The one for long-distancerallyracersout there
For a long time now, adventure riders have been clamouring for a bike that is great in the dirt - light and agile - but also capable of covering many miles on the Tarmac. Several manufacturers have tried to pin the tail on the donkey, perhaps CCM with their GP450 got the closest, but the race-derived engine let that bike down on the road and owners complained of it being a swine to work on from a packaging point of view. Honda's CRF450L was an opportunity missed, whilst KTM's 690 and its sibling the Husqvarna 701 probably come closest to ticking all the boxes, but not without a lot of money spent post-purchase to make them more suitable for covering the road and rally miles.
Step forward the AJP PR?, a bike built in Portugal using the engine from the SWM SuperDual, itself a reincarnation of the tried and tested Husqvarna TE610 engine. The bike comprises high-end ZF Sachs fully adjustable suspension with a lofty 300mm of travel at the front, a sizeable 17-litre tank, a cockpit featuring a built-in Galaxy tablet for navigation, not to mention a pricetag of £9000, which in this day and age for a hand-built bike that's ready to compete straight out of the crate isn't too bad at all. Could this be the unicorn?
The weight of the PR? is certainly healthy at a lightweight 165 kilos wet, with the fuel tank located beneath the seat in order to keep the centre of gravity low. The rest of the bike is a beautiful example of simple design and packaging, with easy access to the engine for the 4000-mile servicing.
The test bike came fitted with AJP's popular Performance Kit upgrade, costing an extra £900. The kit comprises a Doma titanium exhaust, ram air box and modified ECU, boosting power from 46bhp to a more thrilling 58bhp. The latest KTM 690 puts out a whopping 74bhp and comes with a host of riding aids including cornering ABSand lean-angle sensitive traction control. By comparison, there's no ABS or even a side stand kill switch on the AJP.Don't even think about traction control.
The bike idles with a loud, but not deafening bark. It's light off the side stand. The suspension is set up on the soft side so planting a foot isn't impossible, with a 30mm lowering link available from UK engineering firm Rally Raid for those shorter in the leg. The cockpit area is impressive. You've got perfectly positioned bars, the switchgear feels and looks solid, whilst the full-size tablet in front of you takes some getting used to. The idea is that you sync it with your phone so that if you're competing in a time trial - or just trying to find your way home you can have clear directions up on the Tablet. It also displays speed and other engine data. You can also switch it off or remove it completely.
The mapping with the Performance kit is aggressive, with the engine performing best when on power. It does pick up cleanly from low revs however, and will carry speed at part throttle in a docile manner, especially with the cush drive in the rear hub helping soften the abruptness you can get from some of the big singles that run without them. Rather than snatchy, the power's well delivered and easy to regulate, with tall gearing to suit long stretches on the road. You might want to gear it down for more technical riding, but on the road the gearing works perfectly, the bike able to hold 70mph plus without any strain on the engine or vibrations through the contact points.
Braking from the single disc twin-pot Brembo brakes (new for the 2020 model) is impressive, although with 300mm of travel from the front suspension you will inevitably get some dive under braking, but obviously tune it for a more road-biased set up if that's what you prefer. The riding position is
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