Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543392
March 2026 11 and steer with the rear brake or the power, that's fine too. Interes ngly, the bike came stock with the forks dropped in the clamps, so the caps were flush with the top clamp. We all agreed that the bike would turn a li le quicker if we raised the forks up in the clamps to the first line, but we didn't try it, as it was already sprung way too so for me, and raising the forks would have made that worse. Speaking of suspension, it also feels very Japanese. Both ends of the suspension are KYB, and the fork is even the fancy SSS unit, not the AOS that comes on the Betas and Shercos. Again, your interpreta on of the suspension will depend on which bike you usu- ally ride. Both of my companions usually ride KTMs, and they both thought the suspension felt s ff. Pete is the same weight as I am (200lbs), and Donnie is only 135. The stock spring rate is too s ff for Donnie and way too so for Pete and me. But both Pete and Donnie are used to the KTMs' steel frames, which flex more than the Fan c's aluminum frame. Conversely, I usually ride Hondas (with aluminum frames), so the Fan c's chassis s ffness wasn't unusual to me, and the stock suspension felt VERY so . To me, the Fan c felt great at slow speeds and on technical rocks, but it got way too so very quickly on the more open sec- ons or when I started to push hard. Even in these situa ons, however, the XE never felt sketchy or out of control; it was predictable even when it was too so . For me, I would be happy with the stock valv- ing paired with s ffer springs. In the chassis depart- ment, the Fan c feels s ffer than a KTM or Beta, but not as s ff or rigid as a TM, Honda, Kawasaki, or Suzuki. Other thoughts on the chassis: Brakes: excellent Nissin components. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I have always preferred Nissin to Brembo because I like the feel of Nissin's be er. With Nissin, you can pull the brake a li le if you want a li le brake, or pull a lot if you want a lot of brake. I find Brembo's to be on-off switches. That said, the Fan c Nissin brakes are stronger than Beta or Rieju brakes, and both Pete and Donnie commented that they were impressed by how good they were (coming from KTMs). Gas Tank: I wish it weren't black, but it's easy to see the fuel level rising before it's too late. During my tes ng on day one, the low fuel light came on at 42 miles in. I refilled it, and it took 2 gallons. Total tank