Propos et essai de Jon sur le XTX

My first XTX Ride:
My first ride on the XTX was at the December photo-shoot in Wyoming. This was a proto, mocked up essentially from a standard Nytro, with the new tunnel and skid-frame.The suspension was not “dialed” in, and the front end was still the ‘08 spec. But this sled impressed me right off the bat. Now I’m already a big fan of the 144” suspensions we have in the RS Venture and Venture Lite. Most people don’t believe how awesome the 144 skid frame is for rough trail riding. That is... until they are trying to keep up with a Venture ridden by a certain semi-retired TekVest CEOIt’s hard to blame the clickers in your SC-4, when you’re getting passed by a sofa! lol Ahhhh, but that’s another story.
So I already had a pretty good idea that a 144 might be fun in a Nytro. I mean... if an 80 HP Venture Lite can make you feel like a hero... It was a near perfect morning... -5 degrees C... 3 inches of fresh snow... sun just rising over the peaks... and the keys to an XTX. To get from our compound to the trail involves a short ditch run that leads to a fire road. A couple of small bumps and a little jump and I was already smiling. I could feel the added stability of the 144 immediately. I ran about 5 miles of fire road first, to get a feel for the handling; mostly groomed with few small stutter bumps. I love this kind of trail... fast with big long sweeping corners.
If there’s one gripe I’ve had with the Nytro, it’s the small bump ride comfort on those long stutter bump hauls. But the XTX was already showing an improvement. High speed cornering was better too. The whole chassis felt more ‘planted’.
Time to find some rougher trail. There’s short loop that goes up the mountain a bit and links to another trail we’ve nicknamed the “Davidson” trail. That’s because it’s rarely groomed, grows 3 foot holes, and Corey Davidson rides it wide open... sitting down... on an Apex!!! Should be a good spot to find a few bumps! The first half is smooth, but super tight and twisty with a lot 90 and 180 degree hairpins. The kind of trail you don’t really want a long track on. Surprisingly the XTX was manageable. A little more “point and shoot” than my Apex LTX, so it took me a few of those tight corners to figure it out. Like the Apex, throttle control is the key to going around a corner. But the tipped up rails really do help make the track feel more like a shorty”.
And then there were bumps. Nytro’s are fun in the bumps, there’s no doubt about it. The bigger the better but the trails I ride never seem to develop bumps much bigger than 18”. So for my kind of riding, I’ve always felt a little faster on my Apex LTX. Not true with the XTX.
At first, as I enter the “Davidson” zone I start to slow down a little. After all there are only two of these protos at the photo shoot - one white and one blue. Toss one in to the trees at this point, and I’d be updating my resume. But the XTX didn’t even flinch when I found the first few big holes.
The ergos on any Nytro have a big advantage over the Apex when the bumps turn in to jumps.
After skipping through about a mile of bumps big enough to warrant two kidney belts on a regular sled, I felt great. So I turned around and tried it again... only a little faster. You know you’re having fun when your catch yourself giggling under your helmet. I couldn’t believe how fast I could go in such crappy conditions. I ended up doing 5 passes on the “Davidson” portion of the trail, faster with each run, gaining confidence with every rut and mogul... and I never found the limits.
Sure I could bottom the XTX, but it never hurt. And it never lost its composure. No death grip, and no arm pump. The trail ride back to the compound was awesome. Groomed, and fast. with more of my favorite sweepers, more speed. The last 200 yards as mentioned earlier, runs along a ditch with a little jump over an abandoned driveway. Normally I’m always looking past the jump to see what the landing is like, but on the XTX I just grabbed a handful. No surprises, just instant pull, then air. Woo - hoo!
My second ride the next day was even better. I now had the updated front end... and even a few 2-strokes to compare to. The FX Nytro’s can exhibit some nervousness through the bumps especially off throttle but the new geometry keeps the front end tracking very predictably enhancing it’s straight line stability on or off the gas. I think I have finally met the sled that will pull me off my Apex.
To be continued...

jb2

youssekon s'inscrit pour faire de tels essai au mois decembre pour les prototypes :WOW: