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Honda CRF300L and Rally and LS

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Hoglett went out looking for cows this weekend.
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Trail Boss said:
After several months of thought about how to carry luggage on my Rally - rackless luggage versus rack + luggage - I finally decided on racks. I have the Tusk racks on my KTM 890 and I also have Tusk's soft and hard luggage that pairs with the rack. I ultimately decided to install a Tusk rack on the Rally so I can use the luggage I already own. I installed it yesterday. Here's how it looks.
[IMG]


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It is very symmetrical.
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Looks good from here, Rich. What do you think so far? Is the build quality good?

I bought the rack set and aluminum panniers the day they went up for sale but I've been very busy so they are still in boxes.

Would appreciate any install tips.

I have the Tusk Pilot soft panniers already, with the rack attachment, so I'll also have hard and soft options.
 
Randy,

I currently have a Tusk rack on my KTM 890 and previously had one on a KTM 690. So, this makes the third bike I've put a Tusk rack on. My experience has been the Tusk rack easily meets my needs. The build quality seems fine to me - they are sturdy, not overbuilt, and not flimsy. Long term I have noted that the paint does rub off the rack where the luggage makes contact. The quick release pin can be a challenge to get seated when I don't get the rack attachment and the pin lined up.

Install on the 300 is fairly straightforward. There is one extra step with the 300 - the first thing you have to do is unbolt the battery box and rotate it up and out of the way in order to remove the left side passenger peg. It's not hard once you locate and remove the right bolts. The provided instructions help with that.

The PMR rear rack I had on the Rally is not compatible with the Tusk rack so I will have to purchase a different rear rack. Tusk makes one and presumably it is compatible with their pannier rack.
 
Thank you, Rich. That's helpful info.

I have been wondering about compatibility with the tail rack. I currently have the SRC rack installed and also one from BikerzBitz (sp?) on the shelf. I've been hoping one of those two would be compatible.

If the SRC works, I will need to remove the side "wings" from it. They are like half-sized simple side racks.
 
At 3000 miles the stock rear tire was ready to be replaced. The bike comes stock with a 120/80 - 18 IRC Trails GP rear tire.

I replaced it with a 120/90 - 18 Heidenau K60. The 120/90 is slightly larger in diameter than the stock 120/80.

My experience is that in a stock configuration the speedometer on my Rally was about 3-4 mph too fast at highway speeds (for example, when traveling a GPS measured speed of 65 mph the speedometer would read about 68 mph or so). With the taller Heidenau installed the speedometer is now accurate to within about 1/2 mph. Which is just fine by me.


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So here is the proper introduction to my rally. I found it used in Arkansas. It only had 850 miles on her and it had a few farkles.
  • Tusk rear rack
  • Tusk pannier rack
  • Pro Taper handlebars
  • Tusk hand guards crash bar
  • Outback Mototrek Crash Bars
Since then, I've added
  • Mosko Pico tank bag
  • double take enduro mirrors
  • Windshield extender
I've taken the panniers racks off the bike. It's too heavy. I've added Giant Loop Mojave bags.

As I have ridden only 250 miles since my purchase on 4/15, I have some thoughts. I bought it to replace my F800GS and DRZ400S. So far, I think I made the right choice. It can cruise the highway at 75 mph and I don't get beaten up by wind. It does fine on gravel roads with the current setup.

A few upgrade ideas for the future.
  • stock seat - not that bad, but it gets uncomfortable after a while - Seat Concept seat has been ordered.
  • stock suspension - I don't mind the front, but the rear damping is weak. I am considering upgrading it.
  • skid plate - it has the OEM plastic skid plate, but I don't think it is strong enough. I need to reinforce.
  • radiator guard
let me know if I need to look into other areas for improvements.

FullSizeRender.jpg
 
grandelatte said:
So here is the proper introduction to my rally. I found it used in Arkansas. It only had 850 miles on her and it had a few farkles.
  • Tusk rear rack
  • Tusk pannier rack
  • Pro Taper handlebars
  • Tusk hand guards crash bar
  • Outback Mototrek Crash Bars
Since then, I've added
  • Mosko Pico tank bag
  • double take enduro mirrors
  • Windshield extender
I've taken the panniers racks off the bike. It's too heavy. I've added Giant Loop Mojave bags.

As I have ridden only 250 miles since my purchase on 4/15, I have some thoughts. I bought it to replace my F800GS and DRZ400S. So far, I think I made the right choice. It can cruise the highway at 75 mph and I don't get beaten up by wind. It does fine on gravel roads with the current setup.

A few upgrade ideas for the future.
  • stock seat - not that bad, but it gets uncomfortable after a while - Seat Concept seat has been ordered.
  • stock suspension - I don't mind the front, but the rear damping is weak. I am considering upgrading it.
  • skid plate - it has the OEM plastic skid plate, but I don't think it is strong enough. I need to reinforce.
  • radiator guard
let me know if I need to look into other areas for improvements.

View attachment 318937
Click to expand...

Very nice.. congrats.

I'll be curious to know what you think of the Seat Concepts upgrade. I'm pretty happy with stock Rally seat but would not mind an improvement there.

Since you want to improve the rear damping, you might seriously consider a stronger spring as well... And do/pay the labor once.
 
randypower said:
Very nice.. congrats.

I'll be curious to know what you think of the Seat Concepts upgrade. I'm pretty happy with stock Rally seat but would not mind an improvement there.

Since you want to improve the rear damping, you might seriously consider a stronger spring as well... And do/pay the labor once.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I’m looking for options for the rear suspension upgrade. I don’t want to make an expensive mistake.
 
I was kind of batting around the idea of finding something like a CRF300L Rally and then remembered the CRF450RL. The MSRP on the 300 is 6,399 for the ABS model and the 450 is 9,999. The 450 also doesn't have an ABS option. The 300 has both a model with and one without ABS. Take that for what its worth.

So what I was really wondering is what do you get for 10K that you don't get for 6.4K? The 300 has a larger gas tank, but only by about 1.4 gallons yet the 300 weighs 331 pounds per the website, but the 450 weighs 291. 1.4 gallons of gas doesn't weigh 40 pounds. Why does the 300 weigh more?
 
notyou83 said:
I was kind of batting around the idea of finding something like a CRF300L and then remembered the CRF450RL. The MSRP on the 300 is 6,399 for the ABS model and the 450 is 9,999. The 450 also doesn't have an ABS option. The 300 has both a model with and one without ABS. Take that for what its worth.

So what I was really wondering is what do you get for 10K that you don't get for 6.4K?
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A real dual sport motorcycle mostly. That is no slight at all against a 300L. It is what it is. The 450 is far and away more a real dirt-worthy motorcycle. The 300L when it comes to real dirt is more styling exercise than anything just in my opinion. For the majority of public dirt roads in Texas, you can drive a Camry down most of them, so the 300L is a fine choice.
 
notyou83 said:
I was kind of batting around the idea of finding something like a CRF300L Rally and then remembered the CRF450RL. The MSRP on the 300 is 6,399 for the ABS model and the 450 is 9,999. The 450 also doesn't have an ABS option. The 300 has both a model with and one without ABS. Take that for what its worth.

So what I was really wondering is what do you get for 10K that you don't get for 6.4K? The 300 has a larger gas tank, but only by about 1.4 gallons yet the 300 weighs 331 pounds per the website, but the 450 weighs 291. 1.4 gallons of gas doesn't weigh 40 pounds. Why does the 300 weigh more?
Click to expand...

They're not really all that similar. The 450L is a plated Enduro bike. Basically a race bike. The 300 is dual sport. Street bike motor, budget suspension, and stronger subframe for carrying a load.
 
The extra $3000 buys 40 fewer lbs (it's expensive to remove weight while maintaining or improving functionality), more horsepower (more horsepower costs more), and better suspension (also more expensive). The 450 is a high performance dirt bike with blinkers. The 300 is a mildly tuned, slower, heavier, softer dual sport built to a price point.
 
Trail Boss said:
The extra $3000 buys 40 fewer lbs (it's expensive to remove weight while maintaining or improving functionality), more horsepower (more horsepower costs more), and better suspension (also more expensive). The 450 is a high performance dirt bike with blinkers. The 300 is a mildly tuned, slower, heavier, softer dual sport built to a price point.
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Honda needs to give the RL about 10-12 more hp out the box. They also need to fix the twitchy throttle and sell a 450L Rally version. If it was the 450 with the 300L gas tank, fairings, and windshield, Honda would be the only Japanese manufacturer to sell the unicorn bike
 
Also, drop or crash a 450L and there won't be much damage, if any.

Extra fairings and frame mounted headlights don't often survive.
 
Spyvsspy said:
Honda needs to give the RL about 10-12 more hp out the box. They also need to fix the twitchy throttle and sell a 450L Rally version. If it was the 450 with the 300L gas tank, fairings, and windshield, Honda would be the only Japanese manufacturer to sell the unicorn bike
Click to expand...

Forget the extra horsepower, just give it actual saddle tanks and the Rally windshield fairing. Maybe a real subframe, definitely a cush drive. I'd be all over it once I could buy a comfy seat for it.
 
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