slow U-turn for a photo stop, then it’ s a lump, and it needs some technique to wrangle, but once it’ s moving it’ s a whole different story. Past Murwillumbah, crossing the Burringbah Range to Mooball( You Kiwi have funny name!) proved the point again. I left it in Sport mode and the machine handled the smooth, sweeping crossing as sweet as a nut. Effortlessly. Think Brynderwyns for 20km, with three lanes and super smooth … but it’ s a long bow. The 112 PowerPlus engine produces 122 horsepower and 181Nm— and it doesn’ t mind being spooled up. I used all of its 31-degree lean angles at a reasonable clip and the boards kissed the deck gently once on the crossing. The handling proved impressive – and highly enjoyable. I turned around( very, very slowly on the dirt verge) and re-crossed the range back to the Stokers Siding turnoff and on to Smiths Creek Road. And enjoyed Burringbah even more. It’ s a better descent heading north. Beyond Stokers Siding, the road to Uki runs through lush river valleys carved into the black soil.
BOOKMARK IT If you’ re heading over, it’ s in my catalogue of‘ Magnificent Australian Countrysides’. Lush, emerald-green paddocks with the glint of dew on a sunny Sunday morning, then into the winding roads, with the ramparts of Mt Warning slowly looming through the overhanging canopy. Crossing it in armchair comfort has its attractions, that’ s for sure. It was also a NSW winter that made me glad that the Fox shock fitted to the Pursuit has 114mm of travel, with 130mm on the USD forks, because there were some rain-roughened patches. Kiwi style. One or two caused me to‘ brace for impact’, but the suspension dealt with them very nicely. That’ s partly because I had adjusted the rear preload electronically from the Ride Command screen. The bike must be stationary to adjust preload, but this is a fine-tunable thing! You can also dial in the throttle response by choosing Sport mode. It’ s part of the way to an adventure-bike system on a bagger. Electronic damping and
58 KIWI RIDER