cornishtwinspring Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Speaking as a long time owner of the 4rt & purely on a personal level,The weight difference is negligible on the courses & sections I ride (no bouncing),although a mates son who has to ride a 125 can hop the mont far easier than his own bike!! The build quality is 2nd to none in the trials world & maintainance beyond filter & chain well that's about it!!. I especially don't miss the faffing with stripping carbs,blowing jets etc etc,because the eyes aren't what they wer & neither are the fingers,so maybe that's why the 4rt appeals to the slighty elder demograph. Lees workshop time = both more riding time & more time in the warmth of the house and not the necessity of cold workshop time maintaining the 2smokes.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbohead Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 We must remember the difference between Japanese tech and anything else. Honda is perhaps the ultimate manufacturer of bikes from a quality perspective, no matter if we look at mx, enduro, trials or road bikes (or racers). From the late '90s, there has been an enormous development of 4-stroke Japanese dirt bikes, mainly because of emission regulations and marketing strategies. The 4RT is an excellent example of all that and they keep on winning. However, if Honda had decided to invest the same kind of money developing a 2-stroke trials bike, I am sure it would have been at least as competitive and certainly superior to anything else on today's 2-stroke trials scene, in terms of quality, reliability and so on. The smaller, specialized manufacturers can never compete with the technology and build quality of a major manufacturer as Honda, but of course they can always produce bikes capable of winning in the right hands. As a weekend rider, you have the choice of paying to ride as much as possible (on a 4RT), or saving some money, but investing lots of time and keeping a low-tech bike competitive. Both ways can be very rewarding in different ways, but what would real men be without a little workshop therapy every now and then...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyl Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 7 hours ago, breagh said: I'll edit it for you ,cerainly outlast most of there owners by a margin. Freudian slip maybe ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornishtwinspring Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Even the often heard a mont costs too much argument is no longer really valid as the standard 4rt is now very competitively priced against all the other brands. Imo they make the soundest investment of your hard earned.. If buying a trials bike can in anyway be construed as a sound investment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrsunt Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 Caroline Sandiford really pushed the 4rt in the early days, there were plenty competing in the British champs, nationals and all the other major events and we all did well. Dabill, Hemmingway, James Lampkin, myself and Boyd Webster could all be at the sharp end. After the demise of Sandifords the Montesa dealer network has been p*** poor, without a trials specific importer to establish a new team and push the product to the next generation or riders. Nothing to do with the bike, but lack of support from the Honda infrastructure . Hopefully with the new dealers being appointed and some more interest in the trials market Honda may start to push their great product again 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbk Posted January 19, 2017 Report Share Posted January 19, 2017 Its really simple we dont have to work on our bikes we put gas in them and ride then wash them off. When you really set down and look at the bikes they are really well made. Next time you go to and event look around see who is working on there bikes setting jets working on a clutch mixing fuel. Also ask to ride the Montesa. Like I said earlier i took mine out of the box in 2006 i have had to replace fenders and a set of fork seals other than that gas and go 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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