VOGE 300 RALLY (2023 - on) Review

We take it on rough enduro terrains, and long adventures into the deserts and wildlands of Africa. It's perfect for this, but won't be very fast on European/American roads.

Power delivery is not very strong on the road, but on rough terrain that's where this bike shines. The balance on it is unparalleled.

It's been through a lot of (mis)use; dunes, sand, water. Just be sure to grease the bearings, as they don't come greased out of the factory.

Cheap to maintain.

Many customization options through (yes...) Aliexpress. Benefits of owning a Chinese bike I guess.

Contrary to the review, I find it fits my 6'1 frame well. The suspension is not as wallowy as the CRF (I weigh about 85Kg and found the Honda far too soggy) and the saddle is good for most trips, but a decent cover makes a difference on longer trips The brakes are a little weak, but with these off-road things, the forks dive a lot, so stronger brakes don't help much and the last thing you want off-road are overly aggressive brakes, so they suit the bike and purpose

Not going to win many traffic light GPs but it'll hold 70mph (although I wish they used the 6th gear as an overdrive to get the revs down a touch at this speed) It also pulls well for a little lump and is pretty frugal - really well suited to an off-roader

A few bits of rust on some bolts etc, and the switchgear is functional but not BMW-like, but perfectly good for a cheap bike like this

The service intervals are very short, but it'll go beyond them and they are pretty cheap

It comes with better suspension than the CRF300 Rally (or better for me anyway, the CRF was way too soggy! ) racks, engine bars, etc that you don't get with the Honda either. It is also lighter and faster than the RE Himalayan and cheaper too.

Really comfortable bike plenty of room brakes not great but you learn to live with it

Surprised for a 300 not bad at all perfectly adequate upto 75mph

Basic but less to go wrong I suppose

I’ve been on it all day today. Started to feel it about 5 hours in.

It’s ok for a 300cc bike but does vibrate a lot when you go over 65mph

I’ve had it a few months. Used in wet and dry. Every this still looks and works like new.

First service is early and then 3000 miles. But it’s one of a few bikes I have so probably won’t do 1000 miles a year on it.

The only thing it hasn’t got but should have is a fuel gauge.

The one road handling is surprising and it corners really well for a bike with a 21" front wheel. The suspension has coped well with the road riding I've done, but I've not had it off-road yet. I'd say it is harder than I was expecting, especially when compared with the some other softly sprung bikes in it's class. The tyres grip well on dry roads. In the wet I'm more circumspect with my cornering, but have had no issues so far. The brakes took a few miles to bed in, but now they work as I'd expect for a trial bike of this weight, no complaints with the stopping power.

At first I thought, it was vibey, but as the miles built the engine has smoothed out nicely. After 1000 miles 60 mph on back roads is pretty smooth. Bursts up to 70 mph or more do blur the mirrors and make me think I'd be happier back down at 60. I am expecting things to smooth out further as the miles build, but back roads is where I'm staying on this bike, motorways are not the place for a 300cc trial bike anyway. Back-road riding and some gentle off-road tracks is why I bought this bike in the first place and the engine has enough torque and power to make things fun.

I've only had it a few months so can't comment yet on long term reliability. Quality is generally better than I was expecting for the price. The gearbox is slick, switchgear fine, my only niggle is that the dash is so reflective it is sometimes hard to read when the sun is overhead. For now I think 3 is a solid enough rating. Will revisit after a year of ownership.

You really can't fault the value. I've only had it serviced once at the main dealer and their prices were very steep.

Rack, engine protectors, pretty good hand guards, all you really need on a trail bike. Some complain there is no fuel gauge, but I just use the trip meter as a guide as I do on bikes with an unreliable fuel gauge anyway! I do wish there were more factory aftermarket luggage options, such as pannier rails. The bike has been out over a year worldwide and you can get stuff from your favourite Chinese ecommerce site if needed. I've added a mesh seat cover an a support bar for a sat nav and have been happy with the quality of those.

Cheap to service compared to Honda.

Great green leaning machine and general road use, I Have just done salter fell from slaidburn to Wray on it and it was a joy to ride !

Good all round build quality

Comes with hand protectors, crash bars and rear rack

Comes with small rack in the back.

Ride quality is actually surprisingly good, better then the Honda straight out of the box. I've also found it comfortable for all day riding. It has a very natural "off road" riding position especially compared to something like the KTM which I found awful stood on the pegs. On or off road the bike is light and nimble. Tall but that's the trade off you expect to pay for decent ground clearance and "proper" wheel sizes. The brakes could best be described as adequate for the limitations of the bike, switchable ABS is nice though. My guess would be some decent aftermarket pads would help considerably and I would fully expect to find out as I can't imagine my pads lasting very long the way I treat them.

So far, seems pretty bullet proof and God knows I've pushed it. There's a lot of talk about it being "buzzy" at high revs but I tend not to attempt 70mph on the road (although the bike is capable) so it's not an issue for me. The power delivery is very reasonable and quite tractable in the dirt making it quite a forgiving ride. Ideal for both novice but good enough for more experienced riders who are prepared to accept this is not a full blown Enduro bike (nor does it cost anything like as much).

Hard to evaluate on such a new bike But I've thrashed it, drowned it and pretty much pushed it to its reasonable limits and, so far, no issues. Indeed I'm mightily impressed. One thing I would say though that, I've a hunch the dealers of these bikes may be a little below the standard of some of the bigger, more established brands and my personal experience hasn't been great. I had to sort a few things out on my brand new bike that might not have slipped through the net elsewhere. For more info check out "Nathan the Postman on Youtube who has ridden one of these down to and round the Alps and, as I type, is currently riding around the Pyrenees. Brave man indeed.

The OTR price of this bike is simply outstanding. There's nothing currently on the market to touch it. However there is a trade of in service intervals. I would guess most of us who are likely to "use" their bikes to their limit will likely take the first couple of services for warranty reasons then do it themselves. I should imagine the way I treat my bike would obviate any possible warranty claim anyway.

You get a lot of standard equipment you want such as rear carrier, crash bars, "Bark busters" screen, switchable ABS (rear) and decent sized footpegs, that you would have to spend quite a lot of money on as extras on the competition. It's a bit let down in other ways such as a fuel gauge where you only get a small orange (and hardly visible) petrol warning light. Can be a bit annoying if you're in the middle of nowhere. My only real complaint actually but a small price to pay for the other. advantages.

Good ride quality in a variety of situations.Pretty much good to go stock however a common mod is to change the rear sprocket from 48t to 45t which is a better all round gearing and allows the bike to cruise at 75mph on the motorway

Good fuelling, tractable power at low RPM off road and good consistent power through the rev range

Still early days on long term reliability but the plastics, included handguards, crash bars have all proved to hold up to multiple drops

Exceptional value

It's has switchable ABS which is all you need on this type of bike and a USB socket for powering navigation.

12h days no problem. Biggest surprise is its road manners. Genuinely fun in the twists. Brakes are more than good enough for off road suspension. Don't be lazy with using the rear! ABS is generous enough to allow cheeky skids.

Getting smoother with every passing mile and puts a big grin on my face. On stock gearing this will tractor up a brick wall.

My bike has been off-roaded from day one and is soaking up the abuse. Loctite your faring bolts or check them regularly and you'll be good to go. Paint is rubbing through from my MX boots but who cares- it's a sign it's been ridden as intended.

The only downside is the insurance at the minute. Hopefully the insurers will realise what this is and will drop to similar to CRF levels.

Stock tyres last well and ride brilliantly wet or dry. A little tame for the mud-plugging this bike encourages you to do but enduro sizes mean rubber is cheap enough to have multiple sets.

As standard front brake is not a brembo put perfectly adequate if used with the rear. I'll probably get some sintered pads. I have no trouble with the rear unlike the MCN tester, but I've got size 12 feet not size 7 so a leverage advantage. Handling very stable and very "chuckable" especially compared with my MGX-21 and also the ST1100 I traded in.

Pulls well, definitely under geared. Have a 42 tooth rear sprocket on the way so should allow slightly less buzziness and more relaxed cruising. I am totally at a loss why anyone would want to take this type of bike on a motorway so can't comment about it's performance in that respect. Absolutely no problems with gear change and I have size 12 boots. I personally find it very slick. Clutch light and smooth. 200 miles range.

Difficult to quantify this rating. Using VFM as a base line should be 5 stars. Using smiles per pound it should be an 8. Compared directly against a £27000 V4 Ducati a 2 or a 6. Depends whether having simplicity or more tech than NASA is your priority

Look on MotoGB website for parts prices . Should have 1986 prices not 2023 prices on the top. These bikes have been out in Spain, Italy and other European countries for over a year. Loads of YouTube videos and no major issues that I can find.

Only items I've added phone/gps mounting bar, pannier frames to keep soft bags off the bodywork and exhaust. An AliExpress £10.00 aero seat cover worked a treat yesterday in 25. Degrees. Standard hand guards are fine for everyday use, engine bars seem solid and rear rack is useful. USB socket kept my phone fully charged using Drive Mode Dashboard all day. I find standard tyres fine good manners on the road and no problems on rocks and gravel. It's not rained since I've got the bike so can't comment on mud or wet roads