Modern Art!
Published: 29th April 2007
Author: Dan Clark Photos by Sutty
With such incredible attention to detail, the new Montesa 4RT deserves a room to itself in the Tate Modern - and that's without starting up its awesome engine...
I'm very excited to be testing the 2007 Montesa 4RT as the last time I rode a Montesa trials bike for DBR was back in 2002 and that was a Cota 315 two-smoker. Two-stroke motors or four, Montesa have long been known for their engineering expertise - mostly thanks to the Honda connection - and I'm hoping they've gone from strength to strength with their 4RT.
It's impossible to swing your leg over one of these bikes without noticing they look like a piece of art. Every little detail is perfect, even down to the billet aluminium handlebar clamps that have HRC machined into them. As well as being aesthetically pleasing the 4RT also looks like a solid bit of engineering with the 250cc four-stroke motor nestling nicely in the aluminium frame.
Flame red mudguards are the finishing touch to this bike's looks and they really help make the machine stand out along with a little help from the obligatory bold new graphics of course. But, speaking of things that stand out, what's going on with the coil which looks like it's just been stuck on as an afterthought...
When you get on the bike you can't help but notice it's very comfortable to stand on and feels very well weighted for balance.
Starting the 4RT is a little bit strange after being used to kickstarting two-strokes all my life. The best way to do it is be very lazy and slow with the kickstart lever while staying away from the throttle. Get it right and it'll start first kick, turn the throttle or kick too fast and you'll be at it all day. Once fired up the bike sounds awesome although it does seem louder than your average trials iron.
For this test we chose to use the excellent Cowm Leisure facility (www.cowmleisure.com) that's situated between Rochdale and Rawtenstall on the A671 in Lancashire. This place has everything you could ever want to test a trials bike - rocks, mud, hills, logs, the lot!
Testing the 4RT here really opened my eyes to the four-stroke way of riding. For starters it's a lot of fun to ride but it does take a lot of getting used to. I know a few people who have tried a 4RT and given up on it because your body and brain is telling you to go when you open the throttle like you would on a two-stroke but with the 4RT you almost have to wait a millisecond for the bike to respond.
I was using first gear for every section which was lovely and slow with the motor's engine-braking. The motor has plenty of grunt and will pull second from a standstill for big steps too. This bike really rocks on big hill climbs and it's in its element on full power with the engine singing and sounding awesome.
This bike finds grip like no other and once you get your timing right there's not much you can't get up once your bike, brain, body and bike are all in sync - nothing grips like a Montesa, except maybe a Yorkshireman hanging onto a five pound note!
Everything fitted to this bike has been thoroughly tried and tested and made perfect - it all works. The steering angle is right and doesn't tuck in. The AJP brakes are great and the sump guard is perfectly flat like you would not believe.
The suspension is good too. The rear uses a linkage to get the best from the shock absorber and I'd recommend speeding up the rebound too to make the action feel more springy. As well as working well to optimize grip the suspension can also take hard hits such as drop offs and rock steps.
I reckon this bike is pretty much perfect for all riders in all conditions as proven by Dougie Lampkin and Takahisa Fujinami outdoors and newly crowned indoor champion Toni Bou. And the 4RT is a proven winner at club level too which comes as no surprise to me after riding one - the 4RT really is that good.
And as an added bonus there are many optional extras available for the 4RTs too. As well as plenty of blinging carbon fibre goodies there's a throttle body system which allows you to re-map your bike's ignition to suit the way you ride. All in all the '07 4RT is a great bike to ride and a masterpiece of modern engineering.
Montesa Cota 4RT
specifications
Capacity: 249.1cc
Bore and stroke:
Front suspension: Showa 39mm (175mm travel)
Rear suspension: Pro-Link/Showa (170mm travel)
Front brake: 185mm disc
Rear brake: 150mm disc
Carburettor: Fuel injection
Gearbox: Five-speed
Wheelbase: 1321mm
Dry weight: 73.8kg
Hot stuff!
Okay, hands up time - I'm really not the best qualified rider to be giving my opinion on any new trials bike, let alone the Mont 4RT. But the chance to squeeze in a day out the office and spend it at Back Cowm Quarry was too good to pass up - especially as the sun was shining and I awoke with the kind of hunger pangs that can only be satiated by a Little Chef Olympic Breakfast.
I had my first ever trial at Back Cowm and, virtually 29 years to the day later, very little has changed. It still offers an awesome array of top trials terrain and, even with the sun out, get caught in the biting wind howling across the tops of the East Lancs moors and it's still possibly the coldest place in England on a March morning.
The last time I rode a four-popper in a trial it was a cheeky little Honda TLR200 twinshock back in the day when Clarky was still probably wearing Pampers and sporting only slightly more hair than he does now! Now this hardly leaves me clued up on cutting-edge four-stroke trials technology and means I approach the test half expecting a bike with sewing machine style power delivery.
So what's the '07 4RT actually like? Well, for starters, apart from the rear silencer which still looks a little, er, agricultural for my liking she's a stunner with the kind of attention to detail you expect from HRC. Starting her up - despite Dan's warning - is a piece of the proverbial p**s. In fact, I reckon you could turn it over by hand! I also really like the gearbox. It may be a little notchy for some but this makes for positive changes - there's no danger of finding a false neutral and you know at all times what gear you're in.
Now a rider of Clarky's calibre may pick up on a millisecond's delay between throttle and thrust - luckily, if he's good enough to notice it he's good enough to deal with it so stop moaning you miserable Yaarkshire sod. For me there's no noticeable delay and, in fact, maybe only a hint of engine-braking - plus the gorgeous exhaust note - betrays the fact that this ain't no two-smoker!
The 4RT feels incredibly well balanced, goes exactly where it's pointed and has a lovely grunty power delivery that seeks out grip. It's also got to be the weapon of choice for huge hill climbs and would be perfect for eating up the ground between sections in the kind of big-lap Northern Centre trials I cut my teeth on.