This month we pointed the RFN Ares Endurance at some proper singletrack to see how it’d cope away from commuting duties. The answer is pretty well, although I did discover one downside to riding an electric bike in the bush and that is you can sneak up on people a little too easily.

I rounded a tight section of singletrack to find a walker coming the other way. There was plenty of room between us, I slowed to about 2km/h and rolled past without any drama. Well, I thought it was without any drama. Apparently not. He wanted me to stop so he could explain everything I’d supposedly done wrong.

First, he was convinced I was riding an unregistered, illegal bike. Once I explained that the RFN is road registered, that argument disappeared pretty quickly. Then he switched to telling me I wasn’t allowed to ride there. Considering it was crownland and I was on a registered motorcycle, that didn’t really stack up either. After he’d exhausted every point he could think of, he huffed, muttered something under his breath and walked off. Some people simply don’t want to be educated, even when they realise they’re wrong.

As for the riding itself, the RFN handled a casual trail ride better than I expected. It happily cruised along fire trails and easier singletrack. It’s just important to remember what this bike was designed for. The swingarm, hubs and wheels aren’t built for hammering through whoops or smashing into rocks at race pace like a proper enduro bike.

Where it really shines is exactly where RFN intended it to. Farms, checking fences, hunting, camping trips or quietly exploring state forests on gentle access roads are all right in its wheelhouse. It’s incredibly easy to ride and the electric motor has been completely faultless.

The battery continues to impress as well. I’m consistently getting around 70km from a charge, which is more than enough for the sort of riding this bike is designed to do. So far the motor has been bulletproof and, apart from that encounter with one particularly grumpy bushwalker, it’s been another enjoyable month aboard the Ares.

2026 RFN Ares Endurance

RRP
$6,990 + ORC

WARRANTY
1 year

DISTRIBUTOR
RFN Bike

INTERNET
rfnbike.com.au

SO FAR

TOTAL HOURS
42

MODS THIS MONTH
None

MODS NEXT MONTH
None