This is republication of an article originally authored for EBMX, posted at https://ebmx.odoo.com/blog/posts-1/ebmx-goes-racing-with-transmoto-2 with some minor adjustments for context, inclusion of Jeff Steber interview about his customised SurRon.

The team at Transmoto have done a great job with reinvigorating the EastCoast Australia off-road riding scene, creating inclusive, fun + relaxed formats to race your mates. They've got events happening all over the place, with a packed 2021 event calendar that's worth a close look.

Never tried a Transmoto event?

With many of our team coming from a variety of MTB and Moto backgrounds, we were keen to take part and use the event to test some ideas on our drawing board. We're working on some novel new ride formats, targeting younger and inexperienced riders wanting to develop their skills, whilst also building and refining off-road performance upgrades in tougher events like HardEnduro. This helps pave the way to open up new ride areas + options thanks to a much reduced noise profile from our eMoto range, but needs willing collaborators and facility owners.

With the Stroud8hr looming on 22-23May, our team are beavering away in the background to squeeze in some training time on top of their day jobs. This means staying across the handling and performance differences of traditionally popular off-road options like the teams KTM-350 and DRZ400E, whilst also honing skills during the week with lighter, quieter options like the DrillOne (52kg, 40Nm), weighing in at 70kg less than a DRZ400E (130kg, 35Nm).

We know from working with collaborators like John Bettini at RaceSpecSurRon, who’s been entering and competing in Grassroots Enduro Hard Enduro formats, that entry level bikes like the SurRon LightBee can be greatly enhanced. This provides a much lighter bike for tackling hard terrain, putting less strain onto the rider, making it easier to quickly change direction, lift over obstacles and complete these extremely physical races. Johns experimentation with a lightweight two wheel drive system is proving really interesting and we're working to refine the integration options. Check out his Tenterfield Terror race report below.

Further afield, we’ve also got Jeff Steber, founder of Intense Cycles, putting in some exploration time and getting some great results with his SurRon, enhanced with an EBMX BAC8000 performance kit and some up-spec moto enhancements that transform its handling. More details about that were covered in this AMA with Jeff Steber article + video interview about his EBMX enhanced SurRon Light Bee - lots of little details to spot for the sharp eyed fan.