Almost a year with my Vertigo R2. In depth review/overview of my bike and experiences with it!
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- Опубликовано: 28 июн 2024
- A review/overview of my 2020 Vertigo R2 300.
I've owned this bike for almost a year and have mostly loved every minute of it! 
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I had no idea about the way the case splits! I think that's some awesome innovative engineering! Another reason to love my vertigo even more!
Yeah I am still super impressed with them. So much so we ended up getting a matching R2 250 for my wife.
Only thing I really don't like is the gasgas inspired kickstart mechanism, and the need for special tools for basic maintenance. Being a machinist I made my own so no worries, but could be annoying for some people.
I have updated my bike to the R3 airbox cover, R3 footpeg hangers, and S3 hardrock pegs. Around close to 200hrs my Vertigo pegs started to sag. The R3 hangers are a bit lower and tilted forward slightly. R3 ecu update will happen when I get to a dealer somewhere sometime.
Nice review Shawn, and humble too. Riding the ADV line means your skill as a rider is definitely climbing.
I'll comment on a couple of the points you raised in the video, and own up to the awkward breakage of the rear brake pedal (ditch jump onto a small angled stump, directly loading the tip).
The handlebar mounts have two positions, and are themselves reversible, creating four fore-aft locations for the bars.
As noted, the clutch does have three positions that affect engagement and feel. I moved mine to the middle position for a slightly firmer engagement. The new rear brake line on the Nitro is said to make removal of the clutch cover for that adjustment easier.
Having ridden Betas for three years before demo'ing the Vertical Works 21, I would say the Vertigo turns as tight as the Beta, but is much more comfortable on the steering locks. The balance of the bike is incredible, but I do occasionally catch part of my right boot (2020 Sidi) on the lattice-work on the side.
Thanks :) Videos like this are hard. Im unorganized,stream of thought, and no matter what you do you're probably offending someone lol. Really like the bike, the service/support provided, and owning my R2 has been a great experience overall. Hopefully I was able to express both the small issues I've had with the bike, but also how much I really like it and the confidence it inspires in my riding! .
Look forward to riding with ya next season and representing Vertigo in our local series! Just wish I was a better rider and capable of doing the bike justice :).
Thanks for your great comment, and the great info shared in your comment!. Hopefully we see some of those Nitros showing up in Michigan soon. Would love to see you get a few MOTA guys on them!
Oh as a side note I know your bike is open for test rides, but feel free to send people my way if the want to check out an R series bike. Mines always available, and encouraged for a test ride :).
Shawn, I'm a senior just starting, one year on trials, Beta 200. As a novice, thanks for your expert description.
Bruce ,that's awesome ! A lot of people really like the Beta 200. Great balance of power/forgiveness! Next year we hope to get my wife a Vertigo 200 (225cc actually). Thanks for the comment :). Hope you have a great day !
Good intro video for me to your channel. I'm now one of your subscribers. 👍
Thanks Edward. I'm not as active on here as I'd like to be currently, but hoping that will change soon! Anything in particular you'd like to see content wise?
Hi Shawn Thanks for the brilliant Video review. I’m over in the UK and I have a R 250cc 2019 and i have to say Apart from a couple of updates as in moving map switch, air pressure sensor, and air box intake its the same and just loving it.
On starting MY bike I have found that I don’t need any throttle when cold and on the third to fifth kick it will start , when warm first or second kick as you described. If you mess up starting when the bike is hot I have found that a good half turn on the throttle and a good kick and it will start just like on a flooded carb bike. All in all a Brilliant Bike.
Hey, thanks Richard! Yeah I've found mine to be pretty similar as far as throttle when starting. The dark camo colors on the R1 are pretty sweet looking :) Thanks for the comment!.
Hey Shawn, living in a small country town in Australia, I’ve never even seen a trails in the flesh so thank you, fascinating!
Interesting frame I noticed.
I really must ride one some day.
Glad you’re enjoying the bike.
Cheers mate 👍
Trials is amazing! My online coach is actually out of WA. Perth I believe or there abouts . Trials is so different from enduro, but the skills transfer over very well. 90% of all the top hard enduro riders have trials experience.
Vertigo as a brand does things pretty differently from most of the other mfg.s and is currently the only EFI 2t trials bike on the market. They are a bit pricey, but after almost a year of ownership I have found it well worth the extra cost :).
Thanks for leaving a comment! I really appreciate it ! Hope your morning is going great !
Jim, did you notice how small our brake disks are lol? Compared to an enduro bike they almost look like they belong on a push bike ha ha ha !
Oh one last thing ,even though this is a 300cc bike it only weights about 150 pounds.
@@shawnmcginnis2508 yes, and the 300cc was a surprise too!
Always a pleasure mate, I really do appreciate your time.
Ver thorough review, thanks
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Still very much enjoying the bike and looking forward to another season on it 🙂
Great video, honest and in-depth comments. I love my TRS like you do your Vertigo - ain’t love grand? You didn’t mention the weight which I gather is pretty low, nor what tires came with the bike. I’d also like to know if the clutch is a diaphragm type (as in GasGas and TRS) ?
The Vertigo looks real sweet!
Dave my apologies for somehow missing your comment. Very sorry it has taken me so long to respond. Yeah I really enjoy the TRS bikes I have rode. Very different personality to the Vertigo, but very nice bikes. Weight is on par with all the other 2t bikes. Tires were 803's. Yes the clutch is a diaphragm type similar to gasgas. 3 position adjustment ring on the clutch to adjust spring tension. I really like the clutch. I find it to be a good balance of a nice slip zone, but still snappy enough to give you good pop. I would personally recommend Beta guys looking for an "upgrade" to check out Vertigo. TRS and Vertitgo ride really different and make power in very different ways. Very much a personal preference thing. Sorry again for the very late reply!
Nice video Shawn
Thanks ! 😊
Lookin for my first crossover bike to train more on a trials machine. Any model or brand to avoid? Probably will shoot for a 2010 or newer bike. Thanks and im appreciating the videos!
@Michael Lowry 541 Awesome to hear. I really love trials, but it is a really different beast compared to a KTM 300 and typical enduro style riding. Still trying to beat the dirt biker out of me lol. Before I sold my KTM 300 I did find I had gained much better clutch control and logs that at one point seemed big seemed quite a bit smaller after a year on a trials bike. Guess what I'm saying is trails will help you be a better dirt bike rider, but if you try riding a trials bike with the same mindset and techniques you use on a enduro bike you probably won't like it. Hope that makes sense.
OK anyway for bikes my experience is all on 2014 or newer models. What I do know is the first year or two after Sherco switched to the swapped airbox/fuel tank locations they had some running issues. So maybe avoid those couple years. Beta has been mostly the same bike since 2010 I believe. I heard the first year or two of the EVO did have some frame weakness problems. 2012 and on should be good. Beta is also known for a sticky clutch that never wants to quite dissengage fully. You can do a search for "Beta clutch fix" and read all about it. My 2014 was always a bit sticky. That is the one thing I really hated about the bike. Otherwise it was a nice bike if you can get used to a lefthand kickstart. Beta also uses components (brakes suspension, and clutch design) that are generally considered to not be quite up to the industry standard. That said a stock Beta EVO is still more then capable for anyone up to and through club level expert.
I own a 2016 Standard and a 2019 Factory Scorpa. 2016 and on Scorpa and Sherco are pretty much the same bike. Think of it like Husqvarna and KTM. One is orange and black, and one is blue and white. There are some visual differences and a few actual differences to, but pretty much just pick whatever color you like more between the 2. My recommendation on them would be a 2018 model or newer. They switched to a diaphragm clutch design in 2017 and 2018 models saw the clutch pull lightend. Low end response was softened in 2019 some. Good bikes overall. Watch for problems with the shifter. A hard hit will break off the stop (part of the case mold) and let the shifter travel up too far and hit one of the internal gears. Can normally be fixed with a drill,tap, and capscrew.
TRS is pretty decent. I like the ones I rode. Fitted with quality components and a strong engine. If buying one I'd consider the 250. Very strong/ responsive off idle power.
GasGas are good bikes, but parts for pre-KTM owned models may become a problem eventually.
Vertigo... I love mine, but they are pricey. They also tried some cool stuff early on that didn't quite work out sometimes. Would recommend a R1,R2,R3,OR WORKS 21. NEWEST generation just came out. No experience on it yet, but pretty sure it is gonna be a great design going forward.
Just had my first Montesa experience. Was quit a cool bike. 4t is different, but worked pretty good. They are Honda so you got generally more dealers available and Honda reliability. I'm not a 4t guy so I have never researched them and I don't know much about them. Did like the one I rode! Think it was a 2018 model.
Hope this helps some. Best of luck!
I forgot to add in the video there is some adjustment on the clutch basket to add or remove a bit of tension from the belleville washer (clutch spring). This can change the feel of the clutch as well as prolong the time between clutch plate changes. I believe GasGas has a similar feature on their clutch.
I should also add as a rough guess my bike has around 100hrs on it now. So keep that in mind when looking at wear and tear For the most part all I've done is filter and oil changes on it and changed a plug or two. Not because they fouled, just because I was there.
Hey Shawn , good video any idea what your sag setting is I have a 22 nitro and it seems a little soft I have two and a half inch or sag
So it may be a bit different with the Nitro having more travel than my R2. I am running about 2 inches front and rear. This spring I stepped up a spring rate each end. I am a bit over 200# so it was needed.
My guess is that with the extra travel, 2.25- 2.5" sounds like a decent number. Depending on your weight, you may consider heavier springs as well. It was a nice improvement for me.
Thanks for getting back, I'm about 170 all geared up, it's hard to find any information on where it should be
I have not adjusted anything on the suspension yet, but has just started to feel like I am bottoming out on some bigger stuff
@JMTZ 170 is in the stock range. Ryan Young say any 3 foot drop or so and you should expect to bottom.
Your bike does have a compression adjuster on the side of the shock. It's the purple dial. You can use a 5 mm (if memory is correct) ball-end allen wrench to adjust it. Turn it to the right 3 or 4 clicks. See how that feels.
Hi Shawn, I have bought slightly used R2 300 a week ago. Riding it every day since, I had 3 days in a row cold start from a first kick!
This is my first gas trials bike (been riding DIY electric trials for 2 years).
Probably silly question, but do coolant level need to be up to the radiator cap or less? On my bike it is like 5-6 cm from the edge of the radiator filler edge.
Also it is green colored, and the manual says to use Castrol Radicool SF, but it is red and I am not sure if I can mix them.
Awesome about yours cold starting so well ! As far as radiator fluid I am not sure, only know mine is green as well. As far as level I also don't know for sure. I have not yet had a need to service that part of my bike. I can say as a general rule there does need to be a little room for some expansion as it heats up. So with that in mind I wouldn't expect it to be all the way to the top the filler neck. On all my other bikes I shoot for decently above the fins, but not close to overflowing. Sorry this is such a vague answer, I just haven't had to deal with this on my bike yet.
How are you getting on with the bike? Probably a bit different from the electric bike I bet?! I recently tested a 2021 EM Race. Really cool, but so very different from my R2!
I did just look up in my 2021 R2 owners manual and in the manual I have it says 600ml total capacity and states to use GRO GCC-50%. I hope this is of some help. Also as a note if not purged properly the pump can be problematic about getting air locked. I've been told it is important to hold the bike up at close to a 45 degree angle when filling to help ensure air escapes the system properly. This is a benefit of the new Nitro design. On it the pump is at the lowest point so air naturally rises out and away from it. :) .
@@shawnmcginnis2508 Thanks, manual from EU states GRO and from US it is Castrol.
GRO not available in my country, so I've just added some distilled water. It was small amount like 30-50cc to top, so I guess it was no big deal.
@@shawnmcginnis2508 Mine is even more different since it is only 50kg, no clutch, has thumb throttle and rear hand brake.
I have not ridden a gas bike for 5 years, so have to relearn clutch control and foot brake.
@@MrDehicka yes sounds very different, but pretty neat, especially since it was diy :)
Nice bike, nice review…
Praz Channel Thanks. Still really enjoy this bike. Really glad to own it !
@@shawnmcginnis2508 I also really like that bike, but I don't have the real one.. I love that bike, until my salary at the age of 29 was used up to build a bicycle.. although it's not exactly the same as the original bike.. but I'm already happy.. 😊
@@prazchannel7131 can I ask what country you are from? And the bike on your channel that is the one you are talking about ? It looks pretty cool!
@@shawnmcginnis2508 Yes.. I'm from Indonesia.. I made a bicycle from scratch, although it's still a bit heavy.. I had to replace the fiber resin part and the aluminum part so that it could be equal to the original weight
@@prazchannel7131 I have seen a few things that some other guys from Indonesia have made or modified and I am always so amazed by their ingenuity, and creativeness. Such an awesome talent, much respect !
Hey bud for what you paid for it you got alot of leaks
Hey Mark,
I don't disagree. Sadly if I did a review of any of my other trials bikes I could point out several issues as well. In all fairness though they were used and cost less. That is why I did this review and did my best to be detailed and point out any problem I've had with MY personal bike. I want people to know what I've experienced.
I do know the fuel line leak is something that has happened to others, and often installing different clamps is the preferred/suggested fix. I have not heard of anyone else having the leak from the countershaft or cylinder/pipe junction. The countershaft leak is just minor. It doesn't make a noticeable difference in oil level over the course of the life of the oil. It does stick some dirt to the side of the case and yes it is a minor frustration.
So all that out of the way, and after riding several newer/new bikes ranging from the EM Race model(neat bike),2021 TRS Gold(very VERY nice bike), my 2019 Scorpa, and others I personally still like my Vertigo the best. It was a lot of money, and may not be for everyone. For for me ,even now in hindsight, I wouldn't choose a different bike to ride other than my R2...except maybe an R3 or possibly the new Nitro. Like I stated I could pick apart any of the other bikes I've owned, or even bring up some flaws coming to light on the newest TRS models ( which are awesome bikes overal) and it may make somebody be like ,"wait you paid how much, and it did what?". In the end nothing is perfect and all the bikes have flaws. For me the strengths, and character of the R2 have me sold on it. Also just as importantly the SERVICE, friendliness,and general support(in way of technical support and availability not sponsored or monetary) received from Lewisportusa thus far has spoken volumes and helps me to overlook some of the small flaws my bike has had. I have dealt with other big names over the last few years that have left me very unimpressed with their customer support. All these things add up and for me are a big part of my decision to not only hold on to my R2 for several more years, but also to buy my wife a new Vertigo as soon as money/life permit.