Posts
1724
Joined
7/30/2009
Location
Mount Waverley, VIC, AU
Edited Date/Time
4/12/2019 4:16pm
I've recently got into the tech side of mountain biking and its fascinating! Theres so many bespoke brands doing small runs who really only build the frame and then use off the shelf parts to fit it out. They can sell more than $4-5k and have some really interesting innovation and materials.
Most of them seem to manufacture in Tiawan or similiar and will either assemble there or in the country of the company.
It got me thinking, why isn't there an equivalent in the motocross world? Where companies build the frame and swingarm and then have an off the shelf engine and all other components. Is their a reason it seems feasible to make these bespoke MTBs with interesting technical innovation but not with dirt bikes?
Is it simply too many moving parts? Is it a price thing? do manufacturers do deals with component companies to limit the availability to other manufacturers? Is it the danger/insurance aspect?
Most of them seem to manufacture in Tiawan or similiar and will either assemble there or in the country of the company.
It got me thinking, why isn't there an equivalent in the motocross world? Where companies build the frame and swingarm and then have an off the shelf engine and all other components. Is their a reason it seems feasible to make these bespoke MTBs with interesting technical innovation but not with dirt bikes?
Is it simply too many moving parts? Is it a price thing? do manufacturers do deals with component companies to limit the availability to other manufacturers? Is it the danger/insurance aspect?
Motocross, you need massive engine, gearbox, electronics and chassis integration. So you need a lot more investment.
Then you can bolt on the suspension and wheels with still some, but less integration.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
2 , you try competing against Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM & Husqvarna who are building their own bespoke bikes (to a certain degree) in GP’s. Building a bike out the back of a shed just won’t cut it against the manufacturers who have millions of $$ to spend.
I would love to see a S&S / Baker colab to build a MX engine.
And also the rules for MX in America like mentioned above.
To your point, bikes are so good now that you can buy a new bike, get the suspension done and put a pipe on it and have a really good bike for less money then a gravel bike, no need for a bunch of trick components.
Entrepreneurship 101- go after markets experiencing explosive growth, not markets that are shrinking.
Pit Row
To some degree, I'm shocked that no manufacturer (especially KTM) has come up with an A-Kit preprepped specialty model or ordering option.
In the Atv racing world you didn’t have a much of a chance on a standard factory frame in the 90’s. Everyone who was notable rode a fully custom chassis from one of several American manufacturers.
The reason we don’t have them now in two or four wheel Moto probably comes down to two things: 1. Factory chassis’s are amazing and 2. Rules were written in the big four’s favor in order to disallow competition from the genius in his garage.
I think you can order from the factory with the options you want, at least you used to be able to.
For instance you could specify it with Ohlins suspension front and rear for extra, add electric start when it wasn't so common.
BTW, kudos to MattMatt for his proper use of the word, "fare."
90% of mb guys couldn’t care less about their “lit kit”.
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