FIRST RIDE: MASH X-RIDE
A £5000, 650cc retro single with a touch of XT500 flavour.
If you’re thinking Yamaha XT500 then it’s exactly what Mash were hoping. Their X-ride is pitched as a back to basics single with the look of a ‘classic enduro’, and its profiles and colours are no accident. With the relentless popularity of retros they’re not the first company to echo the style of the iconic XT, of course – Ducati’s Desert Sled also has more than a passing resemblance.
There are major differences here, mind. First, the Mash is closer to a classic thanks to an air-cooled single-cylinder engine. And second, this new 650 is just £4999, which is half the price of the Doocardy. This eye-rubbing asking is thanks to the X-ride’s simplicity, yes, but also because it’s knocked out in China. Mash are French but their bikes are made by Shineray, a vast company that does very well from taking over existing engine designs. In the case of the 650 this means the 644cc single-overhead-cam motor that Honda used in the NX650 Dominator, and which can trace its ancestry back to the XR600R in 1985. Shineray acquired the rights in 2016. When the Domi’ arrived in 1988 the 100 x 82mm single thumped out 39 lb.ft and a claimed 44bhp. Today’s daffodil-saving emissions regs mean the Mash makes do with 32 pound-feet and around 40 horsepower at 6000rpm. It still feels how ‘giant trailies’ of the ’80s and 90s’ used to, though. There are no off-the-throttle power wheelies, but the X-ride pulls keenly all the way to an indicated 7000rpm, has clean fuelling from Delphi injection, and is less likely to blur your vision at low revs than a big single from back in the day. It cheerily sits for extended spells at 75mph in top (fifth) gear. Unfortunately the 650’s looks and engine aren’t matched by its chassis. The largest problem is that Mash have strutted off down the supermoto route with wide 17-inch rims, then failed to complete the genre with sticky road tyres. Instead, it has blocky rubber made by Kenda. Using knobblies might be all the rage with trendy urban types, but the tyres ruin the X-ride’s steering and how it handles at low speed. It’s like the front tyre is deflated (it’s not, I checked). Wind up the pace on open roads and, on chilled tarmac, there’s a lack of grip at big lean too. Manners aren’t assisted by the front forks. They’re suitably chunky and pleasingly finished, however, their action is frustratingly choppy – ride quality is jittery and the front end is never entirely settled. While the flash-looking Hangte radial front caliper has decent power, it’s disappointingly short of anything resembling feel.
The joy of today’s retros is that you get traditional charm and character, without suffering antiquated components. But the Mash’s confidence-spoiling, comfort-robbing ride quality is too old fashioned. It’s a shame, as there are no such issues with the rear shock. And in every other way the X-ride pretty much hits the spot, especially considering it’s priced like a posh 125. The riding position is balanced and spacious despite the bike’s compact dimensions, and the flat seat stays comfy for as far as the 12-litre tank will carry you. Some of the frame welds would have had my instructor shaking his head when I was an engineering apprentice, but overall finish is no worse than Royal Enfield’s best-selling Interceptor. Natty rear rack and cool finned headlight housing too, and I like the small ABS button on the bright-finish ’bars. The diddy dash is in keeping with the classic enduro thing as well, though only has room for speed, revs, odometer and a mildly erratic fuel gauge.
If you spend time tooling around on nadgery lanes and are besotted with the X-ride’s looks, jump in. You won’t find another decent-sized, decently-made retro trailie for five grand. However, Mash’s problem is that Enfield have reset our expectations for simple attractively-priced bikes. It’s £700 more expensive, but their twin-cylinder Interceptor is faster, smoother, and a much more rounded and usable machine than the X-ride. And you’re not forever longing for new tyres and better suspension.
‘If you spend time tooling around on nadgery lanes and are besotted with the X-ride’s looks, jump in.’