Honda CRF250 CRF300 Rally review︱Cross Training Adventure

Our review of the Honda CRF250 Rally and CRF300 Rally. I finally get to ride the Honda CRF250 Rally! I must admit I have a soft spot for Hondas. A quick history. The CRF250L was released in 2012 and very little changed for a while - just the usual 'bold new graphics' every year in this Honda CRF250 Rally review. In 2017 the CRF250 Rally was released. Welcome to Cross Training Adventure, we are into all things dual sport and adventure on the east coast of Australia.A few engine tweaks gained two more horsepower for the CRF300 Rally review. But the big changes were the large fuel tank, rally fairing, and longer suspension. The seat height increased to 895mm but the Rally is still quite slim so shorter riders are usually comfortable. bit of weight, and had slightly different steering geometry. In a nutshell? Keen on adventure riding in Australia? Check out our vids. The base and Rally models are really well priced, even in 2023. CRF300L AUD 9500 ride away CRF300 Rally AUD$10500 ride away The traditional bulletproof Honda reliability. Check out our reviews of various adventure bikes and dual sport bikes. And it's the nearly perfect dual sport motorbike. A great commuter. It's a pile of fun on dirt roads. It will do highway speeds all day long - just don't expect arm-ripping acceleration when overtaking. And you can even ride trails as long as you don't try to ride aggressively. The rally styling looks great. But it's still just a typical dual sport motorbike under that disguise. Soft mediocre suspension. And it's 10kg heavier than the standard L model. However, the cheap price can let you throw some money into the suspension. The owner of this motorbike spent AUD 1500, about USD 1000, on Ohlin components for the shock and forks and it handled rough terrain beautifully. Of course a lot of riders will simply refuse to ride a motorbike with only 25 horsepower. And I must admit I like my wheelies so a small adventure motorbike isn't on my radar. But I was impressed with how capable the little Honda is, whether it's the highway, dirt roads or rough tracks - with that Ohlins suspension. Plenty of adventure riders already know how capable these motorbikes are. So subscribe. Or don't subscribe to our Cross Training Adventure riding channel. The main thing is get out and ride while you can with dual sport riding or Adventure riding in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Romania and beyond! So check out Cross Training Adventure. It's common to see guys riding across entire continents on these 250 and 300 models. Known issues? Not a lot. In 2018 there was a recall on about 2000 models as the transmission mainshaft may have been improperly machined during manufacturing. But I couldn't find any consistent problems reported by owners except for aggressive riders. A few pointed out that coolant will start to emerge from a weep hole with prolonged aggressive riding. It's normal. Just remember to monitor your coolant if you are screaming the engine all day. As mentioned the stock suspension is mediocre at best. Consider upgrades if you are heavy or want to push the Honda hard. Unless you are feeling suicidal. We have occasional detours to places like Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania and Canada. This is one of our three channels, there's also a Cross Training Trials channel, and a Cross Training Enduro channel. All three are equally dodgy. Everyone is trying to sell you stuff you don't need, convince you to buy the latest model with anodized coffee cup holders for your trips to the coffee shop. Of course if you are cashed up and into bling, go for it. All we are saying is there's also the budget option for adventure riding. And it won't hold you back. One rider said he can get the clutch to slip and the rear shock to fade if he's really hammering the motorbike offroad. The Rally models are a great addition to HOnda's adventure lineup. But the big question, of course, is when will we see a CRF450 Rally? There are so many riders waiting for the unicorn adventure motorbike in the 400 to 500cc capacity. Will Honda deliver? What are your thoughts? Ever ridden the Honda 250 or 300 models? Owned one? Let us know in the comments. Why? We reckon it's 80% the rider and 20% the bike. So the Cross Training Adventure focus is just get out there and have fun on two wheels. What else? Cross Training Adventure actively avoids sponsorship. We like doing seriously critical reviews. Manufacturers make some really bad mistakes. and there is a lot of dodgy crap being sold out there. Instead of glowing dual sport reviews for kickbacks or free product, we will try to keep the buggers honest.
Our enduro channel:    / crosstrainingenduroskills  
Our trials channel:    / mototrialstrainingtechniques  

Music: 'Round 2' by Dolby used under Creative Commons License 3.0

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