evh1
Well-known member
- Likes
- 190
- Location
- Montgomery, AL
2019 RedShift EXR - 440 miles on bike - 70 mile race at race pace
I just rode the 70 mile Gobbler Getter National Enduro this weekend in Maplesville, AL and can report a resounding "Oh, heck yeah!" for the bike. There were the usual pro names there plus 550 amateurs ! Lots of RV's, bikes and the trail was well developed to say the least when my row, 101, went out. I rode the first 4 sections - 40 miles - and pulled into the reset area with a flashing final 3 bars. Section 5 was 10 miles, so I called it good and jumped on my Husky 501 to finish. The bike seemed way more nimble in the tight stuff than the 260 lbs would feel. With primo traction throughout the course due to a rain the day before (no dust even with 550 bikes !!), the torque the electric engine gave me was perfect and the hills were not an issue -just tractored up them with no drama and I was focused on line and position with no clutch, gear, motor bog etc that can ruin a hill climb.
Problems were few. One, the regen action of the bike made free wheeling tough -alot more noticeable engine type braking, and thus rear brake sliding into the tight corners/trees - typical woods terrain technique - was hard to work around, so I was much more front wheel braking dependent and the usual flow of woods running was more point and shoot. Trying to find that little spot in the throttle slack that provides a bit of free wheel was too hard to do in tight demanding sections when you're negotiating between trees and roots etc. Open area turns were easier to catch and brake slide normally.
Two, the throttle is restrictive enough that it gets pretty tiring in long tight areas and I had to shake out the wrist sometimes. Short of lubing the cables good and the throttle tube, I don't know how to prevent this mechanical/electrical rheostat scenario.
I got a lot of inquiries of - cool, will you make it? what's it feel like in the tight stuff - from riders as well as a ton of thumbs up from spectators as I whirred by! At the gas stops, I'd run up to the front re-stage area and tell the course worker, "I don't need no stinkin' gas" and they'd let me run on. The workers at the time checks would freak out as I "snuck up on them" as one person put it with no sound, but to a man they were encouraging. I saw my dealer, Max Motorsports of Pelham, AL at one section and he was impressed and happy to see me that far.
Performance wise, I cannot say enough how capable the bike/motor is...we all know this of course, but it worked out really so well on a true woods test. I'm stoked for days. This bike is the real deal. If and when battery length gets lengthened, a full race is possible. As it is, at less than race pace, I don't think many of us would ever ride 70 miles on a woods jaunt for fun. 40 miles is a bunch and is prolly 2.5+ hours of solid running, so it's safe to say the bike can run as long as you can for a fun day in the woods. If you broke it up once with a 1.5 hr lunch re-hydrate and threw it on the charger then, well there would be no worries on battery life whatsoever.
Oh yeah, I pulled the holeshot for my row by a ton !!
I just rode the 70 mile Gobbler Getter National Enduro this weekend in Maplesville, AL and can report a resounding "Oh, heck yeah!" for the bike. There were the usual pro names there plus 550 amateurs ! Lots of RV's, bikes and the trail was well developed to say the least when my row, 101, went out. I rode the first 4 sections - 40 miles - and pulled into the reset area with a flashing final 3 bars. Section 5 was 10 miles, so I called it good and jumped on my Husky 501 to finish. The bike seemed way more nimble in the tight stuff than the 260 lbs would feel. With primo traction throughout the course due to a rain the day before (no dust even with 550 bikes !!), the torque the electric engine gave me was perfect and the hills were not an issue -just tractored up them with no drama and I was focused on line and position with no clutch, gear, motor bog etc that can ruin a hill climb.
Problems were few. One, the regen action of the bike made free wheeling tough -alot more noticeable engine type braking, and thus rear brake sliding into the tight corners/trees - typical woods terrain technique - was hard to work around, so I was much more front wheel braking dependent and the usual flow of woods running was more point and shoot. Trying to find that little spot in the throttle slack that provides a bit of free wheel was too hard to do in tight demanding sections when you're negotiating between trees and roots etc. Open area turns were easier to catch and brake slide normally.
Two, the throttle is restrictive enough that it gets pretty tiring in long tight areas and I had to shake out the wrist sometimes. Short of lubing the cables good and the throttle tube, I don't know how to prevent this mechanical/electrical rheostat scenario.
I got a lot of inquiries of - cool, will you make it? what's it feel like in the tight stuff - from riders as well as a ton of thumbs up from spectators as I whirred by! At the gas stops, I'd run up to the front re-stage area and tell the course worker, "I don't need no stinkin' gas" and they'd let me run on. The workers at the time checks would freak out as I "snuck up on them" as one person put it with no sound, but to a man they were encouraging. I saw my dealer, Max Motorsports of Pelham, AL at one section and he was impressed and happy to see me that far.
Performance wise, I cannot say enough how capable the bike/motor is...we all know this of course, but it worked out really so well on a true woods test. I'm stoked for days. This bike is the real deal. If and when battery length gets lengthened, a full race is possible. As it is, at less than race pace, I don't think many of us would ever ride 70 miles on a woods jaunt for fun. 40 miles is a bunch and is prolly 2.5+ hours of solid running, so it's safe to say the bike can run as long as you can for a fun day in the woods. If you broke it up once with a 1.5 hr lunch re-hydrate and threw it on the charger then, well there would be no worries on battery life whatsoever.
Oh yeah, I pulled the holeshot for my row by a ton !!
