Quick Ride

Quick Ride

MONTESA COTA 4RT Honda's best kept secret?

OVER THE PAST TWO years, the rumor mill has been pumping out a generous portion of hot air regarding fuel-injected dirtbikes, though the reality has been the continued use of carburetors. And from what we can gather at press time, the majority of manufacturers—except for Suzuki and its newly EFI'd RM-Z450—will still be using jets and needles in 2008. That leaves us waiting until 2009 or even 2010 before we see a definite move toward EFI in the off-road scene.

Which makes this 2007 indoor trials world-championship-winning Montesa Cota 4RT-with its batteryless, fuel-injected fourstroke engine-all the more interesting.

This would be a good

time to mention Honda owns Montesa and that its EFI-equipped engine-around since 2005-is based on that of the highly touted CRF250R motocross bike. Both engines are liquidcooled and have single overhead cams operating four valves per cylinder; but the 4RT employs rocker

arms to open all the valves, whereas the MX motor’s Unicam system uses rockers to operate the exhaust valves and direct, shimunder-bucket actuation for the intakes. Moreover, the 4RT engine has been tuned for trials competition by using a smaller bore and a longer stroke, while the cases were reshaped to keep the motor ultra-compact.

This trials-friendly

engine tune makes riding the 4RT easy, but the real head-spinner is the fuelinjection system. Most EFI requires a battery to run the fuel pump and electronics on startup. But on the Montesa, enough power is provided by the upsized, high-output alternator to inject fuel and fire the bike

on a single kick. To further ensure easy starting, all of the alternator’s output is diverted to the EFI/ignition during kickstarts. One swing of the leg is all it usually takes to get the little 250 purring like a kitten.

On the trail and climbing obstacles, engine power is a little tame compared to the 250 and 300cc two-strokes in the class. Engine character leans toward torquey, electric-smooth power-a trait we’ve been feeling a lot lately with modern fourstrokes. This makes finding traction in sketchy conditions easy, especially with the sticky Michelin Competition trials tires.

And the carburetion is spoton. . .er, the EFI keeps the bike running crisp and clean all the time.

The chassis is standard for the trials world. The aluminum twin-spar frame is fitted with Showa suspension at both ends that feels a little undersprung at times. The weight of the fourstroke engine is apparent, too. The AJP brakes are extra-progressive, meaning user-friendly.

For novice trials riders, the $7595 4RT is close to perfect. But the experienced rock jumper may need to fine tune a couple parts (like the cheesy footpegs) and maybe boost power with more-aggressive ignition mapping or a big-bore kit-all currently available accessories.

If this Montesa is any indication of the future, maybe fleets of fuel-injected dirtbikes are closer then we think. -Ryan Dudek