BikeSocial review | BMW G310GS / Honda CRF250 Rally / Kawasaki Versys-X 300 / Suzuki V-Strom 250
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- PLEASE USE THE CHAPTER LINKS BELOW FOR EACH BIKE. Round the world overland adventurer Nathan Millward tests four small-capacity, lightweight motorcycles for BikeSocial.co.uk
Suzuki V-Strom 250: 0:26
Kawasaki Versys-X 300: 6:37
BMW G310GS: 13:19
Honda CRF250 Rally: 17:32
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00:49 , "they were terrible" ! WOW ... how refreshing to actually hear an honest observation! I'm a tad tired of testers here (you tube) who "love" everything they ride and are so indebted to the vendors that they lie to us.
If we are going to watch these videos, then we want the TRUTH! (honesty/integrity is free ) So thank you, Nathan and John, full marks!
I'd say it's just a ploy to make the rest of the laurels seem more believable... because they praised all 4 bikes in the end.
Nice comparison, but please do something about audio. You are so quiet... 100% on my volume scale and still couldn't hear much ;)
Good review tho.
Get some better speakers. I could hear them just fine.
Ditto- the audio sucks. Mumbley and low volume.
Agree, audio is too soft. Potentially a side effect of trying to use directional audio, results in both channels being super low
Not only is it quiet but also for a non-native that Chester accent sounds like a totally separate language )
It is panned hard left for the guy on the left and right ditto. They need to fix it by not panning it fully.
I bought a CRF250L Rally 2 years ago. I put Dunlop 606 tires on it and added a fork spring to the left fork stanchion & added a lot of preload to the rear shock. Made a big difference for the kind of riding I do here in the South West Desert of the US. It will do an honest 70 MPH on the highway which is enough for me going from one remote area to another. The majority of my riding is on old mining trails or powerline trails. Steep, rocky, rutted roads but with vistas out to the curvature of the earth. Great fun and I really couldn't use any more bike than the 250 for what I do.
I've owned the Versys-X since October. It's worth noting that the stiff suspension softens up considerably after 500-600 miles and is, IMO, one of the best stock OEM suspensions I've ever ridden. For once, it's not under-sprung! The seat, on the other hand, sucks. I replaced mine with a Seat Concepts and it's a huge improvement.
Great to hear you've sorted the seat Rob. And that the suspension gives a little over time. Hope you have plenty of happy miles on it.
i find the seat is good myself, the suspension is spot on for what it is, & the little 300cc engine always puts a smile in my face.
Most in depth tear apart review I have seen on 4 very similar bikes I have been considering. Looking for my first commuter and have not ridden in many years. When I was younger I rode strictly off road and not street bikes. Started with a Honda 50cc and ended with something like an enduro 250, think it was a Kawasaki. Many years ago. Now at 53 looking at getting an economical transport for back and forth to work but also some play time off road. Tough choice with these 4 great bikes!
Nice video!! Objective comments.
My take of the video:
Suzuki: the most balanced and on road oriented.
Kawasaki: the most sporty, high rev engine, more for highway than for trail.
BMW : a balanced bike and more off road oriented ( the opposite of the Suzuki).
Honda: a completely off road oriented bike.
This time I would go.with suzuki.
You don't want to bring the Kawa on the highway. They're great bikes for small roads and green laning.
Less couch, more bike footage please.
The problem was we talked longer than we thought so didn't have the footage for that length of time but didn't want to edit it down either. It was just me and a camera out and about so was limited by that. Possibly a helmet cam would have padded it out but wouldn't have shown much of the bikes either. Cheers for watching though.
Something to consider for next time :)
You have to consider, it's just Nathan out there by himself with a tripod. It's a lot of work finding scenes, setting up the gear, riding past and then collecting and carrying on. I appreciate getting expert content in a small niche. I think we should cut them some slack. (But please double check the sound next time.)
Or atleast review the couch
bought jasons book years ago.postie bike from australia.have met him,a really nice guy. also like the other chaps tests for bennets very enjoyable to listen to.
Lovely vid, I had a tough time with the sound though.
The Honda 500 twin motor slotted in that CRF Rally and bingo..
Jay B exactly wish they would do a slightly bigger 450/500 version
I mentioned the twin engine as it wont eat itself on the longer faster routes
CB500X with the Rally Raid L3 kit is the bike you want
True, but sounds expensive tho
BlooJay cb500x isnt really what I meant
Fix the microphone...
rather than 100% L&R Should have been mixed more central
Yes!!
i'm pretty sure they did it that way on purpose so you could easily tell who's talking.
but it would have made a lot more sense if most of the video was of the riding footage, where you can't see who's talking.
Honda ought to build a 300 cc, or 350 cc version.
in 2021.....
They have now.
Been out today and bought a BMW GS310 after watching your video’s on it 😁 love it so far 👌🏻
It's the worst one of the lot imo
@@peterd3215 haven't ridden any of the others so can't really compare but i'm still enjoying the GS. use it daily too so i've put plenty of miles on it. it's comfy and good fun to ride. brakes are decent, clutch and gearbox are good. not sure what there is not to like about it
@@NickyLong89 it is comfy, I've ridden it twice and the 310r once. In isolation it might be ok but having ridden alot of bikes I found the suspension way too spongy, it's this main factor I dislike especially against the competition, it's likely the worst suspension of those in this video except the CRF but that's basically an off-road bike licenses for the road, I found the suspension on the BMws quite dangerous and when pushing on even a little it wants to tuck under, it's disconcerting. All the bikes I tested had QC issues. One had a very bad noise squeaking coming from the drive shaft. All the other bikes are better to ride and most are the Japanese bikes are certainly more reliable. but some are definitely not as comfy as the GS.
@@peterd3215 I’ve not felt that yet but then again I’ve not really pushed on with it. I paid just over £3k for it which for me is a lot of bike for the money really. I do have an R7 coming soon so it will probably be going at some point in the near future but I’ve enjoyed it so far. I’ve done about 2 hours straight on trips so far and I have enjoyed it. I have fitted a bigger screen to it and it does have heated grips and bark buster hand guards which makes it a lot more enjoyable. Only time I’ve noticed the soft suspension is on semi heavy braking but other than that, not really noticed it
@@NickyLong89 I really want to like it, I was going to buy one after my Himalayan but settled on a cb300r after many test rides. Still want a small off roaders. Have been riding for 20 years ish and having gone up to 900cc I'm now much happier reliving my youth in the 300/400 bracket. More power is just more probability of accident or fine. They don't get you there any quicker or are any more fun for me.
subscribed ! only because you guys have nathan. oh btw, i think small bikes are punk rock. They're a middle finger to the idea that bigger is always better.
Alinel Woundhorn interesting, never thought of it like that
great review guys, i truly enjoyed it, too bad that the BMW cost twice the price of a CRF 250 Rally where i live and ride, cheers from Bali, Indonesia
Same. I live in South Korea and BMW's come at a premium. Difficult to get maintenance on them outside of Seoul or Busan as well. I've been comparing with the WR250, and the Honda is nearly $2500 cheaper?! I previously owned a KTM 690 SM and the reliability was brutal, so, just for sake of comfort, it's looking like the Honda will be my next purchase.
@@jamzzzist By brutal reliability on the KTM you mean it is good or bad in terms of it?
@@mariorad529 as in not great. I always had problems with the throttle body/mapping. However, it was a 10 year old 1st generation SM, so, probably the newer models are fine. A few of my friends have 690s and have had few problems. Maybe mine was just a lemon..
Love that guy’s enthusiasm! Keep it up.
I have the Honda Rally I’m 200 pounds 5 ft 10 You have to upgrade with the Yss rear shock( basic version) and the race tech front upgrade( extra spring and better fork oil) transforms the bike!!! Absorbs terrain and handles amazingly!!
Thanks for an honest and in depth review - not commonplace these days.
i hate that you guys are using mono mics and setting each of your voices on different channels or using stereo and dimming left for one guy and right for the other. i dont understand. its very annoying. otherwise great video.
Thanks for the feedback Daryl. I'll pass it on to the video guy and see if it can't be remedied for next time. Cheers.
Sounds great on my macbook... dont change it !
Def needs a mix. Set your speaking at -6db
I think it's great on headphones cheers!
Agreed, a bit of pan is nice and natural, but the hard pan left and right is hard on the listener's brain.
Provide time stamp for each of the bike talked about
i put a full yoshimura exhaust, fuel controller and modded the air box on my 250 rally, made quite a big difference to acceleration and it can cruise at 70mph without any strain. goes to about 87mph on level ground, i've got to 90 putting my head behind the screen. it's great off road.
Honda CRF250 Rally with CBR300 engine!!!
It's coming in 2021! (I hope the reviews are good!)
my left ear really enjoyed his remarks
Lol
Damn good review. Love the format.
Why am I watching this? I don't even have a riding license.
...planning to get one tho
themrdiamond I don’t have a license either but I want one
Yep, planning on buying CRF 150 as my first bike
same lol
You could and should change this. 😁
Stacey Schroeder glad to hear it. I want to buy the CRF because many motovlogers suggest a dualsport or a dirt bike as a learning bike.
Now the last thing I need is ask myself if I really wants a motorcycle cause I live in a third world country and the traffic here are terrible. So many stupid drivers/riders who didn't follow the traffic rules. Statistically speaking in 2016 there's 3605 reported accident with 375 deaths in my city alone.
So your V-Strom review is pretty much EXACTLY how every V-Strom ever made has been reviewed. My cousin has one and he summarized the Strom as "Entirely Adequate"... and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I'd probably put the Honda in a different category as the other bikes... if those bikes are 70/30 on/offroad the Honda looks to be more a 40/60 on/off... that's really shooting for a different buyer.
What's cool is the Honda gets compared to these bikes in one review with the conclusion "light and by far the best off-road, underpowered on-road" .. and then in other reviews it's compared to the WR250R, KLR250, DR400 with the conclusion "By far the best on-road, but heavy and the suspension is weak off-road". It occupies a unique position in the market.
[...IMHO: you need to record the audio with about 50% more (higher) levels,..... or talk a lot louder, and more clearly!!!.... ]
bore is the same on a CBR300 and CBR250, it is the crank/stroke that will get you from 249 to 286cc.
Great review guys. Thanks so much.
Nice vocal review..its shown in reality that the Green machine is the winner on overall basis if you looking for mini adventure..
Couch chat was good. Gave much more insight than most "ride reviews". GS I reckon. Ta much
Awesome review: The CRF250LRH has slightly larger tank the the CRF250LH. +2 liters
Honda CRF250 Rally vs BMW G310GS for a beginner rider doing light off-road on weekends. Any thoughts? Thx alot.
Which one have you chosen?
@@chrisw4215 I hope he took the Rally. Better for a beginner and it will last
Really enjoyed this. Unhurried, really benefited from guys who know what they're talking about.
Good chat and review. Just had to get past that ill-fitting tshirt lol.
Enjoyed your video I got a kawasaki versys 300 x think kawasaki got it right on this one best little bike I have owned only thing thay got wrong was the seat and abs off switch would be nice
Cheers
You can take the fuse out, or even connect a switch up with an in line fuse holder
Yes have done that think it's a better bike with out abs got a non abs order for next year I have got a yamaha t max 530 and it's fine with abs good bike two up
James Doolan 130mm suspension travel... Of curse!! 😂.
Interesting perspectives. Thanks for taking the time to do this. T' Other. ;)
Great comparison video! My question is if the crf was modded with the usual powerbomb and fuel mods, would it change your view on the highway? Would the gs still be your vote for all arounder?
I think people would be looking at fuel consumption and tank ranges which could be a deciding factors for some than just outright performance.
They all averaged around 80mpg. The Kawasaki and Suzuki both had around 17-litre tanks, the BMW has 11-litre and the Honda 10.1-litres.
I really want to like the G310GS, questionable longevity has me holding my money for now.
It will last
Nice review lads, very informative. l agree with your verdict, spot on.
I don't understand that big gap between a 250ccm or 300ccm and the heavy and to big 1000ccm or 1200ccm trail bikes! There is so much space between!
Yeah I guess it's filled by the likes of the Versys 650, F700, V-Strom 650, CB500X etc, then F800, Triumph 800 etc. But agreed, definitely space for more effort in the middle range.
Christoph N. Do you even know about bikes?
Yeah sadly we stopped getting them a long time ago, and some of those didn't even make it here officially at all. Emission regulations mainly. Pretty much the only bike left in that 650 class is the SWM Super Dual.
Dr-650
I miss the dr350se stopped in 2000
Great reviews guys, just the bikes I'm interested in. Kawasaki for me in grey I think but I need to test ride it first. Just subscribed only just found you. Cheers Aaron
Great video guys, thank you for sharing.
Great review, well thought out and considered a lot of angles.
very useful, sound was fine for me
introducing the CRF450L. hands down winner.
Much much higher price point then these bikes reviewed
So, they suck at muddy single track, but are OK for messing around in a cow pasture, then. Upkeep and maintenance costs will be twice as costly for the BMW, remember.
Guys you are awesome but i am your subscriber from India so i got some difficulty to cope up with your speech and everything is inch perfect comparison love from India
your audio idea to separate left/right channels during 2 persons chat is not bad, but volume adjustment is wrong. Adjustment on one channel should be -6 to -10dB, but you did it -100 or so, completely muted.
Nice review thanks. Here in mexico we now have the honda XRE 300 which fits in this category, but so far I have not found any decent review of that bike.
The first few seconds of this video made me take off my headphones and blow into the left speakers.
It’s a dual sport not an enduro it also has 8000 mile service interval
Guys requesting to consider Royal Enfield Himalayan into this list...
Since the new KTM Adventure 390 just got out, maybe you guys should try it out and share your thoughts!
Lovely, well considered review. Only feedback is I’d like to hear what they sound like? A big part of whether a bike is fun to thrash is down to how it sounds in my opinion.
When you do stereo sound, can you please do it in more realistic way? It's never like in one ear you hear the person and in other you don't. When the person on left speaks it should be left speaker 100% volume, right speaker 70-80% of the volume. Or just do mono as I had to change to mono to be able to watch it anyway.
Good reviews thumbs up
I have a loud speaker and still couldn't hear. Please normalize and compress your audio before rendering out and posting your videos, guys.
Yes have one microphone sit on either side of it and whisper. Thats a GREAT idea. It is a good analysis but I just cant make out what he is mumbling about. Just a tiny bit of QA or an editor would have caught this. Please dont do this again.
Great vid & interesting. Have to say I’m from Malvern and I don’t sound like that 😆
Nathan has a bit of "Guy Martin " about his delivery I think !
Good video but I cranked the volume to the max and still missed some of the quiet discussion. Please mic closer.
Really nice. Thanks.
The audio is horrible! Mono tone and very quiet.
hmm ill stick to the Yamaha xt
Those trails would have been a blast on a WR250R.
Hi lads, it would of been a great watch if we could actually hear what you're saying, speak up or sort the sound out.
15:34 "Nanny mode" :D
If you had to choose between the V-Strom and the 310GS for some highway miles and not so light offroading (to where you took the Versys) , which would you choose? Also, where I am from, the VStrom doesn't have ABS at 3824£, while the 310GS is 382£ more epensive.
Please SPEAK UP!
Crf 250 rally la migliore fra le 4
nice review, wish you did the WR250R yamaha ??
So what would he choose as winner?...
I cannot watch this while eating, as I won't hear a thing ;-)
Nathan, Where's the trail near Worcester you spoke about during the CRF250Rally section!?!
Hey Oliver. It's a lane just out the back of Brockamin to the west of Worcester. There's a full loop mapped out on one of the trail forums, I'll try and dig it out.
Shame I can't hear what is being said. terrible audio
Don't pan the mics, please. Sounds super weird.
The KTM 390 Adv is missing.. really interesting to know how you would compare it
Not missing at all: it didn't exist when the video was made.
Some of the words they said actually sounded as if they came from the English language.
Yeah subtitles for the next video for you.
I'm not an English speaker but I can understand them very well. Just the sound a bit soft though.
i couldn't continue watching. one mic is not working and it's impossible to set volume for one of you...
I'll keep my WR250R...
Sir Fed Other category, your bike is enduro, not multipurpose.
Juan Carlos González and the honda isnt?
Carlos Leon Isnt.
So would I if I could get one n the UK :/
What is the Honda 250 L better for more off road in your opinion
Yeah look the Honda rallly definitely lacks power, but what it lacks in power I feel it makes up for in every other category,
Itchy Boots is currently riding a CRF 250 L all around South Africa. Fully loaded ridden by a nice small Dutch Woman who is probably tougher than either of you but isn't coming to the bike with jaded expectations.
2016 ktm 690 enduro r = 140 kgs. 20 kgs less than the 250 Honda. Boats of power. Why are you watching this?
geez, i didn't know that. go ktm! i like honda because it's bulletproof. if i'm going around the world, that's what i would like to have.
plz center your sound. plz . great vid, but the sound switching speakers, that's killing me :S
I sat on the 250 Honda and the rear suspension bottomed out just by sitting on it. 130kg
IMO these type of bikes are the best bikes to go green laning. Narrow, light, nimble. Who needs a 250Kg war machine with 100+ HP on gravel and rocks ? That's just stupid.
and a 10L fuel tank on the Rally
Fix the microphone plz............
Why you don’t put those bikes side by side?
Because logistically it's just a lot harder to do. All the manufacturers have to have their bikes availability at the same time (not always easy), you have to transport them to the same place, have four riders, and sometimes four bikes side to side makes it difficult to isolate the bikes. It's also a lot more expensive an operation to put together. Doing them separately just makes it that much more manageable, and I think gives a better insight into each bike.
Then the Rally will win the beauty pageant
good stuff
Great video! Audio not so good...
Thanks
What about Yamaha XT250? Will that be available in UK?
Sadly it doesn't look like it!
Jev8oy the XT is a pure dual sport bike, not claimed to be an adventure bike, i guess that's the reason why it's not on the list.
Yamaha needs to do a Tracer 03 or something like that, if it wants to have any presence at all in the adventure section under 450cc.
You can always buy a WR250F and put some plastics on it, but it's a pure trail bike with lights so maybe not the best idea and it's very expensive as it's a competition machine.
Guy on the left whispers, mumbles and talks like a Westie.
I hardly understood him even with captions turned on.
The volume is to hard to understand. stopped after 1 minute.
Where in Warwickshire and Cotswolds are these trails?
We vants motobikes see, but no man's.
Not a great review. Just a repeat of the already known virtues of each bike. It would have been better if you could be critical of each bike with their plus and minus points when compared to each other and how to address it. For example, how to deal with the soft suspension of the Suzuki (cost), getting low end power to the Kawasaki (changing sprockets), cost of spoke wheels for the BMW.
Hi guys! I"m looking for abike for my 158 cm high girlfriend, do you maybe know which bike you reviewed would fit short person best?
Nice video. But you should talk about service intervals also. I wanted a v strom 250, until i found out how often it wants service.
The crf 250 have a nice service interval, but I wont be buying one until the cam chain tensioner probs are gone.