BoristheBiter
13th December 2012, 18:06
A few years back my partners old XR200 was about dead so we started looking for a new bike. Now at the time the only real options were the Honda CRF 230 or the Yamaha TT-R230 as she had to touch the ground and it had to be a 4T.
We had come across a new bike called the Forza but as we knew nothing much about them so at the time she chose the CRF 230.
All that changed this weekend gone as the retailer of them (Over the top adventures) was looking for someone to test ride the new 2013 pro model and give a write up on them.
Now this is not a bike I would have normally given the time of day but I was very curious as to what they are like so we rocked up the MR motorcycles ride at Paparimu School.
After Meeting up with Stuart (Over the top Adventures) and given the run down on the bike I went out and put it to the test on the 40km mud slicker that would put other bikes (and riders) sliding down hills, not always on two wheels.
Now this is no $10k race machine but there is no taking away the fact that this bike did perform. It had no trouble getting up the steep muddy hills and definitely no trouble getting down them. The rear brake I found to be placed a little awkward so that did take some getting used to but would be easily fixed and not really and issue. The throttle control was exactly what I would expect, I did manage to stall it a few times but I just put that down to the fact that it was a new bike that I was not used to.
The suspension, front and back, was set a little hard but unlike the Honda 230, or other mid ranged bikes, it is adjustable so again it was no real issue and it is light, only 107kg, this again is better than the Honda which is as heavy as a tractor.
My partner who is an avid lover of her Honda took it for a ride around the fields and thought the bike was fine and she could touch the ground with her feet when sitting which is a massive thing for her. She too found the rear brake a little hard to find which was not such a good thing as when she went to stamp on it and did not locate it quick enough so had a moment and grabbed the front instead, sorry Stuart for laying your nice new demo bike down.
The best thing about this bike though is the price only $3999, and with the TTR at $7250 and the Honda CRF at $7155 the savings are massive. If I was just getting into riding, or I was looking at a new bike for the other half I would buy this bike, it is half the price of a Honda and Yamaha and I could not see anything that would make me pay another $3000 for.
The only down side I found was the position of the kick start, (it does have electric start), the kick was in a funny position and I would be tempted to just remove it all together as I would catch it now and then on the back of my leg.
This bike did everything I asked of it and didn’t fail once. It got me up the hills, down the hills, through the mud, and the entire A sections and it did not even hesitate or break when dropped (sorry again Stu).
After test riding the Forza I took the CRF230 out for a loop, and really couldn’t find much of a difference other than the Honda is a lot heavier.
Yes if I purchased this bike I would change the back sprocket and remove the kick-start but I would definitely recommend this bike to anyone thinking of buying one.
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=zoj5h5" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/zoj5h5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
We had come across a new bike called the Forza but as we knew nothing much about them so at the time she chose the CRF 230.
All that changed this weekend gone as the retailer of them (Over the top adventures) was looking for someone to test ride the new 2013 pro model and give a write up on them.
Now this is not a bike I would have normally given the time of day but I was very curious as to what they are like so we rocked up the MR motorcycles ride at Paparimu School.
After Meeting up with Stuart (Over the top Adventures) and given the run down on the bike I went out and put it to the test on the 40km mud slicker that would put other bikes (and riders) sliding down hills, not always on two wheels.
Now this is no $10k race machine but there is no taking away the fact that this bike did perform. It had no trouble getting up the steep muddy hills and definitely no trouble getting down them. The rear brake I found to be placed a little awkward so that did take some getting used to but would be easily fixed and not really and issue. The throttle control was exactly what I would expect, I did manage to stall it a few times but I just put that down to the fact that it was a new bike that I was not used to.
The suspension, front and back, was set a little hard but unlike the Honda 230, or other mid ranged bikes, it is adjustable so again it was no real issue and it is light, only 107kg, this again is better than the Honda which is as heavy as a tractor.
My partner who is an avid lover of her Honda took it for a ride around the fields and thought the bike was fine and she could touch the ground with her feet when sitting which is a massive thing for her. She too found the rear brake a little hard to find which was not such a good thing as when she went to stamp on it and did not locate it quick enough so had a moment and grabbed the front instead, sorry Stuart for laying your nice new demo bike down.
The best thing about this bike though is the price only $3999, and with the TTR at $7250 and the Honda CRF at $7155 the savings are massive. If I was just getting into riding, or I was looking at a new bike for the other half I would buy this bike, it is half the price of a Honda and Yamaha and I could not see anything that would make me pay another $3000 for.
The only down side I found was the position of the kick start, (it does have electric start), the kick was in a funny position and I would be tempted to just remove it all together as I would catch it now and then on the back of my leg.
This bike did everything I asked of it and didn’t fail once. It got me up the hills, down the hills, through the mud, and the entire A sections and it did not even hesitate or break when dropped (sorry again Stu).
After test riding the Forza I took the CRF230 out for a loop, and really couldn’t find much of a difference other than the Honda is a lot heavier.
Yes if I purchased this bike I would change the back sprocket and remove the kick-start but I would definitely recommend this bike to anyone thinking of buying one.
<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=zoj5h5" target="_blank"><img src="http://i48.tinypic.com/zoj5h5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>