Unamuno debated whether it was convenient to "Spanishize Europe" or "Europeanize Spain". And I take the opportunity to claim, within my business (motorcycles), what we do in Spain. Because this trail is more and more Spanish and better and better.
This Macbor is a Spanish motorcycle. And someone will come out, for sure, warning me that the motorcycle is made outside of our country (in China, yes, quite far away) and that, therefore, it is not Spanish. I disagree. Is a CB 500, made in Thailand, or Japanese? Isn't a BMW whose engine is assembled in China German? Is a KTM assembled in India no longer Austrian? In my opinion, today, no. Absolutely.
In today's world of industry, it is unthinkable to manufacture like this. Motorcycles are produced to be sold, it is a business above all else, and for this, you must offer your customers the best you can give. Something that happens, of course, for an adequate final price, which in turn leads to looking for suppliers where it is needed. If that supplier is the one that carries out the final assembly, then perfect. Where is the limit then?
I think there are several things that really define where the motorcycle that comes to you is from. The first and almost most important is where the brand that launches the project is from. But this is not valid: an Italian brand that goes to China, buys a finished motorcycle and puts its brand on it, without further ado, well... no; he is not making Italian bikes.
If you have the idea of making a motorcycle of a type, you go to the possible Asian manufacturers, find a valid "platform" (meaning chassis, chassis, and engine), and work on it to meet your requirements, both in operation and of quality and modifications are made on that platform, I think that we should start talking about a European motorcycle, of course.
If, in addition, part of these modifications are of your own design, specific components have been manufactured and both those designs and the final result have been protected so that third-party brands do not come to use your improvements, of course, we are talking about a motorcycle of that brand and, therefore, it is of the nationality of the firm itself.
Macbor has always been a Spanish company. Founded in the late 1990s, they made a whole range of children's bikes that were quite successful, ranging from little more than motorized toys to full-blown motocross bikes for kids and youth racing.
In 2017 the brand was reborn, this time focused on adults, with an attractive range of 125, adding a very interesting Montana XR3 250 and the successful two-cylinder Montana XR5 500. Those motorcycles, yes, made in China, but with a definition of both their components and their final design and quality control absolutely their own, have worked well at all levels.
Now we come to a "second phase" of growth for the brand. Their motorcycles are designed here, in Barcelona, and then the industrial partner that will carry out the manufacturing is sought. This is how we worked with the Macbor Rockster 125 that we tested a few weeks ago and now comes the Macbor Montana XR1 125, the second of this name, with the same approach. A new trial, Spanish, 125, and therefore valid for A1 and B licenses that once tested shows that, indeed, in Spain, we still know how to make motorcycles.
How is the Macbor
Montana XR1 125
Macbor also has another advantage, and that is that the entire team behind the project are true motorcycle fans; well, rather passionate about motorcycles. And when someone who is passionate about motorcycles starts making one, it is not worth anything. If you do go on an adventure-style trail ride, rest assured that when the bike hits the market you will have a true adventure trail ride.
Speaking of a 125, you can make a trail ride by flipping up wings, exhaust, and mounting mixed wheels on a rig built for the road. If you put the usual "duckbill" and four defenses, it "sneaks" almost certainly. Or you can stop, define in your head what trail “adventure” is and rack your brains looking for what the motorcycle should comply with and how it should be if you really want it to be “trail adventure 125”.
This even explains certain "contradictions" that you can see on this bike. It defines itself and wants to be a true trail bike but, nevertheless, it uses 17″ wheels. Is this logical? Well, when the other options have been evaluated and you see that this tire meets the requirements in the field, for a motorcycle that must also be city and asphalt, well yes. Or, to give another example, is it really "okay" with a 12.6 CV? Well, if after trying it you get enough features and with that specification you protect reliability and consumption, well, too.
The new Macbor Montana XR1 is based on the previous one, a motorcycle that has more than met the expectations of the brand in every way, and that has even generated "clubs" and fan associations around it. The new XR1 is mounted on its mechanical base, the steel tube chassis, with a simple split cradle with a rectangular section swingarm. The most important change is the new water engine, with a four-valve, double overhead camshaft, balancer shaft, and six-speed gearbox. It delivers 12.6 hp at 9,500 rpm with a torque of 9.6 Nm at 5,500 rpm.
The cycle part more than complies: it has 17″ wheels and spokes with tubeless covers. It comes standard with CST mixed tires that behave quite well in all scenarios. The suspensions are adequate for a motorcycle like this, with an inverted fork of 37 mm in diameter and a mono-shock on links, adjustable in preload. To brake, a disc is mounted in front and another one in the rear, lobed, with 265 mm and 240 mm respectively, and a standard CBS system; It is one of the least convincing points of the motorcycle.
As for the rest of the equipment, the motorcycle comes very complete: it has LED lighting with a front headlight of its own design, with the "M" of the brand in the center, truly striking. It mounts a USB on the inside of the body, near the handlebars, and with a fairly complete, 5″ digital frame. But it also comes with the entire kit of protection fenders and a standard sump cover, plus the kit of three aluminum panniers of a size proportioned to the motorcycle, with capacity for an integral 35-liter top case.
How's it going
How should a Trail 125 be? I mean, basically, a modern trail bike is a bike that basically does three things: it's suitable for everyday use, capable of going off-road to a greater or lesser degree, and comfortable for touring. If we talk about a 125, one of these three characteristics is complicated, of course.
You can travel with it, of course, but the highways and expressways will be very long and boring unless you make alternative plans. Hence you find, among the 125, other solutions or approaches more often than with bigger, more capable bikes in all respects.
But Montana wants to be a real trail, in 125. It was already so in its first version and some of the adventures of its owners that the brand itself tells us about, like a couple who did a Madrid-Jerez with it, show it. But deep down it's not normal. Actually, it is not what the majority of its users are going to do, which is who in the end you think about when you develop a motorcycle.
The majority of users in the end want these two other features: daily utility and being able to get out of the black with certain guarantees. It does very well. But it also adds another important capacity... Ok, I don't have the power and speed to consider huge trips (although this depends more on your patience), but I do have enough performance and chassis to go hiking on twisty roads and really have a good time, as we have done in this presentation, along roads and tracks in the Aragonese Pyrenees.
Montana is a well-proportioned bike. It enters through the eyes, especially with the two brightest colors (red or yellow) and has an authentic trail plant. You see it with the suitcases on and it looks great because they are not huge, they are well adapted and they will be enough for day to day, with the upper one with room for a helmet.
It does not wear the classic "duck bill", a resource already so "knocked down", according to the brand, as to look for other things in search of distinguishing itself as a trail. It is not big and the seat is only 780 mm from the ground, which makes it very accessible to everyone and easy for those who are new to the field of motorcycles. It weighs 160 kg officially, but it is a bike that feels light in any circumstance.
On it, the driving position is very well defined. It is comfortable, spacious, and with a correct soft seat. The controls are in a good position and have a pleasant touch. The sound is somewhat higher than you expect, a symptom of its 125 cc, but with a "hook" because it also sounds good, without excessive exhaust noise and absolutely none that comes from where it shouldn't.
In gear, you don't notice
unpleasant vibrations either and you do feel an almost perfect change. It has a
perfectly studied development, with a long 6th gear that allows you to stretch
the engine without reaching its limit except on descents, with a 1st gear short
enough to pass complicated areas. The suspensions seem somewhat hard at first,
but the truth is that after riding off-road the notes are not excessive either,
then it is a correct setting that allows you to go quickly on asphalt.
The CST tires work as they should and there are no scares on good roads. Even when you get out of there, they don't do bad. I can assure you after a good cross from behind, when stepping on gravel, that they slide progressively so that you can correct. And in the field, like any current mixed-use trail tire, they have the traction you expect, with the lateral grip being slightly fairer due to the lack of lugs.
As I say, it mounts a 17″ front wheel and that led, of course, to asking those responsible for this decision why. This tire allows greater agility on the road, something of which it has a lot, of course, and in the field, it has proven itself enough for tracks and not very complicated passages because it does not want to be an enduro.
And the 12.6 CV engine surprises: it is easy to roll flattening above 100 km/h and you can see more than 120 km/h with some descent in your favor. In corners, with that agility, a working tire, and a relaxed riding position, you can drive very fast with ease and change position very quickly.
It brakes well, although the combined braking system, as I pointed out before, is not the best. A lot of work has been done on the front-to-back balance when stepping on the pedal and under normal conditions it's fine. It is in the countryside or on bad roads where it can become difficult to brake from behind (one of the front pistons is acting) and pull the lever: it can block if you are not warned.
But it is something inherent to this system, today it is difficult to improve if it is not with the well-known ABS, which would make the final result of the motorcycle quite expensive. Here's the question.
And on the field, he plays important factors. It is a light bike and it reaches the ground very well, which allows you to ride it with a lot of confidence knowing how trail tires work: you stand up on the footpegs, put some weight on the front end and turn back on the gas, although with its almost 13 CV it is better to control weights before overconfidence, keeping the bike straight to find grip. Thus, you can calmly cross tracks and step on potholes while keeping your composure.
The best:
- Trail 125 is quite “real”
- Very accurate aesthetics
- Full equipment
It would improve with:
- CBS brake feel on slippery surfaces
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