Montesa officially presented the new Cota 301RR at the brand’s annual festival in Tona (Barcelona), popularly known as the Montesada. An unbeatable setting to showcase the work of the engineers and test team for more than a year, who working on the basis of the Cota 300RR have sought greater performance and performance from its four-stroke engine.
Coinciding with this public presentation, Honda organised a dynamic test session that allowed us to get a first taste of the work carried out on the Cota 301RR.
As expected, this change of nomenclature, which puts the full stop to three editions of the 300RR, evidenced an important evolution with respect to its predecessor. In fact, we can say that a good part of the work is based on the evolutions that the Montesa team has made on the bike of Gabriel Marcelli, current Trial2 World Champion.
WHAT’S NEW IN THE COTA 301RR
Let’s remember the most important new features of the Cota 301RR compared to the 300RR. First of all, as a key point, the increase in displacement to 298cc. (288cc. the 300RR). And from here, changes in its electronics to adapt to the new demands of its mechanics, also focusing on the design of the gas decompression system to work on reducing engine braking. Work has also been done on the crankshaft, which now has more inertia in search of greater progressivity. Finally, it is worth highlighting the changes in the exhaust system, which receives a silencer with greater volume and diameter of the inner pipe.
As for the chassis part, the novelties are less significant compared to what we already know in the market and its predecessor. It should be noted that it entrusts the suspension set to a Tech fork with aluminum bars and the rear shock is Showa, as in the Cota 4RT 260 Race Replica version.
MONTESA COTA 301RR TEST
The first contact with the Montesa Cota 301RR shows that there is a lot of work behind it by the Honda engineers. Its aesthetics breathe new airs. The bodywork is now more Racing, both in the shapes of its fender and in the fuel tank, which is less rounded. Its new LED headlight and the elegance of the new grey colour (also available in red), bring a necessary dose of modernity to the aesthetics of the set.
However, when you step behind the wheel of the Cota 301RR for the first time, the feeling is familiar, as the geometries remain unchanged. Once the engine is running and we start rolling with it, the novelties start to become more apparent. The engine pushes very hard from low revs and shows a very pleasant elasticity. The first impression is that there is a lot of torque in this new mechanical, you always have an engine on demand from the throttle grip, regardless of the gear or the rev speed at which you are driving.
The other great feeling it brings to the rider is the significant reduction in engine braking. If in the Cota 300RR a big step forward was already taken, in the new 301RR the feeling is much more evident. This leads us to make it a bike that rides lighter and more homogeneously, with a riding that flows much more.
The strong point, therefore, is the pair of a very elastic and punchy mechanics. On the contrary, it shows more the difference with respect to the Cota 4RT, in that the most basic level riders will perhaps be more comfortable with the 260cc and the higher level riders will applaud the increase in performance that, let’s not forget, also implies greater technical knowledge to squeeze its potential. At the clutch level, for example, the one on the 301RR is harder in feel than the one we can find on the 4RT, something that on the other hand is more evident due to mechanical demand.
A BALANCED SET
In short, the overall good performance of the new Montesa Cota 301RR, which will especially delight the most demanding riders. In any case, we applaud Honda’s good work and the effort to promote the development of the performance of a four-stroke engine that navigates practically alone in terms of the technical evolution of valve engines in trials.
Improving the final weight is another of the pending points of the Cota, which still does not break the barrier of 70 kilos, where the vast majority of its 2-stroke rivals are.
The price of the new Montesa Cota 301RR is €9,180 and will be available this November.
INFORMATION OF INTEREST
History and evolution of Montesa Cota in Trial
Spare parts and accessories for Montesa de Trial
DATA SHEET MONTESA COTA 301RR 2020
ENGINE
Type Single-cylinder 4-stroke, 4-valve, SOHC, liquid-cooled
Displacement 298 cm3
Bore x stroke 81.5 × 57.2 mm
Compression ratio 10.4 : 1
Idle speed 1,800 min-1
Engine oil capacity: 0.6 liters; Transmission: 0.57 liters
FUEL SYSTEM
Electronic Fuel Injection PGM-FI
Butterfly diameter 28 mm
Viscous Air Filter, Urethane Foam Filter
Fuel tank capacity 2.0 litres
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electronic Digital Transistorization
Ignition Advance 25° APMS (idle) ~ 53° APMS (1,1000 min-1)
Spark Plug Type CR6EH-9 (NGK)
Pedal Start to Primary Transmission
ACG alternator power 160 W
DRIVETRAIN
Wet clutch, multi-plate with coil springs
Hydraulic Clutch Activation
Transmission Type: 5-speed
Primary Reduction 3,166 (57/18)
Gear ratios 1st 2,800 (42/15), 2nd 2,384 (31/13), 3rd 2,000 (30/15), 4th 1,272 (28/22), 5th 0.814 (22/27)
Final Reduction 4,100 (41/10)
Final Drive Roller Chain #520
FRAME
Diamond Type Double Aluminum Beam
Dimensions (L×W×H) 2,020 × 840 × 1,135 mm
Wheelbase 1,320 mm
Launch angle 24.5°
Feed 63 mm
Seat height: 677 mm
Footrest height 390 mm
Ground clearance 310 mm
Dry weight 73 kg
SUSPENSION
Front 39 mm TECH telescopic fork, adjustable in pre-load and rebound. Travel 175mm
Rear Pro-Link system with SHOWA shock, adjustable in pre-load, rebound. Travel 170mm
WHEELS
Type: Aluminum rim / spokes
Front Wheel Size 21 × 1.60
Rear 18 × 2.15
Tire size Front 2.75 – 21 (MICHELIN)
Rear 4.00 – 18 (MICHELIN)
Tire pressure Front 39 – 44 kPa
Rear 29 – 34 kPa
BRAKES
Front: 185 × 3 mm hydraulic disc with 4-piston caliper and sintered metal pads
Rear: 150 × 3 mm hydraulic disc, twin-piston caliper and sintered metal pads
