Peter Stevens Demo Day Wonthaggi 3/10/10

I arrived at Wonthaggi mx track just before 8:30 with the odd patch of cloud and to my suprise not even a breeze in the air.
There was few cars there but it didnt take long for more to arrive. I went over to sign all the papers required for the day and collected a wrist tag along with all other information. I then had to go over to another area right near the starting gate to collect more wrist tags with my name, bikes i was riding and times etc. It was then time to get changed and wait for the time of my first ride which was at 9:20. I also found out where the enduro loop was which turned out to not be much but still good with a couple of tight sections in it. I ended up sticking mainly to the mx track.
My first ride was the KTM 300EXC which i found to be an excellent bike. It is excellent in the tight stuff and has that nice quick punch of acceleration when coming out of corners which is something i love. The only down side to it is that i have forgotten how much vibration 2-stokes give off but im sure that it is something that i could easily get used to. This bike is one that would be high up on the list when i get around to buying another bike.
My second ride was the Yamaha WR450F. I found that to have a nice amount of power (more than im used to as i have a wr250f). However me being a featherweight i found it difficult to handle at times. I felt as if i almost dropped it atleast half a dozen times and really had to fight it. For me it seemed as if the weight distribution wasnt right for me. Other than that its a good bike.
My third and last ride was the KTM 450EXC. After having a bit of trouble on the wr450f i thought that this bike would be the same in terms of handling but i was wrong. This bike handled really well for me in the tight stuff and on most of the corners on the mx track i was leaning it right over and had no dramas at bringing it back up. On the other hand my 250 is only the slightest bit easier to throw around lol. The power out of corners was fantastic and the suspension for me just seemed perfect. Overall this is a bike i would consider buying for myself.
I found out off one of the friendly Peter Stevens staff that all bikes that were being ridden were brand new bikes and had only been ridden the week before on the staff day as well as the demo day to the public that day. They were for sale on the day and it was a case of first in best dressed and they would fix any damage to them (aside from scratches and the like) so it was a chance to pick up a real bargain!
Overall i had an absolute ball. After each session they waved the checkered flag so you knew it was time to come in and they even had a sweeper going around after the last rider. They also had a medical triage which i hope didnt get used.
Thanks to the Peter Stevens staff were excellent and extremely helpful and for organising the day and thanks to the Dandenong Motorcycle Club for putting on the day as well. If they put another one of these days on again i would put my hand up straight away and recommend it to anyone as you get an option of variety of rides.
Alistair

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