Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i Transworld Motocross

“I BELIEVE GOLF COURSES SHOULD BE MOTOCROSS TRACKS.” —XTREME MX T-SHIRT FROM THE ’90S Donn and Doni, or dumb and dumber? Every month, putting together the magazine you’re holding in your hands is an adventure. Oftentimes there’s a lot of procrastinating, late-night hours, missed deadlines, and last-minute corrections that go into each issue of TransWorld Motocross, but that’s what has kept things fun for me for the past 15 years at the helm. When we started out, TWMX was a bimonthly magazine, meaning we had twice as long to put each issue together and twice as much time for riding! These days things are much more involved with the advent of TransWorldMX.com, our feature video properties, the TWMX Race Series, and all of our social media outlets (@twmxdotcom on Twitter…

As racers, we sometimes run into places on a motocross track that can give us a reality check on just how hard riding a damned dirt bike can be! For the staff of TransWorld Motocross, we all collectively agreed while racing our annual TWMX Trans-Am, presented by MTA Distributing, at Glen Helen Raceway, that one specific section of the track was kicking our butts every lap. What section, you ask? It was a straightaway into a corner with about five to 10 long, deep ruts that could send any racer into a meltdown as they approached it. These aren’t unique to Glen Helen, and anyone who’s been riding long enough has most likely experienced a section like this before. When the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Nationals rolled into Glen Helen…

“REED’S YZ450F HAS A VERY REFINED POWERBAND THAT’S BIGGER THAN STOCK EVERYWHERE THROUGH THE RPM RANGE BUT IS AT THE SAME TIME VERY LINEAR AND EASY TO CONTROL.” I’ve been a part of the TransWorld Motocross testing staff for almost three years now, and it’s always fun to try out new bikes and products before they’re released to the public. Getting to test some of the top race bikes from the Supercross and motocross circuits has also been a blast, and it always gives me a point of reference when setting up my own race bikes. Nothing, however, could prepare me for the ride of a lifetime that I got to enjoy aboard Chad Reed’s Monster Energy/360fly/Chaparral/Valli/Yamaha YZ450F. Test riders are supposed to be objective. Test riders are supposed to…

In a day and age when most manufacturers have abandoned their twostroke motocross bikes all together, KTM should to be applauded for not only continuing to produce the simpler, more affordable machines, but also for continuing to push the envelope with development of its two-stroke lineup. For 2017, KTM created an all-new 250 SX with a completely new powerplant and an updated chassis that now matches the rest of the SX and SX-F lineup (in 2016, the 250 SX received no major updates and looked and performed just like the previous model). Surprisingly, KTM reports that its 250cc and 300cc two-stroke engines are the best-selling powerplants that it produces, and the various motocross, offroad, and enduro bikes it makes in the two displacement sizes (based on the same platform) make…

DOZEN YEARS OF RACING has left a mark on Josh Grant. Since making the jump to the professional ranks, the Southern California native has become known for his incredible skill on a motorcycle that seems almost effortless, and that’s landed plenty of rides with top teams in the pit area. Now under the Monster Energy Kawasaki tent and running near the front of the 450 field each week, Grant has reached one of the highest points in his career at 30 years of age. All of this comes after a streak of unfortunate incidents both personally and professionally. On the track, injuries kept Grant from showing his full potential during what should have been his best years. Away from the track, he experienced a complete personal disintegration after his mother…

When a manufacturer debuts a radically changed machine, the next few model years are usually followed up with well-calculated refinements rather than huge changes. Such is the case of the 2017 Kawasaki KX450F, as it was graced with a new chassis, bodywork, and suspension in 2016. The list of changes made to the new bike is minimal, but they are well thought out and make an already great machine even better. MINOR TWEAKS Last year faster, more aggressive riders experienced some popping on deceleration, and that issue was addressed with revised ECU settings. The KX450F still comes complete with three ignition couplers: standard, aggressive, and mellow. The rest of the Kawasaki’s engine package—exhaust system included—remains the same as ’16. Revised suspension settings on both ends of the Showa components package…

IF YOU RIDE a dirt bike, there’s no denying that the thought has crossed your mind at least once: With their rolling hills, undulating fairways, and oh-so-inviting sand traps, golf courses are every motocrosser’s dream—a blank canvas just waiting for the first brush stroke (or in this case, tire mark!). Every June, the Mesa Verde Country Club—a private, highly regarded facility that sprawls over 135 acres in Orange County, California—holds the Bell Cup, a three-day tournament that kicks off on Thursday night. Ah, Thursday night—otherwise known as Stag Night when it comes to the Bell Cup—a kickoff to a weekend filled with food, drinks, and fun. “In the past we’ve had MMA exhibitions, boxing matches, even female models as our dinner entertainment,” says Mesa Verde’s general manager, Jeremy Samson. “Every…

THOR PRIME FIT GEAR Price: $59.95 (jersey), $119.95 (pant) What It Is Prime Fit gear is Thor MX’s top-of-the-line apparel. Designed with unrestricted movement and light weight in mind, the fitted chassis of the Prime Fit gear fits snugly and offers no restriction. Stretch panels and venting are featured heavily throughout both pieces, and sublimated no-fade graphics maintain appearance wash after wash. Hits • The stretch properties of the Prime Fit gear offer absolutely no restriction; comfort is exceptional. • Prime Fit is noticeably lighter than standard gear. • We love the look and styling of the second-generation Prime Fit apparel— the color combos are awesome. • Pricing is affordable for purpose-built racewear, and durability is superior to some similar competitor apparel. • Sizing is spot on as long as…

A few months ago we got to throw our legs over an exotic handmade Italian TM MX 144, and we came away pretty impressed with the bike’s snappy powerband and exciting special features: the hand-welded aluminum chassis, the billet aluminum shock absorber that’s made in-house at TM and paired with a mechanical spring KYB fork, and the laundry list of high-performance aftermarket parts, all of which come stock. If the MX 144 was that impressive, we were curious about the performance of the MX 250 and even the larger MX 300 two-stroke TMs. Gravity TM Racing was happy to let us spin some laps aboard the blue bikes, and we spent a full day on them at Milestone MX Park. US importer Ralf Schmidt was on hand to help tune…

Hometown: Brushton, NY Years Wrenching: 8 Rider: Tristan Charboneau Past Riders: Dalton Myers, Shawn Rife, Matt Bisceglia, Malcolm Stewart Growing up on the East Coast, Adam Snyder’s path to championship success started off like many who find a love of two wheels. Mechanically inclined, Adam grew up tinkering on bikes with his father, and his first real crash course in wrenching came in the form of a used Suzuki RM125 that essentially exploded on its first ride. A new top-end and a few other electrical repairs later, Snyder had essentially started his mechanical career without even realizing it. He enrolled at MMI in Florida after high school, and from there the plan was always simple. “I had no intentions of working in a motorcycle dealership,” he says with a laugh.…