Ok some background i have 0 road riding experience. so this review is probably for the dirt riders here. i have been riding an XR250L and a CRF450X for the last 10 years one for work and one for the farm.
ok so here goes.
Also bike has tractionator adv tyres so no experience with the stockers.
My ride consisted of about +-100km/60mi of blacktop, 45km of gravel roads and about 1 km of singletrack.
Blacktop, Meh.. it was sufficiently comfortable the brakes worked great and the bike shifted slick. power was nice and easy to roll on and off smoothly but not exhilarating i think my 450 would win a 0-100 comfortably.
ONE massive negative on-road is buffeting at higher speeds i did everything from 60kph up to 180kph.
While the bike was smooth and cruised easily at 130 the buffeting was extreme and almost unbearable after 100km I'm 6ft tall and my head lives right in the turbulent zone between being behind the screen and above it. NOT COOL. so i either need a higher screen or a much lower one. when i stood the massive airflow at 100+ was much more comfy than sitting at a comfortable upright position, also crouching down behind the screen was a pain but also much more comfy than correct seating position.
Gravel, Good.. bike was very predictable with the traction control turned off or on setting 1. it slides predictably and handles rougher sections with ease. also hooks up well when you wind it on. steers predictably and holds well.
and now. The clincher.
Single Track. Surprisingly Ok... so I have been riding single track all my life since i was a little kid. the section i rode on the AT wasn't super tight but still more than most would take an adv bike on and when i first entered it i was a bit wary. but it tracked well on berms that had been created by other bikes and put its power down well in the loose the dirt front end felt planted and predictable. so much so i found myself getting a bit carried away with the throttle. having said that you can tell its heavy when you swing it from side to side in a twisty bit of single track, also i could let some air out the tyres which would help more again.
overall id give it an 8-9 out of 10 I'm yet to load up for a trip so I've no idea how it handles load but from other reviews its not ideal. suspension feels ok and reasonably compliant off-road i dint find its limits but i may in some faster off-road tracks.
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