Well I finally got out of the house and took the new bike for a spin.
The first thing I noticed was how snappy the bike was. I would crack the throttle and the front tire would come off of the ground. I have never ridden a bike that was this snappy. So I give it a 10 for the grin factor!
Right now the bike is geared 12/48 and it seems to be just about right. We rode at the National Forest and it is not really tight so I will have to find some tight stuff to see how this gearing will work.
Now most you don't know but this bike is a 300 with the 250 cylinder on it. This is something the french guys do so I guess it would be safe to say that the bikes power is similar to that of a 250. It still lugs around like the 300 but snaps up like a 250. The power is just plain incredible. The power is very smooth and clean with no hesitation or bogs. The bike does not buzz the pegs like the older bikes and it idles!
The suspension needs a little work as it felt like it had to much compression on the front. The forks have the 08 valving and I was told that I should not have to do much to them to get them right for me. I will wait for Girard to ride it and tell me what he thinks. The rear will need adjusting also it seems a bit harsh to me.
The handling to me is just a little better than my 04 IMO. Now the one thing that I will brag highly on is how light the bike feels. This seems to make the bike easier to flick around.
I like the seat on the 07! It seems that it is narrower than my 04 and this aids me while standing. I feel that I can grip the bike better and stand more now. The FIM tires that came on the bike suck! They seem very hard and harsh and I had to end my day early due to a pinch flat on the rear!
The pivot pegz seemed to help my knees in the whoop sections. My knees have been shot for many years and was told the pivot pegz would help which they did. I also noticed shifting was easier while hauling butt thru the woods because of them.
I did notice the change in power delivery when going from the "Sunny" setting to the "Rain" setting today. While in the "Rain" mode the bike seemed to bog just a bit. I double checked this while at camp. In the "Rain" mode I would whack the throttle wide open and it would bog just for a split second and then clean up. The same test was done in the "Sunny" mode and no hesitation was noticed. The jetting on the bike also seemed to be spot on. I will pull the plug today and see what color the plug is and go from there.
So all in all I am very pleased with my purchase. If any of you have thought about buying one of these left over bikes before but were hesitant about doing so I would tell you to do it. Yeah there are a few bumps & scratches on the bike but is was worth it to me. You get an awesome bike for a discounted price. Plus with the scratched up bike you won't cry as much when it hits the ground!
A few things I learned today.
1. Renthal Fat Bars still suck!
2. I now really appreciate my steering Dampner. I rode without it today because it is still on my old bike and had my bars jerked out of my hands several times due to some nasty roots!
3. The FIM tires suck!
4. I need to adjust the throttle on my bike. It is a little to sensitive almost causing me to launch the bike into some trees several times. There is zero free play with the throttle and I have to adjust it!
Once again thanks to the awesome guys at GoFasters! This bike is everything they told me it would be and more!
Robby