I think the market for the 300 would be a lot shorter if Suzuki had injected and modernized the drz400

I’m still riding my WR250R and will just keep riding it till all the supply issue problems go away.

Great video. I have been riding a 2017 CRF250L since 2020 and have around 10k km on it now. One month ago I upgraded to a CRF300L. I have put around 300 km on it so far so still running in. For sure there are differences from the CRF250L and my early impression is that the 300L is a better/ more capable bike. However I miss my old 250L. Mine was like a well worn pair of your favorite shoes. Frayed around the edges but comfortable and gets you around easily. I have to be honest and say that for an old duffer like me the CRF250L is/ was enough bike! If you can´t get your hands on a CRF300L get a 2017 or newer 250L and save yourself the extra $$$ over a new 300L.

I cancelled my order and bought a used 300L for AU $8K with 150 klm. I had to do a 800 klm round trip to collect it but it has been worth it. The problem with these bikes is that you feel the need to upgrade everything especially the suspension. Another AU $6K later and I now have a killer machine although I do not enjoy it on the freeway at 100-110 in a headwind and the seat is a PITA. :) Offraod and tricky trails is where this bike truly shines, it just tractors thru everything and is comfy on connecting roads between trails. Love your channel!

I must have been one of the lucky exceptions...in Dec 2022 I walked into the Honda dealership here in S Pain and asked what the del time would be for a 300 l....they just had 2 cancellations and in the store I transferred the 6 grands in 3 min....2 days later I drove off....one lucky bastard.😊

Thanks Solid! Really happy with mine and blessed to have got mine in June of ‘21. Good luck to all those still searching!

Nice info on what's up with Honda deliveries. Last Fall I saw the previews of the 2023 CB300R and loved the black/yellow color scheme. When I started to see how few 2022 models were around and no updates on the '23 deliveries, I decided to buy the '22 model in December. Really happy with my purchase and for a small outlay I replaced my blue plastics with yellow ones and now have an awesome looking "2022 1/2" CB300R! In retrospect that was certainly a good decision. Sometimes you just have to get creative...

For those of us that have money but no patience (or years left to ride), I would suggest the Beta lineup. Very light weight and dirt oriented dual sports, with motors to suit any need and skill set. Hopefully the promised Triumph dirt bikes will morph into dual sports as well.

Quite familiar with the waiting game. 5 months for my Tenere 700. However, the 250 / 300 would do 90% and I am certainly fond of that class of dual sport!!!! Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, all make machines I could live with and love forever. Thanks COS, we enjoy your channel very much.

I ordered the CRF 300 Rally and had 2 delays, and I am glad I did.

I have both a Rally and a regular in Central Florida that I will sell. Both have plenty of upgrades and under 2K miles. Have extra oil change supplies and air cleaners to go with them along with the oem tires.

I can't believe no one is talking about the fact that Honda isn't selling the XR650 in Australia. The XR's were absolutely huge in the 80'. Now, with the adventure bike category being so popular, it makes no sense. I, for one, would buy one in a heartbeat. The 350 is no replacement. An opportunity missed!

I waited months and was basically told I was too far down the list at each location I called that I most likely won't get one this year. So I upgraded to the 450RL and love it! 😁

So, after lkg for a good used bike for 3 years, and refusing to spend 13000 on a new dirt bike, I decided to buy a pumper carb for the DRZ400S. A thousand isn’t too bad for a new personality. Also think they should remove pollution control requirements as the sum total of dirt bike pollution is likely less than single diesel truck.

Factories are pushing employees leave to close the factories due to low demand and full stock. They are just trying to keep the prices up and that is it. Supply chains are working 100% for months now. Don't buy a Brand new car or motorcycle for the next months and buy it cheaper before the end of the year. I saw a few people having to wait months for a vehicle to be delivered and the build date is mid 2022. Used market is full at the moment because many people can't pay for their mortgage and need to sell something. Buy used for now and in 1 year buy new for a much better deal.

I've had a Cb500x on order for 3 months. The dealer was totally honest and said they didn't have a clue how long it would be, probably spring. The is a disconnect between Honda and its distribution network. I don't doubt Honda know exactly what their demand is and when they can achieve it, but they arn't telling their dealers.

Just got a used 300l 2 days ago. In fact, rode it over to get the refund on my deposit for a new one at my local dealer. :) Was about to cave and get a used klx300 which tend to run a little cheaper. Contemplated the WR but glad I stuck it out.

If you’re looking for the 300, but a nice used 250 shows up in used inventory, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one. IMHO, there doesn’t seem to be enough difference between the two to worry about. I was looking for a 300 Rally when a 2017 250 Rally appeared at my Triumph dealer, looking virtually brand new, and with only about 1500 miles. It was clearly well cared for, and has been an outstanding little stomper, so far.

I agree , but the problem here in my part of Canada is the used market prices are not that far off new! 🤨

Hey Solid we in the States are getting the little xr150l this year. I've got a deposit on one for my wife. If your familiar with it was wondering if you you could do. A video for us. Thanks for what you do friend. I'm excited for your future, riding with my kids and grandkids is the best!!

I decided I was buying a 300L on a Wednesday in May of last year and had one in my garage the next day. Just had to call 20 dealerships and be willing to drive. They had a 300L, 450RL, and the 300L Rally ABS on the showroom floor. Got to test ride all of them and liked the way the Rally handled on the highway better. No mark ups or market adjustments either. There are some out there if you look hard enough.

I am loving the CRF300 Rally. Was told 6-12 month wait a year or so ago. So started watching the used market and snapped up a very low km Rally from Coast Powersports in Adelaide. 👍

Great update Solid. I was in a store last week and the Yam WR450 was on sale and in stock and no ABS as being sold as a road registerable Enduro/ competition bike. Honda Dropped the CRF450L because of ABS issue from what I understand and Big Mistake IMO. It seems once again Honda have lost control of the market and the guys at the top seem to be sleeping. The old DRZ400 , KLX300 and even the XR600 or XR650 all great alternatives but second hand still pulling high prices. I sold my 1989 XR600 RK last October for 6K - Great fo me but now regretting it as new bikes just not arriving.

I have been waiting my CRF 250 rally for 11 months. I am from Malaysia.

Right in my area you can buy a klx300l all day. But no crf300l's. Some people told me to buy a rf250l and get a big bore kit to 300 it's the same thing they said.

Damn - despite my wife's complaining, I guess I was smart to get mine last fall lol. Glad to see you keeping up the lord's work, Solid - how's fatherhood treating you?

I’ve had a reservation on a 300L Rally for the last three months, but kept searching for one that was available immediately. Found a used 2021 with 2K miles (3219 KM) and bought it yesterday. I’m excited!

Back last October dealer said they had a 300L coming in sometime in late November. I put a deposit down on it but did not receive until 8 months later. Glad I was patient. Buying used was not really a good idea for me.

This depends a bit on where you are. In the US, sit and wait. There are no Hondas of any kind available aside from Groms and Navis and the occasional Supercub. At the same time, watch patched bandit and he got a deal on his 300L in Finland, and there were 4 others (including Rally) on the floor with no buyers. Honda's clearly having some issues matching inventory to destination geographies. I don't know if that's because the bikes are any different or not. If you read Honda's latest financial reports, you'll see that they shipped a record number of motorcycles in 2022 (about 5x as many motorcycles as cars) and motorcycles are a big source of profit as well (3x the operating profit as what's generated from cars). Management commentary on supply chain tends to focus on chip issues for cars. I didn't see any recent callouts for supply-chain issues that seemed motorcycle specific. Maybe I missed them. Honda sold ~14.3 million motorcycles in 2022 and forecasts selling *closer to 19 million* in 2023. That's an enormous increase. Clearly they have the factory capacity for it, or they wouldn't make the public projections.

Mine arrived today! Picking it up early next week

don't overlook the drz250 it's only 2hp less than the 300l 10kg lighter wet weight, better suspension, 6spd, dirt simple and bulletproof reliable.

The new Suzuki V-Strom 250 SX is looking like a pretty good buy at $6500 ride away in Aus ... cheap as chips and its gettin good reviews on tube ... love to see you give it a test ride

I put money down this week. It’s supposed to be here (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) mid-end April. I’m really really hoping this is true. Love the channel. Big reason I went with this bike lots of research went into it though. Can’t wait! Cheers!

I got a 300 Rally second hand with just over a thousand 1000kms on it , first serve done ✅ and never been off road . 9000

i was hellbent on going with a brand new 300l or klx300 but even when they were around, they were a bit too much money for me. ended up with a drz and honestly its the bike i should have gotten before i got my last bike, the xr400. the xr was a monster but it was also only kick start with almost impossible to find e-start kits. i hurt my knee and hip so it was time for it to go.

I finally got my 300L earlier this month. I ordered it in April 2022 so about an 11 month wait for me.

You keep saying Japan. Isn't the 300 made in Thailand?

There is a klx300 sitting at a dealer. I might just cancel my 300 rally order and buy that instead

Plenty available new in Thailand. Was £2000 cheaper than in the UK too 😊

My 300 rally coming in early June

Folk like you, Solid, who have a meaningful, influential and representative platform in the bike market, have been banging on for years about the need for this so-called, 'unicorn' of mid-weight dual-sport or adventure bikes. Honda finally produce the thing and .... surprise! surprise! .... everyone wants one, and so now there are not enough to go round. If only these manufacturers would do their market research properly and first listen to the people who might want to buy and ride the bikes they produce. Finish of rant!

I was wanting a 300L until the dealer laid the $8.2k sales agreement down. Instead I found a minty 17 250L ABS for $4.2k with 2.5k miles on it. It had a full FMF exhaust, EJK tuner, new tires, and LED lighting. I swapped out the front suspension with Racetech and the rear with an Ohlins. My buddy has a 300L, and yes its MARGINALLY faster on road, but off road its a different story due to my suspension. I saved easily $5k for an awesome bike. You pay dearly for the extra 36cc.

Got a 300L last year by patiently watching dealer stock in my area, having cash in hand, and calling as soon as one of the local dealers showed an incoming bike. Got a new bike at a decent price this way, and I wouldn’t want a different one.

Yep agree with you mate get a cheep bike and ride it 😁👍 any bike is better than no bike 🤔 so far i am loving my new old DRZ400E 😁 bit more power than my old TTR250 and weight but still loving it 😉🍺

With dealer fees they are knocking on ten grand. I bought a KTM race bike, and a used DRZ instead. No complaints.

The grey LS looks freakin mint! Big wait I presume but mm looks perfect to me

Riding in 🇹🇭 around Christmas time, there were hundreds in honda showrooms across the country. We're not a priority for Honda for this model. Selling 300 bikes a year here means nothing when you can sell 30000 elsewhere.

from Itchy boots channel! Can't stop day dreaming about it!)

I have one for sale right now yet no interest. With only 700 kms on it (it's literally brand new....had it one month) and selling it for $200 less than I bought it for and includes a rear rack. Has a 4 year warranty. Starting to think these aren't quite in as high demand as some are saying.

My wait was over January 9th the day I got my 300l rally. I'm up in Canada, tho so I will have snow for a few more weeks

I had a deposit on a 300l rally for most of 2022. I had a 16k service due on my 250 rally in September , so I pulled my deposit to pay for the service. As of this date ,no 300 Rally ,or L has arrived.

Its interesting Honda is still blaming supply chain issues for this. Honda manages to produce adequate numbers of brand new GoldWings -arguably their most complex motorcycle, Grom's, Fury's, CRF450's, and Rebels. At least here in the US, Honda hasn't even announced the 2023 version of the Africa Twin, yet it seems readily available in Mexico, Canada, Europe, and I believe Australia. WTF.

Literally 3 hours ago I was looking at the Honda Australia website... I was just curious. I live in Japan, and because of the crazy 60 year old license system here, they don't even sell the 300... or any dual sport/enduro that is registrable that is over 249cc from ANY Japanese maker.

Easy to say if you are 6ft+ tall, not so easy for inseam-challenged people. For these folks literally only a few bikes available, I have no choice but wait for the CRF-300LS

I don't want to get all political, but I'm telling everyone now. Our wise politicians who all follow a demented old Americans extremists policies of sanctions sanctions & more sanctions on top of that have clearly boomeranged. We are all paying much more for the same things & we are all scratching about for something. It's absolute madness. Sanctions do not work & never have worked. They're policies of spite. But it's the likes of us who suffer the most. So I'm sorry to say Solid it's the 1st time I've disagreed with any of your opinions. The main reason supply chains on many many items are suffering, are mainly down to a demented old American.

Suzuki got a v Strom 250sx coming next mouth to Australia for about 6400 ride a way 7000 down here in new Zealand 🇳🇿 Cheers

Very good video. Great information. Thanks

I was looking at the CRF300L or LS for my first bike as a commuter. l found a CRF300L and a Rally at a local dealer near me. The issue is they are marking these bikes up over 2k over MSRP in my area. The local dealer wanted $7900 out the door for a CRF300L which is insane the 300L goes for $5600 MSRP No way l'm paying that so l've decided to go with a Royal Enfield Scram 411. I'm not planning on doing much offroad riding if any and the 411 has a much longer range then the 300L. With dealer fees the 411 comes to about $6300 its MSRP is $5099. Much cheaper out the door. If l want to do trails l can and if l want to ride street l can.

Thanks for this great video! Currently an owner of the mighty CRF300l, but looking for something with more power :) What do you think about the oldschool Yamaha XT 600 as an alternative?

Dude you’ve got to ether read a script or talk over footage like Barry vibrantly twitching and jumping makes it look like you can’t string a sentence together which is a shame as otherwise your videos are good and informative.

Is Voge 300 Rally available there? That's almost the same as CRF 300L Rally. I think the most known weakness of the CRF 300 is the suspension. The Voge has much better suspension that can handle the weight of a grown up.

I hope @itchyboots is making some money from Honda for the good advertising.

itchy boots must be selling tens of thousands of these as she has showed its value

I think you should say also de "cons" of this bikes. If you only show de "pros" of the bikes is not really that usefull in order to find an alternative, since is not as much of "what I win" and more of a "what is lose" question.

The EPA is an excelent example of Governent overreach.

I was wonder why demand is soo high these days?! It's like a new generation of bikers discovered dual sports again or what did these riders had before this demand?

i must be lucky or something i just walked into a dealership and bought one without a markup too.

In your opinion, why is the 300L so heavy? I would love to get a smaller bike for my wife, but the weight of this bike is just too much.

I was hoping the LS version suspension was going to stand for Less Sucky. Shows they can ship an L with different suspension, just wish they would offer an upgraded suspension model. I'm sure 50% of buyers would pay $1500 more.

Had a brand new 300l now sold the seat was really uncomfortable like a plank of wood and took for ever to reach 70mph

How about the popularity of “ ItchyBoots” on KZfaq?

Put my order in last August. Still waiting.

It is odd. In the US, near impossible to find a new 300 Rally, but dealers seem to have plenty of the new KLR650 bikes available. So is Kawasaki doing something better (chip wise, supply chain wise) than Honda? I'm sure we will never know the real details ... like maybe the Rally dash display isn't available? Or 1-2 components aren't available so they just wait??

Its simple, all the Grom riders want the more ccs of the 300

Same as the cb500x in Australia.

Haha the supply chain issue is being engineered by Vanguard and Blackrock to create an artificial shortage. There was no chip shortage, what really happened was controlled companies stockpiled semi conductors and ICs and ramped up the price and spouted the narrative. Manufacturers decided that paying an extra 10 cents per unit was a no go and tried to shop around (so the story goes). Unfortunately Blackrock and Vanguard own controlling shares in nearly all major corporations on earth (including the Australian Tax Office) and the corporations that still have autonomy have been coerced through blackbans to comply with the narrative. Hence the sudden rush to push EVs and woke agendas. Its ALL A PROPAGANDA CAMPAIGN FOR A MARXIST TAKEOVER. The information is available from many sources if you have the time to look into it. You will not reach the truth watching TV or reading official corporate memos and press releases.

All good options.

There are an absolute ton if you nick down to Geelong

Voge 300 Rally

Nice alternatives!

Noraly is having some issues with her bike that apparently started with an overheating in hot weather. Any thoughts?

Global Reset. Factor in manufacturers know currency devaluation and don't want to be caught out with excess stock. Banks are closing in the US with 5 last week. I bought a DRZ400E knowing all these factors. Many parts available and highly recommend the Suzuki over Honda. This is the way.

Atk was the best I got

why does Kawasaki noty sel their KLX in other countries? Would not it be the hit for them?

So interestingly enough, I have a CRF250L (Highly modified) and I'm considering selling it to get a DR-Z400. I'm looking for more power and off road capability. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on that.

Just don’t get a Ktm500exc, you’ll never be satisfied with a Honda 300 after riding the five hundy 😂

Since you seem to have fairly extensive experience with the Honda. ABS or non-ABS?

you know im talking with a dealership in sydney now have to pre order 2022 bikes what the frigg and i could get one in July HAHAHA ?? Man i'm coming home and i want this bike but the new 2023 model but that's not even released yet there so why would i spend my money on a new 1 year old 300L,, mate your getting roughed over there as i have seen the 2023 here in Oslo with the black frame and grey graffice it looks gooooooood in , norway if they can send them here then its so bad i don't know what you would call it really .....

so sick of all these government bs regulations, they won't be happy until every motor is dead then they'll go after electric bikes and ban those.

Why build a cheap motorbike with $600 profit when you can use the same chips and presses for a £23,000 CBR1000RR or Gold Wing DCT at £33,000

Dont get it. They're small and slow. I tried one out and its not for adults.

"Rare as rocking horse poop!"

I'm working at a dealership in Canada and we have about seven of them lying around 😂

you should post NEW alternatives. Otherwise you could say you could buy 300L used instead of the new one

so what your saying is , if you hadn't told your 2milllion viewers about this little unicorn i would be able to purchase one today? not a solid , solid.🦄

I chy boots Noraly made popular crf300 rally 😂

Lmao ain't no way anyone selling their KTM 350exc to buy a crf 300L.

I think its because of the appeal that this bike has for the ladies.

Just order a KTM 690 Enduro if you can afford it

I'm seriously trying to decide between a second hand KLR and a Himalayan. What would your advice be for and adventure bike?