Transworld Motocross November 2017

Over a decade ago, I almost walked away from TransWorld Motocross. A friend of mine owned a high-end wheel company and wanted to launch an automotive lifestyle magazine and asked me to partner up with him. Granted, I am no big-rim baller, but at the time the opportunity seemed fresh and exciting. As I had done with TransWorld Motocross a few years earlier, I suggested that we create a condensed sample issue to distribute to potential advertisers and subscribers, and we set out to gather content on weekends when I wasn’t working on TWMX stuff. I was pretty excited when I heard my first shoot would be with Snoop Dogg. Yes, that Snoop Dogg. I was instructed to be outside of “The Chuuch”—a home that was converted into a recording…

Every racer has one thing in common: the dream of winning a championship. It’s that single goal that drives them to spend countless hours training on and off the bike, testing parts on long, hot days, and traveling across the country weekend after weekend. Out of the many who lay it all out on the line to be the top racer in the class, only one will be crowned champion. Looking at the depth of each field and the sheer number of competitors, it’s no easy task to earn a number-one plate. Zach Osborne came into 2017 determined to make it his year, and he succeeded. Following Osborne’s Eastern Regional 250 Supercross Championship, it was clear heading into the MX Nationals that he would be a contender for the 2017…

THE BIKE Dubya USA is known best as the supplier of high-quality aftermarket wheel sets to the majority of the top racers and freestyle riders in the sport. As official importers and distributors of Talon, Kite, D.I.D, and Excel, they have everything you could ever wish for when it comes to building a strong set of hoops. Believe it or not, this Suzuki RM-Z450 is the Dubya USA shop bike, and in addition to having everything cool that they work with bolted on it, parts from Yoshimura, Works Connection, Hinson Racing, SDG Innovations, Pro Taper, and more were added to make this the coolest Suzuki we’ve seen in a while. THE MODEL Kelsey Sliwinski is a veteran when it comes to #twmxpinup experience—this is her fourth appearance within the pages…

Evil Bikes is a smaller brand out of the Pacific Northwest, but their machines have a devoted following of MTB connoisseurs. No model in their lineup was built to chase a trend or win a popularity contest. Their 29-inch trail-oriented Following stuck to its moderate 120 mm travel guns for 2018 while everyone else snuck an extra 10 mm of squish under their trail bikes. Meanwhile, the smaller-wheeled Calling combines moderate travel and aggressive geometry into a super-techy mischief machine, and the Wreckoning is essentially a 29-inch downhill bike in a portable, pedalable package. Evil Insurgent Price: $6,199 (SRAM X01 Eagle Build as tested) Frame: Carbon fiber Wheelsize: 27.5” Fork: Rockshox Lyrik 150 mm travel Shock: Rockshow Monarch Plus 150 mm travel Drivetrain: SRAM Eagle X01 1x12 Brakes: SRAM Guide…

FOX RACING 180 BOOT Price: $249.95 What It Is The Fox Racing 180 boot is a new mid-level motocross boot that incorporates technology developed for the high-end Instinct boot and marries it to some new innovations, while maintaining a $250 price tag. A floating cuff system in the ankle area allows for great linear support and motion but locks out before hyperextension of the ankle joint, and an exclusive silicone strap offers four settings and allows the shin plate to flex with the motion of the boot. A steel internal shank offers support in the sole, and TPU plates in the shin, calf, heel, and toe box areas protect the rider’s feet. Hits • The comfort level of the new 180 boot is exceptional. From the get-go, we’d say this…

▪ It was hard to miss the progress RJ Hampshire made in the final half of the 2017 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. The talent possessed by the GEICO Honda rider had always been evident, but small issues on the track kept that from being reflected in the results. Late in the summer, Hampshire became one of the fastest riders in the field on any given weekend and battled for positions near the top of the running order, then capped off his year with a stunning 1-1 performance in the MX2 class at the MXGP of USA in September. What was the reason for the rapid improvement? Hampshire made it clear that sweeping changes to his program were the key, and he was open to explaining what was needed to…