We've had some great feedback on our recent blog series exploring the new  X- RIDER CRS 1:4 RC MOTO.  In part 3 of the series , we are focusing on the steering system, fairings, fenders and panels, the rider and the scratch bars. 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to drop us a comment below or reach out to us.

THE STEERING SYSTEM

The steering system has been the focus of much interest for many of you, while for us, the preoccupation has been testing the bike, its capabilities and limits and anticipating your questions and answering them for you. 

Previously in the 1:4 category of off-road motorcycles, the steering system has been either a basic steering shaft connected to the servo and using a spring either side of the servo fixing; some other models used an oil filled steering damper. While this system worked, it didn’t come without some drawbacks. Most notably, a tendency for the bike to get head shake or steering wobbles. The problem being that while the oil damper systems were better, their location and fixing points meant that the bike would still suffer occasional headshake. X-Rider have put thought into refining the steering system so that it is more compact and discrete, by designing a double arm system which is installed under the front of the bike and mounts directly to the lower triple clamps and is adjustable through spring preload.

The system provides accurate and direct steering inputs making the bike agile, giving you the ability to make tight turns at speed with ease. The factory settings for the steering offer a calm and very stable bike that tracks straight and will easily stand itself upright out of corners. You can liken it to driving a car in that, you need to keep steering input through the corner to keep the bike down. The result? Easier to drive and a great base for beginners to learn from. To sharpen the motorcycle’s agility and make It more reactive to your inputs, simply increase the preload on the springs. A stiffer setting will keep the bike down in the corner however, you need to give the model more counter steering inputs to stand the bike up and exit the corner. 

Important note:  If you keep your steering input on once the bike has leaned over and touched the bars, your bike will not turn easily and will run wide. 

So, whether you prefer the bike to stay down in the corners or stand up easily, you can fine tune things to suit your personal preference with this system.  As a general rule an ideal setting is as soft as possible and as hard as necessary. Experiment with this setting and find which works best for your driving style. We have fine tuned the system on our bike and experimented with all settings from very soft to max preload and we found our sweet spot with the bike somewhere in the middle of the two extremes. 

We also made a couple of small easy mods which made a huge impact on the performance, stay tuned for more details on that in upcoming posts.

UPGRADED TWIN OIL STEERING DAMPER SYSTEM OPTION: 

Due for release in early March, X-Rider has an upgraded twin oil filled steering damper system. The upgraded system provides even more tunability to the steering, while at the same time keeping the front end rock solid stable even under the harshest conditions. We are looking forward to installing them on our test bike and you bet we’ll be reporting back on what we think of those after we’ve given them a thorough test.

FAIRINGS, FENDERS AND PANELS:

The CRS fairings, front fender and number plate panel are made from a high grade, flexible and durable nylon material. The main fairing is made up of three pieces that is attached and removed from the bike as one piece. While it has been scaled and designed directly based from a CRF Honda (a feature we love)  it could easily resemble any 1:1 MX Motorcycle with the right colours and decals attached. We are currently working with a decal supplier to have some custom replica liveries designed and we are hoping we can make that available for customers soon. 

The front fender is almost unbreakable, it bends and twists in a crash, but always returns to its normal position, we haven't even been able to crease it yet. Overall it's lightweight and extremely durable, the fairing is quick and easy to remove to get to your electronics or change a battery. The current colour choices are Fluro Red or Blue with Kawasaki green, Yellow, and more to look forward to in the future.  

A template of the decal kit is available to download for those wanting to create their own custom liveries, we cannot wait to see what is produced. The fairings all tie together and when assembled on the bike marry perfectly with the chassis frame of the bike and all the other scale details. I can’t wait to get some paint on those areas to really highlight and create a personal look!

The rear fender swoops down from the tail of the motorcycle, giving full protection to the rear shock, while still allowing for easy access to it for ride height adjustments. It does a perfect job of keeping the mud, dirt and debris from flicking back into and all around the motorcycle. All the electronics are neatly set out at the top of the model, receiver and brake servos set back over the rear wheel, while the battery installs in the middle of the chassis for optimum weight distribution and COG. The ESC is securely mounted just above the battery while the brushless motor mounts below the battery and behind the chassis mounted flywheel gyroscope. All the electronics are well protected from dirt, debris or any potential impacts, while being simple and easy to access without having to take a heap of parts off to get to them.

SCRATCH BARS - GREAT SUPPORT AND LONGEVITY

The motorcycle is delivered with two sets of scratch bars made of 4mm steel, a set of regular U shape bars along with an additional set with a tighter U shape for use on tarmac are included in the box. 

You won't have any issues with the model rolling over onto the rider's head with this system. The bar supports are positioned neatly and discretely toward the front and rear of the chassis sitting just under the fairings, this position gives the most support while not upsetting or unloading the models suspension when your bars touch the ground. While the steel bars give lots of support when the bike rests on them, we prefer using a nylon bar. The nylon bar has reduced friction when touching the ground and also has some flex which keeps from upsetting the bike handling if you touch down on them aggressively. The holders will accommodate up to a 6.5mm nylon bar; we tested both 6mm and 8mm bars. 

To use the 8mm bar we drilled our holders out. We are still testing and evaluating our preference from 6-8mm, for maximum support of the bike on the bar we think the 8mm works best, but if you don't rely on your bars for as much support 6mm will serve you well too. While we personally prefer the nylon, however the steel bars do an excellent job of holding the bike weight and they won't wear out in a hurry either. 

THE RIDER - READY TO BATTLE LIKE JETT LAWRENCE AT THE START GATES!

Made from flexible and a very strong durable vinyl material, X-Rider spent a good deal of time getting the scale sizing and body position and proportions correct. His helmet is loosely based off an AGV MX helmet, and yes unlike previous RC motorcycle riders, this one even has a neck and he's actually looking ahead to see where he is going!

Seated in the attack position just like Jett Lawerence at the start gates, he is ready for battle. Many small details like his knee pads, removable helmet visor and his racing boots all adding to the most scale and real to life looks. For the ARTR models the rider is painted in the red or blue colour scheme with number decals included. In the build kits the rider is supplied unpainted and ready for you to customize to your liking. A variety of paint can be used to decorate the rider, we recommend the TS range of Tamiya paints, or the PS range can be used if you undercoat first. 

Our takeaways on the rider: From our testing with the bike, we believe the rider has held up flawlessly. Through all the cartwheels and backflips he has not sustained a single injury, apart from a couple of small scratches. We like the special attention that has been paid in getting the proportions, body posture and seating position on the motorcycle to give an authentic ready for action look. The riders hands clip securely onto the handle bars, while his boots are clipped down on the foot peg posts. This keeps him securely in place, allowing you to even carry the model from the rider.

Quick tip: For access to the battery and electronics area, simply push his boots off the peg post and put him in a handstand position to remove the fairing. Quick and simple, just how we like it!

Want more in the series? Head here to get updated forum posts in this series and more. We would love your questions and feedback on any upcoming content you’d like to see from us at www.holeshothobbies.com.au. 

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Happy RC Moto Racing! 🏍️💨