This month’s long-termer isn’t about birthday carnage or park-party chaos like we reported on in issue #554 with the YCF W50, it’s about a forgotten patch of Sydney suburbia, a bulldozed RSL, and a bunch of local kids who decided that a vacant development site is the perfect place to build a moto track. And honestly? They weren’t wrong.

With the petrol YCF parked for now, we’ve switched back to the electric model purely because… well… we’re riding in the middle of a neighbourhood where the quietest lawnmower can start a Facebook war. The electric YCF lets Jax rip motos right under everyone’s noses without a single whinge. No noise, no complaints, and no one has the slightest clue that a mini-moto circuit now lives where the RSL carpet once did.

The place has been flattened and fenced, but like every good Aussie kid, someone saw a pile of dirt and turned it into a jump. Then another. Then a berm. Before long, the block had become a mini motocross playground complete with secret entrances through the fence. Technically, sure, the developers could boot us, or ask why a six-year-old is railing a berm where they plan to put townhouses. But it’s private land, it’s sitting empty, and so far no one gives a toss.

Jax has been taking full advantage. We’re there a few afternoons a week now, rolling down the footpath with the electric YCF humming quietly, and not one person has questioned it. Half the time people smile and wave. It’s only a few hundred metres from home, and because the bike is whisper-quiet, it feels like getting away with something you absolutely shouldn’t – which, for a kid, only makes it better.

The biggest leap this month has been Jax’s skill. The local kids built a jump big enough to keep him honest, and after a few cautious roll-ins he now hits it flat-out every lap. His corner speed is up, his confidence has gone through the roof, and the electric YCF has been the perfect tool. It’s light, predictable, and quiet.

It’s funny: we spend so much time chasing perfect tracks, epic trails and ideal riding conditions. Sometimes the best riding is the stuff that happens where you least expect it – a vacant lot, a pile of dirt, and a kid whose life is suddenly one giant secret moto mission.

The YCF electric has made all of this possible. No noise. No drama. No complaints.

Mitch Lees

<boxout> YCF W50
RRP
$1899
WARRANTY
6 months parts only
DISTRIBUTOR
Lowry Australia
INTERNET
www.ycf-riding.com.au

SO FAR
TOTAL HOURS
20

MODS THIS MONTH
None