Thanks for your support.

No doubt about it, the CB500X would be a much better bike for your needs. More powerful in hilly country and headwinds, more comfortable ride, and better mpg.

@@spydie thanks.

Yes, I was watching it pretty carefully!

I know. I hate that. I had a 2013 model with all the right stuff on it. Wish I'd kept it. The new ones have taken a step backward while the price keeps climbing.

I don't do wheelies anymore at age 73 and I'm not into stunt riding and stupid things like burnouts and seeing how damage the clutch can take. I take better care of my vehicles and this is my 68th motorcycle. You'll have to experience them for yourself.

@@spydie 😂

I can dig it! 🤟😬

@@spydie I think you still secretly pop some wheelies for the girls in your town from time to time… don’t act like you don’t get a kick out of them cheering your name as you fly by them! 😂😂😂 jkjk have a great day my guy and, pls keep them eliminator videos coming! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Yep, just a day in the life of cyclist reviewing a bike. Some people like to see the area around NM where I ride my bikes, according to past reviews. I try to make my reviews a little different from others. Sometimes I explore ghost towns or other interesting sights in this area.

@@spydie well it was a very nice place for sure… and yes your review is definitely different and refreshing… thanks for the great video! 🤟😬

Thank you for your kind words.

I would be glad to add my two-cents worth. I sold my X300 to buy this bike. Mostly because I was tired of that screaming engine, partly because it was underpowered, and partly because of the stiff suspension and saddle, although I did ride two 200 mile legs of a trip in one day with a short break between them and it wasn't too bad except on the hills coming home into a 30 mph headwind and I couldn't get over 46 mph out of it into the stiff headwinds and going up hills on the interstate (I-25). I think the Versys X300 is up to a coast to coast trip, but I'd rather have something with more power, more comfort and a softer saddle. The Eliminator wins on all cases. Of course it's no secret that the bigger the bike (which results in a much bigger engine and a LOT more weight) the more comfort you will have. The Eliminator is no Goldwing nor full dress Harley (which I've owned both), which are the most comfortable coast to coast bikes you can buy, but they are not something you want to run errands on up town. They are strictly highway bikes. Everything in life is a compromise. If I were planning a coast to coast trip, I'd opt for a Goldwing. If I wanted something lighter, a lot less money, reasonably comfortable, but still with plenty of power the Eliminator will do it, but you'll give up the comfort of the 600 pound bikes and you'll keep $22,000 in your pocket to pay for the trip, many times over, as long as you are willing to give up a little comfort. I have only done 265 miles in one afternoon on the Eliminator and it was not tiring. However, I was using full-throttle a lot on the mountain roads for many hours and I only averaged 53 mpg when I usually get in the mid 80s mpg running around backroads at steady throttle and 50-55 mph. Yes, I think this would be a good bike to take coast to coast and I predict this new 451cc engine will be Kawasaki's most popular engine. It's already in the Ninja 500 and the Z500 and we are hoping Kawasaki puts it in a Versys next year (then I will probably buy another Versys) as long as they can keep the price down so it doesn't compete with the KLR650. There's nothing to not love about this bike and you can get pannier mounts and saddlebags for it besides large tail boxes and magnetic tank bags. It will carry plenty of luggage. I'd suggest handlebar riser/setbacks for more comfort and if you have 30-32" inseam, get the Kawasaki 30.1" saddle for it. I found the 28.9" stock one was too short for me, but they make a shorter one also if you vertically challenged. Good luck and let me know what you decide. This is my 68th bike with 56 years of riding experience so I do have a little knowledge of different bikes. Lon

It was a lot of work! LOL

Thank you my friend.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I think a lot of people hate those big letters, but I kinda like them. It makes it a little unique! (You 'neek up on it! LOL). I'm machining a red-dot sight mount for it right now. I wish there was one available on the market.

@@spydie appreciate the response Have a blessed day Trump 2024

I just bought a bike that weighs the same as the x300, but has a 450cc engine (451 actually), low end and mid range torque (something the 300 lacks, which it really needs for off-road work), gets at least 10 mpg better mpg, has a lot more power, is more comfortable and rides a lot better. Be sure to subscribe so you can see my new video which is in post-production right now.

@@spydie Got to be cfmoto or Himlayan enfield 450 ya x300 needs few more ponies

That's not unusual in the European and Asian countries. They often get different bikes from the US and they get most of the bikes sooner than us, sometimes it takes many years for a model to get to the US, like the Kawasaki W800 and Honda XR150 and many others. I'm working on my latest video on my newest bike the Kawasaki Eliminator, as we call it in the US, but in the rest of the world it is often referred to as the Eliminator 400/500 or just the Eliminator 500. It has a 450 engine so it should be called a 450, but on Kawasaki website it's just called the Eliminator and on some of the sites that sell accessories (like T-Rex) it's called the Eliminator 450. However they did make an Eliminator 400 for one year that was only sold in Japan. It had the Ninja 400 engine with no refinements, then they put that same engine in the Eliminator, Ninja 500 and Z500 but they lengthened the stroke to make a 451cc, which gave it more low end and mid range torque. In the Ninja and the Z they called it a 500, which it certainly isn't.

As you know that's a 360 degree engine, which is the most vibrating type of engine you can build, and yes, the vibration was terrible. Their counterbalance doesn't work well and you probably can't properly counterbalance a 360 engine. I have three Hondas in the garage right now and I just sold my Kawasaki Versys X300 (because of the Ninja 300 loud screaming engine and lack of power) and bought my 68th motorcycle, the new 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator 450 which I really like. It has a Ninja 400 engine but with lengthened stroke to make it 451cc and give it low end and mid range torque, which is exactly what they should have done to the Versys X300. The engine is a 180 degree which is the smoothest engine you can build. The Ninja 500 uses this long stroke 450 engine also and so does the Z500.

I recently sold both of these bikes because the 500 was too heavy to pick up (I'm 73 and 130 lbs) and I took a Honda CB300R in trade which is very light weight and a lot of fun to ride. I got tired of the screaming engine on the Versys 300 so I sold that recently and bought a new 2024 Kawasaki Eliminator 450 (my 68th bike) which weighs the same as the Versys (386 lbs). Very lightweight and the weight is all down low. I don't ride off-road much if ever anymore so I don't need a tall, top-heavy adventure bike, although I do still have my 2023 Honda XR150 and a Monkey that I can take off-road. The Eliminator has a Ninja 400 engine but it's not a high rpm screaming engine like on the Versys 300 because they lengthened the stroke which makes it a 451cc and that gives it low end and mid range torque. It's perfect. Now if Kawasaki would just wake up and do the same thing to the Versys 300 it would be a much better bike. It would have 351cc and low end and mid range torque, which it sorely lacks now and the engine would quiet down with lower rpms. The Versys is an adventure bike and it really needs the lower rpms and low-mid range torque.

@@spydie Thanks for your reply. You obviously love your motorbikes. That gives me some more options to look at. I had a Vespa when I was 17 for about three years, that was my escape machine No bikes after that, got married, two sons and life was too busy particularly as I had a full time day job and was a musician for an average of three nights a week for 20 years. Started hanging gliding when I was 45 and flew hang gliders regularly for the next 23 years. Never even gave motorbikes a thought. When I gave up hang gliding at 72 I felt there was something really missing in my life Purchased a Suzuki Boulevard 800 which I rode for a couple of years then purchased the VStrom in 2018. The VStrom filled a big hole in my life and I absolutely love the freedom of riding it. I hope I can keep riding for a few years yet. I am 80 kg and 5’11” tall, can’t quite flat foot the VStrom. Hope you can keep riding for many more years, I can see it is a very important part of your life Regards Murray

My model 25 has the flip-up peep site, and I only use that, but that doesn't make the gun more accurate. It might make some shooters more accurate, but I'm a very accurate shooter so you can't improve on the model 25 accuracy, which isn't any better than any other BB gun. It will never shoot twice in the same place. Only the 499B can do that. It has to do with the precision bore in the shot tube. I did find that Marksman gold BBs which are slightly larger than the standard BB shoot much better in standard BB guns but they won't drop down the barrel of the 499. The Avanti BBs don't shoot any better in any of my other BB guns because they are really too small for the cheap BB guns.

@spydie Sorry for the wording I know it doesn't make the gun more accurate it allows me to aim better than the open sight. If I want consistent accuracy that requires my 499B.

@spydie I only shoot the Avanti BB's in my 499. I will try the Marksman BB's in my other guns.

I don't know where you live and maybe the Himalayan is one of your choices because of availability, but overall the build quality is very poor and the engine is way underpowered for the weight of that heavy bike. I sold mine with 1500 miles on it. There are better bikes out there, but if money is a concern the Royal Enfield bikes are the cheapest, and for good reason. I'd recommend a used Honda, Kawasaki (the Versys X300 is a good substitute), Suzuki (although I have owned very few of them) or Yamaha. If you really need an adventure bike for a cheap price the Versys is hard to beat. If you do most of your riding on rural roads and city/urban with a few gravel roads, any bike will work. I sold my last adventure bike (the Versys) and now have just the Honda Monkey, Honda XR150 enduro, Honda CB300R (very fun bike with lots of power) and I just picked up a new Kawasaki Eliminator 450. I live on a gravel road so they all get some gravel road time. I found that I really did very little off-road riding so my bikes are now leaning more toward the street although I have the two smaller ones I can do off-road with. The XR150 will cruise at 55 mph and do as much off-road as anyone would want unless you are a true dirt rider, which means you don't want an adventure bike anyway. I weigh 125 lbs and am about 5'10" and I couldn't pick up the Himalayan without the assist of a "DirtNapper," as you'll see in one of my videos. If you're not a hard-core off-road guy You might be happier with an inexpensive Triumph 400X Scrambler, or a Honda CL500 scrambler (and the CL300 scrambler should hit the US this next spring, hopefully). One of those will be my 69th bike next year, although I live over 200 miles from the nearest Triumph dealer and they are made in India like the Royal Enfields. Another bike I'm considering for next year is another India bike with a pretty good reputation (now...KTM used to have very bad reliability reputation) is the KTM 390 Duke. But to answer your question, always follow the manufacturer's recommendation for valve check/adjust. Air cooled engines with mechanical lifters are more prone to valves needing adjustment than the modern water cooled/overhead cam, shim&bucket valves, which are a nightmare to adjust (most backyard mechanics take them to the dealer to adjust and the labor is expensive). The air cooled engines need the valves adjusted more often, but they are easy (and even fun) to adjust. I never adjust the valves on my water cooled engines but then I don't put a lot of miles on them and I trade them before they need any engine work. Thanks for your support. Lon

Thanks, I'm glad you found the working link

@@spydie Just had to search a little bit more for it!😄

It's a 5-shot revolver. A derringer has one or two shots without a cylinder. It's a North American Arms revolver and I have several of them. This one has been hand engraved by a great engraver in Montana.

No, the only 650s I've owned is the KLR and the Kawasaki W650. I don't test/review bikes that I don't own.

thank you my friend

Thanks, Mihai.

Thanks for your support from one of my favorite foreign countries!!!

That's interested, though I don't know how they could achieve that because it's because you have to force the spring to get the rounds started in the chamber and I don't know how they could develop a round that didn't force the spring retainer without it being too small to let the spring retainer hold the round in place. I'll have to see if I can find some of those rounds and check your findings. Thanks for the update.

I won't run thousands or even hundreds of rounds through it, but others have and the Turkish-made Girsan guns have lots of good reviews. If I were going to talk about the CONs of this gun, the lack of the ability to actually field strip it would be in first place, the front sight is too wide (or the rear is too narrow) and you have no sight picture on either side of the front sight because it pretty much fills the rear sight. And unlike most guns today, it doesn't come with two magazines. Also holsters are hard to find for it. It failed to go fully into battery with some Russian ammo with steel cases just one time (the hammer was cocked, but the trigger wouldn't release it, then I realized the slide was not 100% closed). The brass ammo that I bought functioned flawlessly even at rapid fire. One other item I believe it really needs is a de-cocking lever like my Walther PPK. A double action/single action really needs the de-cocking lever. Of course on this one you can unlatch the barrel and then de-cock it safely, but that's one step you shouldn't have to take. Overall it has more PRO for it than CONs.

That's hard to put a number on, but NM is one of the least expensive places to live in the US. Much cheaper to live here than CA, or UT, or NV or TX or CO. You could maybe google the cost of living here, but property taxes are very low in Luna County where I live. In WI I was paying $2500/yr in 1999 for 800 sq feet. I pay $1100/hr here for 2400 sq feet on 5 acres. Since 1999 taxes in Wi have increase a LOT more.

@@spydie Thanks. The cost of living in central Texas is getting higher.

@@constpegasus Yes, taxes in most of Texas is what kept us from there, and also Arizona (and car license and registration in AZ is modeled after CA and NV. NV and AZ are just extensions of CA now.) And NM is trying to head that direction, but so far the cost of living has been very tolerable.

They were developed for a reason. Learn how to use them properly and you’ll advance your knowledge

I changed my mind about keeping this one and selling the Kawasaki Versys 300X. I kept the 300 and sold the 500X Honda. Even with the better mpg and more hp and better/softer ride, and more power, the 300X won out in the end. It's just more fun to ride. I traded the 500X to a guy with a Honda CB300R and that's my new favorite bike. 80-100 mpg and a lot more power than the Kawasaki. But both have a hard saddle and stiff suspension so they ride a little hard on bad blacktop roads. My next bike will be either a Triumph 400 or the KTM 390 Duke. But that will be next year. I'm going to ride the CB300R for a year and see which bike I'll get rid of next to move into a new one. I'm inclined to keep the Honda Monkey and the Honda XR150 so only the CB300R or the Versys 300X are on the chopping block. After a lot of trading you'll find that you end up with a lot of inexpensive bikes that aren't worth much for trading or selling so moving up is going to start costing cash.

Thank you for your support. I'm glad I could help. Bikes come and go. I no longer have the Guzzi and I've had half a dozen different ones since I sold it. Right now I'm on number 66. I took a 2019 Honda CB300R with 4800 miles on trade for my Honda CB500X. I have a Honda Monkey, XR150 and a Kawasaki Versys 300X in the stable right now with the CB300R. Lon

Thank you for your support. I have made racks for the Kawasaki Versys 300X, Moto Guzzi V7 and my latest Honda CB300R. They just keep getting better and better. The pannier mounts on this (my first attempt) were very crude compared to what I'm doing today. Now I start with metal from Dirt Racks in Canada with the pannier being made from formed/rounded square 3/4" steel. They look very professional now. If I had your email address I'd send you some pictures. you can email me at [email protected]

yes it's about 2 grand cheaper here

I'm thinking about replacing the open sights with a red dot sight, but first I have to manufacture a mount, since there aren't any on the market that I can find that will fit this gun. It's on my to-do list.

@@spydie They have a Bull Mastiff which is nothing more than a pitbull 6"barrel with a reddot already mounted. Not suggesting you buy it, but maybe they will sell you the attachment if you contact Charter Arms.

Thanks for your support.