Wee but wirey
IT WAS AN enlightening experience riding with Martin on his very different off-roader. The little 146kg CRF feels so light, so playful that you can concentrate on enjoying yourself rather than crashing and despite having bargain-basement suspension compared to his big Scrambler, its natural pace through the byways and firetracks of Thetford Forest was much higher than the 230kg, 1200cc Triumph.
Thetford offers a decent challenge for a non-dudeish rider like myself: there is tight single-track over corrugated bumpy sections (hairy off-road people call them ‘whoops’) technical sections through deep 4x4 ruts and big water crossings. It’s brilliant fun, could be tackled by adventure bikes in the summer and the knobbly CRF took it all in its stride.
It also highlighted that the budget improvements I’ve made have been worth it too. I’m 1000 miles into the £100 Michelin Tracker tyres and they still offer huge confidence and wear well. The £299.50
Hagon shock is a big improvement over stock too (though I think it would be better running a stiffer spring and less preload) and the £12 smaller JT front sprocket allows just enough acceleration to lift the front over bumps and ease that soft front suspension. It’s hardly an enduro tool but I’m hardly an enduro rider.
Best of all, the new, very sturdy Ultimateaddons iphone case and bracket (crossbar kit with ball-mount to clamp to the handlebar brace) allowed me to navigate using a TRF beginner route I downloaded onto the Viewranger app. It’s a great way of being able to find legal trails without spending hours buried in an OS map. MATT WILDEE