ENGINE
The engine is based on the liquid-cooled,
EFI, DOHC, KTM 250 EXC-F. So, a proven
performer, but it has the first three gears
lowered and is in a milder state of tune than
the full-on enduro machine.
The power delivery is smooth, progressively
linear with no real kicks, very tractable and
suitably effective. However, in on/off throttle
situations at low speed and low revs our test
bike was quite snatchy, which was not ideal.
But if the throttle is never closed, the revs
kept a whisker above idle before accelerating
again, the fueling was almost perfect. This
made for a nicely controllable power delivery.
Contributing to its milder power output
compared to the EXC-F is the small-plug,
cylindrical air filter which is held in place by
the seat. It’s a brilliant design. The whole seat
is hinged from the front, so you just press
the tab, then it all folds up and forward and
you can lift the filter straight out. In dusty
conditions you could swap out a complete
filter unit in about five seconds or, maybe,
less. While the seat is up you can also access
the fuel tank filler.
ERGONOMICS
With the seat back down in the riding
position, the Freeride has possibly the
cleanest and smoothest sitting/standing
ergonomics on a dirt bike today. The whole
Freeride is slim between the foot pegs and
up both sides. It doesn’t flair out to radiators
because it only has one, which is centrally
mounted in front of the engine and aided in
its cooling duties by a fan.
CHASSIS
The frame is an interesting combination of
an alloy upright that supports the swingarm
pivot, rear of the engine and top shock
mount, and a steel tube front half that has
the backbone, steering head and engine
cradle.
KIWI RIDER 103