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2018 KTM SX Lineup | FIRST LOOK

Press Release — Tue, 02 May 2017 20:11:31 +0000

2018 KTMs arriving in dealerships soon

KTM North America, Inc. released today a first-look at the model year 2018 lineup for its class-leading SX range, which includes a brand new KTM 85 SX machine for junior riders.

The 2018 SX range, including both 2-stroke and 4-stroke machines, features revised suspension settings in the WP AER 48 forks, along with a factory-looking orange frame and brand new graphics to finish the look.

Photo Courtesy KTM

With its 2-stroke and 4-stroke machines, from the KTM 50 SX to the KTM 450 SX-F ultimate powerhouse, KTM offers high quality serial equipment in all of its motocross range. As developed for its factory racing teams, which have won numerous races and championships, including back-to-back AMA 450 Supercross titles with Ryan Dungey, as well as the FIM MX2 World Championship with Jeffrey Herlings, these KTM serial machines are renowned for being READY TO RACE right out of the crate.

The KTM 85 SX has had a real overhaul with its new chassis, engine and suspension, which have been re-designed for improved rideability whatever the level of rider.

Photo Courtesy KTM

2018 KTM 85 SX HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW engine that is 0.69 kg lighter than the previous model. • Improved power and rideability throughout the complete RPM range. • Lighter chassis with a revised chro-moly steel frame as crafted by WP Performance Systems, as well as a lighter subframe. • WP AER 43 forks and a specifically-developed WP Xplor progressive damping system (PDS) shock absorber, which provides excellent sensitivity and outstanding bottoming resistance with full adjustability.

In the adult range, the KTM 125 SX and KTM 150 SX now feature new aluminum head stays, as well as a new CDI control unit for improved starting performance. As with all of KTM serial equipment, the 4-stroke range, including the KTM 250 SX-F, KTM 350 SX-F and KTM 450 SX-F, boasts high-quality, class-leading components from the all-important E-starter, to the WP suspension, traction control and map selection, and much more to compliment the super lightweight, yet powerful, championship-winning engines.

In addition, the complete model year 2018 SX range, including both 2-stroke and 4-stroke machines, features revised suspension settings in the WP AER 48 forks, along with a factory-looking orange frame and brand new graphics to finish the look.

The 2018 KTM SX models will be arriving in North American dealerships beginning in mid-June.

Photo Courtesy KTM

“Once again our engineers in the KTM R&D department in Mattighofen, Austria have refined the very successful SX range. The adult bikes showcase a sportier look just like the factory bikes with their orange frames, while we’ve also spent some time working on the Mini range for the developing juniors and stars of tomorrow. In particular the incredibly successful KTM 85 SX has had a real overhaul with its new chassis, engine and suspension, which have been re-designed for improved rideability whatever the level of rider. As always these bikes are READY TO RACE right out of the crate and we look forward to releasing the SX model year 2018 range,” said Joachim Sauer, Product Marketing Off-road.

Model year 2018 KTM SX models will be arriving in North American dealerships beginning in mid-June. More information on the 2018 SX lineup will be released in the coming weeks.

Ryan Dungey Injured

Press Release — Wed, 08 Jun 2016 02:50:01 +0000

KTM announces crash at Thunder Valley was more serious than thought

Ryan Dungey At Glen Helen

Courtesy of KTM

MURRIETA, Calif. – Red Bull KTM regrets to report that reigning motocross champion Ryan Dungey has sustained a cracked vertebrae and will miss High Point and several upcoming rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.

The injury happened when he crashed while battling for the lead on the opening lap of Moto 2 at Thunder Valley MX last weekend. Showing immense heart, Dungey bounced back from the crash and rode a remarkable come-from-behind race coming from 19th place back to 4th spot by the races end to finish 2nd overall for the round. After evaluation by several doctors this week, the doctors have confirmed that Dungey cracked his C6 Vertebrae in the fall and requires a minimum of 6-8 weeks healing time.

“It's very difficult to share such disappointing news,” said Ryan Dungey. “It’s heart breaking mainly because of all the hard work the team and I have put in preparing to defend the motocross title this year. But I'm very thankful that the injury wasn't worse. I will use this time away from racing to recover fully, knowing this will only make me stronger and more motivated. Thank you everyone for your support and understanding.”

“Obviously Ryan being injured is tough on the team,” said Red Bull KTM Team Manager Roger DeCoster. “At the time we didn’t know about his injury and we were so proud of the way he raced that second moto in Colorado coming from 19th place all the way to almost finish on the podium. But to now know that he accomplished that battling through the pain of a cracked vertebrae shows what an unbelievably tough champion rider he really is. The plan right now is to reassess his return to racing in 6 weeks’ time once he is reevaluated by his doctor.”

The entire Red Bull KTM Factory Team wishes him a speedy recovery.

Fredettes Finish The Great Race, SRT Holds Intrasquad Games

Mark Kariya — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 00:56:58 +0000

Six Days legend Jeff Fredette enjoys vintage vehicles and, of course, races them. He continued his family tradition of participating in the Hemmings Motor News Great Race in his 1933 Ford truck with son Eric in charge of navigating, which this year took them from Kirkwood, Missouri to Santa Monica, California.

Team Fredette earned $2000 for finishing eighth overall and fifth in the Expert Division after blazing more than 2000 miles through six states in nine days.

Almost immediately after that, Jeff attended AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days and rode his 1974 KX250 to first in class and second overall in the vintage hare scrambles.

The SRT off-road racing boasts a huge roster of riders from across the country and team owner Craig Thompson brought them all to the Salinas Ramblers Motorcycle Club’s private riding area near Coalinga, California, for a team photo shoot and friendly day of competition last week.

For the second annual outing, 22 of SRT’s 24 riders managed to get away—no small feat of coordination—for two days of work and then the real fun. Thompson calls it the SRT Competition Day, and it’s a day full of "special tests," eight in all, with scoring and monetary rewards at the end.

Now, not all of SRT’s riders are nationally ranked Pros and the event doesn’t differentiate between the disparate skill levels or ages of contestants; it’s every man for himself. But perhaps more important is that it’s a great team-building exercise.

To no one’s surprise, first-year SRT rider Cory Graffunder came out on top after winning the hill climb, EnduroCross, hare scrambles and TT tests for a total of 16 points. His worst finish was fifth in five laps around the circle rut.

Last year’s champ, Mark Heresco, didn’t win any tests but was runner-up in the TT for 26 points. That, however, was only good for a tie for second with fellow Pennsylvanian Mike McGinnis who tied with Graffunder for the hill climb victory and was second in three other tests. Since they tied, Thompson split prize money equally with McGinnis and Heresco taking home $300 each, Graffunder earning $600.

Jordan Brandt, who laid out the tests, and Austin Wells rounded out the top five, but all went home with smiles.

Hot on the heels of last week’s announcement that Marc Coma retired from racing, KTM issued a press release concerning the new makeup of its Red Bull KTM Factory Rally Team. Joining Sam Sunderland, Jordi Viladoms and Matthias Walkner will be Australian Toby Price.

KTM will also run a sort of B team called the KTM Rally Factory Team with Antoine Meo, Pablo Quintanilla and Laia Sanz.

In addition, Husqvarna announced that it will field an official factory rally team comprised of rally veteran Ruben Faria and enduro star Pierre-Alexandre “Pela” Renet. They’ll ride a works FR 450 Rally bike.

In addition, Husqvarna will support a satellite team, the HT Husqvarna Rally Team. Riders for that team haven’t been officially announced.

It won’t be Husqvarna’s first run at rally raid, having provided bikes and support for the Speedbrain team a few years ago when the machines were still being produced in Italy.

Marc Coma Retires And Ricky Brabec Injury Update

Mark Kariya — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 00:26:54 +0000

Photo Courtesy of Red Bull Photo Files

Red Bull KTM Factory Rally Team’s Marc Coma stunned the rally world late last week when he announced his retirement from racing. He currently leads the FIM Cross-country Rallies World Championship after four of the six rounds by a massive amount—70 points to current second-place Jakub Piatek’s 46—while chasing a seventh world championship and was expected to be the favorite for a sixth Dakar championship (which is not part of the FIM series), which he’s ridden 12 times.

Instead, the all-conquering Spaniard goes out on top, though he’ll remain an integral part of the sport after accepting the position of Sporting Director for ASO, Dakar’s organizing body.

Coma admitted ASO’s proposal came as a surprise even to him: "My first reaction was 'Wow!' I was in shock!"

“Winning the Dakar five times was already a dream [come true] for me, but now I realize just how lucky I am. Being part of the organizing team with this level of responsibility is an opportunity for me to put back into the rally everything that the Dakar has given me.”

He added, “I know that it’s the right time for me. My goal is to put all my energy into ensuring that the Dakar remains the greatest rally in the world and my philosophy is to give priority to a sense of adventure.”

Coma’s retirement still leaves a Red Bull KTM with a strong lineup—Ruben Faria, Sam Sunderland, Jordi Viladoms and Matthias Walkner—as well as a number of other robust satellite teams. Still, Team HRC and Yamaha as well as other, smaller teams can only see this as improving their odds so the remaining races this year will be even more interesting to watch in the lead-up to Dakar 2016.

One of those with a stake in things is Ricky Brabec. The reigning champ in the Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series is, of course, spending the summer on the mend after his injury at round six last month. He had three surgeries (fusing his neck and plating his collarbone and clutch hand), but he no longer has to wear his neck brace and is fairly ambulatory, though he’s not back on the bike yet.

Asked how he was doing, he replied, “I feel good as new!” Brabec has three doctor appointments in the next two weeks, and he’ll learn then when he can start riding again. In his mind, he believes it will be before round seven in Panaca, Nevada, on August 22, giving him a chance to overcome the 13-point deficit between him and points leader Ivan Ramirez, though he’ll have only two rounds to accomplish that.

Team USA ISDE 2015 Training Camp

llovell — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 17:44:15 +0000

US ISDE Team manager Antti Kallonen is confident that Team USA has the talent to bring home the gold at this year’s ISDE in Kosice, Slovakia on September 7-12. But to make sure his rider are thoroughly prepared, he held a three-day ISDE training camp for US World Trophy, Junior Trophy and Women’s teams at Spring Creek Raceway in Millfield, Ohio, this past June. The idea was to familiarize the new riders with the Six Days format and to eliminate past mistakes among the veteran riders.

“Every year we’ve had a couple mistakes that have held us back,” says Kallonen. “I really want to eliminate those. I feel like we have a fast group of riders that no doubt can battle for the win, it’s just that our inexperience always cost us a little bit. If it’s bike maintenance or not knowing the rules, or accidentally going backwards on the course, we want to eliminate those mistakes.”

On June 22, 23, 24, World Trophy Team members Mike Brown, Thad Duvall, Taylor Robert, Kailub Russell, Ryan Sipes and Gary Sutherlin; as well as U.S. Junior Trophy Team members Grant Baylor, Steward Baylor, and Layne Michael; plus Women’s Team member Rachel Gutish, all took part in Kallonen’s three-day camp hosted by KTM. The teams will be gunning for the gold come September 7th.

ISDE fans can support the 2015 U.S. effort by purchasing a T-shirt from the AMA website at www.americanmotorcyclist.com > Racing > ISDE > Buy An Official ISDE T-Shirt.

Budds Creek Motocross Race Results 2015

DR Staff — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 16:44:22 +0000

Justin Barcia Breaks Through for First Career Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Victory on Rainy Day at Budds Creek

—PRESS RELEASE—

250 Class Leader Marvin Musquin Survives to Claim Third Overall Win of Season

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (June 27, 2015) - The 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship reached its halfway point on Saturday with the GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National, Round 6, in the shadow of the nation's capital of Washington D.C. Mother Nature proved to be the biggest obstacle throughout the afternoon as rain resulted in the most challenging conditions of the season and impacted the final results. In the 450 Class, Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha's Justin Barcia emerged from a dramatic day of competition with his inaugural win in the premier class as championship leader Ryan Dungey experienced misfortune aboard his Red Bull KTM. In the 250 Class, points leader Marvin Musquin survived an adversity filled afternoon to claim his third victory of the season.

For the second consecutive race, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Christophe Pourcel posted the quickest lap of the day's lone timed practice session to earn back-to-back Bud Light Fastest Qualifiers. When the opening moto got underway, Dungey surged to the front heading into the first turn and easily secured his third Motosport.com Holeshot Award with Pourcel in second and RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing's Ken Roczen in third.

Photo by Rob Koy

The championship leader wasted little time in opening a gap and sprinted early to establish a comfortable lead that he would ultimately never give up. Behind him, Roczen was aggressive in the early stages of the moto in hopes of keeping pace with his rival and made a pass on Pourcel to move into second on the opening lap as he pursued back-to-back overall wins. The fight for third became a three-rider battle between Pourcel, Barcia and Team Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Baggett.

As Dungey opened a lead of over 20 seconds, Roczen started to lose his earlier pace and fell back into the clutches on Pourcel, Barcia and Baggett. Pourcel re-passed Roczen for second on Lap 12, igniting a snowball effect for Roczen as he soon lost a podium finish to Barcia and fourth place to Baggett in the span of about one lap. Dungey went on to the moto win by 10.240 with a wire-to-wire effort over Pourcel, while Barcia followed in third. Roczen finished fifth.

A strong storm cell hit the track and surrounding area prior to the start of Moto 2 with lighting halting the start of the final race of the afternoon. Two hours after the scheduled start of the second moto the field roared out of the gate in the most challenging conditions of the day, with Barcia taking his series leading fourth Motosport.com Holeshot Award just ahead of Dungey. However, the battle for victory was altered when the front end of Dungey's KTM dipped off the track's first jump, forcing the points leader to jump off and crash into the ground. He got up, appearing unscathed, but had to wait for the entire field to pass before getting back on the bike.

Dungey's misfortune ended up working into Barcia's favor as the Yamaha rider pulled away in the treacherous, muddy conditions and never looked back. Pourcel slotted into second after Dungey's crash, with Baggett moving into third ahead of Roczen. Dungey reentered the race at the back of the field, but fought his way into 21st by the end of the opening lap. He continued to work forward from there.

Barcia was never challenged out front and was one of the few riders on the track to not face any adversity in the moto. He went wire-to-wire en route to the checkered flag by a margin of 17.941. The battle for second was a race-long fight between Pourcel and Baggett. The two traded the position after each found himself on the ground at some point in the moto, but in the end Baggett's late charge to take over the spot with two laps remaining was enough to land him a career-best second, with Pourcel third. Roczen steadily finished fourth while Dungey had to overcome another small crash late in the moto to secure a hard-fought, point-salvaging 12th-place result.

Barcia's 3-1 finishes put him on top of the 450 Class podium for the first time in his 24th career start, becoming the 64th different premier class winner in history. It was also just the second Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship victory for the Joe Gibbs Racing Motocross effort, with the team's first coming at Michigan's RedBud during the 2009 season.

"I had so much fun out there. I kept it positive all day. We went through three engines today and I'm so proud of how hard the entire teamed worked to make this happen," said Barcia. "I got the start I needed and I just rode the best I could without making any major mistakes. This has been a long time coming and I'm just so happy to get my first win and put this JGR team on top of the box."

Pourcel earned a career-best finish in second (2-3), while Baggett equaled his career-best result in third (4-2). Roczen (5-4) and Dungey (1-12) finished in a tie for fourth, with Roczen earning the position by virtue of his better second moto finish.

"I'm glad I'm ok [after the crash on the first lap]. I just hit a soft spot and it ejected me when I landed. I'm ok and that's the main thing, to be safe and healthy," said Dungey, who finished outside the top 10 and off the overall podium for the first time this season. "I tried to regroup and come back, and do the best I could, but I tucked the front end right before the end and it cost me another spot. But we'll come back stronger next weekend."

Despite the adversity, Dungey's recovery in the second moto meant he didn't lose a single point to Roczen in the battle for the championship. The two riders remain separated by 37 points in the 450 Class standings. Barcia's triumphant effort moved him to third in points, 63 markers out of the lead.

The rainy conditions presented an added challenge for the 250 Class, who took to the track first, and at the end of the only timed qualifying session in the morning it was Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo who earned his second Bud Light Fastest Qualifier of the season. Conditions improved heading into Moto 1 and when the gate dropped, Traders Racing Kawasaki's Justin Starling emerged from the fray with his first ever Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of GEICO Honda's RJ Hampshire and CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha's Alex Martin. Musquin avoided multiple crashes off the start to slot into eighth, but needed to make some moves in order to catch up to his main title contender Jeremy Martin as the Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha rider started fifth.

Hampshire seized the opportunity to make a pass on Starling and moved into the lead on the opening lap. Not long after, Alex Martin followed into second and was able to take advantage of a big mistake from Hampshire on Lap 1 when the rookie crashed out of the lead and lost several spots as he attempted to restart his Honda. Martin proceeded to open a multiple second lead from there, while Starling and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Zach Osborne moved into second and third.

With his brother out front, Jeremy Martin started his march toward the podium. As he was doing so, Musquin and Cianciarulo came together during a battle to break into the top five, sending both riders down into the mud. The pair returned to action simultaneously, but dropped just outside the top 10. With his championship rival facing adversity, Martin capitalized on the opportunity and broke into the top three on Lap 5. As time wound down in the moto, he made another pass on Osborne for second and set his sights on the lead.

Jeremy methodically erased his deficit to Alex and the brothers engaged in battle for the win for the first time ever, with Jeremy getting the upper hand with two laps remaining after Alex was forced to remove his goggles in the wet conditions. However, the drama continued on the final lap when Jeremy briefly stalled entering a corner, allowing Alex to reclaim the lead and take the first moto win of his career by 2.751 after leading 13 of the 16 laps in the moto. Jeremy recovered to finish second, with Osborne third.

The rain returned for the final moto and as the field converged into the first corner it was Cianciarulo who came out with the advantage and his first Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of Musquin. With a clear track ahead of him, Cianciarulo was able to stabilize a multiple second lead over Musquin as the lead duo slowly pulled away from the field. Jeremy Martin got a solid start in fourth, while Alex Martin had his work cut out for him in order to capture his first career overall after starting 10th.

Musquin's quicker lap times allowed him to apply pressure on Cianciarulo for the lead, resulting a small tip over from the Kawasaki rider on Lap 4 that allowed to Frenchman to take control of the moto. Cianciarulo recovered quickly, but lost valuable ground and was soon challenged by Martin for the position. However, the early leader regained some consistency and was able to assert himself into the runner-up spot.

Misfortune struck Jeremy on Lap 11 when he crashed out of third and dropped to sixth, just ahead of his brother in seventh. Jeremy was able to fend off the late pressure from Alex, which ultimately proved to be the deciding factor in the overall classification. Musquin took the win by 11.135 over Cianciarulo, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Joey Savatgy landed on the podium in third.

When the overall results were tallied, both Musquin (7-1) and Alex Martin (1-7) sat tied atop the standings with identical moto scores. However, by virtue of his second moto win Musquin earned the overall, preventing Martin from capturing the first triumph of his career.

"I didn't get a good start in the first moto, but I tried to be patient and follow the guys ahead of me. Then I got together with Adam [Cianciarulo] and ended up seventh, so I was not happy," said Musquin. "I got a better start in Moto 2 behind Adam. He crashed again and I got the lead. From there I wanted to make sure I just focused on my lines and stayed out of trouble. It's not the way I want to win an overall, but I'll take it."

Even though he missed out the win, Martin still enjoyed the best finish of his career with his first ever overall podium result. Savatgy ended up with his first overall podium finish of the season in third (4-3).

"Two big milestones in one day for me. I'm ecstatic," said Martin. "Today was tough. It was one of those races that could probably decide the championship [because of the conditions]. I'm just stoked to get the first moto win and first overall podium of my career."

Musquin maintained control of the championship lead and now holds a 10-point advantage over Jeremy Martin, who finished fourth overall (2-6). Cianciarulo, who finished sixth overall (8-2), now sits third, 80 points out of the lead.

The 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship kicks off the second half of the 2015 season next Saturday, July 4, with the Red Bull RedBud National from RedBud MX in Buchanan, Michigan.

Results

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National

Budds Creek MX Park - Mechanicsville, Maryland

June 27, 2015

Round 6 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)

Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (3-1)
Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna (2-3)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki (4-2)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (5-4)
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-12)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (7-7)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (6-9)
Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (11-5)
Tommy Hahn, Great Bend, Kan., Honda (12-6)
Wil Hahn, Great Bend, Kan., Kawasaki (8-14)

450 Class Championship Standings

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 256
Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 219
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha, 193
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 185
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 178
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 158
Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna, 157
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha, 140
Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha, 132
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 125

250 Class (Moto Finish)

Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (7-1)
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (1-7)
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (4-3)
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (2-6)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (3-5)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (8-2)
Christian Craig, Plymouth, Minn., Honda (5-10)
Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (6-14)
Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda (21-4)
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM (12-12)

250 Class Championship Standings

Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 258
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 248
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 178
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki, 173
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna, 165
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM, 164
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 154
Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda, 124
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM, 121
Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha, 118

What Really Happened: High Point Motocross 2015

Shan Moore — Mon, 15 Jun 2015 18:34:36 +0000

Ken Roczen grabbed his first overall victory of the season this weekend at High Point Raceway, the defending 450 Class champion going 2-1 to edge out current series points leader Ryan Dungey for the win. In the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin dominated the event, leading every lap but one to post an impressive 1-1 moto sweep. This year’s track featured a new layout, which added some intrigue to the event, as the course looked radically different from years past.

Ken Roczen claimed his first overall win of the season at High Point Raceway. Photo By Rodney Webb

Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha's Justin Barcia and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Christophe Pourcel led early on in moto one before current points leader Ryan Dungey and RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing's Ken Roczen took control of the top two positions at mid-race. Dungey went on to post a four-second win over Roczen at the end of the opening moto, with Pourcel in third and teammate Jason Anderson in fourth.

In moto two, Roczen took the lead with a pass on Pourcel on the second lap of the race and then held off a race long challenge from Dungey to claim the moto win over the Red Bull KTM rider.

In the end, Roczen took the overall victory with a 2-1 finish, beating out Dungey’s 1-2. Despite the win, Roczen wasn’t able to close the points gap on Dungey after earning the same 47 points as Roczen.

With seven races remaining on the 2015 schedule, Roczen trails Dungey by 37 points.

“It was awesome,” said Roczen. “The first moto, I kind of seemed to struggle again. I don’t know what it is with the first one. I didn’t get that great of a start in either moto. I got a little bit lucky in the second one. As soon as I was leading, I just put my head down and charged all the way. This was one of the hottest races we’ve had so far this year, so it felt great. It was good to make a difference and get that moto win and finally an overall win, too. Ryan Dungey was right behind me the whole time during the second moto so I had to work hard. This just shows that quality hard work pays off. We’re going to keep working and working so hopefully, instead of staying even in points, we can make the gap a little smaller.”

Ryan Dungey was second overall after going 1-2. Photo By Rodney Webb

With Roczen and Dungey splitting the motos at High Point, Dungey maintained his 37-point lead in the series standings heading into the first break of the season, however, Dungey rode like he was trailing in points all weekend, taking an impressive win in moto one and then pushing Roczen to the limit in moto two, until a lapper got in his way late in the race and caused him to lose touch with the Suzuki rider.

Dungey now seems to have his new bike fully dialed in and is riding with confidence, which can’t be a good sign for the competition. Another thing that is impressive is that he’s going out each weekend and racing for the win instead of just trying to protect his points lead. You have to give it up for someone who is always going for it and looking to improve, and that’s what Dungey is doing right now.

Jason Anderson grabbed his second podium of the year at High Point. Photo By Rodney Webb

Christophe Pourcel turned in his best performance of the season with a fourth overall. Photo By Rodney Webb

The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing crew had a good day in the 450 class, with Jason Anderson earning his second-straight podium with a third overall and Christophe Pourcel finishing fourth. Anderson’s 4-3 moto finish moved him up to third overall in the series point standings. Meanwhile, Pourcel posted his best finish of the season thanks to a 3-5 performance.

“I’m hoping to keep the podiums coming,” said Anderson. “I qualified in practice pretty good. My starts weren’t great but I came through the pack. I think I’ve found a new level that I seem to be comfortable with and hopefully stay there all year. I feel like I need to maybe up my level on starts to get with the guys in the front right away so I can kind of put a tow rope on them and riding the pace. I ride with them during the week but it’s different during the race. When you’re riding by yourself you feel like you’re going fast, but if you see someone doing something different in front of you, you definitely learn from them. The first moto, when I was behind Christophe, I learned a couple lines that definitely helped me.”

Pourcel’s finish marked his second top-five finish of the year.

“Today was a pretty good day,” said Pourcel. “The top-five in this class is stacked; there are so many good guys. I was right there the first moto—a little farther back the second moto—but it’s good to get the rhythm. I’m happy with the bike and the team. I feel pretty good and I’m happy with everything. I think getting a good start was the most important thing to do today, but I think it’s pretty amazing that we were able to get the fastest lap time during qualifying. We’ve worked so hard on the bike and my speed, and I feel like I can get a podium soon.”

Marvin Musquin was nearly perfect at High Point, going 1-1 to win the 250 class. Photo By Rodney Webb

Except for one lap, Marvin Musquin led every lap of the 250 class at High Point, going 1-1 for the 250 class overall win. The Red Bull KTM rider now holds an eight-point lead in the standings heading into the off weekend. Musquin was a big fan of the new High Point layout and says he is looking forward to the remainder of the season.

Zach Osborne had a great weekend, going 5-2 for second overall in the 250 class. Photo By Rodney Webb

Zach Osborne had his best weekend of the series at High Point. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider started in the top-10 in the first moto, but quickly moved into the fifth-place position where he finished the moto.

Osborne grabbed the holeshot to start moto two and settled in behind Musquin for the remainder of the race. The 5-2 finish gave him second overall and maintained his position at sixth overall in 250 rider point standings.

“Today was good,” said Osborne. “I had ok speed in practice, but I just felt really good on the bike and I enjoyed the track a lot. I just put my head down in the first moto. I feel like I should have finished third in that moto but I lost it in the last few laps. I pulled the holeshot in the second moto and got right in there. I got stuck in with Marvin and just tried to put down good laps and stay as close to him as I could. He stayed in my sights the whole time. It worked out for me. 5-2 for second overall is good. I feel like I can win one.”

Jeremy Martin suffered from bad starts, but still managed to finish third. Photo By Rodney Webb

Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha's Jeremy Martin suffered from bad starts, but still recovered to finish third overall, although the finish marked a 14-point swing in Musquin's favor in the series standings.

Martin spent a lot of the weekend battling with his brother Alex, as Jeremy went 4-4 for third and Alex went 4-4 for fourth.

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

UPMC Sports Medicine High Point National

High Point Raceway - Mt. Morris, Pa.

June 13, 2015

Round 5 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)

1. Ken Roczen (Suz) 2-1

2. Ryan Dungey (KTM) 1-2

3. Jason Anderson (Hus) 4-3

4. Christophe Pourcel (Hus) 3-5

5. Justin Barcia (Yam) 5-4

6. Broc Tickle (Suz) 6-8

7. Weston Peick (Yam)11-6

8. Cole Seely (Hon) 7-10

9. Wil Hahn (Kaw) 10-9

10. Fredrick Noren (Hon) 8-12

250 Class

1. Marvin Musquin (KTM) 1-1

2. Zach Osborne (Hus) 5-2

3. Jeremy Martin (Yam) 4-4

4. Alex Martin (Yam) 3-5

5. Joey Savatgy (Kaw) 6-3

6. Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw) 2-12

7. Christian Craig (Hon) 8-7

8. Jessy Nelson (KTM) 10-8

9. Aaron Plessinger (Yam) 9-10

10. Shane McElrath (KTM) 11-9

High Point MX Race Results 2015

DR Staff — Sun, 14 Jun 2015 01:01:03 +0000

Ken Roczen Claims First Overall Win of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Season at High Point Raceway

—PRESS RELEASE—

250 Class Shake Up Sees Marvin Musquin Retake Points Lead with Victory

MT. MORRIS, Pa. (June 13, 2015) - The 39th running of the UPMC Sports Medicine High Point National showcased some of the best racing of the season during the fifth round of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, thanks to a recently changed track layout. The changes seemed to fit RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing's Ken Roczen, who earned his first overall victory of the season and his first as the defending 450 Class series champion. In the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin led all but one lap of the day to secure his second overall win of the season with a 1-1 moto sweep. Bad starts plagued entering point's leader, Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha's Jeremy Martin, allowing a 14-point swing in Musquin's favor to mark the third time this season that the points lead has changed hands.

The 450 Class opening moto started with Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha's Justin Barcia taking his third Motosport.com Holeshot Award of the season. He had quick company in Bud Light Fastest Qualifier Christophe Pourcel, who traded spots with Barcia several times on the opening lap aboard his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing machine. After the field came around for Lap 1, the top six riders were within three seconds of each other with Weston Peick, Broc Tickle, Roczen and points leader Ryan Dungey all staying close to the front two riders.

Despite his sixth-place start, Dungey was able to get by three riders on the next lap and quickly put his Red Bull KTM into a podium spot. He wouldn't stop there as he stalked and eventually overtook both Pourcel and Barcia by the fourth lap. Roczen followed suit and made his move into the runner-up position just before the halfway mark.

Roczen kept Dungey honest all moto, only finishing four seconds behind the current points leader. Dungey claimed his third moto win of the season. Roczen was second, and Pourcel held onto third, his first podium finish of the year.

Photo: Rodney Webb

Familiar riders led the pack around the first turn in Moto 2 with Pourcel earning the Motosport.com Holeshot Award and Barcia in tow. Roczen and Dungey also grabbed good starts and by the second lap, Roczen did exactly what he needed to do and made his way to the lead. Dungey hunted down his closest championship contender and made his way into the runner-up spot by the end of Lap 2.

The duo played cat and mouse for the entire moto, with Dungey having his best opportunity to try for the lead with less than five minutes remaining. He closed the gap to less than a second, but Roczen answered the call and quickly widened the gap to three seconds.

Behind the championship contenders, Pourcel, Barcia and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Jason Anderson battled for the final podium position. After Pourcel had a small bobble, Anderson got by the Frenchman and then quickly pursued Barcia, moving into third in the first half of the race and maintaining a comfortable distance in front of Barcia.

By the end of the moto Roczen stretched the gap to 10-plus seconds, giving the German titleholder his first overall win of the season with a 2-1 finish. It also signified the first Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship victory for RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing.

"I am so stoked to finally get an overall," said Roczen. "The fans were incredible. The track was a little tricky so you had to stay on it. I love racing and it's good to go into an off weekend with a win and have the motivation to get even stronger. It's a bummer we didn't gain any points, but we're taking it step by step right now. It's a good step in the right direction."

Dungey (1-2) finished second overall after the tiebreaker while rookie Anderson scored his third overall podium finish of the season with a 4-3.

With Roczen and Dungey splitting the motos at High Point, Dungey maintained his 37-point lead heading into the first break of the season. Anderson made a big jump from sixth to third in the point's standings.

250 Class championship contender Musquin established himself early at High Point Raceway when he earned his first Bud Light Fastest Qualifier of the season. He didn't miss a beat once the gate dropped on the first moto, grabbing the Motosport.com Holeshot Award over GEICO Honda's RJ Hampshire and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo. GEICO Honda's Christian Craig followed close in fourth.

Musquin utilized a clear track in front of him to quickly pull a gap over the rest of the field, while entering point's leader Martin was caught mid-pack and came through the first lap in 10th. As Musquin extended his lead, behind him Hampshire tried his best to hold off pursuit from Cianciarulo, with the Kawasaki rider eventually taking over the runner-up spot on Lap 5.

Hampshire held onto the podium position for half the race until a mistake allowed both CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha's Alex Martin and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Zach Osborne to get by. Jeremy Martin took most of the moto to make it into the top five, pulling in behind his brother Alex with the white flag waving, but was ultimately unable to get by and settled for fourth. Cianciarulo held onto second, while Alex Martin finished third.

For the second time this season, Musquin led from start to finish and claimed his fifth moto victory in Moto 1.

Threatening skies stayed at bay as the second 250 Class moto gate dropped, with Osborne claiming the Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of Musquin and GEICO Honda's Matt Bisceglia. Craig and Alex Martin rounded out the top five on the opening lap.

Again, Jeremy Martin got a bad start coming around the first lap in 19th, while up front Musquin took advantage of a small mistake by Osborne on the opening of Lap 2 to take the lead. Osborne didn't let Musquin pull away and kept the Frenchman close throughout most of the moto. Joey Savatgy, who came from sixth on the opening lap, managed to work his way into third early on and pull a sizeable gap on the rest of the field aboard his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki.

Jeremy Martin made his way to the front much quicker this time around, and unlike the first moto was able to pass brother Alex after halfway as he continued to minimize the damage of a bad start. Once into fourth, he had more than a 10-second gap to third and nearly claimed the position. He finished just 1.6 seconds back from Savatgy in fourth.

Musquin claimed his second 1-1 sweep of the season on his way to overall victory number two. Osborne finished just 6.6 seconds back of Musquin in second, which was good enough for second overall (5-2). Third overall went to the resilient Jeremy Martin with a 4-4 moto score.

"I have to win races and have great starts to try and win this championship," said Musquin. "I had to pass really quick in that second moto because the track was a little rougher that Moto 1. The first moto I was able to get out front right away and have a clear and smooth track. It did get hot in that second moto and I tried to be smooth. As soon as I got a gap, I just tried to maintain it. It was a perfect day."

Musquin's second sweep of the season, along with Jeremy Martin's two fourth-place finishes, propelled the Frenchman to the top of the 250 Class points standings. He will take an eight-point lead into Round 6 in two weeks. Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM's Jessy Nelson (10-8) held onto third in the standings, while Cianciarulo (2-12), who had a rough second moto, managed to close the gap on Nelson in fourth.

The 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship will enjoy a one-weekend break and will returnSaturday, June 27, with the GEICO Budds Creek National from Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland.

Results

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

UPMC Sports Medicine High Point National

High Point Raceway - Mt. Morris, Pa.

June 13, 2015

Round 5 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)

Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (2-1)
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-2)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (4-3)
Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna (3-5)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (5-4)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (6-8)
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha (11-6)
Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda (7-10)
Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Kawasaki (10-9)
Fredrick Noren, Sweden, Honda (8-12)

450 Class Championship Standings

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 222
Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 185
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 150
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha, 148
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 145
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 131
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha, 129
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 125
Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna, 115
Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha, 106

250 Class (Moto Finish)

Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (1-1)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (5-2)
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (4-4)
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (3-5)
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (6-3)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (2-12)
Christian Craig, Plymouth, Minn., Honda (8-7)
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM (10-8)
Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (9-10)
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (11-9)

250 Class Championship Standings

Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 219
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 211
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM, 146
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 143
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki, 135
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna, 129
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 115
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM, 109
Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha, 108
Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda, 106

For tickets and additional information, please visit AlliSports.com/motocross and LIKE the Pro Motocross Facebook page and follow @ProMotocross on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content and additional information on the latest Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship news.

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, features the world's fastest outdoor motocross racers, racing aboard the best bikes each factory offers, on the roughest, toughest tracks in the world. The 12-rounds series begins at Hangtown in May and ends at Indiana's Ironman Raceway in August. It includes stops at the premier motocross racing facilities in America, with events in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington, New York, Indiana and Utah. The pro riders race on Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. The Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship is managed by MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road power sports event production. The series is televised on NBC, NBCSN and MAVTV and streamed live on NBC Sports Live Extra. Series partners include Lucas Oil (series title sponsor), Red Bull, GoPro, Bud Light, WPS, Fly Racing, GEICO Motorcycle, Kawasaki, MotoSport, Utah Sports Commission, FRAM, KTM, Oakley, FMF, Deltran Battery Tender, Dunlop, Suzuki, Husqvarna, Pivot Works, Vertex and MotionPro. More information can be found at www.ProMotocross.com.

Factory Bike Friday: Chris Bach's JCR Honda CRF450R

Shan Moore — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 16:31:15 +0000

Story And Photos By Shan Moore

Mechanic: Dale “Cookie” Cook

Chris Bach has been a player in the Grand National Cross Country series now for several years, however, the JCR Honda rider reached a milestone a few weeks ago when he claimed his first XC1 overall win at the Tomahawk 100 in New York, beating defending champ Kailub Russell in the process.

Dirt Rider got an opportunity to check out Chris’ ride at this weekend’s John Penton GNCC thanks to his mechanic Dale “Cookie” Cook.

If you know Chris, then you know he’s an easygoing guy, and according to Cookie, he’s super easy to work with, which is not surprising.

When it comes to his suspension, which is done by Bones at Pro Circuit, Chris runs a relatively stiff setup everywhere. “It’s not a full-on moto setup but it’s stiff for the speeds these guys are going these days,” says Cookie. “That’s what he needs.”

Chris is running the Showa spring fork up front with a Showa shock at the rear. Meanwhile, BRP triple clamps with stock offset hold the forks in place.

The main thing that Chris is picky about is his power delivery, and he goes for smoothness of power delivery and a strong low to mid pull.

“Eric Siraton, JCR’s CRF guru, is a master bike builder,” says Cookie. “He’s probably the best I’ve ever seen at developing retractable maps and being able to give Chris exactly what he wants as far as power delivery.”

A Hinson clutch assembly is matched up to the power plant.

Moving on to hard parts, Chris’ bike uses a Pro Circuit Tie 6 exhaust, Acerbis plastics hand guards and front disk guard, as well as peg covers as well. The pegs are factory HRC titanium. The rotors and brake pads are by Galfer.

Other items include a BRP chain guide, AME grips, DID rims from DirtStar, Renthal bars, and an IMS quick fill tank.

Chris also runs Maxxis tires.

First Look: 2016 Honda CRF450R, CRF250R, and CRF150R/Expert

Sean Klinger — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:14:14 +0000

It looks like 2016 is a revision year for Big Red as there are a short list of updates and changes for both it’s 450 and 250 race machines. Also, back for 2016 is the CRF150R/Expert for those fast kids who aren’t quite ready for a full sized motocrosser.

2016 Honda CRF450R

Even though there are no major changes to the 2016 CRF450R, the bike still has some unique features like its Engine Mode Selector, the HPSD steering damper, dual-exhausts, and an oversize 260mm front brake rotor.

We’ll start with the changes to Honda’s premier class race bike, which are few (don’t get too disappointed, because this could mean big changes for next year). The only updates to the 2016 CRF450R are to the suspension aimed at improving stability. The front end of the bike still sports the KYB Air Fork with high and low speed compression and rebound adjustability. But for this year the fork has been lengthen 5 mm to increase stability. Out back the KYB shock gets a new spring rate, a new link, as well as revised settings. Lastly, the chain roller has been reduced from 38 mm to 34 mm in diameter.

The motor has been left untouched and still features a Unicam, four-valve head, right side exhaust exit, titanium valves, and dual muffler exhaust system. Also, the red racer retains its Engine Mode Select Button that allows riders to change between three different engine modes (standard, smooth, and aggressive) on the fly without having to even stop the engine.

The styling, chassis, seat, bar, airbox, subframe, brakes, etc. are all the same as last years bike, but that isn’t such a bad thing since we didn’t really have any complaints and we did like the 260mm front brake rotor. Once we get our hands on the new bike we’ll really get a feel for the suspension changes and see how much they make a difference.

2016 Honda CRF250R

For 2016, Honda engineers dug into the little red racer’s engine and made changes aimed at squeezing every last drop of power out of the 249cc Unicam motor.

For the last couple years, we’ve liked the CRF250R but have felt that it was just a tad behind in the engine department, but this could be changing for 2016. Honda hasn’t redone the whole motor, but there are pointed and focused changes that, combined, could have a big impact on the track.

The 2016 CRF250R’s motor now has a higher compression ratio (13.8:1), increased cam lift, new piston, new con rod, new valve springs, updates to the cylinder head porting, and new titanium exhaust valves, all aimed at boosting power across the board. To match the engine changes, the airboot has been revised to increase air flow and the FI mapping has been modified. Also, the exhaust has larger outlet diameters and a new header-pipe resonator for better power, and the radiators are larger for better cooling.

In the suspension department, the red racer still has the Showa SFF TAC Air Fork, but with some upgrades. With a new inner seal design, Honda claims they have reduced friction by 25 percent. The fork has also been lengthened by 5 mm to improve the chassis balance. Out back, the shock gets a new link and new valving to match the fork changes.

We are excited to get our hands on the 2016 Honda CRF250R because it seems like Big Red has addressed some of the issues that we’ve had with the previous CRF250Rs but left what we like as well. Stay tuned to dirtrider.com and the pages of the magazine to see the first ride of both of these bikes very soon!

Ryan Sipes Pulls Off MX/GNCC Ironman Feat

Shan Moore — Wed, 10 Jun 2015 04:29:23 +0000

In his first national motocross in nearly a year, Sipes went 12-10 at Muddy Creek in the 450 class. Photo by Rob Koy

Ryan Sipes proved he’s got grit and stamina by pulling off an unprecedented “ironman” feat which included racing the fourth round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Series at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee, and then making the five-hour drive to Millfield, Ohio, where he finished second in the John Penton GNCC.

Sipes put his Rockstar Energy AirGroup Husqvarna backed FC450 into 11th overall at Muddy Creek after going 12-10 (narrowly missing a top-10 finish).

The Kentucky rider then hopped into his sponsor’s plane and flew to Ohio where he rode an FE350 at the GNCC where he claimed a runner-up finish behind defending series champ Kailub Russell.

“A lot of people have been asking why I would even attempt something like this, but I just tell them it’s because I can,” said Sipes.

After finishing 11th the day before at the Muddy Creek National Motocross, Sipes traveled to Millfield, Ohio where he finished second in the John Penton GNCC. Completing his “Ironman” feat. Photo by Shan Moore

Four-way Tie At Erzberg Rodeo

Shan Moore — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 18:37:02 +0000

It took a team effort to win at Erzberg, as competitors turned into allies while trying to reach the finish at this year’s event. Photo Courtesy Red Bull Content Pool/Mirja Geh

Only five riders completed this year’s edition of Red Bull Hare Scramble within the four-hour time limit, showing just how hard the illustrious event was. A new section introduced for 2015 left even the favorites shaking their heads and resulted in the first ever four-way tie for first place in the history of the Erzberg Rodeo, confirming its reputation as the toughest Xtreme Enduro Race in the world.

This year’s edition of the event was decided at the new “Downtown” section shortly before the finish line. The section was so difficult that the leading six riders were forced to help each other drag their bikes through a seemingly unpassable forest.

After more than an hour of backbreaking teamwork, four of the six emerged on the other side and opened the throttle in a final dash for the checkered flag. The fearsome foursome of Jonny Walker (UK), Alfredo Gómez (ESP), Andreas Lettenbichler (GER) and Graham Jarvis (UK) crossed the line side by side after precisely four hours of racing and were welcomed with a huge round of applause by the crowd in the finish area. In recognition of the exceptional riding and determination shown by all of the athletes, organizer Karl Katoch announced the first ever four-way tie for first place.

“Red Bull Hare Scramble was totally different this year than last year,” said KTM’s Jonny Walker. “Without all the guys pulling together it would have been almost impossible to finish.”

RESULTS

1. Jonny Walker (UK), Graham Jarvis (UK), Andreas Lettenbichler (GER), Alfredo Gómez (ESP) 5. Mario Roman Serrano (ESP)

Graham Jarvis gets a tow up a gnarly hill at Erzberg.Photo Courtesy Red Bull Content Pool/Philip Platzer

What Really Happened: Muddy Creek Motocross

Shan Moore — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 15:01:42 +0000

The Third Annual Red Bull Tennessee National at Muddy Creek Raceway had a much different feel to it than previous races this year with Eli Tomac out for the season after his nasty crash last week in Lakewood, Colorado. Tomac’s mishap opened the door for Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey and RCH/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki’s Ken Roczen to take center stage, and the two took full advantage of the situation, with Dungey going 1-2 for the overall win, while Roczen posted a 3-1 for second overall.

In the 250 class, Red Bull KTM’s Marvin Musquin dominated the first moto, but a tip-over cost him dearly in moto two, allowing Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Jeremy Martin to take the overall win with a 2-1 finish.

Meanwhile, Rockstar Energy Radiant Airgroup Racing Husqvarna’s Ryan Sipes kicked off a grueling two-day journey at Muddy Creek that would see him finish 11th in the 450 class in Tennessee, and then travel overnight to the next day’s John Penton GNCC in Ohio where he would finish second in the three-hour XC-1 Pro race behind defending champ Kailub Russell.

We’ve got lots to cover so let’s get to it.

Ryan Dungey went 1-2 to claim the overall in Tennessee. Photo by Rob Koy

Ken Roczen turned in a 3-1 for second overall. Photo by Rob Koy

Ryan Dungey took control of moto one after passing Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson on lap two and early leader AutoTrader.com/Toyota/JGR Yamaha’s Phil Nicoletti on lap three.

The “Dunge” would eventually pull away to a safe gap, while Roczen worked his way up from outside the top five.

In the end, Roczen pulled within striking distance of Anderson in second, but could never quite find his way around, leaving Dungey to claim his second consecutive moto win by 27.595 seconds over Anderson, with Roczen settling for third.

Moto two was all Roczen as the Suzuki rider grabbed the holeshot and took off. Meanwhile, Dungey worked his way into second on lap five and tried to close the gap but tangled with a lapper late in the race and eventually settled for second, knowing it would give him the overall with a 1-2 score.

"I spun the tire off the start in the second moto and that was all it took to put us in that position," explained Dungey. "I played catch up and was gaining on Roczen but then a lapper got in the way and I went down. But that's racing and like I said, we put in a hard charge all things considered and got second , which was good enough for the overall win. We put in two hard motos today and that's what counts. We've got to keep pushing, there's a lot of racing left and we need to give each moto our all."

Roczen came away with second overall with his 3-1 performance, and perhaps left Tennessee with renewed confidence after winning the final moto.

Dungey now leads the 450 Class standings by 37 points over Roczen, who moved up to second with his runner-up finish in Tennessee. Baggett, who finished fourth overall (5-3), sits third another 40 points back.

Jason Anderson turned in a brilliant runner-up finish in moto one. Photo by Rob Koy

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Jason Anderson earned his second podium of the season at Muddy Creek Raceway, finishing third overall with a 2-4 moto tally.

Anderson got off the line in second in the first moto, and did an amazing job of holding off Roczen during the final four laps of the race to hold onto the runner-up slot, frustrating the talented German with his speed.

Anderson put on an amazing charge in moto two after getting off to a poor start, and pushed through the pack to finish in fourth. The 2-4 finishes gave him third overall on the day, which moved him up to sixth overall in rider point standings.

“I had a really good weekend,” said Anderson. “I had a good start in the first moto and ended up finishing second. I had a terrible first lap in the second moto and was somewhere outside of 30th. I put on one of the best charges in my life and came back to fourth to get third overall. I’ve struggled with this track before so to come out of Muddy Creek with a podium is way better than I could have ever expected so I’m really happy and I’m looking forward to putting it on the box in the next few rounds.”

Blake Baggett - Photo by Rob Koy

Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Blake Baggett earned another solid finish, turning a 5-3 tally to score into a fourth overall. The finish kept the 450-class rookie squarely in the championship hunt, solidifying his third place status in the series standings, just a few of points out of second.

After getting off to his worst start of the season, Baggett was stuck at mid-pack on lap one, but was able to storm all the way back to seventh by the halfway flags, and up to fifth by the end of the race.

Things went much better in moto two for Baggett after getting off to a much better start. The Suzuki rider battled with Dungey early in the moto, and eventually got around HRC Honda’s Cole Seely to move into third. Baggett would finish strong, earning a third in the second moto to give him the fourth overall.

“I had a tough first moto,” admitted Baggett. “I got a bad start and had to come through the pack and was only able to make it to fifth. I got a great start in that second moto. I’m hoping to carry that forward and learn from that.

“I’m starting to figure things out. We’re trying to make the bike a little bit easier for me to ride. I’m a small dude, so when the bike kicks around it feels worse than it really is. I’ve just got to get used to that feeling and get better and better each week. I’ve got to give it up to the whole Yoshimura Suzuki team for giving me such a great bike.”

Baggett currently sits third in the standings, just three points out of second.

Ironman Ryan Sipes raced in two different races this weekend. Photo by Rob Koy

Ryan Sipes pulled off an incredible feat this weekend, ambitiously competing in two different races in the same weekend. In the 450 class at Muddy Creek, Sipes finished a solid 11th place with a 12-10 score in his first outdoor national in almost a year. The Rockstar Energy Radiant Airgroup Racing Husqvarna rider then traveled overnight to race the John Penton GNCC in Ohio, where he finished second to defending series champ Kailub Russell.

“Muddy Creek went pretty well for my first race of the year,” said Sipes. “Today was my fourth day on the bike. I felt stronger in the end of both motos, and felt stronger in the second moto than in the first. I can’t be mad at my results. I had a lot of fun.”

Sipes matched his best finish of the year in the GNCC race and currently sits fourth in the standings. The talented Kentucky rider is also competing in the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series.

Jeremy Martin went 2-1 for first overall. Photo by Rob Koy

Marvin Musquin dominated moto one of the 250 race, pulling away early ahead of Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM's Jessy Nelson and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo. Musquin would finish up with over a seven-second cushion at the finish over Jeremy Martin and Nelson for the moto win. However, it was Martin’s ability to move up from a bad start in the moto to finish second that earned the defending champ the overall win as Musquin would throw it away on lap one of the second moto, while Martin cruised to the win out front.

"I got a better start in moto 2 and was able to be more aggressive in the beginning, and that really helped," said Martin. "It was a good day. Last year I think I went 10-6 for sixth overall, but this year I went 2-1 for first overall so I couldn't be happier. I'm enjoying racing right now and things are going great."

Martin's win allowed him to maintain control of the 250 Class standings, where he currently holds a six-point lead over Musquin. Nelson continues to hold on to third, 53 points back.

Marvin Musquin took an easy win in moto one, but crashed in moto two and came from behind to finish fourth for second overall. Photo by Rob Koy

After running away with moto one, Musquin crashed on the opening lap of moto two, however, his resiliency in the final moto allowed him to claim second overall by charging through the pack to finish fourth.

"I maybe put myself in a bad position in the second moto because I didn't expect to crash like I did," said Musquin. "I know I impressed some people with my comeback, but I'd rather not impress anybody and get second or first . I'm still happy with the finish. I gave it 100 percent in the moto and we still were on the podium even though we had the crash on the first lap. When you look at all that, fourth in the moto wasn't too bad."

Jessy Nelson - Photo by Rob Koy

Jessy Nelson used great starts in both motos to land on the overall podium in third (3-2) for the second time this season.

450 Class Results

1. Ryan Dungey (KTM) 1-2

2. Ken Roczen (Suz) 3-1

3. Jason Anderson (Hus) 2-4

4. Blake Baggett (Suz) 5-3

5. Phil Nicoletti (Yam) 4-9

6. Cole Seely (Hon) 8-5

7. Broc Tickle (Suz) 7-7

8. Justin Barcia (Yam) 9-6

9. Weston Peick (Yam) 6-11

10. Justin Brayton (KTM) 11-8

250 Class Results

1. Jeremy Martin (Yam) 2-1

2. Marvin Musquin (KTM) 1-4

3. Jessy Nelson (KTM) 3-2

4. Adam Cianciarulo (Kaw) 5-3

5. Joey Savatgy (Kaw) 4-11

6. Aaron Plessinger (Yam) 8-7

7. Chris Alldredge (Kaw) 7-8

8. RJ Hampshire (Hon) 11-5

9. Zach Osborne (Hus) 9-9

10. Matt Bisceglia (Hon) 6-13

Muddy Creek MX Race Results 2015

DR Staff — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 22:01:53 +0000

Jeremy Martin // Photo: Robert Koy

—PRESS RELEASE—

Ryan Dungey Secures Back-to-Back Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Wins with Triumphant Effort at Muddy Creek Raceway

Jeremy Martin Extends 250 Class Points Lead with Third Win in Four Races

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (June 6, 2015) - The fourth round of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, featured the series' lone visit to the southeast region of the country and the Third Annual Red Bull Tennessee National from Muddy Creek Raceway. One week after taking over control of the 450 Class championship with his first overall win of 2015, Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey made it back-to-back victories on Saturday with a consistent 1-2 outing. In the 250 Class, defending champion and current points leader Jeremy Martin raced to his third win of the season following a 2-1 effort aboard his Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha.

Dungey started the day off on a strong note by edging out RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing's Ken Roczen by seven one-hundredths of a second for the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier. However, when the opening moto got underway Dungey had his work cut out for him as he almost went down off the start following contact with another rider. He kept the bike on two wheels and positioned himself just outside the top five as Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha's Justin Barcia took the Motosport.com Holeshot Award just ahead of his teammate Phil Nicoletti.

On the ensuing straightaway after the first turn, Barcia tucked the front wheel and went down, allowing Nicoletti to assume the lead and dropping Barcia to the tail end of the field. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing's Jason Anderson took over second while Dungey made quick moves on the opening lap to slot himself in third. Dungey's early march to the front continued as he passed Anderson on Lap 1 and then Nicoletti for the top spot on Lap 2. Once out front Dungey consistently pulled away.

After losing a position to Dungey, Anderson was able to reclaim the runner-up spot from Nicoletti on Lap 3. Shortly thereafter, Nicoletti started to feel the pressure of Roczen, who overcame a start deep inside the top 10 to power his way into podium contention. Roczen made the pass on Nicoletti for third on Lap 4 and stuck within a couple bike lengths of Anderson for several laps. Ultimately, the rookie was able to hold of the defending champion.

Dungey took his second consecutive moto win by 27.595 seconds over Anderson, who earned a career-best moto finish, with Roczen third.

Knowing the overall win was on the line, Roczen seized the opportunity in Moto 2 and earned his first Motosport.com Holeshot Award of the season ahead of Team Honda HRC's Cole Seely, Barcia and Team Yoshimura Suzuki's Blake Baggett. Dungey did not get the start he needed and sat outside the top 10 as the field exited the first turn.

A quick sprint by Roczen allowed him to open a comfortable lead early, while Seely, Barcia and Baggett jockeyed for the remaining podium positions. Dungey impressively overcame his tough start to surge into the top five on the opening lap. Shortly thereafter Barcia lost his momentum while battling Seely for second and went off track, causing him to lose several positions and moving both Baggett and Dungey up one spot. Dungey then pressured Baggett and made the pass for third, setting his sights on Seely for second.

With a clear track ahead of him, Roczen's lead continued to grow as Seely and Dungey battled for second for several laps. Eventually Dungey got the best of his rookie counterpart and moved into the runner-up spot on Lap 4, facing a near 10-second deficit to Roczen. Dungey began to pick up the pace and eliminated about half of his gap to Roczen before light rain began to fall. At this moment lapped riders also became a factor and as he battled both the changing conditions and other competitors, Dungey went down. While he remained second, Dungey lost all the ground he battled to get back as the skies began to clear. That allowed Roczen to take his first moto win of the season, 8.895 seconds ahead of Dungey. Baggett rode to a solid third-place finish.

In the overall classification, Dungey's 1-2 finishes gave him back-to-back overall wins as well as his second win at Muddy Creek Raceway to make him the first repeat winner at the facility. It was also the 40th win of Dungey's Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship career, combining both the 250 and 450 Classes. Roczen finished second overall (3-1) for the second straight week, while Anderson earned his second career podium finish in third (2-4).

"I spun the tire off the start and that was all it took to put us in that position," explained Dungey, who maintained KTM's undefeated record at the Tennessee National. "I played catch up and was gaining but then a lapper got in the way and I went down. But that's racing and like I said, we put in a hard charge all things considered and got second , which was good enough for the overall win. We put in two hard motos today and that's what counts. We've got to keep pushing, there's a lot of racing left and we need to give each moto our all."

Dungey was able to extend his lead in the 450 Class standings to 37 points over Roczen, who moved from third to second with his runner-up effort. Baggett, who finished fourth overall (5-3), sits third 40 points back.

Competition in the 250 Class began with Martin posting the fastest lap of practice to earn the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier. When Moto 1 got underway the division's other title contender, Marvin Musquin, put his Red Bull KTM out front with the Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM's Jessy Nelson and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Adam Cianciarulo. Martin followed in fourth.

Musquin faced a brief challenge from Cianciarulo, who passed Nelson for second, but soon opened up a comfortable margin that allowed him to settle into a consistent rhythm. Cianciarulo and Nelson stayed within a few bike lengths of one another for the bulk of the moto, with Martin lurking on this podium battle throughout. Just after the halfway point Martin picked up the pace and after a brief battle with Nelson, he took advantage of a slight bobble to take over third on Lap 10. Just a couple laps later, Martin was in a position to take advantage of another one of his competitor's mistakes as Cianciarulo lost control of his bike coming out of a turn and went down. Martin made the pass for second while Nelson followed through to take over third. Cianciarulo remounted in fourth, but would drop another spot before the completion of the moto.

Musquin led every lap to capture his fourth moto win of the season by 18.401 seconds over Martin. Nelson rounded out the podium in third.

Nelson put himself in a good position again in Moto 2 with his second Motosport.com Holeshot Award of the year, edging out Martin and his Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha teammate Aaron Plessinger. As the field came into the second corner, Plessinger used an outside line to his advantage to take the lead for the first time in his career. As that unfolded Musquin, who was fourth, was hit from behind and went down, allowing the entire field to go by.

Out front, the rookie Plessinger opened a three-plus second lead over Nelson and Martin as they battled for second and paced the field for nearly half the moto. After a fierce battle with Nelson, Martin took over second on Lap 3 and methodically closed in on Plessinger. On Lap 7 Martin got by his teammate and never looked back. Plessinger lost more positions in the ensuing laps to Nelson and Cianciarulo and eventually finished seventh.

Martin took his fourth moto win of the season by 5.990 seconds over Nelson in second and Cianciarulo in third. Musquin made an incredible recovery from his early crash to fight his way back to the front, narrowly missing out on a podium finish in fourth.

Martin's 2-1 effort gave him his second straight overall win and his third victory in four races this season. He also became the third different 250 Class winner in three years at Muddy Creek Raceway.

"I got a better start and was able to be more aggressive in the beginning, and that really helped," said Martin. "It was a good day. Last year I think I went 10-6 for sixth overall, but this year I went 2-1 for first overall so I couldn't be happier. I'm enjoying racing right now and things are going great."

Musquin's resiliency in the final moto allowed him to secure second overall (1-4), while Nelson landed on the overall podium in third (3-2) for the second time this season.

Martin's win allowed him to maintain control of the 250 Class standings, where he currently holds a six-point lead over Musquin. Nelson continues to hold on to third, 53 points back.

The 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next Saturday, June 13, with the UPMC Sports Medicine High Point National from High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.

Results

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

Red Bull Tennessee National

Muddy Creek Raceway - Blountville, Tennessee

June 6, 2015

Round 4 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (1-2)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki (3-1)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (2-4)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki (5-3)
Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha (4-9)
Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda (8-5)
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (7-7)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (9-6)
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha (6-11)
Justin Brayton, Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM (11-8)

450 Class Championship Standings

Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 175
Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 138
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 135
Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 125
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha, 114
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 112
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha, 104
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 103
Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha, 92
Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda, 79

250 Class (Moto Finish)

Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (2-1)
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (1-4)
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM (3-2)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (5-3)
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (4-11)
Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha (8-7)
Chris Alldredge, Powell Butte, Ore., Kawasaki (7-8)
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda (11-5)
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna (9-9)
Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda (6-13)

250 Class Championship Standings

Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 175
Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 169
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM, 122
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 112
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki, 100
Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna, 91
Chris Alldredge, Powell Butte, Ore., Kawasaki, 89
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM, 87
Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda, 87
RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Honda, 85

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

Red Bull Hare Scramble On Red Bull TV This Sunday

DR Staff — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 23:04:36 +0000

Early Sunday morning, Red Bull Hare Scramble, arguably the toughest race in motorcycling, will take place at an Austrian ore mine nicknamed the Iron Giant. Feared by many and conquered by few, the race features 500 enduro riders attempting to traverse an uphill mountain course through unbelievably rugged terrain. Racers are left with broken spirits and broken bones, and only a few are able to survive the frightening hill climbs, vertical descents and fields of boulders to actually finish the punishing race.

Die-hard fans can watch the race live on www.redbull.tv starting at 2:30am PT on Sunday morning, July 7.

Those of the saner variety can watch the full VOD broadcast anytime after that.

First Look: 2016 Yamaha Motocross & Off-Road Models

Chris Denison — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 10:00:11 +0000

No, your eyes are not deceiving you: That’s a 2016 Yamaha two-stroke off-road 250!

Yes, There’s A New Off-Road Two-Stroke!

Photos By Chris Denison & Courtesy Of Yamaha

The year 2016 just got a lot more interesting. The new motocross and off-road model release announcements are currently being cranked out by the major manufacturers, and Yamaha, the latest company to come forth, has dropped the big news that they have a new off-road two-stroke model, along with numerous changes to their existing model lineup.

YZ250X Two-Stroke

Here it is, Yamaha’s new off-road model! Based on the motocross model, the YZ250X gets some tuning tweaks, a five-speed wide-ratio transmission, an 18” rear wheel, Dunlop AT81 tires, a petcock with reserve, and a kickstand.

The new YZ250X two-stroke runs $7,390. That’s just $100 more than the standard YZ250, but you get some pretty cool off-road specific features out of the extra money.

Let’s start at the beginning: in 2015, Yamaha unveiled the all-new YZ250FX, an off-road variant of its popular YZ250F motocross model (along with an all-new WR250F). As expected, the YZ250FX was a high-performing machine, going so far as to take top honors in the 2015 Dirt Rider 250cc Four-Stroke Off-Road Comparison (no small feat, considering there were eight different motorcycles in that comparison!). When the YZ250FX was released, Yamaha was very clear that this was a closed-course, off-road specific race bike—think GNCC, and you get a good idea of what big blue was shooting for.

Well, it appears that Yamaha has gone a similar route with the all-new YZ250X, which is an off-road variant of the YZ250 two-stroke motocross bike. Because this new model is based off of an existing bike, we can draw a lot of conclusions about it already: We know that this two-stroke engine is fast, crisp, and impressively powerful. It boasts huge hit in the mid-range and typically requires very little by way of jetting changes in order to achieve great bark and snappy throttle response. We also know that the aluminum frame and KYB Speed Sensitive Fork make for nimble handling and amazing cornering. Given that we already have a positive impression of the YZ250 two-stroke, it’s safe to guess that the YZ250X is going to be good, even if the list of changes is not as long as some of us were hoping.

Yamaha gets a high-five for unveiling a new two-stroke model: the 2016 YZ250X.

As far as variations go, the YZ250X will come equipped with a host of what Yamaha referred to as “GNCC-specific features”: an 18-inch rear wheel, a sealed O-ring chain, off-road specific suspension settings, Dunlop AT81 tires, a kickstand, and a fuel petcock with a ‘reserve’ position. Additionally, the expansion chamber on the bike is narrower (both vertically and horizontally), and Yamaha made some tweaks to the compression ratio, exhaust port timing, CDI-unit (ignition timing), and power valve (which Yamaha claims will bring smoother power via broader opening timing). Last but certainly not least, the change that riders will likely be most excited about is the wide-ratio, 5-speed transmission that Yamaha hopes will make this unit more versatile when used over various types of terrain.

While this new machine doesn’t feature handguards, a bigger tank, a heavier flywheel, or direct-injection, it is a strong and positive sign that the Japanese manufacturers are now investing more in the future of off-road-specific two-strokes. Given what we learned about the YZ250FX (that with the right mods, a great motocross bike can make an outstanding off-road bike), it’s fair to say that the YZ250X will be a welcome addition to the market, particularly for riders who want an off-road specific model that is not orange or white.

We got the chance to see the YZ250X up close and in person at the product launch. Seeing a Japanese two-stroke off-road bike at a 2016 model unveil was a bit like catching a glimpse of Bigfoot, but we’re pleased to report that this one is here to stay!

YZ250X SPECIFICATIONS:

Engine Type 249cc liquid-cooled 2-stroke; reed-valve inducted

Bore x Stroke 66.4mm × 72.0mm

Compression Ratio 7.9~9.4:1

Fuel Delivery Keihin® PWK38S

Ignition CDI

Transmission Constant mesh 5-speed, multiplate wet clutch

Final Drive Chain

Suspension / Front KYB® Speed-Sensitive System inverted fork; fully adjustable, 11.8-in travel

Suspension / Rear KYB® Monoshock; fully adjustable, 12.4-in travel

Brakes / Front Hydraulic single disc brake, 250mm

Brakes / Rear Hydraulic single disc brake, 245mm

Tires / Front 90/90-21 Dunlop® AT81F

Tirres / Rear 110/100-18 Dunlop® AT81

L x W x H 86.0 in x 32.5 in x 50.8 in

Seat Height 38.2 in

Wheelbase 58.5 in

Ground Clearance 14.2 in

Fuel Economy n/a

Wet Weight 229 lb

Warranty 30 Day (Limited Factory Warranty)

You’ve got to admit, it’s pretty cool to see a kick stand come stock on a blue 250cc two-stroke!

YZ450F

For 2016, the YZ450F will feature mild changes ranging from the addition of launch control and a new cam profile in the engine to updated fork clamp offset and a slightly redesigned frame shape, along with a softer rear shock spring and a 270mm front brake rotor.

The YZ450F will be available in June, with the MSRP of the bike remaining the same as ’15 at $8,590.

On the motocross front, the 2016 Yamaha YZ450F has been mildly revised, but is still essentially the same machine that won the Dirt Rider 450 MX shootout this year. Starting with the engine, the YZ450F is now equipped with launch control to manage traction on starts, with some alterations coming to the ECU to accommodate the launch control program and to revise the overall mapping. The intake and exhaust valve system has been revised to boost the blue bike’s low-to-mid-range controllability, while an updated clutch boss machining process is said to provide better clutch engagement feel. Yamaha sought an increase in reliability with a revised water pump impeller, while shifting prevision is claimed to improve via a new shift stop lever and torsion spring.

The chassis of the YZ450F gets a handful of changes, beginning with some slight alterations to the frame shape (right around where the rear swingarm is met by the lower subframe mount). The upper engine mount bracket has also changed in shape and material. Together, these changes work to provide the bike with what Yamaha states is better bump reaction, stability, and rear end traction. The footpegs are also 5mm lower, and the fork offset has changed from 23 to 25mm. On the suspension, the front fork received new clicker settings, while the rear shock spring is one rate softer.

YZ250F

With a Dirt Rider shootout win to its credit in 2015, the YZ250F is already a proven MX package. The changes for 2016 aren’t groundbreaking, but Yamaha feels that they are all that is required to keep the bike at the front of the pack.

$7,590 gets you a 2016 YZ250F, but you’ll have to wait until July to do it.

Like the YZ450F, the 2016 YZ250F motocrosser gets a few tweaks here and there to help improve both performance and durability. This bike earned high marks from the Dirt Rider crew in 2015, taking the win in the hotly contested 250cc Four-Stroke Motocross Shootout. While it’s nice that Yamaha didn’t drastically change a bike that we honestly love, it is still great to see that attention was given to the little blue thumper for 2016.

In the motor department, a new piston design makes for a lighter, flatter piston that is now DLC coated, with a new piston cooler design to make the engine run at lower temps. The connecting rod has been heat treated for better durability, with a thrust washer now installed at the big end to bring down the internal friction. As with the YZ450F, the blue 250F gets the updated clutch boss and shifting improvements. There’s no launch control here (yet), but the ECU has been revised for a smoother feel when at the rev limiter. Finally, the crank balance has been improved in order to lessen vibration feel and to provide a sensation of more direct torque. The chassis changes to this machine are pretty minimal: there’s now a 270mm front rotor with updated brake pad material, while the suspension gets updated compression and rebound damping settings in both ends.

We think Yamaha made the right move by throwing minor changes on the YZ250F for 2016. This machine works great, and we’re glad that Yamaha didn’t feel the need to drastically alter a bike that already performs so well.

Yamaha 60th Anniversary Edition YZ250F/YZ450F

The yellow colorway of the 60th Anniversary Edition YZ450F will definitely appeal to those who appreciate Yamaha’s racing heritage.

There’s also a YZ250F Anniversary Edition, which retails for $7,690.

Along with the news of changes to the YZ250F and YZ450F comes a pair of special edition, 60th Anniversary machines. Available for $7,690 (250) and $8,690 (450), these bikes feature iconic yellow plastic with retro Yamaha graphics.

A closer look at the 60th Anniversary graphics.

The limited edition yellow YZ-F models look fantastic. We wish that more manufacturers embraced their heritage and released anniversary editions such as these.

YZ85, YZ125, and YZ250

The 2016 YZ85 now sports black wheels and a gold chain. The bike is being offered for $4,090.

We love the YZ125, and are stoked to see it return for 2016 with black rims!

For those who want a moto-specific 250 two-stroke, the YZ250 is still being offered for 2016.

Yamaha’s 2016 Yamaha YZ85, YZ125, and YZ250 are not only back, but all three of these bikes now have black wheels and gold chains—not exactly performance enhancements, but awesome changes nonetheless. The 125 and 250 get revised suspension settings. Available in August, none of the three two-stroke MXers will get a price increase: the YZ85 runs $4,090, the YZ125 remains at $6,390, and the YZ250 stays at $7,290.

Hey, where are the other off-road bikes?

You may be wondering where the YZ250FX, WR250F, and other off-road Yamahas are. Don’t worry, Yamaha didn’t forget about these machines: they are just typically mid-year model releases that don’t come out until much later (remember, we didn’t get the YZ250FX until December of last year). Given that we still have some time until we see these machines, could that mean that there will be massive updates, improvements, or even the addition of a YZ450FX off-road model? It’s hard to say at this point (and all we can do is speculate), but we will definitely keep you updated as soon as we receive any new information from Yamaha regarding the off-road-specific models in its lineup.

Canadian National MX, Tomac Out For Season, Millsaps New Ride, Kentucky OMA And Much More - The Weekly Dirt: June 3, 2015

DR Staff — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 17:51:58 +0000

Welcome to Weekly Dirt, your place on the Internet for off-road news from around the world. This week Kris Keefer tells of his exploits north of the border, Kato brings us news from the OMA Nationals, and Shan Moore has an update on Eli Tomac and Davi Millsaps. There’s plenty to go over, so let’s get going.

Rockstar Energy CMRC Canadian Nationals Round #1 Kamloops, BC.

Kris Keefer gets ready to do battle with the young boys in the MX2 class with the MX101 Yamaha/Canada’s Motorcycle race team. Photo By James Lissmore

The MX101 Yamaha team had a great weekend with Jimmy DeCotis winning MX2 and Dylan Wright recording a sixth place. Photo By James Lissmore

GDR Honda Jeremy Medaglia runs it in deep through the second corner in front of Devil’s Lake Yamaha rider Blake Savage. Photo By James Lissmore

Jimmy DeCotis was on fire this weekend. The New England rippa pulled sizeable gaps both motos. He’s in shape folk’s watch out! Photo By James Lissmore

Last year’s champion Colton Facciotti just didn’t have that extra speed he normally has to get close to Metcalfe on the rough, choppy, Whispering Pines circuit. Photo By James Lissmore

Brett Metcalfe even had a crash in moto one but that couldn’t stop him from sweeping both motos. Photo By James Lissmore

Bobby Kiniry fresh out of Amsoil Arenacross was still getting used to being back ona 450 and recorded a seventh place with 5-8 moto scores. Photo By James Lissmore

Tyler Medaglia was riding the only Husqvarna in the MX1 class. T-dags rode strong both motos and had great battles all day. Photo By James Lissmore

Cole Martinez is up here from the states trying out his hand in Canada for the first time in MX2 class riding for the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki team. Martinez finished fourth overall on the day with 4-4 scores. Photo By James Lissmore

Round one of the CMRC Canadian Nationals went off at the Whispering Pines Raceway in Kamloops, BC. The sandy soil quickly turned rough by the time the first motos went off. Deep ruts and huge square edged holes littered the roughly 2:25-minute-long track. The big winners on the day were two American riders Jimmy DeCotis (MX2) of the MX101 Yamaha Racing team and Brett Metcalfe (MX1) of the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki team. Both riders swept the motos with 1-1 scores and had decent size time gaps both motos. Rounding out the podium in the MX1 class was Rockstar Racing Yamaha’s Matt Goerke with a 2-3 and Husqvarna Canada’s Tyler Medaglia with a 4-2. In MX2 GDR Honda’s Jeremy Medaglia went 2-2 and last year’s champion Kaven Benoit went 3-3.

I had the chance to come up and race for the MX101 Canada’s Motorcycle race team aboard a 2015 YZ250F in the MX2 class that will be featured in an upcoming issue of Dirt Rider Magazine. It has been over eight years since I have raced the 250 class and it sure has changed in those eight years! Being 35 years old and racing against kids half my age was a fun experience. Unfortunately for me the day didn’t go as planned and I walked away with 17-23 moto scores and left the track with some unfinished business. The team and I will give it another go next week for round two in Nanaimo, BC at the Wastelands. In the meantime check out some photos from round one by James Lissmore. Look for updates all week long up in Canada on our twitter and Instagram pages @dirtridermag. .”—Kris Keefer

MX1:

Brett Metcalfe (Kaw)
Matt Goerke (Yam)
Tyler Medaglia (Hus)
Colton Facciotti (Hon)
Cole Thompson (KTM)
Cade Classon (KTM)
Bobby Kiniry (Yam)
Brock Hoyer (Yam)
Kyle Keast (Hon)
Dylan Schmoke (KTM)

MX2:

Jimmy DeCotis (Yam)
Jeremy Medaglia (Hon)
Kaven Benoit (KTM)
Cole Martinez (Kaw)
Blake Savage (Yam)
Dylan Wright (Yam)
Brad Nauditt (Yam)
Brandon Leith (Kaw)
Seth Rarick (KTM)
Morgan Burger (Yam)

Eli Tomac Status

After his crash in Colorado, Eli Tomac be out for the rest of the MX season. Photo Shan Moore

According to GEICO Honda team co-owner Jeff Majkrzak, Eli Tomac will miss the remainder of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Series.

Majkrzak reports that Tomac's left shoulder has suffered a 100 percent tear of the rotator cuff, requiring immediate surgery. His right shoulder, which was dislocated in the crash and later put back into place by the Asterisk medical team, will most likely need surgery as well.

"Eli was understandably upset when we were talking a little while ago," team co-owner Jeff Majkrzak said. "Obviously, after the start he's had, we were all hoping for a championship run. Injuries are an unfortunate part of this sport, and this one is very tough for all of us."

The GEICO Honda rider had won the first five 450cc class motos of the season and was leading the second race in Denver when he went down on his own in a difficult section of the track.

To date, Tomac has won two championships, the Supercross 250cc West title in 2012 and the 250cc Motocross title in 2013. He has also been runner-up to three championships, the 2011 and 2013 Supercross 250cc West titles and the 2015 450cc Supercross title.

He has also collected 12 overall MX trophies on a 250 and three more on a 450. In Supercross, Tomac has won 11 races on a 250 and three more on a 450.

Davi Millsaps’ New Ride

Millsaps to Yellow. Photo Shan Moore

After being unexpectedly terminated by Kawasaki in April, Davi Millsaps has found a ride with Mountain Motorsports, riding a 2015 Suzuki RM-Z 450 in the final 6 rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series, which will be Budds Creek.

Millsaps was runner-up in both the 2012 and 2013 Monster Energy Supercross Championships, and was expected to be a player in this year’s despite sitting out a year with a knee injury.

“We are extremely pleased to see Davi back competing in professional motocross, where he belongs!” said Dustin Farthing, President and Co-owner of Mountain Motorsports. “I could not be more excited to support Davi. He is a proven champion, and I know he is extremely focused to get back to racing and on top of the podium.”—Shan Moore

It’s Steward Baylor For The Win—But Barely—At Kentucky OMA

Steward Baylor finally had a perfect 1-1 day in winning his third OMA, but he had to work hard every minute of the race in Kentucky to do so, battling hard with eventual runner-up Jordan Ashburn the whole way. Photo By Mark Kariya

If Baylor had a hard time fending off Ashburn all day, Mark Heresco (412) had fits with OMA newcomer Vance Francis (white helmet). Though Heresco went 1-1 in the Pro 2 division, he beat Francis by the slimmest of margins: one second in moto one and not quite two seconds in moto two. Class points leader Duell Murphy (far inside) had an off day in finishing 5-8 for seventh Pro 2. Photo By Mark Kariya

The Russell Creek Motorsports facility offered a fun mix of established single-track, newly cut virgin trail and fast grass track, which Pro 2 competitor Keith Novello from Colorado enjoys here en route to his 7-9 ninth. Photo By Mark Kariya

Things are always rosier when you win, right? Maybe his first 1-1 triumph of the season colored his vision a little because Steward Baylor had nothing but praise for the Russell Creek Motorsports complex in Greensburg, Kentucky, site of round three of the Parts Unlimited Off-road Motorcycle and ATV (OMA) Nationals.

“Here, everybody was saying, ‘This place sucks; you’re going to be miserable!’ ” he revealed while standing atop the podium afterwards. “I mean, the track was awesome! I’m pumped; it was a blast!”

Part of that, of course, is due to several miles of virgin trail that promoter Bill Gusse laid out to supplement the existing trails that he used. That kept everyone on their toes, especially in the first 45-minute moto. As Baylor noted, “The thing about the OMAs is, it’s hard to pass , but it’s even harder to lead.”

So he wasn’t that concerned and, in fact, welcomed the opportunity to dice with Jordan Ashburn, who couldn’t resist the opportunity to get some seat time in to try some new settings on his AmPro/FMF Yamaha.

After getting around $100 FMF Holeshot Award winner Ricky Russell and his Raines Riding University YZ250FX, Ashburn and Baylor went at it with Baylor coming out on top at the end by six seconds. OMA debutante Russell miscalculated and, thinking they’d run three laps in the 45 minutes, waved Ashburn by after smacking a tree; that relegated him to third, some five seconds behind Ashburn.

Moto two found the determined Ashburn at the front and he managed to stay ahead of Everrev KTM-mounted Baylor for most of the moto.

But what he didn’t realize was that Baylor had been saving one line in particular and used it to great effect, making the pass for the leads—and with it, the win—with just a couple miles to go. Score another one for Baylor who was also astride a two-stroke for the first time in the series.

Ashburn, of course, earned second with his 2-2, but he was far from disappointed, saying, “It was good, close racing—good CLEAN close racing—and I just had a really good time.”

Russell rounded out the podium with his 3-3 third, a creditable performance in his first OMA and its pair of 45-minute motos that reward sprinters more than marathoners.

In the Pro 2 class, SRT KTM’s Mark Heresco also found the competition tough, beating Vance Francis by a slim one second in the first moto and almost two seconds the second time out. Shane Klimek claimed third with his 3-3 day.—Mark Kariya

That’s all for this week, be sure to check in next week for more news from the off-road world.

Last Chance For Comments On West Mojave Route Network (deadline June 4, 2015)

DR Staff — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 16:18:18 +0000

—PRESS RELEASE—

NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

As many of you know, the BLM's comment period for the West Mojave (WEMO) Route Network Project (WMRNP) and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) ends on June 4, 2015. Time is short. So if you haven't already submitted your comments, please take a couple of minutes, use or letter generator (link below) and submit your comments.

The proposed route network provides important motorized access for both general outdoor recreationists and OHV enthusiasts. Many of the routes are near the following OHV Open Areas such as Jawbone Canyon, Spangler Hills, El Mirage, Stoddard Valley, and Johnson Valley.

BRC has reviewed the draft plan and believes that Alternative 3 (preferred alternative) will provide meaningful motorized access for casual OHV recreation, other motorized access interests, and permitted motorized events.

In addition, Alternative 3 proposes to minimize conflicts and threats to sensitive resources by mitigating conflicts and threats,with an emphasis on appropriate mitigation measures, rather than route closure or limitation as the primary mechanism to reduce conflicts and threats.

Alternative 3 includes a much larger network than the network approved under the 2006 WEMO Plan. Although it proposes to close 2,000 more miles of additional routes than those that were designated closed in the 2006 WEMO Plan, it plans to make available to the public, or to authorized users, 10,428 miles of motorized routes.

Again, BRC believes that Alternative3 - as currently configured - would provide continued access to meaningful OHV recreation including, but not limited to, casual use, permitted competition events, and club activities. It also includes the designation of dry or sand washes in subsequent project level travel management plans. This IS good news!

Extreme anti-access groups are pummeling the BLM with email letters demanding the agency select a more closure oriented alternative. OHVers must counter that effort with a massive letter campaign.

JOIN BRC TODAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP GIVES US A STRONGER VOICE

BRC always encourages motorized recreationists to send in personal comment letters when time permits. Those have the most value.

Here is the mailing address for personal letters

California Desert District

Attn: WMRNP Plan Amendment

22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos

Moreno Valley, CA 92553

Email: cawemopa@blm.gov

BRC also understands that many of you are busy with jobs and family commitments and don't have the time to send in a personal letter. For you, we have fired up the BRC letter generator so as to make it easy for you to send in a letter (you can add a personal note to it as well) and select from several prewritten comments.

GO TO BRC'S WEMO LETTER GENERATOR

Thanks in advance and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

Don Amador

Western Representative

BlueRibbon Coalition, Inc.

Office: 925.625.6287

Email: brdon@sharetrails.org

GEICO Honda Rider Eli Tomac Out For The 2015 AMA Pro Motocross Season

DR Staff — Wed, 03 Jun 2015 01:57:45 +0000

—PRESS RELEASE—

CORONA. Calif. (June 2) -- Superstar motocross rider Eli Tomac will miss the rest of the outdoor season following a hard crash Saturday at the Thunder Valley National in Denver that injured both of his shoulders. The GEICO Honda rider had won the first five 450cc class motos of the season and was leading the second race in Denver when he went down on his own in a difficult section of the track.

He has also collected 12 overall MX trophies on a 250 and three more on a 450. In Supercross, Tomac has won 11 races on a 250 and three more on a 450.

2016 Kawasaki Dirt Bike Motocross Models

Sean Klinger — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 12:09:15 +0000

Kawasaki Releases New Dirt Bike Models KX450F, KX250F, KX100, KX85, and KX65

For the last couple of years both of the green motocross models have been known for their strong motors, stable handling, and ready-to-race set up. The 2015 KX250F was second place in our 2015 250F MX shootout, with its only missteps being that the front end was a little imprecise, the fork was not perfectly comfortable, and the exhaust note was obnoxiously loud. As for Kawi’s big bike, the 2015 KX450F took a few steps back from its previous shootout victory. Though its raw power was impressive, the air fork, bulky feeling, and—again—overly loud exhaust held it back.

Yet it is a new year and that means new opportunities. In a perfect world, Kawasaki would keep the things we liked and fixed the things we didn’t, and for the 2016 Kawasaki KX450F, we might just get our wish. It is an all-new Kawasaki dirt bike, including a new frame, new engine cases and internals, new plastics, new swingarm, new seat, and many other “all new” items that, combined, save a claimed 7.5 pounds!

For the 2016 KX250F, the bike seems to be relatively unchanged. As of now, there is little information by way of specs and details but from the information provided by Kawasaki, it looks like they focused all their attention on building a new KX450F. Here is what Kawasaki has to say about their entire Kawasaki dirt bike line.

From the cases to the seat, the KX450F is a nearly all-new beast. Most of the changes were made to reduce weight and slim the bike down, which Kawi did by a claimed 7.5 lbs. But the change we may be most excited about is the NEW mass-centralizing exhaust muffler, which we are hoping takes care of the terrible exhaust note that has plagued this machine for many years.

SPECIAL FEATURES OF THE 2016 KAWASAKI KX450F

• NEW Among the lightest curb weights in class after a 7.5 lb overall weight reduction

• NEW Lighter, more powerful engine with new engine cases

• REVISED Bridged-Box bottom piston based on AMA factory race bikes

• REVISED Intake port improves performance in mid-to-high RPM range

• REVISED Intake valve shape increases air volume

• NEW Intake camshaft is lighter and has revised timing for low-mid RPM response

• NEW High-flow airbox with rear intake channels improve flow and reduce noise

• NEW Header with integrated resonator chamber for crisp throttle response

• NEW Mass-centralizing exhaust muffler to reduce sound and weight

• Plug & play DFI® couplers allow easy engine map changes

• NEW Slimmer, lighter perimeter frame and swingarm improve rider feel

• Launch control based on factory race bike system

• Industry-leading Showa SFF-Air TAC fork and Uni-Trak rear suspension

• NEW Aggressive factory styling and flatter seat for easier rider movement

• 4-way adjustable handlebar and 2-way adjustable footpegs fit a wide range of riders

Significant changes to both the inside and outside of the 450’s powerplant include new cases, new piston, a revised cylinder head, revised transmission and new valves, just to name a few.

ENGINE

Kawasaki’s already powerful flagship motocross bike is even stronger for 2016, with the KX450F motorcycle boasting a more powerful and lighter engine. The revisions are extensive and start with new engine cases to save weight while optimizing the design to increase strength and rigidity. The location of the oil scavenger pump was also changed, swapping from the left case to the right case.

The cylinder head updates include revisions to the intake ports, which are less curved than before, improving mid-high RPM performance and over-rev. The intake port cores are also given a special coating during the head casting process to make the ports smoother. The extremely smooth surfaces and revised port shape increase the intake efficiency and performance at all RPM.

The 36mm titanium intake valves have a revised head area. The new design, with slimmer throat angle and reduced recess (similar to valves on Kawasaki supersport engines) contributes to increased high-RPM performance. Revised intake cam timing (advanced 2-degrees) contributes to better low-RPM performance, while the camshaft is 0.5oz lighter than before. A new intake camshaft sprocket is 0.7oz lighter.

The single cylinder is offset (8.5mm forward) to reduce mechanical loss through friction from the piston movement, enabling more efficient power generation. This necessitated a revised crankshaft shape, corresponding to the revised crankshaft housing. The crankshaft balancer shape was also changed – reducing its size and lightening it by 1.9oz. Further updates were made to the crankshaft balancer drive gear and driven gear, resulting in a combined reduction of 1.4oz.

A closer look at the KX450F’s bridged-box type piston. This is one of many internal motor changes.

A new crown design for the Bridged-Box bottom piston is based on the AMA factory race bikes and matches the new intake valve shape as well as contributing to the 12.8:1 compression ratio.

With a new shape to the rear fender, the KX450F now has airbox intakes under the rear of the seat for what Kawasaki claims is highly improved airflow.

Another addition for 2016 is the redesigned air box, which does away with any steel parts, resulting in a weight savings of 8.8oz. It also utilizes new underseat intakes at the back of the seat. These and the revised shape of the air box help to ensure clean airflow, improving engine response and reducing intake sound to meet local market requirements.

A new, more compact fuel injector is used and the flange position was lowered on the fuel pump to accommodate a lower gas tank.

Changes were made to the throttle to reduce vibration. This resulted in a new compact fuel injector being used. The outer part of the fuel pump was also revised, changing the flange position in order to lower the fuel tank position, contributing to the motorcycle’s overall lower center of gravity. Further upgrades include a new exhaust system. It starts with a new header design that features a resonator to improve low RPM power and help reduce the sound level.

The result of these changes to the powerplant mean increased power. And when combined with a lighter overall curb weight, the 2016 Kawasaki KX450F motorcycle has an improved power-to-weight ratio that provides improved acceleration response.

Another weight saving measure saw 9.2oz trimmed from the transmission gears and shafts, which retain their overall strength while contributing to the motorcycle’s dynamic performance. Finally, the shape of the kickstarter has altered, resulting in a saving of 2.6oz.

All new this year, Kawasaki has a KX FI Calibration Kit to fully modify the KX450F’s (and KX250F) fuel and ignition settings.

ELECTRONICS

With all these engine changes, the revolutionary and popular DFI® couplers are again available for the Digital Fuel Injection system. Three are supplied with each motorcycle and allow the riders to quickly change the fuel injection mapping to suit any riding condition. The four-pin DFI couplers are designed for standard, hard or soft terrain settings. The rider simply connects the appropriate coupler cap to suit the track conditions and the DFI couplers immediately activate an ignition mode to match.

The KX450F motorcycle’s Launch Control System is another popular feature that helps obtain holeshot supremacy for the amateur and pro rider alike. The push-button activation retards ignition timing in first and second gears, helping to maximize traction off the line. Once the rider shifts into third, normal ignition mapping is resumed and full power returns.

As a further benefit of owning a KX450F motorcycle, the engine ECU remains fully programmable thanks to the new handheld Kawasaki Accessory KX FI Calibration Kit. This portable device allows custom maps to be created giving riders precise adjustment of fuel and ignition settings. This new handheld module eliminates the need for a trackside laptop computer. It can store up to seven preset maps and is PC-compatible.

The fame has been slimmed and lightened as has the swingarm to better work with the lighter, more compact motor.

CHASSIS

Kawasaki’s engineers worked tirelessly to improve handling and chassis feedback with a new aluminum perimeter frame. The perimeter spars are 6mm slimmer than the previous frame, allowing easier rider movement. It is also lighter by 1 lb, while the subframe (seat rails) has thicker walls for increased strength. Overall rigidity has been improved with a new swingarm (while losing 7.8oz in the process), helping rear-wheel traction and rider feel.

The alloy swingarm has a cast front section and twin tapered hydro-formed spars in a raw aluminum finish. Forged chain adjusters are also fitted with a self-locking rear axle nut. The axle nut holds the 80 lb-ft torque setting without the need of a cotter pin for ease of maintenance at the track.

The engineers at Kawi shaved 14.1oz off of the aluminum frame. The spars are slimmer by 6mm while the subframe seat rails are thicker for more strength.

The original goal was to create the lightest motorcycle in its class, increasing the bike’s agility and helping to reduce rider fatigue, making the KX450F more potent than ever before. Following extensive engine and chassis revisions, the 2016 Kawasaki KX450F motorcycle has seen a significant 7.5 lb reduction in curb weight (including fluids), giving it a total claimed weight of 239.6 lb.

Weight savings from the engine group (including intake and exhaust systems) amounted to approximately 4.4 lb, with savings from chassis components totalling approximately 3.1 lb. Some of the major contributing component weight savings include:

• crankcases (left/right) – 13oz

• transmission – 9.2oz

• air filter – 8.8oz

• frame – 14.1oz

• suspension (front/rear) – 10.9oz

• swingarm – 7.8oz

Over the last few years the KX450F has been said to feel big. For 2016, the bike is 1.2 inches narrower at its widest point thanks to new bodywork and a new radiator orientation.

BODYWORK & SEAT

The 2016 KX450F motorcycle receives all-new bodywork with aggressive styling to suit its heightened performance. The minimalist bodywork is light and features angular styling for the new number plates, shrouds, fenders, skid plate and water pump guard. The new bodywork unifies the radiator shroud and side covers for a smoother, seamless rider interface that is 1.2” slimmer at the widest point, and allows unimpaired movement around the motorcycle. The radiator was reshaped in order to achieve this, creating a vee-shape and allowing the shrouds to be slimmer.

The top of the fuel tank is lower than before, allowing easier progression from the seat to the tank. The flatter design gives the rider greater freedom of movement when changing riding position, while also allowing the rider to sit further forward.

Aggressive styling for the new front fender adds to the motorcycle’s overall racy appearance and also saves 1.8oz in weight overall the previous model year.

The radiators have been angled inward to give the bike a slimmer and overall smaller feel. Also the gas tank is lower than last year’s model and the seat has a flatter profile.

The appearance is further highlighted by green engine plugs, oil cap and generator cover plugs, as well as green alumite suspension adjusters and black alumite wheels. Another neat detail is the embossing on the clutch cover, which was designed to gradually appear as contact from the rider’s boots wears away the paint. A new generator cover has also been incorporated to fit the new crankcase.

Since the engine is almost completely new, a new generator cover is used as well as green engine plugs and suspension adjusters to keep the KX-F looking trick.

To protect the 2016 Kawasaki KX450F motorcycle from general wear and tear encountered during a typical day at the track, a large synthetic skid plate offers great protection with minimum weight. The revised design has oval holes that facilitates easy mud removal and reduces the weight further.

For 2016, the KX450F still uses the Showa SFF-AIR TAC fork but with revised settings and new low-friction fork seals.

SUSPENSION & BRAKES

With Kawasaki engineers creating a lighter motorcycle, its agility was increased, allowing the suspension and brakes to work more efficiently and effectively. This is especially true of its state-of-the-art Showa SFF-Air TAC (Separate Function front Fork, Triple Air Chamber) fork technology, which separates the damping and shock absorption duties into the individual fork legs. The left fork tube contains the damping assembly and the right fork tube contains the air spring. Instead of the steel coil springs found in conventional forks, the SFF-Air TAC’s right fork tube has three chambers filled with pressurized air that act as a “spring”. Eliminating the steel coil springs reduces friction by approximately 20% and creates an extremely smooth action throughout the fork’s stroke. This has the added benefit of greatly reducing weight and allowing a larger damper piston to be used, providing smoother action. New low-friction fork seals and revised valve settings for reduced damping deliver easier fork movement, matching the pitching characteristics to the lighter chassis.

Speed counts for nothing if you can’t slow down. The big green bike now has a 270mm front brake for more stopping power and better braking feel.

This works-replica fork is derived from Kawasaki’s factory race bike. It is lightweight and rigid, contributing to superior riding stability and front-end feel. The low friction design contributes to an extremely smooth fork action, while precise settings are possible merely by changing air pressure.

Although the Showa front suspension is the same as last year’s model (with revised settings) a new frame and overall weight savings could change the way the air fork feels and works out on the track.

The fork has traditional 22-position compression and 20-position rebound damping adjustment. Furthermore, the rider can adjust the internal air pressure with the Kawasaki Genuine Accessories 0-300psi Digital Air Pump that is supplied with the KX450F motorcycle. Changing the air pressure covers a range of settings offered by optional springs in a standard fork, including quick changes of ride height, without needing to disassemble the fork tubes. The pump’s digital display offers precise air pressure setting, and its casing stores the engine’s DFI couplers for the fuel injection system, allowing better organization on practice or race days.

With the SFF-AIR TAC fork, you still have to check the three air chambers every ride, but the KX450F comes with a digital pump to make the job easier.

New linkage ratios for the Kawasaki Uni-Trak® suspension system were designed to suit the new aluminum frame and swingarm. Mounting the link below the swingarm allows a longer rear suspension stroke, while maintaining a low seat height. Dual compression adjustability from the Showa shock allows high-speed and low-speed damping rates to be set separately. The shock reservoir has a friction-reducing internal Kashima Coat for improved suspension action. This race-oriented suspension offers class-leading action and adjustability on par with the Showa SFF-Air TAC fork. The fully adjustable unit allows for precise settings to help keep the rear wheel planted and the rider out front.

Riders looking for an extra edge over the competition can use the optional Kawasaki rear suspension tie rod. It is 1mm longer than stock and can be used to reduce seat height by 4mm to give the rider greater control and adjustment.

Being able to enter every corner at the desired speed is critical to fast lap times. The 2016 Kawasaki KX450F motorcycle uses an oversized 270mm, petal-shaped front brake rotor (largest in class) from the renowned manufacturer, Braking. It helps provide powerful stopping forces, good lever feel and consistency in all conditions. It is paired with a 240mm petal-shaped Braking rotor on the rear.

ADJUSTABILITY

Kawasaki’s commitment to the rider continues with an adjustable handlebar and footpegs to fit various sizes and riding styles. The footpegs feature dual-position mounting points, with a lower position, which reduces the height from the standard position by an additional 5mm. The lower position effectively lowers the center of gravity when standing, and reduces knee angle when seated.

The handlebars offer 4-way adjustable mounts. With 35mm of range, the multi-position handlebars feature two mounting holes, and the 180-degree offset clamps provide four individual settings to suit different size riders.

Equipped with a flat seat, adjustable footpegs and handlebar as well as fully adjustable suspension, the 2016 Kawasaki KX450F motorcycle can be tailored to suit a large range of riders. This perfectly complements the wide range of damping settings as well as the DFI couplers and optional handheld Kawasaki Accessory KX FI Calibration Kit, allowing the rider to find the ideal engine characteristics to suit a particular track or conditions. So while the base settings on the KX450F motorcycle are based on extensive testing, including racing, the motorcycle provides a huge range of technology and adjustment to help ensure every rider can fully exploit the incredible ability of this extremely capable motocross bike.

2016 Kawasaki KX™450F

Features and Benefits

At a glance…

- NEW Lighter, more powerful engine with new engine cases

- REVISED Bridged-Box bottom piston based on AMA Factory race bikes for greater power

- NEW Intake ports, intake valves, cam timing and cylinder offset (moved 8.5mm forward) for increased power across a broad powerband

- NEW High-flow airbox with rear intake channels to improve flow and reduce intake noise

- Plug & play DFI® couplers allow easy engine maps changes

- Launch control based on factory race bike system to help riders get the hole-shot

- NEW Header with integrated resonator chamber for crisp throttle response

- NEW Mass-centralizing exhaust muffler to reduce sound and weight

- NEW Slimmer, lighter perimeter frame and swingarm improve rider feel, increased rigidity with new swingarm design

- Industry-leading Showa SFF-Air TAC (Separate Function front Fork, Triple Air Chamber) separates damping and spring duties into each fork tube. It also replaces heavy coil spring with air chambers to improve response and reduce weight

- NEW Low-friction fork seals for easier movement, pus new fork inner tubes with reduced rigidity are perfect complements for the new chassis

- Kawasaki Uni-Trak® rear suspension gives good suspension travel and works with adjustable Showa shock

- NEW Aggressive factory styling and flatter seat for easier rider movement

- 4-way adjustable handlebar and 2-way adjustable footpegs fit a wide range of riders

- NEW Light curb weight after a 7.5 lb weight reduction for 2016

- Adjustable 4-position handlebar and 2-position footpegs allow riders to fit the KX motorcycle to match their personal preference

Engine Overview

- 449cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-stroke single with legendary Kawasaki power

- Factory race-derived Bridged-Box-Bottom piston has optimum rigidity for maximum high-rpm power and durability

- A forward lean angle of 3° puts the engine in the ideal position for maximum traction

- Balanced crankshaft creates minimal vibration and has a high inertial mass to help maximize rear wheel traction

- Compact cylinder head is only 100mm tall

- NEW Intake ports, intake valves, cam timing and cylinder offset for increased power across a broad rev range

- Double valve springs help ensure stable valve operation and also allow for a short cylinder head height

- Camshafts, lobes and tappet surfaces feature a soft-nitride treatment for long wear and high-rpm reliability

- Automatic cam chain adjuster is maintenance-free

- NEW High-flow airbox with rear intake channels improve flow and reduce intake noise

- Crankshaft and connecting rod feature a special carburizing and quenching treatment to maximize rigidity, boosting long-term reliability without adding weight

Digital Fuel Injection (DFI®)

- Digital Fuel Injection self-adjusts to atmospheric changes for easier starting, sharper throttle response and crisp power delivery at all engine speeds

- It is not necessary to re-tune or change any jets to suit climatic conditions like carbureted models

- Ultra-fine atomizing injector with 12 holes sprays particles with a droplet size of 60μ for smooth power delivery and engine response throughout the throttle range

- 43mm throttle body uses a progressive throttle linkage to deliver airflow in much the same way as an FCR carburetor

- Fast-idle knob on the throttle body allows riders to increase engine speed when starting a cold engine

- Fuel injector set at 45°, the optimum angle for mid-range power

High-performance Multi-map ECU

- ECU programming enhances traction by diminution of ignition when excess wheelspin is detected by a sudden surge in RPM.

- Ignition timing boosts response when re-opening the throttle after deceleration (when landing jumps, etc)

- ECU programming is easily selectable via interchangeable DFI coupler caps that provide three pre-programmed maps for standard, hard or soft (terrain), without the need for a separate programmer or laptop

- The engine can be started with only three rotations of the crankshaft using the electricity generated by a single kick of the starter, no battery needed

- The system delivers electricity to the bike’s electronics in sequence: first the ECU, then the fuel pump, and finally the injector for quick, easy starting

- The compact, lightweight ECU, located on the front of the steering head behind the number plate, was designed specifically for motocross use. The fuel pump relay is integrated with the ECU to help cope with the shocks and vibrations of tough racing

Launch Control Mode

- Factory-style launch control system is an industry first and increases the ability to get good starts by maximizing available traction

- Push-button activation of the Launch Control Mode retards ignition timing in first and second gears, giving the greatest effect within the first few seconds of releasing the clutch

- Launch Control can be activated in neutral, first or second gear

- Shifting into third gear automatically deactivates Launch Control Mode and returns the ignition to normal mapping

Easy Starting

- Strong output from the large ACG rotor provides enough electrical power for the battery-less FI system to enable true one-kick starting without using a battery

- Equipped with an automatic compression release (ACR) system for quick and easy starting. The dual-weight centrifugal decompression system is fitted to the exhaust cam

- Compression release features 1mm of valve lift, to minimize the required kicking power

Bridged-Box Bottom Piston

- Piston crown shape tuned for excellent low to mid-range engine response

- Same design as used by factory racers; offers optimum performance at all RPM

- Lighter and more durable than traditional piston designs

- Short piston skirt features low-friction coating to minimize mechanical losses

- Reinforced external ribs enhance strength and durability

Showa SFF-Air TAC Front Fork

- Showa SFF-Air TAC (Separate Function front Fork, Triple Air Chamber) with triple air chamber uses air as a spring. The reduced weight and inertia of the air spring improves smoothness and enhances the fork’s ability to follow terrain contours

- The left fork tube contains the damping assembly, and the right fork tube contains the air spring

- Air spring significantly reduces friction and cuts weight while also providing better bottoming resistance, less oil contamination, plus easier and more effective tuning compared to traditional springs

- Large diameter internal damping cartridges help provide consistent performance and bottoming resistance

- NEW Material trimmed from the fork inner tubes results in lower rigidity, optimized for the new chassis

- NEW Low-friction seals, and revised valve settings for reduced damping deliver easier fork movement, matching the pitching characteristics to the lighter chassis.

- A removable spring pressure adjustment valve and free 0-300psi digital Kawasaki Genuine Air Fork Pump are included for quick and easy tuning of fork spring pressure

- Wrap-around fork tube guards offer effective protection for the sliders

- Lower triple clamp features integrated locating pins to help simplify installation and removal of the front number plate

- One-piece front fender attachment screws feature-integrated grommets to simplify installation and removal

Rear Shock

- 22-position rebound damping adjuster allows precise fine-tuning of the rebound circuit

- Easy adjuster access allows trackside suspension tuning with a minimum of hassle or lost time

- Rear shock features dual compression adjustability, allowing 19-position low-speed and 4 turns of high-speed damping adjustments to be made independently

- NEW Lower spring rate offers better rear suspension action

- NEW Linkage ratios were adjusted to suit the new, lighter chassis

Aluminum Swingarm

- Tapered “D” shape swingarm is lighter than a comparable box-section unit and provides superior rigidity for its weight

- Features tapered hydroformed spars and forged chain adjusters

- Uni-Trak® rear suspension linkage is mounted below the swingarm to allow precise tuning and longer rear suspension stroke

Fuel Tank & Lightweight Aluminum Fuel Pump

- Compact 1.66-gallon fuel tank is formed using a blow molding process

- Fuel pump features a one-piece filter cover and body, eliminating the need for fuel return tube from pressure regulator

- Features a plastic fuel filter cover that wraps around the inlet port and acts as a fuel trap to help ensure a stable fuel supply during vigorous motocross racing

Efficient Cooling

- High-capacity Denso radiator features tightly packed cores and a fin design that deliver superior cooling efficiency

- Shroud shape features a slim profile and large cooling outlet hole to help keep excess heat to a minimum

- Radiator louvers feature four small blades set at a shallow angle for protection while having minimum overlap and maximum air flow

Strong and Durable Clutch

- Friction plates with substantial friction material contribute to fade resistance and long service life

- Excellent oil drainage reduces power loss caused by excess oil around the clutch basket

- Clutch case cover features embossed logo and is painted silver, making scuffs and normal wear less noticeable

Close-ratio 5-Speed Transmission

- 5-Speed transmission and the engine’s broad torque curve gives riders more gear options for maximum drive on a wide range of tracks

- Thick first gear offers excellent durability for launching off the line in high-traction situations

- NEW aluminum rear sprocket design contributes to sharp looks and saves 1.8oz

Powerful Disc Brakes

- Front master cylinder features a knocker-style lever-to-piston interface for excellent feel and superbly consistent performance

- Front brake pads offer a strong braking force and feel

- Lightweight 270mm “oversized” front rotor by Braking is squeezed by a powerful twin-piston caliper and features an aggressive petal design to help clear mud and debris

- Lightweight 240mm petal-type rear rotor by Braking features the same aggressive petal style as the front rotor and is gripped by a single piston hydraulic rear caliper

Aggressive Styling and Improved Ergonomics

- NEW Aluminum perimeter frame is 6mm slimmer to help the bike feel compact and nimble, but tapers to become wider near the rider’s ankles to offer optimum grip and control

- NEW Lightweight minimalist bodywork including new number plates, shrouds, fenders, skid plate and engine water guard all featuring aggressive style

- NEW Aggressive design of new front fender adds to racy looks and saves 1.8oz in weight

- NEW The inward angle of the radiator allows the shrouds to be 1.2” slimmer than before. The minimalist shrouds were designed to be small and slim where they come into contact with the rider’s legs. The new two-piece construction and elongated design creates a smooth surface between the rider’s legs, facilitating easier movement

- NEW Flatter seat design uses urethane foam designed to retain its original shape and provide optimum durability. Flatter design unifies with bodywork to help ensure the rider can move around freely

- NEW Top of fuel tank is lower, allowing easier progression from the seat to the tank. Flatter design gives the rider greater freedom of movement when changing riding position, allowing the rider to sit further forward

- Black triple clamps and black anodized rims – just like Kawasaki’s factory teams

- Green finish on suspension adjusters and engine plugs look like the factory race parts

- 4-way adjustable handlebar and 2-way adjustable footpegs fit a wide range of riders

- Wide 50mm footpegs can be adjusted 5mm lower than stock to lower the center of gravity and suit a range of riders

Additional Features

- NEW Skid plate made from resin material offers great protection without excess weight. Revised design has oval holes that facilitates easy mud removal and reduces weight further

- Clutch cable boot features a large quick adjuster, making it easy for riders to adjust clutch play on the fly

- Rear caliper guard helps protect the caliper from damage

- Ribless rear hub and butted spokes offer light weight and excellent durability

Genuine Kawasaki Accessories

- NEW Handheld Kawasaki Accessory FI Calibration Kit (sold separately) allows precise adjustment of fuel and ignition settings while eliminating the need for a laptop. The unit stores up to seven preset maps, allowing rider optimization of engine power delivery for multiple track layouts and riding conditions. Handheld device is PC-compatible

- Kawasaki Racing Software Kit allows racers to reprogram the ECU’s data maps for volume of fuel injected and ignition timing to alter engine characteristics to suit rider preference. An ECU setting is available, which can also be used as a data logger, recording up to six hours of data, including engine rpm, degree of throttle opening, engine boost, coolant temp, air temp, ignition timing, fuel adjustments, gear position and system voltage

- Other Genuine Kawasaki Accessories available for the KX450F motorcycle include graphics kit, Pro-Circuit axle blocks, billet engine plugs, billet throttle tubes, thermo strips, complete exhaust, racing chain, seat covers and more

2016 KX™450F SPECIFICATION

Engine 4-stroke, 1-cylinder, DOHC, water-cooled

Displacement 449cc

Bore x Stroke 96 x 62.1mm

Compression Ratio 12.8:1

Fuel System DFI® with 43mm Keihin throttle body

Ignition Digital DC-CDI

Transmission 5-speed

Final Drive Chain

Frame Type Aluminum perimeter

Rake/Trail 28° / 4.9”

Fuel Capacity 1.66 gallons

Front Suspension / Wheel Travel 49mm Inverted Showa SFF-Air TAC Separate Function front Fork with Triple Air Chamber, DLC coated sliders, 22-position compression and 20-position rebound damping adjustment / 12.2”

Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel Uni-Trak® linkage system and Showa shock, 19-position low-speed and 4-turns high-speed compression damping, 22-position rebound damping and fully adjustable spring preload / 12.4”

Tire Size, Front 80/100-21

Tire Size, Rear 1 20/80-19

Brakes, Front Single semi-floating 270mm Braking petal-style disc with dual-piston caliper

Brakes, Rear Single 240mm Braking petal-style disc with single-piston caliper

Overall Length 86.4”

Overall Width 32.3”

Overall Height 50.8”

Ground Clearance 13.6”

Seat Height 37.8”

Curb Weight** 239.6 lb

Wheelbase 58.9”

Fuel Capacity 1.66 gallons

Color Choices Lime Green

MSRP $8,799

Warranty N/A

**Curb weight includes all necessary materials and fluids to operate correctly, full tank of fuel (more than 90 percent capacity) and tool kit (if supplied).

KAWASAKI KX™ 250F

Receiving several upgrades for Model Year 2016, the KX250F motorcycle continues to be a popular choice for amateur riders as well as the professionals – with more riders winning races on a Kawasaki KX250F than any other 250cc four-stroke in its class.

With all the changes to its bigger brother, the KX250F was left without major revisions. We don’t yet have any specs from Kawi, but we do know that an optional handheld KX FI Calibration Kit will be offered for 2016. The bike once again features 48mm Showa SFF front suspension and a 270mm front brake rotor.

It comes with a host of technology to help the rider succeed, including a Launch Control mode that enhances traction off the line by temporarily retarding ignition to help riders get the holeshot. The system features dual injectors for the Digital Fuel Injection (DFI®), with a downstream injector for smooth response and the upstream injector for hard-hitting power. The rider can be tune the system using one of three supplied DFI couplers. Each creates a different power delivery to suit different tracks. And these can be further tuned with the optional handheld Kawasaki KX FI Calibration Kit that is new for the 2016 Model Year. This device allows users to create engine maps, or use the stored maps, allowing the rider to find the best setting for their favorite tracks.

To exploit the powerful engine, the KX250F motorcycle has a 48mm Showa Separate Function Fork (SFF), which utilizes the left fork tube to carry the damping assembly, with the spring contained in the right tube. This combination allows a balance of precision movement, smooth action and firm damping to deal with small bumps or giant jumps. The design provides easily adjustable preload to tune the front-end feel. Additionally, the KX250F uses an oversized 270mm petal-shape front brake rotor, giving the rider powerful but controllable braking.

As an industry first in the 250 class, the KX250F has two-position, adjustable footpeg brackets that allow the rider to lower the position by 5mm, thereby lowering the center of gravity. It also has a four-way adjustable upper triple clamp with two mounting holes for the 180-degree rotatable handlebar clamps. These offer the rider the choice of four bar positions, including 25mm forward, 15mm forward, standard or 10mm back. The result is the ultimate ergonomic adjustment for riders of many sizes and styles.

Color: Lime Green

MSRP: $7,599

Availability: Now

KAWASAKI KX™ 100

As one of only a few two-stroke mini models left on the market, the KX100 remains a great stepping-stone between minis and full-sized motocross race bikes.

Don’t be fooled by its small stature, the powerful 99cc two-stroke engine in the KX100 has “big bike” looks capable of turning heads and winning races with ease. It has the same heritage as Kawasaki’s bigger motocross bikes and is able to get it done on the track thanks to handlebar adjustment to ensure the rider is in the best position to win. Therefore, it is the natural step from smaller dirt bike before the rider is ready to move onto a full-size motocross bike.

The single-cylinder engine has a Nikasil-coated cylinder and two-piece KIPS® (Kawasaki Integrated Powervalve System) valve among its arsenal of power-producing parts. It also has a large-capacity radiator to keep things cool in the heat of a race.

As you’d expect from the Kawasaki KX family, the chassis is highly competitive, using race-style petal-shaped brake rotors front and rear. It also has a 36mm inverted front fork with 20-way adjustable compression damping and 10.8” of travel. The rear suspension uses Kawasaki’s Uni-Trak® linkage for enhanced operation. The rear shock has 24-way compression and 21-way rebound damping, plus adjustable spring preload and the same 10.8” of travel.

Color: Lime Green

MSRP: $4,599

Availability: Now

KAWASAKI KX™ 85

Although unchanged, the KX85 has proven it can win races. Plus it has a good amount of adjustability to accommodate a wide range of mini racers.

Designed for the young rider who wants an unfair advantage over the competition, the KX85 is a “big bike” in a small package. It boasts many of Kawasaki’s winning technologies to get the rider onto the podium, and looks the part with its factory race-inspired styling.

It all starts with ensuring the rider is comfortable and in control, providing efficient damping at both ends to keep the tires tracking. The rider can easily reposition on the flat and narrow seat, helping to set up the bike for corners and jumps alike. It also has an adjustable handlebar to help with overall comfort and rider position.

The two-stroke, single-cylinder 85cc engine receives the advanced KIPS powervalve system for a wide powerband and ultimate reliability to keep the rider in the winner’s circle.

Color: Lime Green

MSRP: $4,349

Availability: Now

KAWASAKI KX™ 65

As the bike that many professional riders started their racing careers on, the KX65 has the performance necessary to take home those mini racer trophies.

Any aspiring motocross champion will want to consider the KX65 as their first choice for an entry-level motocross racer. This is where it gets real, with a six-speed transmission, plenty of get-up and go, solid stopping power and great handling.

The liquid-cooled, two-stroke 65cc engine means the KX65 has power to get the rider out of the corners and down the straights to the checkered flag. It can soak up the bumps with its 33mm fork with four-way rebound damping adjustment, while the rear features Kawasaki’s Uni-Trak single-shock system with adjustable rebound damping and fully adjustable spring preload.

Color: Lime Green

MSRP: $3,699

Availability: Now

Stay tuned to dirtrider.com for first tests of these machines as soon as we can get our mitts on them!

SPECTRUM, Episode 3 Preview ft. Cole Seely

DR Staff — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 20:44:49 +0000

Spectrum is an eight episode documentary series featuring today's professional Supercross and motocross athletes. Check out the trailer for Episode 3 "Phoenix Rising" featuring Cole Seely, releasing on June 9th. A short film series by Kyle Cowling.

Spectrum - Trailer from Kyle Cowling on Vimeo.

Glen Helen MX Photo Gallery 2015

DR Staff — Sat, 30 May 2015 15:43:41 +0000

Check out this collection of beautiful images by Robert Koy from the Glen Helen Pro Motocross National.

Mountain Motorsports Signs Davi Millsaps

DR Staff — Sat, 30 May 2015 15:03:50 +0000

—PRESS RELEASE—

MOUNTAIN MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF DAVI MILLSAPS AS WELL AS A COMPLETE AMATEUR RACING SUPPORT PROGRAM

Marietta, Georgia. (May 29, 2015) – Mountain Motorsports is excited to announce the signing of former Supercross Champion Davi Millsaps, who will be riding a 2015 Suzuki RM-Z 450 in the final 6 rounds of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Series.

Millsaps won his first professional championship back in 2006 by dominating the 250 Eastern Supercross Championship. He has also proven to be a top contender in the 450 class as well. Millsaps won the 2014 Monster Energy Cup, as well as finishing runner-up in both the 2012 and 2013 Monster Energy Supercross Championships.

With the excitement surrounding Millsaps’ return to professional competition aboard a Suzuki, Mountain Motorsports is also announcing a completely new amateur racing support program. “Mountain Motorsports has developed a complete amateur support program, “ said Farthing. “We are focused on helping to build the next generation of the sport.”

As a former professional racer himself, Farthing knows the value of quality support first hand. During a racing career that spanned 23 years, Farthing won 17 National and World Championships racing personal watercraft professionally. “When I first started racing my family didn’t have a lot of money. My parents spent everything they had to get me to the races,” said Farthing. “Without the support from both local and national organizations, my career would have never even started.” Farthing further explained, “Mountain Motorsports is proud to announce a complete program to support amateur motocross racers. We are offering industry leading discounts on new bikes and OEM replacement parts from every major brand.” Farthing continued, “I will personally be reviewing every resume for the new support program, all levels of riding experience will be considered from the C class to Pro.”

Mountain Motorsports is one of the nations largest powersport dealership groups, with six locations in Georgia, representing Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, Kawasaki, Sea-Doo, Can-Am, Polaris, Victory, KTM, Ducati, Kymco and Arctic Cat. For more information, visit www.mtn-motorsports.com

Resumes for the Mountain Motorsports Amateur Support Program should be submitted to:

Farthing@mtn-motorsports.com

Letters Needed! California Desert OHV Area Alert

DR Staff — Thu, 28 May 2015 18:53:04 +0000

—PRESS RELEASE—

NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION

COMMENTS NEEDED ON WEST MOJAVE ROUTE NETWORK PROJECT BY JUNE 4, 2015

Dear BRC Action Alert Subscriber,

As many of you know, the BLM’s comment period for the West Mojave (WEMO) Route Network Project (WMRNP) and Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) ends on June 4, 2015.

In addition, Alternative 3 proposes to minimize conflicts and threats to sensitive resources by mitigating conflicts and threats, with an emphasis on appropriate mitigation measures, rather than route closure or limitation as the primary mechanism to reduce conflicts and threats.

Again, BRC believes that Alternative3 – as currently configured – would provide continued access to meaningful OHV recreation including, but not limited to, casual use, permitted competition events, and club activities. It also includes the designation of dry or sand washes in subsequent project level travel management plans. This IS good news!

Extreme anti-access groups are pummeling the BLM with email letters demanding the agency select a more closure oriented alternative. OHVers must counter that effort with a massive letter campaign.

JOIN BRC TODAY

YOUR MEMBERSHIP GIVES US A STRONGER VOICE

BRC always encourages motorized recreationists to send in personal comment letters when time permits. Those have the most value.

Here is the mailing address for personal letters

California Desert District

Attn: WMRNP Plan Amendment

22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos

Moreno Valley, CA 92553

Email: cawemopa@blm.gov

BRC also understands that many of you are busy with jobs and family commitments and don’t have the time to send in a personal letter. For you, we have fired up the BRC letter generator so as to make it easy for you to send in a letter (you can add a personal note to it as well) and select from several prewritten comments.

GO TO BRC’S WEMO LETTER GENERATOR

Thanks in advance and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

Don Amador

Western Representative

BlueRibbon Coalition, Inc.

Office: 925.625.6287

Email: brdon@sharetrails.org

The BlueRibbon Coalition (BRC) is a national non-profit organization that champions responsible recreation and encourages a strong conservation ethic and individual stewardship, while providing leadership in efforts to keep outdoor recreation alive and well — all sports; all trails. With members in all 50 states, BRC is focused on building enthusiast involvement with organizational efforts through membership, outreach, education and collaboration among recreationists.

1-800-BLUERIB – www.BlueRibbonCoalition.Org

As a non-profit, grassroots organization funded primarily by membership dues and donations, we greatly appreciate your support. Visit http://www.sharetrails.org/make-a-difference-now to help fund our efforts to protect your trails!

Mountaineer GNCC, Wyoming Enduro Preview, Slovakia ISDE AMA Travel Package, GonzoCross, WORCS, Ruta 40 Rally, plus Much More! - The Weekly Dirt: May 27, 2015

DR Staff — Wed, 27 May 2015 14:05:09 +0000

Welcome to Weekly Dirt, your place on the Internet for news from the off-road world. This week we have info on the AMA Travel Package to Slovakia to see the 2015 ISDE, a preview of the upcoming Wyoming National Enduro, and a report from the Mountaineer GNCC in West Virginia, won by Kailub Russell after scrapping with pro MX’er Ryan Sipes at the first of the race. Also, Kato brings us news from WORCS and the Ruta 40 Rally. There’s plenty to go over, so let’s get going.

ISDE AMA Travel Package

Team USA has a great chance to come away with a victory at this year’s ISDE in Slovakia. Photo By Shan Moore

If you’re wishing to travel to Slovakia to cheer on our ISDE team this year, the easiest way to travel there is with the AMA Travel package. This Tour Package is inclusive of hotel accommodations at the DoubleTree Košice, daily buffet style breakfast, an official Team USA 2015 tee-shirt, assistance with car and airfare reservations, and onsite support from a Traveline Travel Agent.

The United States’ World, Junior and Women’s Trophy Teams are sitting pretty heading into this year’s event and anyone who goes may be able to witness some history in the making should Team USA come away with a victory!

Here’s the link to the sign-up page: http://www.cvent.com/events/ama-isde-ko-ice-tour-package/custom-17-27f52a59748e44e9adf91cdcc78b4862.aspx

Wyoming National Enduro

Defending Kenda AMA National Enduro Champ Andrew DeLong will be looking to get back on top of the box in Wyoming. Photo By Shan Moore

If you’re coming to the Inyan Kara National Enduro in Upton, Wyoming, round six of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series on June 14, be sure to come early so you can enjoy the fantastic landmarks in the surrounding area and the festivities in the pits on Saturday.

On Saturday, the Pro riders are available to talk to and for autographs, plus there will be a CornHole Bean Bag Toss Game, with donations going to aid the Caselli Foundation, where you can challenge a Pro rider of your choice to a duel for a $5 donation.

The club will also be hosting a Strider bike race for kids aged 2 to 5 at 7:00 PM (helmet required). Meanwhile, KTM is hosting a spaghetti dinner in the afternoon on Saturday.

As far as the series goes, Kailub Russell will be looking to extend his lead in the series standings, while defending champ Andrew DeLong will be trying to get back on top of the box to narrow Russell’s lead.

Among the other challengers will be four-time champ Russell Bobbitt, 2012 champ Steward Baylor and his brother Grant, among others. The tests will range from 5 miles to 11.5 miles and the terrain is smooth and flowing high desert terrain with lots of cedar trees.

Did I mention that Dirt Rider’s own Pete Peterson will be riding the race, doing a “special” test for a future issue. Come and give Pete a hard time!

As far as sightseeing, there’s lots to be seen in the area, including Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, and the historic towns of Deadwood and Sturgis. There’s also an awesome motorcycle museum.

For more info go to www.nationalenduro.com

Kailub Russell Tops Mountaineer GNCC

Kailub Russell stands at the center of the podium after this weekend’s Mountaineer GNCC, with Ryan Sipes (right) in second and Thad DuVall in third. Photo By Shan Moore

Kailub Russell continues to have his way with the 2015 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, claiming his sixth win in seven rounds at this weekend’s Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Mountaineer Run GNCC at Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia.

Russell drew heavy fire from AirGroup/Rockstar Energy/Husqvarna's Ryan Sipes, as Sipes led the first two laps. However, Russell was finally able to wrestle the lead away from the pro motocrossers and put some distance between himself and Sipes to take the win, with Sipes in second and Rocky Mountain ATV*MC/KR4/FAR's Thad DuVall in third.

Russell holds a 79-points in the series standings ahead of N-Fab/AmPro Yamaha's Grant Baylor.

Pro Motocrossers Participate In Big Air For Kids Fair

Pro Motocrossers teamed with Tonka to entertain the kids at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. Photo Courtesy Big Air For Kids

Pro Motocross racers, Ken Roczen, Josh Grant, Trey Canard, Chad Reed and others attended the Big Air Kids Fair and Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital in conjunction with TONKA, on Thursday, May 21, a free event featuring some of motorcycle racing’s biggest stars. They took over the front steps for Loma Linda University Hospital to put on a high-flying show for the children.

Guests were treated to a one-of-kind experience featuring the high flying acrobatics of some of Freestyle Motocross’ most well-known riders including Destin Cantrell, Scotty Stephens and Jimmy Fitzpatrick as they jumped ramp to ramp, more than 30 feet in the air! In addition to this free motorcycle show, guests interacted with a life-size TONKA truck and experienced Gazillion Bubbles’ 5-foot Monsoon Machine.

The Motocross (MX) and Supercross (SX) professionals toured the hospital afterwards, visiting with patients, parents and staff to sign autographs and hand out motorcycle swag such as pajamas, shirts, jackets, hats, posters, DVDs and games, as well as 150 bags featuring TONKA Toys, Gazillion Bubbles and other toys.

The Kurt Caselli Foundation Second Annual Fundraiser at Doffo Winery

Kurt Caselli at the German ISDE in 2012. Photo By Shan Moore

Don’t forget, this weekend the Kurt Caselli Foundation is hosting its second annual fundraiser to be held at Doffo Winery in Temecula, CA on May 30, 2015 from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

Entry to the event is $10.00 per person. An auction will be held during the day on items from Kurt’s past as well as motorcycle-related items donated from sponsors of the event. Food and drinks will be available for purchase and a special showing of On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter will take place in the afternoon. The custom Roland Sands Caselli bike will be on display and live music from the local band Wine Brew. In addition, wine will be available for purchase with a custom-made Kurt Caselli Foundation logo.

Kurt’s Dakar bike will be on display along with a small collection of personal belongings and photos of his racing history. Guests can also tour the MotoDoffo Vintage collection of motorcycles, which are on display in the outside seating area and the barrel room.

Kurt’s mother, Nancy, sister Carolyn and fiancée Sarah White will all be in attendance supporting the event. Ride Like Caselli t-shirts and stickers will be available for purchase. Proceeds will go to The Kurt Caselli Foundation with a mission to help protect the lives of off-road riders before, during and after a race. To learn more about the foundation please visit www.kurtcaselli.com.

To RSVP for the event, please visit at www.bit.ly/motodoffo-caselli. Doffo Winery is located at 36083 Summitville Street, Temecula, CA 92592.

GonzoCross

Here is an event that sounds like fun. Dirt bike racing during the fair! Plus it’s community driven. The Great Gonzo, aka Charlie Williams, is throwing open the gates and inviting every one to help and participate. The outcome is unknown, but he is sure to pull out all the stops in the name of fun. Expect anything!

The event will be held June 24th at the Marion County Indiana Fair Grounds.

Here’s the address:

Marion County Indiana Fair Grounds

7300 East Troy Ave. Indianapolis In 46239

Inside the famous Mid America Speedway

This event is being held during the fair so plenty of good food on the midway. GonzoCross has one goal, FUN! This is a community event and every one is invited to participate. The track will take the best parts of Moto and combine it with the fun parts of EnduroCross. Charlie will build a fun track to ride. NO BIG ROCKS easy on equipment, and bones....

Come ride practice from 3 – 6. From 6-7 there is a break, you go get a funnel cake, and then at 7:30 the racing starts and chaos begins.

Pit Pass w/lawn seating $10, Grand Stand $5, Riders Entry Fee $25.

Visit Gonzo Rider - Take The Ride for more information. —Shan Moore

Bell Wins Fifth WORCS Race; Brabec Fourth In Ruta 40 Rally

Though last year he lost the number-one plate he’d earned in the 2013 Rocky Mountain ATV/MC World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) to Gary Sutherlin, Precision Concepts KX450F rider Robby Bell seems to be using that to exact crushing revenge this year on his opponents.

The latest example came at round six of the series in Cedar City, Utah. Still stung by crashing out of contention at the previous round (also in Utah though at a different venue), Bell felt it provided the perfect opportunity to redeem himself.

“I wanted to get back to winning ways, and I felt the terrain at Cedar City would give me the perfect platform to do so as the somewhat fast and flowing course suited my skill set,” Bell observed.

But FMF KTM support rider Sutherlin had other ideas and got the holeshot and led from the outset with Bell taking up second place for the first couple laps then being bumped to third by FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM’s Eric Yorba during the second 30 minutes after he crashed.

However, Bell gathered himself up and got back in the race, saying, “Once I calmed myself down and refocused my aggression into carrying speed and flowing around the course, I began making up ground on Gary and Eric, who had passed me during my crash.”

That worked. Bell picked off Yorba and then got Sutherlin for the lead before taking the white flag followed by Sutherlin and Yorba.

“This win felt great, as I was able to overcome a bit of adversity, but I’m not completely satisfied with my performance because of the impatience I showed and the rash decision-making that led to my fall,” Bell admitted. “I need to iron out those mistakes, but in the meantime it does make for some exciting GoPro footage.”

The win was Bell’s fifth of the season, obviously keeping him atop the points table with 147. Yorba’s teammate Travis Coy (who finished fourth) and Hinson Honda’s Justin Jones (who skipped WORCS in order to race the Glen Helen National MX where he finished 28th overall in the 450cc class with 26-26 moto finishes) are tied for second in points at 92. Sutherlin has 91 points and holds fourth while Bell’s teammate Justin Seeds (fifth on the day) occupies fifth in points with 90.

Despite a penalty-plagued first two stages, Ricky Brabec kept plugging away, eventually rebounding to take a strong fourth place in only his second rally. Photo By Mark Kariya

Reigning Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Champion Ricky Brabec took advantage of a break in the series to travel for the first time to Argentina for the Desafio Ruta 40 Rally, the first of three rounds of the Dakar Series.

While not a round of the FIM Cross-country Rallies World Championship, the South American-centric series (Argentina, Paraguay and Peru) is considered an important tour as the winner at each round is guaranteed a slot in the following year’s Dakar Rally.

And since it isn’t part of the world championship, the Red Bull KTM Factory Rally Team and most of the other main European teams opt to skip it, leaving Team HRC as the big fish in a relatively small pond.

So, it was no surprise to see the Red Riders dominate with Paulo Goncalves setting the pace from the start, winning the first stage with teammate Joan Barreda second. Honda CRF450 Rally riders ended up winning four of the five stages with Goncalves taking the overall. Barreda DNFed with a knee injury on the fourth day.

As for Brabec, his second-ever rally started with penalties—four minutes in the opening stage and a whopping 30 the next day, leaving him buried in a huge hole.

But he kept plugging away, determined to take advantage of the opportunity to refine his navigating despite the handicap of a bug in his road book that forced him to roll the sheet manually instead of pushing the button to advance it electronically.

At the intense pace they must run, that distraction inevitably costs time, but Brabec stayed positive and picked up places as the last half of the race wore on and actually improved on his rally debut result by one spot, ending up a fine fourth place behind winner Goncalves, Honda Argentina’s Javier Pizzolito and KTM-mounted Frenchman David Casteau.

“Here, I heard that it’s more like the Dakar,” he said at the finish. “I actually like it out here.”

He continued, “I almost had a shot at the podium. I think a few more rallies and I’ll get this down.

“I have the speed—running up there with the faster guys—I just need to navigate a bit quicker.”

Round two of the series takes place in Paraguay on July 20-26, though Brabec isn’t quite sure when Team HRC will call him up again.

Brabec got a four-minute penalty on first day, followed by a 30-minute penalty on the second day. Third day was penalty-free and he ended up fifth for the stage.—Mark Kariya

That’s all for this week, be sure to check in next week for more news from the off-road world.

VIDEO: Leadbelt National Enduro 2015

DR Staff — Tue, 26 May 2015 16:18:30 +0000

Glen Helen MX Race Results 2015

DR Staff — Sun, 24 May 2015 01:20:36 +0000

—PRESS RELEASE—

**Eli Tomac Goes Back-to-Back to Open 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Season with Win at Glen Helen

**Marvin Musquin Takes Over 250 Class Points Lead with Dominant 1-1 Effort

SAN BERNARDINO, California (May 23, 2015) - The second round of the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, signified the series' lone visit to Southern California on Saturday with the FMF Glen Helen National at Glen Helen Raceway. One week after dominating the field to make the first statement in the battle for the 450 Class title, GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac enjoyed another convincing outing with his second straight 1-1 moto sweep, extending his early points lead. In the 250 Class, Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin took advantage of an off day by co-points leader Jeremy Martin to take sole possession of the championship lead following a perfect 1-1 effort and his first overall win of the season.

The afternoon began with RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing rider Ken Roczen, the defending 450 Class Champion, claiming the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier. When Moto 1 got underway, it was Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha's Justin Barcia claiming the Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of his teammate Phil Nicoletti. Roczen experienced misfortune, crashing on the opening lap, while both Tomac and Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey asserted themselves at the front of the field.

Nicoletti slipped past Barcia lead the opening lap, but Barcia got back around to lead Lap 2. On Lap 3 Dungey took control of the race, while Tomac soon followed into second. The top two were able to open a gap on the field and soon started to inch closer to one another. On Lap 7, Tomac pressured Dungey for the top spot and was able to move out front after Dungey's bike stalled. While Tomac checked out, Dungey was able to resume, maintaining second. Once in the lead Tomac cruised to the win, but Dungey experienced another stall on the final lap and fell outside the top five. That allowed Barcia to move into second and Nicoletti into third, for his best career moto result. Dungey crossed the line in sixth.

In Moto 2, Tomac ensured he controlled the race from the get go by earning his second Motosport.com Holeshot Award of the season ahead of Dungey. While he kept Tomac within reach during the opening laps, Dungey ultimately couldn't keep pace, which allowed the Honda rider to move out to a multiple second margin early in the moto. While Dungey locked down control of second, Roczen was rebounding from his first moto misfortune to ride consistently in third ahead of Barcia. Tomac took the checkered flag by 23.426 seconds over Dungey, with Roczen third.

As he had in each of his two career wins entering the afternoon, Tomac relied on a 1-1 effort to claim his third career overall victory. Barcia tied his career-best finish in second overall (2-4), while Dungey recovered from his first moto troubles to round out the overall podium in third (6-2).

"I'm really comfortable right now. I've never been in this position before this early in the season where I feel like I'm one with the bike," said Tomac, who won in his first professional start at Glen Helen. "The motorcycle is just really easy to ride right now. I've improved my starts a whole lot and that's been huge for me. I battled with Ryan there for a while in the first moto and he stalled his bike, which made it a little easier . In Moto 2, I just ripped the holeshot and had fun."

Tomac's perfect 4-0 moto record to start the season moved him to 19 points ahead of Dungey in the 450 Class standings. After a fifth-place overall finish (5-6), Autotrader.com/Toyota/Yamaha's Weston Peick moved into third, 36 points back.

"Third place isn't necessarily something to be bummed at, it's a respectable spot. But we want to win. That's what we're here for," said Dungey. "The bike wanted to shut off in the first moto and it kept getting worse and worse before it eventually did. In the second moto we just wanted to focus on a good finish, so I got a good start and just followed Eli. We made up some ground from last week and we'll keep working at it."

Photo by Robert Koy

In the 250 Class, Martin claimed the Bud Light Fastest Qualifier, but his day took an unfortunate turn after that. Before the first moto began, Martin and his Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha team were scrambling to get his bike started. The team was able to fix the issue right before the gate dropped on the field and Martin entered the race a handful of seconds after the moto got underway. Out front, Troy Lee Designs/Lucas Oil/Red Bull/KTM's Jessy Nelson earned the Motosport.com Holeshot Award and maintained the lead over Red Bull KTM's Marvin Musquin for the first six laps.

Musquin gradually chipped away at the deficit to Nelson and made the pass for the lead on Lap 6. Once at the point, Musquin consistently pulled away from his competitors. That left the battle for second amongst three riders in Nelson, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki's Joey Savatgy and Red Bull KTM's Justin Hill. On Lap 11, Hill passed Savatgy for third after a long fight for the position. On the ensuing lap, Hill's charge forward continued with a pass on Nelson, who would later drop another spot to Savatgy. Musquin took the win, while Hill followed with a career-best moto finish in second and Savatgy third. After starting at the tail end of the field, Martin battled his way to an impressive fifth-place finish.

In Moto 2, Musquin seized control from the start by grabbing the Motosport.com Holeshot Award ahead of Nelson and CycleTrader.com/Rock River Yamaha's Alex Martin. Jeremy Martin also got an improved start over the first moto and was in the lead group as they exited the first corner, but contact with another rider sent him to the ground and to the back of the field again.

The top three jockeyed for position on the opening lap and Alex Martin emerged with the lead to pace the field on Lap 1, with Nelson second and Musquin third. The following lap, Musquin got back around both riders to reclaim the lead and never look back. With Musquin pulling away, Martin continued to assert himself in second while Nelson engaged in a battle for third with his teammate Shane McElrath. Musquin took the win 6.612 seconds over Martin, who enjoyed a career-best moto finish in second, while McElrath earned a career best moto finish of his own in third after a last-lap pass on Nelson. Jeremy Martin again was impressive in his climb through the field, finishing sixth.

Musquin's 1-1 effort gave him the win he missed out on via a tiebreaker last weekend as well as sole possession of the championship lead. Hill earned his first career overall podium in second (2-5), while Nelson tied the best finish of his career in third (4-4). It marked the first time in history that the KTM brand swept the overall podium.

"I always like racing at Glen Helen," said Musquin. "I remember coming here for the first time for the USGP and won both motos. It's great to do it again in the U.S. Championship. The track was great and I really enjoyed it out there. The first moto was a great battle with Jessy , and I finally was able to get the lead and win the moto. In the second moto I got a great start but made a little mistake early, but I recovered and got back out front. That allowed me to ride my own race."

Musquin opened a 19-point lead over Jeremy Martin, who finished seventh (5-6), in the 250 Class standings. A fifth-place finish (11-2) allowed Alex Martin to move into third, 32 points back.

The 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship continues next Saturday, May 30, with the True Value Thunder Valley National from Lakewood, Colorado.

Results

Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

FMF Glen Helen National

Glen Helen Raceway - San Bernardino, California

May 23, 2015

Round 2 of 12

450 Class (Moto Finish)

Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (1-1)
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha (2-4)
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (6-2)
Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, (8-3)
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha (5-6)
Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki (4-8)
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki (7-7)
Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna (9-10)
Cole Seely, Laguna Beach, Calif., Honda (14-9)
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna (38-5)

450 Class Championship Standings

Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 100
Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 81
Weston Peick, Wildomar, Calif., Yamaha, 64
Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Suzuki, 61
Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha, 58
Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki, 51
Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Husqvarna, 50
Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna, 48
Chad Reed, Australia, Kawasaki, 46
Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki, 43

250 Class (Moto Finish)

Marvin Musquin, France, KTM (1-1)
Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore. KTM (2-5)
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM (4-4)
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki (3-7)
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (11-2)
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM (9-3)
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha (5-6)
Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda (6-11)
Kyle Peters, Greensboro, N.C., Honda (7-12)
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki (12-10)

250 Class Championship Standings

Marvin Musquin, France, KTM, 97
Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 78
Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 65
Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Georgia, Kawasaki, 58
Justin Hill, Yoncalla, Ore. KTM, 52
Chris Alldredge, Powell Butte, Ore., Kawasaki, 49
Jessy Nelson, Paso Robles, Calif., KTM, 46
Matt Bisceglia, Tualatin, Ore., Honda, 45
Shane McElrath, Canton, N.C., KTM, 44
Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki, 42

**Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship

Rever Launches New Motorcycle App And Partners With Bonnier Motorcycle Group

DR Staff — Wed, 20 May 2015 20:34:13 +0000

—PRESS RELEASE—

Eagle, CO; May 20, 2015 — Rever, a new motorcycle-focused mobile and technology company, has partnered with The Bonnier Motorcycle Group, the world’s largest motorcycle media group.

The Rever mobile app is the first of its kind in the motorcycle industry, offering riders a long list of features to help discover roads, create routes, track rides, compete for bragging rights, and share their riding experiences.

"We are extremely excited to bring new technology to the motorcycle community,” said Justin Bradshaw, Co‐Founder of Rever. “To have such solid support from our industry's leading motorcycle media brand also says a lot about Bonnier's dedication to pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a media company"

The Rever App is available now on iOS and Android devices. Premium upgrades give users access to additional planning features such as Butler Maps’ patented road recommendations, custom alerts, and a feature called “Ride With Friends” that shows the location of riders in your group. Additional planning and sharing tools can be found at www.rever.co.

About Rever

Rever was conceived by the motorcycle industry veterans at Butler Maps and fellow riding enthusiasts with experience in mobile technology and action sports.

About Bonnier Motorcycle Group

Bonnier Motorcycle Group is the world's largest motorcycle media family, featuring the most complete, authentic, and in‐depth coverage for all facets of the motorcycle marketplace. Bonnier Motorcycle Group consists of 11 premium brands which include: Cycle World, Motorcyclist, Dirt Rider, Hot Bike, Sport Rider, Baggers, Motorcycle Cruiser, Street Chopper, ATV Rider, Super Streetbike, and UTV Driver.

AMA West Hare Scrambles, Roczen Toughs It Out, Kailub Russell Wins Enduro On Factory Edition, Ride Orange Caselli Foundation MTB Ride, BlueRibbon Coalition News And Much More! - The Weekly Dirt: May 20, 2015

DR Staff — Wed, 20 May 2015 16:54:29 +0000

Welcome to Weekly Dirt, your place on the Internet for off-road news from around the world. This week we check into Ken Roczen’s status, take a look at the Mountain bike ride that the KTM Ride Orange program hosted and we listen to what KTM team manager Antti Kallonen and Kailub Russell have to say about the new 2015.5 KTM 250 SXF Factory Edition. This week, we’re also introducing you to Martin Hackworth, the incoming Executive Director of BlueRibbon Coalition. There’s plenty to go over, so let’s get going.

Ken Roczen Toughs Out A Difficult Weekend

Defending outdoor champ Ken Roczen gritted out a top-five in the second moto at Hangtown. Photo Shan Moore

Somewhere between the end of the Supercross season and the start of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Series, Ken Roczen aggrivated a pre-existing back injury, which obviously held him back at Hangtown. The Soaring Eagle/RCH/Jimmy John’s Suzuki rider rode to an uncharacteristic 19th-place in the first moto, but then toughed it out in moto two to finish fifth in the moto and fifth overall.

“This weekend was a tough one,” said Roczen. “So, it turns out I have a stress fracture in my back which, I struggled. I hadn’t ridden since last Thursday (May 7). Coming to Hangtown, I didn’t know if I would be able to ride or not. I struggled big-time. The track was gnarly and if you’re not riding for eight or nine days and you come straight to that, it’s really tough to get in a rhythm. But, we managed to get some points in the second moto.”

Even with the injury, Roczen managed to salvage a respectable amount of points, which left him 12th in the standings heading into Glen Helen.

“In my eyes, the championship it still open” Roczen added. “We’re going to have to pull ourselves together and figure out my back. I want to put in 100 percent effort in training and focus on everything to come back strong and be ahead of everyone every single weekend.”

Kailub Russell Debuts 2015.5 250 SXF Factory Edition at Lead Belt National Enduro

Kailub Russell’s 2015.5 250 SXF Factory Edition sits under the KTM awning on Saturday. Photo Shan Moore

Kailub Russell debuted the 2015.5 250 SXF Factory Edition, the same bike Marvin Musquin won the East Regional 250SX class on this year, in national enduro competition and came away with his first national enduro win at round five of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series in Park Hills, Missouri.

According to team manager Antti Kallonen, there were only a few differences, including an 18” rear wheel, between Kailub’s bike and Musquin’s bike.

“With the success we wanted to give it a try and sprint enduro first and kind of see how that goes,” said Kallonen. “Kailub really liked it so we’re going to debut it here in enduro this weekend. Obviously the engine is our factory services engine. It’s based on the stock model engine but then with all the modifications that we would do normally on any other bike to make it more suitable for off-road. And then we put on an 18 inch wheel. Then we have an FMF exhaust that is made for enduro with the spark arrester and all that. The rest are basically the same components converted from Russell’s old race bike to this. His forks are the same, and the shock obviously doesn’t fit to this new bike so we have a new factory shock on this with the new setting also built for off-road. But then all the others things are just Russell’s own personal handlebars and all that stuff. But everything else we’re able to transfer from the old bike basically. Triple clamps, handlebars, bar mounts, and things like that.”

After winning the event, Russell was pleased with the bike.

“The new bike is awesome,” said Russell. “I came in after the third or fourth test and I handed the bike to Tanner (Russell’s mechanic) and I said, ‘man, I love this bike.’ I was just having fun riding. It goes a long way when you’re having fun on the bike. I feel like I can manipulate the bike to do what I want it to do. It’s not riding me. So we made some changes and changed some things up. We stopped running bark busters. I feel a lot more confident going fast in the trees. A lot of people don’t understand why I don’t run them. I don’t feel comfortable running them at all. That helped out a lot today.”

Lead Belt Enduro Ride Orange MTB Ride

Eight-time National Enduro Champ Mike Lafferty put together a couple of mountain bike rides at the Lead Belt National Enduro benefitting the Caselli Foundation. Photo Shan Moore

KTM team manager Antti Kallonen participated, too. Photo Shan Moore

The morning group lines up before the ride. Photo Shan Moore

At this past weekend’s Moose Racing Lead Belt National Enduro (round five of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series), KTM’s Ride Orange Program sponsored a bicycle ride, which was hosted by none other than eight-time national champ Mike Lafferty. Donations were taken to benefit the Caselli Foundation and a large turnout participated, including another eight-time champ, Dick Burleson.

Peddle with the Pros, as it was called, was open to all skill levels and was held on St. Joe State Parks many walking/bicycling paths.

Kudos to Mike and to the Ride Orange program.—Shan Moore

Being a Good Ambassador

Meet Martin Hackworth.

My name is Martin Hackworth and I'm the incoming Executive Director of BlueRibbon Coalition. I’m an off-road motorcyclist, mountain biker, trail runner, skier, climber, and motorcycle road racing enthusiast. I recently retired from a 23-year career as a physicist at Idaho State University to fight for access full-time

Something that I hope to bring to the forefront of access is the critical importance of being good ambassadors for our sport. I know that everyone says that this is a grand idea, but our actions have to speak louder than words. We must be willing to challenge poor or counterproductive behavior. That means skin in the game.

We must be willing, for instance, to brace the driver of the dirt bike-laden diesel truck doing doughnuts in a multi-use trailhead parking lot. We must counsel friends who disparage “tree-huggers” without doing them the simple courtesy of listening to what they have to say the way we'd like for them to listen to us.

We must also shut down the crazy talk that almost invariably crops up in conversations concerning access. A fair number of our critics already regard us as a fringe element of society. Many of us, unfortunately, have no trouble playing up to this stereotype. We are often a more effective enemy than our critics. Want to know why we have difficulty finding support outside of the Powersports industry? I give you exhibit “A”.

I regard what I do these days - long, difficult dirt bike trail rides like the Tour of Idaho - as much a top-level sport as I do climbing the Nose on El Capitan or skiing steep terrain on Telemark skis. And having done all three I feel reasonably well qualified to offer that opinion.

But it is an opinion best offered in a respectful manner to everyone else with whom we share public lands.—Martin Hackworth

Nick Burson The Best For A Second AMA West Hare Scrambles Win

Nick Burson’s background is desert racing and he’s raced in the Caliente area before. That proved to be an impossible combination to beat, and he recorded his second AMA WHS win of the season, moving him to second in points behind runner-up Cory Graffunder, 122-111. Photo By Mark Kariya

Graffunder is more of a tight woods and technical trails rider, but he acquitted himself well, leading the first two of an eventual six laps. Having to pit for fuel after two laps compared to Burson’s need to pit after three helped relegate him to a second on the day. Photo By Mark Kariya

Series first-timer Collin Elliott battled up front, taking the lead and the win on the final lap despite having a flat rear tire. Photo By Mark Kariya

Caliente isn’t your stereotypical desert race. Photo By Mark Kariya

The Kenda/SRT AMA West Hare Scrambles Championship Series encompasses a wide variety of terrain in its eight rounds. Some have a distinct desert feel; others feature a more traditional woods-type flavor.

Each of the first four rounds of the series proved to be unique, with a different winner at each.

So when round five—the Silver State Trail Blazers’ Sawmill Run in Caliente, Nevada—rolled around, its locale suggested something desert racers would feel most comfortable in, though some argued that point.

“For me, it feels like a mix of all the races we’ve had this year in this series kind of thrown together—nothing super-tight but still some trees, rocks, fast sand washes, stuff like the gnarly downhill,” Purvines Racing Beta star Nick Burson insisted. “So I liked it a lot; it was fun!”

Round-two winner and series points leader Cory Graffunder said, “I really didn’t know what to expect with the course. I knew just from the stuff I could see from , it looked like it was somewhat technical and not just a wide-open hare & hound-type race so it being a desert race, I was actually pretty enthused about my chance to do well here.”

But with Burson’s experience due to previous races in the area, the SRT Off-road KTM rider knew his best chance of doing well was to make a break from the start, and he grabbed the lead early, setting a furious pace.

However, Burson also got a good start and tailed the points leader, content to follow for at least two laps of the roughly 15-mile course since he had a hunch.

“We’d already planned to go three laps and I didn’t know if he could,” Burson said.

When Graffunder decided to pit at the end of two laps in order to feed his 300 XC, Burson knew it was go time and sprinted until he pulled in at the end of three to fuel his 430 RR. Only then did he learn how his plan worked: “When I pitted, I looked back and didn’t see him anywhere so I just rode out from there.”

Burson took the checkered flag after completing six laps in two hours, 47 minutes and 27 seconds, Graffunder almost four and a half minutes behind but was still a comfortable 42 seconds ahead of FMF/Maxxis/RPM Racing KTM’s Travis Coy. More important for Graffunder was keeping the points lead, which he maintains at 122 followed now by Burson’s 111 and Coy’s 105.

The FMF 250cc Pro class, on the other hand, has been more akin to a broken record, with Joey Fiasconaro coming back from facial injuries in a non-series race a few weeks ago to record his fourth class triumph aboard his Sierra Motorsports KTM. He was also ninth overall. Mitch Anderson rebounded from a first-turn crash that left him at the back of the pack to grab second in class—his best result to date—and 11th overall on his IMS KTM 250 XC. That put him almost a minute ahead of third-place Clayton Gerstner who also recorded his best finish to date at this level despite being slightly undergunned on his Aspen Dirt Bike School-backed CRF250R.

Due to some free time in his schedule, Ricky Brabec flew south last week to take part in Argentina’s Ruta 40 Rally, which began yesterday. Though it’s not a round of the FIM Cross-country Rallies World Championship, it is part of the Dakar Challenge and thus awards the winners free entry into next year’s Dakar Rally.

While the Red Bull KTM team skipped this one, Team HRC was there in full force in order to carry out more testing, and to no one’s surprise, Paulo Goncalves and Joan Barreda went 1-2 aboard their factory-backed CRF450 Rally bikes. Goncalves completed the opening stage in five hours, 32 minutes and 30 seconds with Barreda five and a half minutes behind.

Most of the field is from South America, of course, and Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla took his KTM 450 Rally to third, just 45 seconds behind Barreda. Then came a fairly large gap of 15:37 to fourth-place Javier Pizzolito on another Honda.

Brabec actually set the fourth-fastest time with his 5:51:17 after being the 16th to start, but he incurred a four-minute penalty, dropping him to fifth for the day—still a very respectable result in only his second rally. Competitors have four more days.

Todd Huffman is among the elite moto-focused filmmakers, with last year’s critically acclaimed Penton: The John Penton Story his latest effort.

He now aims to create another classic, this time focused on a classic event, the Catalina Grand Prix just off the coast of Southern California, that was resurrected in 2010 after being dormant since 1958. Huffman and a crew of 20 spent three days shooting that once-in-a-lifetime event that drew moto celebrities as well as weekend warriors who just wanted to be part of it. The late Kurt Caselli, winner Kendall Norman, Travis Pastrana and the legendary Malcolm Smith all lined up with hundreds of others, creating an atmosphere unlike any other race.

Besides the hours of footage shot over those three days as well as historical snippets, Huffman and his Pipeline Digital Media group are shooting more interviews to provide a more complete picture of this race and all that went into it. Being a small independent company, Huffman is depending on a Kickstarter campaign to fund his latest project, which he aims to release in June 2016. Visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/toddhuffman/the-catalina-grand-prix-the-race-returns for information on how to back what promises to be another worthy Huffman film.—Mark Kariya

That’s all for this week, be sure to check in next week for more news from the off-road world.

First Look: 2016 KTM Mini Models!

Chris Denison — Tue, 19 May 2015 18:53:19 +0000

A Sneak Peek At The New 2016 KTM Mini Lineup

KTM is one of the few companies that give proper attention to youth riders. While most other manufacturers do offer something for kids, the majority of the bikes available to young riders have not been changed in several years. But not KTMs; for 2016, the Austrian manufacturer has once again announced that it will not only be offering a host of minis next year, but it has also thrown some great revisions at the orange youth bike lineup. Below is the latest information from KTM regarding these machines.

To read about the 2016 KTM Motocross models, click here: http://www.dirtrider.com/features/first-look-2016-ktm-sxf-sx-motocross-models/
To read about the new EXC/XC-W/Freeride machines, click here: http://www.dirtrider.com/features/first-look-2016-ktm-xcw-exc-and-freeride-off-road-models/

2016 KTM 85 SX Highlights

The KTM 85 SX is back in 2016. Although this little ripper didn’t receive any major performance changes, the revised graphics and new black wheels truly make the 85 look like a miniature version of KTM’s new big bikes.

This fast and fun two-stroke has a lot in common with its bigger brother, the KTM 125 SX.

For 2016 the KTM 85 SX returns to the fray with the most powerful engine in its class matched with a super-lightweight and stable chassis. This junior class ripper is the perfect mount for those future champions fighting for victory, no matter the venue. New graphics and black wheels keep the 85 SX looking sharp and resemble the rest of the SX line. Its high performance cylinder with flow-optimized ports and a high-precision exhaust control valve provide the engine with unrivalled performance, and its top-quality chromoly steel frame and aluminum subframe make for a stable yet nimble chassis. It all makes for a truly Ready to Race 85 cc weapon.

Updates for 2016:

New graphics for 2016
Black wheels for 2016

2016 85 SX SPECIFICATIONS

Engine Type: Single Cylinder, 2-Stroke

Displacement: 84.9 cc

Bore/Stroke: 47/48.95 mm

Starter: Kickstarter

Transmission: 6 gears

Fuel System: Keihin PWK 28

Lubrication: Premix 40:1

Primary Ratio: 19:66

Final Drive: 14:46

Cooling: Liquid Cooling

Clutch: Wet multi-disc clutch, Formula hydraulics

Ignition: Moric Digital 2M1

Frame: Chrome-Molybdenum-Steel frame, powder coated

Subframe: Aluminum

Handlebar: Aluminum Ø 22mm

Front Suspension: WP Suspension USD Ø 43 mm

Rear Suspension: WP Monoshock

Suspension Travel Front/Rear: 270 mm/10.63 in; 300 mm/11.81 in

Front/Rear Brakes: Disc Brake 220 mm/8.66 in; 210 mm/8.27 in

Front/Rear Rims: 1.40 x 17, 1.60 x 14

Front/Rear Tires: 70/100 x 17”; 90/100 x 14”

Chain: 1/2 x 5/16 in

Silencer: Aluminum

Steering Head Angle: 24

Triple Clamp Offset: 14 mm

Wheelbase: 1,290mm ± 10 mm / 50.79 ± 0.4 in

Ground Clearance: 352mm / 13.86 in

Seat Height: 855 mm / 33.66 in

Tank Capacity, Approx: 5 L / 1.32 gal

Weight (without fuel), Approx:67.5 kg/ 148.8 lbs

2016 KTM 65 SX Highlights

Of all the KTM Minis, the 65 SX receives the most revisions with improvements to the pipe, silencer, swingarm, chain components, and bodywork.

With great power but a low seat height, the 65 SX is an awesome option for young racers who are too big for 50cc machines but aren’t quite big enough to be on 85s.

The next generation KTM 65 SX gets a host of improvements for 2016 along with a full restyle to make it just as potent as its larger SX stable mates. All-new, slimmer bodywork replicates the look of the full-size SX models while giving better ergonomics. A new exhaust pipe and silencer increase the horsepower and torque throughout the rev range, and a new cast aluminum swingarm, chain guide, tensioners and rear axle give more reliability and performance. The 65 SX also gets a redesigned kickstarter for 2016. It all adds up to a Ready to Race package.

Updates for 2016:

New bodywork that mimics the full-size 2016 SX-F line that gives the 65 SX a slimmer profile for improved ergonomics and handling
New slimmer seat with better grip
New pipe and silencer for more power
New cast aluminum swingarm
New chain guide, chain slider, rear axle and chain tensioners for better reliability
Redesigned kickstarter
New graphics to match the larger SX-F models

2016 65 SX SPECIFICATIONS

Engine Type: Single Cylinder, 2-Stroke

Displacement: 64.9 cc

Bore/Stroke: 45/40.8 mm

Starter: Kickstarter

Transmission: 6 gears

Fuel System: Mikuni TM 24-505

Lubrication: Premix 60:1

Primary Ratio: 23:75

Final Drive: 14:48

Cooling: Liquid Cooling

Clutch: Wet multi-disc clutch, Formula hydraulics

Ignition: AET Digital

Frame: Chrome-Molybdenum-Steel frame, powder coated

Subframe: Aluminum

Handlebar: Aluminum Ø 22mm

Front Suspension: WP Suspension USD Ø 35mm

Rear Suspension: WP Monoshock

Suspension Travel Front/Rear: 215 mm / 8.46 in; 270 mm / 10.63 in

Front/Rear Brakes: Disc Brake 198 mm / 7.8 in; 160 mm / 6.3 in

Front/Rear Rims: 1.60 x 14, 1.60 x 12

Front/Rear Tires: 60/100 x 14”; 80/100 x 12”

Chain: 1/2 x 1/4 in

Silencer: Aluminum

Steering Head Angle: 25.5°

Triple Clamp Offset: 22 mm

Wheelbase: 1,137mm ± 10 mm / 44.76 ± 0.4 in

Ground Clearance: 280mm / 11.02 in

Seat Height: 750 mm / 29.53 in

Tank Capacity, Approx: 3.5 L / 0.92 gal

Weight (without fuel), Approx: 53 kg/ 116.8 lbs

2016 KTM 50 SX/SXS & 50 SX Mini Highlights

Both the 2016 KTM 50 SX (pictured) and SXS receive performance improvements. The KTM 50 SX Mini gets new bodywork with a slimmer overall profile.

The 50 SX is KTM’s standard mini platform, while the SXS is something of a limited edition model that offers aftermarket hop-up parts already installed.

The 50 SX and 50 SX Mini are true Ready to Race KTM’s for young MX riders. Genuine motorcycles that, like their bigger siblings, are produced with quality components that make them the first choice as a stepping stone into the MX world or for the first racing step to the podium. With a young rider in mind, these machines are easy to control and have engines that are distinguished by a steady power delivery, incorporating an automatic clutch that is ideal for novice riders. For 2016 the 50 SX presents itself with newly designed bodywork that provides better ergonomics and makes the bike even easier to ride. The 50 SX Mini gets the same treatment further making it the best choice for the smallest of riders.

Updates for 2016:

New bodywork that mimics the full-size 2016 SX-F line that gives the 50 SX and 50 SX Mini a slimmer profile for improved ergonomics and handling
New slimmer seat with better grip
New chain guide
New graphics to match the larger SX-F models

2016 KTM 50 SXS

KTM will once again offer the 50 SXS; this model builds on the already potent 50 SX, creating a 50 cc racer fit for the highest level of amateur motocross racing and the next generation of champions. The 2016 50 SXS comes complete with a SXS fully-adjustable racing shock with reservoir, FMF pipe and silencer, SXS billet clutch cover, and a SXS Chain adjustment block and guide. Additionally the jetting has been tuned in the Dell’Orto PHBG 19 BS carburetor; sintered brake pads replace the stock units; and new clutch springs give better performance to the centrifugal automatic clutch. Power is transferred to the rear wheel via a smaller 38-tooth Rental sprocket. A special SXS graphic kit is also new for 2016.

50 SXS Updates for 2016:

SXS-specific graphics
SXS Racing shock with reservoir
SXS FMF Exhaust pipe and silencer
SXS Clutch Cover
SXS Chain adjustment block/guide set
Renthal rear sprocket – 38 tooth
Sintered brake pads
Clutch Springs
Main and pilot jet

2016 50 SX SPECIFICATIONS

Engine Type: Single Cylinder, 2-Stroke

Displacement: 49 cc

Bore/Stroke: 39.5/40.0 mm

Starter: Kickstarter

Transmission: Rigid 1-Stage Reduction Gear

Fuel System: Dell’Orto PHBG 19 BS

Lubrication: Premix 60:1

Primary Ratio: 33:61 Straight Cut Reduction Gear

Final Drive: 11:40

Cooling: Liquid Cooling

Clutch: Centrifugal Clutch (Adjustable)

Ignition: Selettra 2p D36

Frame: Central Tube Frame, Chrome Molybdenum

Subframe: Steel

Handlebar: Renthal, Aluminum Ø 22mm

Front Suspension: WP Suspension USD Ø 35mm

Rear Suspension: WP Monoshock

Suspension Travel Front/Rear: 205 mm/8.07 in; 185 mm/7.28 in

Front/Rear Brakes: Disc Brake 160 mm/6.3 in; 160 mm/6.3 in

Front/Rear Rims: 1.50 x 12, 1.60 x 10

Front/Rear Tires: 2.50 x 12”; 2.75 x 10”

Chain: 1/2 x 3/16 in

Silencer: Aluminum

Steering Head Angle: 24.0º

Triple Clamp Offset: 22 mm

Wheelbase: 1,032mm ± 10 mm / 40.6 ± 0.4 in

Ground Clearance: 252mm / 9.92 in

Seat Height: 684 mm / 26.9 in

Tank Capacity, Approx: 2.3L / 0.61 gal

Weight (without fuel), Approx: 41.5 kg/ 91.5 lbs

2016 50 SX Mini SPECIFICATIONS

Engine Type: Single Cylinder, 2-Stroke

Displacement: 49 cc

Bore/Stroke: 39.5/40.0 mm

Starter: Kickstarter

Transmission: Rigid 1-Stage Reduction Gear

Fuel System: Dell’Orto PHVA 12 XS

Lubrication: Separate lubrication

Primary Ratio: 33:61 Straight Cut Reduction Gear

Final Drive: 10:42

Cooling: Liquid Cooling

Clutch: Centrifugal Clutch (Adjustable)

Ignition: Selettra 2p D36

Frame: Central Tube Frame, Chrome Molybdenum

Subframe: Steel

Handlebar: Renthal, Aluminum Ø 22mm

Front Suspension: WP Suspension USD Ø 35mm

Rear Suspension: WP Monoshock

Suspension Travel Front/Rear: 171 mm/6.73 in; 100 mm/3.94 in

Front/Rear Brakes: Disc Brake 160 mm/6.3 in; 160 mm/6.3 in

Front/Rear Rims: 1.60 x 10, 1.60 x 10

Front/Rear Tires: 2.50 x 10”; 2.75 x 10”

Chain: 1/2 x 3/16 in

Silencer: Aluminum

Steering Head Angle: 22.6º

Triple Clamp Offset: 22 mm

Wheelbase: 914 mm ± 10 mm / 35.98 ± 0.4 in

Ground Clearance: 184 mm / 7.24 in

Seat Height: 558 mm / 21.97 in

Tank Capacity, Approx: 2.1 L / 0.55 gal

Weight (without fuel), Approx: 40 kg/ 88.1 lbs

2016 50 SXS SPECIFICATIONS

Engine Type: Single Cylinder, 2-Stroke

Displacement: 49 cc

Bore/Stroke: 39.5/40.0 mm

Starter: Kickstarter

Transmission: Rigid 1-Stage Reduction Gear

Fuel System: Dell’Orto PHBG 19 BS

Lubrication: Premix 60:1

Primary Ratio: 33:61 Straight Cut Reduction Gear

Final Drive: 11:38

Cooling: Liquid Cooling

Clutch: Centrifugal Clutch (Adjustable)

Ignition: Selettra 2p D36

Frame: Central Tube Frame, Chrome Molybdenum

Subframe: Steel

Handlebar: Renthal, Aluminum Ø 22mm

Front Suspension: WP Suspension USD Ø 35mm

Rear Suspension: WP Piggyback reservoir shock fully adjustable

Suspension Travel Front/Rear: 205 mm/8.07 in; 185 mm/7.28 in

Front/Rear Brakes: Disc Brake 160 mm/6.3 in; 160 mm/6.3 in

Front/Rear Rims: 1.50 x 12, 1.60 x 10

Front/Rear Tires: 2.50 x 12”; 2.75 x 10”

Chain: 1/2 x 3/16 in

Silencer: FMF Aluminum

Steering Head Angle: 24.0º

Triple Clamp Offset: 22 mm

Wheelbase: 1,032mm ± 10 mm / 40.6 ± 0.4 in

Ground Clearance: 252mm / 9.92 in

Seat Height: 684 mm / 26.9 in

Tank Capacity, Approx: 2.3L / 0.61 gal

Weight (without fuel), Approx: 41.5 kg/ 91.5 lbs