Vital MX Features

Interview: Jimmy Albertson

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:27:41 -0800

Next American: Jimmy Albertson (seen here in at Southwick last season) is the latest American to take on the challenge of the MX1 class in the World Championship series. Click any image in this article for a larger version.

After finishing a solid top ten in the U.S. series with Valli Motorsports, Jimmy Albertson thought that he’d be spending the 2010 season racing here in the U.S. But a funny thing happened on the way to Supercross season. After being let go by Valli, he had a rather interesting route to find himself being signed with Honda’s factory team on the World Championship circuit, Martin Honda. (We’ll let him tell the story further in.)

When we talked to Jimmy, he was back in the U.S. after a quick trip to Italy, but he’ll spend the next two seasons scoring passport stamps as he’ll be wintering in Spain, and spending the bulk of his time at the team’s racing home base in Belgium, as well as a little time at their shop in Italy.

Hey, how’s jet lag treating you?

It’s not too bad. Of course you know that I went over to Italy. The way over was tough, but the way back wasn’t bad. I’m doing good now. I wasn’t too good when I first got to Italy, though. I was feeling a little bit under the weather almost. I never knew what jet lag was until this trip. I’m really excited about how the trip went. I got there Wednesday and left on Saturday, so four days.

So how did you get hooked up with Martin Honda?

It’s funny, the way we got hooked up was because of a rumor that started on the internet. My dad is always on the moto boards, and all my friends are, and somebody said to me, ‘I heard you’re going over to ride for Martin Honda. I had no idea about this, so my agent Bob Walker and Paul Lindsey both got together and got ahold of some people over at Martin Honda, and they were interested. They just wanted to fly me out there to see how I was, how I rode, and how my physical condition was.

I went out there and met everyone from the team, and they were just absolutely great, and the bike was incredible. They’re the factory team for the World Championship series, and I guess I did a good enough job, because I signed a two-year deal with them to do the GPs.

You’ve now ridden factory Hondas both here and there, how did the two compare?

The factory Honda that I rode here in the U.S. was an ’08 model, so of course it was a lot different, but as far as motorwise, they’re both HRC bikes, so they felt a little similar on that end, but the way that they set their suspension up is a lot different than over here. The bike that I rode in Italy, the suspension setup and everything, was way different than what I was used to riding, but I absolutely loved it. People here in the U.S. like to run their bikes really low in the back. Over there the first thing I thought when I saw the bike was, ‘Man, the rear end’s way too high on it. It’s a little bit stinkbug.’ I thought, ‘I’ll go out and ride it, but I know I’m not going to like it.’ But then I thought I’d go out with an open mind and I really liked how it was set up.

I rode it all day, and when I pulled off the track, I was thinking, ‘Man, I can’t believe I race people on this type of equipment all year. It’s unfair. I can’t afford not to take this opportunity to be on the best bike, with a solid crew around me, and a good bunch of people that want to see me succeed and want to see me go to the top and have all the tools to do that for me. I’m really looking forward to it. Because at the end of the day I can’t sit down and think, ‘Well, what if I was on a better bike?’ Or, ‘What if I had better people around me, or a better training program?’ I feel like this year I’m going to have all that. It’s completely up to me. If I do bad, it’s my fault. I can’t point the finger or blame anybody. So I’m very excited about next year. I’m just ready to go do some racing and hopefully make a good name for myself over there.

How are your Italian language skills?

(Laughing) Terrible. I only know like five words, but I’m about to run out and pick up a Rosetta Stone course. I’m going to try and pick up a second language, so that will be something fun to do in my spare time.

Just think of the chicks you’ll be able to pull by speaking Italian.

Ah, shoot…that’s the last thing I need to worry about.

This year you made it to every national, and were a top ten guy at the end of the season. Did you think you were going to find something here?

You know, I really did. Honestly, I wasn’t looking for a ride coming out of the season. I was completely content with where I was at with all the people I was working with, and I thought we had a strong relationship. Some things came up and me and my team owner had kind of a good relationship as friends and I got very upset about some stuff that was going on and I barked at him and obviously it wasn’t the right thing to do and I ended up getting fired. Shoot, that happened way into the off-season, and once that happened, there really wasn’t much left. The opportunities that were left, people had been promised already. I was kind of left high and dry. I had a couple little things over here that we were working on, but nothing close to what I could have over there, and the equipment and a great team like that.

So I was kind of shocked about a month ago when I was jobless and had just come off of my best season so far. I qualified for every race, I had one or two DNFs, and a couple motos where I crashed really bad and bent my bike up and either bent my bike up or was laying on the ground a little bit. But my big issue in years past was getting hurt and I felt like it was a really big accomplishment for me to go to every single round and show up able to race and able to do my job. I was glad I could be there for my sponsors every weekend and race. Finishing in the top ten on a good team was a good accomplishment for me and Valli Motorsports, the team I was riding for at the time, so I was happy, and it was a building year for me to know that I can finish off a whole season mentally and be healthy.

So what are your plans for the winter? Will you do any Supercross? Or is the focus all on the GPs and outdoor? Are you going to be an outdoor-only guy?

(Chuckling) I guess so. Mike Alessi style. I really like Supercross, and that was kind of a bummer deal, where I was going to have to give that up for two years. I’ve actually been riding Supercross for a full month now, just training and figuring that’s what I was going to do was ride a 450 in Supercross. I was riding really well and was really excited about this Supercross season, no matter if I had to show up at Anaheim with my own bikes out of the back of a pickup truck. I was feeling pretty good. When this deal came up it was a big decision for me whether I wanted to take a deal just because I knew it had always been my dream to race Supercross, and that’s what I’d wanted to do.

But at the end of the day I’ve got to take what the best opportunity is for me. I don’t want to show up at Anaheim and think, ‘Man, do I have a really a fair shot at this?’ Coming in unprepared with my own bikes and money trying to get decent equipment, or I can go outdoors only and have the best stuff and race in the World Championship. That had always been a dream in the back of my mind, and I’ve always watched everyone go over to the World Championships, like Ryno and Mike Brown and James Dobb, and everyone from America, like Trampas Parker. I’ve think it’s kind of cool racing in different countries. After I weighed my options it was clear to me that the GPs were the way to go with Martin Honda.

Do you think you’ll get more attention from the fans here knowing there’s another U.S. rider over there?

Shoot, I sure hope so. There aren’t really many American riders over there. You’ve got Zach Osborne and that’s about it, and he rides the MX2 class. I feel like that’ll be good, and I hope that I can represent our country very well over there. I’d like to go over there and win, that’s the goal anyways, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m just looking forward to a whole new experience and I’ve always been one who’s up for something new and up for a little adventure, so I’m glad I’m going over there. It’s something that a lot of a people never have the chance to do…to go to a foreign country and have a chance to live and race over there, so I’m really looking forward t this experience.

Who knows? I could be back after two years, or if I like it that much over there, I could just stay.

Anyone you’d like to thank here?

Yeah, I’d like to thank my mom and dad, of course. Also my brother Greg for always helping me out. He’ll actually be joining me over there as my practice bike mechanic, so that’s going to be great. My trainer Greg DiRenzo, and my riding coach Shannon Niday. Also, the Canard family for all their help and support. There's also DVS. And finally, Paolo Martin and Lorenzo Resta at Martin Honda for giving me this great opportunity to go over and race GPs. I’m really looking forward to it.

Interview: Tommy Searle

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:58:02 -0800

After a pair of runner-up seasons in the MX2 class in the World Championships, Tommy Searle made his move to the U.S. for 2009. After the 12 rounds of the outdoor season, a trio of podium positions, and some highs and lows, he came home sixth overall.

With the familiar outdoor season out of the way, now comes a bigger test, learning the intricacies of Supercross. He’s had just a few weeks on the track so far, and has just under two handfuls of weeks to get ready for the West series, where he’ll make his debut. We sat down with him after a day of testing to get some feedback on his move here, and transition to Supercross.

How about some overall impressions your first year here in the outdoors?

“Overall it was just an okay season. It wasn’t the best I've had, and not the worst I've had. But I got through the season and I got a solid result at the end and I completed every race. I just kind of wanted to get one season under my belt in America, and that’s what I did. I never thought I was going to set the world alight, so I’m just happy that I got through it, got a lot of experience, and I learned a lot.“

There was a section around Red Bud last season where you were really on the gas, and seemed to have figured it out.

“Yeah, I did. For three races in a row I was on the podium, and I thought I should have carried on from there, but I don’t know what happened, like, something obviously went wrong, so that wasn’t great. At the end of the year I had some strong races as well, but I just had a little bit of bad luck. Like I said, it wasn’t amazing.“

“I think that’s what it was….I wasn’t having fun, and I wasn’t enjoying the whole racing after somewhat half the season. It kind of went from bad to worse. I was putting too much pressure on myself because I’d had a bad weekend. Then I’d think next weekend’s going to be a good weekend and it didn’t happen. Hopefully I’ll be a bit more light on myself.“

How about the Motocross of Nations? You looked like a different rider there.

(Smiling) “I was back home. I don’t know, it was different. Like this year I didn’t have much fun at the races for some reason. Maybe it’s because I’m unfamiliar to everyone around, and back there I got back and it was like a weekend down there where we went to Italy, and had all my friends around me. The whole weekend from beginning to end…Friday afternoon talking to everyone that I hadn’t seen, to Sunday having a good time after the race, it was just a really good weekend.“

How about the racing itself?

“The first qualifying I was the fastest MX2 rider, and in my heat race I had a bad start but came through to second and Musquin was gone, but he was riding really well all weekend. Then in the races I had a bad start and I came through again, and I made a mistake and Musquin was able to get past again. I ended up seventh or eighth in the race, but at one point I was fifth and made a mistake and dropped back. But I had so much fun all weekend being back with the team I raced with and all those guys, it was a good weekend.“

You’re easing into Supercross now, what’s the transition like?

“It’s been good. I just took it steady, like the first day I just came with my buddies and didn’t even bring my mechanic. I was just like, ‘I want to go by myself.’ We just kind of doubled around everything. Now I’m just building each day and I don’t think I’m amazing, I’m just taking it step-by-step. I don’t want to make mistakes. Like I’m getting through everything and doing everything smooth, and having fun. But I haven’t started pushing out the motos and trying to get that extra speed. But we’re going to start doing it in the next couple weeks and hopefully I’ll be able to keep building.“

How about equipment? I’m sure you’re used to really soft outdoor suspension, what’s it like switching up equipment?

“It doesn’t seem too much different because it’s not like I’m riding it on an outdoor track. Like the first day, even when I rode Supercross, everyone was like, ‘How’s the suspension?’ It didn’t really feel much difference, because the track didn’t have a bump on it, and I was just doing jumps. So it didn’t make much difference, to be honest.“

Are you going to have some coaching help?

“Casey (Lytle) has come out when he can, but he’s busy at work. He came out the last two days, which was good because we’ve had some new whoops put in and I was struggling. I’m kind of getting through them now, but he was helping me a lot and it’s a big help when he comes out. Hopefully he can keep coming out when he can. Sometimes the smallest things he says make a big difference and make my life a lot easier.“

With the departure of MDK, and going back to a direct-to-factory effort, we'd guess the team setting will be a bit different next year.

“It’s going to be good. It’s going to be back to somewhat like it was in Europe. They’re going to have big input from the factory in Austria to everything we do instead of it just being whatever…people doing what they want. It’s going to be more controlled. We report back to those guys. It’s going to be pretty much factory KTM, and obviously there are going to be some other big sponsors coming in. But mainly it’s going to be factory KTM and that’s how it’s going to be. There are no guys from the outside coming in and putting their input in. It’s just us, and we’re going to work like a team. It’s working really well right now.“

So how do you like it here?

“It’s fun out here, it’s a good life compared to back home where it’s raining right now. There’s always stuff to do out here. There’s stuff that keeps me busy when I’m not riding. That’s kind of why I like being out here, too. I don’t know as many people as if I was back home, and all my buddies that I grew up with aren’t here, but I have some good friends out here and it makes it fun.“

What do you hope to accomplish during your first Supercross season?

“I just hope to get though my first season, keep building from where I am now, and get some good starts, I’m sure I can get some great results, but I don’t want to be the one putting pressure on myself because I think that’s what happened last year. I have no expectations, and no one’s going to expect me to go out and win races this year, because it’s my first year. I’m kind of a rookie, I’ve never raced Supercross, and I’d never even ridden a Supercross track until three weeks ago. It’s a big step. Right now I feel good and smooth, but when I’ve got 20 other guys racing with me it might be different, so I just want to get used to that. Keep building through the season, get through it, and hopefully some top fives or whatever.”

Being 20, and maybe a little more mature than some of the other rookies coming in, will that help you?

“I guess so. Having experience has got to be a good thing. I’ve done a lot of races. I’ve raced the World Championships, the National championship, but I’ve never raced Supercross, so I have no experience there, and don’t know what to expect. But I’m sure I’m going to be very nervous when I come to Anaheim.”

So you’re going to do West?

“It looks like it right now. KTM wants to do West. It’s a big budget difference in doing East and West, and I’m here, there’s no reason for me to go do east, really. It’s like local to me to do these, and they’re local for the rest of the team. It just kind of makes sense. The only thing is I’m not going to have as many weeks to get ready, but I’ve been riding for a couple weeks and we still have a long time to go, so let’s get through these weeks and I’m sure I should be somewhat ready for Anaheim.”

Doing West could be good because it also gives you more time to get ready for the outdoor season.

“That’s good because we may be on a different bike for outdoors. I’m not really sure what the deal is. We’re working on some stuff, and we might have to do a lot of testing, so that gives me time.”

2010 Kawasaki KLX110 & KLX110L

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:45:44 -0800

Video & Photo Gallery!

Click the following link for a video of the 2010 Kawasaki KLX110 & KLX110L.	You can also click the following link for a 29-photo gallery of the 2010 Kawasaki KLX110 & KLX110L.
Don't forget, if you're a Vital MX member, you can comment on any of the photos in the gallery. Not a member? Join now! It's fast and free.

Jeff Emig getting his minimoto on at Fox's track backyard track at their offices in So. Cal.

If there was a Fun Bike Hall of Fame, Kawasaki’s KLX110 would surely be among the initial inductees. It’s been the starting point for tons of kids, with an easy to ride bike with an automatic clutch, and a mild but entertaining powerplant. Of course, that bike has been the starting point for some absolutely insane mini-motocrossers, but that’s a whole ‘nuther story. For the most part, it’s been relatively unchanged over the years, and both adults and kids have logged lots of miles on the 110.

Tania Satchwell on the smaller KLX110.

This year, however, it gets tons of upgrades, and a new bigger brother that helps fill the size/performance gap between the 110 and Kawasaki’s bigger KLX140.

The thing you notice first is that the 110 has been given a styling update, and looks a lot more like the bigger bikes in the KX lineup. With new fenders, number plates, seat, and shrouds, it definitely fits easily into the look of the Kawasaki off-road family.

The updated KLX110.

The all-new KLX110L.

But in case you’re thinking they just made cosmetic changes, think again. The 110 (and 110L) also feature an all-new keyless electric start. Just flip the kill switch, push the starter button, and it fires right up. There’s still a kickstarter on each model as a backup. The kickstart lever is also new, and tucks in much better than before, so it won’t be banging the inside of your leg, or get pushed back so that you get that starter gear grind. They’ve also revised the automatic decompression to aid with easy starting, whether you’re using the e-start, or the kickstarter.

Here you get a look at the controls complete with electric start, which is good for an E ticket convenience. You also get a look at the new shrouds, which look a whole bunch more like you'll find on the bigger KX models.

Kawasaki also gave it a moderate power boost with revised valve timing, and improved flow in the exhaust and silencer internals. While still relatively mild, the exhaust note definitely has a little more bark to it. Also changed is a reduction in piston ring tension for reduced friction.

The transmission got an upgrade as well, and it’s now a four-speed gearbox, which was a frequent upgrade among mini racers. The shift drum itself has also been changed to provide a more positive feel and better engagement. And finally, the shifter has also been redesigned with a new shape that should provide for fewer unintended shifts. The shift patterns for the two are slightly different, though. The 110 still uses its familiar N-1-2-3-4, while the new 110L (which has a manual clutch) also benefits from a more traditional big bike pattern, with 1-N-2-3-4.

The clutch on the 110L is buttery smooth, has a light pull, and is perfect for beginning riders.

So how do the two bikes lay out side-by-side when it comes to the chassis? The L has more suspension travel, and a taller standover height. You can check out the chart below to get a better idea.

	KLX110	KLX110L
Seat Height	26.8"	28.7"
Front Suspension Travel	4.3”	5.5”
Front Fork Length	610mm	670mm
Rear Suspension Travel	4.3” (4.2 in ’09)	5.2”
Rear Shock Length	260mm (245mm in ’09)
Rear Spring Rate	55 N/mm (37.3 N/mm in ’09)

At 6’0”, and 205 pounds, I’m pretty much like a circus bear on the regular 110. But on the 110L, I actually had a blast on Fox’s mini track. Riding under the lights was fun, though a bit dark in spots.

See? Even six-footers can fit on the stock 110L. Yep, we also dig the new Answer gear.

Sure, I did rotate the bars forward a bit, because I was wearing knee braces, to prevent them from snagging under the bars. But overall, it definitely had a bit more grunt than a the previous 110, and it actually didn’t feel like it was horribly undersprung, even over some of the small doubles and tables on the Fox facility. Of course, Kawasaki recognizes that plenty of adults ride these as well, and took that into consideration, boosting the spring rates on both ends.

The clutch should prove to be plenty easy to use for beginning riders (we barely ever touched it once underway, even in tight hairpins), and shifting was smooth and easy. For that track? Put it in second gear and go.

If you squint a little, you can almost picture this bike under a Christmas tree...

Overall, Kawasaki accomplished two things here. They gave the classic 110 a nice upgrade, and did an awesome job of filling the gap between their regular 110 and their 140, while giving bigger and more advanced riders a nice upgrade. Suggested retail for the duo? $2,099 for the 110, and $2,249 for the 110L.

More info? www.kawasaki.com

First Look: KTM 350 Prototype

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:43:24 -0800

KTM has introduced their new 350 prototype at the EICMA show in Milan, Italy, and you can finally check out something beyond spy photos. Of course, the big changes here include the 350cc size, a new (to KTM) linkage suspension, and new bodywork. As usual, it has KTM's electric start. KTM classifies this as a "mature" prototype slated for racing in 2010, but a production date has yet to be decided.

The 350 could prove to be very interesting. Antonio Cairoli was reportedly running a smaller displacement engine in his Yamaha this year, and Youthstream has been pushing to see a smaller displacement in the premier class in the GPs for several years now. KTM looks to be the first company to take it to production, and it will be interesting to see how they perform on the track. Will this become the new standard for the big-bore division?

If you're a KTM fan and want a good solid look at three shots of the new bike, or just want a wallpaper of the new machine, click the links below.

1400 x 1050
1440 x 900

Riding the Zero MX

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:16:58 -0700

Video!

Click the following link for a video featuring the 2009 Zero MX.
Don't forget, if you're a Vital MX member, you can comment on any of the photos in the gallery. Not a member? Join now! It's fast and free.

The last time we got our hands on one of the Zero electric motorcycles, it was one of their 2008 X models, which featured lighter wheels, tires, and suspension components that were more reminiscent of something you’d find on a mountain bike. This time around, they’ve upped the performance in all those areas, and while it’s still not quite what you’ll find on a modern MX bike, it’s definitely a step forward.

Also gone was the stinkbug feel that we experienced in the past. This time around the seat was much flatter and more comfortable. Zero has also been expanding their line, with a full street legal version, off-road light kits, and more.

Controls take a bit of getting used to. You turn on a key, which is mounted on the right side of where the fuel tank would normally live. Make sure your kill switch is off, and your panel of lights on the board will come to life. Once you get a green light on the dash, you’re good to go. With a single-speed tranny, there’s no shifter, there’s also no clutch, and both brakes are lever-operated. Rear on the left, and front on the right. It does take some adjustment to get used to, but the Hayes hydraulic discs work well.

Run time when you’re aggressive? About an hour. Charge time? About two hours. According to the crew at Zero, most purchasers of their bike opt for an additional battery, but at $3,000, it’s a pricey item. The bikes themselves aren’t exactly cheap, either, starting at $8,250. There’s also an “Extreme” upgrade, with components like a Marzocchi Shiver fork, and a little faster engine.

So who are these bikes for? First of all, they’re great for anyone looking for a ton of fun. But they’re definitely good for riding in areas where noise is an issue. They’re pretty darn close to silent, and the noisiest part might be the chain clanking on the swingarm, or the suspension working. They’re surprisingly quick and powerful, and have made big strides in performance with the MX version.

There has been lots of development on electric bikes over the last few years, with more companies jumping into the fray. If the jump in performance between model years is indicative of what we can expect to see in the future, things are looking very interesting in the electric realm.

For more, be sure to check out the video (see the link at the top of the article).

ZERO MX 2009 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE
Type Brushed Permanent Magnetic Electric
Torque 50 ft-lbs (67.7 Nm)

POWER SYSTEM
Type Patent-Pending Lithium Ion Array
Capacity 2 kWh (58 volts @ 35Ah)
Range 45 minutes to 2 hours
or up to 40 miles (64 km)*
Recharge Time Less than 2 hours
Input Standard 110V or 220V

DRIVE TRAIN
Transmission Clutchless One Speed
Drive System 13T / 71T, 420 Chain

CHASSIS/SUSPENSION/BRAKES
Front Suspension Travel 8 inches (203 mm)
Rear Suspension Travel 9 inches (229 mm)
Front Brakes 4 Pot Hydraulic, Stainless Rotor,
Hand Actuated
Rear Brakes 4 Pot Hydraulic, Stainless Rotor,
Hand Actuated
Front Tire 19 x 3.0 inches
Rear Tire 17 x 3.5 inches

DIMENSIONS
Wheel Base 54 inches (137 cm)
Seat Height 36 inches (91 cm)
Head Angle 24 degrees from vertical with 8 inch
(20 cm) fork

WEIGHT
Frame 18 pounds (8kg)
Power Pack 45 pounds (20.5 kg)
Total Weight 156 pounds (70.75 kg)
without Power Pack 112 pounds (50.8 kg)

ECONOMY
Operating Cost Less than $.01 per mile or kilometer

www.zeromotorcycles.com

2009 Red Bull Motocross of Nations

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:36:30 -0700

Photo Galleries!

Click the following link for a 51-photo gallery of motocross race action from the 2009 Red Bull Motocross of Nations.	You can also click the following link for a 40-photo gallery from Saturday's practice and qualifying.
Don't forget, if you're a Vital MX member, you can comment on any of the photos in the gallery. Not a member? Join now! It's fast and free.

With the 63rd Motocross of Nations in the books, you can now chalk up the 20th win for Team USA since 1981, and fifth win in a row. But the win was far from a runaway win, and crashes and DNFs for other strong teams like Italy, Australia, and France definitely played a part in the final results.

Consistency was the name of the game for a Team USA that featured two rookies (Ryan Dungey and Jake Weimer), and a returning MXoN vet (Ivan Tedesco). While some questioned the team selection, it did nothing but add to the pre-race hype. Some had this year’s Team USA pegged as a B team, and there were undoubtedly had some teams licking their chops at the prospect of snatching away the Chamberlain Trophy from Team USA.

The format for the race was the same as always. Riders in each class (MX1, MX2, and Open) rode twice, with a team’s best five of six moto scores counting toward the overall.

In the first moto, it was Italy’s Antonio Cairoli that gave the home turf fans plenty to cheer about. He went nearly wire-to-wire in the moto, with Chad Reed taking over briefly. But those two were in close contact throughout.

Chad Reed and Antonio Cairoli duke it out during the combined MX1/MX2 moto. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Team USA was represented in this one by Ryan Dungey, who moved from right around fifth early on to by Spain’s Jonathan Barragan. Meanwhile, Jake Weimer moved from 11th at the start to eighth at the finish, where he was third among the MX2 riders behind MX2 World Champ, Marvin Musquin (France), and Tommy Searle (Great Britain).

Jake Weimer on his way to his best moto finish of the day. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

With a third and an eighth, Team USA held the lead with 11 points after the first moto, ahead of Italy (Guarneri and Cairoli), who had 17 courtesy of Antonio’s win and Davide’s 16th.

Race 1 (MX1&MX2)
1. Antonio Cairoli (Italy/Yamaha)
2. Chad Reed (Australia/Suzuki)
3. Ryan Dungey (USA/Suzuki)
4. Clement Desalle (Belgium/Honda)
5. Marvin Musquin (France/KTM)
6. Josh Coppins (New Zealand/Yamaha)
7. Tommy Searle (Great Britain/KTM)
8. Jake Weimer (USA/Kawasaki)
9. Gareth Swanepoel (South Africa/Kawasaki)
10. Ken Roczen (Germany/Suzuki)
11. Billy Mackenzie (Great Britain/Honda)
12. Jonathan Barragan (Spain/KTM)
13. Tyla Rattray (South Africa/Kawasaki)
14. Steven Frossard (France/Kawasaki)
15. Joel Roelants (The Netherlands/KTM)
16. Davide Guarneri (Italy/Yamaha)
17. Brett Metcalfe (Australia/Honda)
18. Antti Pyrhonen (Finland/Honda)
19. Rui Goncalves (Portugal/KTM)
20. Andreas Hultman (Sweden/Honda)

With the MX1 class on the sidelines until the final moto of the day, moto two featured the MX2 riders, along with the first moto for the Open class racers.

Gautier Paulin moved up a class for France, and apparently he likes the horsepower, as he grabbed the holeshot and went wire-to-wire, taking a solid win for the French team. Ivan Tedesco was running in second spot, with his U.S. teammate, Jake Weimer in tenth spot. Unfortunately he went down at least once, and dropped to 25th at the end. Unless something truly bad happened to the team, this would clearly be their throwaway race.

Gautier Paulin was one of two 450 rookies on the day who scored moto wins. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Something bad did happen to Australia and Italy’s chances, as Davide Guarneri crossed lines with Michael Byrne over a jump. Byrne landed on the Italian, which caused him to go down hard. While Guarneri stayed upright (maybe due to dragging Byrne’s bike along with him), he couldn’t continue. That meant each team had a DNF on their roster with three motos to go.

Tedesco looked destined for a second-place finish, but Italian David Phillipaerts had other ideas, and reeled in the Honda rider just before the finish.

Ivan Tedesco getting it done in his first moto, with a third-place finish. Check out the depth of that crowd. The Motocross of Nations is one of our favorite events of the year. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

If you factored in the throwaways before the final moto, Team USA’s 14 points was sandwiched between France, who had 11, and Italy, with 19.

Race 2 (MX2 & Open)
1. Gautier Paulin (France/Kawasaki)
2. David Phillipaerts (Italy/Yamaha)
3. Ivan Tedesco (USA/Honda)
4. Tanel Leok (Estonia/Yamaha)
5. Marvin Musquin (France/KTM)
6. Max Nagl (Germany/KTM)
7. Steve Ramon (Belgium/Suzuki)
8. Ken Roczen (Germany/Suzuki)
9. Brett Metcalfe (Australia/Honda)
10. Tyla Rattray (South Africa/Kawasaki)
11. Joel Roelants (The Netherlands/KTM)
12. Scott Columb (New Zealand/Suzuki)
13. Shaun Simpson (Great Britain/KTM)
14. Tonus Arnaud (Switzerland/KTM)
15. Carlos Campano (Spain/KTM)
16. Antonio Balbi (Brazil/Honda)
17. Tommy Searle (Great Britain/KTM)
18. Harri Kullas (Finland/KTM)
19. Matiss Karro (Latvia/Suzuki)
20. Jeffrey Herlings (The Netherlands/KTM)

Moto three is where things really got drama-filled, and it didn’t take long. Two-thirds of the way down the start straight, the hopes of the Italian team and fans were crushed when Antonio Cairoli tangled with another rider and went down hard. Unfortunately his Yamaha cartwheeled hard, seriously tweaking the subframe and exhaust to the point that he couldn’t continue. But things got crazier in the first turn, as Billy Mackenzie went down, taking Chad Reed and Clement Desalle with him. You want more drama? Within the next turn, you had Gautier Paulin down hard. That meant you had crushing blows to the Italian, British, Belgian and French teams within the first two corners.

The start straight and first couple corners torpedoed a few team's hopes. Jonathan Barragan is already gone out of the frame, but check out Ryan Dungey (1) and Steven Frossard (4) rocketing out of the first turn. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Meanwhile, up front, it was Jonathan Barragan with the lead, and Dungey working his way from fourth into second, passing Steve Ramon, and Steven Frossard. As they reached the mid-point of the moto, it was clear that Ryan was closing on Jonathan Barragan, and he moved into the lead and then quickly dropped the Spaniard.

Ryan Dungey works his way past Jonathan Barragan. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Deeper in the pack, two riders who’d shared a gentlemanly handshake after moto two were going at it. Ivan Tedesco had moved from 13th spot into 7th before being drilled by David Phillipaerts. Fortunately, Ivan was able to quickly remount, and he eventually finished in seventh, while Phillipaerts moved to third behind Dungey and Ramon.

In the end it was Team USA with 22 points, and an eight-point margin over France. Team Belgium was another nine points back in third.

Team USA will get a chance to defend the title on home turf next year, as the Motocross of Nations returns to the U.S. for the first time since Budds Creek in 2007. We’re already looking forward to the annual spectacle, and we know no matter what team shows up, A, B, C, or otherwise, they’ll definitely be bringing their A game...just like every year.

For much more of Sunday's action (or Saturday's qualifiers) be sure to check out the links to the photo galleries above.

Race 3 (MX1 & Open)
1. Ryan Dungey (USA/Suzuki)
2. Steve Ramon (Belgium/Suzuki)
3. David Phillipaerts (Italy/Yamaha)
4. Jonathan Barragan (Spain/KTM)
5. Steven Frossard (France/Kawasaki)
6. Josh Coppins (New Zealand/Yamaha)
7. Ivan Tedesco (USA/Honda)
8. Max Nagl (Germany/KTM)
9. Chad Reed (Australia/Suzuki)
10. Shaun Simpson (Great Britain/KTM)
11. Tanel Leok (Estonia/Yamaha)
12. Julien Bill (Switzerland/Aprilia)
13. Aigar Leok (Estonia/TM)
14. Billy Mackenzie (Great Britain/Honda)
15. Luis Correira (Portugal/Yamaha)
16. Harri Kullas (Finland/KTM)
17. Andreas Hultman (Sweden/Honda)
18. Gregory Wicht (Switzerland/Honda)
19. Antonio Balbi (Brazil/Honda)
20. Mike Kras (The Netherlands/KTM)

Team USA on the podium. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Final Standings
1. USA 22
2. France 30
3. Belgium 39
4. Germany 55
5. Great Britain 55
6. Italy 59
7. Australia 73
8. Estonia 78
9. South Africa 84
10. Switzerland 88
11. New Zealand 89
12. Spain 92
13. Portugal 112
14. Brazil 122
15. Denmark 123
16. Ireland 126
17. Latvia 130
18. The Netherlands 133
19. Sweden 143
20. Finland 92

2009 Red Bull Motocross of Nations: Saturday

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:12:16 -0700

By Davey Coombs

Photo Gallery!

Click the following link for a 40-photo gallery of qualifier action from Saturday at the 2009 Red Bull Motocross of Nations.
Don't forget, if you're a Vital MX member, you can comment on any of the photos in the gallery. Not a member? Join now! It's fast and free.

The 63rd Red Bull Motocross of Nations got underway below Brescia, Italy, with beautiful sunshine, but things were not so sunny for Team USA. MX1 team rider Ryan Dungey, MX2 newcomer Jake Weimer, and the veteran Ivan Tedesco (MX3) all struggled on the dynamic track, finishing slightly below expectations in their respective qualifiers.

The Grand Prix riders starred today, especially the host Italians, who won two of three motos courtesy of Tony Cairoli (MX1) and David Philippaerts (MX3) and look like a solid favorite now. In the MX2 race, newly-crowned world champ Marvin Musquin was a revelation, running off from a talent-packed field that included AMA regulars Weimer, Tommy Searle, Brett Metcalfe and Tyla Rattray, plus top young stars like Ken Roczen, Dean Wilson and Jeffrey Herlings.

The track here at the Autodromo di Franciacorta is not what many expected. While it may have looked to some like it favored the American style of supercross racing, it was rough and challenging to say the least. Much like last year’s track in England, it’s trickier under the surface than it looks, and several riders made key mistakes. But Saturday is for qualifying, and all of the top teams made it through.

While there's no shortage of air on the course, make no mistake, this is real motocross. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

The U.S. started in a hole, as did Germany, when they drew #33 out of 36 teams entered in the race. That meant that they took the 33rd gate pick in all three motos today, which meant way, way outside on a start that sweeps around to the right. Of three riders Tedesco got the best jump, but he still wasn’t at the front. Now they will get to pick spots based on their team’s qualifying results.

In the MX1 opener, the massive crowd immediately got satisfaction when national hero Tony Cairoli emerged as the winner, passing the new AMA Motocross Champion, Australia’s Chad Reed, in the process. Cairoli, who struggled with injuries towards the end of the GP season, was in fine form up front, much to the delight of the partisan crowd.

Antonio Cairoli, running away with the first (MX1) qualifier. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Cairoli was kept honest throughout by the Belgian rider Clement DeSalle, the same Honda rider who finished third in a moto at Washougal in late July. DeSalle looked comfortable and confident, and his Belgian team is a good bet to do well tomorrow. Joel Roelents (MX2) and Steve Ramon (MX3) both finished third in their respective races, making them the only the only country to reach the box in all three heats.

Reed, riding what could be his last race on his Rockstar/Makita Suzuki (those Monster/Kawasaki team partnership rumors seem to have some real legs), looked fast but uneven. He finished some 15 seconds behind Cairoli and DeSalle, and right in front of New Zealand’s Josh Coppins. But just as the Americans could be saving their best for tomorrow, so might Reed and team.

Dungey, the new AMA 250 Motocross Champion, was racing a 450 outdoors for the first time. He did not get a good start at all, but he rode hard and seemed to get faster as the 20-minutes-plus-two-laps race went on. He reached fifth after early race leader Bill MacKenzie (England) crashed spectacularly towards the end of the race.

The U.S. riders had 33rd gate pick in each of the heats. Dungey had to charge through the pack to earn fifth. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

In the MX2 race, Marvin Musquin was a revelation for those who have yet to see the new MX2 world champion. He was very fast and smooth, and comparisons were being made in the press center to Christophe Pourcel, his fellow Frenchman who is now racing this weekend. Musquin topped Tommy Searle by eight seconds, with Roelents third, giving KTM a 1-2-3 sweep of the Lites class.

New MX2 World Champ, Marvin Musquin was the only non-Italian to take a qualifier win. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Weimer also got a poor start, but he was working his way up through the pack when he caught up to Australia’s Brett Metcalfe in fourth and crashed while attempting a pass. He would finish back in eighth, one spot ahead of 15-year-old Roczen, who was on the far, far outside at the start and then later went down.

Jake Weimer made his way to fourth, but a crash dropped him to eighth. He'll have a better starting spot to work from tomorrow. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

Metcalfe would end up fourth, with fellow AMA traveler Tyla Rattray, riding for South Africa, placing fifth. There was another fast 15-year-old out there in Jeffrey Herlings, a Dutch KTM rider who finished seventh.

David Phillipaerts took the Open class win, giving the Italian fans yet more to cheer about. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen

In the last moto Ivan Tedesco got an excellent jump on his Red Bull Honda, but he could not stay inside and ended up fifth coming around. But after that he could not make anything happen, choosing to finish out the moto and assure Team USA of qualifying with a fifth-place ride.

Philippaerts’ win was another popular one with the home crowd, with the surprising Gautier Palin, usually a 250F rider but now on the 450 for France, taking second ahead of Ramon, the former world champion. Michael Byrne would end up seventh here.

Ivan Tedesco scored a solid fifth. Photo: Jeffrey Beerdsen.

So tomorrow the stage is set for a showdown between Italy and Belgium and France, and of course Team USA. The Americans’ four-year winning streak is at stake, of course, and our boys will have their work cut out for them. But anything can happen in this race, from brilliant performances by unexpected heroes—Paul Malin anyone?—to untimely breakdowns (Stefan Everts’ flat tire in Australia ’92) and then just downright weird stuff (Greg Albertyn hitting a deer while winning at Roggenburg in 1994 remains one of the most bizarre moments in motocross history). In other words, it’s still up in the air.

Inside The 2010 Yamaha YZ450F

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:57:39 -0700

Broc Tickle flicks the new 2010 Yamaha YZ450F over a jump at Budds Creek. Click any image for a larger version.

Photo Galleries!

Click the following link for a video of Yamaha's Steve Butler explaining the new 2010 Yamaha YZ450, and feedback from Broc Tickle on the ride.	You can also click the following link for a 51-photo gallery of wallpapers and detail photos on the 2010 Yamah YZ450F.
Don't forget, if you're a Vital MX member, you can comment on any of the photos in the gallery. Not a member? Join now! It's fast and free.

When we first spotted an early leaked photo of the new YZ450 in the Vital MX Forums, we wondered if it was the real deal, or just a Photoshop prank. Yep, it had the look of one of Yamaha’s Powerpoint presentations (which are normally under very strict embargo dates for release), but there were so many changes to the bike, you had to wonder if it were real or not. Fuel injection? That wasn’t unexpected, given that they’d be the last Japanese 450 to make the switch. But switching the location of the intake and exhaust? That made for some flashbacks to the days of Cannondale’s ill-fated effort into the motorcycle scene.

Yamaha dialed us in with a white version of the newest YZ450F, which comes with black wheels. European editions of the bike feature black wheels on the blue model as well.

Of course, we got the real conformation just after Steel City, when Yamaha did their press reveal of the new bike. Shortly after that we also received an invitation to come out and check out the new bike at Budds Creek, and how could we say no at a chance to ride one of the first 17 bikes in the U.S? (And four of those belong to Yamaha’s Racing Department.) We were really looking forward to this one.

Just a switch to fuel injection would be a large change, and so would an all-new engine design like this bike features. But this bike goes well beyond that, with a 180-degree change to the intake and exhaust positions, and a tight integration with development of a new chassis, and more. Let’s dig in.

Engine

One of the big design goals on this bike was making it easier to ride, and one of the ways that they set out to achieve it was by centralizing the weight as much as possible. One way they set about doing this was rotating the cylinder back nearly 13 degrees from the incline of the '09 models. But this also provided the dual benefit of making for a very straight flow of air for the intake and exhaust on the new engine design.

We like the simple look of the new powerplant. You can see how it has a lower height than in the past, is rotated back in the frame, and has a reversed intake and exhaust.

Yamaha also tweaked the position of the cylinder on the cases, moving it 12mm forward of the crank center. Their goals here was to make the connecting rod more vertical at the moment of greatest combustion force, but it also provides for less piston friction. Yamaha claims this provides a more efficient use of the available power, and improves throttle-to-rear-wheel feeling…more of a direct connection.

Power? Yep, the new 450 has plenty of it. It's easy to control, and no, it's not slow.

They also went with a bigger bore and shorter stroke on the new engine, with a half-millimeter shorter crank, and a two-millimeter larger bore. That allowed them to reduce the height of the cylinder by 15mm, and reducing the overall height of the engine.

They made quite a few changes to the piston as well, bumping compression up a smidge, from 12.3:1 to 12.5:1, and eliminating the piston pin offset that the ’09 model uses. The piston ring shape and tension has also changed. A notch was added to the second ring for more effective oil scraping, and the tension of the rings has been reduced by approximately 40%.

After years of using a five-valve design, the new engine has a four titanium valve arrangement that better matches the fuel injection. The cam profiles have changed, and they’ve also gone from a round valve spring material to an oval shape to make shorter springs possible without coil bind.

The fuel injection unit on the new YZ450F includes a 44mm Keihin throttle body with a 12-hole injector, and like the other fuel injection systems we've seen in use for motocross it's a battery-less system that stores a charge in a condenser as soon as the bike is kicked over, and that powers the tank-mounted fuel pump. The fuel injection ECU monitors the usual functions, including throttle position, intake pressure, atmospheric pressure, coolant temperature, air temperature, and crank pressure, but they've also added a G-sensor that will automatically shut off the bike if it's laid over for more than ten seconds.

Here's a view of the new GYTR Power Tuner. Nope, no laptop required.

Yamaha also has an optional GYTR Power Tuner ($279) that lets you plug in at the track and adjust fuel and ignition maps to match your track and riding conditions, as well as any engine mods you may make. The cool part is, it’s a standalone unit powered by two AA batteries. There are no laptop or external batteries required. It’ll store up to eight maps, it has some diagnostic features built in, and you can even use it while on the way to the track. It doesn’t need to be plugged into the bike.

Okay, so now you’ve got the basics on the engine, but how about the reversed layout? One of our favorite parts of the new bike's layout is the air intake and airbox. Starting at the front, the shrouds now curve around much further on their leading edge than before. This gives you two benefits. First, it provides substantial protection against any roost entering the air intake, and it also guarantees that your outstretched boot will never hook up on the shrouds again while you're laid over in a turn.

Want a look under the hood? You can see how easy it is to access the air filter on the new YZ when you flip up the fuel tank, which now resides under the flattened seat. There's a built-in heat shield for the fuel tank.

Air filter maintenance is also dead simple. Remove two bolts for the seat. Two easily accessible bolts for the shrouds/fuel tank are next, and then two bolts at the top of the airbox cover. You simply tilt the tank upwards, using a cable that Yamaha provides in the bike's tool kit. One end loops around the subframe, and the other hooks to the front seat mount on the tank itself. Remove the airbox cover, unhook the bar that holds down the filter cage, and remove the filter. The filter itself has also been simplified, since it's a single flat piece of foam, rather than built up from multiple pieces that are glued together. No more worrying about filters coming apart during cleaning.

One thing you will notice while riding the bike is that you do hear a bit more of the throaty air intake note as it gobbles up oxygen in a hurry.

You can see how open the area under the seat is, now that the airbox has been moved to the front. The tornado-style exhaust is even longer than in the past, which adds to the low end power.

On the opposite end, there’s the “tornado-style” exhaust with a built-in resonance chamber. To achieve good low and mid-range power, you need an exhaust with enough length to it…which is why we’ve seen some very long pipes exiting the front of the engine in recent years. With this design, it’s actually longer than the ’09 pipe. But now that there’s so much extra room under the seat because the airbox is at the front of the bike, you not only don’t have to worry about crushing the pipe in contact with another rider, the bike can also make use of larger and lower radiators that fill the spot where the pipe uses to exit the engine. There’s also plenty of room around the shock (and enough ventilation from the exposed bodywork) to keep the area cool. In addition, there’s thermal material on the inside of the sideplates, and a metal heat shield under the seat. We set our hand atop the seat of a bike that had been sitting idling, and could feel no heat through the seat.

Chassis

Since they were starting with a blank sheet of paper for this bike, Yamaha’s designers wanted to closely integrate the chassis and engine. Taisuke Sakurai is the team leader and focused on engine development, while Shidehiko Miyashiro was the head of chassis development. They were on hand to answer questions on the bike’s development, but were just as interested in getting feedback from the riders on hand at the test. They were apparently quite happy to get the same type of feedback from the assembled media that they’d received from their test riders.

Shidehiko Miyashiro (left) was the head of chassis development on this bike, while Taisuke Sakurai Iright) was the team leader and focused on engine development. These guys were like proud parents, and very keen to get feedback from the media and test riders.

By switching from a single backbone to a bilateral beam design (like we first saw on Yamaha’s YZ250F earlier this year), it gave them room for the airbox configuration they wanted, but they also were able to get the frame flex characteristics that they were looking for. The aluminum frame is constructed with a blend of cast, forged, and extruded components. The extruded twin bilateral beams are hydro-formed, which allows Yamaha to achieve the unique double S-bend shape they wanted, while maintaining maximum strength. If you look at these pieces from the side, and from the top, they form an S-bend in each direction.

During conversations with Sakurai and Miyashiro, they discussed how difficult the frame was to build, and that the prototype cost of each one was close to the cost of, “One large car.” Apparently they went through quite a few of those during testing.

So in the puzzle of where to locate everything on the bike, where did the fuel tank move? It moves rearward, under the seat, and almost directly over the engine. But an advantage to the new design is that there’s a built-in heat shield under the tank, which should do a much better job of keeping the heat away from it than in the past. It’s also molded from a semi-transparent gray plastic that helps you spot the fuel level. It is a bit tricky seeing just how full it is, since the bulk of the fuel resides in a lower section of the tank, while the extension at the front (under the gas cap) is rather slim. Yamaha claims that by moving the fuel weight to the center of the bike, it reduces differences in the bike’s handling as the fuel level changes.

Broc Tickle was having a blast riding the bike. Enough so that he ran through a tank of fuel on one of his motos, and left some dried blood on the throttle grip where he worked a hole in his thumb. He didn't want to get off the bike.

By moving the fuel tank, they were also able to design a flatter seat, which is easier to move around on. Though the fuel tank is smaller in capacity (1.6 gallons vs. last year’s 1.85 gallons), there will be less fuel loss via the float bowl vent tube over the length of a moto. We do wonder how heavy-handed riders who use this for really long motos and off-roaders will boost the capacity of their tanks, but our guest tester for the weekend, Broc Tickle, rode for probably an hour on a tank of fuel.

As far as suspension, the new layout of the components and the new frame allowed them to do some different things in the rear end as well. The shock is now center-mounted on the frame rather than having to be nudged to one side for the intake. The flex characteristics of the swingarm were also changed to match the new chassis. The KYB rear shock also has a horizontally oriented piggyback reservoir that’s larger than before, and the shock body now uses a 50mm piston, rather than 46mm.

Up front, you get a KYB speed sensitive fork with 310mm of travel (up 10mm from last year). Details on the fork include a new oil seal, new inner rod surface treatment, and like the shock, about a 10% boost in low-speed damping. As far as triple clamp offset? It’s been reduced from 25mm to 22mm.

What’s left from the ’09 model? Wheels, and goodies like the Pro Taper bars and the controls. That’s it.

On Board

Visually, the bike is very striking. Like we noticed with the 250F introduced earlier this summer, we think it looks better in person than in photos, but one thing is for sure…there’s little chance that you’ll confuse this with anything else on the gate. It’s a very aggressive and minimalist styling, and they really emphasized the open area where the exhaust and shock now reside (we’d guess partly for the cooling abilities). But it also makes it visually lighter.

We love concept art of bikes like this. It gives you some insight into what the designers had in mind during earlier stages of the bike. As you can see, the finished project isn't far off from their original vision.

Settling in on the bike, you don’t really notice anything different. The width of the shrouds are similar, and the bike is very slender through the middle. When you’re on the gas, you do hear some added intake noise that you don’t normally get, but that’s not unexpected, with the intake that close to you. We’ve seen some photo in the Vital MX Forum of James Stewart’s new bike, where they’ve added some machining on the shrouds to add slots for extra air. Of course, if you want to go scary-fast, Yamaha already has a full line of GYTR hop-up components in place for the new machine, including cams, piston, head, pipe, and more. And that’s in addition to being able to tune via the fuel and ignition maps.

Broc Tickle has spent the last three years aboard 250Fs, though he did ride his first three nationals on a 450, and he was impressed with both the power and controllability.

Light feeling and flickable?Yep, you could say that. He was having fun.

Yamaha has been testing with fuel injection for several years on motocross bikes, though often when it was used at public races in Japan, it was hidden by a carbon guard, so prying eyes (and cameras) couldn’t tell if the bike was equipped with a carb or a fuel injection throttle body. There’s no big difference in performance, other than no cough or bog when cracking the throttle open. We did run into a couple stalls in odd spots, but usually at very low RPMs.

For us, the biggest difference is in cornering, and the way it feels over bumps. As Taisuke Sakurai told us, “You guys understand that many heavy parts, far from the center of gravity feels very heavy. But concentrate them closer to the center of gravity, and it feels lighter.” One of their primary goals on this bike was to make it quick and nimble. “Light handling” was something emphasized over and over in their press materials. Small bumps and bigger braking bumps? They didn’t seem to affect the bike quite as much as we’d have expected on a more traditional layout.

Initially, Broc thought the front end was too soft, and the Yamaha guys remedied that by adding 10mm to the oil height, and doing a bit of tuning on both the front and rear ends. Of course, Broc’s used to riding modified suspension, and rides hard, so it’s not too surprising that he was looking for something just a bit stiffer.

Broc rails an off-camber berm.

Cornering was also rock-solid, whether you were digging for an inside line, or railing around a berm. If we sound impressed, it’s because we are. They really seem to have hit their marks with this bike.

Wrapping Up

The concept of this bike was started almost three years ago, with much of the original concept coming from an internal (and often after-hours) group within Yamaha called the YZ Research Team that included members from both the U.S. and Japanese headquarters; and members of the product planning, testing, engineering, PR, and design teams.

Interestingly, it apparently took a while for the top management at Yamaha to accept this idea because it was so different. But after lots of work and pushing from the designers, it was accepted, and they moved forward with it.

Thanks to Yamaha, and to Broc Tickle for the help at wringing out the new bike. Be sure to check out the link to the video above for more from Broc.

On this bike, Yamaha wanted to produce something as revolutionary as their original ’98 YZ400. We’d say that they easily accomplished that goal. For every question you have about it, they’ve got a solid reason why they made their design choices, and a lot of it just plain makes sense. This could very well be one of those bikes that changes the way motocross bikes look in the future.

2010 Yamaha YZ450F Specs
Engine Type: 449cc liquid-cooled DOHC 4-stroke; 4 titanium valves
Bore x Stroke: 97.0 x 60.8mm
Compression Ratio: 12.5:1
Fuel Delivery: Yamaha Fuel Injection (YFI), Keihin® 44mm
Ignition: CDI
Transmission: Constant-mesh 5-speed; multiplate wet clutch
Suspension/Front: KYB® Speed-Sensitive System, inverted fork: fully adjustable, 12.2-in travel
Suspension/Rear: KYB® Fully adjustable single shock; 12.4-in travel
Brake/Front: Hydraulic single disc brake, 250mm
Brake/Rear: Hydraulic single disc brake, 245mm
Tire/Front: 80/100-21-Dunlop® D-742FA
Tire/Rear: 120/80-19-Dunlop® D-756
L x W x H: 86.3 x 32.4 x 51.6 in
Seat Height: 39.3 in
Wheelbase: 58.7 in
Ground Clearance: 15.0 in
Fuel Capacity: 1.6 gal
**Wet Weight: 245 lb
Color: Blue/White ($7,990); White/Red ($8,090)

Ride Impression: 2010 Kawasaki KX250F

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:13:22 -0700

Blake Baggett wringing out the new 2010 Kawasaki KX250F at Castillo Ranch. Click any image in this article for a larger version.

Photo Galleries!

Click the following link for a video of Kawasaki's Greg Lasiewski, and Blake Baggett showing off the new 2010 Kawasaki KX250F. Oh, and there is a special cameo appearance from Jeff Emig as well.	Click the following link for three different wallpapers (in two different sizes) of the 2010 Kawasaki KX250F.
Don't forget, if you're a Vital MX member, you can comment on any of the photos in the gallery. Not a member? Join now! It's fast and free.

Yep, Christophe Pourcel scored a 250 East Supercross title on the ’09 edition of his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250F, and just missed on another title in the outdoor season. Obviously the bike was working well for him. For all the major upgrades that the 2009 Kawasaki KX250F received in its aluminum chassis and engine departments, we figured that on the new edition, the list of changes might be a little leaner. We were actually surprised at the number of updates to boost performance, durability, or both.

Ready to jump in and run through the list? Here goes.

Engine

Like its bigger brother, the KX450F, the 250F gets a new box structure piston with addition reinforcing ribs underneath to boost strength and power, as well as trimming weight. It also features a .6mm taller piston crown for improved combustion. Weight was also trimmed with a 7mm shorter wrist pin, and that translates to faster revving.

The cylinder height was also changed by .5mm, (to accommodate the new piston and match its compression ratio), but the big news here is that the surface treatment of the cylinder wall has been changed from a plating to Electrofusion. Kawasaki claims that this results in improved oil retention on the surface, for less scorching, as well as better resistance to seizures.

On the bottom end, there are changes to the crank, including a 1mm longer crank pin, a boost of 1mm on the width of the connecting rod and bearing, as well as a boost on the thickness of the copper plating on the small end of the rod. Your net benefit? A cooler-running engine, with added durability.

The cam has also been revised, boosting the spring load set on the auto-decompressor. By holding the decompression on longer, it results in easier starting. In fact, we were able to regularly start the bike on the first or second kick, even while in gear, something that’s notoriously difficult to do on most 250Fs.

The exhaust has been tapered from 35mm to 45mm diameter, with 10mm added to the 35mm section, and 10mm removed from the 45mm diameter section, to add better low-end performance. The material has also been changed from titanium, which is light but fragile when hot, to stainless steel.

The muffler has a new shape for the pipe/muffler junction, a new clamp shape for better sealing, and a rubber-mounted design.

They’ve also changed up the oil pump rotors, adding a half millimeter of width. While that may sound small, it’s said to result in a ten percent increase in oil flow, which is good news for a high-revving 250F. The scavenge pump rotor has been reduced in size slightly, to match the flow balance, and reduce resistance from mechanical loss.

We heard reports from a rider or two of the front end pushing in areas like this silty berm, but overall, the handling got high marks.

The cases have also been changed, with 2mm added to the thickness, as well as changing the case shape for the lower front engine mount.

Another change found on the 2010 450F made its way to the new 250F, with radiators that are thicker (a full 10mm), wider (4mm), and with a boost in fin pitch and size. The goal was to provide larger and stronger radiators with improved torsion rigidity, as well as simplifying them (and reducing weight) by removing mounting brackets, and support stays.

All the changes to the engine are said to durability, while also providing modest horsepower gains.

Transmission

The transmission has undergone some changes as well, removing a circlip and washer, changing the shape of the input gear for second gear, and boosting the durability of fourth gear. The dogs on third gear are also larger now, for better gear engagement, and added durability. Our test rider for the day at Kawasaki’s 250F intro, Blake Baggett, said this combined to make for a very noticeable change in shift performance.

Chassis

If you think the laundry list of changes for the engine and transmission was substantial, you’d better settle in, because Kawasaki’s got a lot more for the chassis.

Up front, there are new Showa Twin-Chamber forks, which feature titanium-coated lower tubes, and a Kashima coating on the interior of the upper tubes for minimum friction and better fork action. Kawasaki’s the only company to do this in the 250 class. The fork is also equipped with different damping settings, for a better front/rear balance, less front end dive, and improved performance.

Kawasaki also decreased the steering stem shaft diameter by a millimeter, in an effort to reduce rigidity, and boost front wheel tractability.

In back, the Showa shock gets a new set of bold new damping settings, but the bigger changes are in the linkage, with a new pull rod and rocker arm. The goals of Kawasaki’s engineers here was to reduce kicking, improve rear wheel traction, and making the bike easy to corner.

The swingarm itself is also new, with a revised shape to the cross-section, thinner wall thickness for both the exterior walls, as well as the interior ribs. Reducing rigidity here is said to provide a lighter handling feel, and better cornering.

Close contact. When you're on a photo and video shoot with bikes and riders you're not comfortable with, you don't get this close. Blake was always under control.

The wheels have a new cross-section, with a narrower width and more substantial depth, which is said to boost strength, while trimming weight. They also have a black finish to the Alumite wheels, and are the only Japanese 250 to do so.

How about a few final changes? The rear brake features new pads with a different material and insulation, in an effort to improve rear brake feel. There’s also a new front fender with a thicker mounting area, and front, do prevent it from flexing too much. And finally, the seat features an improved shape, with a firmer urethane foam.

On The Track

We enlisted the services of new AMA Pro Blake Baggett to try out Kawasaki’s latest 250F, fresh from his fourth-place finish aboard his ‘09 Kawasaki KX250F in the final moto of the season at Steel City.

Blake has been a longtime member of Team Green, and among the biggest items that he noted were similar handling, suspension, and power (remember, it’s been since the World Mini that he was aboard a stock bike). But he did notice big improvements in shifting, braking, and in the ability to start the bike…even while it was in gear. It’s definitely an improvement on the breed.

For more of his comments, you can check out our video from Castillo Ranch (see the link above), and catch the full specs below.

2010 Kawasaki KX250F Specifications*

Engine: Four-stroke single with DOHC and four valves
Displacement: 249cc
Bore x stroke: 77.0 x 53.6mm
Cooling: Liquid
Carburetion: Keihin FCR37 and hot start circuit
Compression ratio: 13.2:1
Ignition: Digital CDI with K-TRIC throttle position sensor
Transmission: Five-speed with wet multi-disc manual clutch
Final drive: Chain
Frame: Aluminum perimeter
Rake / trail: 27.4 degrees / 4.7 in.
Front suspension / wheel travel: 47mm inverted Showa twin-chamber telescopic fork with 16-way compression and rebound damping / 12.4 in.
Rear suspension / wheel travel: UNI-TRAK® linkage system and Showa shock with 13-way low-speed and stepless high-speed compression damping, 17-way rebound damping and fully adjustable spring preload / 12.2 in.
Front tire: 80/100-21
Rear tire: 100/90-19
Front brake: Single semi-floating 250mm petal disc with dual piston caliper
Rear brake: Single 240mm petal disc with single-piston caliper
Overall length: 85.4 in.
Overall width: 32.3 in.
Overall height: 50.0 in.
Wheelbase: 57.9 in.
Ground clearance: 13.4 in.
Seat height: 37.6 in.
Curb weight: 231.4 Lbs.
Fuel capacity: 2.1 Gal.
Color: Lime Green
MSRP: $6,999

Wholesale distributor: Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.
9950 Jeronimo Road
Irvine, California 92618
(949) 770-0400
www.kawasaki.com

*Specifications are subject to change.

Meet Your Women's Champ: Ashley Fiolek

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:11:37 -0700

Last week was a busy one for Ashley Fiolek...but not in a usual post-championship way. After clinching the Women's title in dramatic fashion at Steel City (she wrapped it up after riding half of the first moto with a broken collarbone), she had it surgically repaird. The good news is, she had lots of time on her hands to type up some answers to questions we had about her '09 season. And we could see her trademark smile coming through in some of the answers.

Vital MX: First off, congratulations on your second championship. How did this year go compared to ’08?

Ashley Fiolek: Thanks GuyB! '08 was really good except when I got hurt preparing for the X Games but I definitely think this year was more fun. All the girls have stepped it up and are working really hard, so there were some really good battles! Of course being a part of Honda Red Bull Racing is an unbelievable experience, I couldn't ask for a better team or motorcycle to ride. Also winning the X Games was a first for me, training with Jeremy, going to the Honda SX track, those were all new experiences.

That was quite a cliffhanger in Steel City. You went into the final race with a big points lead. Did you think it was pretty much a formality at that point that you’d finish up the first moto and have it wrapped up?

Well I knew I needed tenth or better, but this is motocross so anything can happen. I went out in practice and felt good so I just wanted to get a holeshot and let the race come to me. I didn't get a good start and ended up crashing on the third lap after getting into second place, so nothing is for sure in motocross.

So what happened? How did you go down?

I don't really remember it because it actually happened so fast, but I think I cross rutted toward the sweeper and swapped. The bike pitched me (everyone said it was gnarly crash!). I jumped up and started running to my bike, the first thing I did was rev the engine so it would stay running, picked it up and got going again.

As soon as you crashed, did you know the collarbone was broken?

Not really. I got the wind knocked out of me so it was hard for me to breath, so actually my stomach was hurting, I didn't notice my collarbone until I hit the next jump, that is when I felt like something was wrong with my shoulder. At that point I knew I needed to keep racing, I think I rode four or five laps with my collarbone broken and finished seventh, which was enough to win the championship. Good thing, since I wasn't going to be able to come out for the 2nd moto.

Did you have any trouble getting the bike picked up or restarted?

Good thing I kept it running because my bike was pretty twisted, handlebars were bent and front brake wasn't working, Cody my mechanic told me everything was messed up, the hot start was bent into the throttle and it was stuck open so if the engine stopped I would not have been able to start it again.

What was it like riding with a broken collarbone? Were you still doing all the jumps? Or limiting what you were doing?

OUCH! It was painful. Yeah, I starting off doing as many of the jumps as I could, but as it the pain got worse I did just what I needed to do, but I was still doing some of them!

How many laps did you have to do like that?

I think 5 laps!

Were you getting updates from your mechanic on where you were at and what you had to do

I knew I had to get top 10, Cody told me what place I was in but to be honest I was in a lot of pain so all I was thinking was I wanted the race to be done!

Okay, I saw the photo of your collarbone x-ray on Twitter. That was quite a gap between the ends of the broken bone. How did the surgery go? What did they have to do?

Yeah, it was gnarly x-ray huh? Surgery went really well, the pain should be gone soon! I want to thank Dr. Augustine for fixing me and and taking great care of me. He had to put a plate and six screws! I am bionic now. Just kidding. I'll have to show you guys the x-ray after the surgery, much better.

You’ve done quite a bit of traveling back and forth, racing the U.S. and parts of the GP series. How do the two series differ?

In the FIM the motos are 20 + 2 laps so you have more time if you get a bad start or fall early. The European tracks get a little more gnarly because they don't prep them once the first practice starts, I think the pace is pretty close in the FIM and WMX, it would be awesome if we could get their top 15 girls to come here.

It seems like the women’s racing here has gotten better over the last year or two, with more depth to the fields.

Yeah for sure, being recognized as professionals, being added to the Saturday program, teams supporting us, and overall the hard work the girls are putting in are making for some exciting races. It is going to be better next year.

Jessica was coming on strong near the end of the season, and provided more of a challenge.

Yeah for sure, Jessica is the fastest women to ever race a motorcycle, that is why Jessica has five championships. I always expect Jessica to reinvent herself as she did in the past, this year and in the future. It makes for great racing.

What’s next for you? What are your plans for the 2010 season and beyond?

I am just waiting for this to heal up, I think Ill be ready to ride again in eight weeks. I am going to Belgium to hang out with my friends for vacation. I just want to keep working hard for sure and helping the WMX and women's motorcycling to grow. I cant wait for 2010!

Anyone you’d like to thank?

God for always keep me safe, my mom and dad, my brother Kicker, my mechanic Cody, Honda Red Bull Racing, Alpinestars, Red Bull, Smith Optics, Rockwell Timekeepers, Vans, Leatt, and all the fans of the WMX.

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