Spent the day at the Si Pavey's playing on a 12WC today... And I have to say it was quite something. It was pouring for much of the day and was with a group that allowed us to push the bikes, and us, quite a bit.
A few observations:
The engine is a weapon - a know this has been covered quite a bit from a road riding perspective, but you really notice it offroad. It's a very different feel to the HP, but it certainly feels comparable in terms of pace. However, the combination of gear ratio, slipper clutch, and less low down torque, it is much easier to stall. Related to this, it won't pull like a tractor from low down revs, particular on climbs - so you really need to carry more momentum and revs. Not so much bad, just a very different riding style
When we started off, we were told that the bike were in Enduro mode - meaning ABS and traction control is on, but set for off-road. I confess I was pretty skeptical...
The traction control is pretty impressive - enabling you to get just a little spin and cutting the power remarkably smoothly when you're pushing on too hard. It take's quite a bit of getting used to, particularly the engine sound not matching what your wrist is doing. It does work well, to a point - on the particularly gnarly climbs the way it cuts can be a problem when you're trying to maintain momentum...
The other part of the electrickery is the ABS... it really takes some getting used to... but once you learn to trust it... it's mind blowingly good. On the toughest downhills, you can simply grab a handful of front brake (which is also giving you some back brake as they're linked) and it slows your decent right down, and doesn't get confused by bouncing over the rocks. It's so good - it feels like cheating. This is great for beginners - the only real drawback is that if this is your first experience of off-roading, you're not going to learn how to modulate brakes offroad...
In summary - this bike is way more than simply more power than the previous 12. It's a very different style of riding, with surprisingly effective electronic aids... and a heap more power
So get out there and get those WC bikes dirty!
A few observations:
The engine is a weapon - a know this has been covered quite a bit from a road riding perspective, but you really notice it offroad. It's a very different feel to the HP, but it certainly feels comparable in terms of pace. However, the combination of gear ratio, slipper clutch, and less low down torque, it is much easier to stall. Related to this, it won't pull like a tractor from low down revs, particular on climbs - so you really need to carry more momentum and revs. Not so much bad, just a very different riding style
When we started off, we were told that the bike were in Enduro mode - meaning ABS and traction control is on, but set for off-road. I confess I was pretty skeptical...
The traction control is pretty impressive - enabling you to get just a little spin and cutting the power remarkably smoothly when you're pushing on too hard. It take's quite a bit of getting used to, particularly the engine sound not matching what your wrist is doing. It does work well, to a point - on the particularly gnarly climbs the way it cuts can be a problem when you're trying to maintain momentum...
The other part of the electrickery is the ABS... it really takes some getting used to... but once you learn to trust it... it's mind blowingly good. On the toughest downhills, you can simply grab a handful of front brake (which is also giving you some back brake as they're linked) and it slows your decent right down, and doesn't get confused by bouncing over the rocks. It's so good - it feels like cheating. This is great for beginners - the only real drawback is that if this is your first experience of off-roading, you're not going to learn how to modulate brakes offroad...
In summary - this bike is way more than simply more power than the previous 12. It's a very different style of riding, with surprisingly effective electronic aids... and a heap more power
So get out there and get those WC bikes dirty!
