Crf 300 Rally - The Adventure Begins

[adventure steele]

Legends thanks everyone thats a great video mate yep I don't need blistering performance long as she sits at 60 to get to the trails an travel through the countries we wanna see, that's great, looks like we are doing Iceland, Norway and Nordkapp then going down an across to the Pyrenees for some trail riding then Morocco which is something I've always wanted to do after reading Chris Scott's desert travels and especially since Mondo Sahara.

ALL I need is a good all rounder a jack off all trades master of none is perfect for me as those are usually my fav bikes thinking back to the vstrom 650xt and its road touring capabilities didn't set the world on fire but was just so so capable and still out of my modern bikes my favourite, hence why I initially went for the Himalayan till all hell broke loose. Was actually quite close to going for a vstrom 650xt or the T7 but thought I'd give a smaller cc one more go as it should fit the needs perfect.

I'm one of the rare people that doesn't have a car an uses a bike year round so the Rally should be the perfect option from a reliability stand point after the experience with the Ktms an Enfield at least I gave the Alternative brands a really good try jumping back into it after the ktms. Now though I said to dad I'm just gonna stick with the Japanese brands.

If I want to work on bikes I've got the Nortons an 350lc

I've been having to get lifts all week as I'm doing some service work on my Norton as I didn't expect the issues with the Himalayan to persist after the service to the extent they were so kudos to the dealer for doing the right thing.

With having run late 1960s British bikes and the 70s and 80s Japanese bikes they can all be very reliable so didn't expect it, in 4 years and 4 winters I've only changed a set of rocker spindles out on the Norton 650ss, an oil changes was even out on that on Xmas day as per for the past 4 years up on the Cat. I miss my first 250lc as I did 2k Miles in a week on that an when I sold it the new owner who rode it home phoned me up asking had it been converted to a 350 as it shifted haha! Always thought a well set up 250 could be a fun bit of kit.

The air-cooled rd250c was nice as well and the gsx750et was a cracking bit of kit an the new owner does track days on that crazy reliable it's been interesting riding and working on so many different bikes from the different eras you realise in some ways just how little has changed also how good the build quality was on the older stuff.

The 1927 Norton 16h and WW2 16H are different kettle of fishes due to parts availability. I did run the flat tanker through last winter though an I've got the mag back now from being re wound.

An indeed I know the trail performance will be good once I do the usual mods to it so my main interest is how itl suit me for the relaxed long days in the saddle. That I'll assess during the run in period an if I'm happy I'll start doing some lanes. I know going into it she might not pull at my heart strings in the way the Himalayan did but I'll more than sacrifice that for some reliability now, life's a learning experience.

The good thing with the 300 Rally is they are going privately for not alot under the list price, so least it gives me options to trade in or sell private if I didn't gell with it.

Tbh though for my needs it ticks all the boxes an dads crazy keen on them to, which is good

After the first 600 miles if she's ticking the boxes I'll look at the Rally Raid level 1 shock with it keeping the Seat Height down itl help if dad has a go.

Most certainly a seat concepts seat to that was my first experience of on with the one I bought on the Himalayan an that was great


The thing that's got me confident is the fact it's a Honda out of the modern bikes Honda an Suzuki have always been my two favourites I've not had a modern Yam yet so thatl be interesting if we end up buying a t7 when the house move is done to compare.

If we did end up getting two t7s I said to dad last night I'll keep the Rally for going to work on / Green laning like I intended with the Himalayan as the Honda is so frugal as you all say.

Really looking forward to this one it should be very interesting.

Good news is my Rally will be ready on Friday n hopefully I'll arrange a day for the Enfield to be picked up on Tuesday just waiting to hear what day they are coming for it.

My current thoughts so far

[adventure steele]

Good afternoon Internet ^_^ it's 4 pm in the afternoon an I have a new Honda CRF 300 Rally adventure motorcycle. The Himalayan got collected yesterday for a full refund under the consumer goods act stuff and hats off to the dealer from me speaking to them them apologising and agreeing within one week the Himmy was collected and I was paid same day so I was able to pick the Crf300 Rally up this weekend after getting lucky finding a canceled order.

About 6 hours driving to do now in the Rental Van to get her home. After what happened with the Himalayan's and the ktm 390s pdi or better to say lack of pdi I decided to van this one so I can go through it myself before jumping on and riding.

This is my 2nd Honda as I currently own a
CBR1000RR Fireblade which I've owned since new in 2010 back when superbikes were actually reasonable to buy.

Adventure bike wise I've had so far a
R1200gsa te, vstrom 1000xt, f800gs, suzuki vstrom 650xt (so darn good) ktm390 adv x2 one for me an one for dad both rejected with issues for a refund. Then a r1200gs te Rallye which was just to heavy for my shoulder, an finally the Himalayan which was rejected with issues for a full refund documented in previous posts if you are curious about that.

Really looking forward to seeing what life on the Honda has to offer plan is to ride her to 600 miles then can assess if she suits me or not before I go putting bits on. Which will be rally raid suspension at level 1 first and a seat concepts seat.

Plan is later on in the year to look at getting a Yamaha T7 to sit alongside it so dad and I can compare then we can decide whether to stick with the light is right approach or take heavier middleweight bikes on our trip for my shoulder though i can already tell moving the CRF300 Rally about and loading it it's so much easier like a Yamaha rd350lc


Thanks to everyone for the help and advice over the past few weeks.

[adventure steele]

So the Honda Motorcycles CRF 300 Rally.

First impressions, just so so light unbelievably light compared to the Himalayan an similar middleweight 200kg+ bikes or the heavyweight like my GS. The engine is really good suprisingly punchy revvy and smooth it took me a few miles to get back into riding a short stroke engine after the longer stroke of the Himalayan then quickly my old two stroke riding style came back even though its a 4 stroke single the engine has a similar fun feel and you can really carry corner speed to much more than the Himalayan.

Very much looking forward to being able to really wind it on after run in, it was also such a difference just being able to hop on the motorway an it suprised me just how smooth it is at 60-70 could sit on that all day long. Just the slightest tingle in the bars but the grips are hard and thin.

It might not have the same emotional memory connection as the Long stroke but from a riding bike point of view I actually prefer it as I was riding quite a nice pace without feeling strained engine wise.

Now let's talk about the two elephants in the room the suspension honda motorcycles honestly what were you thinking you can really feel the potential in the bike, yep its great being able to flat foot and personally I would have preferred less travel on the spec sheet and more usable properly damped suspension motorcycleadventuredirtbiketv called it right with the oinga boinga test haha! Nasa don't need rockets any more could just buy one of these to launch into space of the seat lol.

Oh an the seat ouch deffo needs a seatconcepts just gotta decide between comfort or comfort xl.

Next step is to sell a few things and buy the Rally raid level 1 suspension then I can look at a lightweight luggage and camping setup its all looking positive so far an I really can't get over how light it is.

First impressions though happy its a very different bike to the Himalayan an it's bringing out my older riding style in me from someone who used to do 2k Miles in a week on a 1984 rd250lc can see it's a bike I'm going to grow into riding.

Speaking of which has anyone used the Kodama protection rather than the upper crash bars from an ultra light point of view.




Here's the video from yesterday talking about the issues with the Himalayan and our thoughts the riding clip will be coming probably around Wednesday

[minkyhead]

kodima stuff is pretty dam good ..the red bits are the good bendy bits ..the black bits are the shiny brittle bits ...better with kodama as them bars some make for the lowers are very dodgy in terms of trapping your feet and ankles better a cracked panel than a cracked leg id say ...



imho you dont need owt fancy a yss rear shock and some handguards proper tyres maby a rear rack 20 quid seat pad and get out there on the uk tet for a couple of days ...test yourselves as well as the luggage and the bikes for a couple of days .i tell you for sure the stock 300 forks are lightyears betterthan a t7s in tems of travel and damping ... steady away your fine they work ok
pointless putting a shed load of money into somthing your unsure about again ..if it dont work out sell the yss on e bay keep the handguards and move it on
all the crf 300s here are standard exept the rear shocks replaced .there may be a fork spring or two done but nothing dramatic done to the fronts ..for steadier riders they are pretty plush and compliant ..just avoid washing up bowls at 60mph
4 with yss and steve went with a hagon i think ..run tyres at 16/16 all round use ..all easy and cheap to do .... tet ready in one afternoon and go id say
its really the only way to find out if you like what you have no matter what i is ..if it works ok maby then do the front cartidges and the fancy seat but these basic things are all ypou need to find out what you need to know

[adventure steele]

Thanks mate as always good level headed advice

I got out on the Rally yesterday its given me quite a content feeling I'd say not overly giddy or excited like some bikes I've ridden (gsxrs and vstrom 650xt etc) or stirring emotions like the Himalayan did with it making me think to my Nortons.

You can feel the quality with the Honda and the improvement over the Himalayan in most ways I was actually able to ride at a better pace on the roads even with the suspension the way it is so that's kudos to the Rally.

The biggest difference is remembering to rev it a bit then the fun starts.

It's got such a nice package though good chassis (apart from the suspension) good level of comfort (apart from the seat)

It gives that real content feeling that Hondas always seem go have like my fireblade which is good an why I've still got that nearly 13 years on.

Weirdly the best comparison that kept popping into my head was an rd250lc, very responsive to the slightest touch
A good chassis you can feel the potential in and the engine is very smooth even at motorway speeds.

which made a change from the Himmy as that was stuck to 50mph till 1200 miles. just being able to jump on an do that while not using all the revs in 6th.

I'm obviously taking it easy with the engine not overly revving it an no full throttle but it feels like it's a fun bike to ride when you grab the horns so to speak, bit like an elsie which is what it put me in mind off, as they are around the same weight.

So easy pushing it around thats for sure.

I'm thinking of the RR level one as it has the -40mm travel wise my dad could barley get on a yss equipped 250 rally he sat on where as he can get on my 300 rally as it is so naturally thinking that's the way to go so he can try that to only a couple of hundred quid more then a seat an doesn't really need much more, forks eventually when funds allow.

Dads absolutely obsessed with how light the clutch is so up to now it looks like we could just be ending up with two 300 rallys dependant on how the run in period goes over the next week or so.

Plan is then to go straight up to Scotland on it.

[Tonibe63]

I can only comment from my own experience.
As a Himalayan owner I think you were right to reject your bike, in my opinion the problems of the Euro 4 were not resolved during manufacture and the Euro 5 models just came with additional problems but at a higher price. I bought my '67' plate (euro 4) at 3k miles for £2.8k with 6 months warranty remaining having researched the known issues and was prepared to sort it myself when they arose. Now at 9k miles and have spent less than £100 to sort known issues myself. To me they are a bike that can be repaired by any back street garage anywhere in the world which is not what most people buy a new bike for in the UK.
Last year in Scotland I spoke to a B&B owner who recently had 4 Germans stopping over on brand new Hondas, 1 of the bikes developed a bad oil leak which he couldn't resolve in the UK because the bike had to be shipped back to the supplying dealer ..... the trip was over for that 1 chap. Even Honda have breakdowns and I would be asking the question about warranty coverage outside the UK before you travel or buy another bike.
Me personally I couldn't face a massive road ride on a bike that is so offroad focused that it makes 90% of the riding a chore. That poor piston is going to be torture riding up to Scotland never mind Norway etc. How much and how technical is the piste riding going to be? How often will just 1 person have to pick it up on their own, how lightweight is a bike with extra luggage etc? It's not the Dakar Rally.
For me I would be fitting offroad biased tyres (to my much abused but 100% reliable) 16 year old GS which can do Switzerland to Leicester in a day (22 hours), carry massive amounts of luggage but still cope with most of the popular gravel roads in Europe whilst 2up. Most probable issues can be fixed by me and if it couldn't be fixed then it would get a Vickings Funeral (set on fire and pushed out into a lake).
If it was me buying another bike I would be looking for a 550/700cc bike that will take the knocks but be easily fixable wherever it breaks down and I'm not sure many brand new bikes fit that bill.
Having repaired 'classics' yourself you can clearly twirl a few spanners and I just don't get the need for new bikes, unicorn bikes don't exist and whatever you get it will be a compromise.

[garyboy]

Yep, you can actually Feel the quality of the crf's. Everything is tight and plush and well balanced. It is responsive, and I find the power and brakes to be plenty for me, on smaller roads and trails. In fact, very good. And to a budget, which part explains the soft non adjustable suspension.

Interesting, that Minky says the crf300 front forks are fine as is. It was only 2 days ago that I found out, if correct, that the compression and damping are now in the one fork leg.

On mine, a 250, they are in separate legs. Spring in one, oil in the other.if I got that right.

Even so, when I drilled a hole 20mm shorter in the shock to lower the seat (cheapskate), and tightened the spring preload, the front became horrendously byoingy. When I added a racetech spring to the leg without a spring it firmed up the front, but too much, it seemed. After leaving the bike stand in the garage for a year lol, thinking I had fakkd the engine, when tried again, the firmness seemed less, but that may be down to tyre pressure? I m still confused about this lol.

I am wondering if the tyres have softened with use, giving a softer ride? .. or perhaps i am going funny in the head? .. both equally possible.
Same with the rear shock .. I am (supposedly) saving up for a yss shock, but atm the rear seems fine .. quite nice in fact. (whereas it was previously unbearably soft and springy). It must be down to the tyres ???? or perhaps the trails have smoothed a bit with (over) use?

could be the brain fog?? from over-riding my bikes??

[adventure steele]

I think its interesting how we all view bikes differently I think that's where the fun is.

Personally I couldn't imagine a better bike than something lighter like the Rally for traveling longer distances. Settle into a steady pace and all will be sweet an it's got enough pace in the engine to turn the wick up and get a bit of a grin in the corners.

I think with the Rally people tend to underestimate it from a road bike point of view especially with the 300 view, there's a few differences from the Rally to the l other than the plastics and the led headlight. Better brake, seat etc bar weights peg inserts and from memory the geometry is different to (sure I read that somewhere but don't quote me on it)

I think as well having something lighter + luggage is better as it means that the total overall weight is still less than say a Himalayan on its own but you are fully loaded with your travel kit. A 200kg+ bike + luggage is still that when you have to pick it up.

The obvious elephant in the room is the poor suspension, one thing I've learnt so far riding the Rally on the road is with the soft suspension it causes a lower cog which gives it a fairly sporty handling on the road once you get back settled where it suffers is corner entry and exit as the rear shock isn't up to it, even with that though on the road apart from the dampening issues with the suspension I was carying more corner speed and general pace everywhere even on tricky bumpy roads than the Himalayan which suprised me as I expected a very trail focused bike to be dreadful, bearing in mind it's got Knoblies on to. Dad commented on it when he was following me as it was dropping his i10 off everywhere both in acceleration and cornering even though I'm only using half the revs.



I was watching an interesting video on motorcycle adventure dirt bike TV about the suspension and they interviewed John from Rally Raid and it stood out to me that he commented on what I've been thinking with regards to when they put the level 1 stuff on which keeps the bike closer to the stock height using 210mm but propper travel rather than 250mm that it improved the road capability which makes sense as the bikes not as tall.

That's where I'm going to spend my money next a full Rally raid level 1 setup starting with the shock once I've sold my nav 6 an battery charger + from the beemer and a few bits left over from the himmy. Which should give me enough for the shock.

Weirdly it's the road manners which are mainly impressing me currently the smoothness and the 6th gear was a smart move by Honda an you can really feel the sporty nature of the engine. Especially coming from the Himalayan that aspect is light and day an I didn't expect it as everyone focuses on it from a trail perspective.

I think its a bike that with a few little tweaks it's gonna make a very capable all roads travel bike that I can take on any route I fancy.

When I'm travelling abroad I'll have some funds to back me up anyway because at some times I'm gonna be away from the dealer network + the engine is as simple as the Himalayan really, cable throttle, basic fi etc an having done valves on a 16v double overhead cam twin swirl combustion chamber gsx750et the Rally should be nice an simple especially with what they have done with the removable rocker spindle. An I'd just carry the usual stuff, spare injector, tilt switch, side stand switch an clutch switch.

Nothing else would prove to be any more complex than the Himalayan to work on an the water cooling will be better for the hotter countries to. One thing you can't get away from it metal fatigue on the classic bikes you can only deal with them as they become apparent or some as a preventative.

Everything I'd say is a compromise an it feels like with the suprise of the engine on the road not feeling boring or undergunned an having a reputation of being a reliable unit according to motorcycle adventure dirt bike TV anyway

I'm content.

[adventure steele]

Had a good day out today continuing the run in on the Honda CRF 300 Rally. All being well I should have it finished by the end of next week. Unfortunately no gopro footage from today as none of the audio came out the wind was pretty darn wild.

A quick question for anyone who also has a rally and is 6'2" with a 32" leg what front screen have you found effective? At the moment I'm getting quite a bit of buffeting from it so wanna address that before it re does my neck injury.

Overall still really content with the lil Rally fun engine on the road. A different experience to the Himalayan an 390 advs we had.

An was a really nice partner in the rubbish conditions today. Once she's ran in I'll decide what other mods to do for now I'll stop at the screen.

After the run in
I'm thinking seat concepts seat and a Rally raid level 1 suspension for the seat Height so dad can ride it to.

[garyboy]

" I'd just carry the usual stuff, spare injector, tilt switch, side stand switch an clutch switch." .. Personally, I don't think you need that type of stuff. .. not even a chain breaker, as they rarely go (famous last words lol).
Just the usual tools, not forgetting removal of the front axle. Tape, bungies, cable ties, 2 tubes, stick to support wheel when changing a tyre, etc.

300 miles is the main run in period, Dont forget that these modern bikes are factory run in anyway, I believe.
Don't expect a thorough first service at 600 miles. It'll be, if like mine 0f the 250, a change of oil to `real oil`, as the first oil is a lightweight crap stuff just for collecting the iron filing and crud. Also checking screws etc... not much else. They will take a time .. but i think its just for show? TBH the bike is so well made that it doesn`t need much attention apart from the oil and filter, at 600 miles.

for mods and advice, there are a few 300 rally specific sites on internet.