Demo 8

[jmeers]

Has anyone ridden one of these bikes, if so what are they like

[demo man]

i've got a Demo 9 Pro.

Demo 9s and Demo 8s share the exact same frame (so i'm told), the difference is that 8s have a shorter stroke shock to save both weight and money. i'm not sure whether that makes much difference to the head angle.

anyway, i love my 9. it's the farkin bomb! some stuff that i used to flinch before, i look at now and just laugh as i fly over it. it inspires a lot of confidence, as long as you don't use specialized tyres.

if you are looking at the pro model, then i need say no more than one little quote "FOX 40"! i know a few people riding on them (on a demo 8) and shit man, those things are plush!!!!

as for the frame geometry, i cant find a fault. the chainstay is so incredibly short it's amzing. this means that the bike can just rip around cornes, and it also means it's easy to get your weight back on steep stuff.

then there's the relativly slack head angle. this helps out heaps on really fast stuff and will save your butt on those steep chutes.

so we have great cornering, and great decending. how can you go wrong?

the whole bike is just awsome, it will never fail you. the 9 weighs like 22kg, but i really don't notice it when riding, because of the SPV magic, and how active the suspension is. and of corse the way the bike loves to work with you, and never against you.

the 8 is lighter, and said to be the 'race' version of the 9. i race my 9, and i don't see any problems with it! the 8 will be more nimble than the 9, and i've got to say, that has got to be very bloody nimble!

i hope that helps a little.

[Hopper]

Are you sure that the Demo 8 and Demo 9 use the exact frame frame. I mean how much weight would be saved by using a shock with a shorter stroke length?

[Inoue]

No the frames are completely different! one has a 135mmX10mm axle (demo8) and the other has a 150mmX12mm axle (demo9)

also the demo 8 has a different welding around the shock! you can pick it by looking at the frames sets on the website.

another thing is they both have different purposes. The Demo9 is for Hucking and the Demo8 is for downhill

[demo man]

yeah, your right about them looking way different. i never said i was sure about it!

i wish i could remember who told me that! i just remeber that it was a reliable source, whoever/whatever it was i trust/ed it.

yeah the rear end is diff. and the linkage-plate-area-thing is different too - but not the welding. it's a lighter/thinner plate thing.
there are a lot of carry-overs though. the front triangle is the same, all the tubing is the same stuff, etc.

i'm pretty sure the angles are the same too.
the rear triangle (from hell) is pretty much the same just a little narower. and the linkage plates (where the shock connects to the frame) are just thinner, so a little weaker.

as for the 9 being 'hucker' and the 8 being 'dh', i can see the merit in that. althouh the similarities between them still enable me to campare it (9) to the 8 with ease. remember, the 8 is based on the 9, and realisticly the 8 is a slimed-down model, regardless of what the pupose of it is.

the 8 would handle better in tight stuff, and be not too far behind on open fast stuff. it would also be easier to throw around underneath you because of the weight.

the extra inch of travel on the 9 does make it better through fast and or rocky sections as well as big hits, plus it makes the bike more forgiving, but the weight tires you more i guess.

i'm surprised nobody has replied who owns a 8 yet. i know a guy here in canberra with one (and i think another guy has one but can't be sure), 1 guy in Vic, like 4 guys in sydney, and i couldn't know all of the 8 owners.

Cheers,
Sam

[jungle]

theres a review in the latest Dirt magazine on the demo 8
which just came out this week
if that helps any

[jmeers]

thanks for the info guys , got a SC 04 V10 with 04 dorados for sale due to injury, looking at getting demo 8 in about 4-8 months when i can start riding again

[demo man]

sounds like a good plan.

shame about the injury though.

how'd it happen? (and what did happen?)if you don't mind me asking

Sam

[jmeers]

came up short on a double , cracked my collar bone & seperated my arm from my shoulder so painfull thank god for morphine, should be out for 12-18 weeks

[demo man]

damn!

that sound pretty bloody bad.

last time i came short on a double i lost half my facial skin to the dirt and cracked my 661 helmet. i also lost all memory for 3-4 hours after the crash. i thought that was heaps bad, but i think you take the cake!

[Extreme Hucker]

Your 14 and youve got a demo 9 wtf?

[gasman]

Its definetely the bomb.
Got titanium rear spring and still mucking around with the fox 40's trying to get a good high/low speed comp setup. absolutely the best Dh rig ive ever ridden, changed tyres to minions st, changed bars to 50mm riser Holsfeller, thinking of changing stem to slightly lengthen the cockpit.

[Buttts]

You are a bloody lucky boy!!! Demo 9 when only 14???!!!
i wish..... :(

[ajay]

the demo 8 would be a great bike, bit lighter then the demo9 and shorther chain stays = a more nimble race bike.

I rode a demo9 for a season, and it was a great bike, so if the 8 follows the tradition in a lighter form, it will be an animal :cool:

Good luck and i wish you a speedy recovery!

[mattvincent]

yeah he is a lucky boy and so am i coz i get to ride it sum times but personally i prefer my craftworks S1 i thing is is da bomb ive only had it for 4 days now so im still getting over that it is MINE!!!! ive gota crack out da digital camera and get some photos of it in real

[HornyB*]

Sweet bikes, the demo 8 and 9 and craftworks S1 *sniff* my bike cost $150 :p ....no realy. Sure would like one of them :P

Sucks about you injury.... i scratched my arm today ;) hope u get beta man!!!

[downdog]

I have a demo 9 and have ridden the demo 8,and I must say it is a completely different bike to ride,even though they look very similar.The 9 is a hucking bike and the 8 is definitely a downhill race bike.After getting off the 9 onto the 8 it felt like I was riding a cross country bike in just the way the riding position is compared to the 9. It was way faster than the 9 when it came to powering out of corners,and it felt much better in the tight stuff. If you want to leap off tall buidings then the nine is the go,if you want to have a downhill race bike I would go for the 8. Hope this helps ya!!!

[Cave Dweller]

I had a quick 5 min pedal and it felt nice. The bike is very light to pick up, maybe around 41 pounds or so. The fox 40's didn't feel as plush as monster T's but i didn't really get a chance to play with them.

The one thing i did notice riding a medium demo 8 was how TINY it is
compared to my medium turner. The cockpit has to be at least 1 -1.5 inches shorter so be careful when you get one

[gasman]

its true it does feel small, specially the cockpit, suggest pushing seat way back on the rails and as i said possibly longer stem, not much though, i'm six foot and 95kg and dont have any dramas getiing way back over the rear and dont feel like i am gonna go over the front when i do get a bit too far forward downhill, must admit though the medium 9 with the slightly longer cockpit due to the integrated stem from the 888's fits well, almost as good as the cockpit of the GT dhi, if only they didnt break all the time. damn GT.
Fox 40's are slow to crack at 1st but once sag set right and got some kays on them they now feel smooth as and as stiff as !!!!!!!