CRF300 Rally turns back the clock, plus RS660 grabs glances
HONDA CRF300 RALLY Relphy turns back the clock 39 years to his first big bike
I can’t believe where the time has gone to since I cocked my leg over my Honda XL250s on my 17th birthday but boy did it feel fast after a 50cc moped.
From the moment I got on the new Honda CRF300 Rally I was transported back to the riding days of my youth, albeit now with a digital dash, fuel injection, water cooling, disc brakes and monoshock suspension. The riding sensation is similar to my old XL250, but very quickly I could feel this is a much more refined package, yet at the same time Honda have kept things simple and honest.
The first thing to catch my eye as I rode along getting the feel for everything, was a white button to the right of the LCD dash – one button for ‘ABS off road’, nice and simple, no scrolling through endless menus, this is very refreshing, even if it only does the rear brake. I was not long into the ride along a somewhat undulating country lane, when I discovered the rear shock felt like it would have been more at home on a motocross bike. This was going to be something I need to do something about as soon as possible.
In fact, the moment I got home, it was bike gear off and tools out. I have to say when I looked into the frame to see where the suspension adjuster is, I discovered it’s not an easy task to adjust the unit without removing it from the bike. It is possible though – with the bike lifted off the ground and the rear wheel hanging down, I could tap the shock’s top ring round anticlockwise using a long punch/drift. This allowed me to tap the bottom ring round 2 ½ turns to preload the spring before spinning down the top ring to lock it in place.
This did make a difference, but not as much as I would have liked, so I think I am going to look into a replacement item to soak up the bumps a bit more convincingly. I have also lined up a pair of Dunlop D606 tyres to go on. The OE tyres have a habit of giving the back end a little wiggle when passing over white lines while changing lanes on the road and I am hoping the slightly more aggressive Dunlops will cure that issue.
I have a few trips planned for the CRF, so in anticipation I have fitted a Garmin Zumo XT. I like to do things properly, so I ordered an auxiliary 12v power connector, as the CRF300 Rally comes with a connector built into the loom inside the front lefthand panel. I then soldered the power Garmin power lead onto the terminals. This means I can simply plug in my lead to power the satnav, the biggest advantage being that this power supply is switched on and off with the ignition, so there’s no chance of leaving the satnav on and flattening the CRF’s battery. For the mount itself I used the SW-Motech 1in Ball Kit handlebar clamp which fits bars from 2228mm (£25.66). On the CRF Rally there is a frame that the screen and instrument panel are mounted to, with the perfect place for the ball mount and Garmin to go with a perfect view of the screen, spot on! Now we need to get out there and enjoy some freedom.