nztrailrider

Thought you may be interested in some feedback from someone who has ridden both the Ossa Explorer and KTM Free Ride in extreme terrain. Yes the Explorer has been eagerly awaited by us extreme trailriding fans in NZ. Only one was available in this region and one of our group of riders has it. Our first ride was five hours in the wet and very extreme Coromandel Ranges. The bike was sanitised a bit with some street legal stuff removed, ignition switch moved from the side of the fork (what were they thinking?) and the rubbish steel brake lever replaced by the stock trials item. The Explorer went well in company with a 4RT and GGTXT over the 30 km covered at speeds ranging from top gear (very occasionally) to grovelling and manhandling at speeds as low as 100 metres per hour. It was good to be able to rest the legs occasionally on a ride this long and arduous. These trails have very deep ruts over your head in places and the seat is usefull for getting your feet up off the pegs to clear the rut and even stand on to get some weight onto the tyre in an uphill rut. There was no need to carry fuel as with the other bikes. The Explorer is obviously much more of a trails bike than the KTM Free ride (previously ridden twice in this terrain in the same company). Explorer seat is mid height, wheras the KTM feels almost enduro bike tall, no matter what the brochures say. In really slippery going or on wet tree roots and logs the KTM has way too little flywheel. On the other hand when the trail eases up the regular trails gear ratios of the Ossa are still have frustrating gaps. In truly extreme terrain however the Explorer gets my vote. The Explorer might not yet be the perfect extreme trail bike but in my view its getting closer. It has rained in biblical amounts on our last three rides so no photos unfortunately.