I got to take a very-first ride on a brand new 2020 Ohvale 190, GP-2 with new tires that were only paddock-ridden. I rode the bike for 3 track sessions (30 minutes) on NJMP's liberator kart track. Anyone who is used to riding a GP-0 (10-inch wheeled) ohvale -- I'm quite certain -- will find this bike to be longer and taller. For anyone else, you'll just have to see for yourselves. Set the bikes (10" and 12") side-by-side to see the difference. Sit on each. The 2" difference is noticeable upon feel and, after closer examination, you can see where Ohvale lengthened the bike. The performance and handling of the 12" met all expectations. One difference in handling is that the 12" feels less twitchy and, thus, more stable. And because of that, it also feels a tad "slower" in responsiveness. That's a super-minor "nit" though because the 10" is sensitive to any movements and seems to almost respond as you "think" about giving input. I missed the quickness of the 10" though but that's an adjustment I can (and did) make easily. Body position affects the 10" more. So, the 12" just seemed more forgiving to being ridden hard in a lazy, more upright, body position. So, all you taller riders should be happy to hear that. But it'll reward you with better handling in the corners staying semi-tucked as well. The 10" kind of requires it. The clip-on bars have a limited adjustment range that preserve a wider bar 'stance'. There is no super-narrow bar position where they can adjust close to the frame. The adjustment is much easier to align, symmetry-wise, though. I wish the 10" had that same setup. Maybe the 2020s do have it. My feet had the habit of coming up short when lifting them on the pegs due to muscle memory on the 10". That kind of sucked for me when I tried a leg-dangle and fumbled getting a foot back on the peg. The 12"s pegs were near their lowest setting, though, whereas, on my 10", I have the rearsets at the highest/rearmost setting. The seat is longer and so is the tank. Which all means that you can scoot your butt back farther without being on the plastic cowling. The long reach for the bars will suit taller guys/those with long arms. I, personally, didn't like the longer reach but that, again, is a minor "nit". The one thing about the longer bike that I found easier was cornering. There's just more room to hang off and not feel like your arms/wrists are under your belly, so to speak. That said, I still love my 10" ohvale and maintaining a "screwdriver" wrist and lowered elbow are non-issues for me. Just easier on the 12" partly. But...not sure if that's a plus or a minus though. Tires are Pirelli Diablo scooters (or something close to that name) with noticeable sipes. Good tire warm-up sans tire warmers, and good grip. Did one easy, warm-up lap (58 degrees, ~10-12 knots wind and overcast). Per Brandon Cretu, the scooter tires still won't compare to the PMT slicks and I can agree with that. But the grip was there as was the confidence to wear them in nicely on the edges. Lifting a wheelie is much gentler on this longer bike also. It actually felt like the 12" had its pivot point slightly behind me, and was lifting me as the front came up whereas, on my 10", I feel like my body is ON the pivot point. Both wheelie just fine though. I got a little airborne consistently, going over the curbing at the last turn before the uphill chicane. At one point while I was scooting around the track on it, I wondered that if I break it, do I get to buy it? Notice I didn't say "have" to buy it. Anyone sitting on the fence for buying an ohvale - because size is an "issue" -- should get on their phone and order a 12".
I'm 5'7". There are taller guys on the GP-0 bikes. Hopefully, they're on here and will chime in. Reach out to http://www.risemoto.com/ --> @gpstar748 He rides one as well. He's definitely taller than me.
No, I don't think so at all. Attended a friend's 5yo son's birthday gathering. I was quite the big man on campus... Kidding aside, I do think that, if you've ridden the 10" and found it just a wee bit small, the 12" is something everyone should pull the trigger on.
I was there this past weekend. I'm not aware that the weekday schedule has returned (which I can't make anyway). Someone posted on facebook, the other day, about calling for the current week's schedule.
Would love to get some seat time on one of these at some point. Wonder if my hips could manage the ergonomics.
Looks like $6500, but that is before you add in the fully adjustable front suspension, Öhlins shock, slipper clutch, GP shift lever, etc. So you could get to that $8k or more pretty easily I would imagine.
From Cycle World "$6,499/$8,600 as tested" should have googled first. That's pretty steep. I would have to ride one first and probably would mean giving up a lot of track time on the big bike for a while.
I would bet there are Groms running around with more than that put into them. High end suspension, slipper clutches, adjustable pegs and clip-ons don't come free.
