- Joined
- Oct 12, 2009
- Messages
- 10,485
- Reaction score
- 3,336
- Location
- Cape Town
- Bike
- Triumph (all models)
I suppose I am typical of some other motorcycle racers , I started off small , in my case an MTX200R and they progressively grew larger up to the largest being an 1100 , then I started going smaller until now where I currently have a couple of 600’s . The moment of reflection for me was doing a week long trip on a 990 and never going above 110!kmh , my immediate thought was that there wasn’t really the need for me to have such a large bike and smaller might just be better . After all most of the places I travelled to on the larger bikes I also went to on the 200 and had just as much fun .
So when Ri asked if I would like to join her on the launch of the 300L I was keen to try the little bike and to see what it is about .
I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised , seating is comfortable with my 6ft oversize body fitting nicely on the bike , everything falling neatly to hand with the footpegs being far enough away that my legs weren’t feeling cramped , but also not so low that they caught anywhere . The mid section of the bike is mice and slim without the seat feeling too narrow , movngvaround on the bike is very easy .
Initial riding was 1st gearing riding around oak trees , of immediate note was the smooth and snatch free but gutsy power delivery and easy steering characteristics .
Once away from the parking area I had a chance to try a bit of full throttle , once again a smooth progressive build up of power , not enough to be fighting for traction but good solid acceleration , good enough to not lose out too much to the 450 I was following . Once off the fast stuff we had a small not too thick sand section which it handled admirably , once again not losing out to the larger bike .
Then things got interesting , faster riding gave way to 2nd gear very slow and technical riding , the 300 outdid itself , the strong bottom end power allowed it to pull strongly strongly out of the really slow corners of which there were plenty , short steep inclines were managed with ease .
The suspension action was really good , soft enough to absorb small to medium sized sharp hits , but not that soft that it was bottoming out , the bike handling rocky sections so well that it reminded me of one of my enduro bikes . But yet that same suspension that did so well in the really rough stuff handled the sand sections surprisingly well and with good stability on fast sections . The terrain we were riding in was the type where you are on the gas then on the brakes , and the brakes once again impressed , good feel at the lever without getting any fade at all . I had forgotten to switch off the rear brake ABS and I could feel it working really well , a mild pulsing through the brake pedal but never failing or being intrusive .
The original tyres are IRC are good , I had the front pushing a bit through loose stuff , but otherwise very good especially on hard pack , the rear in particular are really good . Fior those that don’t know , IRC is one of the older motorcycle tyre manufacturers and were original figment on the XR range , very good tyres .
Admittedly I didn’t get to take the bike out on the open dirt roads , but those that have done so claim that it is very good at speeds of 120 kmh .
Do I like this bike , yes , very much so , it is a genuinely easy to use rider friendly package that exceeds any expectations I had beforehand . Is it perfect , no , then again what bike is , but those imperfections are things that can be changed or adjusted out . For me , a different bend handlebar , handguards , skid plate and slightly stiffer fork and shock springs to handle my 110kg . Otherwise Honda have released a very good and underrated motorcycle that deserves to sell well .
So when Ri asked if I would like to join her on the launch of the 300L I was keen to try the little bike and to see what it is about .
I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised , seating is comfortable with my 6ft oversize body fitting nicely on the bike , everything falling neatly to hand with the footpegs being far enough away that my legs weren’t feeling cramped , but also not so low that they caught anywhere . The mid section of the bike is mice and slim without the seat feeling too narrow , movngvaround on the bike is very easy .
Initial riding was 1st gearing riding around oak trees , of immediate note was the smooth and snatch free but gutsy power delivery and easy steering characteristics .
Once away from the parking area I had a chance to try a bit of full throttle , once again a smooth progressive build up of power , not enough to be fighting for traction but good solid acceleration , good enough to not lose out too much to the 450 I was following . Once off the fast stuff we had a small not too thick sand section which it handled admirably , once again not losing out to the larger bike .
Then things got interesting , faster riding gave way to 2nd gear very slow and technical riding , the 300 outdid itself , the strong bottom end power allowed it to pull strongly strongly out of the really slow corners of which there were plenty , short steep inclines were managed with ease .
The suspension action was really good , soft enough to absorb small to medium sized sharp hits , but not that soft that it was bottoming out , the bike handling rocky sections so well that it reminded me of one of my enduro bikes . But yet that same suspension that did so well in the really rough stuff handled the sand sections surprisingly well and with good stability on fast sections . The terrain we were riding in was the type where you are on the gas then on the brakes , and the brakes once again impressed , good feel at the lever without getting any fade at all . I had forgotten to switch off the rear brake ABS and I could feel it working really well , a mild pulsing through the brake pedal but never failing or being intrusive .
The original tyres are IRC are good , I had the front pushing a bit through loose stuff , but otherwise very good especially on hard pack , the rear in particular are really good . Fior those that don’t know , IRC is one of the older motorcycle tyre manufacturers and were original figment on the XR range , very good tyres .
Admittedly I didn’t get to take the bike out on the open dirt roads , but those that have done so claim that it is very good at speeds of 120 kmh .
Do I like this bike , yes , very much so , it is a genuinely easy to use rider friendly package that exceeds any expectations I had beforehand . Is it perfect , no , then again what bike is , but those imperfections are things that can be changed or adjusted out . For me , a different bend handlebar , handguards , skid plate and slightly stiffer fork and shock springs to handle my 110kg . Otherwise Honda have released a very good and underrated motorcycle that deserves to sell well .
