OHVALE GP-O 190
F I RST IMPRESSION
P86
If you look at the careers of
Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi,
Andrea Dovizioso, Jorge Lo-
renzo and Maverick Vinales, they
all have one thing in common
despite the age difference: they
were all successful mini bike rid-
ers, nurtured through a system
that enabled them to become
the global racing forces they
are today. Mini bikes, small
bikes, pocket bikes, whatever
you want to call them, breed
champions. End of story.
Thankfully, there is hope
on the horizon in the form of
former international Brandon
Cretu and his new company,
Rise Moto. Brandon has been
one of the leading American
competitors at the Isle of Man
TT and Macau Grand Prix,
and has formed Rise Moto
to become the new importer
of Italian company, Ohvale.
Comprised of four machines in
the GP-0 110cc (both in manual
and auto gearbox), 160cc,
190cc and the 212cc (only 30
of these limited-edition bikes
will be made worldwide), the
Ohvale lineup is a solid one
and something American ju-
O
f the four models available in the Ohvale range,
the $6899 GP-0 190 is the kingpin. Powered by
a Japanese-built Daytona 190cc four-stroke, the
190 pumps out a claimed 25 horsepower, has an Arrow
exhaust, Keihin PE 28 carburetor, runs a gorgeous tubular
steel chassis, 10-inch wheels shod with PMT slicks, a four-
piston monobloc front caliper gripping a 180mm disc and
twin-piston caliper biting a 155mm disc at the rear, 33mm
inverted forks and a fully adjustable monoshock.
There's a massive list of aftermarket add-ons for all four
Ohvale models, like an Adreani cartridge fork kit, Ohlins
shock, different tires, slipper clutch, gearing options, tire
warmers, bike stands and covers, as well as the ability
to design your own custom graphics (you can make your
bike look identical to Valentino's if you want).
We headed out to Apex Kart Track at Perris in SoCal
with former AMA Superbike privateer and now owner of
a few Ohvale's in Josh Chism, who let us loose for a few
sessions on his brand-new babies.
Ohvale
Riding the
GP-0 190
Captain bobble-
head tries to stop
the GP-0 190
from running off
the inside of the
track. It turns
that quickly.
(Right) You'll get 25
horsepower on tap
from the 190, which
is significantly more
than something
like a Honda Grom
and only just
behind a CBR300R.
Yikes! (Below) All
business. There's
no rev counter—you
shift by feel.