Hi guys and gals,

We know many of you are itching to see and hear more about th X-Rider CRS Saggitarius before making the decision to add it to your Moto RC collection. We have been using our time to get to know the bike more inhtimatley and now have close to 100 packs of testing experience.

So, let's take a closer look and some of the stand out features of the X-Rider CRS Motorcycle for you.

X-RIDER CRS MOTO - STAND OUT FEATURES YOU CAN'T IGNORE

RIMS & TIRES

Front and rear alloy spoked wheels and hubs are standard equipment. Our testing so far has involved plenty of jumping and flat landing coupled with a good amount of crash testing. You'll be pleased to find out that we have yet to have a spoke bend or come loose or get in buckle in the rims. The tyres are mounted with foam inserts front and rear and as you would expect, they have been designed with durability in mind. While they are harder than we would like for racing, they still get the bike around the track nicely and they won't tear up in a flash on tarmac either. Note that there will also be some option compounds offered shortly after the first batch of kits arrive, with the posibbilty of even an option tread pattern.

The tires are manufactured by CST Tire company - these guys specialize in making road, adventure and racing tires for the automotive industry, from 4WD vehicles and motorcycles to pushbike rubber. For some time they have been manufacturing some of the best, sticky 1:8 RC Bike rubber we've come across. Without a doubt, the rims and tyres on the CRS are a standout feature, they have been designed and manufactured to the most accurate scale sizing and details that we have ever seen in this category. You get a much better appreciation for the scaling when you compare it to any other motorcycle in the category.

FORKS & REAR SHOCK ABSORBER

Our test bike came equipped with silicone grease forks, similar to the one's found on the ARX-Bikes. While we got the forks to work well, we found a good setting to work with by increasing the thickness of the silicone grease, however we were still not 100% satisfied and as a result, the forks were redesigned to be hydrolic using silicone oil. These upgraded forks allow for better damping and more tuneability as well as being much cleaner and easier to service. It's win win, in our eyes!

The lower fork legs are very robust and solid, with excellent tolerances and no slop, the fork bottoms or 'feet' (as I like to call them) are also made of high grade alloy, incorporating also the front brake caliper in alloy on the left side of the motorcyle. Another impressive feature of the X-RIder CRS suspension is the travel!  With around 80-85mm of travel you can soak up all the bumps and handle even the worst jump landings without bottoming out and po-going all over the track.

For the rear shock, a complete alloy body, cap and lower mount is included as standard. Our CRS test bike was supplied with the ARX rear shock, however a totally new one has been designed and produced to be included as standard. While we are still waiting to test the new shock, reports from the factory are that it out-performs the one in our bike now. Like the forks, the rear damper provides more than enough travel to soak up any bumps and big jump landings. The rear shock position has three adjustment fixings on the swingarm and the swingarm itself has down-stop adjustment to set your droop and ride height to your liking.

BRAKES

Mechanical disc brakes for the front and rear are included standard on the bike. Alloy brake calipers are standard and are powered by two separate midi sized digital servos rated at 6kg of torque. Both front and rear machined discs are floating and look true to scale in every way. The brake pad  need a few runs to bed in the disc and pad material before you get the best performance out of them.

For those of us that like to push the limits as far as we can, we recommend upgrading the standard servos to ones with a torque of 10kg or more for endo stopping power. We have tested the bike running just the front brake with rear motor brake and then switched to running the disc brake on the rear too. You have the freedom of choice to use it or just leave it there for looks, either way we prefer it to having a fo setup like most other 1:4 bikes have.

We have chosen to run both front and rear mechanical brakes and have even occasionally added in a little motor brake to lock the rear easier and back it in!

DRIVE TRAIN & SWINGARM

The main ESC is a Hobbywing 80A brushless controller, that will run on either 2 or 3S lipo power. A 3800KV 3652 brushless motor, with an 11T pinion and 56T main spur gear. The chassis will accommodate up to a 3660 brushless motor and the motor mount is adjustable to accommodate up to a 21T pinion.

On the chain side we have a 9t front sprocket and rear 34T sprocket, a high grade roller chain with chain link is included. RC motorcycles moved away from slipper clutch setups many years ago, simply because they were not very effective and made it difficult to reduce the overall width of the models. The more norrow the motorcycle can be, the more lean angle you can have, allowing for greater corner speed and faster laptimes overall.

There is an optional part for those that prefer to have a slipper setup, the X-Rider factory have designed and are manufacturing it for release soon after the first kits arrive. In our testing we have not felt that it has been needed, but always nice to have the option.

Many of you may be thinking, how does the chain adjust? You'll be happy to know that just like any other 1:1 motorcyle or even bicycle, chain adjustment is achieved with a left and right setscrew that moves the rear axle forward to backward to achieve the correct chain tension.

To adjust you simply; loosen both axle left and right axle screws, remove one side at a time completely to insert your 2mm driver and adjust the set screw. Repeat the same process on the opposite side and re-tighten the axle screws, and…you're done! For extra security and to prevent the axle being able to shift rearward we installed a screw through the rear of the right swingarm, locking the axle in place completely.

In all our testing so far we have only adjusted the chain twice. The chain is protected via a very neat and discrete chain guard which houses and protects the chain from all sides.

THOUGHTS ON OVERALL SIZE COMPARED TO THE LOSI-PRO-MOTO

One of the very first features that we noticed on the X-Rider CRS motorcyle was the overall size. It is a bit taller and longer than the LOSI PRO-MOTO. Additionally, we noted how narrow the motorcycle is, so when you take a closer look at the swingarm, you'll discover it has the most narrow swingarm on any 1:4 MX Motorcycle! At just 69mm wide overall, you won't find another 1:4 motorcycle available today (or previoulsy for that matter) that has as much clearance or lean angle capability.

What is the benefit of this? More lean angle allows you to carry higher corner entry speed and maintain that speed through the middle and exit of the turn. Sweet! We cannot wait for the super-motard slicks to arrive to really put the bike through its paces on the tarmac. On the dirt we find the increased lean angle allows you to drift the bike into and out of corners allowing for a much tighter turning radius.

In summary, there is lots to get excited about here. From better lean angles, more flexibility in carrying higher corner entry speeds to improved laptime opportunities and more upgrade options and parts, the X-RIDER CRS is proving to be a worthy apponent in the 1:4 scale category. And that makes for a lot more fun on the track for all of us!

LIKED THIS POST? Keep an eye out for our next forum post where we'll take a closer look at the steering system, flywheel gyro system, the chassis and much more.

If you're keen to get your hands on the X-RIDER CRS Pre-Order Promo which will end soon, head here.

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