian added and you are now over $10k….and at the end of the day you still have a underpowered play bike….
Yeah, I thought that price that all as saying in the USA sounded very cheap. The price OTR (On The Road inc. all taxes & Road Tax) here in Ireland is €7,850($8,035). And it seems the dealer will NOT entertain any reduction. So the full price in the USA is more like $8,000?
@@Liamofloin yes… the stealerships here in the US rape potential buyers on new bikes…. For instance a Yamaha dealer in Orlando Florida charges nearly $2000 USD for “set up” + freight + document fees + sales tax… and the MSRP for a 2022 Yamaha YZ250X is @$7700 USD…. This scumbag dealership charges nearly $11,000 OTD….
Good points. Not much more power (some say the same) as a WR250R, my old bike, and that was underpowered. I went with a used Honda 450L that came with a few decent aftermarket parts (seat, rack, foot pegs, ....) for a bit over $8K and have a lighter, faster, better suspension bike. Wish it had the 300L's dash and maintenance intervals, but it still has the Honda reliability.
I have a rally and also upgraded the suspension which made a huge difference for offroad. Might install other forks as well so the front suspension is adjustable, the new springs aren't spot on, probably because it wasn't taken into account that I had also put on a metal skidplate and crash bars. The only thing I think you should put on, as well as what Itchy Boots was missing are those neoprene socks over the forks to protect the seals from dirt. It's only a few bucks and increases the lifespan of fork seals a lot 😊
You overloaded the bike dude. All your fancy bags and mods weighed it down and made it gutless. THAT is the reason it's not the ultimate low cost adventure bike.
Just keep in mind, that on the highway, you are riding with two parachutes either side sticking out in the wind ( you luggage bags). At speed air drag is everything.
Great video! Everyone has there own idea of an adventure bike, but this setup is definitely what I would consider proper. You can take that bike places owners of big pig ADV bikes can only dream about.
SRC Moto Rack and aux fuel tank works amazing and the sub structure for gear bags on my Rally. Love my bike and getting 75 mph after engine break in. Another 0.9 gallons with SRC gives me more range than my buddies. Love Honda to make a 400-500 CC this type of bike, upgrade suspension and 5 Gal tank with fuel slung low for Christmas! My buddy did a 500 EXE KTM and days and thousands to make it into an ADV bike. Yes he has better suspension and more power but the 300 Rally much better on the long tarmac to and from the off-road ride. Better mileage by far, more comfort and wind pro. And kept up with him fine on off-road, and Honda reliability. His cost twice what I spent and his lacking slipper clutch and smooth engine braking.
Very good review! Regarding the plastics, I think that's the biggest problem with this bike. On one hand, they provide excellent weather protection, on the other hand, they break easily and are very expensive to repair. I had a 250 Rally which I sold and got a 300L instead, mainly because of the lack of plastics.
Just chiming in on the D Sports. I have about 3,000 miles on a set on my CRF300L Rally. I have found them to be a great tire. They do indeed last a long time, but the harder compound is VERY sketchy in heavy rain. The rear will kick out even at low speeds in turns and you will hydroplane when coming to stops. They don't have adequate siping in the treads combined with the firm compound make it a sketchy tire in adverse conditions. I have played with pressures and still found them to be unsettling. I do ride 365 days a year though and for many people this will be a non-issue. I will still probably be buying another set even though my go to for the past 10 years have been the rear Dunlop D606 and Pirelli MT21 up front. The value is definitely there and I just adjust my speeds way down in rain and icy conditions. I have put 5,700 miles on it in a little under 5 months just commuting and occasionally hitting single track enduro trails. I added the Tubliss 2.0 system, Rally Raid Level II suspension, D sport tires, Acerbis hand guards, used Flatland Racing radiator guard and skid plate, Oxford Heated Grips, OEM Thailand version ECU, Moto X exhaust, and that's it. Still running stock gearing. Love this little bike and its now supplanted my all time favorite bike, the venerable Yamaha WR250R. Was going to replace the seat but after a few thousand miles its broken in and quite comfy. I feel like I could ride this thing anywhere and smile the entire way there.
The is an aftermarket ECU for it and a new muffler that make a huge diffeence as a combo but that adds to the budget. I like how you kept the add-ons to a practical limit of $$. Happy to go on the ride with you. Who is buying the hot chocolate now? LOL
@@mxbadboy263 I can't say that I agree. I see this as a bike of different potential. One of those is a gate way bike into adventure riding that still provides superior dual-sport off-road capabilities. Not everyone can or wants to pay for the end bike you may need when cost conscious upgrades over time can get someone close without the upfront cost. I recognize opinions vary on this. Mine is simply opposite yours is all.
You did a pretty good job with the amount of cash you spent on it, the tusk luggage looks very good, the hand guards look better than the barkbusters I put on my Rally, a good review for anyone thinking of getting this - especially the info on the suspension mod - it's a tall bike once you get rid of most of the sag from the stock. I wish I'd taken an inch or so off it when I had the chance..
Great video as always. Be careful about your right side luggage strap. I burned off my Enduristan strap using that same frame mount point and had to switch to the rear passenger peg mount (I removed the peg and threaded a cable through the hole).
That’s exactly what happened to to me with with mosko reckless. Mosko was kind enough to send me new strap immediately. Great idea of the foot peg thank you!
Thanks for the info on the YSS shock. I was looking into buying one for my CRF300L Rally. Sounds like more than enough of a upgrade for the kind of riding I do. Having put a few thousand miles on my bike I whole heartedly agree with your review of the bike.
Good stuff. I would love to see you do a series like this with the Kawasaki Versys X-300. It is another budget friendly build option. Maybe do a versus video on that bike and the 300L Rally?
I second your request. The X-300 can cruise at highway speeds easily, has spoked wheels and a big tank. And it’s cheap. It is probably also suspension, tires, and protection away from being a great choice in this class.
It’s interesting when you see reviews of Cb500x vs X-300 thou. Cb500x more desirable. If x-300 had better exhaust routing and longer suspension?? I just want a CFL 500x twin rally.
@@koejoe I actually ended up buying a Versys X-300 a couple of weeks ago. It was delivered last week and I love it so far. ADV Pulse did an adventure build on one around 2019 and I plan to basically use that article as a blueprint. The CB500X is a great budget option too. Lots of folks have done Rally Raid builds on those that have have turned out well.
I bought KTM 390 Adv., partially based on your review. I would like to compare you to a connoisseur, you can spot the subtle differences which I find very appealing for which I have a great respect. I have to admit that (initially) I thought of you being 'SVC salesman' who reads the script and so sale, but I stand corrected. Thank you for hard work and great content, even if it doesn't pertain to my new KTM 390 Adv. :)
Honestly, buy the bike for what it is. You can spend a fortune on mods and farkles. At the end you still have a CRF300 Rally. Great bike for the money. I would also say if you are adventure riding luggage is not a mod. Is anyone ever happy with stock tires? Great video Ian. Keep em' coming 👍
Change the tires and upgrade the suspension. The bike may as well be shipped without a suspension. I think Honda just expects people to upgrade it. So in reality the price is what you pay at dealer plus $1000 for suspension. It's as simple as that.
The video I was waiting for. It seems with the new shock, the 300L easily outperforms the 390 Adv off-road. For me, the power is fine, I like the high mpg, and premium fuel is not needed.
do not get this bike if you're going to do highway miles. It is a back roads / trail bike. At least test ride it on the highway before you buy. I would ay 95% of people will not want to ride this on highways
Sir you do know you mount your bike on the wrong side mounting on the right side protect your legs from injury mounting on left side if you slip the bike will fall on your leg. This applies if your on the side stand i know a fellow that broke his leg bad when a Harley fell on his left leg
Very nice. Like you said you've limited yourself in budget and in the fact that you'd have to return the bike soon. Personally, I'd make sure the suspension and protection is up to snuff before dealing with luggage. So for sure front and rear suspension, the hand guards and a better bash plate would be top priority. Not forgetting tires though. Upcoming adventure in the works? Excited to watch the next episode in this series
Good, honest review but an engine guard and skid plate for off road are essential. You discussed price, consider reasons why Itchy Boots choose the CRF300L Rally to complete her trip from Ecuador to Dead Horse Alaska, weight 335 lbs. range of 250 miles and 8,000 miles between service intervals. Noraly does some serious solo remote rugged off road riding so she upgraded both front and rear suspension with Rally Raid in San Diego. She is is 5' 7" and after the suspension upgrade her feet were flat when the bike was loaded down with her gear. You many mentioned bike's tall seat seat height, however, there are lowering kits that can be installed and reduce the seat down to 31 inches.
Hi Ian, great content I haven't moved into the new small dual sport bikes yet been riding my DR650 for the trail stuff I've been up the 395 to Panamint springs and Alabama hills in the cool month's great fun.
Thanks for another excellent video review, Ian. I use my BMW R1250GSA for longer rides, but have been thinking about getting the Honda CRF300L as a trail / play bike. I think the Honda CRF300L would make an excellent trail bike with suspension mods, so thanks for mentioning that, I'll be looking into it. Cheers!
Had one and yes the 300L makes a great dual sport. The new 300 motor is pretty amazing. The suspension is mushy to say the least but the fork had zero stiction. A little suspension work work complete the package.
Yes. I use it as a trail/play bike. If i were to start over i would get something lighter as my trail/play bike. Maybe a KTM 300XCW? I don't know if the huge power would make it less fun in the trails though. Kind of nice to just mess around on the 300L with the easy linear power. I did get the suspension upgraded. I just wish i could more easily wheely over logs and chuck it around.
@@captainklr6508 Rally or GSA? My 300 rally is probably 360lbs with crash bars and gear strapped on for a 6-7 day trip. My GSA is 590lbs - just the bike with nothing attached.😭
I know it's an old video, but you could keep you budget better if you use cheaper luggage (not lower quality though) I realy love the shit out of m, Nemunu adventure bag. It's only 29l and there is no other size and it's only 3 colours (black, grey and red) but it's absolutely amazing to throw on Enduro or Dualsport bikes and has a lot of loops and hooks to put more stuff on the outside. It has 5 sets of 4 loops and they have bottle holders that fit these loops. I'm so happy with it for the price of 170€ + shipping.
Honda painted themselves into a corner with the price. The 450L is already a $10,000 bike and it needs $2,000 in mods to make it tolerable. Now rally it. $12,000 bike plus the same $2,000 in mods needed. Look at everything out there you can get for $14,000. Not sure there would be many buyers at that price.
That’s what I did. 25l tank, cogent front and back. TM40 carb, seat concepts, Britannia tower/fairing, pivot pegs, Leo Vince are some of the big items. Absolutely love this bike.
When i did my suspension I used the Rally Raid components - with the exchange rate, the rear shock was $475 when i bought it from them. Probably a higher quality shock as well. I did the front and back on mine and its a lot niver, but you could get away with just doing the rear.
@@niceguyrides yeah. It was defaulted pretty stiff backed off the clickers a bit and it’s nice. Does not pogo stick like the stock shock, and holds a line off road better. Bike is much better with the better suspension
I have the CRF450RL and my wife has the 300L. The 300 is so lacking in power it’s a detriment off road and several times I’ve had to get the bike through situations for her that shouldn’t be even close to an issue. As a beginner bike its actually harder to ride off road than my 450. With the rear suspension set properly it sits just as high as the 450. The price difference after mods isn’t that big of a gap and the 450 does 80-90 on the highway with no problem and has no problem getting ANYWHERE off road. I put a steahly flywheel weight on and ride single tracks without an ecu upgrade and no stalling. Check out John T Young on RU-vid for a look at the 450 and it’s capabilities as a lightweight adventure bike and how durable/reliable it is. It’s a beast. OH, and it has a foam air filter lol what about that upgrade?
This viewer is FAR more interested in what it would take to straighten out that suspension than in luggage. Can that suspension be sorted for $1,500 ... or would it require $2,000? Also, it would have been educational to hear comparison with its modified suspension to its (chief?) competitor, the KLX300. Then, handing it back to Honda, you could say, "This is how at least Americans would like to buy it!" 😋 Thanks - your insights are MUCH appreciated. 🥰
I recommend the KLX. The power, torque, and weight are almost identical, and the stock suspension is good enough to take to a motocross track. Plus, that cammo color way is about the coolest in the industry. Or, pick up a used DRZ. 33% more power and torque, roughly the same weight, and better suspension than both. Hope that helps. Cheers!
I'm thinking of purchasing one, but I would modify the suspension to make it a bit lower (and stiffer) than original. I'm 5'4" and weigh 160lbs. 29-30" inseam.
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Thank you for liters, meters and centimeters. Very much appreciated! (and hey, maybe some day the whole US will come around to switching, fingers crossed)
This was very interesting to watch. I seriously considering buying a 300L, but I'm a big guy and didn't really know where to start to improve the suspension. It seems like the lack of power would kinda be a deal breaker. I don't need a fire breathing machine but I don't want to be full throttle just to accelerate up to speed on an on ramp. I'm considering the KTM 390.
I'd say look into engine mods. There's another youtube video where the guy talked about "Level 1 upgrades", ECU 'flash' or additional electronics, airbox and filter mods, exhaust, also sprocket options for highway or offroad - I don't know much/anything about all of it but it didn't sound like big money and I think it largely solved the acceleration/cruising speed high rev issue. It's never going to be a highway bike, but who wants to ride on a highway on a smaller bike? A new DRZ400 with fuel injection and a 6th gear could build on the success of this Honda 286cc and probably solve the acceleration issue. Also "big bore kits" are a thing for the DRZ, think gets you to 450cc, so maybe someone will bring out one for the Honda Rally, get you well over the 300cc mark and that will get the bike the extra 10% it sounds like it needs. Would be great if Ian got his own one and really went at the engine, see what things worked, what didn't etc.
Have you considered a DRZ400S? A used one would be the same price as the Honda, and has 33% more horsepower and torque. Plus the suspension is far superior. I don't know many guys that have had to mod their DRZ stock suspension. Something to look in to. Cheers!
If road use is a lot your counter shaft will wear out the splines. It needs a Haan Cush Drive rear hub. I bought on for my 03' Honda XR650R I converted to Dual Sport use. Honda does not have or make counter shafts for my bike anymore. Some have welded the sprockets to the shaft, crazy.
Great review subscribed. I’m surprised with your experience that you were surprised at the instability on the freeway with out of balance suspension and especially full dirt tyres. A lethal combination. Thank your lucky stars it won’t go any faster or you could well have been off.
I was curious about bag clearance over the muffler. Looks like you're pretty tight there, but didn't melt them, so that's a plus for simplicity and low-weight setup.
Good stuff to know. I'm having a varying amount of money to put towards a new bike and looking for all the ins and outs in options to save a buck, measuring out the most cost effects choices and wondering if I should go with a cheaper bike just to get back up on two wheels sooner rather than later. As I'm sure you've seen, even Itchy Boots' weight on the stock rear suspension did not work out and pointedly gave out in Moab. She might have had to seriously think about the seat height issue, and risk awkward looking mounts/dismounts but I think you proved the need to fix, at least, the rear suspension. I'm really enjoying your series of videos parsing out the issues with these low displacement bikes.
@@mxbadboy263 I hear you, but it's frustrating being without a ride. Watching these channels helps some but... I am trying to hold out for a mid range bike 700-900cc's
Living in UK, I just cannot understand US lane discipline on freeways. Why aren't drivers keeping over to the right unless overtaking a slower vehicle? I would find it alarming to have cars passing me on both sides at the same time.
