Hi all
After the first couple of rides on my new EXC 520, I feel it's right to give my opinion and ask a few questions.
Trails:
On very rough and rocky trails ( slow speed, perhaps 2-15 kph ) the bike is very good and really much better than I expected, although I find my old XR4 better still. When the trail opens up a bit ( 2 and 3 gear) the bike shines. The engine is surprisingly smooth if kept low in the RPM's. It took a few km. to find out that it is best to keep the bike a gear high, as the bike had a tendency to lift the front in mid turn. The suspension is soft and handles the trail junk very well. The bike feels stable even in sand and rocks.
Wheelie's
The powerful and torque engine seems to make the bike excellent for wheelie's. I did pull few short ones, just to get a idea how the bike would behave and it looks promising. Since all my recent bikes have had dry sump lubrication I wonder if the fact that this is a low quantity wet sump engine can make prolonged wheelie's unsafe? Does anyone here know if the oilpressure might drop as a results of the oilpumps sucking air during wheelie's? Anyone tried a km. or longer wheelie's on a RFS?
Fire roads & power
Being in the process of braking in the bike I have avoided high RPM and hard throttle, so I do not really know how fast the bike is when held wide open. Looking very much forward to that experience. I found the suspension soft on the trail so I worry a bit if the suspension will not take heavy hits to well. My dealer told me that a good break-in period is 300 km or 2-3 tanks of gas. Anyone have a opinion on the best break-in procedure?
Turning
Not sure yet. The bike is being broken in so it's not ridden hard. Turning on slow trails is fine, but I do not know how the bike turns when ridden harder. I am sure the bike is perfect for power slides though.
In a few words I am very happy with the bike. I was considering a EXC 380 but I'm happy I chose the 520. I will dualsport the bike next week, and it will be interesting to see how the bike holds up during the heavy use it will suffer.
After the first couple of rides on my new EXC 520, I feel it's right to give my opinion and ask a few questions.
Trails:
On very rough and rocky trails ( slow speed, perhaps 2-15 kph ) the bike is very good and really much better than I expected, although I find my old XR4 better still. When the trail opens up a bit ( 2 and 3 gear) the bike shines. The engine is surprisingly smooth if kept low in the RPM's. It took a few km. to find out that it is best to keep the bike a gear high, as the bike had a tendency to lift the front in mid turn. The suspension is soft and handles the trail junk very well. The bike feels stable even in sand and rocks.
Wheelie's
The powerful and torque engine seems to make the bike excellent for wheelie's. I did pull few short ones, just to get a idea how the bike would behave and it looks promising. Since all my recent bikes have had dry sump lubrication I wonder if the fact that this is a low quantity wet sump engine can make prolonged wheelie's unsafe? Does anyone here know if the oilpressure might drop as a results of the oilpumps sucking air during wheelie's? Anyone tried a km. or longer wheelie's on a RFS?
Fire roads & power
Being in the process of braking in the bike I have avoided high RPM and hard throttle, so I do not really know how fast the bike is when held wide open. Looking very much forward to that experience. I found the suspension soft on the trail so I worry a bit if the suspension will not take heavy hits to well. My dealer told me that a good break-in period is 300 km or 2-3 tanks of gas. Anyone have a opinion on the best break-in procedure?
Turning
Not sure yet. The bike is being broken in so it's not ridden hard. Turning on slow trails is fine, but I do not know how the bike turns when ridden harder. I am sure the bike is perfect for power slides though.
In a few words I am very happy with the bike. I was considering a EXC 380 but I'm happy I chose the 520. I will dualsport the bike next week, and it will be interesting to see how the bike holds up during the heavy use it will suffer.