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You are welcome! Je suis contente que tu aies aimé la vidéo ! Easter Townships are amazing and the rides there are beautiful, especially in autumn! Merci

If they don't sell it, there are probably good alternatives in your area. Small, light dual sport bikes from Honda, Kawasaki or Suzuki would all work well! Thank you for watching and for the comment!

@@SquareHelmet just CRF 300l is sold here

@@Antivir123 it's a great bike, but... depending on your size and skill level it may be too big. In my opinion. I am 178 cm and I first went offroad on a CRF 250l. It wasn't fun at all. I was a bit scared of the bike. I know if I bought it then, I would stay away from the most fun places and eventually determined that offroad riding was not for me and sold it. I am working on a video explaining that experience and the importance of picking the right bike for offroad beginner. Key: pick something smaller and lighter to start. Now I can easily handle any dual sport, even large bike like Tenere. But I started on XT250 and Suzuki VanVan. I hope this is helpful for you.

@@SquareHelmet thanks for the info . I have started also on vanvan (125) as my on road bike then I brought xt 600e (160 kg bike ) and after fifteen years with it while trying enduro bikes ( beta X trainer etc ) I get the impression dual sports are right bikes for me but I want an upgrade from 80's tech to a bit newer bike . As you wrote when you learn on a smaller bike you get to use to ride and then one can ride two cylinder bikes on trails. Personally it's ideal to have light dual sport and bigger *adventure* bike and choose the right bike for planned trips .

@@Antivir123 makes perfect sense! As for Tenere on trails - just because I can take it there, doesn't mean I'm going to have as much fun as on a light dual sport. You already have experience. I think CRF will work well for your purposes. Ride safely!

DR200 is a great bike! Small Japanese dual sport bikes are amazing. Thank you for watching and for the comment!

@@leeinwis CRF is another great bike. I was considering it as one of the top ones to buy. Seat height made a difference for me at my skill level. The power advantage doesn't matter for my riding, but higher seat was a negative. Great bike though. May still get a Rally later. Thank you for the comment!

I'm glad you liked the videos! And thank you for subscribing! I plan another long adventure trip on XT250 to see how it can handle multi-day adventure riding. I'll post it soon. Ride safely and enjoy your XT - it's an amazing bike!

I'm glad you found the video useful! Proteus is great! I had hard time picking between the two. Denver Colorado - would love to go there by bike one day! Enjoy riding there and thank you for the comment!

Oh, bugger. It was in your other videos. Sorry.

Glad you found it! In case someone else may come here I'll post the link to this video. The windshield made a big positive difference for highway riding, without adding any inconveniences for the offroad riding. This last part is important. I had to get rid of some accessories because they were limiting the bike's abilities offroad (for example, I really loved Giant Loop Fandango tank back - the size was perfect until I went for my usual rough forest trails, where it was in the way for stand-up riding). The windshield I use is great! Ride safely and thank you for the comment!

I ride different bikes, and when I switch back to XT250, it feels light like a mountain bike and super-strong. Like it's built to take the abuse of the hard offroad riding. Great bike! Ride safely and thank you for the comment!

Another great choice! Small, light, reliable and can go anywhere. The only downside is that the ground clearance is lower, but most of the time if you stay away from the roughest parts this does not matter that much. Seat height and weight are way more important. Thank you for the comment!

Lol. Yes, I probably should. I love XT250! I have several bikes (and rode many more), but this one is the best for me. Thank you for watching!

Thank you! I'm glad you liked the videos and thank you for subscribing. I plan to make a video on tires. They are important. Overall, in my experience, the basic stock tires can take your REALLY far. I started riding offroad last season and by the end of it I felt I was being held back by the stock tires... But then I started practicing balance, clutch control, jumping over logs - and I realized that it was actually my skills that were holding me back. This year I went through all the hardest places that were giving my tough time last season - and I easily handled all of them. That is to say, for me personally, better tires could help me do more without improving the skills. But improving the skills helped a lot and it was fun! Now I plan to put Dunlop 606. They should be great for offroad and should be a great addition to my improved offroad skills. I'll try to get to making the tires video soon. As for CRF250L - great choice, man! I think you'll have a blast on it. I rode and loved it!

I'm glad you liked the video! XT250 is my favorite bike: I rode many in my life and I now have several motorcycles, but if I had to keep only one - it would be XT250. It does everything! I hope you buy it at some point - it's a blast to ride. Thank you for the comment!

Great choice! I own several bikes and I rode many in my life, and XT250 is my favorite. If I had to keep only one bike - it would be this one. I love that it can go really anywhere and I really love it's simplicity (which you start appreciating even more after you had experience with some "sophisticated" bikes, such as KTM with its never ending electronics glitches). Ride safely and take some time to practice some offroad basics if you haven't done it already (balance, clutch control, double-blip, etc.). This made such a huge difference for me. Your XT250 will take you to the end of the world and back! Thank you for the comment and for subscribing!

I find that the key to safe riding is the anticipation of danger. If a rider relies on power to get out of trouble - then it may be a good time to pause and rethink the riding habits. At some point there will be a situation when there is not enough power to get out of trouble or too much power that will get you into a different kind of trouble. In my opinion, it's definitely possible to ride a low powered bike safely. Just know its limits and ride accordingly. Thank you for your comment!

I have never crashed car but I have crashed scooters 🤣. In fact 3 times in 20 years. First 1 was because of cheap rubber, wiped out because pickup around blind corner driving 4kmh. I had no option at time. 2nd was because of Mercedes driver on her phone. She pulled infront and slammed her brakes. (2005 2007) 3rd was just on my own on clients scoot. Rubbish in ally 20kmh. All related to stopping. 🤤 last 1 put plate shoulder. 🤒. 2016. What I have learned to take every person on road as total stupid. Don't ride where you can't see. That is my advice I give to every new rider. I own 3 old vespa's. Don't act like you own road. That will get you killed. Friend that does deliveries on 150cc told me to ride on side of car not behind. If car stops you will pass car. 🤯. I avoid freeways. I don't find pleasure. If no option I can keep up with traffic on my 150, even when my wife on back. Riding back roads and enjoying the atmosphere is what does it for me.

The biggest motorcycle gang in south africa is 60-60 pick n pay. Lol. 125cc 150cc

Русско-канадский 👍 Видел твои видео - поездка по Европе крутая!

@@SquareHelmet ого, благодарю)

It does actually feel like a big mountain bike! Especially when you ride it after much bigger bikes. It feels so light and nimble. Thank you for the comment! Ride safely

Exactly! 250 is not small at all. I have no idea why people look down on smaller bikes or say that they can't handle highway. You may not be able to go comfortably above speed limit - and who cares! They are fun, economical and take you to places where few bikes can go. Ride safely! Thank you for the comment!

Thank you! I'm glad you like them!

Thank you! I'm glad you like my videos! Ride safely.

Well said! Motorcycle as a therapy! Thank you for the comment.

I didn't understand what was drawing me to riding... Until one day I stopped in the middle of a huge puddle and I was surprised that it's been almost an hour and I haven't thought about anything else except how to get through the trail. I had to share my thoughts - hence the video. I'm glad you liked it!

😅 You know, I was riding for a while and I just loved it. And then I wondered what's in this activity that makes me love it so much - digging deeper in my feelings I got the the answer! I wanted to share it, hence I had to make this video. Thank you for watching - I hope you get a bike. In my experience, any bike can do it - it doesn't have to be the latest and greatest and the most expensive one. Thank you for the comment!

Hello from Canada! Nice modifications! A more comfortable seat sounds like a nice addition. As for the bigger sprocket - if you have to go longer distances more often I think it's a great choice. One thing I must mention regarding its highway behavior: I really feel much less vibrations than on some larger bikes. Even some 2 cylinder bikes vibrate more (I just came back from riding Suzuki V-Strom 800 DE, and around 5,500 rpm the vibrations is quite strong and annoying. I never felt this much vibration on Yamaha XT250 even when I go 110 kmh). Makes me like XT250 even more. Ride safely and thank you for the comment!

@@SquareHelmet My own bike is a DRZ400 and the XT kills it in the vibration-free stakes.

Everything you mentioned is true, except for higher quality I think. Non-premium components can be of very high quality too. I explain why I picked XT250 in the video where I compare it to BMW GS1250: czcams.com/video/UdgvXHvvw08/video.html In summary, as compared vs WR250: low seat height + high ground clearance + about half the price of WR250. I am about average size (5'10" or 178 cm) and I am a novice offroad rider but... I love to go to some extremely difficult trails. Judging from other offroad videos I see on CZcams, I think I often get to real hard enduro riding. Lightweight, low seat height combined with high ground clearance (this is a unique combination) allows me to go there. Power if gentle and linear - and I've never felt lack of it. Plus XT250 is really half the price with cheaper components to replace. I can drop it many times while pushing my riding limits - and still my wallet won't be hit as much. If I cut the 5% of the hardest trails I go to, then there are SO many other bikes that could suit me well. Even a tall and heavy Tenere would work. But for now XT250 is my best choice. Let me know what you think after you watch the video. Would you buy an XT250 in my situation? Thank you for watching!

Yes, XT250 is unique when it comes to the lowest seat height and the highest ground clearance. I don't think there is any other bike that offers this. I hope you'll find some alternative! For me personally, lower seat height is more important than ground clearance, so I would look for any other bike that is also light and has lower seat height, even if the ground clearance is lower. For example, Honda CRF300LS could potentially work if it's offered in your area. Thank you for watching and ride safely!

I plan to compare CRF300L to XT250 - take it to the same roads. In my view, CRF is a great bike! The two bikes are so close, that the difference will be in small nuances. The pros of CRF is that it has more power + 6-speed = slightly better on highways. The cons of CRF is that it's heavier, has lower ground clearance = it won't be as good as XT250 offroad. For me personally, none of the two bikes are made for highways specifically. Regardless of the power, I would not recommend going above 100 kmh (65mph or so) on both of them: a light bike may be dangerous on high speeds. Even if it has double the power - I would not advise to go faster. So the extra power of CRF or the 6th gear is irrelevant for me personally - up to 100 kmh both of them go very well and even 5 speeds on Yamaha is more than enough - it's still super economical. So, the pros of CRF don't matter much to me: the bonus benefits of highway use are not important. We come down to the Yamaha's pros to determine the winner: - Yamaha is lighter (not by much, but at this weight it counts - you WILL feel the difference). - Yamaha has almost 2" of extra ground clearance compared to CRF300LS. If you don't go into the hardest places - this doesn't matter. But for me, going through dirt or navigating through boulders - this makes a HUGE difference. - Yamaha should be slightly more reliable in my opinion (air cooled engines are less complex than liquid cooled. For one - there is no radiator to break or cooling liquid to leak out). - Yamaha may have slightly less vibration on highway. I need to test this more, but in my tests going at about 60-65mph I felt almost no vibration on my XT250. Smaller cylinder may have less mass to cause vibration, or it's just a well balanced engine - not sure. But it's vibration level is VERY low. Overall, I'm really splitting hairs here. Both bikes are amazing and they are SO close that this is one of those cases that you can't really go wrong. I can take CRF300L or LS to all the same places I go to on my Yamaha. Yamaha makes it a bit easier for me (I take it to some really hard enduro trails) so that's why it was my choice. I hope this helps!

@SquareHelmet Thank you so much! Great points, I was pretty excited about the crf300ls. But I think sticking with my Xt250 is probably better. I may still test drive the crf250ls when they are In my area, just to see. But my main goal is not to get hurt anymore than I already have from riding my yz250r but still be out there on the trail. It's just that I want to join the local enduro group rides and I feel like I couldnt keep up on pavement or go long distance with them as they all have midsize adventure bikes. 😞 I could always keep up with the group rides on my Harley. Again thank you for your thoughts, I agree and value your input.

Thank you! I'm glad you like the videos - thank you for the comment!

Great comment! I never understood the argument "expensive for a low tech motorcycle" - does adding a TFT Dashboard or riding modes would make it worth the price? For me - no! I really want a basic ultra-reliable low-tech motorcycle that can be dropped and crashed and drowned - and it would still take me home. I posted a video on Dashboards (I cracked XT250 dashboard deep in wilderness and later drowned it with water - the bike still got me home safe!) So for me, less tech = more reliable. And there are very few of these bikes left (XT250, TW200, DR, KLR, XR and that's about it). Thank you for mentioning Lois on the Loose - I did not know about her! I was in 'Itchy Boots' camp, but I'll be checking Lois' adventures. I would personally take XT250 anywhere in the world. Any bike can handle paved roads. It's abilities offroad is what sets it apart for me. Thank you for watching and for the comment!

I'm glad you liked the video! Thank you for watching and for the comment!

I'm glad you liked the video! I assume you mean valve check - honestly, I don't know that much. I just go by what's in the manual. I took it to the dealership at 600 miles and they did what was needed (I think they did the valve check). I think maybe the first valve check is important, but after that - I don't know. It feels so solid that it makes me think there will be nothing wrong with it if you skip it. But, again, I don't know enough to advise on this one. I love riding this bike! I just stepped into the house after an amazing ride - I saw some new forest trail and it lead me to a stunning forest lake. Right before that I was riding Tenere 700 (a bike that I love). But Tenere wouldn't take me that far, while XT250 did... Ride safely and thank you for watching!

I'm still learning how to wheelie it... I can do it, but not consistently. And this comes very useful offroad. Still have a LOT to learn to be able to use the bike to its full potential.

Same for me: if only one bike for the rest of my life - it's the Yamaha XT250. It can really cover every type of road, from hard enduro to highways. Thank you for the comment! Ride safely!

It's Nelson-Rigg CL-1060-ST2 Commuter Touring Tail/Seat Bag I really like it: it's relatively inexpensive and seems solid. I can fit rain gear, water, tools and there is still a lot of place left over. Yet, it does not interfere with riding. It comes with straps - so it's very easy to attached. I dropped the bike a few times, so two straps got broken (the plastic cracked). I plan to buy replacement straps. In Canada I bought it here: fortnine.ca/en/nelson-rigg-cl-1060-st2-commuter-touring-tail-seat-bag Thank you for watching!

Thank you! Glad you like my videos!

Looking back, I think some of my best memories are from the times when I crossed "the point of no return". I'm glad you like the videos!

I have no problem with analog gauges. The functionality matters the most: once I get the information I need - the rest is just marketing fluff for me. I used to drive cars with analog gauges - I still miss them. It's not just the gauges, it's the rest of the package too - no power steering, no ABS, no automatic transmissions, etc. It's a time long gone, but I miss it. Thank you for the comment!

Great comment! That's the essence of enjoying the freedom and adventure on two wheels: light, easy, affordable bike that will support you anywhere you go without drawing too much attention to itself. Enjoy your XT250 and thank you for the comment!

Having strict rules related to safety is very important. It's so easy to get carried away while riding. I didn't ride in a desert, but I know how easy it is to get dehydrated even just riding hard trails without water for a while. I plan to buy a larger hydration pack soon just in case. I'm glad you like my videos - thank you for the comments! Ride safely!

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

Yes, XTs are great. And I really like the way they look, especially with the windshield. Yamaha should offer them as an accessory. My cargo bag is "Nelson-Rigg CL-1060-ST2". It's basic, inexpensive and I like it: fortnine.ca/en/nelson-rigg-cl-1060-st2-commuter-touring-tail-seat-bag The windshield is Parabellum Rally in tint color. I really LOVE it. It makes a huge difference on pavement. I got it here: www.bushpigperformance.com/product-page/parabellum-rally-windshield-yamaha-xt-250 The only other accessory I have is Ricochet Skid Plate. It's light, solid and easy to install. And I believe it saved the engine a few times already: www.bushpigperformance.com/product-page/ricochet-skid-plate-xt-250 I hope this is helpful. Thank you for the comment!

@@SquareHelmet Thank you for the speedy response. I will take a look at those accessories. I think they look great. Regards,

There is a reason why we ride. The sense of freedom to explore roads and hard-to-reach trails is amazing, and you don't need to have the latest and the most powerful bike to enjoy it. I first tried it on a tiny 125cc Honda Trail - and the experience just made me pause and rethink my approach to enjoying the adventures on 2 wheels. Your 200cc Honda 'agricultural bike' should be amazing for that! Thank you for the comment! Ride safely.

Thank you for the kind words! I am really glad you like the videos! I checked Yorkshire pictures - the architecture and the views are amazing! Once the kids are older - I want to travel overseas a bit more. Would love to explore Northern England. Best wishes from Montreal!

@@SquareHelmet I would be honoured to have a pint with you and your family. Myself and my daughter enjoy watching ❤️

Thank you for the great comment! When you mentioned "enduro", I thought of the places where I've been on my XT250 and I think that's the right word to describe those trails. The 'point of no return' was definitely more than just some dual sport single track. Thank you for watching!

Great words, my man! That's what I feel when I ride it - there is NO way I'm leaving it in the forest. Every other bike I had was just a bike... Yamaha XT250 feels like a good old friend who's always there and who you can rely on...

Thank you! Sharing the riding experience and the beauty of those remote places makes me feel like I'm riding with a group of my friends. I love it. Thank you for the comment!

Thank you for the kinds words! I'm just having so much fun riding in those remote places - and it feels great to be able to share it. And I fully agree on keeping the camera off sometimes. It really helped me focus on getting out of there.

@@SquareHelmet I'm happy to be part of the square helmet fan club. Keep it up! 💪