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Honda CRF300L and Rally and LS

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Rigid said:
Trail Boss, how are you liking the pannier racks? Have you carried much weight (like camping) on the bike? Are you still running the OEM spring?
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I like the pannier racks. They are the Tusk racks and I have them on my other bikes too. It's nice being about to use my Tusk luggage no matter which bike I'm riding.

I've used the Tusk luggage for a couple of years and have been very happy with it. For example, I did a week long trip to Mexico on my KTM 890 last year using Tusk hard bags with no issues. More recently I did a 3 day solo trip in the Gila National Forest on the Rally over Memorial Day weekend, riding both dirt and pavement. I had the Tusk soft bags loaded with my gear (clothing, tools, water, food, etc) and had no issues. (I did not camp so the load I was carrying was lighter than if I had been camping.)

KTM 890 in Mexico with Tusk rack and Tusk aluminum panniers.

IMG_2929-L.jpg


Rally in New Mexico with Tusk rack and Tusk soft luggage
P5280020-L.jpg


I have upgraded both front and rear suspension. When I first got the bike last year I installed a heavier front spring and a YSS shock. While it was an improvement, the YSS shock was too soft and I wasn't satisfied with it. So I took the bike to Konflict Motorsports and they installed Rally Raid suspension front and rear. As I understand, it is made by Tractive to Rally Raid's specs. It is very, very good. I rate it as the 2nd best suspension I've ever had on a dual sport or adventure bike (the best was on a KTM 500 EXC I used to own).
 
Revelc said:
In stock form it can hit 85mph and holds 75mph all day.

After the mods I've done with stock gearing 70mph is top cruising speed and 75mph is top speed. I gained low end power, higher MPGs, but lost some top speed with the pipe.

I will be riding it down to Austin to meet some friends at Hidden Falls this October and have no doubts about being able to travel on the highway.
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My experience with the stock motor and gearing on my Rally is a little different than yours. My bike won't run 75 mph all day. Unfortunately, it won't even hit 75 if there is a headwind or even a mild uphill.

Here in the Texas hill country I can cruise about 60 mph - meaning I can hold that speed under most conditions. If I'm running 60 mph and hit an uphill, there is usually enough throttle left to allow me to hold 60. However, if the hill is steep or long, I often won't be able to hold 60 the entire time, even at wide open throttle. I made a video of some of my tests of the speed capabilities of the bike. (Note - the stock speedometer says you are going faster than you really are. I checked my speeds using a GPS. I also discovered that you can correct the stock speedo by installing a taller rear tire.)


Over Memorial Day weekend, I loaded the rally with gear and rode the Gila Wilderness. Due to fires in the area, I rode more pavement that I wanted. I was at 5000 - 7000 ft in elevation for the majority of the trip. I weight about 220 with my riding suit on and was carrying about 30 lbs. or so of luggage. Under these conditions, there were times I couldn't get above 50 mph. The bike wouldn't pull 6th gear, or hold it, on anything but the mildest of uphills.

As always, YMMV. Riders lighter than me probably enjoy higher speeds from their bikes. Riders with modified engines probably enjoy better performance than my stock rally. And manufacturing tolerances likely mean some are just faster than others even though they all came off the same manufacturing line.

The Rally is a fantastic bike. It certainly punches above its weight. However, my bike is not fast enough to comfortably run highway speeds all day long. It does great on back roads but it isn't my first choice if I'm going to be riding highway speeds for long distances (especially if I'm with other riders on bigger bikes).

IMG_3949-L.jpg
 
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Trail Boss said:
I like the pannier racks. They are the Tusk racks and I have them on my other bikes too. It's nice being about to use my Tusk luggage no matter which bike I'm riding.

I've used the Tusk luggage for a couple of years and have been very happy with it. For example, I did a week long trip to Mexico on my KTM 890 last year using Tusk hard bags with no issues. More recently I did a 3 day solo trip in the Gila National Forest on the Rally over Memorial Day weekend, riding both dirt and pavement. I had the Tusk soft bags loaded with my gear (clothing, tools, water, food, etc) and had no issues. (I did not camp so the load I was carrying was lighter than if I had been camping.)

KTM 890 in Mexico with Tusk rack and Tusk aluminum panniers.

View attachment 326541

Rally in New Mexico with Tusk rack and Tusk soft luggage
View attachment 326542

I have upgraded both front and rear suspension. When I first got the bike last year I installed a heavier front spring and a YSS shock. While it was an improvement, the YSS shock was too soft and I wasn't satisfied with it. So I took the bike to Konflict Motorsports and they installed Rally Raid suspension front and rear. As I understand, it is made by Tractive to Rally Raid's specs. It is very, very good. I rate it as the 2nd best suspension I've ever had on a dual sport or adventure bike (the best was on a KTM 500 EXC I used to own).
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Glad to hear a good report on the Rally Raid.

Ordered mine last week and there has been some fuss about their offerings on ADV Rider. One guy in particular is making it sound like overpriced junk.

Did you opt for the remote preload adjuster on the RR rear shock?

I like the idea of cranking the knob without having to use tools if I load up with gear or a pillion.
 
Revelc said:
Did you opt for the remote preload adjuster on the RR rear shock?
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I did not. Probably should have.

I don't know if Tractive is overpriced junk. I do know that of the 3 different suspensions I've had on the Rally (stock, YSS, and Rally Raid) the Rally Raid is far better than the other two. I'm happy with it. Hopefully its well built and lasts a long time.
 
Trail Boss said:
My experience with the stock motor and gearing on my Rally is a little different than yours. My bike won't run 75 mph all day. Unfortunately, it won't even hit 75 if there is a headwind or even a mild uphill.

Here in the Texas hill country I can cruise about 60 mph - meaning I can hold that speed under most conditions. If I'm running 60 mph and hit an uphill, there is usually enough throttle left to allow me to hold 60. However, if the hill is steep or long, I often won't be able to hold 60 the entire time, even at wide open throttle. I made a video of some of my tests of the speed capabilities of the bike. (Note - the stock speedometer says you are going faster than you really are. I checked my speeds using a GPS. I also discovered that you can correct the stock speedo by installing a taller rear tire.)


Over Memorial Day weekend, I loaded the rally with gear and rode the Gila Wilderness. Due to fires in the area, I rode more pavement that I wanted. I was at 5000 - 7000 ft in elevation for the majority of the trip. I weight about 220 with my riding suit on and was carrying about 30 lbs. or so of luggage. Under these conditions, there were times I couldn't get above 50 mph. The bike wouldn't pull 6th gear, or hold it, on anything but the mildest of uphills.

As always, YMMV. Riders lighter than me probably enjoy higher speeds from their bikes. Riders with modified engines probably enjoy better performance than my stock rally. And manufacturing tolerances likely mean some are just faster than others even though they all came off the same manufacturing line.

The Rally is a fantastic bike. It certainly punches above it's weight. However, my bike is not fast enough to comfortably run highway speeds all day long. It does great on back roads but it isn't my first choice if I'm going to be riding highway speeds for long distances (especially if I'm with other riders on bigger bikes).

View attachment 326571
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Dang. I don't know what the difference is.

Maybe your gear/luggage is catching wind and slowing you down some?

I don't have any of that stuff yet.

I'm definitely heavier than you at 260lbs in just my briefs.

Elevation is around 550ft here.

When I bought the bike I rode it straight from the dealership in Shreveport 130 miles WOT back home on I-20.

Kept up with traffic at 75mph just fine. Could even pass trucks, but slowly.

Obviously not the recommended break in cycle.

I definitely lost top end speed after adding a pipe and Thailand ECU though. I did three high speed runs on the highway and could not believe the drop in top speed.

This was before adding a larger rear tire.

70mph is fine and I can still get to 75mph but it takes a minute.

My wife has recently been asking for me to take her on rides down country roads and to dinner dates around town.

Agree it isn't really designed for highway miles if you're loaded down or have a pillion.

Looking at the Africa Twin Adventure Sport ES so we can get travel a little cheaper together. Tried the overland thing and we used our RTT 3 times over the past two years. She prefers staying at Air BNBs so a larger adventure bike may be a good compromise.
 
Revelc said:
Dang. I don't know what the difference is.

Maybe your gear/luggage is catching wind and slowing you down some?

I don't have any of that stuff yet.

I'm definitely heavier than you at 260lbs in just my briefs.

Elevation is around 550ft here.

When I bought the bike I rode it straight from the dealership in Shreveport 130 miles WOT back home on I-20.

Kept up with traffic at 75mph just fine. Could even pass trucks, but slowly.

Obviously not the recommended break in cycle.

I definitely lost top end speed after adding a pipe and Thailand ECU though. I did three high speed runs on the highway and could not believe the drop in top speed.

This was before adding a larger rear tire.

70mph is fine and I can still get to 75mph but it takes a minute.

My wife has recently been asking for me to take her on rides down country roads and to dinner dates around town.

Agree it isn't really designed for highway miles if you're loaded down or have a pillion.

Looking at the Africa Twin Adventure Sport ES so we can get travel a little cheaper together. Tried the overland thing and we used our RTT 3 times over the past two years. She prefers staying at Air BNBs so a larger adventure bike may be a good compromise.
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Have her go sit on an Africa Twin with you before you buy one. The passenger accomodations are a bit cramped. My mom isn't a fan. I can't honestly recommend anything short of a Goldwing for regular pillion duty.
 
Goforth said:
A little over 3000 miles into my 300 Rally since acquiring in February. Not a ton by any means, but it exceeds the 2000 on my GSA I acquired in January. The Rally is light and easy to wheel out and run errands. I had a great time riding it in Colorado and New Mexico. Unless I want to sustain 80 mph, the Rally gets the nod for daily riding. I will share the heat from the catalytic converter is very present. View attachment 325306
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Sweet Honda in a beautiful location! I am pretty settled on purchasing a CRF300L Rally as a modern version of my '82 XL250R. My 250 did great on my recent Red River, NM trip but I am wanting elec start, fuel injection and water cooling on a newer dual-sport. The Rally sounds ideal for what I am in the market for.

https://www.twtex.com/forums/threads/red-river-new-mexico-bucket-list-ride.131645/
 
The GS sits in the garage mostly. I’m at 4000+ miles on the Rally. It’s just so easy to push around and maneuver. 70+mpg doesn’t hurt and mornings like recent are a pleasure to putt around.

I got rid of a Yamaha XT250 for a lot of the same reasons- more capability for the few hours you need to ride a highway, more modern features with a dash to show fuel usage.
 
For those who would be in the know, what dealer would most likely give the best deal on one ? I realize there might not be a best deal.
 
Texasrider58 said:
For those who would be in the know, what dealer would most likely give the best deal on one ? I realize there might not be a best deal.
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If you are willing to drive, get a price from Honda of Russellville.

Custom Inventory | Honda of Russellville

Honda of Russellville is a premium Honda dealership located in Russellville, AR, and sells new and pre-owned Honda Motorcycles with excellent financing and pricing options. Honda of Russellville also offers service and parts, and serves the areas of Taral, Delaware, Pottsville and Dardanelle.
www.hondaofrussellville.com www.hondaofrussellville.com
 
Simmons1 said:
If you are willing to drive, get a price from Honda of Russellville.

Custom Inventory | Honda of Russellville

Honda of Russellville is a premium Honda dealership located in Russellville, AR, and sells new and pre-owned Honda Motorcycles with excellent financing and pricing options. Honda of Russellville also offers service and parts, and serves the areas of Taral, Delaware, Pottsville and Dardanelle.
www.hondaofrussellville.com www.hondaofrussellville.com
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100% this. They didn’t jack up the price like all the Texas dealers. I bought mine here and highly recommend them
 
I checked in Ft Worth the Friday after Thanksgiving. I couldn't believe the price and add-ons the sales person was explaining. I have looked at the Russelville website recently. Thanks
 
Texasrider58 said:
I checked in Ft Worth the Friday after Thanksgiving. I couldn't believe the price and add-ons the sales person was explaining. I have looked at the Russelville website recently. Thanks
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Call them or click the "send me the quote" button.
 
9303DC97-474C-4A76-954C-E2C174A001A3.jpeg

5000 miles on mine now, few power mods, little suspension work, tires, gearing, and it’s a pretty sweet dual sport. I sometimes want to step up to like a KTW/Husky 500/501 but I’m not sure I would gain twice the price.
 
If you don't mind driving the other way, Sharps Honda in Amarillo treated me right.
 
Struggle said:
View attachment 336374
5000 miles on mine now, few power mods, little suspension work, tires, gearing, and it’s a pretty sweet dual sport. I sometimes want to step up to like a KTW/Husky 500/501 but I’m not sure I would gain twice the price.
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You need to re-route the front brake/speedo to the inside of the fork before you snag them.
 
Small Market Dealers, I had to wait for one to come in.
 
Irishcoffee said:
You need to re-route the front brake/speedo to the inside of the fork before you snag them.
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It was like that because I was swapping between dirt and super moto wheels. It has to be outside with the wider front setup. That day we were only riding dirt roads so no chance of snagging it but thanks.
DB433911-DB50-4507-9E02-5A7F05BEACBB.jpeg
 
Havent posted in a while.

Heres a photo from my last adventure. A Whataburger/Liquor run.

Still riding it every day to and from work and have made about 5 trips to Barnwell Mountain so far.

No big trips but have racked up about 5,800 miles so far sine June.

The Oxford Heated grips have been a life saver in the cold weather we have been having.

The Rally Raid suspension really transformed the bike and with the Tubliss 2.0 system front and rear now its performed very well for such a heavy piglet on single track.

Since my last update I also added a used Flatland skidplate and radiator guard I scored on a Facebook group.

Pretty much have it how I want it now, though I may be going for the 550 Performance Stage 1.5 setup that uses CBR300 cams and intake tube with a Frogskin/slotted airbox door for just a little more power.



IMG_0727.jpg
 
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