I finally picked up a 2018 EX and got it out on some trails! I'm new to California and live pretty much next to LAX, so it's a long drive to any kind of riding that I can find information on. I ended up in the hills above Santa Barbra (Divide peak OHV) because I wanted a view.
First impression: amazing. The power delivery is super smooth, and the lack of exhaust meant riding without ear plugs for the first time in a long time! The weight is really apparent when taking the bike out of the truck and moving it around, but once you are moving, this thing is really flick-able. I ended up riding up some of the rocky double track of divide peak and generally taking it pretty easy. This was my first ride, so I just wanted a light shake down run.
About an hour into the ride (and maybe 10 miles), I noticed that the battery was at about half. I had been riding mostly uphill, so I suspected I could go further, but didn't want to test my luck on ride 1; I turned around. However, the view up there is pretty amazing, so I stopped, turned the bike off and just hung out for about 10-15 minutes. When I turned the bike back on, the strangest thing happened: the battery showed 3/4 instead of 1/2 charge remaining. Not sure if the cool down helped or if the computer reset or what... has this happened to anyone else?
With "more" charge to play with and a mostly downhill ride, I started messing around a little more on the way back, starting with some little side hill climbs. This thing is a goat! Even after my old WR450F, the torque is so nice... slow technical hill climbs are the easiest thing in the world and much lower stress when you don't worry about lugging out. I did drop the bike once on a pretty gnarly rocky climb, and kind of freaked out when I saw coolant spilling out, thinking I had cracked the battery case or something. However, when I got the bike back upright, it stopped... is there some kind of coolant overflow? Is there a way to check the coolant level? Anyone else see this issue?
The little side hill game got me in trouble as I found myself stuck on a downhill single track well above my skill level. But the lack of clutch, easy power, and low stress ride of my Alta let me get down with minimal issue. This bike really lets you ride above your skill level! Made it back to the truck with about half battery power and 20 miles on the clock. Can't wait to take it out again, hopefully on some lighter flowey-er trails tho! I'll need a new tire tho... the stock rubber got absolutely trashed on those rocks. And maybe from all the wheelies and burnout in my driveway.
So yeah: anyone see that battery 'reset' issue before? Or spilling coolant? And if anyone has some better riding area suggestions, I'm all ears.
First impression: amazing. The power delivery is super smooth, and the lack of exhaust meant riding without ear plugs for the first time in a long time! The weight is really apparent when taking the bike out of the truck and moving it around, but once you are moving, this thing is really flick-able. I ended up riding up some of the rocky double track of divide peak and generally taking it pretty easy. This was my first ride, so I just wanted a light shake down run.
About an hour into the ride (and maybe 10 miles), I noticed that the battery was at about half. I had been riding mostly uphill, so I suspected I could go further, but didn't want to test my luck on ride 1; I turned around. However, the view up there is pretty amazing, so I stopped, turned the bike off and just hung out for about 10-15 minutes. When I turned the bike back on, the strangest thing happened: the battery showed 3/4 instead of 1/2 charge remaining. Not sure if the cool down helped or if the computer reset or what... has this happened to anyone else?
With "more" charge to play with and a mostly downhill ride, I started messing around a little more on the way back, starting with some little side hill climbs. This thing is a goat! Even after my old WR450F, the torque is so nice... slow technical hill climbs are the easiest thing in the world and much lower stress when you don't worry about lugging out. I did drop the bike once on a pretty gnarly rocky climb, and kind of freaked out when I saw coolant spilling out, thinking I had cracked the battery case or something. However, when I got the bike back upright, it stopped... is there some kind of coolant overflow? Is there a way to check the coolant level? Anyone else see this issue?
The little side hill game got me in trouble as I found myself stuck on a downhill single track well above my skill level. But the lack of clutch, easy power, and low stress ride of my Alta let me get down with minimal issue. This bike really lets you ride above your skill level! Made it back to the truck with about half battery power and 20 miles on the clock. Can't wait to take it out again, hopefully on some lighter flowey-er trails tho! I'll need a new tire tho... the stock rubber got absolutely trashed on those rocks. And maybe from all the wheelies and burnout in my driveway.
So yeah: anyone see that battery 'reset' issue before? Or spilling coolant? And if anyone has some better riding area suggestions, I'm all ears.
