What I didn't like about the CRF300L Rally

It's not until you've replaced an old habit with a new one, that you get a bit more critical about the last one.
This goes for partners, jobs, addresses, and especially vehicles.
Now that my days with the Rally are close to being in the rear-view...I can righteously state my opinions about this model and what I liked/disliked about it.

Pros:
There were many...
- The mileage was excellent. To be able to do a 7 hr day in the saddle, on ONE stock tank of fuel is phenomenal.
- The ride was decent, although it required a modification to the rear shock.
- Throttle response was snappy and I was never "looking" for more power.
- The overall curb-appeal was there, many people commented on its looks.
- The lighting package was awesome.
- The fairing kept me dry during the frequent rains we have here.

Cons:
There were a few too...
- THE RATTLE!!! That notorious 5K rattle...absolutely hate that noise. It literally sounds like your engine is about to fly apart. The worst part is that 5000 RPM is a great cruising speed.
- Seat...one of the most uncomfortable I've sat in, and I used to own a DR650.
- Fairing...although it kept me dry, any sort of maintenance is a brutal exercise as several panels need to be removed to accomplish the simplest of tasks.
- Trailside maintenance...forget it. You can't even access the spark plug without dedicating a couple of hours for panel, tank and rad removal...
- Fuel Injection. I know most new riders are fond of this, I'm not. On most other bikes, I can pull the carb at trail-side and remove a piece of crud stuck in a jet. Good luck servicing a dysfunctional throttle body.
- Maintenance. Although the service intervals on this model are huge, the actual work to perform is (as mentioned before) brutal. In order to CHECK the valves you need to remove most of the fairing, the fuel tank, the rad fan and possibly even the rad (means draining/replacing coolant)...then you should have enough room to service the valves.
- Speaking of valves...shims on buckets...Ugh!
- Rear shock: As mentioned, it needed to be 'improved' to accommodate 2-up riding, but even in its stock form the rear shock is stupidly under-sprung.
- Weight: After having to pick it up from a downhill position TWICE in the past 6 months...I realized that I'm not as strong as I thought I was.
- Throttle: Notoriously twitchy at off-idle, means you'll be using the clutch a LOT in low-speed conditions. There is no hesitation AT ALL...the only fix for this, is an upgraded ECU for another $200 Cdn.
- Height: This model is quite tall, so if you expect to flat-foot, you're going to need to lower it somehow. Yet even when lowered, it still has a high center-of-gravity.
- Chain: The stock chain will remind you that it needs service. This one would start making noise as soon as it needed lubing or tensioning. This could be seen as a plus, but I don't like to hear ANY kind of odd noises coming from my bike.
- Chain adjustment: For some reason, this seems to be a critical issue and the method of measuring is un-necessarily complicated. Lifting the chain mid-span and measuring with a tape is good enough on most other models.
- Parts: I kept reading about the vast and extensive "after-market parts-availability" but this was only true in the US.
- Passenger footpegs: Set too high up and too far forward for an adult; had to manufacture special brackets to move them down and back.

I'm sure there are a few of each that I've missed, but this gives you a general idea.

December????

 

Once again, it has been WAY TOO LONG since I posted here...but here I am once again.
There hasn’t been much of note since September...a couple of rides that have helped me "reach a conclusion”...more on that, in a little while.

In October, we took a short day-trip to Davis Lake and stopped in at Brookmere on the way out. We tried visiting the remains of the KVR in that area, but stopped at the bollards that prevent you from going further.
I also did a short trip up to Ruby Creek in October and to Norrish Creek area a few weeks ago.
It was while I was at Norrish Creek that I came to a conclusion...

Travelling up Dewdney Peak, I was looking to get within walking distance of the Ben VonHardenburg memorial cabin. I plotted the route in Gaia and made my way past the open gates and logging equipment. Shortly, the road turned from NEW logging road to OLD logging road. As I travelled, the road became less and less hospitable; water crossings and deep washouts (or maybe they were crafted water bars)...
It was at the 3^rd washout where trouble began...as I was heading up the backside of the washout, I accidentally stalled the Rally, and when my left foot could not find solid ground, it all toppled over.
Luckily I was tossed clear, but landed butt-first on a large log. The Rally lay on its side, facing backwards and downhill. It took me several attempts to get her righted again...the last one required every ounce of strength I had, but I finally succeeded. Within a few minutes, I was back in the saddle but called it a day when I saw at least 4 more of these “washouts” in the road ahead. I knew my @ss was going to be sore tomorrow, and from the effort it took to get her back upright, I was certain that my back would be hurting as well.
It was on the ride back down the hill, that I came to the “conclusion”...this bike is too big for me.
This was the second time that I experienced a standing-still tip-over, and BOTH times it was a real chore to get back into the saddle....both times, I was (relatively) uninjured...what if I had broken my arm, or a rib and couldn’t exert...how would I get home?
The ABS version of the Rally weighs 335 lbs. when laying down flat...when it’s facing downhill and backwards...well, you could easily be looking at 350 – 400 lbs depending on how you have it loaded.
So with this in mind, I have decided to get rid of the CRF and go BACK to the one that brought me to the dance in the first place.
The CRF purchase was done in a rage, after I had spent most of the summer trying to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear (F650 Funduro)...and I was ‘aware’ of what ownership of a CRF entailed. But as a hand-on type of owner, I was always wary of the impending maintenance that I would face.
The CRF needed a rear-shock renovation from the start...so that was an additional $300 added to the price.
Next was a lowering link to prevent what had just happened...another $ 200+
The availability of parts is also an issue...sure, there’s lots of “after-market" stuff, but regular consumables like air-filters and sprockets aren’t available from my usual sources.

Checking the spark plug on the trail is next-to impossible.
Checking the valves is a four hour ordeal that also involves much plastic removal as well as draining and replacing the coolant.
Heaven forbid if anything goes wrong with the fuel pump or throttle body when on the trail...granted these things are engineered to last a long time, but the failure rate is never 0%.
...and there’s that annoying rattle at 5000 RPM, which also happens to be cruising speed.
When I bought it...I didn’t realize it had a catalytic converter built into the exhaust pipe...an exhaust that incidentally gets too hot by my right leg!
All the way down the mountain, I created a list of things that I didn’t like about this bike and when I got back down to roadside I realized that I didn’t “love” this bike as much as I thought I did, or ever would...and that’s never a nice conclusion to draw.
When I first started riding, back in 2004 I went from a 1974 Honda CT90 to a Yamaha TW200.
After a few years of the TW, I was convinced that I needed more power...so I sold that gem and bought an XT225...then an XT250...a DR650...A “Super Sherpa” (still hate that name) and eventually, I came back to the TW.
Fast forward another couple of years, and I convinced myself (again) that I was ready for the ADV scene and needed a larger bike again. Cue the BMW “Funduro” that turned out to be more trouble than it was worth and once that one was gone, I purchased the CRF under the impression that it would be “the last bike I’d ever need”.
Now, I find myself yearning for the comforts of home...and the familiar territory that is the TW200.
At 280 lbs, she’s easy enough to pick up, even when lying across my leg!

Tappet valve-adjustments are something that I can do in under an hour.
A carb is something that I can remove and repair at trail-side.
Parts availability from my usual sources...close to 85 MPG...as reliable as a hammer!

Only now do I realize that my beloved TW is in fact, the last bike I’ll ever want.

Mission accomplished...KVR completed!

 Well, it's been several years in the making, but we FINALLY completed to entire KVR rail trail, in September of 2024!

This involved one loooooong day in the saddle, but I can finally say that I have completed it.

Read about it HERE.

 

Center Creek ride July 26

 It's been 3 years since I last visited this area...time to go back!

Read about it HERE.

Two crappy rides in 2 days....

 It's not often that I end a ride by going: "Well...that's one I'll never do again!" but this happened TWICE to me this past weekend.

Read about it HERE.

Pasayten blah, blah....

 This one goes into the "don't bother repeating" pile.
Still nice to get out, just should have chosen a better destination with better weather....I swear this rain is following us around the Province.
Read about it HERE.

Columbia and Western rail trail

 Had the opportunity to ride the C&W rail trail from Castlegar to (almost) Christina Lake. 

What a great ride...read about it HERE.