I have 300 hrs. on my '17 300RR that I bought in '18 when Honda was discounting them. During the initial inspection when I first brought it home, two bolts were over tightened. The front axle pinch bolt was probably done by the Honda dealer, the other was one of the rear countersunk bolts for the bash plate. Both had to be removed using an Easy Out, after the hex rounded out. I replaced the plastic gas cap with an alloy one from the UK, after the vent hose nipple broke off. My friend's 260 Cota had the same thing happen. My sidestand bracket bent very easily when the foot sunk into soft ground, letting the bike fall over on the right side. The stand ended up being a couple of inches closer to the engine, so useless for the rest of the day. Bending the mounting bracket back to the original position wile using an acetylene torch, and then welding in a 1/4" thick gusset has fixed it. Four years later it still is where it should be. I was told Montesa upgraded the bracket in '22. The OEM air filter feels like it is going to tear when stretching it over the backfire screen, it never did, but I switched to Twin Air elements that do away with the backfire screen and speed up the servicing process. I owned a 2009 Beta 300 4t for 5 years, selling it a couple years after getting the Monty.. The Honda / Montesa quality is far superior. No waterpump seal / shaft problems on the Monty. The Beta had at least 3 w/p shafts while I owned it. The Beta needed many helicoils to repair the aluminium frame's threads (previusly the bike was well used by an expert level rider on the Island). It takes me less than 1/2 the time to adjust the Monty's valves than the Beta, which needs the engine lowered while only being held in place by the swing arm axle to access the intake adjusters. The Monty's FI is far superior to the Beta's CV carb, which leaks scary amounts of fuel from the float bowl if the bike is dropped in certain positions. I can remember landing on my back, looking uphill to see fuel absolutely pissing out the vent tubes, onto the hot exhaust... and my riding buddy quickly backing off, leaving me to upright the thing. With the Monty I can shut the engine off, lay the bike over on the handle bar end, and run over to give assistance to someone else's emergency. No gas ever leaks. Even though the Monty only carries 1.9 litres of gas in the tank it gets better range than the others. We ride from sea level to 5000ft. and to keep the starting easy I need to adjust the idle speed (before stopping the engine) to between 1800-1900 rpm as we climb up and down the mountains. The Beta does beat the Monty when it comes time to change the oil filter though. The Beta came to me with the compression release not working. I found a burr on the flyweight cam, so that the small spring could not retract it into the starting position. It was fine once the burr was removed. Another friend found the small spring unhooked on his Beta's cam, soon after buying the brand new bike, making for full compression on start up. Last Oct. I got myself a 250 Vertigo and am liking the lightness of the 2t. Being 67, I can tell the 2t takes less out of me at the end of the ride. But I don't ever plan on selling the Monty, it is so reliable it will always be there, ready to go if I or one of my sons has a problem with our regular bikes. Almost forgot, the Monty's owner's manual is the best in the business, comparable to a proper shop manual. Cheers.
I’m a 2-stroke guy from the early 1970’s, but am really considering the 300rr for a trail conversion. Living right next to the mountains here in Colorado, fuel injection, larger cc, climbing ability and most of all light weight is really important. And the Honda power-plant for dependability and economy are a must! Thanks for your review and experience with the machine!
Having never ridden one, I've always regarded these bikes as being heavy and overly complicated, however my buddy just bought an 06 4rt Repsol for his first trials bike, and I have to say I like it a lot. The 250 makes great power, I can't imagine the new 300s. And the transmission shifts sooo nice. I really like my TRS, but something about that 4rt is tempting me... I get why people really like these bikes. It's too bad the fuel tank is so small for the type of riding I do, at least they seem to do a little better on fuel than the 2 strokes.
@@slavcoworld Yeah I always carry extra fuel as well, but having twice as much in my Xtrack is nice. It looks like if he gets a Hebo fork tank and carries the same two 1 liter bottles that I do, his range should be almost the same as me.
Great video! I’m about to pull the trigger on a new 22 cosa 301rr here in Ontario or a 2025 gasgas 300 was wondering what kind of range can you get with the Honda. Decisions decisions. Cheers
@@Expeditionmarc Sooooo. I just had both, ended up selling the montesa and strictly riding gas gas. The new gas gas is very smooth and light. The montesa weight was starting to annoy me. If you can afford both, do as such. Montesa is better for trail riding.
Hi, thank you so much for this awesome review. I'm long time road rider, currently on bmw r1250gs adv. Looking into trials bikes to have fun on and learn enduro techniques, clutch control, wheelies etc. Would you recommend a Montesa 260 or 301? i want something easy to learn on and gentle. Very important thing is reliabilty and ease of maintenance. Or should i consider a 2T Gas Gas, TRS? maybe a 4T Beta? what would you get for yourself?
@@slavcoworldthank you very much for reply. I just watched a video of the Oil/filter/gasket change on Montesa 260. It looked like a lot of work. How would you compare this regular maintenance to a 2T Gas Gas or something else like that?
@@piotrwydmuch9413 regular two stroke oil change is literally a 10 minute job or less. Much easier than 4rt bikes. If you want another smooth bike, look no further than a beta 2 stroke. Very manageable power, probably best beginner trials bike with low maintenance. Beta also makes susper smooth (ss) version of their evo lineup.
@@neumeisteranimalhospital2627 I actually did ride one in a competition. I found the front end pushed a lot in off camber slippery turns ( its worse if you don't know how to turn-hop) The bike felt intimidating in steep tight sections due to its weight, hop on a different lighter two stroke and the same sections felt like a breeze. I would prefer this 4rt on big adventure rides into the alpine and lighter 2t for comp.
I have 300 hrs. on my '17 300RR that I bought in '18 when Honda was discounting them. During the initial inspection when I first brought it home, two bolts were over tightened. The front axle pinch bolt was probably done by the Honda dealer, the other was one of the rear countersunk bolts for the bash plate. Both had to be removed using an Easy Out, after the hex rounded out. I replaced the plastic gas cap with an alloy one from the UK, after the vent hose nipple broke off. My friend's 260 Cota had the same thing happen. My sidestand bracket bent very easily when the foot sunk into soft ground, letting the bike fall over on the right side. The stand ended up being a couple of inches closer to the engine, so useless for the rest of the day. Bending the mounting bracket back to the original position wile using an acetylene torch, and then welding in a 1/4" thick gusset has fixed it. Four years later it still is where it should be. I was told Montesa upgraded the bracket in '22.
The OEM air filter feels like it is going to tear when stretching it over the backfire screen, it never did, but I switched to Twin Air elements that do away with the backfire screen and speed up the servicing process. I owned a 2009 Beta 300 4t for 5 years, selling it a couple years after getting the Monty.. The Honda / Montesa quality is far superior. No waterpump seal / shaft problems on the Monty. The Beta had at least 3 w/p shafts while I owned it. The Beta needed many helicoils to repair the aluminium frame's threads (previusly the bike was well used by an expert level rider on the Island). It takes me less than 1/2 the time to adjust the Monty's valves than the Beta, which needs the engine lowered while only being held in place by the swing arm axle to access the intake adjusters. The Monty's FI is far superior to the Beta's CV carb, which leaks scary amounts of fuel from the float bowl if the bike is dropped in certain positions. I can remember landing on my back, looking uphill to see fuel absolutely pissing out the vent tubes, onto the hot exhaust... and my riding buddy quickly backing off, leaving me to upright the thing. With the Monty I can shut the engine off, lay the bike over on the handle bar end, and run over to give assistance to someone else's emergency. No gas ever leaks. Even though the Monty only carries 1.9 litres of gas in the tank it gets better range than the others. We ride from sea level to 5000ft. and to keep the starting easy I need to adjust the idle speed (before stopping the engine) to between 1800-1900 rpm as we climb up and down the mountains. The Beta does beat the Monty when it comes time to change the oil filter though. The Beta came to me with the compression release not working. I found a burr on the flyweight cam, so that the small spring could not retract it into the starting position. It was fine once the burr was removed. Another friend found the small spring unhooked on his Beta's cam, soon after buying the brand new bike, making for full compression on start up.
Last Oct. I got myself a 250 Vertigo and am liking the lightness of the 2t. Being 67, I can tell the 2t takes less out of me at the end of the ride. But I don't ever plan on selling the Monty, it is so reliable it will always be there, ready to go if I or one of my sons has a problem with our regular bikes.
Almost forgot, the Monty's owner's manual is the best in the business, comparable to a proper shop manual. Cheers.
Thank you for sharing such great information!
I’m a 2-stroke guy from the early 1970’s, but am really considering the 300rr for a trail conversion. Living right next to the mountains here in Colorado, fuel injection, larger cc, climbing ability and most of all light weight is really important. And the Honda power-plant for dependability and economy are a must! Thanks for your review and experience with the machine!
Having never ridden one, I've always regarded these bikes as being heavy and overly complicated, however my buddy just bought an 06 4rt Repsol for his first trials bike, and I have to say I like it a lot. The 250 makes great power, I can't imagine the new 300s. And the transmission shifts sooo nice. I really like my TRS, but something about that 4rt is tempting me... I get why people really like these bikes. It's too bad the fuel tank is so small for the type of riding I do, at least they seem to do a little better on fuel than the 2 strokes.
The 4rt is a truly a refined machine, trs is way too hyper.
We pack fuel on all of our big rides, 4rt is probably the most fuel efficient.
@@slavcoworld Yeah I always carry extra fuel as well, but having twice as much in my Xtrack is nice. It looks like if he gets a Hebo fork tank and carries the same two 1 liter bottles that I do, his range should be almost the same as me.
That is my Faverate Trials bike of all time !!! I need one !!!
I just got myself a 260 model, will be interesting to see how well it does!
@@slavcoworld Trying to get one in Kauai, Hawaii is tough !
Loved the Montessa dirt bikes of the 70’s with their 2 stroke engines ..
Spanish ripping beauties..
I have yet to get my hands on a montesa 315, I anticipate it to be a very good bike to ride, smooth motors from what I heard.
Great review dude. Got me thinking! I have a hidden love of thumpers.
Great video! I’m about to pull the trigger on a new 22 cosa 301rr here in Ontario or a 2025 gasgas 300 was wondering what kind of range can you get with the Honda. Decisions decisions. Cheers
@@Expeditionmarc Sooooo. I just had both, ended up selling the montesa and strictly riding gas gas. The new gas gas is very smooth and light. The montesa weight was starting to annoy me.
If you can afford both, do as such. Montesa is better for trail riding.
Molta trazione,motore lineare,buona moto per un trial tranquillo, notare la prima moto da trial al mondo con iniezione 👍🖖
Absolutely! If you want to be easier on your body, the montesa does a fine job.
Hi, thank you so much for this awesome review. I'm long time road rider, currently on bmw r1250gs adv. Looking into trials bikes to have fun on and learn enduro techniques, clutch control, wheelies etc. Would you recommend a Montesa 260 or 301? i want something easy to learn on and gentle. Very important thing is reliabilty and ease of maintenance. Or should i consider a 2T Gas Gas, TRS? maybe a 4T Beta? what would you get for yourself?
Absolutely hands down a montesa 260 if you can afford it. The bike is heavier yet more planted over the trs. The trs is very hyper
@@slavcoworldthank you very much for reply. I just watched a video of the Oil/filter/gasket change on Montesa 260. It looked like a lot of work.
How would you compare this regular maintenance to a 2T Gas Gas or something else like that?
@@piotrwydmuch9413 regular two stroke oil change is literally a 10 minute job or less. Much easier than 4rt bikes.
If you want another smooth bike, look no further than a beta 2 stroke. Very manageable power, probably best beginner trials bike with low maintenance.
Beta also makes susper smooth (ss) version of their evo lineup.
@@slavcoworldoh man, that helps a lot. You mean Beta Evo 250 2T, right? 300 probably too much?
@@piotrwydmuch9413 yes, evo250 will be plenty for you. You can go 300 if you are bigger rider.
what is the deal with the mode switch? mine doesn't seem to do anything did you find a difference?
The bike I have tested, the mode switch worked like a charm!
@@slavcoworld can you describe the difference?
I was hoping for a more competitive trials based review.
You mean as in a review in a trial event?
Yes and how it compares to the other trials bikes, in actual trials comp, not just freerding.@@slavcoworld
@@neumeisteranimalhospital2627 I actually did ride one in a competition. I found the front end pushed a lot in off camber slippery turns ( its worse if you don't know how to turn-hop)
The bike felt intimidating in steep tight sections due to its weight, hop on a different lighter two stroke and the same sections felt like a breeze.
I would prefer this 4rt on big adventure rides into the alpine and lighter 2t for comp.
Beautiful bike. Not so good the sound quality.
Thanks for sharing your comment. I always strive for better over time. Cheers