Vor

[DirtFamily]

Any comments on the VOR bikes?

Met a VOR dealer this weekend who's going to bring John a demo VOR 530 out to our local track for a test ride....after John told him he's buying a KTM 520.

What John's found out so far is: reeally heavy bike (278?), starter not reliable, soft suspension...

Thanks in advance.
Katie

 

[weimedog]

I would say wait until you have a chance to ride it before just taking that Dirt Bike Enduro Test as gospel.

The Enduro/V-cross are softer and carry around a battery, Full wiring harness, and starter motor. If you are going to ride the 530 MX...its much lighter. ANd has a different suspension setup. Stiffer. Actually one of the guys out here thinks its too stiff.

Sounds like you ran into Brad. As you will see he's a good person to work with. Also something to consider when buying a bike. He goes out of his way to help his customers. I just hope he HAS a 530 MX for you instead of the V-Cross or Enduro. They match up better with the MX oreinted bikes/riders.

If your life is the SRAC, the KTM SX or a two stroke anything might be a better deal. If your life is RMEC, Rampart Range, Left Hand Canyon, Wyoming's Medicin Bow National Forest etc...the VOR 450 Enduro or V-Cross(If you are aggressive) are about perfect. The 530 is too much for the tight stuff. I lived out in Berthoud until last fall and put a lot of time on a VOR503 V-Cross and a 2002 450 Prototype Enduro (Brad's)...They are really nice for trail riding and the RMEC. Reliable. Tough. And my scale doesn't read 270 anything on my 2002 Enduro. My e-start works reliably too. Ask the DRN'ers who rode with me out here at the Paragon PA DRN ride March 17th.

Oh yea..Brad and I argue tooth and nail about suspension setup. He has his set dead soft. I can't ride it that way. My 450 with the 46mm fork is as follows:

Fork Compression 12 clicks out
Fork rebound 5 clicks out
Shock Hi-Speed compression (top adjuster) 10 clicks out
Shock Low Speed compression (next one lower) 10 clicks out
Shock rebound. What ever is stock..I haven't had to touch it.

If you ride his 450 do this otherwise it just wallows as brad has everything on full soft. Tell him it's because he's just too short. LOL :debil:

 

[Enduro_Nut]

weimedog...

What spring are you using in your forks? I'm switching on my 00' from .42 to .46.

 

[DirtFamily]

Weimedog - Thanks for all the info!
I don't have the guy's card with me, but he's from Longmont and was at the OHV Expo last weekend. He's bringing the VOR to the Berthoud track tomorrow (Thurs) morning.....I was really impressed by that! How is it getting parts? We bought my GasGas and were told 3 days for parts but it's turning into a big pain to get it setup the way I want..argh

Katie

 

[Jaybird]

Katie,
I've never ridden one of those works of art, but I'm envious of all VOR owners.

 

[weimedog]

Enduro Nut, I too have a .46 in my 2001 503 V-cross. The forks are shorter on my 2001 than your 2000. By almost an inch. I have my forks up one ring on my 2001. On the 2000's I slide the forks up as high as I could to get it to turn as well as the 2001. I also cranked the rebound to 3 clicks out to help hold the fork down in the stroke on the 2000 I had here. It helped. I think the stiffer spring, sliding the fork up a bit, and messing with the rebound will make you happier. I also found Yamaha "01" fork oil to be too light for my 2001 and went to "02" and found things better along with the stiffer spring. But I'm a load.

Family, I haven't had any parts issues with the 2000, 2001, and 2002 models, despite what you might hear. Brad is VERY proactive with his folks. Over at Thumper Talk> Exotic Bikes there are a bunch of VOR customers chatting about their real time experiences should you want to hear from someone else. Brad also happens to be a VOR tech center and can really help should issues arise. Especially since you are within driving distance. Another Brad Benifit is he knows the trails systems along the front range better than anyone. Period. He's also a RMEC officer/ref and is at ALL those events with support. He also is very active in Ice racing to keep things interested during the winter. Look at all the trophies in his shop sometime...they are all his. He's an ex-IBM'er who decided to make Motorcycles his life. That 450 demo he has had since April last year was the bike he got "rider of the year" at the Colorado 500 last summer. No one works harder than that guy. Not trying to gush, just I have seen Brad in action over the years.

 

[DirtFamily]

Wiemedog - Sure enough, it's Brad we came across....
I'm very impressed with the info on him. I'll be sure to check out his shop.
I agree that the people are as important, if not more important, that the bike you choose. The RMEC part I really like, since I'm thinking about doing the circuit on my Pampera next year!

Had to postpone the demo for a week (something about bikes being
torn apart! :silly: ) but I'll let you know how John likes it.

Jaybird - Man, I tell you, that is one pretty bike! ;)

Katie