Honda CRF300L Rally - 3,000 Mile Review 

Congrats on the new bike! I think you're going to love it.

I spent 230 bucks for new back shocks and called it a day , may get heavier weight oil in front shocks soon...alot cheaper than that rip off raid kit.

Glad it was helpful! Which Lego kit?

Thanks Robert!

Thanks! And congrats on the new bike! Sorry you have to wait so long.

@@HighDesertHills Driving a Honda Navi til then. Coming from a Yamaha VMAX1200 is a bit of a hp down grade. Still fun.

Thanks! And yeah, Itchy Boots is amazing.

Awesome! I knew the stock tires were holding up well, but I wouldn’t have guessed 6000 miles. You may see the front fender from your rally on my bike at some point 🙂

I’m pretty anxious myself. I missed the delivery today, so I won’t get my hands on everything until Monday. Hopefully I’ll be able to knock out the installation next weekend.

Thanks Jeff! Really appreciate the feedback.

... @@HighDesertHills ... I am considering a 550 Stage 1 and a Yosh RS 4 full exhaust. Not sure if it will ever happen but researching everything I can. Dork (Ben) has a Graves and says he loves the "increase in power". 🤔

I rode a buddy's with the 550 Stage 1 and a full exhaust (different brand), and it did give it a nice little punch.

@@HighDesertHills What exhaust system?

Moto X. I talk a bit about it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Wq_zXSNvVfE.html

Interesting that it felt too high even with the level 1. I’m anxious to get mine on, and hoping for the same feelings you have about the upgrade. Did you do the install yourself, or have it done by a shop?

@@HighDesertHills Did the install myself. Nothing too complicated...normal shop tools. My OEM side stand is useless now, bike leans over too far... that's the next modification. Due to the almost zero sag in the suspension - I stand on my peg to mount the bike - the lean angle now is really too much for long term reliability.

Good to know. I think I will go ahead and attempt the install myself once I can carve out a day or so to do it. I didn’t even think about the kickstand. I may be doing that upgrade soon too.

Thanks for the info!

Well, I just realized this video is really old. Oh well ;-)

Thanks for the great comment! I actually have done the suspension now, and I love it. I went with the Rally Raid level 1 because it maintains the stock seat height (at the cost of some travel).

@@HighDesertHills Yeah, I realized not long after my comment that it was an old video, so I watched your follow-on. Seems like a good idea to get the level 1 for your height/inseam. When I went to the appropriate springs and sag on my DRZ it felt like I needed a stepladder to get on! I’m about 6 feet but I don’t have a really long inseam. I’m pretty used to it now, but there are times I’d like for it to be easier to dab or just put a foot down on the low side of a sidehill.

Thanks! I do like the look of headlight protectors. I may have to do that 🙂

That does suck. I lucked out. I called every dealership within a couple hours of my house and found this one within a week or so after I started looking. Someone who had ordered it backed out. If you haven’t already, you should join the 300L/Rally group on Facebook. They pop up used occasionally there, and if Oregon is anything like Utah, you’d save a ton of money in dealership fees if you can find a used one.

@@HighDesertHills I haven't used FB in 10 yrs, but if it helps me get one faster I might relent. Thanks for the info.

Crappy, it’s like Honda isn’t really into selling motorcycles or something.

@@loganurquhart11 I decided to get the non Rally version a couple months ago and am pretty happy with it. The upgraded Acerbis tank and skid plate and it's good to go, for now.

Thanks! Good luck with your decision. The KLR is a tried and true, bullet proof machine, but for me the weight and lack of FI (at the time) were deal breakers. Of course I recently picked up a KTM 890 Adv which weights about 25Kg more than the KLR, so go figure. But I still love the Rally for my solo desert adventures where I know all the the lifting will be done by just me if I take a spill.

I’m a bit behind on her journey, so I haven’t seen her suspension upgrade yet. Thanks for the heads up - I’ll keep an eye on the tool box.

Thanks!

For sure. I definitely would have seriously considered the LS if it had been available when I was in the market. If there was a Rally LS there would have been no question.

@@HighDesertHills that's what I'm thinking right now. Wishing there was a rally LS for sure

You bet. I'm trying to think of the best way to get something like that to you. Maybe I'll make a little short and upload it here. Also, I'm planning on tackling my suspension upgrade this weekend. I'll probably shoot some video of that process, and I'll include some "before and after" footage with me on the bike.

@@HighDesertHills Very cool. You always have realistic and clear view of things. I look forward to it.

I did that for my DRZ, before and after vids. Was kind of cool to see the difference. I didn’t bother gearing up though. I just made sure to wear the same stuff in both videos.

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of insight into that. I've only ever done 2up with my daughter. It works great with her on the back, but she's only about 5' 2" and light as a feather. And I've never tried to top out the speed with her on the back. Sorry I couldn't be more help.

@@HighDesertHills no problem, just wondering if i could still do 75 on it if i would like to go to the beach with the wife on the back

My hunch is that you'll be able to get up to speed on flat ground, but it'll take a bit longer to get there. You'll probably struggle a bit maintaining that speed up hills. One way to find out 🙂

Yeah, I think I’m retired from riding in snow.

It’s out near Little Moab, which is west of Utah Lake. Great place to ride.

@@HighDesertHills - Thanks! Yes, just moved from VA to NV to experience the desert areas of my state and other surroundings. Moab is on my bucketlist!

@@wiredwebmaster Fun! But just to be clear, this is a place called “little” Moab, not the famous Moab that’s down closer to you. I made a video about it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OOworDZVdHU.html

@@HighDesertHills - yes, thanks for clarifying. Will watch the link!

I'm not much of an expert on scramblers, but this video from F9 about the Scram 411 does a deep dive into scramblers in general. It is, as all of F9's videos always are, extremely informative and wildly entertaining: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-K3xppn2STXk.html

There are people who say that lowering a bike causes problems with the geometry, but in my opinion, a bike that you feel unsafe on (or even just uncomfortable) is far more of a problem than any minor geometry changes that come from dropping it. Thanks for the comment, and have a save trip back to the states!

I don’t use 91 octane, but I do use ethanol free whenever I have the option.

For me, it would have been a bit tall. It shouldn’t matter, because you’re not supposed to put your feet down, but I felt more comfortable on a shorter bike. The XT250 was perfect. But I have short legs (29” inseam). If I was a bit taller, the Rally would have been great for the test.

@@HighDesertHills now I'm looking at possibly getting the new Triumph Scrambler 400 when that comes out in January as it looks like it could be pretty sweet if the price isn't too high and I like that it comes standard with ABS brakes and a bunch of other options that Honda doesn't have on this bike

I love that color scheme on the Rally.

Unfortunately not

ProTaper CR Mid, with the ProTaper 1 1/8" mount kit to go from the 7/8" stock mount to the 1 1/8" fat bar.

@@HighDesertHills that's awesome, they look great!

Thanks!

You can here as well now. Great news for those that prefer the standard 300L, but want more range.

The tank is already bigger than the 250 rally , when is it gonna be big enough , and top heavy enough for ya all ?@@HighDesertHills

I’m going with the service intervals. Most people riding these aren’t buying them for commuter rides or big highway riding. Certainly there are more aggressive machines out there but that is not what this group is looking for.

It's rather simple. You can always have more power and more fun with a smaller more powerful engine or a bigger heavier engine but there's always trade-offs. You can never have big power and a light bike while having long service intervals, low maintenance cost, & keeping low weight. This bike has something no other bike has. This bike has the long service intervals, low weight, and plenty of power to ride down the highway when needed but it does not have any high speed passing power although it gets up to speed plenty fast. If you're a motocross style rider that likes to tear crap up and work on it all the time this is not the bike for you. If you're an explorer that likes to get there and be more comfortable while doing it and have a bike that's lightweight enough to do it then this is definitely the bike for you and I can't think of any other bike that is as good. Every other bike I've looked at has real short service intervals, low reliability, or heavier. The rally offers an actual fairing that does not have a handlebar mounted windshield so you do not have the windshield pushing and turning on your handlebars. It's obvious you either are a super aggressive rider or think you are. Whichever it may be maybe it's not the bike for you but good luck working on what you get all the time. For myself, I work far too much to be working on my bike all the time and want to be able to enjoy riding it more than I work on it. This is definitely a great bike option for a huge number of people out there that is not replaceable by any other bike I can think of. 300l rally is my choice bike period so far. If I want to go down highway more than off-road I will take One of the large displacement bikes again so I don't have to work on it all the time. For a person like me there is no reason to ever think about a KTM that always combines lightweight with high power but sacrifices itself to high maintenance and maintenance cost. If they ever come out with a bike that has the KTM weight & power but with high reliability with low maintenance cost & intervals I will be down for that in a heartbeat but I have a feeling it'll never exist.

@@jackle842000 not a super aggressive rider at all. Just one who doesn’t want to get killed on the highway where I (infrequently) ride and I want a bike that is bulletproof. I bought a DR650 after almost buying a buddies Rally he was selling. Can actually pass on the highway and maintain speed on an incline (Rally can not). I’ve dropped it countless times and do all my own work in the 10K plus miles I’ve put on it. Probably 20lbs more than a Rally, almost twice the HP/TQ, and almost no plastic. Windshield and larger fuel tank do the same as the Rally fairing with much less to break. Both need suspension and other mods. The Rally is primarily targeted/marketed to new riders and I think they need to know what they are getting and what they aren’t. I’d love to have multiple bikes but not in the cards at the moment.

@@tarjas I'm 230 lbs and the rally maintains 65 easy up hills. Speed limit is 55 most areas here where I'll be riding far outside cities. Dr650 & XR650 were my only other thoughts to get but they carry more weight up high and not near as good for tougher trails for that reason even more than the little extra weight. I've ridden the 650's too and they are great as long as it's not the klr650. The klr carries far more high weight than the XR. It's not only weight to consider but weight placement. The rally is more comfortable stock then my KLR650 was with an aftermarket seat to me so far so that's a plus. It's also fuel injected so you can start it and go no matter what the weather is like. It's also far far far more fuel efficient. The 300 l Rally also has 16,000 mi valve adjustment intervals which nothing hardly comes close to touching in any similar class. It has good counterbalancing in the engine so it doesn't vibrate a lot. There's just a lot of things to consider that edge the 300l rally over the other 2 for me. If I was going to ride down a freeway I would take the 650 all day but there's no freeways here so I chose the rally even though I have 30 years experience on bikes. I've been on every type of bike there is from off road only, to crotch rockets, goldwing, adventure bikes, and all. This bike also has a clutch That's so greatly engineered I can pull it with my pinky and that's a huge benefit off-road in tough spots. There is no hand strain from clutching at all period. Literally every single thing but the power is better on the 300l rally. I do still like the XR650 though if I'm looking for a back road thrill. But for exploring the 300 is better. I'm not knocking those XR or DR at all those are great bikes but everything but power is better on the 300 to me about the ride.

Thanks! I don’t have an IG yet, but I’ve been thinking about it

@@HighDesertHills it would be cool! Just wanted to ask you about Kawasaki KLX300 vs crf300. Maybe did you try Kawa before buying Honda? is there the same suspension as on Honda?

I didn’t have a chance to try the KLX, but I do know that the stock suspension on the Kawasaki is a lot better than the stock suspension on the Honda. I specifically wanted the Rally, so it wasn’t a hard choice for me, but if I was in the market for the standard 300L, the KLX would be a close contender.

@@HighDesertHills good to know! thanks!