New Guy, New Trails - Honda CRF250L, Husqvarna 701, BMW F650GS
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
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It was the end of June during the first summer of COVID, remember when we thought it would be over in a few months..... Four of us headed out to scout some new trails. Marc had left his big bike at home and was on his CRF250L Honda, Frédéric on another Honda 250L, Riley on the Husqvarna 701 and new guy Kevin on the venerable F650GS, the single not the twin. Marc wanted to scope out some Hydro lines he had seen to check for a potential new riding area. We did the Scotch road as a warm up and to let newbie Kevin get a taste of the dirt. We got to the Hydro line and after a promising start the trail just petered out. Fred's brand new Sena intercom died. We headed to Fort Ouest a paintball facility that is right near the entrance to some good riding. Marc somehow fell off the trail and bent his shifter maybe his long hair got in the way. Kevin had a few spills. The limited ground clearance of the BMW and a failed rear shock made Kevin work a little harder. It all ended well on a terrasse with a round of cold beers.
That 16-year-old 650 took me across Canada last summer and up into Yukon, including as much of The Dempster as Covid would allow me. It's a great little ADV bike but not so good for trails. I'm looking to get a T7 soon or a second, smaller bike, and would love to ride with these guys again. My skills speak for themselves. Thanks, Riley, for capturing the fun, and the boys for their patience and pushing.
From it's driving carackteristics the t7 remindet me very much of the f650gs. the f650gs was my first bike and it was greate.
@@nel2834 Marc now has a T7 and loves it. He also got a haircut.
You handled the 650 well! Hope to see you on future videos!
I had an F650 GS Dakar and man it was comfortable, powerful (compared to my friends old KLR) and remarkably capable on a nice wide trail. It was a real bear when things got right though. I hated that bike but I miss it a lot and had some very good times on it.
@@moliver000 The killer with those BMWs was the price. I remember here in Montreal that the F650s were expensive. Like double KLR money.
During watching this video it more than usually reminded me your old F800, short Henryk with ever nonstarting mighty DR, Chris and loved HP2 all of you pushing heavy bikes through... It feels like nostalgy after so many years... I trully miss that...
Yes it was a great time. Something about those early days when we knew nothing and every little ride was a big adventure.
Mark needs a show of his own. Two actually. One for the funky ikea style tools.
And one for the riding
Much love Mark !!
Plus he has cadaver parts in his knee which is cool!
Thanks Riley, another Oscar worthy bit of cine. 🏍🇨🇦
You hair was the star!
I like how the wheels squeeled at 15:20
Always entertaining seeing you guys out on a ride!
ABS was acting up and had to go manual.
My F650 GS Dakar was stolen last year. It was my first ever dual sport / adventure bike. I fell in love with off road riding and I am still on the hunt for my next adv bike. I'm honestly relived to see that it really was a huge pig of a bike, and it's not just me being a terrible rider. Had a lot of fun on that bike in the Canadian Rockies
That sucks. Really want to get out west and ride one year.
Awesome what Kevin made with this Bike and on these Tires! I would not have made it 😄 Great Video and I love to see how Riding brings different People together
Yup. Kevin definitely hung in there and never complained. Even knows how to play the bagpipes!
Guys I love your videos. Great source of inspiration and because you are normal guys doing normal and fun staff with mistakes and laugh allover .....Thank you
Thanks Eliseo. Lots of channels out there where people know how to ride! We bring the alternative.
Feels like Im waiting in line at a rock concert,...and Im near the front!!
Down in front!!
@@AwesomePlayers Im too excited!!
Great to have you back on the bikes. Will watch this when I get home from work tonight. Cheers Mark
Enjoy!
Thanks again Riley & Co. for posting a great video! Much appreciated!🙏🏻
Best wishes from Finland!
Thanks Ebonic. 6 more weeks of winter apparently here and we can get back out there!
I rode a bmw f650gs for 3 years and sold it to go for a f800gs. 5 Gear single on a highway is not the greatest. 6 gears twin is so much better on the highway on long trips, handling feels almost the same but it's 88cm sadle hight in stead of 75cm standard for the 650. Also 85 hp for the 800 and 50 for the 650 with about the same weight. 21 inch at the front in stead of 19. The 650 is more offroad orientated. Tons of power from the single at low speeds and very controllable.
With tourance road tires I did offroad courses with the 650. Learning riding standing up through soft sand and playing in a soaking wet forest with small hills with abs on. It's heavy but once you get a feel of the bike standing on the footpegs, it can do almost anything. It's an offroad toy and very good at curvy medium speed roads. I rode it from the Netherlands to Austria, Switserland and Italy. A week long of famous mountain roads like the stelvio pass and it excelled there. It's so much fun to ride a 650 on these kind of roads. The 800km to and back from Austria on the highway sucked big time. It's not made for this. In 11 days I rode 3750km. Have to mention that I bought a aftermarket saddle because the standard one was a piece of crap.
I was wondering why it was riding so low in the video. So the aftermarket rear shock collapsed early on because it was not properly installed and leaking before the video started? It seemed lowered from the start.
And the rider needs some tips. If the rear breaks out, don't go of the gas, sit down and put a leg out. Keep standing on the pegs and a little extra gas to look for grip. Standing on the pegs lowers the center of gravity of the bike. Sitting on it your center of gravity is on the saddle. Standing up makes it much more controllable and you just use your body weight to balance. Try this on a paved road standing up and put all your weight on the left peg. Lift up right and the bike wants to go left without steering because of your body weight. Get a feel for the balance and it will help a lot offroading and give more feeling what the bike does onroad.
Sorry for the long story guys. I liked the video btw. Subscribed!
Those F650s are certainly solid but I think now there are just a lot more choices even on the used market. Everyone I know that had one has sold it.
Great ride video again fellas!
It’s hard to beat those lil 250’s on trails like that. I have a KLX 300 dual sport that I want to get ready for trails later this year.
They are little jack of all trades but it has some limitations on the highway getting to and back from the trail.
@@FredCharlebois For sure! My 300 struggles to get me to work on the freeway. On a trail though, so light and nimble. Makes my KLR and Pan America look like tanks.
Glad to see Honda 250s are representing with the Players. They made a Dakar version of the F650gs with a 21 inch front tire, and more ground clearance. Great video Riley!
We also had an X-Challenge riding with us for a while. Same suspension as the HP2 but with the Rotax single.
I had the Dakar version. It was taller, yes. But still extremely heavy and somehow never seemed like I could never get any traction....
Fun to watch, great format 🖖
Thanks.
Thanks for the video, I was waiting for a long time for it :). Please make more.
More to come!
@@AwesomePlayers Well, where are they? :)
@@Lechu86 Working on one right now!
@@AwesomePlayers It would be nice to get something this year, I really miss videos from you guys.
you guys need a mainstream TV show
Season one would be good then like all reality TV it would go downhill fast.
I have the same F650GS as Kevin.
TFX Suspension in Holland built a bespoke rear shock for me that helps with the ground clearance. Together with the new Marziocchi front forks my center stand is one inch too short. Did not help with the weight though.
People spend money on motor when suspension is where they should put the dollars for sure.
@@AwesomePlayers who says we cannot have multiple tools in our riding belts.
I have a hankering for a more off-road capable motorbike, but I have enough room to retain my first love (second actually but nevertheless.)
@@fredmeier3515 multiple bikes if possible is always the best
Woohoo! Can’t wait 🏍🇨🇦
Hey! How did you hear about this? Supposed to be secret!
Hello from Australia
Say hi to Nerb1 for me!
the gear and clothes alle look new. when i am on my bike everything looks a bit worn espacially my old ´99 husky 410
Nothing too new. Must be the magic of Tide!
Looks like like a greatly area to ride. Are trail permits required?
On that trail system you do need a pass.
www.fqmhr.qc.ca/en/Index.php
A few questions. Do you have more details and review of that CRF Rally kit? Does Fred think it was worth it? Do you host rides or post GPS files? Might be worth a visit this summer.
I will ask Fred to chime in here.
Here is the word from Fred himself.
I’ve got the bike with the kit already installed by the previous owner, so I can’t advise you about the installation. The kit was bought from a guy in Quebec Patrick Trahan who did the Dakar back in the day when it was still in northern Africa, I think he still makes them. You can hit him up on his website (crf250lrally.com/index.html). In regards to the construction and fit, it’s built like a tank all aluminum and welded, it’s built in two parts one fixed to the front of the bike frame and one adjustable where I mount the GPS and other accessories. Adjustments are basic but sufficient, and since it’s all aluminum you can add holes as required easily. The kit comes with new side panels in fiberglass but I had to remove them and revert back to the stock one because I installed a 12 litre Acerbis fuel tank, the stock tank is just too small for remote trail riding. The fit is pretty good. Handle bars can't move all the way to the stop bump on the frame with the navigation tower and the handguards. Wiring relocation is a bit finicky but I’ve been through a lot with no issue. As for after-sale service, I broke the windshield once (see future endeavours on this channel) and was able to get a replacement from Patrick Trahan at a fair price, since it was made to order parts.
Sorry about the delay on my answer, I've been trying to post it but RUclips kept removing the comment.
@@FredCharlebois wind protection on highway ok or buffeting?
@@tdeloriea On highway the wind is hitting me on my helmet but no buffeting witch is all I want. I'd rather not hit the windshield when I'm on the trail and things get nasty than a little bit more wind on highway. I'm 5'8" / 173cm
What are your impressions on the crf? Thinking of getting the 300rally and i would like your opinion
Good solid machine. Not too much power and as heavy as a 690 . Great starter bike. Lots of aftermarket support. Honda reliable. I know quite a few people who have them and they like them.
I think that F650gs is lighter than F800gs. I'm pretty sure about that, I have owned both bikes. 650 is at least 7 kg lighter than 800.
The published stats are all over the place. Only a few places actually weigh them. But they are certainly close and the F800 is a much larger bike in every dimension. Those 650's are a dense piece of metal!
Fantastic video again guys! Love it.
Just out of curiosity, the rear shock on the F650, what make is it?
It was Stadium Suspension here in Montreal Great place. It was a bit of a custom setup and they worked with Kevin to get it all sorted and he has done tens of thousands of trouble free KMs since.
@Awesome Players ah cool! That's brilliant news! I was looking at the remote reservoir wondering what make it was! Thank you 👍
My street bike has way more ground clearance . By street I mean multi purpose Versys 650 :)
Never tried the Versys but heard good things. My friend had the X-Challenge from BMW with the same Rotax as the F650 and it was a decent off-roader with lots of clearance. If you are just doing gravel I guess you don't need too much room under there.
that is one (but a main) reason for me to aspire to live in canda: you have awsome nature and a LEGAL trail network. in germany there is basicly no dirt bike riding expect for some (boring) mx tracks but that is as we all now of course something else, mx tracks is a thing for it´s own. but there is no offroadculture or possibilities here in germany. just agricultural woods and fields. basicly no legal offroading what so ever. you can of course drive a bit here and there but nothing camparable to a legal network like you have.
Lots of room here. The last few years during COVID we did some remote camping. Amazing places. Just camp near a river or lake, nobody around. Have a fire or do whatever you want. Can’t wait to get back out there this spring.
My X-R650 would like it
I'm sure it would. It would be great if Honda came out with a modern 650.
@@AwesomePlayers prayers for fuel injection
@@mikeogden5256 I know some people love carbs but I can say that since we all went to injection life is much better. Not too may carbs can go 200,000 kms without issue and most fuel injection systems are working fine as the vehicle goes to the crusher.
GO PALYERS! what's up with Henrik? and the tall guy, forgot his name?
Henrik bought a boat.. and then another boat. Chris should be back this season.
@@AwesomePlayers yes, Chris on his HP, happy for him, sad without Henrik.. all best to all of you from Serbia
Oooooohyeah, i'm exited as fu..
…dge?
new drinking game not meany times he say BMW gs650 and ground clearance
Hi Kerry. Nice to hear from you.
@@AwesomePlayers hi nice see u had fun on the amazing 701
Hope all the usual suspects are along on this ride.
Some unusual as well.
Some? 😬