Crf 300 Rally - The Adventure Begins

[garyboy]

I watch itchy boots, Noraly, and I admire her more and more. She has done hundreds of thousands of miles, solo .. she is ver experienced. Look at her choices .. Himalayan, cb500x, crf 250L, and now ......... crf300rally .. that is telling me something, even though she admits it is too heavy for her ride drops.

It shouldn't cost too much , suspension.. race tech spring in front, forget ? say under 100 quid? YSS rear 370 quid, tyres, soft seat cover .. catch a willing sheep? Hand guards, hand warmers, bash plate .. Under 1000 ?

Really well put together budget bike .. with Honda name and reliability.. just saying. But don't give up the himmy yet, as others have said. It's fun and good experience to try a few bikes. And what suits others may not suit you.

[adventure steele]

Himalayan refunded

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Wish we got the range that even places like the US get, so many small cc bikes like the XR150L and the CT125. Why don’t they do the same bikes each side of the pond? Do they think they won’t sell here?
52049352-47A7-4046-B4C9-0A8D1FE97C2C.jpeg

You can get bikes like that here...they're Chinese.

https://www.sinnismotorcycles.com/sinnis-motorcycles/

a SEVEN YEAR WARRANTY! (taking a leaf out of the Korean 4x4 manufacturer's books when they first came to the UK)

And that's the reason there's no point in the Japanese bringing in a similar product with £1000 higher price tag.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

https://www.sinnismotorcycles.com/2020/ ... ally-2019/

Makes Mondo Enduro seem like Long way round

[minkyhead]

as a obsevation and being fair minded as well i took a himalayan out a while back ..to be fair im a big unit 16 stone and 6f 1in tall and it was a pretty cramped affair for me ..the side panels and the exhaust conspired to make it a pretty awkward stance to stand and keep my feet comfortable on the footcontrols ..stuff i guess that can be solved ..it has a pleasent nature on the road and its quite nice to ride ..over 5k its a bit stressed and past it touque curve where the crf starts and at 7k is like a pig in shit ..so different


its a pretty good hobby slagging the coconut shy crf suspension with most ..but the truth is the rear shock has no rebound and the front forks actually do a pretty reasonable job unless you want to hit washing up bowls at 40 mph
i did take the himmy down the local coach road which is tree rooted whoopsy distressed and broken badly ..its a fair test on any suspension made easier or harder by the speeds you choose
heres the truth the himilyans suspension is borderline terrible down there harsh crashy deflecty and you will damage it pretty easily by bottoming out its beyond its remit over 20mph ,,even a stock crf mushy and bouncy is light years better on that track it one of them that has whoops that land you on a upslope of the next adverse cambers big holes teree roots and gravelly rain ruts
id say the crf is 50 percent more capable there than a himmlayan as is with nothing done ? if you want to ride the fill remit of uk tracks ...if you get the crf up to full suspension spec ,,proper sag full travel expect a seat height south of 940mm which at a guess it 10cm highr than the himmy its then tbo on different planet when it comes to the knarly steppy stuff ...you can place a full face adv lid iunder the belly pan of the rally after around 12inches clearance and it still gets banged now and again .the other big upside of that is the pegs are clear of all but extream deep ruts i have no measure but id think maby 5inches higher than the himmy from the base of the front wheel
..so you have to be clear on what you want it for and do you really need it ?
id say for sure a fully set up rally properly done will be far too tall for your dad as a novice if hes under 6ft .it is a a tall perch similar to most enduros
..im pretty sure your looking at distresed roads and jeep tracks maby easier trails to ride together .

tbo id get a himmy each share one set of spares and tools be safe and steady with the ability to get both feet on the ground on the awkward bits .. save a grand or more on the rally and get a rear shock each and whatever the himmy lads say is good for the front .....as imho the himmy suspension is pretty poor paricularly the rear ..when questions are asked in a high speed hit envoroment
...just needs to be upgraded at both ends to make life plusher and more contoiled

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

I like the concept of the Himmy, but having seen one being ridden off-road (and I mean in a wood with leaf-mould and mud, not down a track), it just ends up pushing a growing ball of debris along with the front of the engine until the inevitable fall.
It is at best a 'rough road' bike, not an off-road bike. Which to be fair is probably what the design brief was in the first place. It's built primarily for the domestic market, and the clue is in the name.

[adventure steele]

Himalayan refunded

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

The original XT500 is a lovely-looking thing...but that is reflected in the prices being asked. The later MonoCross models (XT550?) don't look as 'cool' but are arguably better.
The 500 Hondas are overlooked by comparison..although the engines from many of them ended up in C&J frame kits being used as MX bikes.

[dave h]

maybe have a browse here,

https://www.mtridersclub.co.uk/

Dave.

[adventure steele]

Himalayan refunded