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Motorcycle Insurance Beginner Guide (My Story)
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Between the reactions I get from here and elsewhere I think I must be some kinda .01 percentile.
I read today in my motorcycle owner manual the following:
” By selecting a Montesa Cota 4RT as your new machine, you have placed yourself in a distinguished family of owners and riders. ” ( …I like the ‘distinguished’ part, way better than bizarre, strange or anomalous
” The Cota is a high performance trial motorcycle utilizing the latest trial technology. This motorcycle is intended for competition use by experienced riders only. This new trialer was designed to be as competitive as possible. But motorcycle trial is a physically demanding sport that requires more than just a fine racing machine. To do well, you must be in excellent physical condition and be a skillful rider. For best possible results, work diligently on your physical condition and practice frequently. “Is this not exactly what should be written on the first page of a 600+cc crotch rocket manual !
Try Trials, you’ll like it
If track racing is anything like my competitions you still pay big bucks for insurance, they just call it entry fee’s
This is likely why some previous posters, have commented on the R model having a ” taller ” feel. A higher center of gravity is not a good thing for beginners or expert riders and the only advantage in this design is, simplicity of maintenance and it’s economy to build. If that economy is not transfered on to the consumer it would be a rip off.
If it came to comparing model to model between a bike with this suspension and say a 400$ more expensive bike having no difference other than a modern linkage type design, I would pay the price for an upgraded suspension and deal with the increased maintenance cost, rather than own one with an elevated center of gravity. For a prime example of this high mounted monoshock suspension, take a look at the 1940’s Vincent Black Shadow.
…I’m guessing the sleeved down version is intended to leverage a cheaper insurance cost ?
The piston and valves must also be smaller so it will be interesting to see if the 400 pulls higher rev’s.I am NOT making this as a criticism, but strictly as an observation relating to the design aspect of tall rear shock positioning; I owned a Yamaha TY250 monoshock that had an almost identical rear suspension layout to these bikes and subsequently moved to rides that have the rear shock linkage mounted extremely low in the frame by comparison. In my experience that higher rear shock mount will impart a taller feel to a motorcycle and higher center of gravity. What does this mean to the average rider, possibly nothing; but I did find that when the bike was in a full wheelie position or climbing an extremely steep slope, they do exhibit a propensity to ‘lip out’ and require far more sensitive throttle and brake control to stop from flipping backwards. Again this is NOT a criticism because I doubt that any of you are buying these things to do cat-walks or climb 70+ degree slopes
…only relating an experience that is more safely discovered on the feather weight, low speed Trials bike.Great looking bike and an excellent move by Kawasaki to offer displacement variations on a common platform, it’s a proven practice frequently seen in Trials bike production.
Then Imagine being able to ride up and down anywhere on rocks like this at 3 mph to places most people can’t get to other than on foot or by hiring out a White Water Rafting tour.
Ottawa River at low water
The piston and valves must also be smaller so it will be interesting to see if the 400 pulls higher rev’s.
