Up until recently I used an old 1981 two stroke Suzuki 185 cc scrambler for field explorations. I had lots of fun and exciting experiences with the latter - especially not ever knowing whether it was going to start or not. Alas time has run out for the old guy - being too unpredictable. I'll keep it however for driving around on the farm, but think 4-stroke is the way to go.
I started the GOMOTO XACT 200 cc. at the dealer with the button and what joy - vroom immediately . Alright, so I did stall it twice when trying to pull away, but it was cold and I had to get used to the slightly different feel of the accelerator and clutch. Then off I went.
The choke has two settings. You choke it full when starting , as soon as it purrs, you put it on half setting for 500 m or so and then you release it completely.The choke is quite deep underneath the gas tank and it is not so easy to find while driving. Will just have to get used to that.
The dealer was right, the little machine handled like a dream, so steady and responsive. It was difficult to judge the power compared to my old Suzuki - I think they are about equal - except for the Suzuki having the tendency to lose power with too much acceleration, probably due to carburetor flooding.
The lever positions of the 5-speed gearbox are the same as those of my old Suzuki, First gear is down and then follow neutral and the other gear positions as you move the lever upwards.
Town driving was great ! No need to continually ref at the robots to keep the engine alive - certainly a great improvement on on some of the old 2 strokes. It pulls away with lots of gusto leaving the traffic behind . I mentioned the steadiness, but really have to emphasize this. There are no vibrations (on my bike at least) whatsoever. Something that urges you to go faster. I have not tried it over 80 km/h, but certainly up to 80 km/h there are no problems.
As you push the indicator button there is a peeping noise alerting traffic and pedestrians.Also for reminding you to turn the switch off again after the turn. Both indicator lights flash when you put on the brakes.
After some town driving it was time to test it out on the very stony hillsides on the outskirts of town.
I had chosen a bad spot to go into the veld - a narrow track with some uncomfortable twists and humps. I had to drive slowly with erratic acceleration and stalled it twice again - no fault of the bike. I just had to get used to it - the controls of the GOMOTO are slightly more responsive I think. I few tracks and dongas and then I went up the stony road on to the Grootkop Nature Reserve. I had to negotiate my way passed some big stones on the way to avoid crashing. It handled well despite the slippery path littered with lose stones. I had not been on the Suzuki or any other bike for that matter for over a year and it was not so easy to compare from memory, but do think the GOMOTO is a bit heavier.
After enjoying the view on top of the hill I spend some time on field explorations. I have been on this hillside many times years before, but my interest was limited then to certain kinds of plants which did not include bulbs. I now have a keen interest in bulbous plants as well and all old areas become a new haven for discoveries once again.
I had to do many stops to examine little pockets of pebbly areas and every time I climbed back onto the bike it would restart immediately when I pushed the starter.
It was quite a cool middle autumn day and since wearing only a thin track suit I decided to head back to the farm half an hour before sunset.
After I hit the open road I put on some speed and was comfortably cruising at 80 km an hour. I noted that the bike easily rides about 70 km/h in fourth gear before I need to change over to fifth. I often forget to change from fourth to fifth on the open road. Perhaps it is even better to stay in fourth at a speed of 70 -75 km/h.
The bike is as steady as a car on the open road at 80 km/h - almost scary so as I prefer never to feel too comfortable on a bike - what if a hare or a buck suddenly decides to cross the road in front of me ?
All the time I had to force myself to slow down to 70 km/h to be able to handle emergencies better, but every part of me wanted to go faster. It rides like a dream and so far I am exceedingly happy with my purchase.
It handles uphills well, but it is off course a 200cc 4-stroke engine so not too much can be expected.Uphills force me to change rather quickly back from fifth to fourth. Not that this is annoying in anyway as the bike rides just fine in fourth.
As the sun set I got entertained by series of alternative layers of cold air and hot air blazing through my tracksuit. These seemingly do not have any connection to the surrounding topography except whenever you dip down to cross a bridge over a river - then it is bloody cold. I shall need to invest in a windproof suit.
I arrived at the farm just before it was pitch-dark, and put the bike in the shed. I had a few days ahead to deal with commitments on the farm, but was already planning a trip to the Calitzdorp area to collect seed and take some photographs.
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