Vital MX Features

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.

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship: Steel City

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:02:02 -0700

Photo Galleries!
450 Moto 1 Starts Here	250 Moto 1 Starts Here	Women’s Moto 1 Starts Here
450 Moto 2 Starts Here	250 Moto 2 Starts Here	Women’s Moto 2 Starts Here

The final round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Steel City offered up a chance to check out two titles (250 and Women’s) get clinched, as well as a last chance for riders looking for rides in 2010 to put a good result on their resumes.

After a DNF by Christophe Pourcel (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) in the first moto at Southwick, the 250 championship chase got turned on its head, which made this one Ryan Dungey’s (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) to lose.

When the gate dropped for the first moto, it was Muscle Milk MDK KTM’s Ryan Sipes grabbing the holeshot, but Geico Powersports Honda’s Justin Barcia took over the lead before the end of the first lap. Behind him, both Pourcel and Dungey were on the move, with Pourcel sprinting to the front on lap three. But when Ryan Dungey joined him to run 1-2 on lap five, Pourcel’s tactics changed. Instead of trying to put as many riders as possible between the two of them, they jockeyed back and forth, exchanging the lead a couple times. Pourcel clearly wanted Dungey to run up front, but Dungey wasn’t buying it, content to ride in second. Pourcel took the first moto win, but was clearly frustrated that he couldn’t do more to help his title hopes.

In moto two, Pourcel just rode away from the field, taking another win and the overall, but with Dungey in second spot, the Suzuki rider took the title by 11 points.

In the 450 class, Chad Reed was back in action after his hard crash at Southwick, but he also was suffering from the same stomach problems that troubled him earlier in the season. He scored a second in moto one, finishing behind first-time winner Tommy Hahn (Canidae Motosport Kawasaki). Hahn had taken the win after battling with the Honda Red Bull Racing duo of Andrew Short and Ivan Tedesco, and putting both of them behind him not once, but twice. Michael Byrne (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) finished in third spot, and all three of the top three riders in the moto say that they’re still hunting for new rides for the ’10 season.

In moto two Jägermeister MDK KTM’s Justin Brayton grabbed the holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jake Moss, and he never relinquished it, adding yet another first-time moto winner to this season’s list of overachievers. As for Reed? He dropped out after nine laps in moto two.

The podium for the 450 class went like this. Tommy Hahn (1-1) in first spot, Ivan Tedesco (4-3) in second, and Justin Brayton (11-1) in third. Andrew Short clinched second in the series behind Reed with 12 points between him and Ivan Tedesco.

There was one other title title to decide, and the women’s finale came down to this…Honda Red Bull Racing’s Ashley Fiolek had a big points lead, and needed a tenth or better in moto one if Jessica Patterson won to wrap up her second straight title.

When the gate dropped for moto one, Jessica Patterson took off en route to another moto win, but the championship drama was going on behind her. Fiolek was riding well, but a crash with a few laps left to go put her in the precarious spot of having to finish the moto, and within the allotted positions to clinch the title. She did finish in seventh spot, which was enough to lock it up, and still was able to throw in an arm pump over the finish line, despite suffering a broken collarbone in the crash.

In moto two, Fiolek was on the sidelines, and once again, it was another Jessica Patterson win. She’s really shown improvement in her program since moving over to the Geico Powersports Honda team as a substitute rider, and could be a threat to Ashley next season.

Mariana Balbi finished second overall with a 2-2 score, ahead of Muscle Milk MDK KTM’s Sara Whitmore, who put a last lap pass on Tarah Gieger (Yamaha/Red Bull/Etnies) to take third overall.

That’s it for the 2009 season. Check the links above for much more in the photo galleries.

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship Results
Steel City Raceway; Delmont, PA

250 Overall
1. Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki) 1-1
2. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 2-2
3. Blake Wharton (Honda) 8-3
4. Ryan Sipes (KTM) 6-5
5. Jake Weimer (Kawasaki) 4-8
6. Justin Barcia (Honda) 3-13
7. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki) 5-10
8. Brett Metcalfe (Honda) 9-7
9. Tommy Searle (KTM) 13-6
10. Blake Baggett (Kawasaki) 17-4
11. Broc Tickle (Yamaha) 11-9
12. Steven Clarke (Suzuki) 10-14
13. Matt Lemoine (Yamaha) 16-11
14. Taylor Futrell (Honda) 12-15
15. Ryan Morais (Kawasaki) 7-22
16. Kyle Cunningham (Kawasaki) 18-12
17. P. J. Larsen (Kawasaki) 14-30
18. Alex Martin (Honda) 14-38
19. Matiss Karro (Suzuki) 25-16
20. Phil Nicoletti (Honda) 19-18

250 Final Point Standings
1. Ryan Dungey 503
2. Christophe Pourcel 492
3. Brett Metcalfe 378
4. Jake Weimer 353
5. Justin Barcia 340
6. Tommy Searle 332
7. Broc Tickle 285
8. Blake Wharton 273
9. Tyla Rattray 236
10. Matt Lemoine 189
11. Kyle Cunningham 186
12. Darryn Durham 150
13. Trey Canard 139
14. Steven Clarke 126
15. Ben Evans 126
16. P. J. Larsen 121
17. Austin Stroupe 120
18. Max Anstie 107
19. Wil Hahn 104

450 Overall
1. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki) 1-4
2. Ivan Tedesco (Honda) 4-3
3. Justin Brayton 11-1
4. Jake Moss (Kawasaki) 10-2
5. Andrew Short (Honda) 5-5
6. Michael Byrne (Suzuki) 3-9
7. Davi Millsaps (Honda) 6-10
8. Timmy Ferry (Kawasaki) 12-7
9. Matt Goerke (Yamaha) 7-12
10. Chad Reed (Suzuki) 2-34
11. Jimmy Albertson (Yamaha) 15-6
12. Robert Kiniry (Kawasaki) 9-13
13. Nick Wey (Yamaha) 13-11
14. Antonio Balbi (Honda) 31-8
15. Christian Craig (Yamaha) 8-21
16. Carl Nunn (Suzuki) 16-16
17. Adam Chatfield (Kawasaki) 17-17
18. Weston Peick (Honda) 37-14
19. Cody Cooper (Yamaha) 20-15
20. Tyler Bowers (Honda) 14-22

450 Final Point Standings
1. Chad Reed 481
2. Andrew Short 388
3. Ivan Tedesco 376
4. Michael Byrne 348
5. Tommy Hahn 302
6. Josh Grant 280
7. Justin Brayton 249
8. Nick Wey 200
9. Cody Cooper 191
10. Jimmy Albertson 185
11. Davi Millsaps 175
12. Matt Goerke 154
13. Mike Alessi 142
14. Ricky Dietrich 136
15. Jake Moss 127
16. Kyle Regal 107
17. Tyler Bowers 102
18. Antonio Balbi 94
19. Jeff Alessi 88
20. Timmy Ferry 87

Women’s Overall
1. Jessica Patterson (Honda) 1-1
2. Mariana Balbi (Honda) 2-2
3. Sara Whitmore (KTM) 5-3
4. Tarah Gieger (Yamaha) 4-4
5. Jacqueline Strong (Honda) 5-3
6. Elizabeth Bash (Kawasaki) 6-6
7. Sara Price (Kawasaki) 7-8
8. Allison Vrba (Yamaha) 8-10
9. Penni Cyrus (Kawasaki) 9-9
10. Alyssa Fitch (Honda) 10-12

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship: Southwick

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:56:14 -0700

Photo Galleries!
450 Moto 1 Starts Here	250 Moto 1 Starts Here	Women’s Moto 1 Starts Here
450 Moto 2 Starts Here	250 Moto 2 Starts Here	Women’s Moto 2 Starts Here

With the 450 title wrapped up last weekend, and Christophe Pourcel with a 13-point lead in the 250 title chase, you’d think Southwick would be boring, right? Wrong!

Wow, where to start? Well, first up were the track conditions. Despite some wet weather and a near-constant light rain, the sandy track held up amazingly well. Sure, it was a little soupy in spots, but with the constantly shifting lines and riders creating multiple lines to stay away from the roost of the guy in front of them, it made for good racing.

In the 250 class, there were surprises aplenty. Blake Wharton (Geico Powersports Honda) got the early lead in moto one, but was passed by Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki). Not long after, Justin Barcia (Geico Powersports Honda) moved into second and ran behind Dungey for quite a while. Just past the midway point, Barcia took over the lead and held it to the checkered flag, scoring his first moto win.

In the title chase, Christophe Pourcel (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) came into the race with a 13-point lead over Dungey, but that quickly evaporated when his bike quit running before the finish. The resulting DNF caused a 22-point swing, and put Pourcel nine points behind Dungey.

In moto two, there was more drama. After lining up side-by-side on the start, Christophe Pourcel and Ryan Dungey ended up tangled together in the first turn. Meanwhile, first moto winner Barcia got stuck in the gate and was working his way from deep in the pack. Barcia made it to third place at the finish, while Dungey was fourth, and Pourcel could only manage an 11th, further extending Dungey’s points lead, which is now 17 with only two motos remaining.

Barcia’s fourth, combined with his win in the first moto gave him the nod for his first-ever National overall win, much to the delight of the partisan crowd. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Tyla Rattray (6-1) rode a stellar race after returning from a broken thumb acquired at Red Bud to take the moto win, adding yet another name to the slate of guys who have taken a moto win this season. That put Rattray second on the podium, and a consistent Brett Metcalfe (Geico Powersports Honda) was third with a 4-2 score.

In the 450 class, Chad Reed (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) grabbed the early lead in moto one, and held it to the end. But it wasn’t without some pressure from Jake Moss (Monster Energy Kawasaki), who was also being pressured by local ace Robby Marshall. The delight of the local fans was squashed a bit when Marshall went down on the last lap (maybe not surprising after he’d spent most of the moto getting his eyes sandblasted after tossing his goggles early in the moto) but he still managed to remount for fifth.

In moto two Andrew Short (Honda Red Bull Racing) had the early lead before being passed by Reed, but that didn’t last too long. The newly crowned National Champ cross-rutted on the face of the finish line jump, crashed hard, and suffered his first DNF of the season. That handed the lead to Yamaha Factory Racing substitute rider Matt Goerke. Behind Goerke was another fan favorite, 44-year-old John Dowd, who was making his annual appearance at Southwick. That led to more screaming by the Motocross 338 fans, who urged their local hero on.

In the end, it was Matt Goerke taking the moto win and overall with a 6-1 total. He and Michael Byrne (3-3) were tied on points, but Matt got the nod thanks to the second moto win. Dowd (10-2) rounded out the podium.

The women rejoined the series at Southwick, and Jessica Patterson (Geico Powersports Honda) took a pair of dominating moto wins over Ashley Fiolek (Honda Red Bull Racing) and Tarah Gieger (Yamaha/Etnies). Fiolek take a 41-point lead into the final round at High Point next weekend.

Be sure to check out the photo galleries (see the links above) for much more from Southwick.

250 Overall

1. Justin Barcia (Honda) 1-3
2. Tyla Rattray (Kawasaki) 6-1
3. Brett Metcalfe (Honda) 4-2
4. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 2-4
5. Taylor Futrell (Honda) 7-7
6. Tommy Searle (KTM) 9-6
7. Blake Wharton (Honda) 3-15
8. Broc Tickle (Yamaha) 8-13
9. Jake Weimer (Kawasaki) 13-9
10. Blake Baggett (Kawasaki) 15-8
11. P. J. Larsen (Kawasaki) 10-14
12. Ryan Sipes (KTM) 25-5
13. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki) 5-29
14. Vince Friese (Honda) 11-16
15. Steven Clarke (Suzuki) 16-12
16. Scott Champion (Honda) 12-17
17. Alex Martin (Honda) 20-10
18. Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki) 27-11
19. Wil Hahn (KTM) 14-34
20. Spencer Dally (Honda) 18-20

250 Point Standings

1. Ryan Dungey 459
2. Christophe Pourcel 442
3. Brett Metcalfe 352
4. Jake Weimer 322
5. Justin Barcia 312
6. Tommy Searle 309
7. Broc Tickle 263
8. Blake Wharton 240
9. Tyla Rattray 236
10. Kyle Cunningham 174
11. Matt Lemoine 174
12. Darryn Durham 150
13. Trey Canard 139
14. Ben Evans 124
15. P. J. Larsen 114
16. Steven Clarke 108
17. Max Anstie 107
18. Wil Hahn 104
19. Alex Martin 94
20. Austin Stroupe 93

450 Overall

1. Matt Goerke (Yamaha) 6-1
2. Michael Byrne (Suzuki) 3-3
3. John Dowd (Kawasaki) 10-2
4. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki) 9-4
5. Robby Marshall (Suzuki) 5-7
6. Kyle Regal (Yamaha) 4-10
7. Andrew Short (Honda) 7-9
8. Chad Reed (Suzuki) 1-31
9. Jake Moss (Kawasaki) 2-30
10. Ricky Renner (Honda) 11-12
11. Ivan Tedesco (Honda) 36-5
12. Les Smith (Kawasaki) 12-14
13. Tyler Bowers (Honda) 22-6
14. Jimmy Albertson (Yamaha) 15-13
15. Christian Craig (Yamaha) 29-8
16. Justin Brayton (KTM) 8-24
17. Jeff Alessi (Honda) 24-11
18. Davi Millsaps (Honda) 14-20
19. Cody Cooper (Yamaha) 13-25
20. Nick Wey (Yamaha) 30-15

450 Points

1. Chad Reed 459
2. Andrew Short 356
3. Ivan Tedesco 338
4. Michael Byrne 316
5. Josh Grant 280
6. Tommy Hahn 259
7. Justin Brayton 214
8. Cody Cooper 184
9. Nick Wey 182
10. Jimmy Albertson 164
11. Davi Millsaps 149
12. Mike Alessi 142
13. Ricky Dietrich 136
14. Matt Goerke 131
15. Kyle Regal 107
16. Tyler Bowers 95
17. Jake Moss 94
18. Jeff Alessi 85
19. Antonio Balbi 81
20. Jarred Browne 72

Women’s Overall

1. Jessica Patterson (Honda) 1-1
2. Ashley Fiolek (Honda) 2-3
3. Tarah Gieger (Yamaha) 3-7
4. Sherri Cruse (Suzuki) 4-2
5. Heidi Cooke (Kawasaki) 5-6
6. Sara Price (Kawasaki) 6-4
7. Julie Anne Parizek (Kawasaki) 7-5
8. Alyssa Fitch (Honda) 8-9
9. Elizabeth Bash (Kawasaki) 9-8
10. Jacqueline Strong (Honda) 10-12
11. Penni Cyrus (Kawasaki) 11-10
12. Krisa Sweeney (Kawasaki) 12-14
13. Ashley Boham (Kawasaki) 13-13
14. Allison Vrba (Yamaha) 14-17
15. April Zastrow (Honda) 15-16
16. Brittany Gagne (Suzuki) 16-15
17. Danielle Sawicki (Kawasaki) 17-11
18. Nicole Madsen (Yamaha) 18-18
19. Tressa Rau (Honda) 19-20
20. Ayla Cabus (Honda) 20-19

Women’s Point Standings

1. Ashley Fiolek 336
2. Jessica Patterson 295
3. Sherri Cruse 258
4. Sara Price 208
5. Vicki Golden 192
6. Elizabeth Bash 187
7. Sara Whitmore 149
8. Penni Cyrus 134
9. Mariana Balbi 126
10. Jacqueline Strong 114
11. Tatum Sik 101
12. April Zastrow 91
13. Ashley Boham 82
14. Kimberly Kocher 81
15. Sayyaka Kaneshiro 80
16. Jackie Ives 68
17. Hailey Larson 60
18. Alyssa Fitch 59
19. Nichole Madsen 59
20. Danielle Sawicki 44

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship: Budds Creek

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 04:10:07 -0700

Photo Galleries!
450 Moto 1 Starts Here	250 Moto 1 Starts Here
450 Moto 2 Starts Here	250 Moto 2 Starts Here

Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed wrapped up the 2009 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross 450cc Championship at Budds Creek four motos early with a 2-1 performance. That gave Reed his first outdoor motocross title, and a big check mark on one of his career goals.

The first motos in both classes were run under hot at steamy conditions, but all eyes were focused on the darkening skies, which promised rain for the second motos.

Davi Millsaps (Honda Red Bull Racing) took the first moto win. After building a substantial lead early in moto one, he hung on for the win, despite coming under late-moto pressure from Reed, who'd won the previous five motos in a row. Yamaha Factory Racing substitute rider Matt Goerke took third in the first moto, working his way past another sub, Monster Energy Kawasaki's with less than a handful of laps left in the first moto.

In the second moto, Ivan Tedesco (Honda Red Bull Racing) had the early lead over Reed, but the Suzuki rider worked his way past after four laps, and then pulled out to a substantial lead. With Andrew Short finishing seventh in the first moto, and tenth in the second, that was all that Reed needed to lock up the title.

The podium in the 450 class consisted of Reed, Millsaps, and Tedesco. Other impressive rides were turned in by Tommy Hahn (Canidae Motosport Kawasaki) who finished second in the second moto, and rookie Kyle Regal (Valli Motorsports), whose 4-4 tied him with Tedesco for third, but Ivan's better second moto finish gave him the nod for the final podium spot.

In the 250 class, Christophe Pourcel (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) extended his points lead in the series to 13 over Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki). Pourcel took a win in the first 250 moto, and backed it up with a third in the final moto of the day, despite front brake problems and a torrential downpour that had small rivers running across the track, and filling ruts with water.

But it was Pourcel's Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammate, Jake Weimer, who took his third overall of the season, thanks to a 2-1 day. Weimer passed Geico Powersports Honda's Brett Metcalfe with a lap to go in the second moto, sealing the overall.

Pourcel's closest rival for the 250 title, Ryan Dungey, finished with a 3-4 day for third overall.

For more coverage, along with 40 photos from the day, be sure to check the links to the photo galleries above.

450 Overall
1. Chad Reed (Suzuki) 2-1
2. Davi Millsaps (Honda) 1-6
3. Ivan Tedesco (Honda) 5-3
4. Kyle Regal (Yamaha) 4-4
5. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki) 12-2
6. Michael Byrne (Suzuki) 9-8
7. Timmy Ferry (Kawasaki) 9-8
8. Andrew Short (Honda) 7-10
9. Matt Goerke (Yamaha) 3-27
10. Jimmy Albertson (Yamaha) 11-12
11. Justin Brayton (KTM) 17-7
12. Tyler Bowers (Honda) 10-15
13. Cody Cooper (Yamaha) 16-11
14. Antonio Balbi (Honda) 14-14
15. Nick Wey (Yamaha) 8-21
16. Jake Moss (Kawasaki) 31-9
17. Christian Craig (Yamaha) 30-13
18. Josh Grant (Yamaha) 13-37
19. Shaun Skinner (Honda)
20. Jason Thomas (Honda) 39-16

450 Point Standings
1. Chad Reed 434
2. Andrew Short 330
3. Ivan Tedesco 322
4. Josh Grant 280
5. Michael Byrne 276
6. Tommy Hahn 229
7. Justin Brayton 201
8. Cody Cooper 176
9. Nick Wey 176
10. Jimmy Albertson 150
11. Mike Alessi 142
12. Davi Millsaps 141
13. Ricky Dietrich 136
14. Matt Goerke 91
15. Antonio Balbi 81
16. Tyler Bowers 80
17. Kyle Regal 78
18. Jeff Alessi 75
19. Jake Moss 72
20. Jarred Browne 72

250 Overall
1. Jake Weimer (Kawasaki) 2-1
2. Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki) 1-3
3. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 3-4
4. Justin Barcia (Honda) 4-7
5. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki) 8-6
6. Brett Metcalfe (Honda) 18-2
7. Matt Lemoine (Yamaha) 14-5
8. Ryan Sipes (KTM) 11-9
9. P. J. Larsen (Kawasaki) 10-10
10. Tyla Rattray (Kawasaki) 6-15
11. Darryn Durham (Yamaha) 5-35
12. Broc Tickle (Yamaha) 16-11
13. Tommy Searle (KTM) 7-21
14. Taylor Futrell (Honda) 23-8
15. Kyle Cunningham (Kawasaki) 9-34
16. Tucker Hibbert (Yamaha) 27-12
17. Alex Martin (Honda) 13-20
18. Blake Baggett (Kawasaki) 12-23
19. Willy Browning (Honda) 28-13
20. James DeCotis (Suzuki) 31-14

250 Point Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel 432
2. Ryan Dungey 419
3. Brett Metcalfe 312
4. Jake Weimer 302
5. Tommy Searle 282
6. Justin Barcia 267
7. Broc Tickle 242
8. Blake Wharton 214
9. Tyla Rattray 196
10. Kyle Cunningham 174
11. Matt Lemoine 174
12. Darryn Durham 150
13. Trey Canard 139
14. Ben Evans 124
15. Max Anstie 107
16. Wil Hahn 97
17. P. J. Larsen 96
18. Steven Clarke 94
19. Alex Martin 82
20. Austin Stroupe 77

Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship: Unadilla

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:55:06 -0700

Photo Galleries!

Click the following link for a 41-photo black and white gallery of motocross race action from Unadilla in New Berlin, NY.	For those of you not old enough to remember Tri-X, or when moto magazines only had a select few color photos per issue (and the Internet was decades away from being invented), here's a color gallery.
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.

There was a serious dose of nostalgia last weekend in upper New York. It was the 40th anniversary of the legendary music festival, Woodstock, which was held about 40 miles from Unadilla. And it was also a 40th anniversary at Unadilla, which makes us wonder, how did our moto forefathers not get the memo about the concert?

Actually, we're pretty glad that they didn't. There's a rich heritage of racing history at the facility, and it was fun to see what people brought out to remember the past. Be sure to check out Pit Bits gallery later to catch more of that, but in the meantime, let's check out the racing action.

250
Coming into Unadilla, both Ryan Dungey (Rockstar Makita Suzuki) and Christophe Pourcel (Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki) were sporting red plates on their respective bikes as co-leaders in the 250 points chase. At the end of the day? It was Pourcel with a six-point advantage as he made his day look particularly easy. Despite an upset stomach in the first moto, and a small crash near the end of the second, he tallied a pair of moto wins that weren’t even close.

For his part, Dungey had a slightly off day, and with six motos remaining in this championship chase, we know that you should also expect the unexpected...though for the moment, it's advantage Pourcel.

One thing that Dungey has to feel good about was being named as part of the 2009 Team USA MXoN effort, where he'll be riding as our representative in the MX1 class. He'll be joined by MXoN veteran Ivan Tedesco (MX3), and Jake Weimer (MX2).

Speaking of Weimer, he was third overall on Saturday, using a pair of third-place finishes to stay ahead of Geico Powersport Honda's Brett Metcalfe (4-4), and Division 7/Star Racing/Yamaha's Broc Tickle (9-5).

450
In the 450 class, it was Rockstar Makita Suzuki's Chad Reed making it look easy, with a pair of moto wins. He followed his usual theme of starting within the top five, and moving into the lead in the first handful of laps.

The riders joining Reed on the podium were Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short (5-2), and Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Michael Byrne (4-3).

Reed now has an 82-point lead, and if he keeps accumulating points at his current pace he could clinch the 450 title in either the first or second moto at Southwick.

450 Results
1. Chad Reed (Suzuki) 1-1
2. Andrew Short (Honda) 5-2
3. Michael Byrne (Suzuki) 4-3
4. Justin Brayton (KTM) 8-4
5. Davi Millsaps (Honda) 3-11
6. Gareth Swanepoel (Kawasaki) 7-6
7. Ivan Tedesco (Honda) 6-8
8. Kyle Regal (Yamaha) 10-5
9. Tommy Hahn (Kawasaki) 2-16
10. Timmy Ferry (Kawasaki) 11-7
11. Jarred Browne (Suzuki) 9-9
12. Jimmy Albertson (Yamaha) 14-12
13. Nick Wey (Yamaha) 13-15
14. Weston Peick (Honda) 16-13
15. Adam Chatfield (Kawasaki) 12-17
16. Robby Marshall (Suzuki) 29-10
17. Antonio Balbi (Honda) 38-14
18. Tyler Bowers (Honda) 15-27
19. Cody Cooper (Yamaha) 17-30
20. Jason Thomas (Honda) 25-18

450 Point Standings
1. Chad Reed 387
2. Andrew Short 305
3. Ivan Tedesco 286
4. Josh Grant 272
5. Michael Byrne 245
6. Tommy Hahn 198
7. Justin Brayton 183
8. Nick Wey 163
9. Cody Cooper 161
10. Mike Alessi 142
11. Ricky Dietrich 136
12. Jimmy Albertson 131
13. Davi Millsaps 101
14. Jeff Alessi 74
15. Jarred Browne 72
16. Matt Goerke 71
17. Dan Reardon 68
18. Antonio Balbi 67
19. Weston Peick 65
20. Tyler Bowers 63

250 Results
1. Christophe Pourcel (Kawasaki) 1-1
2. Ryan Dungey (Suzuki) 2-2
3. Jake Weimer (Kawasaki) 3-3
4. Brett Metcalfe (Honda) 4-4
5. Broc Tickle (Yamaha) 9-5
6. Kyle Cunningham (Kawasaki) 6-8
7. Tommy Searle (KTM) 10-7
8. Justin Barcia (Honda) 7-10
9. Matt Lemoine (Yamaha) 14-9
10. P. J. Larsen (Kawasaki) 13-11
11. Blake Wharton (Honda) 5-28
12. Austin Stroupe (Kawasaki) 34-6
13. Steven Clarke (Suzuki) 16-12
14. Darryn Durham (Yamaha) 8-38
15. Ben Evans (Honda) 17-14
16. Ryan Sipes (KTM) 11-36
17. Alex Martin (Honda) 20-13
18. Tommy Weeck (KTM) 18-15
19. Justin Weeks (Suzuki) 15-18
20. Kevin Windham (Honda) 12-21

250 Point Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel 387
2. Ryan Dungey 381
3. Brett Metcalfe 287
4. Tommy Searle 268
5. Jake Weimer 255
6. Justin Barcia 235
7. Broc Tickle 227
8. Blake Wharton 214
9. Tyla Rattray 175
10. Kyle Cunningham 162
11. Matt Lemoine 151
12. Trey Canard 139
13. Darryn Durham 134
14. Ben Evans 123
15. Max Antsie 107
16. Wil Hahn 94
17. Steven Clarke 89
18. P. J. Larsen 74
19. Alex Martin 73
20. Sean Borkenhagen 63

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