0:04 Okay, hey guys. Uh Nathan from Dorothy's
0:06 Speed Shop down in North Devon. Um I
0:08 take people on motorcycle tours.
0:11 Uh often on these kind of bikes, CRF
0:14 300. Maybe for this year, Rave 307. Also
0:18 for this year, KTM 390 Enduro R. Maybe a
0:20 DRZ 400S and most certainly Himalayan
0:23 450. There's a lot of bikes in this
0:25 class now, uh in this category of sort
0:27 of a semi-affordable. I mean, they all
0:29 vary in price, but I guess apart from
0:31 the DRZ, they're
0:33 all affordable sub sub 6,000 lb. This is
0:35 a UK-based test, so that's what I'll
0:37 refer to, English pounds.
0:38 They all offer something different, and
0:39 I think that's what's so interesting
0:42 about this sector of the market. All
0:43 bikes are coming into it, but they've
0:44 all got different strengths and
0:46 weaknesses and different characteristics
0:47 that are going to suit some people and
0:49 not suit others. Um
0:51 this is a fleet of bikes I've assembled
0:52 and I'm here for people to ride
0:55 back-to-back. Um I haven't put the dates
0:56 up for this year cuz I'm not sure if I'm
0:58 going to be doing it cuz there's there's
0:59 a few issues with insurance these days,
1:02 and if anybody runs insurance knows it.
1:04 Insurance is a is a crooks of all
1:06 beings, so we'll see how that goes. But
1:08 for now, I've got this fleet of bikes.
1:10 I've just added the Rave 307.
1:12 The format of this group test
1:14 is that I'm going to take each bike out
1:16 in turn. I'm doing a set route. I'm
1:18 going to do a video on each bike so I
1:20 can focus on each bike.
1:22 The aim isn't to pick a winner because
1:24 as I said, what is best? Well, it
1:26 depends who you are, what you want to do
1:27 with it, what type of riding you're
1:29 going to do, how experienced you are.
1:31 So, there isn't best bike here. It's
1:34 about this this this group test here is
1:35 about ascertaining what which bike is
1:37 best for you. Uh so, that's what I'll
1:39 try and break it down on each day's ride
1:41 with each bike. What this bike's
1:42 strengths and weaknesses are, who
1:44 they're going to suit, who it might not
1:47 suit, who it might be best for.
1:48 If you got any questions about any
1:50 particular bike, please put them in the
1:51 comments on this video, and then I'll
1:53 try and answer them as I go through each
1:56 bike. If I just go through each bike
1:57 initially as an introduction, I've got
1:59 the CRF 300 Rally that's been on fleet
2:01 with me for about 5 years. Never missed
2:03 a beat. I think it's about 8,000 mi.
2:05 It's running a pair of Continental TKC
2:07 80s. It's running standard suspension,
2:09 so it's a standard bike. A lot of people
2:11 do a lot of mods to the CRF, but this is
2:13 me assessing a standard bike, I guess,
2:15 against standard bikes. These bikes are
2:17 pretty much all stock. Just on the
2:19 subject of tires, I know people like to
2:21 have a control tire, i.e. every bike has
2:22 the same
2:24 tire on it, but
2:26 A, I think that I think that's great. B,
2:28 for me, it's not really a practical or
2:30 affordable for me to put 6,000 new tires
2:32 on just so you can take a you know, a
2:34 little bit more from it. What I would
2:36 say what I would say is my experience
2:39 with these bikes, I can I can tell you
2:40 what difference that tire that's on that
2:41 bike is making and what difference a
2:44 different tire would make. So, I think
2:45 there's going to be benefit in being
2:47 able to assess these bikes in the same
2:49 conditions with different tires cuz I
2:50 can tell you if it's going to be worth
2:52 putting a set of trackers on or whether
2:53 it's going to be worth sticking with the
2:56 Timsons on the Voge or a TKC 80 as a
2:59 compromise tire or a Karoo 4 on the on
3:02 the year 390 or or what's going to work
3:04 best on the DRZ, for example. So, I'm
3:05 leaving what tires I've got on, which is
3:08 generally a TKC 80, trackers on that
3:10 one, standard Timsons on that. The
3:12 trails I'm going to use I'm going to
3:14 ride on. Some of you all people who are
3:16 regular viewers of this channel will
3:18 recognize a lot of the trails, but I'm
3:20 going to try and go from easy trail so I
3:22 can I can say what it's going to be like
3:24 for like the easy novice rider who's
3:26 wanting to maybe ride ACT in Portugal or
3:28 Spain, you know, that easy gravel type
3:30 stuff with lots of grip, which bike
3:31 might work best there. Then I'm going to
3:34 step it up to a a medium style trail
3:36 where there's a bit more mud, a bit more
3:38 rock, a bit more climb, and then onto
3:41 the final stages which is more, I guess,
3:43 long-distance trial section type stuff
3:44 which is going to be relevant for those
3:46 guys in the UK particularly, I think,
3:48 who are looking for a bike in this class
3:50 to do more edgy riding, more technical
3:53 riding. So, cuz I because I think a lot
3:54 of people are looking at this class of
3:56 bikes as well, I don't want a an Enduro
3:58 bike because it's it's too it's too
4:00 small a focus, too narrow-minded on the
4:02 trail work, doesn't work on the road.
4:03 But those kind of buyers are still
4:06 wanting a bike to do that. So, I I shall
4:07 try and answer which is the best bike
4:10 for the technical hardcore rider. You
4:11 know, I'm not quite there myself, but
4:13 I'll give it a go. But also, what who
4:15 what's it which bike is best for
4:17 somebody who's just mid-set and who's
4:18 going to be which bike is best for
4:20 somebody entering this this class of
4:22 bikes. So,
4:24 that's it. Ask about the bikes and I'm
4:26 finished going through them yet.
4:27 Uh the Voge 300 Rally, as I say, that's
4:29 a stock bike.
4:31 That's the benefit of the the Voge 300
4:32 Rally is it's a lot cheaper than the
4:35 CRF, and that's been its trump card ever
4:36 since it came out 2 or 3 years ago. You
4:40 know, it's it's 3,000 it's now 4,100.
4:41 Uh and just watch that some of the
4:43 Chinese companies or the importers put
4:45 on big on-the-road costs. The Voge has
4:47 got a 300 lb on-the-road cost. The
4:48 Honda, it's included in the price. So,
4:50 if you can't you're not comparing apples
4:51 and apples if you can't play compare
4:53 list price cuz on that you've got to add
4:55 300 lb. So, just bear that in mind, but
4:58 that's 6,600, that's 4,100. So, there's
4:59 still 2 and 1/2 grand difference. And
5:01 that's what sold the Voge. It does
5:03 pretty much everything as well as the
5:05 CRF, in some ways better, I think, the
5:06 fact you don't have to upgrade the
5:08 suspension, but it's 2 and 1/2 grand
5:10 cheaper. So, that's been a big asset to
5:13 that bike. The Rave 307 is the new
5:14 pretender, new contender. There's been
5:17 some glowing reviews on this. Uh mine
5:19 still is probably at the end of its
5:20 running-in process. There's a few
5:22 niggles I'm working through. I've got a
5:23 power commander coming from France to
5:25 try and give it a bit more bottom end
5:26 punch cuz it's a bit flat on the
5:28 throttle, a bit boggy.
5:29 Uh and the front mudguard is terrible.
5:31 So, uh there's a guy on the forum who's
5:33 recommended a KTM
5:35 Enduro one which fits straight on for 20
5:36 quid. So,
5:37 hopefully I've fixed those little
5:40 niggles we've got with a 307.
5:43 It's 1,000 lb thereabouts more than
5:44 this. Actually, it's not even 1,000,
5:46 it's less. It's about 800 lb more than
5:48 the Voge. It feels a more diminutive,
5:50 smaller, compact bike.
5:52 The idea is it's got more power than
5:53 these two,
5:54 but let's see what it's like on the
5:56 trails. Actually, I can tell you what
5:57 it's like on the trails. It's quite a
5:59 very engaging experience and it'll be
6:01 even better once we get that throttle
6:03 sorted. Talking of throttles, got the
6:06 KTM 390 Enduro R. I picked that over the
6:08 Adventure when I ordered them for the
6:09 fleet because I just think it's more
6:11 interesting. Um
6:13 the Adventure sort of a known entity,
6:14 it's going to go up against the CF Moto
6:16 and Himalayan 450, you know, in that
6:18 sector, but what about the 390 Enduro?
6:19 Is it the bike that we've always been
6:21 wanting, i.e. a CRF with a bit more
6:23 punch, which that's got,
6:26 and also great price, 5,600 lb. So, what
6:29 can that deliver? Can it do the gnarly
6:32 tri- tricky TRF type stuff?
6:34 And how much better on it on the road is
6:36 it over these bikes? Where's the
6:38 trade-off? Where's the gain? But that's
6:40 a very exciting bike.
6:42 Um and a lot of people have compared it
6:43 to the DRZ 400S, but I think they're
6:45 very different bikes. This has got a
6:47 road-derived chassis and a road-derived
6:49 engine. That's all off-road. And what my
6:51 experience so far is that it's an off
6:52 it's an off-road bike. It's for people
6:54 going off-road. I found it a little bit
6:55 heavy. I found it a little bit
6:56 top-heavy, and I found it likes that
6:58 sixth gear, and I found it overpriced.
7:00 So, that's coming from a low starting
7:01 point, to be honest. You know, I I I'm
7:04 interested to take these bikes out again
7:06 with a clear palate and and actually
7:08 reassess that bike because, you know, I
7:10 I've I've wondered where it sits in the
7:13 market. It's it's selling to people who
7:15 value Japanese manufacturing, but does
7:18 it stand on its own two feet as a bike,
7:19 you know, taking that taking that
7:21 element aside? How does it perform on
7:22 the trails? How does it perform on the road?
7:23 road?
7:25 So, the DRZ has still got some questions
7:26 to answer. And last but not least,
7:28 Himalayan 450, which is the heaviest
7:31 bike in this class almost by 50 kg, but
7:32 it's got a nice way in which it carries
7:34 it on the trail. I found it very capable
7:36 on technical trails,
7:37 far more than I thought it would. It's
7:39 got great suspension. It's got a punchy,
7:41 responsive engine. So, there's lots of
7:42 attributes to it, and then obviously
7:45 it's got the legs on the road that maybe
7:46 this side of the market won't have or
7:48 the DRZ. So, we're going to start with
7:51 the 300s. I think the 300s are going to
7:54 show or yeah, show the benefit of a
7:55 lighter weight. These are all around
7:58 150, 155 kg. Once we get up here, we're
8:01 stepping up a bit, 160 5. I think that's
8:04 I think I said DRZ quite light on paper,
8:07 but it's it's got a mass to it that that
8:08 actually makes it feel heavier than what
8:10 it is on the spec sheet. Actually, just
8:11 even watching the bikes around, I can
8:14 lift I can lift these bikes quite easy,
8:16 move them around. DRZ,
8:19 somehow it just sits heavy on its on its
8:20 springs, and I I found it difficult to
8:23 lift up, which is kind of replicates how
8:25 it I feel like it rides.
8:27 But obviously, these bikes are heavier,
8:29 up to almost 200 kg with the Himalayan.
8:31 Can they do the same kind of trails? How
8:33 much easier is the Himalayan on the easy
8:35 track? I'll find out and I'll I'll try and
8:36 and
8:38 go through each bike
8:40 and try to come to a bit of a conclusion
8:41 about each, but yeah, it's a it's a
8:43 real, you know, I'm really excited
8:45 looking at these bikes. I I think these
8:47 bikes are all capable of taking you on
8:50 some great adventures, uh doing lots of
8:52 riding that you might otherwise not do
8:53 on a big bike because of the
8:55 intimidation factor.
8:57 And I think certainly like the 150 kg
8:59 class, they allow the novice average
9:01 rider to hit the track, hit the trail,
9:03 not have a lot of technique, maybe not
9:05 have a lot of strength, but be able to
9:07 do it because the bike allows it allows
9:08 and enables them
9:10 to do it. And also from a price point of
9:11 view, you know, financially,
9:13 you can afford to drop these and throw
9:15 them at the edge bottom, whereas 15, 20
9:17 grand on a Desert X or GS 1300, maybe
9:20 you can't. So, that's for me what why
9:21 these are
9:23 like a really interesting bunch. Once I
9:24 finish with these six, I've got a few
9:26 other bikes I'm going to whittle through
9:28 as a as as a single bike test. I've got a
9:28 a
9:31 uh Triumph 400 X Scrambler with a rally
9:33 kit. I've got a CCM GP 450. We'll see
9:35 how that goes, you know, as a bit of a
9:36 blast from the past. And then also got
9:38 Himalayan 411. Is that bike still
9:39 relevant? You know, it's a really cheap
9:41 bike to buy, a cheap bike to run, an
9:43 easy bike to work on. It's got some
9:44 really good virtues, but how does it
9:46 fare on a travel trail
9:49 experiment or conditions such as this
9:51 one? Just bearing in mind the conditions
9:53 I'm in is North Devon in England. It's
9:54 very wet at the minute. We've had a lot
9:57 of rain. Everything's very muddy. It's
9:58 going to be different conditions to
10:00 where you might be riding the bike, so
10:02 interpret what I'm saying and apply it
10:04 to what where you're going to be riding.
10:06 If it's dry, there's no ruts, wide open pace,
10:07 pace,
10:09 the virtues of these bikes are going to
10:10 differ. You know, just
10:13 in context, the DRZ400S, I'm riding that
10:15 bike out in Moab in April with a group,
10:17 and it's going to be all canyon land
10:19 country, so big wide open pace, faster riding.
10:21 riding.
10:22 I think it'll suit that bike far better
10:25 than maybe the sloppy gloopy steep lanes
10:27 of North Devon will, but I shall find
10:28 that out as I go. So, quick
10:30 introduction, if you've got any
10:33 questions or any you know, what
10:35 thoughts about any bikes here, let me
10:37 know in these comments. And as it as the
10:39 next week or two, it'll take me a couple
10:40 of weeks to go through it. I'm not a
10:41 fast worker when it comes to editing videos.
10:43 videos.
10:44 I shall go through each bike, upload
10:46 each video, and then do a a final
10:48 verdict video,
10:50 and try and sum up,
10:51 you know,
10:52 which bike's for you, because I think
10:54 there's a lot of people
10:55 it's trial and error, and it's an
10:58 expensive game is trial and error. And I
10:59 think people are look look for reviews
11:00 to give them the answers so they don't
11:03 make the mistake that cost them money.
11:04 I do think also
11:06 there's a there's a tendency to
11:08 overthink this, to to overanalyze and worry.
11:10 worry.
11:13 I've I've took people on on on many
11:15 trips on all on these kind of bikes,
11:18 different bikes, CRFs, Varges. I've
11:19 never had one person get to the end of
11:21 the trip and say, "Oh, I hate my bike."
11:23 or "I wish I were on that bike." I think
11:25 after a after a bit of a gestation
11:27 period on a bike, maybe a week, maybe 2
11:29 weeks, maybe a month, maybe you need to
11:31 do a bit of setting up for it to suit
11:33 you and your kind of riding. But once
11:35 you've gone through that process and you
11:36 you've took it on your first trip, I
11:38 think the bond has been made there. So,
11:40 sometimes if you're not if you're not
11:43 bonded with a bike, it's maybe because
11:44 you've not put it in in the in the
11:46 environment in which it will shine and
11:48 you'll make a connection. So,
11:49 don't that's what
11:51 a lot of these bikes come up for sale
11:53 with 500 mi on, and I simply think it's
11:55 because they've not been put in the
11:56 context in which they're going to
12:00 surprise you and and and enable you. So,
12:01 whatever you've bought, don't write it
12:02 off too quick. Give it a couple of
12:03 thousand miles, give it a bit of a trip
12:05 before you do that. So,
