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Honda CRF300L and Rally and LS

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This is a fun video to watch. KTM 390 Adventure, CRF300L, and Tenere 700.

Camera is mounted backward on the KTM showing the other two bikes (mostly the CRF) chasing it. These riders are zipping along at a fast clip, covering asphalt and various dirt conditions.

Edit: Correction on camera bike: "The 390 is the camera bike on all the road clips tenere is the camera bike offroad".

 
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Fordf350 said:
Did you have preorder or prepay ?
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Sorry i missed this question till now. Neither. Pre-order is basically not available due to extremely limited availability. As i understand it, Honda has cancelled many orders place by dealers.

I put $250 down in January to reserve the first Rally ABS that comes in to this dealer. I get that back if i choose not to buy.

I'm down to my last month of waiting, assuming my date (4/29) doesn't slip. Some people in US and Canada have reported that their delivery dates which were earlier than mine have been pushed by Honda.
 
randypower said:
This is a fun video to watch. KTM 390 Adventure, CRF300L, and Tenere 700.

Camera is mounted backward on the KTM showing the other two bikes (mostly the CRF) chasing it. These riders are zipping along at a fast clip, covering asphalt and various dirt conditions.

Edit: Correction on camera bike: "The 390 is the camera bike on all the road clips tenere is the camera bike offroad".

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Thanks for posting. That reminds me of chasing @sanderjavant :)

The guy on the 300 is a very good rider, the best of the bunch and looks to be getting the most out of the bike. Even with that, the 390 is pulling away from the 300 pretty easily on the pavement, which I guess is to be expected. It does make me wonder how much more powerful it is than the CRF250L.

And the Honda suspension looks as soft as on the previous models. It gives me some anxiety watching that thing mush around in the paved corners like that. The guy looked like he got close to losing it due to the overly soft suspension at one part. I struggled with that suspension on both of my CRF250L's.

The 300 looks like it is having a much easier time in the dirt than the 700. Also to be expected, I guess. I bet the 300 shines in those situations. I'm guessing I would enjoy riding one after about $1500 of suspension work.
 
Great observations, and agree. The 300 is said to have about 10% more hp than the 250 (not much) but quite a bit more low end torque. So, much better in dirt and marginally better on highway.

Yeah the mushiness is kinda frightening to watch in those turns. I do expect I'll end up having to fix that on mine so i can push this bike to my skillz level. 🤣

Also the CRF will never match that fancy dashboard you have on the 390!
 
I really want to like the CRF Rally, and a 300 makes sense, but a 400 would make more better sense. Honda comes out with some killer bikes but they either get dumbed down suspension or dumbed down engines. Its just enough to make you want more....Cant wait till Cycle Shack North gets one I can swing a leg over....
 
yea....400cc is the sweet spot for me when it comes to a thumper dirt bike for a dual sport w/ knobby tires.
 
Randy, ignoring suspension for now, what all do you envision adding to the bike to make it BDRready?

Skid plate, crash bars, racks...aux lights, gps mount...center stand... Oh boy, let the farkling begin!
 
Yeah you got a good list there for me.

Skid plate (for sure), crash bars (later), racks (asap), aux lights (i have Cyclops lights waiting to install), gps mount (i just ordered a Hondo, which is said to work well on the Rally bar).

I've got a good set of handlebars that i will probably install before a long trip (September), and i usually put risers on but I need to ride and test the ergos first.

I already bought side bags... I went with Tusk Pilots. Now i need them to makes the racks for the crf300. I may regret getting the bags early but I had a ride planned for early May i was trying to be ready for. That ride is cancelled but I will be at the Hill Country 500 with the CRF if all goes well. I won't need side bags for that.

edit: no center stand planned. They are super convenient but often don't mix well with side stand and skid plate. The skid plate is going to be tricky since the Rally comes with the silly plastics down where the skid plate belongs. Then to find a compatible center stand too might be a stretch. It may take some time for aftermarket manufacturers to flesh out good solutions.

edit 2: i forgot to mention the TrailTech Voyager Pro. I use the phone for navigation but if i get into bad weather, I'll put the phone up and use only the Voyager Pro.
 
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I’m interested in one of these or the KLX300. Seems a suspension upgrade is mandatory on these?
 
Ocho said:
I’m interested in one of these or the KLX300. Seems a suspension upgrade is mandatory on these?
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The spring is weak. Reports are that it's about the same as the crf250L, so yes you'll probably want to replace at least the spring and probably the shock too, unless you stick to street and light dirt.
 
Yeah, you will definitely want to upgrade your suspension on a crf250l/300l if you want to ride with any pace off road. The first thing I did to mine was upgrade the suspension. Roger at Onroad/Offroad cycles in Austin installed Race Tech suspension for me. You would probably want to change the gearing too. The stock gearing is pretty tall which is more suited for street use. Then throw on some good tires while your at it. I just put about two hundred off road miles on mine at Big Bend and it was great. I felt like the bike was really good for BBNP. It was great off road and the reduced speed limits in the park are friendly to lower displacement bikes.
 
I have had the Klx300 3 weeks now and would say the suspension is Rough!
That being said I am 220lbs. I do like the bike😀
 
picco said:
I have had the Klx300 3 weeks now and would say the suspension is Rough!
That being said I am 220lbs. I do like the bike😀
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Rough as in very firm? I would actually prefer that to the soft stock suspension on the crf250l.
 
I miss spoke, it is Firm. I have ridden a Wr250 8000 miles and have gotten use to its ride.
😎My Ktm has spoiled me with its smooth ride all the time.I plan to transition to klx300 for main ride...👍
 
Well to put in perspective ,I am no spring chicken (67) and like sitting Flat Footed on the Klx300 as opposed to tippy toe
on ktm450.The Klx with a few Mods will work for me👍👍

“Uncle Joe is moving kinda slow at the Junction”
 
picco said:
Well to put in perspective ,I am no spring chicken (67) and like sitting Flat Footed on the Klx300 as opposed to tippy toe
on ktm450.The Klx with a few Mods will work for me👍👍

“Uncle Joe is moving kinda slow at the Junction”
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That I can understand ! 👍🏾
 
Jarrett said:
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I thought this was a good, thorough review, covering the "dual" of dual sport really well. They had good things to say about power and gearing. My only nitpick is using the term "entry level bike" again. It implies you'll outgrow it and get a big boy/girl bike when you grow up. Or maybe the problem is I'll never grow up. [emoji39]

I asked my dealer to crank up the rear spring preload to max during their setup. My delivery date is one week away now. At least one arrived at a dealer elsewhere in the US yesterday (Georgia?) so they are really coming.
 
randypower said:
My only nitpick is using the term "entry level bike" again. It implies you'll outgrow it and get a big boy/girl bike when you grow up. Or maybe the problem is I'll never grow up. [emoji39]
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I enjoy riding my "entry level" bike as well.

Life is short, ride what you like, I say.
 
Jarrett said:
I enjoy riding my "entry level" bike as well.

Life is short, ride what you like, I say.
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When we ride together I keep my distance just so people don't think I'm riding with a guy on an entry level bike, yuck.

It's definitely not because you're faster than me.
 
Any more updates on the 300 Rally? I've pretty much narrowed it down to the 300 Rally or the 390 Adv. I know both will serve my purposes with one definitely better on the street and one better off road. The bigger factor for me is transporting the bike and picking it up after drop. I feel the 300 Rally may have the advantage for single person loading onto hitch carrier.
 
After owning the 250 and 390 Adv, I'd guess the 300 Rally would be easier to load on to a hitch carrier as well.

I'd personally rather ride a 390 Adv on Class 1, 2 and maybe 3 stuff than my old 250 Rally. I guess ground clearance would come into play at some point.

But I can't find any roads tougher than Class 1 or 2 where I ride.

Trail Ratings Chart

The Flatwater Overland Trail Ratings Chart is a 10-class system for describing the difficulty of backcountry roads and trails.
flatwateroverland.com flatwateroverland.com
 
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My 300 Rally delivery date slipped from 5/5 to 5/10, then 5/12 (today!). I haven't called my dealer yet today.

Jarrett's opinion between the 250/300 and 390 is super valuable. The 300 will be a hair lighter than 250 but not enough to sway the hitch carrier decision.

I may be in the minority in that i always prefer a lighter bike, even when it means tolerating slab time.

@synthlegend are you going to the Hill Country 500 over memorial day weekend? I'll be there, hopefully with a 300.
 
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