Montesa 4ride or equivalent?

[stuessenhigh]

Hi folks. Nearly 7 years since I was on this fab forum. Haven't ridden for ages either (injuries etc). SO...I'm after some advice please. I want to get back into trials but without the expense of a van. Trailer also a no-no (nowhere to store it). I'm lucky in that the local club and practice area is only about 15 miles away so I'm thinking about a road reg'd bike that I can ride to the club site AND ride a trial on. Preferably a bike with lights. I'm wondering if the Montesa 4ride (never seen one in the flesh) can have the big seat etc removed in seconds and is it then a normal 4rt underneath?

OR..is there another trials bike that has lights/ling ride seat etc than can be removed easily when i get to the club site??

Any ideas much appreciated. Thanks

[faussy]

For a daylight MOT you dont need lights, as long as you ride during the day in clear visibility. A rear plate, horn and speedo is all thats necessary.

Im not sure how long it would take to remove the lights and seat. The 4ride seat and its extra gubbins are quite substantial, theres radiator shrouds and larger mudguard as well. If you remove it i dont know whats underneath, but it definitely doesnt turn into a standard trim 4rt. They have the same engine, frame and suspension as im aware, but you most likely would have to replace the seat youve taken off with something to cover up the filter and replace the 4ride rear guard with a standard guard. Removing a 4ride seat wouldnt gain you much, as theres a plastic structure underneath that is still quite bulky. What you probably want is a standard 4rt with an add on supplementary seat and toolbox, which keeps the original tank and mudguard in place. This however wouldnt be as comfortable as a proper 4ride on the road, but would be more competitive in the trial. 

Amos Bilbao rode the complete ssdt on a 4ride, so you can certainly trial them even in complete 4ride trim. He finished 20th ish, although i dare say he would hvae been further up the leader board had he been on a standard 4rt. All depends how competitive you want to

Sherco also do a 4 ride equivalent, dont know what its called, but i think its even further away from a trials bike.

Edited September 5, 2018 by faussy

[doogle]

Think the suspension is different on the 4ride. Slightly longer travel than the 4rt. Geared differently too as far as I’m aware. I’d probably go for a 4rt or an Evo 4t with a long ride removable seat if I wanted it purely for trials. Or a 4ride if I wanted to Trail ride too. 

[northumbrian]

I have a 4ride, use it for long trials, and extreme trail riding, it’s more than capable of doing clubman sections, for this, the Seat isn’t a problem ( I’m 6 ft tall) and is an excuse if you 5 a section.... “well it is a trail bike!”

5th gear is same as a 4rt, 1,2,3 slightly higher but still low enough for easy trials stuff, ( final drive gearing same a 4rt) and has  a  bigger fuel tank

 

its horrible on the road ( probs why there are a few low milers often for sale) but It’s basically a tweaked trials bike.

i love the 4 ride, lovely power delivery, light in weight and extremely capable, but not an enduro bike or a road bike a bit of an  odd bod, but I love it !

Edited September 5, 2018 by northumbrian

[pug]

Like wise with the 4Ride I love it I just use it for Green lane riding it can handle anything you throw at it and to watch riders out with you on Enduro bikes bust into a sweat on a slippery wet rock climbs just makes it all the better for the older less fit rider. if you come from a Enduro bike background you are never going to like the 4Ride Enduro bike it is not but if you come from a Trials background a Trials bike with a seat so ticks all the boxes for a days fun riding.

Pug

[ourian]

One thing to consider is fuel, my standard 4rt does 8-10 miles per litre, so with your 15 mile journey to the practice ground, you'll just about use a full tank of fuel to get there on a 4rt and then need to refill to get you home.

With a Hebo auxilary tank on the forks and a H&M seat with build in tank, I've managed to get my 4rt's fuel carrying capacity up to 5 litres

The H&M seat does demount in seconds but leaves a hooked mounting bracket just in the right place to cause some nasty damage to your spherical adornment

Another consideration is tyres, with 30 miles of road work each time you ride to and from the practice ground, they're not going to last long as a trials tyre 

[faussy]

PS, you do know bike racks exist? They take up a fraction of the space of a trailer, and if you have a towbar already fitted relatively cheap

Edited September 6, 2018 by faussy

[stuessenhigh]

Thanks folks. All very useful! I guessed the 4ride might not quite be a normal 4rt in disguise. Still fancy one for green laning but thats going off subject. Looks like a normal 4rt might be the answer with some additional fuel storage on it. Can't really use a bike rack because I rarely have access to a car. I commute all year round on a bike. Brrrr

Thanks for all your ideas. Will post it here if and when i get myself sorted. Cheers

[leadbasher]

Don't forget the gasgas contact es great little bike for the price and comes with electric start. 

 

[Andyd]

newbie to this and looking to buy the 4ride for some green laning (I'm no speed merchant) but along the way looked at Beta alp £4300 and quickly converts to a trial bike in a few moments with minimal tools apparently. For you worth a look. 200cc

[woody1970]

I’ve recently bought a 4 ride  17 reg with just over 500 miles & love it . I’ve changed the rear sprocket to a 38 so it’s a bit better on the road. It’ll do 65 flat out but it’s happy at 40 without revving too much.  Did 52 miles out & about around Somerset’s green lanes the other week with just less than a litre left in the tank so I think 60 miles is safe on a tank. Just need to get a 2 litre fuel bottle to put under the seat for flexibility. Think I’ll need a harder tyre though cos the Dunlop is rather soft & won’t last long

[rr62]

Yup definitely watch those tyres doing 15 miles each way - could soon end up costing you a few bob…

[cord]

I've got a pair of Maxxis Trialmax on mine. Almost as much grip as Michelin x11's on rocks (certainly dry ones, not qiuite as good in the wet) more grip in soil/mud and so far have lasted easily twice what my last rear X11 did. Thoroughly recommended.

 

Editted to add.  I did have to glue the rear on tho, i noticed it was turning on the rim slightly, and being tubeless there is no rim lock.

Edited September 15, 2021 by cord

[northumbrian]

For LDT you  would be better of with a Beta X Trainer. I had a 4 Ride, we didn’t get on, pain to work on …. Air filter requires an age to get at, with half the bike requiring removal. (I had this issues in the Pyrenees after drowning the bike, not good) Horrible on the road and and off road trying to ride it as a trail bike (seated) with trials geometry is a liability. Yes, Ok when confronted with a  Technical section on a trail it will do a job for you
in the SSD, was Bilbao,s 4 Ride a stock bike? More likely  a 4RT dressed up ? IMO of course!

[cascao]

You need a TRS X track

https://trsmotorcycles.com/motocicleta47_trrs-xtrack-one-2021-new