The little pink RFN SX-E500 just keeps delivering. Bonnie’s been riding it every week, and once again, there’s nothing to report on the breakdown front. Nothing snapped, nothing failed, nothing rattled loose. That’s saying something when your primary test pilot is three years old.

The only thing that’s even remotely failed has been the rear brake lever – and even then, it didn’t break. It just bent after a particularly spirited effort to turn into a garden rock. We haven’t bent it back for fear of it snapping but it’s still rideable. Apart from that, this thing’s bulletproof.

Battery swapping continues to be the MVP feature. Because the battery can be charged both in and out of the bike, we’ve been running a flawless swap system using the EcoFlow power station we’re also testing. While Bonnie is out riding one battery down, we’re charging the spare. By the time she’s ready for a breather, the other battery is nearly topped up.

The map modes continue to be a standout too. We switch between them based on terrain. If it’s bumpy or technical, we run the low-power mode to stop the throttle being too twitchy – Bonnie can’t always get her feet down in time to save it, so a jerky throttle off the line can catch her out. But when it’s flat and open, we throw it into Sport mode and let her fly. The range changes depending on mode, but she usually gets between 1–2 hours of riding before it’s time to swap.

If there’s one area we’d love to see some improvement, it’s in the suspension. We know it’s hard to engineer soft, long-travel suspension for a lightweight bike made for sub-30 kg riders. But even so, the current setup is a bit firm for lighter kids like Bonnie. We’d happily trade a bit of bottoming resistance for a more supple, confidence-inspiring feel.

I’ve tried to soften things by adjusting the shock collar, but I can’t get it to budge. If anyone out there has a trick to freeing up a tight shock collar on these little bikes, I’m all ears. I’m not expecting WP Cone Valve plushness, but a little more compliance would go a long way.

All up, the RFN SX-E500 continues to be a rock-solid platform for Bonnie’s weekly adventures. With a little more forgiveness in the suspension, it’d be near perfect. We’ll keep chasing the plush and keep logging hours.

Mitch Lees

 RFN SX-E500
RRP
$1899
WARRANTY
1 year
DISTRIBUTOR
RFN Bike
INTERNET
rfnbike.com.au

SO FAR
TOTAL HOURS
25

MODS THIS MONTH
Bent then straightened rear brake lever