Blind buy - Montesa content

[Triad]

Quote

 

Hello guys... basically part 2 of my previous topic about the 125cc. 

I'm looking for another trial bike to explore hard trails... but no bike is "local" to me, at least 1.5 hours from here.

I've found a Montesa 310 Evasion, a 315, a couple of older TXT280s, a few Beta Revs from the early 2000s. I'd prefer a road legal bike as I don't own a van to move it around and I'm at about 10km from the nearest woods.

Found more than one Evasion 310, one is basically brand new with less than 1000km but it needs plate/paperwork, so I'll have to apply for one and cover the costs... basically it will cost 250/300 bucks more than the other that already have the plate and paperwork and will take some time... 2-3 months. But again, it looks brand new - not something you see everyday. No Beta Alps nearby.

I'd definitely like the bigger tank but the seat really looks bad LOL. Is the 315 much better than the 310 for this kind of stuff? Not doing real zones, just want something to have fun and learn on. I'm 180cm x 82kg.

Edited Monday at 06:16 PM by Triad

[Tr1AL]

@Triad Have you considered a Enduro bike as it seems to be a suitable bike for what you want to do and as you are reasonably tall the seat height will be better suited to you than those low trail bike seats that are better suited to 6ft 9" or shorter.

[Triad]

Yeah, I tried a few... a '95 KTM EXC 300 2 strokes, a 2013 TM 300 2 strokes, a Gasgas EC300 2 strokes and owned a 2000 KTM EXC400 4 strokes for a year... it was very nice but the tall seat/pegs didn't really give me much confidence against obstacles.

Great bike, though. 

[lemur]

With it being 10km from the nearest woods I would be looking for a Montesa 4RT, it's a durable bike that has been in production for decades and you can still get any parts.  A 4-cycle engine is far better suited to the sustained road speeds and you still might even have some fuel left in the tank when you get there but if you don't you can fill at a regular gas station or petrol station or whatever they have where you live.  2 stroke trials bike on 10k of road just to get to the riding area would be brutal on both the bike and rider.

[Triad]

Yeah, wasn't fun with the Beta Rev but of course I kept the rpm reasonably low... but yeah, it's a pain for the tires too.

[lemur]

4RT is the kind of engine you could pin for a while and not have a problem, very capable ride and user friendly as trials bikes come, carry a tire pump and pump up the tires lots for road use, let tire pressure down when you get to the riding area.  You can get a saddle that can carry extra fuel storage. With a 4-stroke you won't be trailing a smoke screen on the road rides.

Some of those motorcycles you are considering a fairly fragile considering trials bikes and hard enduro bikes are constant repairs and maintenance.

Edited Monday at 11:26 PM by lemur

[Triad]

Don't know if the Montesa 315 and the Evasion 310 can be referred to as "fairly fragile", that kind of bike usually gets abused thru the years by several owners without falling to pieces.

[lemur]

3 minutes ago, Triad said:

Don't know if the Montesa 315 and the Evasion 310 can be referred to as "fairly fragile", that kind of bike usually gets abused thru the years by several owners without falling to pieces.

Huge difference between the frames and sub-frame on those 2 models, 315 does not even have a subframe, fragile does depend on how hard you ride them and how often you crash it.  Personally at this point I would not buy any trials bike that does not have a 4 pot front brake.  

Both are 2-stroke and would be horrible for the 20 km of on road ride in addition to a full day of trials terrain riding.  Pre-mix fuel is going to be a problem for street riding distances greater than the normal 2 litre trials bike fuel capacity will provide.  A 2-stroke air cooled engine will not have the fuel range or engine longevity you will get with a 4RT.  Air cooled 2-stroke is going to smoke and rattle even more compared to a water cooled engine and adding oil to fuel reduces fuel octane making race fuel more relevant.  Fat bars on newer models are less prone to bending compared to 7/8" bars with a crossbar support.  KTM 2T enduro bikes have cheaper buy in and replacement parts on average, but they break lots of pegs, rads, exhaust pipes and plastics. 

[Triad]

Luckily I only slightly bent bars on my KTM400, for the rest I'm a relatively "polite" rider, don't take big risks. But on complex terrain and obstacles I really felt at home on a trial bike, while the enduro being so much bigger/taller/heavier didn't really make me feel comfortable in those situations... even if it's waaaay better for "360 use" as it's street-capable, has longer range, a real seat etc.

[konrad]

I agree with lemur about the 4RT.  The problem is that if you find a "cheap" one, it's going to require maintenance. 

At this point, I suggest trying to borrow a bike to see if you even enjoy the type of riding you are anticipating. 

 

P.S. I meant to respond about the new Michelins on the cheap 125.  Any amount of road riding will rapidly degrade them.  Tire pressure is another issue.  It will need to be significantly higher for road riding than trials.

Edited 9 hours ago by konrad

[lemur]

4RT engine is the kind of engine you could run pinned for a long ride and not blow it up.  They run a 36 tooth rear sprocket to make one more street worthy.  36 tooth sprocket will limit your Trials riding to mostly 1st. and 2nd. gear.

[Triad]

Finding a van might be the solution to most problems, I know. 😅