Northwest Explore

After Rachael went through her first report on her new Husky TE310, I figured I’d follow suit and go through my first impressions of my new X Challenge.

Of course, there are a lot of similarities between the Husky and the BMW. Both are tall, thin and lightweight highly capable off-road machines. When most people walk up to the X, they notice how tall the seat is and I admit I was no different. The first time I sat on one a few years ago I wondered how anyone could ever ride it at that height. Then I felt the stock seat and I knew no one could ever ride it.

The rear shock of the X uses an air shock, and the first time you put your weight down on it you sink into it like a Lay-Z-Boy. I wasn’t sure if it was the bike for me. I’ve always had an aversion to tall bikes ( ironic since I’ve only ever owned bikes with high seat heights) and the X is no different. As you get on in your riding experience, however, you realize that being able to paddle around isn’t all that important. If you want to make sure you won’t get stuck facing one direction, don’t put yourself in that situation! Old timers used to tell me that all the time.

A first ride on the bike and one thing is apparent – it’s as tall as it looks. For some reason, I keep thinking of that stupid Ford marketing ploy from the 500 a few years ago, Command View Seating. Totally infantile, but apparently effective. What isn’t to be missed is all the other add-ons that came with this bike. The Remus titanium exhaust system is a great upgrade, and it sounds great. It’s actually really loud, and the fitted insert for it has a spark arrestor in it that’s supposed to be quieter. I think that’s supposed to be a joke.

Braking for the first time, especially if you’re unprepared, can be a bit of a shock. The air shock decompresses so rapidly, and at all speeds, that you feel like you’re going to get bucked right off the front of the bike. It’s not exactly reassuring. Despite that, the bike feels really comfortable and mine came with a few creature comforts. The previous owner put bar risers, heated and padded grips to finish out the controls.

What I was really looking for on the new X is power. Having owned a KLR that my dog could outrun, I’ve had the taste of single-cylinder motorcycles spoil in my mouth. The BMW offers almost 20 more BHP than the Kawasaki, and you can feel it. It gets up and goes in first gear and doesn’t feel at all buzzy in final gear.

The X has a few more add-ons, including a KTM (gasp!) chain guide, a shark fin and Touratech sprocket guard. There’s a Hyde skid plate and it’s also got an aluminum shift selector as the stock steel one has a tender to shatter the important bits in the transmission if the bike happens to fall over. Which never happens.

Although I’ve purchased new Shinko 700s to go on the bike, the current Pirellis are still good rubber. On road, they’re very squidgy. They move about and if you try to move your weight around on the rear of the bike, you can push it around fairly easily. It’s an odd sensation and I can’t wait to get those tires off!

Overall, I’m impressed with how well sorted the bike is. I’d say that it seems entirely more sophisticated than a KLR. Of course, to some that may be a given since BMW produces a more expensive, high-end product. But for a bike that’s been tarnished as much as the X, it’s hard to see why. When you get up close, it’s really all the bike you need.

More to come.