This video made me feel better about the choice I made - I chose the DRZ because of the power (fun factor) and the suspension. But the DRZ doesn't have a fuel gauge (I ran out of gas on the freeway and street already), and only 5 gears (which it begs for when you're doing 70). Those are my only two gripes really. Otherwise, it's an awesome, amazing, super reliable, fun bike to own and will literally drag you out of anything you throw at it. It's super confidence inspiring and so fun. Just ignore street riders who don't get it. It's not slow either. I find that if I really want to, I can easily pass cars, etc.
Yep, the DRZ is a great bike. 6 gears and a fuel indicator would be awesome. My understanding of why Suzuki can't/won't make any changes is the bike is grandfathered in. If any changes were made it would have to pass current emissions standards. I suspect Suzuki will just keep making them as-is until people stop buying them. I'm surprised after all this time nobody has really come out with a direct competitor. The engine in the DRZ is perfect for me with just the right amount of power. I love the lightweight of the modern European dual sports but honestly, they have more power than I need and end up tiring me out pretty quickly.
@@chasingtrail Yeah - I guess I shouldn't comment really about the power because I only have 350 miles on my DRZ and I'm still breaking it in of course. So, I can't go full throttle yet. I'm sort of used to 2-stroke bikes like the YZ 250, which is way lighter and all the power is at the top end. The other gripe I have about the DRZ is the weird gear ratios. First will go over 35, then you have to shift like a bat out of hell until 4th because the gear ratios are so close. But other than that, it's a fantastic bike.
The fact that you share your perspective after after riding both bikes back to back makes this a lot more helpful than most reviews, especially because you bring in your experience with the 450L, too. Good stuff. And your comments about fueling and throttle response "carb vs efi" are refreshing. 99% of the time, that conversation is just about reliability or ease of maintenance and use at changing altitudes. Bottom line: people need to stay open minded and really try to test ride different bikes to find out what works for them. Internet research is fun but can't substitute saddle time.
Thank you very much for your comment. This was part of my goal is to hopefully provide some useful feedback. And absolutely agreed about saddle time. I've made the mistake multiple times of identifying what I thought I wanted on paper, only to be disappointed when I actually rode it. The WR250R is a good example. I wish it were easier to find test rides here. It's odd to me that I can walk into a BMW dealership and they'll hand me the keys to a $25,000 motorcycle but you can't test ride the Japanese motorcycles. Anyway, thanks again, and I hope my videos prove useful in some way.
@@chasingtrail My riding time is so limited, I couldn't be bothered to record when I'm out there decompressing. Especially not with a drone. Makes me appreciate small channels that add value even more. If you end up getting a Beta OR manage to go to a demo day (where they apparently allow you to ride your own bike on the test track back to back, as well), I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Subbed
@@getdealtwithquick I understand about the limited time. Mine is pretty limited as well. My friend Trailblogger has a successful ATV channel and he's given me suggestions about using multiple cameras and b-roll footage and such but I can't be bothered. Strapping the camera to my chin is about as far as I'm willing to go. Maybe a drone in autofollow mode at some point. I'd love to try a Beta. Technically one of our local dealers carries them but I've never seen one in there. They currently have a 2 stroke listed on the website. We do have a very good KTM/Husqvarna dealer here though. I suspect I will end up on a KTM before the end of this year. The lure is strong and the 255 lb wet weight is very appealing.
Good comparison. When I was looking at bikes these are the exact two I was looking at. I ended up getting the drz400s because I found a used 2019 with 1k miles on it for 3k less than I could get a Rally. I also liked the idea of not having to get better suspension for my weight on the drz. No regrets, I now have 3 bikes and prefer my drz still.
Just installed my 550 ecu yesterday. Smoother throttle and little bit more pop out of the corners and up top it feels like. I ride the standard 300. What really stands out on the Honda is the gearing ratios, they nailed it.
Years ago after everyone hyping the DRZ, I went to buy one. Glad I test drove it first...I hated almost everything about it except the motor. The ergo's, handling, suspension, 5 gears plus I hate carb's. I think the SuMo version with a pumper carb might be fun, but for dirt roads/offroad Id rather ring out a 250/300 klx or crfl that feels more refined and not worrying about temp/altitude changes with EFI.
Thank you for sharing your perspective. I'm surprised how good the DRZ feels to me. If I could merge the DRZ suspension and engine to the CRF300L that would be a unicorn!
great video, thank you. im new to your channel and these are the 2 bikes im trying to choose between for my first bike. its a much harder choice than i thought. now that its been a couple of years, have your thoughts changed or are you more confident in your choice? did you keep both or end up selling one?
I prefer the DRZ. Despite being an older design, the stock suspension is pretty good and the motor has just the right amount of grunt. The suspension on the CRF300L sucks and it's woefully underpowered, even with an intake, full exhaust, and ECU flash. I personally could just never be happy with that amount of power. I have sold both, I go through a lot of bikes. I'm currently on a KTM 500.
Thanks for the reply, I've been trying to decide for months. I'm coming from a 4wd where every car I've owned I've replaced suspension so that isn't a deal breaker for me if I need to upgrade the suspension. Which bike rides better at 60mph? Is it worth buying the crf for the 6th gear or is that not enough to buy one? Whatever bike I choose will be my commuter The lack of power in the Honda has been in the back of my mind. Its good now while I'm learning but I've been worried I'll out grow it fairly fast
@@JoshSinnott97A YSS shock and Race Tech fork springs help the CRF out a lot and won't break the bank. I have another video where my dad and I ride both bikes back-to-back and swap. We both agreed the DRZ rode better. The 6th gear is a maintain-current-speed-on-flat-ground-with-no-head-wind thing. You will have next to no passing power in 6th gear. I'm not trying to shit on the CRF300L, it's a great bike for what it is, a budget entry-level dual sport. The dash is awesome and it's got EFI. What do you value more, suspension and power, or modern design and fuel injection? Or just let whatever you can find the best deal on decide for you. That's typically what I do when I get stuck between 2 bikes. If you don't like the first one, just sell it and buy the other. Hope this helps.
That's great advice, thank you. I have to wait 6 months before I can get my license so I can't test ride anything yet which is making my decision even harder. Seat height etc will go into my decision making too but it's good to hear a no bs brutally honest opinion, especially when you started out on the Honda I plan on keeping whatever I buy for a long time, here in Australia new riders are restricted to 660cc or less for 2 years. After that 2 years I might buy another bike, a T7 maybe for long distance travel or commuting but ideally I'd like 1 bike that can do it all with a few compromises inevitably thrown in
@@JoshSinnott97 Good luck in your decision! I think you'll enjoy whatever you decide on. Check out @chroniclesofsolid, he's an Australian who's owned and reviewed both bikes as well.
Thanks for your thoughts on these two bikes Mike. I agree with you and your dad in as much that there is no “best” bike but rather how you’re going to use them and which one suits the type of rider you are. I’ve never ridden a trail bike in my life and at my age I think the kind of riding I’m likely to do most is easy, graded dirt tracks as opposed to gnarly, technical stuff. I’m guessing the Rally would be best for someone like me?
Hi Bruce, I think the 300L would be a good option, though unless you intend to do longer stretches on pavement I would even look at the standard 300L instead of the Rally. IMS is taking pre-orders on a 3 gallon tank for it which I felt was the biggest shortcoming. I would like to suggest the KLX300 as well since it has better stock suspension but unfortunately I don't think it's available in Australia due to the lack of ABS.
One thing you didn't mention was the drz's far superior suspension, making it much better for serious offroad riding The honda is a more practical bike though. Have you considered the 550 performance ecu upgrade? It would probably smooth out the fueling
I do talk about the DRZ's better suspension in the first video. This was a part 2 follow-up after I swapped bikes. I have upgraded the suspension on my 300L so the upgraded 300L suspension and the stock DRZ suspension feel comparable, but the DRZ suspension is adjustable and my 300L is not. The DRZ can be fine tuned. My ECU has been flashed by 550Performance for the Stage 1 91 octane tune. It's really not that bad and I had gotten used to it. It was more noticeable after jumping off the DRZ and immediately on to the CRF300L that it stood out.
I know this is an old video but I have to ask what your thoughts are since these two comparison videos were made. When you went out to the garage, which one did you pick more often? I know you guys thought the new Honda was more reliable and it probably is but fuel pumps do fail and there's no way to limp home when they do. I would say the reliability factor is even or even more toward the DRZ but that's just me.
The DRZ. I bought into the hype train with the CRF300L and wanted to like it more than I did. Made the same mistake again with the Tenere 700. The DRZ is still in a class of its own and is probably the best 50/50 dual sport available today.
@@chasingtrailThank you for the quick reply. I had a feeling your answer would be something like that. You said it in your videos though, it's so subjective. A smaller person might like CRF better due to the lower seat height. I lowered my DRZ 1" in the back. Time will tell if I leave it that way. With just a 30" inseam I needed to do something while I adjusted to the bike. Thanks again.
Of course a 15 year DRZ will be a lot cheaper. But newish ones cost more than I paid for my brand new 0 miles 250 Rally (US$4250 on the road). Of course with the 300 Rally you don't right nw get a choice between new and used -- hell, you can barely get them new. But there are a lot of CRF205Ls around used. Or, an XR400 might be a better match for the DRZ. More power is more fun, but it's also more tiring. I used to have an XR600. Mighty beast! But if I'm going to do even 50 miles on a ride I'd rather be on the Rally, and it's good for 200+ in a sitting :-)
All fair points. I'm just comparing them because they were both bikes I was interested in and I have the opportunity to do so. It's not the best comparison, I'll leave that to the professionals. That's a smoking deal you got. I paid nearly twice that for the Rally. Thank you for your comment and insights.
@@chasingtrail yeah, it was a 2019 bike in March 2020. I bought it from a dealer in Wellington NZ by email the day before the start of "Level 4 lockdown", and two days before I flew from San Francisco (where I'd been living) back to NZ. I wanted to have wheels when I got out of quarantine, and a new bike is a lot less risky than a used car with the same price. I did get a used car (2008 Outback 2.5 turbo with "Eyesight") with 54k miles for US$5900 seven weeks later -- but had it very carefully checked out. I'd already been thinking about getting back into dirt bikes in CA and even test-ridden a DR650 and XR650 in Fremont (and was looking for a KLR ad DRZ to try), thinking I needed the cubes for freeway riding to the dirt in CA. Glad I got the smaller bike, and 250 is fine with the 100 km/h speed limit in NZ.
I've previously had the DRZ.. Now i have the Rally, and i have the same thoughts as you... DRZ is super fun, but for longer riding, i prefer the Rally :)
not sure why you'd think the honda would be more reliable. the drz is proven the crf300l has more to fail that can't be fixed on the side of the road and it's built with cheap components. i've ridden my drz400 on a 7000km trip through outback australia and crossed the simpson desert solo unsupported in november. basically i would bet my life on the drz making it anywhere and back again.
I got a Suzuki 2018 V Strom 1000 and it has EFI , when I close the throttle , it immediately defuels the bike and starts engine breaking , Theres no dwell/delay time to decelerate . I can hit the kill switch and switch the bike off and its the same thing. I hate Hate Hate it . Closing the throttle in lower gears is like shutting the bike off . Your saying the 300l you rode does the same thing?
@@chasingtrail so EFI on the motor cycle acts more like a off and on switch. Like a light switch. I think it just plain sucks , the bike rpms don't decelerate, it just shuts completely off . So it seems to be the same thing with the rally 300l . So does that describe what your rally does Did you reflash, the ECU ,did that change any throttle behavior?
@@Trike. Yeah, it's not that bad on the 300L, but if you ride back-to-back with a carbed bike you'll notice it. It was much worse on the CRF450L. It's not a deal breaker on the 300L. It's an issue with almost every EFI bike though. Carbs have better throttle response, imo.
@@chasingtrail Did you reflash your ECU did that change any throttle characteristics, for my bike it's like 400.00 but I don't want to spend the money to find out it didn't work . I hate how it defuels the bike .
Hi Rob, I prefer no windscreen. Riding the Rally has confirmed my previous feeling about this. I prefer naked bikes for the clean air. Windscreens always seem to cause buffeting which results in noisy and turbulent air. If I were going on longer rides, several hours, at higher speeds, I think the merits of the windscreen and fairing would start to shine through there. For the shorter type of rides I like to do I would actually prefer not to have it.
@@2wheels.are.better.than4 Maybe you can find someone who wants to trade? These bikes are in high enough demand, at least in my area, that you could probably sell it for minimal loss and look for a standard version.
What would the crf feel like as a trail bike if you shortened the gearing significantly, like maybe a 13t front and 52t rear? As anyone tried that? I think I'd try that if I had one; stick to the back roads and use it as a trail bike. Of course not the rally version though.
I'm sure someone has tried it. I actually purchased the Rally with the intended use of some longer rides on the road to get to dirt riding areas. Turns out I'm probably not going to do that as often as I had anticipated. There's a good thread on the ADVRider forums for the 300L, someone may have tried that gearing there.
They are both fun for sure. Now that I have both I'll see which I end up gravitating towards. I have a feeling I'm going to want to taste the orange kool-aid at some point.
@@MfrOffroadRiderNorCal Looking through your old videos it looks like you had the 1090R. I'm thinking of going the other direction, KTM 500 EXCF, with my primary interest being the light weight. They are about 255 lbs curb weight. My interests, skills, and desires are changing as I ride more. I'm curious to see where they lead me as I get more time on these bikes.
I did not, though it's worth noting I was on the 300L Rally which is heavier than the DRZ. The standard 300L is lighter than the DRZ. Going off memory I want to say the 300L Rally is ~332 lbs, the DRZ 317 lbs, and the 300L ~310 lbs. I've often heard the DRZ described as top heavy but I don't notice that myself. The DRZ and CRF300L Rally feel pretty comparable to me in terms of weight and feel. The DRZ feels more stable on the road, something my dad I both noticed when riding them back to back. I believe this is due to the fairing on the Rally which seems to catch the wind and makes the front end wander a bit. If I were to do it again I would've purchased the standard 300L and not the Rally.
This video made me feel better about the choice I made - I chose the DRZ because of the power (fun factor) and the suspension. But the DRZ doesn't have a fuel gauge (I ran out of gas on the freeway and street already), and only 5 gears (which it begs for when you're doing 70). Those are my only two gripes really.
Otherwise, it's an awesome, amazing, super reliable, fun bike to own and will literally drag you out of anything you throw at it. It's super confidence inspiring and so fun. Just ignore street riders who don't get it.
It's not slow either. I find that if I really want to, I can easily pass cars, etc.
Yep, the DRZ is a great bike. 6 gears and a fuel indicator would be awesome. My understanding of why Suzuki can't/won't make any changes is the bike is grandfathered in. If any changes were made it would have to pass current emissions standards. I suspect Suzuki will just keep making them as-is until people stop buying them. I'm surprised after all this time nobody has really come out with a direct competitor. The engine in the DRZ is perfect for me with just the right amount of power. I love the lightweight of the modern European dual sports but honestly, they have more power than I need and end up tiring me out pretty quickly.
@@chasingtrail Yeah - I guess I shouldn't comment really about the power because I only have 350 miles on my DRZ and I'm still breaking it in of course. So, I can't go full throttle yet.
I'm sort of used to 2-stroke bikes like the YZ 250, which is way lighter and all the power is at the top end.
The other gripe I have about the DRZ is the weird gear ratios. First will go over 35, then you have to shift like a bat out of hell until 4th because the gear ratios are so close. But other than that, it's a fantastic bike.
The fact that you share your perspective after after riding both bikes back to back makes this a lot more helpful than most reviews, especially because you bring in your experience with the 450L, too. Good stuff. And your comments about fueling and throttle response "carb vs efi" are refreshing. 99% of the time, that conversation is just about reliability or ease of maintenance and use at changing altitudes. Bottom line: people need to stay open minded and really try to test ride different bikes to find out what works for them. Internet research is fun but can't substitute saddle time.
Thank you very much for your comment. This was part of my goal is to hopefully provide some useful feedback. And absolutely agreed about saddle time. I've made the mistake multiple times of identifying what I thought I wanted on paper, only to be disappointed when I actually rode it. The WR250R is a good example. I wish it were easier to find test rides here. It's odd to me that I can walk into a BMW dealership and they'll hand me the keys to a $25,000 motorcycle but you can't test ride the Japanese motorcycles.
Anyway, thanks again, and I hope my videos prove useful in some way.
@@chasingtrail My riding time is so limited, I couldn't be bothered to record when I'm out there decompressing. Especially not with a drone. Makes me appreciate small channels that add value even more. If you end up getting a Beta OR manage to go to a demo day (where they apparently allow you to ride your own bike on the test track back to back, as well), I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Subbed
@@getdealtwithquick I understand about the limited time. Mine is pretty limited as well. My friend Trailblogger has a successful ATV channel and he's given me suggestions about using multiple cameras and b-roll footage and such but I can't be bothered. Strapping the camera to my chin is about as far as I'm willing to go. Maybe a drone in autofollow mode at some point.
I'd love to try a Beta. Technically one of our local dealers carries them but I've never seen one in there. They currently have a 2 stroke listed on the website. We do have a very good KTM/Husqvarna dealer here though. I suspect I will end up on a KTM before the end of this year. The lure is strong and the 255 lb wet weight is very appealing.
Good comparison. When I was looking at bikes these are the exact two I was looking at. I ended up getting the drz400s because I found a used 2019 with 1k miles on it for 3k less than I could get a Rally. I also liked the idea of not having to get better suspension for my weight on the drz. No regrets, I now have 3 bikes and prefer my drz still.
Right on! The DRZ is an awesome bike.
New to your channel really like this video. Are you still riding these bikes? Have you found a replacement bike to fit the niche of the Drz?
I'm on a 2024 KTM 500 EXC-F currently. I go through a lot of bikes though. They'll all good at different things.
Just installed my 550 ecu yesterday. Smoother throttle and little bit more pop out of the corners and up top it feels like. I ride the standard 300. What really stands out on the Honda is the gearing ratios, they nailed it.
I'm happy with my 550 ecu as well. Agreed on the gear ratios, it feels good!
Years ago after everyone hyping the DRZ, I went to buy one. Glad I test drove it first...I hated almost everything about it except the motor. The ergo's, handling, suspension, 5 gears plus I hate carb's. I think the SuMo version with a pumper carb might be fun, but for dirt roads/offroad Id rather ring out a 250/300 klx or crfl that feels more refined and not worrying about temp/altitude changes with EFI.
Thank you for sharing your perspective. I'm surprised how good the DRZ feels to me. If I could merge the DRZ suspension and engine to the CRF300L that would be a unicorn!
@@chasingtrail always pissed me off they had efi on that motor, on the LTZ QuadSport LOL. Or just put that motor in the RMX frame...
I had a carb problem once on my DRZ and had a flat spot, never recovered even when stripped down, never go carb again
great video, thank you. im new to your channel and these are the 2 bikes im trying to choose between for my first bike. its a much harder choice than i thought. now that its been a couple of years, have your thoughts changed or are you more confident in your choice? did you keep both or end up selling one?
I prefer the DRZ. Despite being an older design, the stock suspension is pretty good and the motor has just the right amount of grunt. The suspension on the CRF300L sucks and it's woefully underpowered, even with an intake, full exhaust, and ECU flash. I personally could just never be happy with that amount of power. I have sold both, I go through a lot of bikes. I'm currently on a KTM 500.
Thanks for the reply, I've been trying to decide for months. I'm coming from a 4wd where every car I've owned I've replaced suspension so that isn't a deal breaker for me if I need to upgrade the suspension.
Which bike rides better at 60mph? Is it worth buying the crf for the 6th gear or is that not enough to buy one? Whatever bike I choose will be my commuter
The lack of power in the Honda has been in the back of my mind. Its good now while I'm learning but I've been worried I'll out grow it fairly fast
@@JoshSinnott97A YSS shock and Race Tech fork springs help the CRF out a lot and won't break the bank. I have another video where my dad and I ride both bikes back-to-back and swap. We both agreed the DRZ rode better. The 6th gear is a maintain-current-speed-on-flat-ground-with-no-head-wind thing. You will have next to no passing power in 6th gear.
I'm not trying to shit on the CRF300L, it's a great bike for what it is, a budget entry-level dual sport. The dash is awesome and it's got EFI. What do you value more, suspension and power, or modern design and fuel injection? Or just let whatever you can find the best deal on decide for you. That's typically what I do when I get stuck between 2 bikes. If you don't like the first one, just sell it and buy the other.
Hope this helps.
That's great advice, thank you. I have to wait 6 months before I can get my license so I can't test ride anything yet which is making my decision even harder. Seat height etc will go into my decision making too but it's good to hear a no bs brutally honest opinion, especially when you started out on the Honda
I plan on keeping whatever I buy for a long time, here in Australia new riders are restricted to 660cc or less for 2 years. After that 2 years I might buy another bike, a T7 maybe for long distance travel or commuting but ideally I'd like 1 bike that can do it all with a few compromises inevitably thrown in
@@JoshSinnott97 Good luck in your decision! I think you'll enjoy whatever you decide on. Check out @chroniclesofsolid, he's an Australian who's owned and reviewed both bikes as well.
Really good video! Very cool that you can ride with your Dad.
Thank you! I'm thankful to have the opportunity to go on rides with him. And he's retired, so he's always available to go!
Thanks for your thoughts on these two bikes Mike. I agree with you and your dad in as much that there is no “best” bike but rather how you’re going to use them and which one suits the type of rider you are. I’ve never ridden a trail bike in my life and at my age I think the kind of riding I’m likely to do most is easy, graded dirt tracks as opposed to gnarly, technical stuff. I’m guessing the Rally would be best for someone like me?
Hi Bruce, I think the 300L would be a good option, though unless you intend to do longer stretches on pavement I would even look at the standard 300L instead of the Rally. IMS is taking pre-orders on a 3 gallon tank for it which I felt was the biggest shortcoming. I would like to suggest the KLX300 as well since it has better stock suspension but unfortunately I don't think it's available in Australia due to the lack of ABS.
@@chasingtrail thanks. I think there is a KLX300 with ABS here. I’ll check it out.
One thing you didn't mention was the drz's far superior suspension, making it much better for serious offroad riding
The honda is a more practical bike though.
Have you considered the 550 performance ecu upgrade? It would probably smooth out the fueling
I do talk about the DRZ's better suspension in the first video. This was a part 2 follow-up after I swapped bikes. I have upgraded the suspension on my 300L so the upgraded 300L suspension and the stock DRZ suspension feel comparable, but the DRZ suspension is adjustable and my 300L is not. The DRZ can be fine tuned.
My ECU has been flashed by 550Performance for the Stage 1 91 octane tune. It's really not that bad and I had gotten used to it. It was more noticeable after jumping off the DRZ and immediately on to the CRF300L that it stood out.
I know this is an old video but I have to ask what your thoughts are since these two comparison videos were made. When you went out to the garage, which one did you pick more often? I know you guys thought the new Honda was more reliable and it probably is but fuel pumps do fail and there's no way to limp home when they do. I would say the reliability factor is even or even more toward the DRZ but that's just me.
The DRZ. I bought into the hype train with the CRF300L and wanted to like it more than I did. Made the same mistake again with the Tenere 700. The DRZ is still in a class of its own and is probably the best 50/50 dual sport available today.
@@chasingtrailThank you for the quick reply. I had a feeling your answer would be something like that. You said it in your videos though, it's so subjective. A smaller person might like CRF better due to the lower seat height. I lowered my DRZ 1" in the back. Time will tell if I leave it that way. With just a 30" inseam I needed to do something while I adjusted to the bike. Thanks again.
Of course a 15 year DRZ will be a lot cheaper. But newish ones cost more than I paid for my brand new 0 miles 250 Rally (US$4250 on the road). Of course with the 300 Rally you don't right nw get a choice between new and used -- hell, you can barely get them new. But there are a lot of CRF205Ls around used. Or, an XR400 might be a better match for the DRZ. More power is more fun, but it's also more tiring. I used to have an XR600. Mighty beast! But if I'm going to do even 50 miles on a ride I'd rather be on the Rally, and it's good for 200+ in a sitting :-)
All fair points. I'm just comparing them because they were both bikes I was interested in and I have the opportunity to do so. It's not the best comparison, I'll leave that to the professionals. That's a smoking deal you got. I paid nearly twice that for the Rally. Thank you for your comment and insights.
@@chasingtrail yeah, it was a 2019 bike in March 2020. I bought it from a dealer in Wellington NZ by email the day before the start of "Level 4 lockdown", and two days before I flew from San Francisco (where I'd been living) back to NZ. I wanted to have wheels when I got out of quarantine, and a new bike is a lot less risky than a used car with the same price. I did get a used car (2008 Outback 2.5 turbo with "Eyesight") with 54k miles for US$5900 seven weeks later -- but had it very carefully checked out. I'd already been thinking about getting back into dirt bikes in CA and even test-ridden a DR650 and XR650 in Fremont (and was looking for a KLR ad DRZ to try), thinking I needed the cubes for freeway riding to the dirt in CA. Glad I got the smaller bike, and 250 is fine with the 100 km/h speed limit in NZ.
I can't decide between these two, leaning towards the drz though.
If you want something easy and modern get the Honda. If you care about power, at all, get the DRZ.
I've previously had the DRZ.. Now i have the Rally, and i have the same thoughts as you... DRZ is super fun, but for longer riding, i prefer the Rally :)
Sums it up well!
I had a DRZ years back and really didn’t like the way it rode compared to a crf250
DRZ all the way!
You compared a built drz to a stock rally, put a pipe, filter and 550 ecu on the rally, you have a different opinion
My Rally had a DNA air filter, MotoX V2 Stainless full exhaust system, and 550 Performance Stage 1 91 Octane tune. It helped, but not much.
not sure why you'd think the honda would be more reliable. the drz is proven the crf300l has more to fail that can't be fixed on the side of the road and it's built with cheap components.
i've ridden my drz400 on a 7000km trip through outback australia and crossed the simpson desert solo unsupported in november. basically i would bet my life on the drz making it anywhere and back again.
Just my personal experience with the DRZs I've owned. I've had 2. I'll probably own another someday. Great bikes.
I got a Suzuki 2018 V Strom 1000 and it has EFI , when I close the throttle , it immediately defuels the bike and starts engine breaking , Theres no dwell/delay time to decelerate . I can hit the kill switch and switch the bike off and its the same thing. I hate Hate Hate it . Closing the throttle in lower gears is like shutting the bike off . Your saying the 300l you rode does the same thing?
Similar. Seems to be a characteristic of the fueling on both the CRF450L and the CRF300L. It was more pronounced on the 450L, but still there on 300L.
@@chasingtrail so EFI on the motor cycle acts more like a off and on switch. Like a light switch. I think it just plain sucks , the bike rpms don't decelerate, it just shuts completely off . So it seems to be the same thing with the rally 300l . So does that describe what your rally does Did you reflash, the ECU ,did that change any throttle behavior?
@@Trike. Yeah, it's not that bad on the 300L, but if you ride back-to-back with a carbed bike you'll notice it. It was much worse on the CRF450L. It's not a deal breaker on the 300L. It's an issue with almost every EFI bike though. Carbs have better throttle response, imo.
@@chasingtrail Did you reflash your ECU did that change any throttle characteristics, for my bike it's like 400.00 but I don't want to spend the money to find out it didn't work . I hate how it defuels the bike .
@@Trike. I did have the ECU flashed by 550Performance and it did help, yes.
Hoping from one to the other, did you prefer windscreen or no windscreen?
Hi Rob, I prefer no windscreen. Riding the Rally has confirmed my previous feeling about this. I prefer naked bikes for the clean air. Windscreens always seem to cause buffeting which results in noisy and turbulent air. If I were going on longer rides, several hours, at higher speeds, I think the merits of the windscreen and fairing would start to shine through there. For the shorter type of rides I like to do I would actually prefer not to have it.
@@chasingtrail all of this confirms that I should have got the standard non-Rally model. I love the CRF300L platform; I just got the wrong one haha
@@2wheels.are.better.than4 Maybe you can find someone who wants to trade? These bikes are in high enough demand, at least in my area, that you could probably sell it for minimal loss and look for a standard version.
What would the crf feel like as a trail bike if you shortened the gearing significantly, like maybe a 13t front and 52t rear? As anyone tried that? I think I'd try that if I had one; stick to the back roads and use it as a trail bike. Of course not the rally version though.
I'm sure someone has tried it. I actually purchased the Rally with the intended use of some longer rides on the road to get to dirt riding areas. Turns out I'm probably not going to do that as often as I had anticipated. There's a good thread on the ADVRider forums for the 300L, someone may have tried that gearing there.
You should keep both I have a tt250 and the rally I would have a drz if I could have another bike good info 👍🤟
They are both fun for sure. Now that I have both I'll see which I end up gravitating towards. I have a feeling I'm going to want to taste the orange kool-aid at some point.
@@chasingtrail I loved my orange koolaide just too heavy 👍🤟
@@MfrOffroadRiderNorCal Looking through your old videos it looks like you had the 1090R. I'm thinking of going the other direction, KTM 500 EXCF, with my primary interest being the light weight. They are about 255 lbs curb weight. My interests, skills, and desires are changing as I ride more. I'm curious to see where they lead me as I get more time on these bikes.
Did you find the CRF lighter than the DRZ or the weight lower?
I did not, though it's worth noting I was on the 300L Rally which is heavier than the DRZ. The standard 300L is lighter than the DRZ. Going off memory I want to say the 300L Rally is ~332 lbs, the DRZ 317 lbs, and the 300L ~310 lbs.
I've often heard the DRZ described as top heavy but I don't notice that myself. The DRZ and CRF300L Rally feel pretty comparable to me in terms of weight and feel. The DRZ feels more stable on the road, something my dad I both noticed when riding them back to back. I believe this is due to the fairing on the Rally which seems to catch the wind and makes the front end wander a bit.
If I were to do it again I would've purchased the standard 300L and not the Rally.
Maybe I missed it MIke, but what is your height?
6' 1"
400 L? You mean 300L?