“
GOING HAND-IN-HAND
WITH THIS FUN AND
EXCITING ENGINE IS A
PRETTY BLOODY GOOD
CHASSIS AND HANDLING
SWEET HANDLING
Going hand-in-hand with this fun and exciting
engine is a pretty bloody good chassis and
handling. Starting with the steering, the front
end is sure footed on the road, it feels planted.
The actual turn-in agile and light in feel, aided
no doubt by the superbly comfortable and
operationally commanding Pro Taper bars.
The front suspension action feels wellcontrolled
and firm, but still nicely compliant.
Even touch downs from wheelies are handled
very nicely. The USD 43mm cartridge forks offer
150mm of wheel travel and are fully adjustable,
so clearly not budget items. From the apex when
getting on the power hard, I found the rear can
squat creating a tendency for the FTR to run a
whisker wide. Considering I’m 100kg this is not an
unreasonable occurrence. However, a couple of
turns of shock preload sorted that right out and
sharpened up the turn-in a little too – happy times.
On the right of the bike is a side-mounted single
shock, which has 150mm of wheel travel and is
fully adjustable. The shock action is firm, but
there’s decent compliance and control. It is a
shock that has comparatively little shaft travel
and I’ve always felt this design makes it difficult
to get the very best suspension action, however
it’s still pretty good overall.
Ergonomically the FTR is best suited to the
average sized person, that’s to say someone a bit
shorter than me. For my 190cm frame it’s a little
cramped between the seat and foot pegs, and
the quite-defined seat shape stops me from
moving back much. Importantly though, most
riders should find the FTR fits them well and
delivers decent comfort.
KIWI RIDER 97