✔ 6 Months w/ the Honda CRF300L Rally ✔ [Brutally Honest Good & Bad]

⚠Agree or disagree on the CRF300L Rally? What am I missing? Please chime in below and don't hold back, your opinions matter and help make this a better community! ⚠Did you miss the first two parts of this long term review? Rally Part 1 (Full Test): https://youtu.be/JrLbCyGL6s4 Rally Part 2 (Mods): https://youtu.be/tHA8vIsksvA 🏍 SUPPORT BIG ROCK MOTO BY USING THESE LINKS! ⚠Rocky Mountain Store: bit.ly/33kgRIz ⚠Revzilla Store: imp.i104546.net/6bxxXN ⚠Mosko Moto: moskomoto.com/bigrockmoto ⚠Amazon Store: amzn.to/3viGZ0A ⚠Merchandise : big-rock-moto.myspreadshop.com/ ⚠Patreon: www.patreon.com/bigrockmedia

Thanks for the shout out, bro! I'll beat the hell out of this thing for you ;)

Your review is very accurate as you said , for you . I am 69 years old ,my 300 L is just about perfect for me . Hate the small gas tank . I have to take Ben Dork views with a grain of salt , as his weight is over 300 LBS. At my stage in life I am looking for dependable fun . I think Honda has a perfect bike for younger and older riders , maybe not so much the middle years . Thank you for your valued views .

Nobody who wants to go fast buys this bike so it’s not a negative that it doesn’t go fast: it’s a feature.

There needs to be a category of adventure/enduro bikes called "Useful not Thrilling". We all know they're there, like the KLR650, the Himalayan, the CB500X, and the CRF300L Rally. Bikes that are meant to go places and see things that are the thrill, rather than be the thrill itself. Some people eat really hot food because they enjoy the pain. Some people want to ride heavy bikes with far more horsepower than required at speeds they probably shouldn't go. Most of us are relaxed riders though and we're more interested in the reliable and useful bike that takes us anywhere without complaint as efficiently as possible. Yes, we are looking for the useful adventure motorcycle, not the thrilling (scary?) adventure motorcycle.

"Utilitarian" was a very accurate term for this bike. I weigh 160lbs, I just picked up a 300L non-rally because I need something that will be phenomenal on fuel consumption/mileage, comically low maintenance, gets me from A to B using mostly midwest country roads, minimal highways, and a fair bit of trails for fun. I could see suspension being an issue at some point, but I'll deal with that later if so. Bases on what you've said here, I'd say the 300L suits my needs just fine.

I bought a very lightly used one last year and have had a great time with it. I'm now 71yo, weigh 75kg/165 lbs and hadn't owned a bike in 40 yrs. I mainly drive on gravel rds and secondary hwys. It's reliable. Not too heavy. Not expensive for insurance or to maintain. I've done a couple of trips on it from central Canada to the East Coast and also down to New England. 70mph/110kmph is fine for me. I've had enough adrenaline. So all in all its totally fine for me :)

I owned the 300l for a few months and I agree with pretty much all said here. But I will say, for very causal riders, or new riders, or older riders that just want a relaxing chilled ride over some interesting terrain, then the comically soft suspension actually is a then a good set up. If you don’t want to cover ground quickly and you are going over very chattery/bumpy ground the soft suspension glides over small bumps where “proper” off road suspension would shake a inexperienced rider around and give them a more stressful tiring experience. It really is ideal for riders that want to go at a slow relaxed pace, but still want to go over difficult terrain.

I think your review was spot on, from a review perspective, and it's not for everyone. Firstly, your honesty and unbiased opinion is well put. You do a good job at being objective without being offensive or come off as too opinionated, and I appreciated that. However, as an owner of a 300l rally, I can say you might have missed a beat. Most folks don't own more that one or two bikes, so a do everything is going to be hard to find in a entry/mid tier offering. I'm pushing 300lbs fully loaded, so I feel your pain in the suspension and power realm. However, modifications and motorcycles go together like lamb and tuna fish (or perhaps you like spaghetti and meatball?) and finding a well rounded bike that can be tailored to a specific owners needs is a big win. I bought mine sight unseen, literally, never saw one before. But, I look at it like an SUV, of sorts, it does all the things most people look for in a jeep or a Tahoe. That's sort of its calling card, being not exactly good at any one thing, but capable of everything in some small ways, not unlike an SUV. For me, getting into a dual sport for a reasonable cost with the intentions of modifications for custom needs, I think it ticks a lot of boxes. Rear spring and shock, front springs, tusk bars and bags and tires and all sorts, racks, lights, power mods, all things that most folks enjoy the journey and the outcome, while still cruising town, quick trips to the shop, crawling a sand dune, crossing a country, wheelie practice, teaching a friend or spouse, low maintenance, rock solid reliability, and more. This is a swiss army knife, not a Benchmade. And I think that's important. Again, lights out review, nicely done. But I don't think you're the average buyer. You're the Ford Raptor buyer, amongst a sea of a shit load of exploders and expeditions by the millions. I think this bike is the jeep wrangler, in it's ability to be a fun, mostly practical application that needs customization to be unique. Even as an owner, I'd love to buy a bigger faster bike of course, but don't see a reason to ever sell the rally. Cheers brother, keep the good content coming!

You don't see the point? I find it hard to believe that you don't see the point-- It's an ultralight ADV that's simple (a positive to many people) and won't break the bank. That is a HUGE point, and it's a huge niche that the manufacturers still haven't quite understood. The 300 Rally fits into that category, but Honda could do better if they understood the simplicity and utility of the concept. The heavier, complicated and expensive ADV bikes will suffer off-road because they are too heavy and too complicated. The 300 Rally suffers on the freeways because it is underpowered. If Honda could take something like the 450 RL and turn it into a more reliable, smoother-operating, slightly less stressed, ultralight ADV with less bodywork, easier access to the mechanicals (battery access to the 300 Rally is a joke), and longer service intervals, then I think that would be very near to the sweet spot for this burgeoning market. I can take my 300 Rally into places that hardly anyone would take their 1200 GS, but I can still go anywhere that the 1200 GS can go, if a little bit more slowly. That's the point which you're not seeing. And you can buy two 300 Rallys, plus luggage, for the price of one 1200 GS.

Good review. I bought the 300L because I wanted a handy bike for around town and something I could explore tracks and dirt roads on. Yeah, the performance is not exciting but its okay for me at 180lb. At least I won't loose my licence. The maintenance is low, its economical and cheap to buy. Its easy to ride due to its weight and overall size. If you want to go fast, do hard core off road, or long highway miles there are definitely better options. But for me, as a one bike owner, it suits my needs.

After 13 months, 1700 miles, and many upgrades later, the 300 Rally has been the perfect bike for me. I purchased the bike so that I would have something to tackle the Trans America Trail with, and its perfect for that, in my opinion. Also, I live where there are no freeways, just HWY’s and interstates, and I avoid the interstate if I can. If I can’t, it’s usually only for about 5-10 miles at a time. I just hate riding on the street anymore, and I avoid it as much as I can (lots of back roads). I’ve had too many close calls, and lost too many friends to motorcycle accidents, and they were all going way faster than they should have been. Which is a self control thing, I get that. Maybe I don’t have the self control that I should? I’m 51, and in my 20’s I had all the fast crotch rockets and I would take them to the quarter mile track on the weekends, only if I wasn’t racing my CR250 on the MX track. I’ve come to a place in my life where I’m content, and this bike just serves me well. With that being said, if the DRZ400 were to be updated, and they offered a Rally version, then I might consider selling my Rally... Also, if I rode motorcycles for a living, than just maybe things would be a little bit different, but I think that goes back to the self control thing.., No offense to you, I admire what you do, and I appreciate your content! Edit: I’ve dropped my bike 8-10 times, and with the lower crash bars that I installed, it doesn’t have one crack in it anywhere, it hardly has any noticeable scratches.

I turned a used $4800 300L with 600 miles into a Rally. Zeta screen, YSS rear shock, 550 ECU, Seat Concept, Acerbis 3.7 tank... the works. It's a $7200 unicorn now. I am rural and 60. I don't need a bike to get on the freeway and am over the moto Napoleon syndrome.

Another wonderful video, thank you Ian 👏🏻 This is the only motorcycle reviewing channel that I don't feel like I'm watching an advertisement.

It's just built for a different market. Latin America, South East Asia, in these parts of the world your average highway speed is way less due to traffic and road conditions. So power is not an issue. As for suspension, in example average male's weight in Indonesia is around 140 pounds. And while having soft suspension is not good for enduro trails, but it's perfect to soak up bad roads with potholes or unpaved roads in decent condition. Also the price - something like Tenere 700 or KTM 890 simply costs way too much for these markets.

I think your reviews are accurate based on the amount of different bikes you ride. That is a good thing. A perfect bike does not exist. I really think you do a very good job of listing the pros and cons of each bike and noting many of the exceptions to your judging. That's really important. Keep up the good work.

Hmm, I am over 60 years old, 178 pounds and fully enjoy my Rally riding in desert around Palm Springs. It serves me very comfortably up to 25mph that's actually speed limit on public trails as I know. I can lift it up myself riding solo thru desert and once I go farther with luggage I am ready to install K-tech suspension. I have inseam only 28", so I got lower Kouba link and low profile seat from Seat Concept. that lowered my bile about 3 1/2'. T-Rex stand took care of lowered high. I can't deny I bought it after watching Itchy Boots, even lost 30 lb to enjoy more my Rally. But since I bought riding it brought me a lot of happiness to my life.

You're right on everything you say. I have one and love it. I had the KTM350 exec-f, and it had a magical suspension, but when it was on the road it would shake at speeds over 50 mph, and in the corners it was just too tall and twitchy. My 300L is so buttery smooth that I feel like I'm on a Disney ride. Yes, the acceleration is not thrilling, but it's just so comfortable. With the stock tires I can corner this thing on pavement like it's a road bike. The slipper clutch is so fun. My KTM also had starting issues, and here in Alaska, there's not always someone to come get you if you can't start. One time I had to push start it, and lucky I was on a hill. This Honda starts if you just look at the starter button, and that adds to the experience for me.

Incredible full review series on the 300 Rally. Just picked mine up this week, suspension upgraded - there's just no way around it. Going from an 1150GSA to this for light weight, secondary road travel, and east coast BDR's & TAT. Skipping around town this thing is a BLAST! It's just so easy to ride, to the gym, the office, and just out and about. It's simply just a FUN machine. It's also a great setup for my teenage son to learn to ride, easy, and won't get too far away from him. This will be in my garage forever - future purchases do include based on your reviews, the Aprilia Tuareg 600, and a R1250RT for long distances. I'll never sell the GSA and now the Rally. Please keep up the amazing unbiased reviews.

I own the Honda CRF300L (not the Rally). The suspension went from super soft to phenomenal after upgrading it both front and rear (Rally Raid) for around $1,600. Now it is a phenomenal trail bike for me. When exploring single track trails and/or very rough terrain I don't need (or want) a large amount of power. I also own an Aprilia Tuareg 660 for longer distance ADV riding. Owning both of these bikes works well for me. I agree with everything that you said about the Honda. FYI, I bought the CRF300L largely based upon your review last year & suspension upgrade suggestion -- many thanks!