Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127962
The TX270 jus t f~els "right," an d it's easier to ride an d more forgiving for the ave rage person than any other '98 . MONTESA COlA 315R In ' 97 the Co ta 315R se t the tr ial s world on its ear. Thi s Spa nish /Japanese co ng lo mer a te w a s cl e arl y the bes t m achine available, ma inly d u e to its ex tre mely lil,>ht w ei ght and co mpac t chassis. Except for so me min or cha nges to th e clutch p lates, the '98 version is basically unchan ged w hile the other factories hav e been scrambling to catch up. Is th e Co ta still on top of the ga me? The chassis layou t is very trad itional. It really shines in old-s tyle creekbed section s because of its hi gh g rou nd clea ranc e and nimblen ess. Th e sus pe ns ion is optimized for sm all and mediu m obs tacles, and the fram e flexes jus t enou gh to help abso rb impacts an d reduce fatigue . Th e co n trols are w ell-pl a ced ; w h ich ad ds to yo u r' confi d ence and ca n only help improve your per formance. Turning the Cora's light front w heel requires lightly ·d ragging the rear bra ke in loose tu rns o r th e front end washes ou t. Th is can be a risky stra tegy because the p ow er is ve ry soft a t th e bo tto m , m ak in g it some w ha t s uscep tib le to stalling . A hig h first-gear ra tio - remem ber, the 315R is only a five-s peed - comp ound s th e problem. However, if the rid er remem bers to keep the re vs u p and works the clu tch, the Cota wi ll turn predictab ly and sha rply. It's siJrpris ing that a bike with an HR C 250 e ng iae wo u ld be shor t of p o w er , b u t th at' s th e case. If ridden agg ressively in th e to p of the powerban d , ther e are horses to be found, and large obs tacle s ca n be conquered . The p hilosophy behind the mo tor is d ifferent fro m any o t her tr ial s b ike . It clea rly la ck s punch, but the d eli ver y is ultrasmooth. The sus pe nsion and chassis is similar to tha t of th e Gas Gas, so it' s ai med more toward stop-a nd-hop ri din g tha n the neo -n o-s top sty le. Fortu na tely, th e Showa shoc k is more adj us table th an the Boges on th e othe r bikes and can be se t up for very slow or qu ite qu ick rebo und. The light front wheel means tha t floa ters are effor tless. In fact, the extreme ligh tness of th e Montesa makes it the eas iest bike to hop . Th is lightness also means it w ill .requ ire much less physica l effort during an event, and the soft power is definitely not fat igu ing. Even af ter a yea r, no other bike is cha lle nging the Mo ntesa for the lightwe ight crown. It weighs seven pounds less tha n its nea res t co m petit o rs, and yo u can feel it. Being the lightest bike, it's certainly more fun to rid e than any ot he r machine. Rid ers w ho are skilled but don ' t have the time to put in lot s of ph ysical trainin g wi ll find the Montesa a p leasing mount. SCORPA EASY 250 The Scorpa is th e bigges t surprise. Even tho ugh the French company isn't well kno wn, even in tr ia ls, it has pu t Althoug h the Scorpa Easy 250 doesn't necessarily ga rner as much atten tion as the other three brands in this test, it is every bit as competent. The Easy's excelle nt s uspension, neut ral hand ling, and crisp power delivery make for a workab le mount that can be en joyed by experts and novices alike. toge ther an exce llen t overa ll p ackage which does everything we ll at all leve ls of ridi ng . It may look stra nge to A merica ns - th ink Ci troe n - but th e b ike works. Suspension is the Easy's s tro nges t p oint. It h a s a lig h tl y d amped, very plus h feel that absorbs all sizes of obstacles and gives the rider plen ty of confidence. Steering is excellent d ue in part to the short w heelbase. With less than 52 inches Scarpa Easy 250 .. Gas Gas liquid-cooled. Engin e : ...HRC liquid-cooled. case reed- case reed-valve-inducted two-stroke valve-inducted two-stroke Engine: .. Rotax liquid -cooled. case reed valve -inducted two-stroke 8 ~ Gas Gas TX270 Contact Engine: . ..Beta liquid-cooled. case reedvalve-inducted two-stroke Bore and stroke: 72.5 x 60.0mm Displacement: 247.5cc Carburetion: Mikuni 26 VM Compression ratio: 12.0:1 Ignition: Electronic Clutch: Hydraulically actuated multi -plat e wet B Engine: Bore and stroke: 74.0 x 60.0mm Displacement: ~ 258cc Carburetion: Dell'Orto PHBH 26CS Compression ratio: 11.0:1 Ignition: Electronic Clutch: Hydraulically actuated multi-platewet Bore a nd stroke: 72.7 x 61.Omm Displacement: . . .249cc Carburetion: .. . .Dell'Orto PHBH 26CS Compression ratio: .8.2:1 (corrected) Transmission: Frame: Transmission: Frame: Wheelbase: Seat height: Ground clearance: 52.8 inches 26.0 inches 12.0 inches Suspension Front: inch es travel; adjustable rebo und Rear: and preload Boge shock: 6.7 inches travel; adjustabie rebound and preload Tires Front: Rear: 2.75-21 M ichelin tube-type .4.00-18 Michelin XlI tubeless radial Brakes Front: 185mm AJP disc Rear: 160mm AJP disc Claimed dry weight: 172 Ibs. Fuel capacity: . . . . . .3.7 qts. Price: $5390 Contact: Cos mopolitan Motors 215/672 -9100 or cosmo mtr@aol.com 24 Six-speed Perimeter chrome-moly Wheelbase: Seat height: Ground clearance: 52.4 inches 25.4 inches 11 .6 inches Suspension 38mm Paioli fork wi 6.7 SUMMARY All of these bikes are capa ble of winning, but it' s imperat ive that you select th e bike th a t best refl ects yo u r ridin g sty le. Also , d on 't d iscount th e im po rtan ce of havi ng a good deal er nea rb y. Still, yo u have a cho ice of fou r bikes with four di stinct person alities, and you definit ely want to pick the bike th at you rx ge t alon g with best. Montesa Cota 315R Beta Techno 250 Six-spee d Twin-spa r aluminum between the axles, the Scarpa turns very tightly, w hich benefits riders who can't do tricks or ar e rid in g u nd er th e new no-stop ru les. It' s u ndo ubted ly one reaso n facto ry Scorpa rider Gra ha m Jar vis ha s m oved up fro m also-ra n to con tend er on this yea r's world circuit. Handling is neutral, excep t on steep uphills w here the fr ont end wa nts to cli m b if the cl utch o r throttle a ren' t properl y ap plied. Float ers are esp ecially easy with th e short w heelbase, smoo th po we r and cushy suspe nsion . T he Rot a x m oto r run s cris p a n d stro ng , thou gh it m ay be a bit too stro ng for man y riders. Keep in mi nd , however , tha t the timing can be adjus ted and , acco rd ing to Scorpa, it wi ll mellow the po wer significa ntly. Bu t, in stock configuration, a gentle thrott le hand .is necessary in low-tra ction cond itions w hile the bru tish engine does corne in han d y on the big stuff . Shifting is excellent, which ca n be a h uge advan tage in lo ng a nd varied sections. Alt ho ug h th e Scarpa has th e highest sea t height - okay, no ne of these bikes act ually has a sea t - it's also nar rowest in the sea t area . This makes it easy to m ove around on the machine. Like the Gas Gas, it also has a very .narrow footpeg wid th which aids in ba lancing and turning . The Sca rpa is a very ra dica l d esign tha t is very French and very bold . Is it for everyone? Ce rtai nly so meone who wa n ts so mething d ifferen t - and that's saying something w he n it comes to trials - will love the Scorpa . :It' s unusual, but it a lso works surp risi ng ly well for riders of any skill level. No t on ly that, bu t this will make for one wild vintage bike in 20 yea rs ! Front: Ignition: Electron ic Clutch: Hydraulically actuated multi-plate wet Transmission: Frame: Wheelbase: Seat height: Ground clearance: Five-speed Twin -spar aluminum 52.6 inches 25.1 inches 12.1 inches Suspension . . . . . .Gas Gas fork wi 6.5 inches travel: adjustable -e-compressio n and rebo und Rear. . . .Boge shock: 7.0 inches travel : adjustable rebound and preload Tires Front: . .. ..2.75-21 Michelin tube-type Rear: . . . . . .4.00-18 Michelin xu tubeless radial Brakes Front: 185mm AJP disc Rear: 150mm AJP disc Claimed dry weight: 168 lbs. Fuel capacity: 3.4 qts. Price: $5449 Contact: Gas Gas USA 8161741-76 15 or gas usa@qni.com Transmission: Frame: . . .Sinqle-backbone Wheelbase (actual): Seat height (actual): Ground clearance: Six-speed chrome-moly .51.9 inches 27.0 inches 11.8 inches Suspension Front: ...38mm Paioli fork wi 6.5 inches travel; adjustable rebound and preload Rear: .Showa shock: 6.9 inches travel: adjustable rebound and preload Tires Front: Rear: . Bore and stroke: 68.8 x 67.0mm Displacement: . . . . . . . . . .250cc Carburetion: K eihin PE28 Compression ratio: .10.0:1 (corrected) Ignition: Electronic Clutch: .. . Hydraulically actuated multi-plate wet .2.75-21 Michelin tube -typ e . 04 .00-18 Michelin Xl l tubeless radial Brakes Front: 185mm Grimeca disc Rear. 160mmAJP disc Claimed dry weight: 161 lbs. Fuel capacity: 2.9 qts. Prioe: . . . $5850 Contact: Montesa Imports 6 12/937-6720 Front: .38mm Paioli fork wi 6.5 inches travel; adjustable rebound and preload Rear: . .. Boge shock: 6.7 inches travel: adjustable rebound and preload Tires Front, 2.75-21 M icbehntuoe-ty pe Rear: . . : .4.00-18 Michelin XI I tubeless radial Brakes Front: 185mmAJP disc Rear: 150mm A.l P disc Claimed dry weight: 172 lbs, Fuel capacity: .4.0 qts, Price: $5295 Contact: The Tryals Shop 3 15/ 497 -2904 or 73564.3405@compuserve.com