I got to drive the vortex vlr today. Pretty interesting engine. Much better out of the lower speed corners than the x30. But it does top out much sooner so mebbe 60mph max?
The only place you miss the extra grunt is at the end of the straights, otherwise, it “feels” comparable to 125, possibly quicker in some areas. There were some turns where you get hooked up on exit and it feels like a turbo kicks in (as opposed to waiting for the drama). Some fiddling was required with jets to get it to rev out. I can totally see these new 100s catching on. 90% of what you get from 125 for 1000 less seems like a worthwhile compromise. Not sure about hrs between services but im guessing since it just makes noise around 14k that it goes longer than x30. Facility was great and Mike was really accommodating. Definitely worth a visit.
What was accidentally cool is that i happened to be at DKC when Jake French was working and he helped out with setup and line, which was awesome. Nice guy too. Nice technical back section and a ton more grip than e-town due to the sealant they had to use to make some repairs. For a green track, i was surprised. Definitely need my deepseat if I ever race there or ribs will break again.