Yep. Real deal. A guy sitting on a milk crate providing unsolicited genuine info. Not just another shill/influencer that rec’d the bike from a corporation to do an “unbiased” review.
Appreciate a clear concise review without non-value added narrative! I have a 23 with 5600km and agree 100% on every point. Had high expectations due to reviews and the 300 Rally exceeded every one. As mentioned the handling off road is where I was most surprised. The weight and fuel efficiency/range, are key items for me. The comfort level due to tank and windscreen fairings as well as seat position is awesome. Never thought about it but your comment "sitting in it vs on it" is right on the money. Rode 2-up with a 65kg passenger (I'm 86kg) and other than rear suspension sag was amazed at how well it did on hills, and in general on and off road. I travel in dark at times and the headlight is impressive as well. Also noticed for whatever reason the bikes on-road visibility to automobiles seems very good.
I cut my fairing in a similar way. I think it looks much better as well. I agree that the bike seems to run a bit cooler , and provides a cleaner install of a proper skid plate.
Yep I love my little rally I don’t do much 100kph+ stuff so it’s ideal for me I have a chain oiler and my chain is still looking good after 25k!! A 350 or 390 engine. The new KTM 390 looks good.Rally is an excellent adventure bike for a dual sport rider! I reckon a DR with equivalent range fuel tank is at least 20kg heavier. I too sold a dr650 for my Rally there is a few things I miss about the DR and I don’t think I would recommend selling a DR for a Rally
I have the 2020 crf 250L mainly ride dirt roads and pavement I switched my gearing to 15/39 and it corrected my speedo which read 7-8 kph faster, now it's exactly what gps reads on my phone. bikes nicer to ride at higher rpm's to
I find that I am chugging mine along in 6th gear when I shouldn't be. My last bike is a 84 xl 350, I have been struggling with when to shift into overdrive so I appreciate the over 80K (my 50mph) comment. I'm going to try to readjust my thinking. Nice review!
Manufacturer's recommended gear shift revs do tend to be on the low side. 6th is mostly a highway gear for me, 95-ish is perfect. On anything twisty or hilly I rarely use it.
Great review. I plan on getting my license and a bike this year.... I am undecided between the CRF Rally, CFMoto MT450 or the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.
If you do a bit more road thsn bush, go the royal Enfield. More bush, go the Rally. I wouldn't go the CFMoto simply because it's near 200 kilos and unproven. Juat my opinion 👍
@@MidCoastAdventures The Rally has always been my 1st choice..... hard not to fault it's reliability considering Noraly (itchy boots) has taken that everywhere and still comeout unscathed. The reason I looked at the cfmoto was it had a bit more oomph for the highway. And living in Adelaide there'd be quite a lot of highway riding to get to anywhere... yeah it's unproven I know... and heavy... but a bigger more comfortable bike that I could get legally..... it'll be years before I can get a Tenere or something similar.
@@robdotcom71 The new 450 Royal Enfield may be the winner for you - considering you mentioned hwy miles. Joe Ryan has proved the reliability of his (400 cc model) going around Aus and everywhere else. Food for thought. Cheers mate 🍻
Actually your sit in/sit on comment could be used to define is a bike is an adventure bike ot not. I think the sit in feel is what allows it to be a mile eater. Well spotted. You also didn't mention the insane fuel economy! That always helps make as adventure bike.
Great to hear how happy you are with it Phil. I only wish Honda had put a 19" on the front of the CB500X from the get-go, and I would be happy as with mine, as it is, I only ever will have one shot at buying a bike, and I have what I have. I'm still very happy with it - but a 19" and better tyres I could tackle a few more tracks. Now if they put my engine in your bike...
David, I reckon Honda should GIVE you a new CBX500! You have shown thousands how reliable a machine they are. And no doubt inspired many to buy one. Enjoy your weekend mate 🍻
@@MidCoastAdventures Ha ha! Thanks mate, many have said the same thing, and I know of around 30 people who say they bought the bike because of my videos - but I think I need to multiply my view count by 10000 for Honda to even notice me :) Falkor is getting a Major Service and new rear tomorrow, been giving him some love with the Autosol as well, hope you have a good one too mate, in whatever weird weather we have!!
Nice review, a friend of mine has one of these bikes and he loves it, I rode it and yes the suspension is soft but hey who wants to ride on back jarring suspension other than that I think it's a great bike. Thinking of flickin the Himalayan 411 and maybe getting one of these. Cool man catch ya.
Hi Phil I got my first flat tire 2 weeks ago in all the years I have been riding On the Kempsey Armidale road I couldn’t believe it I stopped and thought well what do I do now 😂 lucky I had a nice view I was half way down the hill from Armidale overlooking the homestead and paddocks O well I’m a expert now on changing tires
At least you can throw in a new tube on these things. Living in the city I'm averaging a nail through the tyre on my road bike every six months, unbelievable the crap on the road here. Most of them I plug, but there's a limit. I've had a tyre trashed by a single puncture, some chunk of metal broke and exposed the wire carcass. Gets expensive replacing road tyres, give me a patchable (and cheaply replaceable) tube any day.
Hey mate. Probably not worthy of a video, as I simply removed the bottom "bash plate" assembly once it was cut. Then replaced the bash plate with a super lightweight MX plate made of plastic. Cheers
Hi mate you should check out the cfmoto 450 adventure . All pre-order 's are all sold out in Australia. Only the second bike in the history apart from the Yamaha T 7 has this been so . Therefore must be be something in it at Australian people like . Ro. :)
The certainty look the part! They may prove to be a great bike, though up around 200 kilo (with oil and fuel) they're a heavy thing! I'll keep on eye on them as they start to rack up the kilometres in the field👍
Hello, I have a question.. Do the original plastics and bash plate manage to keep your feet dry on a rainy day? With that lift up fender? I am use to low big fenders and this is the only thing stopping me to buy the bike.
Hi Chris, at first I got a little excited about the CFMoto 450 release. They may prove to be a great bike, but the weight (near 200 kilos with oil and fuel) and no long term background for reliability, I steered away them. Just my thoughts, Chris 👍
I talk all the tools needed to change out the tube. So I talk front and rear tubes, good tyre levels and tools to remove the wheels. And yep, it's not fun...
Top stuff. A real life review, not someone jumping on and giving expert thoughts after a couple hours of riding.
I've been marveling on reviews where they are experts on the bike after only two minutes driving , and i'm not exaggerating .
Yep. Real deal. A guy sitting on a milk crate providing unsolicited genuine info. Not just another shill/influencer that rec’d the bike from a corporation to do an “unbiased” review.
The BEST review on YT and I watched probably all of them:) Specificily on the point. 10/10
Appreciate a clear concise review without non-value added narrative! I have a 23 with 5600km and agree 100% on every point. Had high expectations due to reviews and the 300 Rally exceeded every one. As mentioned the handling off road is where I was most surprised. The weight and fuel efficiency/range, are key items for me. The comfort level due to tank and windscreen fairings as well as seat position is awesome. Never thought about it but your comment "sitting in it vs on it" is right on the money. Rode 2-up with a 65kg passenger (I'm 86kg) and other than rear suspension sag was amazed at how well it did on hills, and in general on and off road. I travel in dark at times and the headlight is impressive as well. Also noticed for whatever reason the bikes on-road visibility to automobiles seems very good.
Love the honest review.....looking to down size, now older.....thanks again.
I cut my fairing in a similar way. I think it looks much better as well. I agree that the bike seems to run a bit cooler , and provides a cleaner install of a proper skid plate.
Yep I love my little rally I don’t do much 100kph+ stuff so it’s ideal for me I have a chain oiler and my chain is still looking good after 25k!! A 350 or 390 engine. The new KTM 390 looks good.Rally is an excellent adventure bike for a dual sport rider! I reckon a DR with equivalent range fuel tank is at least 20kg heavier.
I too sold a dr650 for my Rally there is a few things I miss about the DR and I don’t think I would recommend selling a DR for a Rally
Great review as long as you’re happy that’s all it matters 👍👍
Real world review.Well done.
Excellent and easy to listen to real world everyday review. Covered all the points. 👍
Great review. Right tool for the job.
Very enjoyable review. All my thoughts exactly for this bike!
I have the 2020 crf 250L mainly ride dirt roads and pavement I switched my gearing to 15/39 and it corrected my speedo which read 7-8 kph faster, now it's exactly what gps reads on my phone. bikes nicer to ride at higher rpm's to
Great review!
Enjoying your content Phil. I’m also enjoying the 300 rally and agree with your review. Keep up the good work.
I find that I am chugging mine along in 6th gear when I shouldn't be. My last bike is a 84 xl 350, I have been struggling with when to shift into overdrive so I appreciate the over 80K (my 50mph) comment. I'm going to try to readjust my thinking. Nice review!
50 mph (if its not too hilly) is fine, a good low rev for 6th . But with hills you'll need to be doing around 55 mph plus to tackle them. Cheers 👍
Manufacturer's recommended gear shift revs do tend to be on the low side. 6th is mostly a highway gear for me, 95-ish is perfect. On anything twisty or hilly I rarely use it.
great review
Good Honest review, thanks man, i appreciate it.
Spot on review, 14500 klm on mine in 8 months.
Damn, thought I rode heaps! 🤣😎👍
Where exactly are you located, I'm in Melbourne, wanna go for a ride ?
@@stevendunbabin1879 I'm up around Kempsey in N.S.W mate.
Good review bro. 👍
Great review. I plan on getting my license and a bike this year.... I am undecided between the CRF Rally, CFMoto MT450 or the new Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.
If you do a bit more road thsn bush, go the royal Enfield. More bush, go the Rally. I wouldn't go the CFMoto simply because it's near 200 kilos and unproven. Juat my opinion 👍
@@MidCoastAdventures The Rally has always been my 1st choice..... hard not to fault it's reliability considering Noraly (itchy boots) has taken that everywhere and still comeout unscathed. The reason I looked at the cfmoto was it had a bit more oomph for the highway. And living in Adelaide there'd be quite a lot of highway riding to get to anywhere... yeah it's unproven I know... and heavy... but a bigger more comfortable bike that I could get legally..... it'll be years before I can get a Tenere or something similar.
@@robdotcom71 The new 450 Royal Enfield may be the winner for you - considering you mentioned hwy miles. Joe Ryan has proved the reliability of his (400 cc model) going around Aus and everywhere else. Food for thought. Cheers mate 🍻
Actually your sit in/sit on comment could be used to define is a bike is an adventure bike ot not. I think the sit in feel is what allows it to be a mile eater. Well spotted. You also didn't mention the insane fuel economy! That always helps make as adventure bike.
30 kilometres per litre, they're pretty amazing hey 👍 Cheers mate
Great to hear how happy you are with it Phil. I only wish Honda had put a 19" on the front of the CB500X from the get-go, and I would be happy as with mine, as it is, I only ever will have one shot at buying a bike, and I have what I have. I'm still very happy with it - but a 19" and better tyres I could tackle a few more tracks.
Now if they put my engine in your bike...
David, I reckon Honda should GIVE you a new CBX500! You have shown thousands how reliable a machine they are. And no doubt inspired many to buy one. Enjoy your weekend mate 🍻
@@MidCoastAdventures Ha ha! Thanks mate, many have said the same thing, and I know of around 30 people who say they bought the bike because of my videos - but I think I need to multiply my view count by 10000 for Honda to even notice me :)
Falkor is getting a Major Service and new rear tomorrow, been giving him some love with the Autosol as well, hope you have a good one too mate, in whatever weird weather we have!!
I got the 250 version , several years old but basically new with only 900 miles on it .
Cool machine 😎. I had a 2017 model 250 Rally - Great bike.
Greetings,
As always another brilliant detailed video 🇺🇸🎉🍾🇺🇸
Keep producing more videos.
Thanks mate, and will do! 😎👍
Nice review, a friend of mine has one of these bikes and he loves it, I rode it and yes the suspension is soft but hey who wants to ride on back jarring suspension other than that I think it's a great bike. Thinking of flickin the Himalayan 411 and maybe getting one of these. Cool man catch ya.
Cheers Jason. They're fun little machines, squishy but fun...lol Catch ya
Much Enjoyment 👍😎
Hi Phil I got my first flat tire 2 weeks ago in all the years I have been riding
On the Kempsey Armidale road I couldn’t believe it
I stopped and thought well what do I do now
😂 lucky I had a nice view
I was half way down the hill from Armidale overlooking the homestead and paddocks
O well I’m a expert now on changing tires
Oh tyre changings sucks! Stunning view that last bit of the downhill run though 👍
At least you can throw in a new tube on these things. Living in the city I'm averaging a nail through the tyre on my road bike every six months, unbelievable the crap on the road here. Most of them I plug, but there's a limit. I've had a tyre trashed by a single puncture, some chunk of metal broke and exposed the wire carcass. Gets expensive replacing road tyres, give me a patchable (and cheaply replaceable) tube any day.
i'd love to see a vid on what you removed in regard to the lower plastics
Hey mate. Probably not worthy of a video, as I simply removed the bottom "bash plate" assembly once it was cut. Then replaced the bash plate with a super lightweight MX plate made of plastic. Cheers
Hi mate you should check out the cfmoto 450 adventure . All pre-order 's are all sold out in Australia. Only the second bike in the history apart from the Yamaha T 7 has this been so . Therefore must be be something in it at Australian people like .
Ro. :)
The certainty look the part! They may prove to be a great bike, though up around 200 kilo (with oil and fuel) they're a heavy thing! I'll keep on eye on them as they start to rack up the kilometres in the field👍
You should have changed the front sprocket when you fitted new chain, chain will last much longer ,front sprocket looks a little sad in video 😮
It's brand new Jeff, it hasn't done 1 metre 🤣 All good mate 👍
@@MidCoastAdventures Ok, just checking 😂
I have the 250 version. Great bike just wish it had more snap. The 450L in Canada is double the price and don’t think it’s worth it.
If you're not over 85 kg, and don't plan to jump it, I wouldn't bother. Up to you and how you like to ride 👍
Toughts about the RE Himalayan 450?
Bazz has the 400. But the new 450 seems a winner. I'd own one, take it nearly everywhere, and a good price too 👍
How you finding the front forks?
Pretty soft and dive under heavy breaking, but fine for most of the riding I do 👍
Like you said 450 with larger oil capacity
Bigger engine, more weight, less gas miles, bigger tank, more weight 🤔
Hello, I have a question.. Do the original plastics and bash plate manage to keep your feet dry on a rainy day? With that lift up fender? I am use to low big fenders and this is the only thing stopping me to buy the bike.
Nah, you will still get wet. They add some wind protection, that's about it. Cheers
Haven't considered the CF Moto 450 when it comes to Aust?
Hi Chris, at first I got a little excited about the CFMoto 450 release. They may prove to be a great bike, but the weight (near 200 kilos with oil and fuel) and no long term background for reliability, I steered away them. Just my thoughts, Chris 👍
Flat tire: what do you do ?
I talk all the tools needed to change out the tube. So I talk front and rear tubes, good tyre levels and tools to remove the wheels. And yep, it's not fun...
@@MidCoastAdventures that is not on the road. Any good idea of how to get to the nearest work shop ? I tried foam but that failed miserably.
have you taken on the beach or dunes is it enough to get around in?
I know people have crossed the Simpson Desert on them. So they're fine, just need to keep the revs up a bit 👍