Bike test - Montesa/HRC Cota 4RT
By TMX Archives on 16th May 06
The chance to test a full-factory Montesa/HRC Cota 4RT is just too good to pass up - especially when we've got Jordi Tarres doing the testing
Outside of being invited to the Beckham's wedding, invitations don't come a lot bigger than being on the guest list to ride a full-factory-spec HRC machine. So when the guys from the Repsol Montesa HRC trials team offered us the chance to test both Lampkin's and Fujinami's factory bikes there was no diary checking needed.
Following a few quick phone calls and the promise of a lifetime subscription to DBR we recruited the services of none other than trials legend and seven-time world champion Jordi Tarres to swing his leg over these two very special trials irons.
Trials might not be the biggest sport in the world but it's the only official HRC racing project in two-wheel motorsport other than Honda's mighty MotoGP effort. Not since the Thorpe, Malherbe and Geboers era has off-road motorcycling been blessed with proper - and we mean proper - hand-made and certainly priceless full-factory HRC bikes.
Nudged by the FIM, who later opted for a u-turn on their four-stroke only policy, Honda/Montesa took the decision to scrap their two-stroke trials bikes and embarked on a lone four-banger crusade as the other smaller trials manufacturers gave an almost unanimous v-sign to the world governing body's directive.
With the FIM realising that the expense of developing a four-stroke was maybe a step too far for the specialist European trials bike makers - and with the real threat of a world championship boycott by the same parties - they soon reversed their policy. However, Honda/Montesa were too far down the line to stop their top secret and revolutionary Cota 4RT project and pushed ahead regardless. With this in mind, many in the paddock expected the FIM to restrict/reduce the capacity of the two-strokes in a similar way to MX to at least give perhaps the championship's most important and prestigious team a fighting chance. To date this remains NOT the case.
In terms of global trials bike sales, the sheer scale of the cost of the Cota 4RT project can not be justified - but the millions of Yen that has been and continues to be spent is not just about developing a new trials bike as it includes ground-breaking technology that will eventually be used throughout Honda's massive mechanical ranges. Confirming this point, just last month some of the Japanese manufacturers (Honda included) broke cover with their future fuel-injected MX models.
The batteryless, self-powered fuel injection system for which the Montesa Cota 4RT has been used as a test bed was a world first and something the mighty Wing was proud of. Knowing that their rivals would steal and copy their idea once it was shown in the public domain, Honda took the almost unheard of decision to develop and launch the production model before proving it as a 'racing' prototype in order to protect their large investment. So much focus was given to delivering a faultless customer model that the initial factory bikes suffered as priority was given to achieving showroom rather than championship glory. The outstanding reliability and performance of the production bikes confirms that this was time and effort well spent.
Despite the late arrival of the first full-factory bikes, Dougie Lampkin gave the Montesa Cota 4RT a dream debut by winning the opening round of the 2005 outdoor world championship. This came nearly 20 years after Steve Saunders recorded the last four-stroke victory at this level (also achieved on a factory Honda). While Fujinami and Lampkin had to settle for second and third place in the championship at the end of the year - behind the two-stroke Gas Gas of Adam Raga - the season saw the four-stroke improve greatly and emerge as a real title contender.
Having endured another difficult indoor campaign, with the development four-stroke still unable to match the proven two-strokes over the severe artificial sections, the Repsol Montesa HRC team was glad to move outside. With Lampkin and Fujinami given new spec bikes ready for the start of the outdoor season, a handful of specialist magazines from around the world were invited to test the bikes that the Montesa duo had used for last year's world championship proper and the indoor series that has just passed.
Much debate surrounded allowing Tarres to ride the factory Montesas given his long and close association with rival manufacturer Gas Gas. But after several emails between Spain and Japan the big boss from HRC gave the go-ahead for Jordi to ride the two works Cotas prior to them being crushed in order to prevent them falling into the wrong hands now that they have been retired from the world stage.
The test venue is about an hour north of Barcelona at a small town called Navas on the side of the highway that leads from the Catalonian capital to the principality of Andorra. The Montesa team have a small workshop facility here where they conduct most of their testing. While the location lacks variety it doesn't lack severity with a good scattering of massive boulders on a dry, dusty and steep hillside.
Watching Tarres in action - even on unfamiliar machinery - was a real treat. The master's lost none of his magic and looked just as technical and majestic as he did back in the day when he was the king of world trials. Little else happens when Jordi rides and everyone stopped and admired Tarres as he flicked the Cota on line before attacking a series of demanding steps, hardly bringing the four-stroke off tickover as he remained typically feet up.
Removing his helmet, Jordi thought long and hard before he began to share his factory four-stroke experience. "Until now all I knew about the bike was from watching it and listening to it. From that my expectation and impression was that the engine would be similar to a four-stroke enduro or MX bike as the sound is quite loud.
"However, when you ride the bike it is completely different and the truth about the engine is completely opposite to what you expect. For me the bike is not powerful at all. I do not know why that is, maybe that is the maximum power they can achieve or maybe it is set like that for another reason.
"I think what is totally clear is that with a two-stroke you can express your riding style and make the bike work how it best suits your style but with the four-stroke I think you have to adapt your style to suit the bike. Because of this I think you must have to ride the bike for a long period of time before you can understand it fully or begin to get the best from it.
"Having watched and spoken to Lampkin he has confirmed this point and told me that it was like learning to ride trials from the start all over again. Now I have tested the bike I can fully appreciate his comment and the way that he rides the bike which is different to how he used to ride his two-stroke.
"Because of the soft power you have to ride everything much slower. It is difficult to approach anything with speed as if you lose momentum it is difficult to regain it again. I think the bike is very good at making some things - perhaps easier than the two-stroke in places - but if you make a mistake on the four-stroke it is difficult to recover.
"I think because of the soft power and the slow speed the suspension is incredibly soft and again very slow. I am not saying this is bad or does not suit the bike but is much different to any other world championship bike I have ridden.
"Overall the balance and the working of the bike are as you would expect of Honda and Montesa. The movement of the controls and suspension is incredibly smooth and precise. The bike is a great feat of engineering and although it is already a challenger for the world championship it is sure to produce an even stronger fight in the future if it continues to develop at the same pace as it has done over the last year.
"I think it's true to say only Honda/Montesa is in a position to produce a four-stroke trials bike at this high level at this moment. For the rest they can only watch and learn at this time."
While no amount of money will buy you one of these factory bikes, for just less than five grand you can buy the next best thing in the form of a Montesa Cota 4RT Repsol replica. This limited edition model comes complete with a programmable throttle body so you can at least pretend that you are a works rider!
Contact Sandiford Montesa on 01282 428383 or check out www.sandiford.co.uk to locate your nearest dealer or for further information regarding the Montesa Cota 4RT and the Repsol Replica.
Spot the difference!
Dougie Vs Fujigas
Close inspection of the hand-welded aluminium frames, magnesium central crankcases, the mass of micro wires that lead to the fully mapable ignition and the many machined billet components confirmed that these two bikes were the real deal. Apart from the narrower handlebars, the grips with end plugs and his name on the tank, it's difficult to distinguish any major differences between Fujinami's bike and that of Lampkin that is lined up alongside it.
However, we grabbed the team's chief technician Oscar Giro so that he could explain just how the bikes differ to cope with the dramatically different riding styles of the two riders.
"The bikes are basically the same but have two completely different set-ups to allow for the difference in the riders' height, weight and the way they use the power. Fujinami's chassis is based very much on the production bike, as he prefers it, although he has tested other configurations including that used by Dougie.
"With Lampkin's bike the frame is very different with an altered head angle to give the bike more stability. He also uses shorter front frame tubes to lift the engine higher for more ground clearance. Because of his height he has his footrests set further back and a little lower.
"There is also a big difference in their suspension. Lampkin has his rear suspension much harder than Fujinami and also with a quicker action. Fuji runs his rear shock much softer and slower but with a higher ride height. Lampkin likes to have his lower in order to have more grip at the rear wheel.
"Both riders have different internal gear ratios and have their clutches set up in totally different ways. Lampkin's engine is probably slightly more powerful to counteract his weight, although when you hear them working you would normally assume that Fujigas has the most power.
"We are using the same system to map the throttle and power delivery as MotoGP so each rider can choose their own settings. On the bikes we are testing here it is possible to have two different settings which can be changed by the rider using the switch mounted on the handlebar. This can be changed at anytime and can store a dry setting and wet setting if the riders want to use it in this way.
"The electronics and the fuel injection system are the most important part of the bike and this is something we are continuing to work with. With the new bike it will be possible to give the rider a bigger choice of settings which can now be changed remotely by the mechanic using a Bluetooth module and a wireless enabled laptop computer.
"We have made good progress during the first year with the new four-stroke - not massive changes but refinement and a better understanding of what we are working with. The big things we are working on now is reducing the weight of the bike and improving the power. I think with these improvements we now have the opportunity to win the world championship."
Words and photos by G2F
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