Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2016 i Transworld Motocross

In 1998 I was invited to attend what’s largely considered to have been the first-ever freestyle motocross competition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. As editor of MXracer Magazine at the time, I was excited to watch all of the nut jobs like Mike Metzger, Larry Linkogle, and Mike Jones compete for the win, but they all got spanked by a 14-yearold Travis Pastrana, who attacked the course like it was a racetrack. A year later, FMX was included in the Summer X Games, and in an instant freestyle motocross was an overnight craze. It’s mind-blowing to think that, as a magazine guy, I’ve watched the sport of FMX evolve from the heel clicker and nac-nac antics in Crusty Demons Of Dirt to the backflip and front-flip variations of today. The…

Last year we tested the Intense Spider 29C and were extremely impressed with the trail bike’s cross-country abilities. Blessed with more suspension than a traditional cross-country bike (130 mm front and rear), the Spider 29C climbed as well as it descended. For 2016, Intense introduced a new 27.5-inch wheel version of the Spider with revised frame geometry to take advantage of the smaller, nimbler wheels. To be honest, we wondered if the 275C would be as impressive as the largerwheeled 29C version. Was it? In a word, yes! The Spider 275C is an aggressive and responsive trail bike that’s perfect for tight, technical single-track with punchy climbs and tricky descents. Thanks to its stiff carbon frame and efficient rearsuspension design, the bike climbs very well in spite of its 67-degree…

“IT’S NOT EVEN THAT HOT OUT TODAY…” Ken Roczen casually mentioned this as we’re chatting outside his Florida home. “I feel like I’m wearing the weather on my back like a blanket,” I said jokingly, admiring how gnarly the environment is that he and a few other top racers choose to call home. It was well over 100 degrees with 90 percent humidity in Florida that day, which is a very common temperature for the German transplant’s daily grind. We had just wrapped up a standard Monday routine at “The Nest” (Ryan Villopoto’s old compound that’s now under new ownership) and went in to take a seat in his living room for our interview. Envision a clean and spacious foyer, exercise bike right next to the door outside, some race…

BY THE TESTING STAFF OF TWMX When a manufacturer rolls out massive changes to a motocross bike, they’re traditionally debuted on its 450 model one year before the updates trickle down to the 250. Such was the case for the 2017 Kawasaki KX250F. Last year Kawasaki introduced an all-new KX450F— one that was drastically different from the year prior with an all-new chassis, bodywork, and engine updates. This year those same changes have found their way onto the KX250F, and the KXF line again looks like a matching set. For 2017 the KX250F enjoys some key adjustments to the engine, frame, and the overall ergonomics of the bike, all while cutting weight on the small-bore package. THE DRAWING BOARD Starting with the newly redesigned engine, the KX250F features a lot…

Hometown: Osaka, Japan Years Wrenching: 8 Rider: Taka Higashino Past Riders: Masa Shirotani, Yuta Ikegaya, Rasmus Sjoberg Unlike many professional mechanics, the path Tencho “Yoshi” Sako followed to land his job as Taka Higashino’s freestyle motocross mechanic didn’t involve any formal training or a burning desire to become a top-level technician—it was fueled simply by the desire to become involved in the American motocross industry. Back in Osaka, Japan, Sako’s family owned a small motorcycle shop where he worked from the time he was a teen. A vacation to the United States to watch the Anaheim Supercross in 1993, though, planted a seed in Sako’s head when he was in his mid-20s, and just before his 40th birthday he announced to his family that he was moving to America to…

TIM GAJSER While many expected Tim Gajser to defend his 2015 Monster Energy FIM Motocross MX2 (250) World Championship, the Gariboldi Honda team opted to instead move him up to the premier MXGP (450) ranks in 2016. The decision was met with some concern, as the Gariboldi Honda rider is still early in his professional career and had years of eligibility left in the development division, but his battles with defending MXGP champion Romain Febvre have surprised the paddock and turned the Slovenian into a favorite for the title during his rookie season. From the outside things seem almost effortless, but Gajser is quick to point out that it is in fact the payback for years of hard work and struggle. “When someone says they wish they have my life,…

SHOT RACE GEAR AEROLITE Price: $119.99 (pant), $39.99 (jersey), $29.99 (glove) What It Is Shot Race Gear is entering its second year in the United States market, but the French apparel manufacturer is one of the most well-established in Europe with 25 years of history. Last year Shot brought in its entry and midlevel lines, but for 2017 the premier Aerolite line will be available Stateside. Hits • Last year’s midlevel Contact gear was excellent, but we had a couple complaints about the baggy jersey sleeves and lower pant legs. Shot took our feedback into consideration and modified its entire line, and the Aerolite gear is like Baby Bear’s porridge: just right. • Everyone has different taste, but we love the look of the Aerolite gear—it’s not too plain yet…

WEEKS OF TRAVEL for events around the United States left us a bit rundown in the early months of Summer 2016, and it was evident that we needed a vacation from the usual racing action. But where would we go? Instead of a week on a secluded island or at a spa, we hopped aboard a plane for Italy to catch a round of the Monster Energy FIM Motocross World Championship and see the excitement of the MXGP series firsthand. No, we don’t know how to quit working. Semesters Abroad Thomas Covington and Darian Sanayei are living a dream. Stellar results during their amateur days practically guaranteed quality support from teams in the United States, but when it came time to turn pro, both decided that one-of-a-kind life experiences were…

BY THE TESTING STAFF OF TWMX How does a motocross bike manufacturer measure success? Is it race wins, Supercross championships, National championships, bike of the year honors, or does it all simply boil down to bike sales? Well, for Yamaha, how about all of the above? Whether it was Justin Barcia’s midsummer surge last year in the 450 Nationals, Jeremy Martin’s secondstraight 250 National championship, Cooper Webb’s second-straight 250SX West Supercross title, or the YZ250F dominating our 250 Shootout for the third year in a row, the Blu Cru team has been on a tear. Its on-track success coupled with high consumer confidence and reputation for unsurpassed durability has earned them the coveted distinction of producing 2016’s top-selling 250 motocross bike and top-selling 450 motocross bike. Whatever the metric, Yamaha…

With modern motocross bikes being built in stock form with tremendous amounts of power on tap, it’s more important than ever to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack with corner speed. Sure, any racer can pin it on a straightaway, but races are truly won in the corners. Any given track will have countless variations of turns, and most riders would agree that when you add in rollers it changes the whole dynamic of difficulty. Not only do you have to think about line choice, but you now also have to consider timing, entry and exit points, and how to carry speed through smoothly. Always searching for more ways to drop our lap times, we rang up team RCH Racing/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/ Suzuki Factory Racing’s Broc Tickle…

BY THE TESTING STAFF OF TWMX In 2016, the KTM 450 SX-F emerged with the victory in our annual 450cc Shootout, topping the four Japanese manufacturers, as well as its sister machine from Husqvarna, to earn the Austrian manufacturer its first-ever TransWorld Motocross Bike Of The Year honors. Truth be told, though, the bike was far from flawless, but its excellent engine, chassis, and overall performance overshadowed the lackluster performance of its front fork. For all intents and purposes, the outcome of last year’s shootout became a battle of the bikes’ front-end shortcomings, as every bike in the contest left us wanting—the KTM and Husky were hampered by their harsh WP 4CS forks, the Kawasaki and Suzuki by the sticky Showa TAC forks, and the Honda by its soft KYB…

BY THE TESTING STAFF OF TWMX The midsized KTM 350 SX-F is a bike that draws many questions every time we show up at the motocross track with it, with, “Is it fast enough to be competitive against a full-sized 450?” being the most common. Truth be told, when Andrew Short and Mike Alessi raced the original 350 SX-F in the 450 Nationals six years ago they struggled to be competitive off the line, and both elected for full-sized 450s the following season, but the bike has come a long, long way in the years since. Seven model years later, the 2017 KTM 350 SX-F is a much-improved version of the original and notably better than even the 2016 model it replaces. “EASY TO CONTROL, POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CONQUER EVERY…