Transworld Motocross July 2016

“WE DIDN’T REALIZE WE WERE MAKING MEMORIES. WE JUST KNEW WE WERE HAVING FUN.” - UNKNOWN. In my toddler years, motocross was something that my big brothers did. While I can remember being more interested in Speed Racer and Godzilla at age five, my family has told me that at an even younger age, I was able to look at a motocross bike and correctly identify its brand. That was before Suzukis were always yellow and Hondas were always red, et cetera, so it must’ve been by the shape of the gas tanks or something similar that my brothers taught me, but I can’t remember. In my grade school years, motocross was the thing that always put my oldest brother, Jon, into leg casts. I remember watching in awe as…

MALCOLM STEWART It looks like Malcolm Stewart has finally reached his potential in 2016. With continued support from GEICO Honda and another year of experience, he controlled the 250SX East Supercross Championship for the first time in his career and is one of the fastest riders in the small-bore ranks. For someone who only a few years ago wondered about being a professional racer, this is authentication of his work and tremendous talent. Getting to this point hasn’t been simple, and Stewart has experienced his own setbacks, plus turbulence from the struggles suffered by older brother James, but every impressive ride that he turns in keeps the family name at the forefront of the sport. MALCOLM STEWART “NOW I’M LEADING THE CHAMPIONSHIP, AND THAT WAS A BIG JUMP FOR ME.…

Trek Procaliber 9.8 SL In an era where full-suspension cross-country bikes are dominating the field, Trek went back to the drawing boards and released the newly redesigned hard-tail Procaliber SL (super light) series. While most hard-tails on the market are relatively stiff, the Procaliber SL series comes equipped with Trek’s most unique feature: the IsoSpeed decoupler. The system allows the seat tube to flex independently from the top-tube-to-seatstay junction, which is said to provide 30-percent more vertical compliance, aka a softer rear feel. Out on the trails, the Procaliber 9.8 SL is indeed more compliant and comfortable over smaller chop, but on bigger hits the bike still feels like, well, a hard-tail. There’s a noticeable amount of added comfort provided by the IsoSpeed decoupler, but riders who are expecting the…

LEATT GPX 6.5 CARBON BRACE Price: $499 Sizes: S/M and L/XL What It Is The Leatt GPX 6.5 Carbon Brace is the South African company’s topof-the-line offering. Constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, the GPX 6.5 is designed to help prevent neck injuries by dispersing the loads from a crash to a broader area. Highly adjustable, the GPX 6.5 offers plenty of helmet-to-brace clearance and is Leatt’s most comfortable and nonrestrictive offering yet. Hits • We love the way that the rear thoracic strut now folds inward for easier storage in your gear bag. • The GPX 6.5 Carbon is feathery in weight, and it’s nearly undetectable while riding. • Thanks to the new padding design, it’s possible to pressure-wash the brace clean and wipe it completely dry with a towel.…

If you ask just about anyone in the motocross world who they’d put money on to win a sand race, chances are they’d say Jeffrey Herlings. The young Dutch racer has shown multiple times that he rules the roost when it comes to sand tracks and just recently earned his 50th overall MX2 victory in the legendary soft soil of the Valkenswaard GP with 1-1 moto scores. Growing up within a stone’s throw of the Boekel MX Club in Holland, Jeffrey’s happy place is when his bike is dancing beneath him in situations that would make most mortals chop the throttle out of pure fear. Herlings speaks modestly of his skills with a smile, saying, “Well, you know, when you’re born in the sand you get good at it.” We…

FOR WELL OVER A DECADE NOW, TransWorld Motocross has been making the trek to Japan for the All Japan Motocross Championship series opener to check out the works bikes that are raced domestically. While we’ve seen some things that never found their way into production (an automatic transmission-equipped Honda CR250R, titanium fuel tanks, new Yamaha chassis, et cetera) it’s in Japan that we’ve seen many new machines like the first Yamaha YZ250F, Honda CRF450R, and Kawasaki KX450F. Without a production rule governing the Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ), Japanese manufacturers are free to use the All Japan championships to race-test pre-production machines and/or completely experimental parts. Some years our trip to the series opener yields great information and exciting news, while more recent trips have yielded less to be excited…