450X First ride, first impressions

Took the 450 out for the first time on Saturday, did about 100k's around Maraisburg which included quite a bit of climbing.

Overall very impressed with the bikes power and handling. There is plenty of usable power, similar to the 530's but to me it feels like it is "put down" better than the KTM's. Definitely less wheel spinning and shit flying everywhere under max acceleration, this might be due to the rear suspension design or setup but definitely feels very good in this regard.

The suspension works very well in the fast stuff including big whoops, the rear feels especially good to me. Forks not bad either but harsh in rocky and choppy terrain. Will definitely try to smooth these out a bit. (have read about this before as well)

Brakes are good and clutch pulls light, much better than I expected for the cable operated system.

Battled to select third gear three or four times under power but may only require to get used to the bike.

Front did not feel as light as an "un-damped" KTM, but did find I was gripping the bars way tighter than normally which resulted in some blisters, normally not an issue for me. This is probably a function rather of the forks being a bit harsh. I will sort out the suspension first before considering a steering damper for this bike.

Climbing the mine dumps is really easy on this bike.

Overall I am very happy with the bike and look forward to start blinging, dont think I would be using it as a dual sport bike but may for Botswana's race (although the 300 is also very good there) and one or two of faster GOC races and possibly for Namaqua's Rally