Is the Suzuki DR650 better than the Honda CRF300L?

Is the Suzuki DR650 better than the Honda CRF300L?
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#SuzukiDR650
#HondaCRF300L
#dualsport
#motorcycle

[BillySBC]

You don't know much about engines by your own admission, so I'll help you see which bike is better for remote travelling and camping situations. The Honda has the following things to fail out on the road... electric fuel pump, fuel injectors, fuel injection wiring, water pump, thermostat, coolant hoses, radiator. The aircooled and carbureted DR650 has none of these items, it's fuel is simple gravity feed from the tank, there is no electric fuel pump to quit. The DR has no water pump or associated coolant items because it's aircooled. See the problem with the Honda now? TOO MANY POINTS OF FAILURE... too many ways to let you down in the middle of nowhere. This is the same problem with the KLR650. You choose the DR650 for reliability, which is the #1 important thing in remote motorcycle travel.

[armadilllo]

DR650, best all around bike ever. You can make it anything you want or leave it stock, good either way.

[lawrwncemitchell]

I'm a Honda guy but the DR is Awesome💯

[jonwoodworker]

DR650 with a gigantic aftermarket is the only option out of all the others you mentioned. The KLR is much heavier and slower. The CRF300L is only 40lbs lighter with half the power. Good luck finding ANY parts for the Himalayan. The only bike I would consider a DR replacement would be the Husqvarna FE501....but at twice the price and 27 years newer, it should be better....lol..I have all the dream list mods on my DR and I can ride Enduro with the Euro bikes in my area.... DUDE, I don't know what your doing, I NEVER stall my DR.

[AzPauly]

CRF300L is a great bike, on the trail it's plenty, but if on any road that is 65+ with elements like head winds and grades (cagers will likely be 75+) there's just not enough power unless the rider is 150lbs.. 400cc barely adequate 650 more better.. just my experience.. ymmv... (disclamer: I'm in Arizona were people drive really fast and highway runs can be quite long)

[mattevans]

I love that I can do a "DR650 vs CRF300L" search on youtube and there's a video for that. Thanks for making it. I don't know if I will ever find the unicorn but the steeper and looser terrain gets I find myself wishing I was on a lighter bike than my DR. Damn range of capability. Maybe the XT would be a better second bike for me because I think on the tight mountain stuff the XT might give me more confidence than the CRF but as it is the DR is great for any road. It is just too heavy for me on mountain single track.

[tjbrad]

Try a 14 tooth front sprocket, it makes it a little better for the take off and slower riding. I got Kenda k270 tires for my DR and they are great, just get rid of the trail wings immediately, they are only for a quick test drive. I had a 1984 Honda XL600 a long time ago and I had IRC tires that were great, almost like knobbies. I ride a lot more off road than on road.

[zanejohnson]

The reason why there's a dirt road going to nowhere is because somebody has bought up the property. And in order to subdivide it they have to blaze a road through it.

[trdutch]

Thanks for this video
You ride off road about how I ride off road, slow an easy .
I had a Triumph 800 XC but it was big and too heavy .
I never had confidence and got stuck deep in the woods by myself.
No Bueno!😅
Anyway I thought long and hard about the Himalayan but my buddy said you need the DR., you will be disappointed
In the power riding to get to the off road
This video is helping me decide
If I get one, it will leave the dealer with different tires 😂

[Not_Sure-]

If you're going to do anything more than that little dirt road you were on, you need knobby tires. I had my DR with full knobbies, 2 brothers exhaust, a skid plate, and a jet kit for the carb and I could go anywhere in the dirt. Made it a little less stable on the highway but I tuned it for the dirt anyway so....

[twowheelsdown]

Don’t even bother with the KLR. The DR is way way lighter, has more ground clearance, more suspension travel, and a lower center of gravity. Put some cheap Kenda K270 tires on it and it will fly down dirt roads. The DR is also smoother at 80 mph than the KLR, and it will run up to 100 mph and not even bother it. The DR does not blow around on the highway as much, and is much more stable both on and off the road. On the dirt above 70 mph of the KLR is twitchy and I have had the DR up to 90 mph on the dirt and it is stable Just put a different seat, a bigger tank and some decent tires on the DR and forget about the KLR because it is not even close. Also, the DR valves are easier to adjust, and the oil cooler is not nearly as vulnerable as the radiators, and it doesn’t have all that plastic junk to get broken.

[jarrodleis]

You can get by with the stock rear but the front has got to go unless you ride the DR like a street bike. The Shinko 244 is a good all around front for the DR

[EffequalsMA]

I chose a 300L because insurance is by displacement where I am and I ain't paying 600RR prices for a beataround daily bike. I already have a ZX14R, which I have to take a second mortgage to insure for longer than 3 months. The CRF is surprisingly capable, was way cheaper (like 2K) than the 90s-vintage-tech DR, again where I am. The CRF has things that would piss me off if absent, as I'm used to modern motorcycles, EFI, digidash, gear indicator, fuel gauge, shift light, 6 speeds.

[tonyrdr]

Just want to go against the trend here. So I can give another opinion to those who are trying to make up their mind. The 300 rally is a far superior ADV bike. First of all I have owned many dual sports and all have been modified and used on all sorts of trails including those considered very hard.
Now it all depends on what you use the bike for. If you are just using the bike as a dual sport on easy to moderate roads seen on the video most bikes will do it. In this case the DR is marginally ahead as it does Hwy a little better and is nice and stable for fast dirt tracks.
If you are looking for a remote trail adv bike that will take you pretty much anywhere the 300 is far superior as I said. Now don’t get me wrong I still have my faithful heavily modified dr650 and it is an amazing bike 35 litre tank sorted very good quality suspension and all the mods to make it into the very capable adv it is. Reliable as heck has done over ks in the 14 years I have it and I am fully behind this bike as a full on adventure bike. I have kept it, too many great memories usually solo and unsupported through desert jungle mountain trails here in Australia and NZ. Amazing bike. The fact is though the 300 is simply better especially when the going gets tough and you are on a loaded bike. First of all it feels lighter and much more nimble, for some reason and is fully fuelled the 300 rally is 166 kg as opposed to the DR which in adv mode is closer to 190 kg yes the spec sheets make them look the same but reality is very different. Second in the deep sand snooty slow trails it is just miles ahead of the DR and the DR is a vey good bike for the job. Even on the hwy it is not bad. Both these bikes have a sweet spot around 100kph and at that speed the fully loaded rally is my preference as I find it much more comfortable. Sure the DR will tractor up a steep continuous hill better where the rally will have to reduce speed on occasion and drop down a gear but the six speed spread is amazing meaning you don’t have to use a smaller front cog in the tough stuff. Reliability? Well I have put mine through heck and done 60000 ks on it on all the trails I took the DR and more again solo and unsupported. Fuel injection has been around for a long time as have fuel pumps let’s be real this is no KTM. The feel of the bikes once sorted is similar and the 300 is just so much easier to ride on the tough trails. Yes it is a very good beginner bike though tall once you sort out the suspension but many seasoned riders use them for exploring. This is partly due to its ridiculously good fuel economy. The way I have setup my bike it has 1000ks autonomy, which believe it or not we need sometimes here in Australia. To put things in perspective I tried to replace my DR simply because it is getting long in the tooth and I go remote a lot with a fully setup for desert raid 701. That was a very stressful experience and the rally is miles ahead on the tight trails. Especially when the bikes are fully loaded for extended travel.

[davidjenkins]

You comparing a 650 to a 300 is like comparing a new ram pickup with a 5.7 hemi to a 08 chevy Colorado 4 cylinder. The DR has twice the motor. A proper comparison would've been the Honda xr650l

[АлександрК-юв]

Why no one says about fuel consumption? Honda crf300l - 3-4 liters/ 100km, Suzuki dr650 - 6-7 liters/100km.
If we're talking about full load, dr650 can "eat" up to 12 liters on highway! Off-road - up to 17 liters!!!

[tjbrad]

I am surprised that you like the 650 over the 300, you seem to be a slow rider. Slow is fine, I am slow now because I just don't want to get hurt. I ride alone out where there's no cell service. I have a DR650 but I thought a smaller, lighter lower geared bike would be better. You are going to wear out the starter prematurely with all the stalling and starting. Get the clutch-throttle coordination down.

[stephen]

DO NOT trade it for a KLR...you'll kick yourself later. I've had 2 KLRs, never again unless money limited and just riding asphalt plus no interstate plans. Now on my 3rd dr650; tis a great bike. I rarely stall my dr, but it is geared down a touch, which helps. If I'm looking for interstate riding, I hop onto my excellent Af Twin Twin.

[pandaholica]

is it true about highway speeds? i heard some mention the 300L and XR650L being a bit "ehh" near the 60mph mark, where alot and i mean alot of people said the DR650 has no issue pulling up too 100 if needed

[josephthornton]

Buy em all, ride em all, enjoy em. For these two bikes, there is no wrong answer. For me, I will not buy any carbureted motorcycles if I can help it. I've had TOO many issues with carbs and tanks with Ethanol fuels. When someone asks for DS motorcycle suggestions (for just ONE bike) I ask "4 hours riding, what does your WORST day look like?" Is it more unpleasant sitting in the saddle of a small bike for 4 hours, OR is more unpleasant riding tighter trails and picking up a heavy bike 12 times? If the problem is saddle time, get the bigger bike. If the problem is trail maneuvering control and picking up a big bike, get the small one. (just helping your channel with a comment)