hi all,
the ktm e style p arrived in the dealers this week. 2 weeks from date of order , no complaints there !
i must admit i was a bit anxious driving to the shop for it , will the size be right ?
without even turning on the electrics i jumped up and rode it around the block. i was definitely too upright but i knew the suspension seat post needed to be risen and that there were 2 spacers on the headset that could be lowered but the bars were in the lowest position. within the space of 10 minutes the dealer had cut the headset tube to size and removed the spacers. relief all round , the size was good, a little swapping and i would be comfy. now that i could breathe again, the first thing that struck me was how compact it was , the wheelbase is a nice length and the bike has a tidy feel to it. remove the battery and you would not know it was an e-bike.
the hub motor is really compact and neat. up to now all the pics i had seen made the battery seem wide , but i was surprised at how slim it is ... hope you can see from my pic. the cube bar grips are very comfy also but i will be swapping them out for ergon gp5,s complete with long barends, the bars are nice also , they are not very wide but they curve back quite a bit., ill see how i get on with them but i may prefer straight bars cut in a little more, i have a long reach and i need the distance. the saddle is not for me , i will swap it for a B 17 , i have one on my dawes century but its staying there. don't know whether ill get on with the suspension seat post either , i have tried before and failed , we'll see. i want to stress that these are all changes that i pretty much knew i'd be making before i ever got the bike . i know by now what makes a bike comfy for me , its only personal preference , there is absolutely nothing wrong with the bike as is . i locked out the suspension as i wont be needing that much . the lights are great , big front and rear runing off the dynamo , independent from the battery , nice one that . hydraulic disc brakes have real stoping power . if the marathon energiser plus are anything like the marathon plus on my other bike ill have no complaints ... 18 months now without a puncture , unreal ! the bike is pretty heavy but you dont notice it until you go to lift it ... for me its not an issue as i will be adding a lot more weight with panniers and camping gear . im not altogether sure if i will be able to fit my bob yak trailer to the axle , again watch this space . if i can i will be delighted , im a bit of a trailerhead.
i haven't done much riding yet , but this bike has tucks of power , in eco mode she goes nicely and there's plenty of room for work . in standard she is awesome and i have not tried high yet. auto is also extremely powerfull. but i have done nothing with her yet . when i have made my changes and hopefully hooked up my trailer , i will test her well and see what range i can achieve over mixed terrain when she is laden .
thats what she is for! i fully expect to need a second battery for touring but i cant afford that for some time now as my finances are in a state of shock !!!! ok ... hope this may be helpfull and informative ... richie.
