Greggers
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Ok, I did the ride report, did a bit of a kit report so thought I really should say something about the bike... Here it is.
I should be writing reams and reams about this beauty, but there is not very much to say - honestly! I lacked just about every degree of talent and skill to use this machine properly, yet despite this I had fun for every kilometer I was aboard. Make no mistake, this is a fierce motorcycle with the heart of a lion, but one that will do everything you could ever ask of it.
Ready to race this 450cc motor produces close to 90BHP, yet will pull cleanly from 2000rpm right through to the point at which the rev limiter cuts in. The chassis performed impeccably and was immeasurably better than my meagre talent could ever have exploited. I have no doubt that the service interval is much shorter than a regular LC4 or EXC, but these riding conditions were by no means constant race pace so the mechanical demands placed on the engine are much less than it was designed for. I assumed that it had been serviced prior to our departure, but after 2600 reasonable kilometers the oil level had dropped to the bottom of the check window. Access to the oil filler cap was tight amd might even have needed the RH fuel cell to have been removed, but that would be a small price to pay every 2000 km.
The riding position was perfect for me, even the ergonomics of the seat were good although I doubt I'd have held that opinion for long without my sheepskin saddle cover. The only grumble I'd make is the position of the gear lever - I felt that the bash plate prevented me getting my toe securely under the lever, most changes were made with the welt of my boot sole. Even so, this technique proved successful with only a couple of dodgy changes.
The gearbox was super slick once I'd mastered the boot-side technique, but finding neutral was a complete b!atch!! The clutch was great but started to drag a lot if you spent any time standing still in first - there are a lot of traffic lights in Dubai !! The only way I found it worked was by coasting to a standstill in first and putting a featherlight touch on the lever to slip it into neutral just before you stop - too much lever pressure though and your were straight into second and risked being chugged forward as the clutch got hot...
The bike came equipped with a Lithium Ion race battery, not much bigger than Canon G9 camera. It packed enough of a punch to start the bike without problems as long as it wasn't in gear - it wasn't strong enough to overcome the clutch drag.
The last issue for me was the side stand - it was a real booby trap! As I mentioned in the ride report the bikes suspension is simply immense with 12 inches of travel in the forks and around thirteen in the rear! On tar this makes for a magic carpet ride, as smooth as a smooth thing on the very smoothest day. However the initial travel of the units wit the rider aboard was also quite significant. I wasn't able to measure sag either static or dynamic, but this is not a bike to mount with the stand deployed - if you do, the overall effect is that as the suspension compresses the leverage applied by the side stand will push the bike over to the right hand side without any chance of recovery or 'over-lean' to be able to scoop the lever back - you'll be on the deck by this time! Ultimately I gave up using the stand and propped it against any suitable object - wall or lamp-post - to mount and dismount in such a way as to preserve my dignity.
I have always championed the smaller lighter bikes for ADV riding and my experience with the 450 simply reinforces that for me. For every one of the 2700 kilometres I rode alongside Rob with his 990 there was not one single metre that I would have chosen the 990 over the 450. Not one.
If you get a chance to ride one grab it with both hands and don't let go.... you'll remember it for a long long time.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
Greg
I should be writing reams and reams about this beauty, but there is not very much to say - honestly! I lacked just about every degree of talent and skill to use this machine properly, yet despite this I had fun for every kilometer I was aboard. Make no mistake, this is a fierce motorcycle with the heart of a lion, but one that will do everything you could ever ask of it.
Ready to race this 450cc motor produces close to 90BHP, yet will pull cleanly from 2000rpm right through to the point at which the rev limiter cuts in. The chassis performed impeccably and was immeasurably better than my meagre talent could ever have exploited. I have no doubt that the service interval is much shorter than a regular LC4 or EXC, but these riding conditions were by no means constant race pace so the mechanical demands placed on the engine are much less than it was designed for. I assumed that it had been serviced prior to our departure, but after 2600 reasonable kilometers the oil level had dropped to the bottom of the check window. Access to the oil filler cap was tight amd might even have needed the RH fuel cell to have been removed, but that would be a small price to pay every 2000 km.
The riding position was perfect for me, even the ergonomics of the seat were good although I doubt I'd have held that opinion for long without my sheepskin saddle cover. The only grumble I'd make is the position of the gear lever - I felt that the bash plate prevented me getting my toe securely under the lever, most changes were made with the welt of my boot sole. Even so, this technique proved successful with only a couple of dodgy changes.
The gearbox was super slick once I'd mastered the boot-side technique, but finding neutral was a complete b!atch!! The clutch was great but started to drag a lot if you spent any time standing still in first - there are a lot of traffic lights in Dubai !! The only way I found it worked was by coasting to a standstill in first and putting a featherlight touch on the lever to slip it into neutral just before you stop - too much lever pressure though and your were straight into second and risked being chugged forward as the clutch got hot...
The bike came equipped with a Lithium Ion race battery, not much bigger than Canon G9 camera. It packed enough of a punch to start the bike without problems as long as it wasn't in gear - it wasn't strong enough to overcome the clutch drag.
The last issue for me was the side stand - it was a real booby trap! As I mentioned in the ride report the bikes suspension is simply immense with 12 inches of travel in the forks and around thirteen in the rear! On tar this makes for a magic carpet ride, as smooth as a smooth thing on the very smoothest day. However the initial travel of the units wit the rider aboard was also quite significant. I wasn't able to measure sag either static or dynamic, but this is not a bike to mount with the stand deployed - if you do, the overall effect is that as the suspension compresses the leverage applied by the side stand will push the bike over to the right hand side without any chance of recovery or 'over-lean' to be able to scoop the lever back - you'll be on the deck by this time! Ultimately I gave up using the stand and propped it against any suitable object - wall or lamp-post - to mount and dismount in such a way as to preserve my dignity.
I have always championed the smaller lighter bikes for ADV riding and my experience with the 450 simply reinforces that for me. For every one of the 2700 kilometres I rode alongside Rob with his 990 there was not one single metre that I would have chosen the 990 over the 450. Not one.
If you get a chance to ride one grab it with both hands and don't let go.... you'll remember it for a long long time.
Hope you enjoyed the read!
Greg
