Thanks Mez really appreciate you taking the time to comment

Should be interesting where I end up not quite sure which end yet.

Been considering the borders for access into Keilder or near Holsworthy / Tintagel neck of the woods down Devon / Cornwall.

Lot's to think about an not alot of time to decide lol soon as the service is done on the Honda this weekend I can get some trips done an check the areas out again, all being well should be moved in the next two months or so.

Pretty set on the RR setup John was good enough to give me some advice on the bike when I was trying to sort out what to get when everything started going wrong with the Himalayan so good to support our local companies.

I really like the idea of the level 1 as well as that'l be a game changer for dad having a go as well as it looks like we might end up skipping the T7 as the weight or shall I say lack of it with the CRF 300 Rally compared to the last few adventure bikes is really ticking the boxes.

Here's the video from last week's ride to Llanberis Pass in Wales there wasn't much of a plan apart from getting the 300 miles done in one day. Mix of country roads, Llanberis Pass in both directions one to music unfortunately thanks to my gopro audio not working then the other talking and riding while chatting about the Honda 300 Rally.

Recorded riding through Bala, Ruffin, Betws-y-Coed etc and I rode back on the motorway an did a few overtakes so everyone can judge what that's like on uk motorways with our smart motorway system.

Hope you all enjoy the ramblings she will be having her first service on Saturday then it's back to hunting a few green lanes out been studying technique all week so looking forward to putting it into practice.

Before that though will be some road trips up on the borders and Dumfries an Galloway house hunting.

Overall really impressed with the bike, greenlaning on Houndkirk Moor, A 300 mile road ride to Llanberis a roads b roads motorway shes doing it all in her stride. Very content nearly got enough for a rear shock once I've flogged my Nav 6 then I can get the Rally Raid level 1 shock on and get some camping gear for some camping trips.

Exciting times

Hi everyone sorry for the lack of updates been a few crazy weeks all over the country as a passenger in dads car as we viewed a few houses good news is we now know that we are moving to either Dumfries an Galloway got a few areas picked out or Perthshire near Pitlochry / Blairgowrie going up there next week for a look at a few houses an more areas

Excited for that itl mean green laning will be weekend trips and on trips abroad which the Rally will be perfect for so happy overall that I've got the extra wind protection with the Rally for road touring in Scotland.

very very exciting day today the Honda CRF 300 Rally @rallyraidproducts Level 1 rear shock and -20mm side stand.

Super excited to give her the first test ride on the new shock the quality difference between the two shocks is clear to see and I've hit my sag measurements on it which is great nice that it's no longer a pogo stick to get on happy days

looking forward to taking some green lanes in at some point an some road riding. Very close to going back up to Scotland with dad to view some houses so itl have to wait for now exciting times though!

Big thanks to Adam and John for all the help question wise an advice on my purchase always like spending my money with the good British companies.

Rally Raid Level 1 Rear suspension Just wow!

Bit of an overall update for anyone that's been following my Stuff on the CRF 300 Rally.

Just got back from doing 3/4 of Macclesfield old Road from Macc then that in reverse then Sir William Hill Road in full was so much fun on that! Absolutely transformed the bike an I can confirm if you need to paddle its still easy to do Was really nice stood up as well and very confidence inspiring best I've rode on a green lane. Thanks to everyone that let on the two peeps on Ktms an the two 4x4s who were great with advice on Macc old Road.

On a few bits where I had to sit down that's where you notice the difference the most as it's not booting you all over the place.

A huge difference though as well is on the road transformed it no more squatting now handles as it should brakes well, goes well and handles well noticed the difference right away when I set off.

I've not been brilliant over the past few days with a food allergy issue so was nice to get out even if just for an hour or so.
Should have a new video coming providing the gopro played ball

Kudos the team at Rally Raid stunning work!

It really is how the bike should have been from Honda. Very happy with the money I spent on it.

In other news it looks like I'm gonna be moving to either highland Perthshire up in Scotland around Blairgowrie ish or a bit more North or near Dumfries and Galloway (thornhill ish) so something may end up joining the Rally now my shoulder is better just trying to decide between the two areas.

The Rally will be staying for trips to trickier bits an for Iceland but the nearest green lanes will be a good 5-6 hours away depending on which bit we end up in so thatl probably lean towards bringing a t7 in as planned or a Vstrom 650xt again or a GS mainly just for road use up there. Then keep the Rally for the odd weekend away to England.

The only thing that slightly worries me with the T7 is the exhaust bracket anyone experienced one breaking?

All being well we will have alot more space so the Rally can stay to an we can pick dad one of each up as he's bikeless at the moment. Gonna be an interesting few months and very full on with the move.

We did about 4,000 miles up Scotland in dads car exploring so it's good to know where we are looking now for the next steps in life.

Just the current thoughts really Rally is really ticking the boxes for a lightweight all roads bike happy days.

It's a shame though Yamaha havnt got a Tenere 300 or 500 twin that'd be interesting to see.

Was interesting green laning though still not sure what I quite make of it, the 2nd lane I really enjoyed the first I wasn't to mad on. Probably helped as well that I'd stuck some road miles on by the time I got to the 2nd lane as the bike was drastically different light and day in a better way.

Thought this might be of interest to anyone thinking about the Rally Raid Level 1 rear shock with HPA and shorter side stand.

Been really impressed with it in the video I covered trail riding down two green lanes in the peaks trail riding is really new to me and I'm massively enjoying the learning process although I've done lots of road based adv, and track riding and ride year round + the absolute huge difference it made to road riding

Very happy with it an can only imagine how good itd be with the forks to.

It's coming along nice for our planned Iceland / Norway trip I've also had a bit of a chat about some exciting personal news with moving to Scotland in about 8 weeks an how that's gonna influence bike choice and what could possibly be coming to sit next to the Rally

Anyway hope you all enjoy the video

Hi everyone thought I'd do a lil video talking about why I'm considering letting my 300 Rally go and moving back to larger ADVs. This I'd supplemented by the text below.

Earlier in the year after selling my 1200gs te Rallye (personal reasons) for a Himalayan an some funds my way then the Himalayan being rejected with safety issues at 500 miles for a Refund I picked up a Honda CRF 300 Rally got so lucky finding it as it was a canceled order a friend of mine is still waiting for his 300 o.o with the intention of going green laning which I thought would be best to try on a lighter bike which was 100% the right move

At the same time we were planning on moving to Devon which then changed very recently to Scotland which puts me about 7 hours away from any lanes, which also coinspired with the change in my thoughts on what I enjoy lane wise and riding wise realising I much prefer the travel aspect off my riding a little bit of light green laning on easy gravel trails which with dad an I both on bikes again we could do easily together an mainly crunching the big mile days and seeing new places on mainly Tarmac, as Trail riding isn't quite my thing.

I think in life you never know what you like until you experience it, it's like looking at a map reading the names of the places but not really knowing what they are like

Anyways I hope you enjoyed my little video on my thoughts while riding around the Peak District, if I was sticking with 50/50 riding would I stick with the Rally yes of course, really nice to get to the lanes on an will overtake at legal motorway speeds on the motorway (lil clip in the footage on a bypass)

For me now though with the move to Scotland it's back to a BMW GSA again not everyone's idea of an adventure mount I know but they fit my needs wants an desires motorcycle wise an thats what it's all about ultimately having fun an riding what type of riding and motorcycles you enjoy no right or wrong for anyone.

Thanks to everyone thats put input in on bike choice in the other thread

Interesting how this thread has developed but some good points coming up, which I'll comment on in no particular order.

On my 2019 790 Adventure, which I've had from new, it also has the instrument misting issue. I've had 3 changed under warranty, the last misted before it left the shop. KTM has now stopped giving warranty on these unless it's so bad it can't be read. Sounds like the 390 has the same issue. Very disappointing, and rather puts me off buying a KTM ever again.

Klim do a "hot weather" version of the Badlands, the Carlsbad, all light colours, not such heavy material and with plenty of vents. Any GoreTex suit is going to get sweaty in 30+ degrees but against that have to balance the protection from a proper suit with body armour, and how much extra gear you want to cover all weather conditions.

The 300 strikes me as ticking an awful lot of the boxes for a travel bike, especially if you're planning to do a fair bit of offroad, or will be travelling solo with the need to be able to pick the bike up. The only real shortcomings I can see with it are its ability to carry luggage for a long trip in such a small package, but maybe the suspension upgrades you mentioned help with that. The 300 also has a documented weakness, whereby if you drop it on the left side the gearchange lever can be pushed hard upwards, bending the selector mechanism on the right side of the engine inside the case.

As regards larger bikes for travel, as someone with a 790 and a Tenere in the garage I think I can comment on this. The 790 has pretty good on- and off-road capabilities but in the end it's still rather heavy. Not a problem on the road, but off it this is a limiting factor. The Tenere even more so - with the fuel load carried above the engine this is one tall and heavy MF. It has many points in its favour (the engine is gorgeous) but being a good offroad bike isn't one of them. And as for going even heavier than these, as the BMW brigade do, my thoughts are clear: don't.

Hi TomKat that's a real shame on the 790 yep they use the same display as our 390s had we managed to reject our bikes to the dealer because of the displays and Corrosion issues on dads 390. My display was that bad I couldn't read it at all. We got refunds at 147 an 269 miles after a battle I initially thought of a norden but decided against going back to ktm.

I just thought it best to be honest from memory I said in one of the videos if I stopped enjoying the green laning I'd nock it on the head an I've reached that point + 7+ hours away in Scotland an I won't have any time to go trail riding after the move.

I totally agree with what you think off the 300 Rally I'd say its a perfect solo travel bike if I was sticking with the unsealed road riding I'd totally keep the Rally. It's been utterly perfect for what I bought it for. I'd just carry an extra shift mechanism an a gasket + a oil top up for that issue. Easy to slide a new one in, I was looking at it when someone posted it in one of the groups reminds me off the design in an rd350lc

For the riding I'm going to be doing though is 90% road riding up Scotland in a few months when the move is done, I also need to start yoyoing a 8 hour drive back n forward viewing houses so the 300 Rally isn't the right bike for that task so funds wise it makes sense to sell the Rally an hunt for a different bike the logical choices being a vstrom 650xt or a beemer again having had them both for that task in the past. With regards to the beemer I've got something in mind that's a lil older than what I've had

I've not overly enjoyed the green laning I guess that's the fun with motorcycles there's something for all of us: I just prefer crunching the miles on long days. At first I did but the more I did it I found myself turning round then going to put some road miles in. Another aspect is it minimises further causing issues with my neck injury that got caused by a health practitioner incorrectly administering an injection joys. I'd sooner stick to mainly road riding and be able to continue riding and seeing new places.

I've asked dad if he wanted the 300 but he wants to take an identical bike on the trip to me
When that comes round itl either be the 800de or a 1200gs lc or 1250gs lc as after the house move we can pick what we want which will be good

I actually got dad the Carlsbad last year awesome suit.

For now though in the mean time itl be get the 300 sold an get a bike that suits my immediate needs which is lots of miles crunching got a few ideas of what I'm fancying an got my eye on a couple of bikes dependant on when the Rally sells.

Few will admit it, but a big bore scooter ticks those boxes.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For road touring a big bore scooter is in many ways the ultimate tool! I've considered it myself but like most riders, I guess, I just can't bring myself to do it The choice of bike to ride depends not only on practicalities but also emotions. It's a very personal thing and often not very logical.

Like you, I did a fair bit of trail riding but moved away from it. There are a lot of great lanes round here in Devon where I live and an active green laning scene, but if you're riding with company you need a proper dedicated trail bike or a lot of skill, and I have neither. But I'm aware that travel to interesting places is likely to involve some riding on dirt roads, and I do want a bike that can do that without tying itself in knots. So I've stuck with the 790 for now, warts and all, as a cracking road bike with some off road ability.

I can see your change in plans prompts a different bike, it's horses for courses after all. But if you're just planning on road touring pretty much any bike will do that. You don't need to push the boat out on Starship Enterprise.

Last thing, if you're planning to spend some time exploring the UK roads for now, I can strongly recommend the Round Britain Rally, a non-competitive event run every year, that will take you through the best roads and to some fascinating landmarks in England, Scotland and Wales.

If I were to do lots and lots of on-road miles I'd be looking at an NC750X over any conventional motorbike ... it also still looks and feels like a motorbike compared to a mega-scooter. Also, manual handling is a lot easier than a VStrom.

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FreeBSD fan since before it was cool ...

I've had the same experience on my 2019 790, but even more worrying was the huge numbers of clutch failures, mine has done just 9500 miles and the clutch has started slipping. It's 50 years since I had clutch problems on a bike. I can live with bike problems—nothing is perfect—but when the manufacturer won't honour warranty claims I doubt I will ever buy from them again.

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)

That was exactly my thought to Tim coming from the Norton's where it's so easy to fix stuff the tech on the Ktm's breaking so quickly was a shock. It's a real shame they just don't concentrate on the actual core of the bike.

I've actually got a bucket list bike that I'm thinking of ticking off the list when the rally is sold actually quite excited about it tbh as it's something I've dreamed off adv wise since I was a kid.

Thats a good option Turbo,

An I agree TomKat what I'm looking at is far removed from a Starship Enterprise like my last GS an I think it'l tick the boxes The older stuff I always tend to hold onto like the Nortons which are 12+ years an my 350lc which we got when I was a kid.

I'll check that Rally out sounds like a brilliant idea thanks for the heads up on it.

Just gotta get the Rally away next then I can go on the hunt

After 18,000 miles with no clutch problems I had planned a Big Trip and decided to put the new 890 clutch pack in mine, plus the 0,5mm oversize oil jet. Just for confidence. When the dealer took the old clutch pack out it looked like new. The spate of widely publicised clutch failures seems to have been limited to early models with a strong suspicion of riders using the clutches like a 250. Occasionally one was found bone dry suggesting the oil jet was blocked (sliver of old loctite?) but inherently I don't think these clutches are bad... just maybe a bit small to have 95 bhp blasted through them on a regular basis

Sadly I feel rather the same about KTM, even though I've had no real reliability problems with my bike and it's otherwise a joy to ride.

I got the impression fairly early on that some of the clutch failures were down to riders sticking the traction control in one of the fancy rally settings, but then instead of letting the electronics sort everything out, slipping the clutch using the hand control as well.

With that in mind, although I have rally mode on my 790 'S' I have stayed well clear of it. So I was horrified to find the clutch slipping when I grabbed a handful of throttle on an overtake in Ireland. Tried it again a day later with the same result.

And having said that... although the roads were lovely and dry the bike was actually in rain mode as I keep forgetting to take it out of that mode!

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"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)