OFF THE ROAD It ’ s off-road where I ’ ve found the new YSS suspension really shows its strengths . As with the change in on-road manners , there is less dive under brakes and less squat on acceleration , but where the standard suspension setup would make the bike a bit unpredictable in rough conditions , it now tracks straight and true . Riding on rough terrain , the shock from hitting a small rock or bump is no longer transferred through the forks to the bars . Also , hitting a larger rock no longer deflects the front wheel off in an unpredictable direction . I find that I can now ride through rough terrain such as river beds or rocky trails with more confidence and what the bike is going to do is more predictable . At speed , the ride is smoother , and as much as I hate to use the term ‘ confidence-inspiring ’... it is . The bike doesn ’ t bottom out at all now , even when hitting some reasonably large rocks . On a recent ride , we ended up riding up a riverbed , and I was able to get up into 3rd gear with a fair amount of speed on . Looking at the forks at lunch , I was stoked to see I had used 90-95 % of
KIWI RIDER 47