Honda CRF300L Rally crossing Ophir Pass in Colorado while on the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route. Ophir Pass is located in the San Juan Mountains, part of the Rocky Mountains.
Started following this channel just because of CRF (planning on buying one) and now this this is turning up to be one of the best channels regarding pure beauty of the nature and landscape and editing... Amazing!!!! Love it! Greetings from Serbia :)
Thanks man! Really appreciate the nice words! I'm glad I'm not the only one that enjoys the beautiful natural scenery you get on an adventure ride. Ride safe my friend👍
Thank you for showing what the 300 can do. I feel like nowadays, everyone says it can't be done unless you have a $25k bike with all the latest stuff. Thank you for showing people you can have one heck of an adventure with something like this. Great setup and amazing views! Thank you!
The Honda is in no way cheap. it's like a $7k + motorcycle. Beautiful Video of Ophir Pass. I was up there a few days ago and the scenery is simply stunning....
I have a KTM 1290 SA. I know i could do it however a heavy bike like that would wear my ass out on something like this. I am looking at getting a smaller bike for roads like this. The KTM is for long trips where i will do a mix of payment and dirt and lots of camping. a smaller bike you will get your butt kicked on the highway. To get to cool roads like this in the west I have 1000 miles of slab before it gets fun. so next bike will be smaller ADV I can put in the back of my Pick Up . and spend a week out west just riding cool roads like this
Please don’t get me wrong. I like all bikes! And yes, this Honda isn’t free but I was just looking at this adventure from a dollar spent/smile on face return kind of setup. You could spend less and do the same trip and also spend more. Is there a perfect bike for everything….?? Maybe not and I do agree bigger bike are great on slab and small bikes seem easier to handle off-road. To each their own. Just happy to see people on two wheels having adventure and living life!
Thanks! Definitely worth visiting the Rockies if you enjoy the outdoors - there are so many amazing passes in the San Juan Mountains area. Ride safe my friend👍
Fantastic. Thanks for sharing. I'm guessing that the fuelling wasn't a problem at that altitude on the Rally? Since I've had mine, I have been about as high as bumping up a few curbs :) Have to get on a trip again soon.
Thanks! Yeah the bike had no issues with fueling at this elevation. I ended up spending about 5 days traveling mountain passes in CO all around 12000' and the bike was flawless with the exception of the one overheating incident. Definitely worth traveling on this bike - it's a unique experience with its true off-road ability but yet still able to run hours on the highway. Ride safe my friend👍
@@TrekEthos A couple of years ago I was riding my CRF250L up near Cripple Creek (CO) at a very slow pace and around 11,000 ft. and I kept hearing a whir near the engine. I didn't realize this $4,900. bike had an automatic cooling fan! Great value, Honda!
Thanks man! I always appreciate your support/comments👍 If you end up doing the UTBDR, I'd be very interested to hear about your experience. It's currently third on my list of BDRs to complete and any first hand riding knowledge would be very useful for me🍻
@@TrekEthos are you still riding the Colorado Mnt Roads/passes ? I tried to do Ophir the other day and there was too much Ice and snow. I think im headed to southern Utah in the next few days. For the time being. I'm based out of Cortez so the sky's the limit on where I go to ride. So many awesome mountain passes and trail riding here in this area.
Thanks for taking us along! Drone footage is stunning. In the past you posted that it’s a DJI Mini. I don’t think it has Track. Could be mistaken. If not have you upgraded your drone or do you have help with the video? Be safe out there.
Thanks! Yeah I have two drones - the nature shots are done with the DJI Mini 2, the tracking shots are done with a Skydio 2. Both drones work well for me - Likewise man, ride safe👍
Love your videos. Keep them coming please. I just bought a CRF300L RALLY in August like yours. I love the bike. But I am not blessed with scenery like you have here in Ontario Canada. Best I can do is the Adirondacks in NY, Green mountains in Vermont or White mountains in New Hampshire. My other bike is a CBR1000RR. 🙃 I started in the dirt when I was young, and felt it was time to return. The Rally is amazing. Better wind protection than a regular dual sport. More range, and still very capable off road. The footage on your videos is slowly convincing a buddy of mine to get one too. 😃 What tire are you using? Still on the stock ones? Ever had a flat? Keep up the good work. Thank you.
Thanks buddy, really appreciate that👍 That's a fun pair of motorcycles - One very slow and the other very fast :) The Rally has really surprised me in the best way possible - it has become my favorite adventure bike I've ever owned. I've gone through a few tires now and I'm back on the stock rubber. I actually think the OEM tires are a good 50/50 tire & they are relatively easy to change if I were to get a flat. Nope I have not gotten a flat on the bike yet - hopefully it stays that way :) Enjoy your Rally and ride safe my friend!
What a beautiful view. Even we're thousands of miles away I appreciate the beauty of nature. Looking forward of you're new videos and adventure with the CRF300 Rally. Take care and drive safe.
Thanks for the great views in this video. I am researching what size adv bike to get just to do roads like this. I have a KTM 1290 SA could do it however that heavy of a bike would wear my ass out on roads like this. a lighter bike would be better for roads like this. Just my .02
Fantastic footage. I can recall driving Ophir Pass in a rental car.....while ultimately successful...it was definitely a really bad idea. If you don't mind me asking, what model of drone do you use as I'm thinking of upgrading and would love some feedback.
Your story reminds me of when I drove a rental car to the arctic circle... ultimately successful but yes a bad idea :) Sure man, I use a DJI mini 2 for nature shots and a Skydio 2 for tracking shots. Ride safe buddy🍻
Outstanding video. Really inspiring. Sold my Super Tenere and looking for a lightweight bike. The 300 might just fit my needs. Thank you for making such a fine effort.
Thanks man👍 I've never ridden the Super Tenere but I do also own a Tenere 700. It always amazes me when I get on the T7 how HEAVY it feels compared to the Honda CRF300L Rally. I could only imagine how heavy the Super Tenere felt! Ride safe my friend
Thanks👍 Sure, it's a PMR rack with the aluminum expansion plate option. I also have a Rotopax mount that I attach to the rack if I need more fuel. The bag is a REAX Poseidon drybag. I have nearly 12,000 miles of travel on the bike now and I will say that this setup works well for me.
Great video! May I ask which drone you are using, and how many batteries you travel with? I've done the COBDR a couple of times and the NMBDR. I would love to have a drone that follows as well as yours.
Another beauty! Thank you sharing. Did you encounter any other overheating problem with your 300Rally in this ascent? Any idea what caused that previous overheating incident ?
I have been over Ophir pass many times photographing but never with a drone. I absolutely love the video. Curious do you program the drone to stay out in front a certain distance? Very cool I want one.
great video. my son and i just did this pass on our KTM 990 adventures and it was a handful. the drone footage gave great views of the trip. i was to focused to remember how beautiful it was up there. good job
Did the same pass on the same bike this summer. Baby heads were a nightmare. KTM1190 tore out the clutch on that stretch close to the top. What tires did you use?
Nice ride, drone shots are great! The music is well chosen but it does detract from the ride. Maybe a little less volume so we can hear the ride itself.
I ended up seeing your videos when I was researching about crf rally, wow it’s not only about the bike but also the editing, music and quality of your videos amazing 🤩
Me too! It would have only taken one errant rock to have me go over that edge! Glad to hear you're still enjoying the videos & channel👍👍 Until next time buddy🍻
Why didn't you pretend it was in Australia or somewhere and kept to the left of that path? Wouldn't that be a bit safer? At least when you'd be closer the high side rather than the cliff side.
Such amazing views, great video! Can you share how you do the drone shots (and what kind of drone)? Is the drone on auto follow? That just seems so sketchy!
Yeah I'd say this is an easier pass to do compared to others in the San Juans. If you approach from the east you could probably drive a Prius to the pass - it's just a dirt road. It's really the exposure of riding right on the edge of a drop-off that I think some people have trouble with. I crossed six 12000' passes in CO and I never noticed any issues with power loss. I think this is because I was never really riding aggressive or fast though, probably no more than 30mph on these roads.
Superb video again! Thanx for taking the time to stop and setup shots/drone footage for us. I'm shur it lets you get a breather, and take in the views..and you have Better editing than a documentary! May i ask how long to edit after such an amazing ride?
Thank you sir!👍 This video took about 10 hours to edit, the last one where I road 1000 miles took nearly 20 hours to edit - this is why I don't publish videos often on my channel :)
Thanks! The rear rack is made by PMR with the aluminum expansion plate option. This setup allows me to mount a 1 Gallon Rotopax of fuel to the bike if I need additional range. I also like that the rack mounts with just four bolts. It allows me to quickly remove it when I'm not traveling (I personally don't like how bikes look with a rear rack).
@@TrekEthos thanks! I got mine on October 15. So far I’ve only put on wraparound handguards. I want to get a rear rack and a different skid plate, and don’t really plan on getting anything else for it.
@@2wheels.are.better.than4 Finally! It's been a loooooong time coming👍 What's the plan now that you have it? Hopefully the weather will give you some opportunities to enjoy the bike in the near term🤞
@@TrekEthos nothing immediate, but next summer I hope to do the Washington State BDR from Oregon to Canada. Question: do you start in 2nd gear? I’ve found 1st gear to be so low that it’s easier to start in 2nd gear (on the street, off road 1st gear comes in handy).
@@2wheels.are.better.than4 Good deal👍 That's an interesting question - I personally don't start off in second. It's muscle memory for me at this point to always go down to one when I stop. I could see why you're asking this though - the bike makes a lot of low end torque and wouldn't have an issue pulling from a standstill in second. Ride safe buddy
Beautiful drone footage in all respects. As to the road gradient, are you sure it was 15-20% (other than the switchbacks)? It would appear from a distance to be more gradual than that. Not sure that even a 4x4 could handle loose rocky double-track at 15-20%.
The grade was calculated using a topographical map to estimate elevation climbed over the distance traveled. The upper section of the route climbs 1060 ft over 1.2 miles which works out to a grade of 1060ft/(1.2mile*5280ft/1mile) producing an average grade of 16.7%. You can calculate the angle via trig with arctan(1060/(1.2*5280)) this yields an average angle of 9.5 degrees. These numbers are completely consistent with what it felt like riding it.
@@TrekEthos Thanks for the explanation. My protractor placed against the laptop screen would confirm your 10% trigonometric calculation. From a distance, the grade looks more gradual but I agree with your physical-exertion quotient, particularly at that elevation. Happy trails!
Another great vid, thank you for taking the time to share that with all of us! I was just over there in 2019 and stayed at the 3 Step Hideaway as a base camp and made several rides from there. Ouray Co was one of them to eat at the famous O'Brien's Pub and then ride the 550! That Million Dollar Highway is nothing short of spectacular. The Bear Tooth Hwy had received a lot of snow so it was closed off but i was still able to ride the Chief Joseph Hwy, wow, that was incredible in it's own right. Then looped around to Cody, and on to the 4-Corners and back up to the 3 Step Hideaway. I totally forgot to ride the Moki Dugway Hwy while i was right there, oh well there is always next time haha! Ride on and stay safe! :{)
I recently found your videos. They are so amazing, the cinematography is just awesome. I currently ride an AT, but I've been thinking on getting a 300, after your videos I'm even thinking on buying de AT and go for the 300. Where I live (a city placed at 12000 feet) there are a lot of mountains where the 300 would be perfect to ride. There's a spanish traveler called Charly Sinewan who tried to do this route but he couldn't in his bmw 850, the weight was the main limitation and there is where the 300 is superior to big adventure bikes. Thanks for sharing your excellent videos and excuses for my long commentary!
Shout out from Boise Idaho! I’m trying to buy one of these bikes, but all of my local dealerships are back ordered. Might not be able to get one until June. I could get something else sooner, but I don’t want to settle and regret. Thanks for these videos, and helping me feel like I’m one in the meantime.
Thanks! Hopefully you get one sooner than later👍 Do you have any recommendations for dual sport riding in Idaho? I've spent a very limited amount of time riding in the Idaho area
I hope so too. Jubilee park is a good spot. I’m more familiar with the local Mx tracks because I used to race dirt bikes. The CRF300 would be my first dual sport motorcycle. I’m planning on doing MSF and getting my motorcycle endorsement. You’re videos definitely helped convince me a dual sport was the way to go. Also what is you’re opinion on the ABS on the bike in regards to using it on the street and being able to disengage it off-road?
@@ukulelejames3124 Thanks👍 I personally don't prefer ABS on my dual sports. I've had more "Oh shit" moments from forgetting the ABS on while off-road than I have from needing the ABS on road. I don't deny though, that it's better to have it on road. Especially with the knobby tires in the wet.
Thanks for the info! Sorry to bother you with another question, but I was wondering if you can flat foot this bike? Normally I wouldn’t care, but feel it would be more stable when riding in urban areas. I’m 5 11 165lbs
@@ukulelejames3124 You shouldn't have a problem flat footing the bike - I'm 6' about 195 lbs with full riding gear and I can easily flat foot the bike. It's the lowest dual sport I've ridden.
"sit on the seat for better control of the bike" This is incorrect. Standing is better for off-road riding and becomes more important the more difficult the terrain is. "why make it hard and uncomfortable for yourself" I don't understand this sentiment at all - Why would you even ride a motorcycle 4000 miles solo across a mountain range if you wanted things to be easy? If I wanted easy & comfortable I would have stayed home and done nothing.
@@TrekEthos As a fellow rider and 300L owner I appreciate watching the dance you and your 300 did up that mountain. Your technic was excellent and the 300 was more than up to the task. Great footage and thanks for the heads up on what to expect this summer on the CO BDR. Stay safe and keep dancing.
