RUST Magazine: RUST #43

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civilizes the two-strokes (along with the
oil injection – no premixing). Again, in
previous years I’ve found the chassis
set-up with Betas a bit unusual and on
something as potent as the RR300 that
can be an issue. But now, especially
with the suspension dialed in for faster
riding, the feeling for the bike is much
more modern and confidence inspiring,
for the amateur rider particularly. That
world champion chap Steve Holcombe
flies on his RR300, and riding this bike
you can see why. For a 300 it’s relatively
easy to ride, yet still flies and there isn’t a
cliff it can’t climb.
RR350
On to the four-strokes. Now these really
are all new. Engine capacities haven’t
changed but those crankcases have and
the frame etc is all changed. So they
kind of feel pretty much like they did
before, but at the same time better.
On the RR350 it feels like something
else has changed, too. I liked this bike
before, but only so much as it was a
rev-hound and you would ride it more
like a 250F than a 350/450F. This year
something’s different – one of the techs
hinted something along the lines of
a change of ratios, although he being
Italian with limited English (and me vice
versa) we were struggling to understand
each other. Whatever, the feeling is it
holds its gears longer, and third gear
especially seemed longer and the engine
torquier, so you weren’t screaming the
engine and shifting frantically – it’s
shifted much closer to the laid-back
character of the RR390. But not too
close, it still feels like a race bike.
The new handling dynamic is a
tough one to evaluate without having
the 2019s to hand for comparison (if
only…). However, the handling was
good and I noticed that I was starting
to appreciate I was steering more with
my feet – weighting the pegs – than
with handlebars and body position.
It could be the power of the tech talk
was creating autosuggestion but it
felt like the weight was indeed masscentralised,
and with the narrower
frame you felt you have a real feel for
the bike through those pegs (which
incidentally have a neatly chamfered
leading edge so as to not snag in ruts).
All up the 2020 RR350 felt like a big
step-up on the 2019 model. A potent but
manageable weapon for the clubman.
RR390
I still think ‘trail bike’ when I ride an
RR390. It just has that all-day ride feel
to it. It makes good power but it doesn’t
come in with a rush, just comfortably
builds. Albeit, like any bike, you can rag
it. But as a trail bike, occasional race
bike, it’s a great ride. You don’t notice
the upgrades on this model so much
because you’re not inclined to ride it to
the edge, so it feels not unlike the 2019
model, but even so, nice, and with that
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