Awesome ! awesome! awesome feedback video. One of the best if not the best Rally review after a trip I ever seen. I'm also Rally owner and your video is super helpful. Many thanks brother!
Great video! Been riding here in central Pennsylvania all my life. I'm now 54 and got lucky to find a '23 Rally ABS. This video was quite helpful. Thanks for taking the time and effort. Subbed!
... Sub'ed with a bell!!! ... Great candid video. No script just speaking from your heart as things come to mind. I really enjoyed it. ... I used to race motocross, Hare Scrambles, Enduros and Dave Coombs 100 Mile series. Raced for 13 years. Long story short I stopped racing in 1985. I found out there was life after racing. Who knew! ;-) I got addicted to light tackle fishing, bass and Bay Boats, hence the "Bay Boat Life" channel. On 5/31/2023 I found a lightly used 2021 300 Rally with 1944 miles. It already has a lot of extras. I still have dirt in my veins and am excited to get back to it. I plan on doing a walk around video of the bike while it is still new to me at some point. Thank you for taking the time to video and edit. You provided a lot of info. . Jeff . .
My guess is you'll have a great time with it! I enjoy making the walkarounds/thoughts videos even if nobody watches them. Helps me sort out my own thoughts, and helps me remember how I felt when I was in the thick of things versus after a gap. It's easy to forget what really worked and what didn't when you have a long gap between big trips, too!
It's a Honda so it is about as reliable as a motorcycle can get. Yes it has limitations but it's a tank that will always get you where you wanna go. Bump the compression up a notch and port the head and a new pipe, and that will wake it up quite a bit.
Very well done. Thank you! Haven't tried the CRF (because I can't find one), but I rode a WR250R on similar terrain and had the same general take. Completely agree on other things, as well, like water bladders and Seat Concepts. I realize those seats need breaking-in but so do the stock ones, usually closer to 1K miles and they feel different. I found a lot of satisfaction in learning on my own what worked and didn’t, my own preferences, etc., especially after watching/reading so much online-so many opinions. Very nice to develop the confidence to know what works for me instead of relying on someone else’s opinion. Best of luck with the Tenere, and please share. That’s the other bike I would have if only I could find one.
I think the stock tires are 70/30 , great on the road , I just changed mine this last week and got cheapo dunlop 605s which are true 50/50 and are noisy on the road :/ but better off road .P.S. I love the stock tires more now that I figured this out .Oh btw they did 7.5K mostly on road before needing to be changed .
I agree with you on the Seat Concepts seat. I bought the regular seat and was underwhelmed. Then I bought the XL and it's better but still underwhelming.
... I bought a 2021 Rally with a LOT of extras already on it. One of them was the Seat Concepts XL. I paid the seller extra for it and it is wider and about one inch lower. The jury is still out on the comfort. He had only used it on 2 rides. I read somewhere they have to be "broken in." Is that true? With the slope of the seat, from the lowest part to the back (higher section) I find it harder to slide back when leaving from the start when sitting on the lowest part of the saddle and flat footing it not moving. . Jeff .
Just a thought about windscreen - My friend bought a V-Strom and when I tried it it just kept with this wistle sound that was really annoying. I tried standing up and its fine, I duck down and fine, but normal riding position and around it, wistle. I was sure it came from windshield, told him about it, he says he never heard that. For me happens always, until I figured it out. It was some weird interference between the angle the wind comes from due to windshield and my helmet, thats why clean air fine, my bike fine, combo helmet and his windshield no go. So just a thought, give it a short try with another helmet, if that fixes it, since your helmet is nice and isnt a problem, then get wider windshield.
Planning on running both the MABDR and NEBDR in June on my T7, so your video was very informative! Talking about wind management, it is indeed horrendous on the T7 as well. I solved it by using a shorter Powerbronze screen, along with the Puig extension that you are running on the CRF. I'm 5'10 and have the Arai XD-4. I've found that beside the buffeting on the stock screen (which the shorter screen solves), I was still getting a loud low rumble in the helmet, even with 33dB earplugs. I managed to get this under control by adding wheel weights to the helmet peak and hollowing out the ear pockets inside the helmet some more (this helmet has foam layers that you can peel off in the cheek and ear pads). I think all that noise was coming from vibrations resonating through the helmet and carried through my skull. Now all is good, no more buffeting/head shake, and the noise levels are finally down. Oh, and switching to double take mirrors helped as well, as I could push them further out and push their wind stream off the side of my helmet. Other than that, you will love the T7, it's a beast! Also, Itchy Boots' current CRF build has a new, larger windscreen, so I supposed it bothered her as well. She just doesn't complain much to the camera.
Fascinating you had the same problem as me on the XD-4. I removed the peak and removed the ear pocket padding (just to test) but it didn't help. I just ordered the Madstad screen for the T7 which is wider and hopefully will help; good tip on the mirrors!
@@ApocalypseNouilleI finally tested the Madstad on the T7. I didn't notice much buffeting on the top of the helmet, but it really wasn't much better than stock around the neck/cheeks. (I also ordered the wrong size; it's way too tall even in the lowest position)
@@daryllisms I think larger winglets and switching to Double Take mirrors would make a bigger difference for the shoulders/neck area. Thanks for the feedback, though!
You'd want to put the heavier tool bag on the side opposite the exhaust next time, since the exhaust is the heavier side of the bike. Def can make a difference if you start to tip or get unbalanced as having one side way heavier will pull you down fast.
I think it started out that way, but something in that side bag had melted so I balanced based on what was least likely to melt! That's something else I'm going to need to sort out..
Ha ha, I have a T7 and Im looking at this bike as a more technical capable bike. Dont get me wrong the T7 is awesome, and extremely capable, but get it bogged, or turning it around on a narrow trail, and it's a handful. Im only 5 10 (178cm) and 75 kg. If I was a bigger person, maybe not so much of an issue. I dont think Ill get rid of the T7 though.
I have a crf250l rally with Inpreda crashbars. I honestly wish outback mototek made bars for the 250. The inpreda ones aren't terrible but the fitment is just off. I actually ended up taking the bars that protect the upper faring off, and just running the lower faring. I've dropped my bike a few times since then with no issues. Just my opinion of course. It seems like in most situations, the lower half of the bike takes most of the impact before the top even touches the ground. I'm only halfway through the video but I respect you doing the bdr solo without much dirt experience. I hope to hit the IDBDR this year.
If I was doing the build over again, I think I would probably start off with just a lower crash bar and hand guards. I think for their weight, it's not clear to me that upper guards get you much extra protection. (And given my general annoyance with rackless luggage I would rather put that weight into luggage racks :) Doing the BDR alone with such little dirt experience (I had one dirt class in advance of it) was really daunting/scary the first few sections, more from the remoteness than from the technical difficulty. But the MABDR is quite tame and by the end I felt really good about it. Considering I didn't have a single drop the entire time I feel like I could've handled something a little more difficult. In retrospect I think I could've done 80% of it just fine on my GSA.
Nice reviews. Where are you that it looks like fall right now? Lastly, did you feel the front needed suspension upgraded as much as the rear? I'm guessing your around 185lbs. Thank you.
This was recorded in October '22; took me too long to get the video posted! The rear seems to be the worst, but when I do it I will probably just do it all together. I'm 165lbs. Flannel adds 20lbs? :)
I think itchy boots is using an aftermarket screen? I have the Puig and it helps a lot but I know what you mean about the “roar”. Thank you very much for the video
She was using the stock screen at the beginning, and then put a tall screen on after her rebuild post-Alaska. My issue isn't height, though, it's width. I may try to u-bolt some hard plastic to the mirror stems, or do something creative with RAM mounts. Just as a test, I clamped a large cell phone mount (the solid kind, not the X kind) to the bar in that spot and it actually helped a surprising amount. It will look ridiculous but for long road trips it might be worthwhile.
I think you mentioned the noise reduction reading on your earplugs. What kind of earplugs are you wearing? If I can ask? The more specific, the better, I also would like to preserve my hearing into my later years. Good review with lots of things to think about.
I wear Howard Leight Maxlite (the green disposable ones). I previously wore Howard Leight Max 33 (orange). I've never found a reusable kind that had the reduction levels I like and I've tried many, many of them.
Tnx for a great review.. iam in line for a 300l -23. Mostly to get to work and going on smaller fishing/camping trips.. Any thoughts on other packing bags that can take a tenet a a trip for a night or 3? Iam looking at 21 brother
If I got rid of my little top case and was more creative with a second dry bag I might be able to get a tent/sleeping bag back there. Wolfman makes a larger duffel (I use the small but medium is wider) that might work. Andre at Peak Motorcycles has some footage of the larger Enduristan bags as well. I am always tempted to put racks on and just use my wolfman expedition panniers but I would fill them up for sure and the weight would probably get crazy...
Appreciate your thoughtful and engaging comments, but just some constructive feedback, you also need thoughtful editing. This video is like a run on sentence. It's just too long, with the good bits sprinkled few and far between. Again, great content, but all your points could be distilled down to 15 minutes with a bit of pre-production planning and your video would be stronger for it. You can't just turn the camera on and talk for 40 minutes.
It's the Outback Motortek skid plate; install video is available on their website. There's a bracket you mount behind the front grille to give you two new mount points in the front, and then two bolts in the rear. I honestly don't love it; it digs in to the front plastic a bit and it's also quite heavy for my purposes. If I was doing it over again I would probably do the Kodama Composites one from the UK.
Can your you put full name of the tires. I’m on a new 300 and riding BDR PA in October. Hesitant to do it on the stick tires. Mixed reviews on the tusks but wanted to look up the ones you used
Thx a lot! I already made about 8000 miles on the IRC stock tires on my Rally, asking myself about this over 60 mph instability. I'll change to Mitas E- 07 after 1000 more miles...... (Germany)
Awesome ! awesome! awesome feedback video. One of the best if not the best Rally review after a trip I ever seen. I'm also Rally owner and your video is super helpful. Many thanks brother!
Great video! Been riding here in central Pennsylvania all my life. I'm now 54 and got lucky to find a '23 Rally ABS. This video was quite helpful. Thanks for taking the time and effort. Subbed!
That bike is too powerful for you !
@@leeinwis ok...
I have a 300l that I’m planning a 20,000k trip on. That was very informative. Thank you.
... Sub'ed with a bell!!!
... Great candid video. No script just speaking from your heart as things come to mind. I really enjoyed it.
... I used to race motocross, Hare Scrambles, Enduros and Dave Coombs 100 Mile series. Raced for 13 years.
Long story short I stopped racing in 1985. I found out there was life after racing. Who knew! ;-)
I got addicted to light tackle fishing, bass and Bay Boats, hence the "Bay Boat Life" channel.
On 5/31/2023 I found a lightly used 2021 300 Rally with 1944 miles. It already has a lot of extras.
I still have dirt in my veins and am excited to get back to it.
I plan on doing a walk around video of the bike while it is still new to me at some point.
Thank you for taking the time to video and edit. You provided a lot of info.
. Jeff .
.
My guess is you'll have a great time with it! I enjoy making the walkarounds/thoughts videos even if nobody watches them. Helps me sort out my own thoughts, and helps me remember how I felt when I was in the thick of things versus after a gap. It's easy to forget what really worked and what didn't when you have a long gap between big trips, too!
Great thorough review. Thanks.
It's a Honda so it is about as reliable as a motorcycle can get. Yes it has limitations but it's a tank that will always get you where you wanna go. Bump the compression up a notch and port the head and a new pipe, and that will wake it up quite a bit.
I come off of a 690 enduro R to a CRF300L. Big difference, but there are lots of things I've done on the 300 that I wouldn't do on my 690.
Great video. Thanks for sharing. Very helpful.
Very well done. Thank you! Haven't tried the CRF (because I can't find one), but I rode a WR250R on similar terrain and had the same general take. Completely agree on other things, as well, like water bladders and Seat Concepts. I realize those seats need breaking-in but so do the stock ones, usually closer to 1K miles and they feel different.
I found a lot of satisfaction in learning on my own what worked and didn’t, my own preferences, etc., especially after watching/reading so much online-so many opinions. Very nice to develop the confidence to know what works for me instead of relying on someone else’s opinion.
Best of luck with the Tenere, and please share. That’s the other bike I would have if only I could find one.
The stock tires are 50/50. They're not terrible. If you get a 80/20 dirt tire they will be terrible on the street. It's a give and take.
I think the stock tires are 70/30 , great on the road , I just changed mine this last week and got cheapo dunlop 605s which are true 50/50 and are noisy on the road :/ but better off road .P.S. I love the stock tires more now that I figured this out .Oh btw they did 7.5K mostly on road before needing to be changed .
Superb luggage set up.
Thanks for your honesty about the tyres too …
I've just committed sacrilege and put side racks on to mount my Wolfman Expedition bags. I'll do a video soon!
I agree with you on the Seat Concepts seat. I bought the regular seat and was underwhelmed. Then I bought the XL and it's better but still underwhelming.
... I bought a 2021 Rally with a LOT of extras already on it. One of them was the Seat Concepts XL.
I paid the seller extra for it and it is wider and about one inch lower.
The jury is still out on the comfort. He had only used it on 2 rides.
I read somewhere they have to be "broken in." Is that true?
With the slope of the seat, from the lowest part to the back (higher section) I find it harder to slide back when leaving from the start when sitting on the lowest part of the saddle and flat footing it not moving.
. Jeff .
Same here but I returned mine, also was responsible for $60 return shipping.
You will LOVE the little Red Rooster. ..trust me
The suspension is shit though… isn’t it ?
Just a thought about windscreen - My friend bought a V-Strom and when I tried it it just kept with this wistle sound that was really annoying. I tried standing up and its fine, I duck down and fine, but normal riding position and around it, wistle. I was sure it came from windshield, told him about it, he says he never heard that. For me happens always, until I figured it out. It was some weird interference between the angle the wind comes from due to windshield and my helmet, thats why clean air fine, my bike fine, combo helmet and his windshield no go. So just a thought, give it a short try with another helmet, if that fixes it, since your helmet is nice and isnt a problem, then get wider windshield.
Great and very informative review. Thank you!
Planning on running both the MABDR and NEBDR in June on my T7, so your video was very informative!
Talking about wind management, it is indeed horrendous on the T7 as well. I solved it by using a shorter Powerbronze screen, along with the Puig extension that you are running on the CRF. I'm 5'10 and have the Arai XD-4. I've found that beside the buffeting on the stock screen (which the shorter screen solves), I was still getting a loud low rumble in the helmet, even with 33dB earplugs. I managed to get this under control by adding wheel weights to the helmet peak and hollowing out the ear pockets inside the helmet some more (this helmet has foam layers that you can peel off in the cheek and ear pads). I think all that noise was coming from vibrations resonating through the helmet and carried through my skull. Now all is good, no more buffeting/head shake, and the noise levels are finally down. Oh, and switching to double take mirrors helped as well, as I could push them further out and push their wind stream off the side of my helmet.
Other than that, you will love the T7, it's a beast!
Also, Itchy Boots' current CRF build has a new, larger windscreen, so I supposed it bothered her as well. She just doesn't complain much to the camera.
Fascinating you had the same problem as me on the XD-4. I removed the peak and removed the ear pocket padding (just to test) but it didn't help. I just ordered the Madstad screen for the T7 which is wider and hopefully will help; good tip on the mirrors!
@@daryllisms Let us know how the Madstad screen compares to stock, once you get your T7. I'm curious how much of an improvement it will make.
@@ApocalypseNouilleI finally tested the Madstad on the T7. I didn't notice much buffeting on the top of the helmet, but it really wasn't much better than stock around the neck/cheeks. (I also ordered the wrong size; it's way too tall even in the lowest position)
@@daryllisms I think larger winglets and switching to Double Take mirrors would make a bigger difference for the shoulders/neck area. Thanks for the feedback, though!
Thank you!!
You'd want to put the heavier tool bag on the side opposite the exhaust next time, since the exhaust is the heavier side of the bike. Def can make a difference if you start to tip or get unbalanced as having one side way heavier will pull you down fast.
I think it started out that way, but something in that side bag had melted so I balanced based on what was least likely to melt! That's something else I'm going to need to sort out..
9:11 Tinnitus is scary I agree…. it’s incurable.
I beg younger riders to buy custom fit hearing protection, and use them !
For me, it’s too late
Where does one buy custom fit ??
I am a new follower(nr:158) of your channel Greetings from Türkiye
Ha ha, I have a T7 and Im looking at this bike as a more technical capable bike. Dont get me wrong the T7 is awesome, and extremely capable, but get it bogged, or turning it around on a narrow trail, and it's a handful. Im only 5 10 (178cm) and 75 kg. If I was a bigger person, maybe not so much of an issue. I dont think Ill get rid of the T7 though.
I have a crf250l rally with Inpreda crashbars. I honestly wish outback mototek made bars for the 250. The inpreda ones aren't terrible but the fitment is just off. I actually ended up taking the bars that protect the upper faring off, and just running the lower faring. I've dropped my bike a few times since then with no issues. Just my opinion of course. It seems like in most situations, the lower half of the bike takes most of the impact before the top even touches the ground.
I'm only halfway through the video but I respect you doing the bdr solo without much dirt experience. I hope to hit the IDBDR this year.
If I was doing the build over again, I think I would probably start off with just a lower crash bar and hand guards. I think for their weight, it's not clear to me that upper guards get you much extra protection. (And given my general annoyance with rackless luggage I would rather put that weight into luggage racks :)
Doing the BDR alone with such little dirt experience (I had one dirt class in advance of it) was really daunting/scary the first few sections, more from the remoteness than from the technical difficulty. But the MABDR is quite tame and by the end I felt really good about it. Considering I didn't have a single drop the entire time I feel like I could've handled something a little more difficult. In retrospect I think I could've done 80% of it just fine on my GSA.
Nice set up. I have the 250 Rally. Certainly sketch on the highway.
I thought the stock seat was unbearable but it broke in nicely.
Sketchy on interstate highways, not state/county highways .
Nice reviews. Where are you that it looks like fall right now? Lastly, did you feel the front needed suspension upgraded as much as the rear? I'm guessing your around 185lbs. Thank you.
This was recorded in October '22; took me too long to get the video posted! The rear seems to be the worst, but when I do it I will probably just do it all together. I'm 165lbs. Flannel adds 20lbs? :)
7k for 6hrs! Im sure it's ready for a valve adjustment
Funny thing is and I know I’m not the only one but I’d buy one in a hart beat if they had better color combos.
I think itchy boots is using an aftermarket screen? I have the Puig and it helps a lot but I know what you mean about the “roar”. Thank you very much for the video
She was using the stock screen at the beginning, and then put a tall screen on after her rebuild post-Alaska. My issue isn't height, though, it's width. I may try to u-bolt some hard plastic to the mirror stems, or do something creative with RAM mounts. Just as a test, I clamped a large cell phone mount (the solid kind, not the X kind) to the bar in that spot and it actually helped a surprising amount. It will look ridiculous but for long road trips it might be worthwhile.
I think you mentioned the noise reduction reading on your earplugs. What kind of earplugs are you wearing? If I can ask? The more specific, the better, I also would like to preserve my hearing into my later years.
Good review with lots of things to think about.
I wear Howard Leight Maxlite (the green disposable ones). I previously wore Howard Leight Max 33 (orange). I've never found a reusable kind that had the reduction levels I like and I've tried many, many of them.
Tnx for a great review.. iam in line for a 300l -23. Mostly to get to work and going on smaller fishing/camping trips..
Any thoughts on other packing bags that can take a tenet a a trip for a night or 3?
Iam looking at 21 brother
If I got rid of my little top case and was more creative with a second dry bag I might be able to get a tent/sleeping bag back there. Wolfman makes a larger duffel (I use the small but medium is wider) that might work. Andre at Peak Motorcycles has some footage of the larger Enduristan bags as well.
I am always tempted to put racks on and just use my wolfman expedition panniers but I would fill them up for sure and the weight would probably get crazy...
If you can’t change a tube..consider mousse ??
Appreciate your thoughtful and engaging comments, but just some constructive feedback, you also need thoughtful editing. This video is like a run on sentence. It's just too long, with the good bits sprinkled few and far between. Again, great content, but all your points could be distilled down to 15 minutes with a bit of pre-production planning and your video would be stronger for it. You can't just turn the camera on and talk for 40 minutes.
It looks like you added an aftermarket skid plate as well… what does it attach to? the frame through the plastic fairing?
It's the Outback Motortek skid plate; install video is available on their website. There's a bracket you mount behind the front grille to give you two new mount points in the front, and then two bolts in the rear. I honestly don't love it; it digs in to the front plastic a bit and it's also quite heavy for my purposes. If I was doing it over again I would probably do the Kodama Composites one from the UK.
Can your you put full name of the tires. I’m on a new 300 and riding BDR PA in October. Hesitant to do it on the stick tires. Mixed reviews on the tusks but wanted to look up the ones you used
What tires?
Mitas E-07
Thx a lot! I already made about 8000 miles on the IRC stock tires on my Rally, asking myself about this over 60 mph instability. I'll change to Mitas E- 07 after 1000 more miles...... (Germany)
One of the most famous??? Did you hear about bmw gs ? 😂😂😂😂😂😂
You really zinged him - his flannel is singged...
lol, I did say *current* moto world intentionally! :)
Side note: the 690 has a switch under the seat that you can flick to select the quality of fuel you're using.
Oh that's good to know!