Why We're Buying a Honda CRF300L Rally 

Good choice. I have completed 400+ miles on my 300 Rally in the 0-8 degree range and the screen does a reasonable job. Didn't feel cold at all. The handguards are basically wind protectors, and although they do a great job, off-road I can't see them lasting more than a light drop. Sticking at 76mph (72 on the SatNav) on 4 x 50+ mile trips was stable and effortlessly maintained on hills too. The standard seat is surprisingly comfy and the fuel economy is great. I'm used to larger bikes and have been surprised at how well this handles on the road and the torque available when I'm missing 600cc and 3 cylinders. Enjoy!

It is nice to have a partner that shares the same passion for pastimes.

"Honda decided to put an end to the conversation." Yeah, they do that. Lol.

My CRF300 Rally was delivered last Friday (UK) and already loving it compared to my bigger (and much heavier) other bikes. Thanks for the vid and really looking forward to seeing how you get on with it 👍🏻

I can't wait! My daughter who has been riding dirt bikes for the last two years wants this for adventure riding. She's 5' 6".

Just purchased the Kawasaki KLX 300 - hard choice between that and the Honda CRF300 - dealer had the Kawasaki in stock, because you are correct-they are both hard to come by - liking the Kawasaki!

Have had the 250 Rally for 2.5 years - excellent bike - 300 will be even better! Bought it to do some trails in the UK and Europe and all the necessary roadwork in between. I've done nearly 7k miles with it - despite the Covid-enforced break and also having a Tiger 800. The Rally is a great light Adventure bike and a good introduction to offroad. I fitted barkbusters, Kriega OS-base to carry bags and for protection fitted the Kodama composites bash guard and protection - much lighter than metal bashplate and gives good proection. Used it on the Trans-Euro Trails. Enjoy your Rally!

Congratulations! I think you chose wisely between the two Honda bikes. I bought the KLX300S a month ago. I really like the lil guy. Our weather has been nasty lately, when i have the time to ride, which hasn't been often. Here's to much more riding soon!

I’ve would go for the regular L, there are so much after market parts out there that range and weather protection wont be a problem, thats for sure. Lighter and less plastics. Regarding the seat, when i had mine i went for Seat Concepts low seat with the gripper finish. Totally worth it. About 1 1/2 inch lower and wider at the back for extra comfort and narrow at the front for much easier access to put your legs firm to the ground.

I've been riding the hawk 250 since 2016 and still love it

Order two of the Rallys last week. May or June delivery for Australia. We'll keep watching, see what you get up to with yours.

My wife just started her mc journey, we got her a BMW 310 R. Last fall I started with an adv. bike. I consider a CRF 250 but bought an 89 Transalp instead. I’ve been riding road for 40 yrs, so the gravel/dirt is a new experience. Another good video. Have a great time traveling this summer.

In Quebec I was told my rally would be here early April... Can't wait to try it after seeing people in Europe loving theirs!

With the Oxford grips on a tenere, you can bend the control mounting plate so it's flat and then the controller can sit vertical behind the mirror mount. That is how I mounted mine and it looks clean

I live about an hour east of Vancouver. I have a deposit down for the rally version I expect to see it in maybe four to six weeks. I would be happy to show you some of the great trails in the mountains around my city

You've made a great choice on buying the Honda CRF300 L Rally edition I hope to buy mine for all the same reasons including it's easy loading on to a trailer hitch rack on my campervan

I have the 250 rally I recommend getting the YSS rear shock $450 ( no oil reservoir) and the Race Tech front fork upgrade $200. Makes a world of difference. Absorbs the terrain well keeping the chassis level and is still super comfy. I also have the Seat Concepts seat and pan $ 180. Happy rid’n Allan So Cal USA

You Canucks are getting them earlier than we are in the states. I have a deposit on the CRF300L Rally ABS myself, but it is expected here in June. Can't wait for more content on this one. Congrats.

Cover the bike when on the hitch or the exhaust and dirt behind your rv will mess it up

I had to wait since January and The shop finally got one in. I got it. Love it on may 8 th 2021 and it was the first one delivered

looked at the Honda recently but went with the 2020 DR 650 . When I picked up the DR I was a little concerned about its simple nature but the more I ride it the more I get why people love .. Good video

It'd be cool if Yamaha gave you the option to put the dash sideways because I realize the dash Kind of looks like an e-reader and now I can't unsee it. if it was sideways it would look slightly less like a e-reader. Also being able to put it sideways would allow you to put a GPS like a Garmin right on top of it and it would still be protected by that bar

Dualsports are so much fun, id be eager to feel what the power is like on these 300s, my dad has the honda 250 version, he loves the bike, but me personally, it feels a good bit slower than the drz400s i used to have which i miss lol. Cant wait to see your future videos on the rally

The choice between the klx 300 and the crf 300 is so difficult without being able to test ride. Thanks for the video. Looking forward to updates.

oh, Gamestop WSB. Didn't expect it in this motorcycle video. haha

Can’t wait for your review of the 300rally. It’s on my short list once I get the ok from my Doc to get back on a bike. Hopefully you come through the Sault Ste Marie area lots of good riding and camping. Cheers

I got back to the channel after a while, been binging on what I missed and I'm glad to revisit your commentary/review style I subscribed for a while ago. I really enjoy your work and can't for the rally review!

Great info getting mine in 4 weeks and looking forward to comparing with my T7 I have subscribed and see how you get on. Ride safe. Mick

Good pick for what you're doing! It's all about buying the bike that suits your needs. Looks to have checked all boxes on your fun list. Nice! I bought an Africa Twin for my list last year, and usually pick Honda equipment due to the reliability. Absolutely love it! Best luck to you both on this year's adventure eh :-) Your fellow Canuck 🇨🇦

The Honda Crf 300 Rally is a safe bet and a long-lasting, and fun bike, perfect for hard-to-pass and wild trails and with low fuel consumption. Thanks for the video and take care.

I want a 300L. May start looking for one.

Good choice in my book, I have the 250L and wish I’d gone for the Ralley. Now looking at the 300L Ralley

Definitely looking forward to these new adventures. :)

Hello from Montréal! I was between a T7 and the Rally to go back to the dual-sport after a few years without riding. I went through the same reasoning and decided to reserve a Rally. It looks capable enough to discover around the city and do a few trips up north. Also, a lighter bike will be easier to tow. I look forward to your reviews and upgrades. Thanks for your great content!

Rally 250 was my first mc. I just added 2020 Africa Twin DCT. Good choice on the Rally. The plastic is tougher than you think. My advice: first purchase should be Dunlop D606 tires. They will transform the bike in the dirt and are good on the road. Don’t doubt me on this. All the best!

Hey friend, I wish you a lot of fun during this Summer. Itchy Boots got one CRF250 go check it.

I'm really eager to see what you have to say about the CRF300 Rally vs T700, they are the 2 options i have on my short list for a purchase later this spring / early summer. the light weight is very attractive on the 300L specailly as i would love to start exploring gravel and dirt road solo and need a bike I can pickup alone.

Yeah, I’ve wanted this bike ever since first hearing about it! I went to my local Honda dealer yesterday to check on it. Looks like it will be weeks before they get any in stock. Guess I should go put a deposit down. Thanks for your observations on the bike. They were helpful.

You weren't kidding on used prices. Shocked was an understatement. $1200 difference here between L and rally which swung me over as rego + insurance etc

Good for you Guys!! Go Brooke!! Renazco seats in Santa Rosa California, James does an amazing job!!

Really enjoy your vids and subscribed! Have a deposit on a Rally and just waiting!

I looked closely at the 300 Rally but I chose the Royal Enfield Himalayan. It was the seat height, the absence of plastic, and it’s suitability for touring that tipped the scale for the Himalayan. I think the Honda would be much better in spicy single track.

For camping and longer distances the Rally is the better choice..I know I've done some long multiple day camping trips on my Rally....Great little bike👍

Great video. Had 1st dibs on all 4 models and chose the 300L non ABS. Hoping by the end of March here in northern Illinois.

I got the 300l first bike. I thought I should have gotten rally but already dropped 3 times on dirt no damage so catch 22. I hope you are enjoying bike

Can’t wait for your review. Very interested in this bike.

I own a 2014 CRF250L and the upgraded 300L really got my attention too. After a long and difficult debate. I went for the DRZ400S. I wanted more ponies than the detuned North America 27HP 300L. The 31HP version would have been my choice if available here.

Corbin Motorcycle Seats...Hollister, California. Best seats in the world, made in a small home town in California

If you make your way to BC be sure to check out Toad Rock motorcycle campground. Lots of room for campers there and a ton of riders of course.

The more I learn about the rally, the more I like it. Trying to talk my wife into one using the "one woman, many bikes" argument, but she's not buying it... (she's a passenger, not a rider). Looking forward to follow up evaluations of your wife's new ride!

Yes it looks like a Dakar rally bike. Beautiful style.

Congrats on the decision and new bike. You both should enjoy it! If you guys are ever on a road ride down towards the Belleville area, we should hook up for a tour!

Honda is a good choice. Had a 2017 Rally for 3 years until I traded in for the 790 adv r. ( hadn’t ridden for 25 years so Rally was a good get on and ride bike. Wanted more highway power and Tenere was not yet available. Love the ktm though) That being said I wish I kept the Rally. It was a bullet proof light adventure bike. Only made better with a 300. Brooke and you will definitely enjoy it. I threw on Oxfords on mine and man they were nice. My only criticism is the 250 struggled on Alberta highways and the plastics limited engine access and were not very durable. Had a few cracks in mine. Maybe the 300 will be less so. Enjoy.

My last dirt bike was a 83 IT 175 before that I had a 82 YZ 250. been riding a yamaha big bear but I want a Tenere 700 real bad. Hope your wife likes 300 rally it`s a sweet lookin bike. My last street bike was a 79 CB 750F....wish I still had it.

As long as you understand that you're buying a street legal trailbike, you won't be disappointed. Adding 50cc to a trailbike does not morph it into an enduro bike. For the price, you're getting a great bike.

without looking for you ..you might fined some longer rear lower suspension "dog bones " that will lower the seat height even more ...and drop the front triple clamps down on the front forks as much as possible without getting into the tapered area of the fork tube ..this will compensate to closely maintain your rake and trail if you drop the rear suspension ...i was able to find adjustable lower suspension arms for an africa twin one time ..just make sure you still have clearance between the tire and fenders when the suspension travel is at its maximum

Still eyeing the CRF 300 Rally, will buy if I like it after the testride. Personally I don't think I will replace the bash plate, as it's probably the best stock bashplate out there. It's very well mounted and it can take a good beating. I do agree with upgrading the seat, handguards and the windscreen.

This'll be fun! I'm looking forward to the videos! :-)

Nice. I've been toying with the idea of trading up my Yamaha XT250 since its very limited with 19hp and 5speed. Maybe if I see end of year deal. I really want the Rally Non-ABS which seems to exist on Honda's website. Cheers!

Try Fisher seats, they will make you a custom seat and cover for your bike. Quality stuff😉

Enjoy, you lucky people!

I have the 250 Rally , you can't go wrong for what you want to use it for.

I was thinking about a Royal Enfield Himalayan butttt...lol, I think will eventually go for the CRF300 Rally.

the rally headlight looks like drunk spiderman.

This is an excellent video. I went through the exact dilemma, but the Tenere 700 was in the mix for me as a potential purchase as well. I am moving to Labrador and want another trail bike but am really interested in some longer distance camping/adventure trips on the bike as well. The Tenere would have been ideal for the adventure trips but this would be ideal for the tighter/rougher local trails, which I would be riding often. I am hoping this bike will reasonably check all boxes for me, and save me some money on top of everything. I had high hopes for the new KLR but was left pretty disappointed!

I added a 280cc kit and a 20L Acerbis tank, plus a small screen to my 2004 XR250R trail bike. It was very capable with decent suspension and great steering. What pity it has taken Honda so long to produce something similar.

Looks like a great bike, keep us posted

Good for you guys happy trails on or off 4 or 2.

A 350 or 400 engine would be more ideal for the rally Honda I would definitely buy one

its just a newer version of the old XR250L ...that are pretty awesome with a tune and will take plenty of abuse and keep coming back for more ...how much more ? we havent found the limit yet as my friend bought a brand new XR250L in 1996 for his summer home in brown county indiana of 250 Acres of woods with a big lake in the middle and an hour's worth of trail riding before you make it first Loop. and over the years this bike has been to Wayne National Forest Shawnee National Forest many times on campouts and trail riding and he uses the bike sometimes to go to work in Bloomington, so we really dont know yet when it will die as he still uses the hell out of it...the secret is keeping the oil changed well before it gets dirty ..these little engines require high rpms to make their horsepower ...and all oil breaks down from high rpms ..this why you should use honda 10w40 full synthetic with the MA code that is formulated special for bikes with a wet clutch as the engine oil also lubricates your transmission and your wet clutch ...and honda came up with an engine oil that will not cause the clutch plates to slip at high rpms and high speeds when you guys are two up traveling on highways ...and 25 years from now your dual sport honda should still be running good as new just like my friend's old XR250L still does ..as sometimes he lets people use it out in woods at want he calls his summer home "the farm" ..as one time my xr500r was down waiting on parts one week end so took the old XR250L out on sunday ride at the farm with several other riders and was very impressed with the performance and passed a seasoned rider on a YZF450 on a straight section and into a hard right hand turn squaring off the apex ahead of the YZF450 yamaha as stayed in throttle leading the pack for a lap through the woods ...it was no neck breaker of torque ..but did put in 1st place for a while ..it was also modified with bigger carb from an XR250R and a yoshimura exhaust system with the lighter weight XR250R wheels and sprocket gearing the give the edge that it needed and after 25 years on the farm ..it stills runs great ...keep the oil changed

Excellent review. I am looking in one of those which off market low seats are available that you mentioned in video. I am also a short rider.

I went to Honda dealer yesterday I wanted to buy It's trail 125 much to my surprise they are on a 2 year back order Too bad HD NEIL AKA THE KRONK 😀👍

The Workshop is happy

@6:37 There is no universal definition of adventure bike. You can go on adventures with a dual sport, especially if you add accessories like windshields and crash plates.;)

It's been 4 weeks. Hopefully the Rally is yours soon. I own a Drz400s but I'm Very interested in the 300 rally. Looking forward to seeing what you folks think of it.

Congratulations! Love your videos and was about time to hit the subscribe button ;) You choose the best-looking version in this class and it would be very interesting for me to see some long-term reviews for both the T7 and this beauty. I used to hate the Oxford heated grips on my old Africa twin but they are the best possible upgrade for any adventure bike and in most cases - much better than OEM heated grips offered by the motorcycle producers. Cheers from Bulgaria!

Seriously good video! Thanks a lot. Hello from Ireland :)

yeeeees! looking forward to these adventure couple videos! Would it be possible to translate those lbs / miles / gallons to kilos / km / liters for us poor europeans please? Watching your videos with a weight / capacity / range converter on the side is not the nicest experience ;) Thanks!

I am also 5'6" and 120 lbs. I recently had a 2017 Rally and a 250l. Terrible on the hwy. That is why I just bought a new 2018 KLR 650. I never do single track but in BC we have many logging roads. I look forward to your thoughts on the 300

I’m 5’7 130lbs I have a 2018 250 rally great bike but soft suspension is my only gripe. Great bike have fun on the 300 consider me jealous😂

I think an XT250 would be better suited to what you want. Moot point if you already bought a CRF but for anyone in a similar situation there are very good reasons to buy an XT. A better trail bike with better build quality in the little things than than a CRF but more importantly it has a much easier, lower seat for a beginner off road or shorter inseam person. 300km range stock. I'm not against Honda, far from it, I love my CB300R for riding around town and the engine would be great in a dual sport but for a highway capable dual sport I'll stick with DR650's for less money and a 5 year Suzuki warranty. Done several 1000km days on my DR and crossed every province in Canada twice on it. In the factory lowered suspension position I bet it would feel lighter and lower and easier to manage than the CRF Rally for a beginner. Service intervals look higher on DR's and XT's but it's easy to check and adjust valves yourself on the old school simple, tough and reliable DR or XT. No problems with carbs if you don't let a bike sit for months with ethanol in the carb. XT pro rider review: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lleTv_EnyMU.html

Part of my thinking in getting the CRF300L Rally is also what led me away from the Terene 700, by the way. I don't own as many bikes as your family, so I figured it made most sense to have a significantly lighter weight bike to take in the dirt that has enough fuel range and weather protection for the kind of trips and riding I would be getting into with it. My other bike is a BMW F900R, but I think I am going to replace it with either a cruiser like the Indian SuperChief or BMW R18 or maybe a sport-tourer like an R1250RT or RS. The actual long distance riding I would be doing involves paved roads, not a long stretch of Eurasia with rough dirt/gravel roads that a true adventure bike is more suited for. But this lineup would give me a more capable and easier to live with bike to take innawoods (CRF300L) and then a road-going mile-muncher that will be more fun on pavement than an adventure bike with big wheels and sloppy suspension.

Subbed. Love it. I’m in Newmarket. Maybe one day we’ll meet on the trails. July 2021 we’re headed to Cabot Trail with some guys for a week ride... at least if the provinces let people travel. Maybe the USA border is open then...

Mate, I love my 250 Rally, the 300 would be nice but mine does legal highway speed and a bit more. Awesome on the dirt for it's HP, it will do well and is 50 Kg lighter than a T7 and 10 grand less and I can pick the thing up by myself (that's important). I like the motto (moto :) ) go light - go now like Vince Vaughn and Steph J. I think you will love it.

I would have recommended the KLX. I prefer the WR Series, but the KLX is lower than the WR, and better off road than the Honda. I find the Honda to be a bit squishy, top heavy and the pegs in a position that is biased for sitting, not standing.

I carried my Honda Rally on the back of my RV.. Sold it last week.. They still don't have good aftermarket parts for it.. Had to outsource from Cheche Republic and Taiwan to get protection.. Tusk however makes a great luggage rack.. All that stuff makes the bike Heavy though....

Sensible option and looks like it will be lots of fun 👍

300l is the best in its line.

Definitely looking for more on this bike as I'm considering one myself!

Good video you are happy with Honda👍

I'm picking up my KLX300 next weekend. If you're in the Barrie area sometime you're welcome to test ride it to get a real comparison. I'd be curious to get your feedback on the suspension differences when you get the Rally. Oh, and the KLX is 302 LBS...just sayin'...

Great video but just something stupid and that is if you buy a bicycle you have an adjustable seat why is this not on motor cycles and yes I am a mechanical engineer

I'm planning to buy 300 rally... 👍

Just wondering - have you considered KTM 390 Adv? It's light, good on the highway and off-road. Please search for "World's Highest Hill Climbing Challenge". The bike used in that video has just the tire upgrade.

You mentioned the card on the DRZ as it was a bad thing, I prefer an old fashioned carburetor any day, all electronics eventually fail

Why bike manufacturers insist on giving us seats these days with the comfort of a 2x4 needs to stop. For the money we pay for a new machine they could at least give them a decent seat from the factory. Yeah were up on the pegs a lot of the time on a dual sport bike, but still. Oh the 5 speed on the DR650 is actually very good being a big bore. Its not anything like the 5 speed on the DRZ400. Your spot on about the DR's stock garbage BST Mikuni CV carburetor though. Besides being so factory lean it has terrible throttle response off idle.

Hit me up when you get to Alberta, I can set you up with some trails.

the new CRF300 Rally is the best light adventure bike on the market ... a good smart choice.

Would be cool to do some subscriber meat ups and group rides as you travel across the country lots of local that know the areas you will be visiting on you way across

Is it confortable at 100+kmh? Whats the rpm in 6th gear at those speed?