Hey !
First post here, new owner of a Montesa 4ride...
My previous bike was a Tenere 660 - talk about change compared to a trial bike. So here are a few findings and pieces of information that others might find helpful - or dumb :)
(long post !)
First - why did I sold the Tenere ?
car drivers where I live now are savages, some can't stand being overtaken by motorcycle riders and will do dangerous maneuvers on purpose, while others have a bad habit of overtaking other cars in curves with zero visibility (Russian Roulette style - go figure).
roads suck - sand, stones, potholes, detritus, cars parked or people walking in curves, and whatnot.
but mostly, the whole area around me is rocky and hilly/mountainous, which doesn't suit heavy adv bikes; I fell once with the Tenere at less than 3kph and bent the crash bars, broke the stand, the skid plate was cracked, and the tank almost perforated. Luckily I wasn't injured.
So - I wanted a bike I could use for wandering/slowly cruising in the woods, that would do OK on rocky/hilly terrain and that I could also use for camping/overnights. It had to be light, reliable, quiet (I hate loud stuff), have a 4-stroke engine, and road-registration would be a plus if I had to drive a bit on asphalt.
After looking at small dirt bikes and then trial bikes I considered buying a standard trial bike and replace the tank with a higher capacity one + add a seat, but then found that some brands offered "crossover" models. I eventually settled on the Montesa because of Honda's engine reliability and good reviews about Montesa. (I wished there was a 125cc option rather than 250cc - I contemplated buying a CRF125 first but the dealer said those weren't made in Japan and were crap).
Now, after a few weeks of use:
The bike:
build quality seems high. Stainless steel bolts/screws, quality electrical connectors/wiring, etc.
getting to the air filter is a bit involved but it's not really a problem for me as I don't ride in dust clouds (for those who do, S3 sells an aftermarket "door" for easy access).
storage capacity under the seat is decent: I've put a 1L fuelfriend can (unfortunately the larger ones won't fit), tools, tubeless rear tyre repair kit, green slime for the front inner tube, a few EDC accessories (lighter, knife, cordage, light gloves, ...), and a head torch.
the head light is always on (EU law?) so I'll probably install a switch to turn it off (except if for some reason the alternator/ECU requires a constant load - I'll have to find this out).
without revving the engine too high, speed in last gear is ~65 kph. That's fine with me, with the bike's rake angle / geometry it wouldn't make sense to go faster anyway and I don't enjoy speed anymore like I did when I was younger.
the dealer proposed to replace the gear selector, tyres and front fender with "enduro" parts - essentially transforming the bike into a light enduro - but I'm happy with the trial tyre and the original gear selector (it only takes a bit of time to get used to). I haven't been in deep mud to justify replacing the front fender.
I am definitely happy with the bike, it's perfect for my use. I've initially bought it for slow-speed trail riding, but I'm finding out that trial bikes are so much fun that I'm wondering why I haven't bought one before - I'm really having a blast training with balance and doing wheelies (even in my garden !). My 12 yo. son is also learning to ride it - something I'd never have allowed with my super heavy adv bike.
Bike stuff/"mods":
Before riding the bike for the first time I've sprayed it with Dinitrol (1000 in cavities, 4941 for the metal parts above the rear wheel and 4010 for the engine) + ACF-50 in electrical connections. Probably overkill but that's what I use on my offroad vehicle, it gives some peace of mind when not being able to wash dirt/mud immediately after a ride.
removed the stickers/decals. The 2020 model looks much better in black and white IMO. And the bike is much lighter and faster :)
soldered a Techmate SAE connector/cable (12V from the head light connector) to plug a gps when exploring the woods for 1+ day. (obviously it charges only when the engine's on and the head light switch is in normal position).
I've bought Enduristan XS base pack and S blizzard saddle bags. WTF, bags on a trial bike !? Yeah - the idea is to have the XS base pack attached to the bike most of the time and to remove it when doing "trial only" stuff, and to attach the saddle bags only when going in the woods for an overnight. The XS pack fits well (there are openings between the metal frame and the rear plastic where the straps can be slid). Note: there should only be a very light load on the rear - the metal frame above the rear wheel is bolted to the plastic air box (the user manual clearly states that there should be no load at all, but it will handle a few pounds). The saddle bags are another story and require some tinkering because the bike's rear is pretty thin, the exhaust is short and the only way to attach the lower straps without adding custom hardware is to slide them through the foot pegs. If anybody's interested I'll post a pic when/if I manage to find a good solution. I'm also wondering how to attach additional 1L or 1.5L fuelfriend cans to the saddle bags but I'll wait until I have a better idea of the fuel consumption.
added hand guards (eventually ditched the plastic part and only kept the aluminium frame - my idea was to only protect the levers and avoid branches from pulling them)
Other stuff:
My head is quite oval so finding a proper helmet is difficult. After reading some posts on this forum I ordered a Hebo Zone 4, which fits great (my head circumference is exactly 58cm ; Size M was given for 57-58cm so I was wondering if I should get the L size but M ended up being perfect). Pulling both straps to the outside (ie. aways from the ears) when putting the helmet on prevents my glasses frame from moving (unlike full face helmets there's quite some flex).
I have high instep feet so like helmets finding boots is difficult too. After reading a bunch a forum posts and reviews I ordered TCX mid-height Baja boots - luckily they fit great (I usually wear EU 42.5 and ordered 43). The reason for buying mid-height boots was to avoid having to take another pair of boots when camping. That said I'm wondering if I shouldn't have bought TCX's full height trial boots (there's no decent shop around so I can't test if the trial boots would be comfortable when walking for 1+ hour like the Baja mid).
That's it :) - hopefully this will help someone...
Cheers!