Nicely presented, clear facts and useful opinion as always. Keep it coming.

Really good review! I have the 2021 KLX-300 DS in Camo Gray and just love it! (especially after a few mods to uncork the engine). I really like the Honda too but liked the styling of the Kawasaki better. I don't think you can go to wrong with either bike. The Honda is more tech the Kawasaki is more old school (in a good way). By the way, the gear indicator and fuel gauge are nice to have but surprisingly not an issue for me. The KLX also has a low fuel warning light that lets you know when you have .6 gallon left in the tank. Anyway, get the one that inspires YOU!

The bottom line is that if you want the best dual sport as-is, out the door, the KLX is a better deal. Both bikes will be a reliable blast and the Honda is probably better for your around the world trip. I bought a KLX and love it, I am new to dual sporting but so far it’s proven to be very capable and is very forgiving to my mistakes so far.

Imagine how many klx 300's would sell if kawasaki just had a standard 3.5 gallon tank and a rear rack option for $95, that simple for people to make it their small adventure bike platform!

By far the best motorcycle videos on KZfaq!!’ Fantastic writing ✍️

Excellent content. Rare to find an unbiased comparison like this one. Thumbs up.

Excellent well thought out comparison. Point of contention on power upgrades: The kawasaki has the option to have a very reliable Bill Blue 351cc kit installed whereas the Honda 250 and 300's (cbr which is what is used in the crf) has suffered very patchy reliability when owners have fitted big bore kits.

Excellent content you two! Cheers for the info . From Australia

I'm really enjoying your videos. Excellent narration accompanying some great video footage, and you seem to address all the pertinent details fully. I sold my '15 CRF250L last year and replaced it with a NC750X with the DCT...I'm really missing the CRF. Now I have to decide if I'll be grabbing an 'L' or a Rally in the next year. I'm in S.W. Ontario...where is your riding footage taken?

I like both bikes. Thanks for reviewing them. One consideration that I have will be valve check frequency. That goes along way towards making ownership easier and extending the life of the engine. (Noob theory)

My last DS was a DRZ400s, got one of these Kawi's now and love it! Gonna own it until I die!

I went with the 300l rally. I really love the bike. I'm a beginner and have been able navigate some serious offroad terrain on it. Its very comfortable and very capable.

How did you get a dislike ? Isn't that illegal in Canada? Cool video man.

Loving the Canadian motorcycle content! This bike is great because I'm a student in my early 20s and would enjoy an ADV bike to explore Canada, but the others are way too expensive. This is actually affordable.

Very well done video not in the market now but maybe later. 😬

Great video. I have an older KLX250S & love it however I sure wish I had more wind protection like on the Rally.

Living in Australia and so wanted the KLX camo to match my KLR........... FU Kawasaki, ordered my CRF Rally, a 6-8 week wait for my new bike. Thanks for this review, it showed that i made the right choice

Fun video great sense of humor! But you do speak the truth. I have the Cali 300 klx 2023 and I freaking love it! Super comfortable organics great attention to detail and yes acceptable suspension Im 5-10 190 lbs Happy riding!! Allan So Cal USA

I have to say that the amount of aftermarket parts available for my 2015 CRF 250 L is incredible, it's like a custom bike. Heck I even bought all black custom plastics and customized the decals. It's one of a kind. The suspension is definitely squishy though

Excellent video, good writing 👍.

A comprehensive comparison based on real experience - the first I’ve seen ! Fortunately I don’t have to lose sleep over the choice since neither of the two may get launched in India.. It’s ironic that Honda and Kawasaki dealerships are within 20 minutes from where I live !

I'm going for the KLX300. I love the adjustable suspension. Just my Take on the two bikes. Honestly I will take the one that becomes available! Both are great 300cc bikes! Great video! Peace!! 👏👏👏👏🙌👌👍✌🖖🖖🖖🤙🤙👋🙂🙂🙂

Excellent writing! Excellent delivery! I like that there is no obvious agenda....just the facts mam.... 🇨🇦

Well if I were to buy either one brand new, I would be too broke to do any upgrades or modifications, So based on your own recommendations I would go for the Kawasaki

You are the only person i’ve seen who has said the honda was more power and eager to rev. Multiple people have ran the bikes side by side and the kawi was noticeably faster and put more power down to the ground.

Thanks for the helpful vidio. I got a honda rally, in 2019 and when the kawi 300 came out i was wondering what if? But im sure now i made the right decision based pn my needs for a small enduro. Lorenzo Tx

I hope to pick up a klx300 next season. Keep my Vstrom 650 as a street/commuter. Klx for the abundance of class4s here in the Vermont mountains

Good review. I like the comparison. I have a deposit on the 300L with abs. I really wanted thebl gray camo klx 300 however I think the Honda which is priced cheaper here is a better deal.

Love to hear your take on the DRZ-400 some day.

enjoy the down to earth discussion on the products.

Nice comparison. Rally for me. Thanks. 👍

I love them both

Much of the world (Europe, India, Japan etc) now requires ABS for all bikes sold over 125cc. Looks like the US and Canada, and no doubt others are where manufacturers will sell bikes that they don’t want to upgrade to ABS. It’s quite heavy so will account for a big part of the weight difference.

There's bulletproof, then Chuck Norris, then Honda 💪 Don't think Kawasaki was ever in the Guinness book of records? Your right, no klx in UK, I think I'd go honda anyway. Love your videos 👍

I put a 13t sprocket on my klx and what a difference it made. If I can then get a bigger fuel tank I'll be set.

The Kawasaki looks to have the good suspension sold on motocross bikes from a few years back. The better the suspension the better the bike in my book. Plus I have owned so many red bikes. I recommend learning to loft the front end and ride wheelies through mud puddles. You and the bike will stay cleaner. Standing up will make the ride easier, those motocross riders are not sitting down. This new adventure bike thing being marketed is funny. I recommend a lighter bike for any off-road adventures. I wonder if anyone sells a center stand for the Kawasaki? Nice video.

Suspension is different yes, but there are other things you forgotten to mention are different on the Rally than compared to the "standard" L model or vice versa. I understand you put a disclaimer in the vid about never riding a 300L before, and how the suspension differences between the two bikes(Rally/KLX300) should not be compared basically. Oook, Well then that doesn't make much sense to "compare" these two at all. As (like you stated) the Rally is different than the L in suspension(as well as other differences forgotten to be mentioned). So having clarified that, this comparison is just a Engine vs Engine comparison really, bc you dont have an L nor ever ridden one to exactly compare it too. Right? Right. Oook then....so putting 300"L" in the title instead of "RALLY" makes no sense. This should be a "CRF300Rally vs" video/title imho. You said two most important things are power & handling which most would agree, but isnt handling "suspension"? Lol. "Any suspension comparisons in this video dont apply"...lol uhhm ok welp then at this very point in the vid imho the entire comparison is irrelevant to even watch and i stopped. I mean how can you "compare" 2 bikes that are supposed to be very similar, but then in the "comparison" *your actually not even riding one of the bikes your claiming to compare* in the title?? I mean at that point it just becomes a power vs power or engine vs engine video, look i completely get it both bikes(Rally & KLX) are somewhat similar and you wanted to make a compare vid between them. Not trying to be rude here just kinda inaccurate title throws ya off. You were the first ive seen so far in numerous vids/owner claims that said the Honda had more torque or felt faster on the ole' butt dyno too. If i had to choose (having owned a Wr250x, Drz400sm, Honda 250l, KLX250L. so no fan boying here) i would go KLX all day long for one simple reason: POWER. It might not be quicker than the honda stock vs stock, but the one thing the Kawi has going for it is the "Bill Blue 351cc " kit. I had installed this into my klx250 and it was awesome to have, nice Noticeable jump in power for sure, what the bike should have been imho. I dont care what anyone says even the NEWEST of riders will eventually want more POWER, that is a given i would bet a years salary on that lol, its just inevitable after you become familiar and comfortable with your bike. Suuuure some will buy these bikes and not ever even consider doing the upgrade, but i can guarantee within half a year(shit even sooner prob, these things are sloooow stock) every single owner will be saying this when asked if they like the bike: "yeaaa its really nice, fun, good on gas, i can go on road/off road wherever i want and most of all it wasn't to expensive, BUT *i just wish it had a litttttle more power* for me". If i had a nickel for everytime someone buying a new bike(or mainly their first bike) told me "nah i wont want extra power" and then eventually did anything they could to make it faster i would be a rich man rn. With the Honda youll be shit out of luck trying to get more power, as even if they do make a BB kit its already documented that the Honda motor doesnt take on the extra CC's/Power so well and breaks very easily. Those complaining about no gas gauge and a gear display is what a newb does or someone who doesnt ride very much or has a VERY serious phobia to running out of gas LOL... because why do you need a fuel gauge? Most if not 99% of riders will ride until gas light comes on or atleast very close, so what is exactly someone's reasoning in needing a fuel guage? Its almost as if they want to fill the bike up when the bike has half or quarter tank, so they WANT the gauge to be able to see when its at that level. BUT WHO DOES THAT? No one. With the Kawi it has a simple "low fuel light" that comes on and you should be good for roughly 35 miles after this, if you cant find a gas station or make it back to a fill point then you must be riding in some crazy places(shit idk if your so damn paranoid strap a 32oz bottle gas underneath or in your bag). The shift selector is another "i want i need" new rider must have it seems, in all my riding years(20) i have never forgotten what gear im in lol. I feel like by default i know what gear im in bc its like second nature to just count, never used or even looked for "what gear am i in" when i rode bikes with a shift gauge. These two things you will forget about as soon as you start riding and it would be crazy to choose the honda over the kawi just based on its display alone, its like people dont understand there are tons of aftermarket gauges out there. So if you really wanted one on the Kawi its possible.

Remember you can always upgrade the Kawasaki as well. So it sounds like out if the big for dirt use the Kawasaki is superior out of the box. The o ly reason why Kawy is not selling in Australia is because Australia now required ABS standard on ALL street legal bikes.

Good review, but I still don't know which one I'll buy. Fortunately, I plan on going to a dealer that has both, so I'll let my butt decide. Do you know how much the suspension upgrade would be on the honda?

As a newbie rider i would go for the CRF because of the better clutch and the display of the fuel and gear.

I am looking at the CRF 300 L but setting it up for more off road I do not want to race it so hoping the stock suspension will be OK but will be going up a couple of teeth on the rear sprocket and going with Dunlop 606 rear and Pirelli MT-21 front and putting a good bash plate and hand guards on. I have a KTM 390 Adventure for a touring bike with 33/64 liter hard bags and a DR650 for rough dirt roads and long runs as it has a 20 liter gas tank. The Honda CRF only road use will be getting to the trails. I have watched a lot of videos on the CRF 300 L and the Rally and talked to a few who have rode them bough and they put the 300 L a head of the Rally, in suspension and weight , and handling. the videos just talk about the weight and suspension, being better. as far as gas goes I will be putting a rear tack on to carry some spare for now. but do not plan on doing any long distance on the CRF as the KTM and DR are bough much better for touring and long day rides when using highway and dirt and gravel roads. If I were to put more off road tires on the DR 650 it would more that do the trails but like to keep it for 50/50 use, and the CRF in also 57 lbs. lighter for off road that is good.

"Good lookin' moose". "Thank you, I had it stuffed this morning." (Naked Gun...ish)

If you have to spend a ton of money to get a cheap bike to where you want it to be, it's no longer is a cheap bike. I bought a new KLX 250 in 06 when they first came out and I would buy the KLX 300 again over the Honda.

Excellent review! Still going to be a tough choice. Is the Honda power really that much more noticable? I'm a big guy.

Moose are pretty majestic to see in person. As for which bike I would prefer, it would be a matter of cost to me, and not so much which is better in any category. So the CRF300L is a couple hundred dollars lower than the KLX300 in my area. Even then, I would still probably get a Versys-X 300 instead of these two. It is all about opinions, and mine is just as good as others.

I love my lil KLX 300 but if Honda had the 300 Rally out at the time I would have gotten it for the screen and larger tank.

CRF rally for me. Not sure how or why people buy street legal bikes with 2 gallon tanks. Makes sense for a dirt bike, but no sense for a street legal bike.

Can the fuel tank and displays be modded/switched out. I like a way more narrow fuel tank even if it means more stops to get gas. And my short range vision isn't great so I'd like a bigger and backlit display.

The shortcoming of the Green Machine is fuel capacity. 2 gallons what is that? What it needs is a 4 gallon tank.

Thanks

Fuel gauge and gear indicator makes lots of difference. But I guess it has a fuel light.

Being an Aussie the choice is made easy by Kwaka.

I have the Rally and it's a great bike, but if the Kawasaki had a fuel gauge (and a larger tank) on it I may have bought that one. Fuel anxiety sucks. IMO, the windscreen on my Rally is virtually useless, it's essentially a street bike with knobby tires on it. The big gas tank is the godsend...but off road it's a bit too "wide" because of that tank. I'm 70% off road, 30% pavement and the Rally is fine in that regard...however if I were to spend a vast majority of my time off road with the bike then the "L" model is the one to get...simply for the maneuverability. It's a Honda...it'll last forever but I REALLY dig the camo look of the Kawasaki. If I could go back and do it all over again, it would be a tossup between the "L" model and the 'saki after I had test ridden both...but in the end I'd take the Rally for the range alone. I'm getting over 200 miles to a tank easy which works great considering I'll be camped in the boondocks for a week at a time. The Rally is actually a pretty big bike...bigger than you might think.

Can't wait to see how your ralley turns out. Would you recommend a new dual sport rider get the Honda rally or the t7? I want to use it as a commuter so I thought getting the t7 but im scared of how I might handle a 450lb bike offroad. Also I'm 6'2 and 210lbs

if i could find one, i would love to get the klx. however, both are unicorns now....

The SOTP meter is what i use too.🤣

How do they compair side by side at road speeds? Running down the highway does one pull away better than the other

Would love the Rally, but Honda South Africa is not bringing it in to the country for the foreseeable future.

Are Canadian market bikes made in Japan? I think the US gets Thailand made bikes.

KLX is not leagal in Europe or Australia, because it does not have ABS.

In this category? I'd go for the DRZ400. Wait a minute the Kawasaki has sixth gear? I like the looks of the Kawi but it'll have to wait until my old exe 350 gets to be too much for me.

CRF Rally version has more padding in the seat than the non-rally. Good choice. but Honda lacks in suspension. Lacks, as in, there's no spring in one of the fork tubes....An upgrade of the full suspension will set you back $1500 USD.

Which one would i buy? Er, the 411cc Enfield Himalayan..... Heavier, same bhp, much more torque, no rads and fans, ie air cooled. Oh, and it looks like a proper motorcycle , not a transformer, very little plastic, trad analogue dash, no digi bar graph tach and flashing Casio watch speedo, yada nada da bing. If only Yamaha would introduce an XT400.....

Your comments are all over the place...

I live in the Kimberley region in Western Australia's north. I have a kawasaki dealer about two kilometres away. The nearest Honda dealership 650 kilometres away and suzuki and yamaha 2000 km. The road going version of the KLX sn't vailable here as it doesn't come with abs and that's the only reason. Come on kawasaki please put abs on this bike so I just have to travel in my town and not hundreds of kilometres. I'm guessing Yamaha's discontinued WR250R will morph into a 300. Wouldn't that be nice?

👍

I have to wait to get the CRF 300 L so was looking and comparing it to the Rally which there are lots available, but there is more than larger gas tank and wind protection. the suspension is different and the geometry is also different. Do your home work, a side by side shows that the L is much better off road, but the rally better for comfort on the highway. after much comparing I will wait for the L model. as will be using it for 90% off road. The KLX should be done with the CRF L not the Rally as there is just to much difference. The rear end jumping is because of the rally's lighter suspension, the L will be much better, If you are doing for people to decide which one the want you have to do a direct comparison, not to one that is meant for a different purpose. As you will not be given the true fax.

how many people were focused with cans and batteries lol 🤣 that's right ✌

I come from a Guzzi Stelvio, bought a Tenere 700 and recently bought a lighter adventure bike (125cc Suzuki DF-E). I also own an old Moto Guzzi California, a HD wanabee bike at the time. Oh and I aslo play guitar. We really should meet :D :D :D :D

If Kawasaki just offered a bigger tank option, so simple, what's wrong with people?;)

Review some China bikes, csc tt250 and hawk250

I’ll take a coke please”. “..Oh, sorry we only have Pepsi products”. I’ll take the Honda

The Honda’s red turns pink after a while and it has a weak suspension

Where is the KLR650 twin? Why aren't they giving us what we want? They seem to make tiny adventure bikes, and HUGE adventure bikes that cost $17,000. Where is the cheap, low quality, high horsepower, 2 cylinder version? Single cylinder streetbikes are not acceptable.

easy choose for europeans. kawasaki is not available XD