Running in the Voge 300 Rally - gentle road and trail
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- Опубликовано: 29 ноя 2023
- After having the test bike over the summer I picked up my own bike a few weeks back and just starting to put some miles on the clock.
This bike will be available to ride down at Dorothy's Speed Shop in the New Year.
www.dorothysspeedshop.com
I would expect to upgrade things like wheel bearings ,drive chains & tyres on any budget priced bike ,no matter where it was built . I would just upgrade as they wore out ,just like I do on any bike I ever bought . Even good quality wheel bearings are not expensive & easy enough to replace with basic tools . As long as the engine is well put together with decent bearings ,that’s what really matters . I never change the tyres on any bike ,until they have worn out & I had my moneys worth , Back in the day the Japanese bikes came with non stick teflon specials , if we could ride on them ,we can ride on anything. Todays OEM tyres are luxury in comparison to the old days . If I was looking for a budget 300 trail come utility runabout I would definitely consider the Voge 300 rally . 👍
Britain in a hairpin corner......fantastic line amongst a great commentary from the blind motorcycle guide.....great entertainment Nathan keep up the good work 😂😂😂😂
Ha. Thanks Mark. Vision restored once static.
The world according to Nathan, love it and agree mostly with especially, "Life is too short, deal with the fallout later" Thanks for another great video.
Just love this stream of consciousness stuff whilst riding in interesting territory not dissimilar to bits of my native Peak District. In days when £15k + seems to have been accepted as "normal" for bikes it's great to see you demonstrate how much fun you can have on a budget model and given your experiences with the demo bike it seems capable of taking a bit of punishment! Thanks for a thoroughly enjoyable video.
Wonder how many of us have accepted £15k as normal. I don't.
@@chrishart8548 Me neither Chris but to watch most "main stream" reviews you'd think it was a given. Currently riding my £1150 Cagiva W12 through its fifth winter and 40,000 kilometres with me.
I’m gonna start a band called Throttle & Feet, and the first album will be England in a hairpin bend. 😅 I love your ramblings, cheers me up no end Nathan
Need a bass player :)
Another great video Nathan, a perfect explanation of what its like for a newbie looking at green laning. What we did was three mates to make a pact to all buy secondhand Himalayans and go for it. And what a lot of fun we have and are having. We've all fallen off multiple times, laughed so much and been able to get out on the bikes most weekends all through the winter. Those Voges are not much more than what we paid for the Himi's. Get three of you together, start off by all booking a test ride and get one each. Youll never look back, you wont need to join a club as you have your own little club. Stop for coffees and laugh at each others mishaps. By the way this all started for us by attending one of Nathan's days outs trail riding, its a perfect introduction to an amazing venture ahead 👍
What a delightful, joyous ride around the lanes, plenty of skill on show, absolutely love it. Bike sounds good. Thanks for taking us along for the ride Nathan, go well.
"Who cares about the price"
Exactly 💯
Not in the market for a Voge or any over new bike
But experience tells me
Buy a cheap bike and bloody ride it into the ground
3k for a 2014 crf 250l 5k on clock
Southern Spain and back
Bike has paid for itself already
Learn your bike and service/ fix it yourself
I've lost more when trading a 15k bike in after a year
Nice honest video again Nathan
Never had to run anything in always second hand😂. Damn fine looking bike.
Maybe you were about to ride into Brigadoon and it was fairy mist!
I remember running my 500 bullet in around the little lanes and coming across places I’d never imagined being there. A bike we made, shipped abroad and was resold to us by people who loved them for generations .My favourite memory was chugging along in the summer and a huge hare came under a gate and just lolloped along in front of me as the corn blew, the sun shone and the bullet chuffed happily along . Britain is amazing indeed .
Great video. I love your miser approach to biking its a refreshing change from most content available.
Appreciated. Cheers for that
UK have such beautiful scenery and villages, they are like in fairy tales.
You have not been to Russia, that's where the beauty of nature and open spaces are to ride for pleasure.
@@db_video_channel, nop, it's something else.
Coo, Nathan, that got very philosophical (in many directions).
Love the bike, it looks and seems very capable.
Thanks for showing me Stoke Rivers again, I loved the place - that church building was partly my responsibility till a few years ago, along with several others in that patch. And once upon a time Stoke (along with all the other tiny places) had shops, a school, a pub, a church-building and a Church to go into it. All the trappings of community and life, because of that remoteness- it’s a long way to Barnstaple if you’ve got to walk! Looking forward to getting my Innova Special onto a few trails.. Keep up the good work! Les
All power to you N. Nice one!
As always a great honest appraisal, you certainly make me think
As always talkin sense n givin a balanced viewpoint Nath🤙👍
Looks nice in that colour scheme
Good chat, brilliant!
Great fun informative review as always. My little bit of imput on a Triumph factory visit (I'm not a Triumph fanboy visit was a gift from my wonderful daughter) we were told by the guide not to run in there engines or even give that a thought. We looked at each other thinking he was obviously wrong and maybe stupid. He went on to explain that it is vital to run in the many components that make up your new motorcycle. This especially includes tyres,brakes and suspension. And I believe he was spot on hence the big warning when you have new tyres or brakes. My Royal Enfield scram brakes have improved massively since they have bedded in.
So my advice always let oil warm and circulate and then just take it easy for a 1000 miles. Common sense really.
Great bit of riding bud and a very good advert for that 300 👍
Very philosophical today Nathan!
Great little bike. Beautiful scenery. Excellent commentary (a bit profound at times). Thanks for posting it.
As always Nath a great video,, well done.
Thanks Del. Appreciated.
I have been watching and enjoying your videos for a number of years now. I love your championing down to earth basic riding on basic bikes. Life on a budget, which is the reality for most of us. Just a quick aside about the landscape you ride through. I know the area around Saunton and Ilfracombe well from countless childhood holidays. Don't just think of the churches as places of worship. Post 1066 when most began to take on the form we see today they were often the only stone building in the settlement and were used as winter storage for the Autumn harvest. The Harvest Festival had a real meaning then. When you look at the towers on the churches and see what look like lines of tiles or slates around them halfway up, or more they mark points where construction stopped until new funding became available. I could go on.... Anyway thank you again for the brilliant and very honest content you produce. I ride a Chinese, assembled in Indonesia VIAR CrossX 150. I bought it in 2018. After some 45 years of road riding it opened up a whole new world, and taught me new skills. Keep up the good work. 👍
Thanks Stephen. Definitely an interesting subject the old churches. You should come down for a ride and we can do a tour of a few and you can give a bit of insight. Genuine suggestion for the spring
@@nathanthepostman I would love to take you up on that offer but sadly these days I am an ex-pat living in Indonesia...... May be in another life 😅
Haha. In the next life it is!@@stephencartwright5046
Nice to see some of rural Devon, you see plenty of these types of lanes and small hamlets throughout Cornwall, and it is fascinating to think about the history of them and the buildings you find. Love these kinds of videos, makes me want to get out and about, but perhaps not today looking out the window at a couple of inches of snow down here in South East Cornwall.
Good looking bike in the silver and black
Seems like fair tool to me, nice machine.
Great video ,I hope to do more lanes this winter as you said we need to get out and weather the storms and just ride the trails hope to see you on Lejog in June
Hi Nathan
Bought one after watching your adventures on the loaner you had and I’m very happy with it.
Had a Himi scram that I traded in as I found it a bit heavy for the green lanes and trails at ABR festival.
Great review and like you said bike is well worth the money.
Keep the reviews coming on the Voge please and any after market/upgrades you do.
Ride safe pal.
Gave up on MCN long ago. Value for money out of the box, just like the Mk1 Himmy. Wheres my pies?
I often wonder about the churches in remote areas. My reasoning is that the people around when they where built would or could not cover long distance without trekking for days, most of the land was farming which would have required labourers and other trades and manual workers to sustain and the increased population locally likely made building of churches and pubs/coach houses a necessity. Maybe as well as being places for travellers to rest on long journeys. If there was a localish dealer to me I would definitely be look at getting a Voge.
Your comment on the TRF was 100% spot on. I joined when out with them. Was made to feel like a bother! Even had an off and basically was just left to sort myself out. Great videos pal keep it up 👍
Lovely bike ! I also agree with your thoughts on running in, I’ve always applied my own common sense and never had a problem. Manufacturers can often be over zealous and so varied with their instruction.
I have an initial easier going period, an early oil change, then I build it up from there and get stuck in 😉.
There's definitely something about the leaves this year. I reckon the late arrival of autumn has brought a sudden dumping of tonnes of leaves. Really covers up the big holes on the trails don't they! The Voge looks to be very good on those sloppy rutted lanes. Liked the bit where you suddenly found yourself crossing the middle, on a slippery bit and just powered smoothly out with a customary, "Woooooooah!" 😅
I agree with you about starting with a small bike. I'm now in my late 60s and considering downsiding a bit in the future. I love my BMW K75 for touring on. But it is a bit heavy for me to off-road it.
I lived in Mablethorpe on the east coast of Lincolnshire when I was 19. They used to say that when they were building the roads they changed direction each time the wind changed! They were great fun to ride on.
Good to see your realistic approach to road-testing a bike. When a machine costs about half the amount of a competitor you can forgive it having a few foibles.
“it’s like rush hour”! Love watching the Devonshire countryside, as I sit in East London. I need to move out of the city in 24.
The Voge is a lovely bike, I wish I’d ridden your demo more in the Alps. Felt strong to ride and has a good sound to it. My Crf250L was £3199 interest free over 36 months. In January 2014. I spent £350 buying the Adventure Spec IMS 12ltr tank, metal sump guard, side case protection plates, wrap around bar protection for the digital instruments. Add in the new Hagon suspension, £350. Which I wish I’d done years ago. It has become my favourite bike.
On a recent round trip to Morocco, it proved to be the right bike. Ok, on the long ride across Spain, 65 to 75mph made the 350 mile days drag. But the faster T7 generated so much power, the risk of chewing up their tyres. Restricted their speed too.
Certainly as amateur off road riders, I got away with more mistakes on the Crf. Then those on a biker bike.
If I was in the market now for a bike, I’d go for a Voge 300 Rally. Run it in, spend some money on changing tyres and bits and be a very happy rider. With money in the bank to go away next spring/summer.
More Devon lanes please.
Get yourself down here Dave
Really enjoyed that Nathan, £3800 really gave you a workout 😃👍🏻
Great video as always. If the blurry eye sight is a new thing your eyes are probably cold and getting really dry. Try some moisturizing eye drops. Thanks for all your hard work 😁🙏
Another great, honest and concise review, of an interesting bike.
Once again, you've proved, that a 'more affordable' bike, is perfectly capable, of doing what the 'main' manufacturers bikes can do.....
Yes, these bikes have a few issues etc. but, all bikes have issues! (CRF rear shock?!)
If like me, you cannot warrant the cost of a (for example), CRF as a weekend toy,
the Voge is an ideal alternative.
I'm not in the market for one TBH, I've got a Himalayan and a KTM 790 Adventure already,
but I do like the Voge 300 Rally.
M&P Cardiff, are now Voge dealers, and I've looked at the 300 Rally in the metal, very nice 😊
As I said, not in the market for one and waaaay to tall for me! (So is the CRF!)
but still an awesome bike for the money IMO.
Top job Nathan, keep the videos coming, I really enjoy your honest, basic and straight talking videos.
Grumps.
Honda buys big one and two page ads in MCN, just sayin’🤨😉😁. If it lost £2k over 3 years, that’s still less than £700 per year, and less than a CRF 300 Rally I would say.
Yup, all about the money. Of course they won't disparage the Honda, Honda is literally paying them lol
Looks a lot more attractive than the CRF Rally. Nick
Just read mcn review dam he was harsh great vid enjoyed them lanes🎉
I bought my Voge rally this summer and I have enjoyed every minute in the saddle, for the money this bike is really great...the mcn test was far to harsh and made little sense to me !
Enjoy the bike Nathan !
Hello Nathan ,i rode one of these at a Royal Enfield day in Warrington ,couldn't believe how willing the motor was ,i must admit i caned it a bit down a country lane but what a fun bike this really is for just under £4000 ,cannot go wrong .Chris
New to the channel and really enjoy your no nonsense bike commentary, whilst riding some great British green lanes.
Got into green laning in the last couple of years. Thing I find hardest is riding ruts. Would love to hear your advice in a future video.
Thanks Bandit. Will see if I can do something on ruts going forward. For now, I'd say, if in doubt, sit down and paddle. Many a rut, has a collar bone broken!
I can feel a new book in the making here..."Zen and the Art of Greenlaning" I bought a Voge about 800 miles ago and it is immense fun. I'm a Born Again biker in my sixties and this bike suits perfectly my "bimble along" approach to greenlaning. Ride sensibly and the tyres work well on the road, wet or dry. Off road, I think they are fine, within my limited experience. I have tried some of the easier TET sections near me in Manchester and joining the TRF gives one access to their Green lane map. I believe the lanes owe their curves to the days of horse and plough, when they needed a wide turning circle to turn the outfit around at the end of the field. The hedgerows then grew and the lanes developed between them. I think some may say that China is the World's workshop, and that eventually they will make everything...In the meantime, the Voge looks like a winner. The MCN review is ... unfortunate. Also Ali Express is certainly worth a look for accessories. I hope your eyes are going to be ok though, contact lens might be worth a look....Cheers.
Well mine has covered 800 miles now and its 1st oil change at 500 miles.had it done at main dealer because the engine light came on,was told it was a temp sensor of some sort,They cancelled it and said it was a glitch ?.Anyway its back the light that is so booked in for a new sensor.Even so i love the bones of the thing it is so honest,Tried the CRF for an extended test ride and almost took it back before i had left the car park,would have the voge over the Honda all day long.Just my opinion.Great vid as always and your vlogs are one of the reasons i bought it.Keep up the great work.
Speedway Motorcycles in Cannock are doing a 5 year, Unlimited mileage warranty on these at the moment. Im off to have a look at one. Great review 👏 👌 👍
Proper review 👌
thanks Codger
I had a look round a new Voge 300 yesterday. I was really impressed by the look of it. Easily looks as good as the crf. The quality looks far better than the original chinese bikes from a few years ago. Im finding it very hard to justify an extra £2500 for a crf or Himalayan. Im thinking dropping this on a trail will be less painful than a £6500 bike.
Thank you, Nathan, as always for your straightforward no nonsense reviews. Youve really thrown a spanner in the works of me choosing my next bike. 😅
I'm looking forward to your opinion of the new Himalayan. I keep looking at some quite fancy bikes but I'm starting to think who am I kidding, I'll do better on a smaller more basic bike.
Regards tires. I am on my 3rd pair on the voge. I changed the timsun with easy 50% left just to get more trail focus. Sadly, the Michelin Tracker were recommended to me several times for my kind of riding. Cheap dual sport tire, but man they were awful on road. Good on the trail, but getting to that was no fun and safe. Changed them after only 500km. Don't know why this tire is street legal, the voge couldn't hold his line, it wandered all over the road. But now on Mitas MC-23 Rockrider in 90/90-21 & 120/90-18. Absolutely brilliant tire for this bike. Works as well as the timsun onroad, in wet even better, but miles better on the trail.
21:13 ‘Britain in a hairpin bend’ epitomises my experience of owning the 411 Himalayan… I’ve experienced more backroads and history of my backyard here in Yorkshire than I ever realised existed 👍
Hi Nathan i think it's a lovely looking bike and people need to get there heads out of there backsides and look at the bike not the name. I would 100% buy one if my wife would let me have a second bike, enjoy your weekend all the best 👍👍
“Wife would let me” be a man for once!
@@qualifierone8899 🤣🤣🤣🤣
As ever just honest intelligent experienced commentary. What’s it worth in three years time … I think most bike never go below 1k so it’s cheap and affordable biking for those three years. I lost 4K on a BMW RT 1200 and that taught me a lesson … keep em coming
Thanks nev. Yes always a bit gauling when you lose your leg on a bike. That Morini I bought must have lost £3k in under two years and it does make you sweat a bit. Some great second hand stuff out there at the minute which must be at the bottom of its depreciation curve
Great vid Nathan, I have been to look at one, not to buy just to look. For the price it's brilliant. Lets face it people pay 2.5k for and electric bicycle.
Best advice I've heard all year... "just get on it and ride the bloody thing". 😂
Great bike & lane riding review, mixed with a discussion about 'life'. Just back from a four year RTW overland trip, I agree, the UK is a hell of a place, we must value and protect our culture - we're not as evil as the MSM tell us, not by a long chalk! Eyesight.....Diabetes 2, no more fizzy sugar drinks, use sweetners, real food, your Doc will stick you on Metformin. Twisty lanes follow field boundaries from 'them' days!
Cheers riddell. Yeah I'm actually married to a vegan nutritionist so my diet is pretty good to be fair. Maybe I need more fizzy drinks and more t bone steaks! Sounds a great trip you had by the way. Sometime to spend on the road
Try carnivore for three months, just for a basic reset of your system.. loads of info on YT
I just happened upon this video, really enjoyed it, and have subscribed. great how you chat along while riding, talking good sense about a great value bike, and I am sure many, many riders will have more fun and good times on the Voge than many a GS owner.
Thanks Greg. Welcome to the channel.
You should be compulsory tuition for any potential road rider looking to ride green lanes Nathan!👍
You get a rack, handgaurds and engine bars for the price. I would not usually consider a bike from China but most companies get parts made there now anyway. It will be interesting to see how you get on long term. You could right the value of this bike of if you drop your GS a couple of times. Make sense for off road.
I took a crf 300 rally for a test run and wasn't impressed the bike looked cheap along with the frame, ugly back end the tail light unit not too keen on looks...very over priced too, I saw the Voge 300 rally loved the general style of the bike very nice solid built bike better frame lovely tail tidy as standard along with engine bars hand grip protectors and the ABS functions.... I took the bike for a test run and loved the ride very comfortable great suspension loved the pops from the exhaust pipe.... Anyway l bought mine from Bolton kawasaki they even delivered it to my home here in Blackpool for the price of four pints... The bike is a bargain £3,799 on the road l love the bike great to ride makes me smile... MSN are idiots for there negative comments, l prefer the Voge to the crf any day as stated not nice to look at cheap build quality and nearly 3 grand more than mine you have to be stupid to buy a honda crf l have also been informed that Honda don't even build their own bikes now.! ..... Test ride a voge 300 rally you won't be disappointed... 😊
I also highly recommend Bolton kawasaki bikes a great family run firm...
The 300 Rally handbook has several obvious mistakes in it like for the chain tension and I’m sure that the running in speeds is yet another of those. I’ve run in a lot of new vehicles over the years and I set out to run in my Voge just like the others. I set off from the dealers thinking that I would use 4000 rpm as my maximum but soon discovered that was unrealistic as in 4th, 5th and 6th gears, the ones used most of the time on the route I took the engine simply laboured which is as bad for running in as over revving. It seemed happy to pull those gears above 4000rpm so I used between 4-4800 most of the time. As the bike got a few miles under its wheels I could feel the engine become more tractable so upshifts were possible a couple of hundred rpm less. If I had followed Vogel’s odd speed limits I would never have got out of third gear. I’m just approaching 500km on the bike now and I’m going to change the oil. I’m taking it to the dealer for its 1000km check and first official oil change but for the effort and cost for doing an extra DIY change half way it will give me peace of mind. I’ve not had the bike that long but I’ve still not come across anything that makes me wish I’d not bought it. It’s a fantastic little bike for my needs and at that price I’m laughing every minute.
I thought your comment about the rural villages summing up Britain as a bit bizarre. I’ve spent the afternoon enjoying the back lanes of the Charente Limousine in France. The scenery is so similar and here too you find villages built of local stone in the middle of nowhere. About the only difference is you’re riding in the wrong rut.
I've done a fair bit of rural riding in France this year and I get that it's similar. But I do think england is different to it. And it's only my opinion
I'd be curious how this compares with the KLX 300 since they share the same power plant.
Get on the bike and just bloody ride it. Thats right Nathan, the best advice. Really enjoy your down to earth common sense content.
One time you said you might consider taking on Voge and selling them. Any news in that direction? Bike seems a great fun little machine.
Cheers.
Discussions reached a dead end. Maybe down the line but I think for now they prefer a more traditional approach to retail
That's the natural corporate response I suppose. Bit of a shame really as we could do with more honest enthusiasts as dealers.
That would be my take as well@@phillipchandler8862
I think we could have guesssed the outcome of MCN’s comparison review!
Some good introspection while a riding those lovely lanes. How do the Chinese do it …. Much like we did back in the day, exploit the aspiration …… little left in this country now. Seems a good pair of wheels for the price shame it’s a bit tall
It would be interesting to see what problems or adjustments you are doing to this bike.
I have just covered 300 miles on my one, but not all good going,
Are you keeping the warranty up to speed? or making good yourself?
Great videos, liking all of them, it's you that made me buy one!!
Know the last lane well, part of tarka trail
I'm running mine in at the mo & whilst I'm certainly riding with mechanical sympathy, it's impossible to ride it in the way MotoGB recommended (almost dangerous!). I read an article some time back where two identical bike were worn in in different ways! One as per manuf instructions & the other ridden like it was stolen. Each engine was stripped at 1k miles to see the difference (wear etc) & do you know what? They were identical. Change the oil & filter early & regularly, with good quality stuff, ride sympathetically & I think that's perfect.
Let's face it, nobody runs brand new cars in!
very philosophical Nathan, a bit of foreign policy on the day Henry Kissinger passed away!
Ha. You're just trying to butter me up for a low offer on a nearly new Voge.
Nathan, trails around here are so beginner friendly, when you coming to ride them?
For a novice trail rider - or maybe an experienced one- who could only afford one bike but seeks reliability and affordable maintenance, would you recommend the Honda CT125 - if you could even get one in Europe that is?
Hi Nathan, advice please, at age of 60, only been riding 2 years and want to try some green lanes etc, nothing too harsh as I have no experience off road. I totally get the light bike point, so what would you recommend for me? I loved the Voge 300 when I saw it at NEC last week, great looking and right price, but are there other budget options you would recommend?
Hi Stephen. Not too many options new, although if you're of a certain age and a certain limit to your off road experience you might want to look at a 125 or 250 scrambler. Something from herald or the like. They'd be more than dynamically capable and are fairly low seat heights, and light weight. Another option is a second hand Honda xr125l. Very light and easy to ride. Uses the old cg125 engine. Slow but bullet proof. I have one and it's very capable
Any thought on the CFMoto 450MT ? Could be the best of both worlds. Capable trail bike and good for distance again at a reasonable price from our friends in China
Yes very keen to try one. Looks like it could be a big hit
@@nathanthepostman would be very interested to hear your thoughts on it when it’s available. My old 89 Honda Baja XLR250 is looking for a new stablemate …….with an electric start😂
Is it that the Chinese have identified that bikes were once a working man's wheels. And there wasn't a lot of money?
In these hard times, money talks, louder than ever. You can buy this and only lease or borrow orher bikes for a similiar outlay.
Good review and chat on the hoof.
Ride safe.
Cheers tenere. I think much of it is down to the importer and where they decide to pitch it. Moto gb obviously understood a new brand with no pedigree needs a low price in order to get bums on seats. I suspect much like the car industry with brands like Kia and Hyundai, the prices and quality will soon rise to levels we expect from the mainstream brands. I guess the aspiration always to sell at mainstream prices rather than keep them low and cheap.
What are the vibrations like at 50mph+? I'm really struggling with the bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz of my G310GS. I tickles and tingles way too much.
They're not bad. Possibly worse than the 310 gs. Have you tried a Himalayan?
Yup. Did the RE experience with you last year and loved the himmy so interested in the new one. @@nathanthepostman
I bet the countryside there is beautiful if you can see it. Can't stand the claustrophobic rat run lanes, never noticed it when I lived in England. Now I live in a smaller country but all the roads around the villages are open with views across the fields and countryside.
For what you pay, you could almost treat it as a used bike bought privately, clearly you have the warranty for out the crate faults but these generally show up before the first service, after that service it yourself. I'm saying this as some have compared the cost of the Voge against the Honda crf300 and said that over time the difference in price is smaller than you think due to differences in service costs and intervals.
I'm torn between a voge 300 or one of the last 4k new himalayan 411's ; main use B roads and some light trial work
I'd go for cheap new Himalayan for that sort of usage.
@@nathanthepostman thanks I know you know both bikes well so really helps
Hi Nathan, have the 250 rally with some mods (550 performance ECU, lighter quiet exhaust, etc), have seen the Voge at the bike show and tempted to buy only my second new bike, but is it enough of an improvement to warrant the outlay. I know you have had both and value your opinion. Ordered my books btw! Christmas present to me from me!
Ta
Hi everything and anything. No not worth spending the money to change, not if you've got a well sorted CRF. You wouldn't be upgrading, just getting a similar thing newer
@@nathanthepostman
Thanks Nathan, appreciated, met you at the bike show a few years ago when you had your accident! Love the videos btw, too many concentrate on big bikes unsuited to my ability and intended use, small and light is the way to go! Have a great weekend!
No worries at all. Yeah that was a bit of a disaster that show, crashing on the ride in!@@everythingandanything6405
Dear nathanthepostman, I currently ride a DRZ400 for 4.5 years. Before that you rode enduro motorcycles for 12 years. This motorcycle arrived in ISRAEL and its marketing began here. I would love To hear your opinion after a few months of riding. It will be used for me in the dirt and on the road in order to reach the dirt . I would love to hear how the general feeling, its behavior in the off road riding as you ride in beautiful Britain. Is the weight noticeable when riding, engine reactions, standing position, etc. a big thanks!!
Hi there, I tested this bike today and here are my brief thoughts :
"Comments after Essais/Test ride :
Front brake pretty-much non existent, back brake good;
Taller than I remembered;
VERY short gearing, leading to 60 kph at 6000 rpm 6th gear;
Vibey, like riding a 125cc;
Good handling/cornering on-road; didn’t test off-road;
Not for me."
mate of mine is getting rid of his ktm 390 adv because of the way the bike puts his weight over the front of it, hes planning on getting the voge as its so much bike for the money, im sure he will be kind enough to let me have a razz round on it as well, should be interesting.
Didn’t your first bike have an engine problem towards the end of your ownership with it? I might be wrong though.
Did break down, turned out to be a loose plug cap , Doh!
I for one really like the simple non pretentious looks of this bike. However, I think that for a 300cc, it's still about 20 kilos too heavy and that it should have a tall 6th gear. Otoh, is there a perfect bike? So many questions, so little time to ride...
i just want to see an R version - slightly better spec, bigger diameter forks and shock that adjust - gimme
Or you could buy one and upgrade it when you feel you're out riding it?
@@2Thumbs0402 I would out ride it immediately, I currently ride an exc500 but want something like this for getting about and much longer rides than my current 120 - 150 mile days
I expect VSS or someone will make replacements soon enough like they did with crf
Could the rear wheel bearings on the demo failed through over enthusiastic cleaning with a power washer.
It never got washed to be honest, so not that. Death by a thousand hairpin corners in the Alps maybe?
Imo this is the sort of cost cutting they do on silly stuff like bearings
@@volt8684 Nortons did similar cost cuttings on bearings in the seventies. The failure rate on Commando gearbox layshaft bearings was well known. All manufacturers to some extent build vehicles to the lowest price possible. Penny here a penny there all adds up to a potentially higher profit margin.
@@volt8684 to add context, one of the ct125s needs rear bearings and that's only got 2000 miles on it. So I think they're all fitting the cheapest stuff they can
Wheel bearings can be destroyed by over tightening the axle nut.
Paint it a horrible colour & stick some Triumph badges on it & MCN will give it a 5 star rating.
Mcn are sponsered, they do not want to upset the big 4 especially, the paper sales are down massively compared to a few years ago so sponsers pay for wages, tests and jolly's, rather watch and listen to real world riders who have put miles on them.
How did you become a tour guide Nathan? You obviously don't make a living from book writing as I remember that one and only book you done around the states, let's not talk about that.
The Chinese bike market is moving in leaps. The MCN journo sounds like he had a bit of snobbery towards the Voge, I've never heard of the brand to be honest. It has done really well in those green lanes that you have ridden. I'm impressed, especially for the price.
As for green laning in the U.K., you are fortunate as Scotland and Ireland it is non existent.
Seen as you have lived in Australia previously and that's one of the countries were back country riding is at its best, would you ever return? It's so easy to watch Adam Riemann videos and think, I can do that, but that's years of off road racing and extreme venture riding.
Ha. no I don't sell many books these days and that was my second. Tour operating I started 7 years ago and have taken people all over the world on two wheels, even Ireland. Might see you over there in May.
And yeah riemans videos are brilliant. Great rider!
I live in Donegal and Scotland. Don't miss the Rosses area of Donegal as most bike tours do. I did think about Vespa tours here in Donegal, but don't think the market is there and a big outly would be required.
Have you done the whole Wild Atlantic Way, it's an awesome ride. Longest named coastal route in the world. ☘
3 years, I recon it will be worth about 2 grand with 10k on the clocks. Always a difficult one. Honda will lose the same. Twice as much servicing on the Vogue. Get a Voge, do your own servicing, Bobs ya uncle. Get a year old Honda and save a few quid as an alternative.
What do I know😂
Plenty of himalayan for £2k in good nick 2018 model
Now Honda crfl suspension not the best mcn shill city
Voge obviously haven't paid for the MCN testers to a good jolly abroad and loads of goodies, been going on with them for as long as I can remember, certain makes bikes come out on top whatever they test against and it has no relevance to the reality of the machines and everything to do with "other things"
I have just read the M.C.N review, in the main part of the review the "journalist" uses " incredibly" 10 times mostly to berate the quality of the machine. I have watched plenty of reviews and whilst allowances have to be made in relation to cost they are few. Own a KLX250 and Rally 250, klx250 engine is less refined than the Honda but I find it more engaging to ride and I imagine the 300 used in the Voge to be very similar. As for the Honda the rear shock is appalling although for a new rider is very forgiving, the front suspension is also lacking but not to the extent of the rear unit. I looked at the Voge at Motorcycle live and came away impressed with what was on offer, must admit to being somewhat bewildered by the criticism expressed by M.C.N. . If you read the owners reviews in the article they expose the bias I think M.C.N has shown in publishing such a poorly researched and written review. I stopped reading that particular paper years ago as it only seems to concentrate positively with the latest and greatest big bore machines that have no interest to me (been there, done that). Would I buy one? Yes.
Put an " expert " on a low budget bike is he going to be realistic with his review ?
what's up with your eyeballs?
Dunno. Doc said keep an eye on it
@@nathanthepostman look into retinal migraine, no pun intended
Welcome to the latest disposable commodity. Get it cheap, ride it like you stole it, and just get rid for cheap, who cares. British bikes back it the day were made to last a lifetime, with top quality steel and aluminium, phosphor bronze bushes etc.. Look at the BSA/Triumph workshop manuals of the fifties - decoking, valve grinding, maintenance items, some at huge mileage intervals. We had absolutely zero chance competing with mass produced bikes made out of botttle tops, after the war when we were on our arse financially (combined with some crap management of course). We may not mass produce bikes in the UK, but our engineers designed the Himalayan, That is just one example.
Yeah no doubt. CCM, Langen and no doubt many more small firms show that we have the engineering expertise. But the manufacturing we've so sorely lost.
@@nathanthepostman postscript - just recently I worked for an engineering company making modular steel buildings for a site in Kazakhstan, the client (lets just say european) totally banned the use of ANY steel from the country that makes your bike.
Well. I'm happy to have you and the pro Chinese commentators on here argue it out because I don't care either way to be honest