What's next for the modern Motocross Bike?

Edited Date/Time 7/22/2019 11:50am
I'm sitting here in the paddock wondering what the next big thing will be for our beloved machines.

With each passing year we see the manufacturers (bar Suzuki at the moment) using Electric Start, Hydraulic clutches, launch control, tunable engines with apps and even the finger follower head design. What does everyone think is next? Are we heading for a bit of a development draught for the next couple of years?

I think we'll see a lot in suspension and chassis development but I can't think of any gizmos a dirt bike would need currently... Ideas?
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Hman144
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Fantasy
7/14/2019 4:37am
Electronically controlled suspension.
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cody41
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7/14/2019 4:47am
People resorting to simple machines because the new “gizmos” end up being problems.
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lukemoto
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7/14/2019 4:59am
I never imagined back in the two stroke days that 4t would take over. I remember being awestruck the first time seeing Henry and button on their thumpers friggen tearing it up.
That being said I could totally imagine having smaller displacement coupled with a hybrid system or even a forced induction setup.
Faster better scoots are cool to think about but rider
protection needs a breakthrough more.
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zippytech
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7/14/2019 5:34am
I guess I don't think much has really changed since the 90's The concept of the motocross bike has not changed in decades. Remember back when we went from 4 inch suspensions to, mono shocks, to water cooling. Them where mass changes. Everything since has just been improvements.

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The Shop

Racer111
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7/14/2019 5:41am
Electric riding for all the pussies that constantly say “I won’t buy a bike without electric start!”
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Johnny Depp
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7/14/2019 5:46am
E-Bikes mostly, but gas engines will try to keep up with Variable Valve Control, dual injectors, auto trans and clutches.
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Silas444
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7/14/2019 5:47am
If they simply lowered the weight limits by ten or fifteen pounds - THEN - we'd see some fascinating innovations and breakthroughs. THEN - we'd see a true re-shuffling of the deck. THEN - we'd see the aftermarket marketplace become truly dynamic again, like it was back in the day. Without it, we'll just see more buttons on the bars that make no difference whatsoever to average riders struggling to hold on to bikes with far too much inertia. Sad, but true.
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7/14/2019 6:03am Edited Date/Time 7/14/2019 6:04am
E-bikes. Racer111 will call you a pussy for riding one though. 😂😂
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lumpy790
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7/14/2019 6:11am
E-bikes. Racer111 will call you a pussy for riding one though. 😂😂
Have to agree the E bikes are coming
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Racer111
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7/14/2019 6:23am
E-bikes. Racer111 will call you a pussy for riding one though. 😂😂
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all you here is faint whining from 20 bikes. I love the roar of the bikes. It’s part of what gets you amp’d up At a race. Take that away and soon the sport will fade. Just my 2 cents.
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mauidex
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7/14/2019 6:29am
Racer111 wrote:
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all...
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all you here is faint whining from 20 bikes. I love the roar of the bikes. It’s part of what gets you amp’d up At a race. Take that away and soon the sport will fade. Just my 2 cents.
Watch formula e. Racing is great but the sound is terrible. Just giant rc or slot car whine. It’s terrible. I cannot imagine a sx with that noise. Surely will not help anything!!
7/14/2019 6:47am
cody41 wrote:
People resorting to simple machines because the new “gizmos” end up being problems.
Hopefully weight reduction too. Sub 200lbs.
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7/14/2019 7:20am
Throttle by wire? with the ability to adjust by phone app ala Yamaha for maps....(make quick turn , etc)
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cable
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7/14/2019 7:34am
50lb E-MTB on small supercross sized tracks like bmx.
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Vet57
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7/14/2019 8:21am
Higher prices...
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level
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7/14/2019 8:24am
E-bikes. Racer111 will call you a pussy for riding one though. 😂😂
Racer111 wrote:
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all...
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all you here is faint whining from 20 bikes. I love the roar of the bikes. It’s part of what gets you amp’d up At a race. Take that away and soon the sport will fade. Just my 2 cents.
They would have to play music to keep it interesting. It would be awful without that loud fun noise. However that being said it’s just a new noise anyways with 20 bikes in the track mike thousands of people clapping. You don’t get to hear a single bike revving.
7/14/2019 8:25am
zippytech wrote:
I guess I don't think much has really changed since the 90's The concept of the motocross bike has not changed in decades. Remember back when...
I guess I don't think much has really changed since the 90's The concept of the motocross bike has not changed in decades. Remember back when we went from 4 inch suspensions to, mono shocks, to water cooling. Them where mass changes. Everything since has just been improvements.

Don't let prizefighter read this- he thinks 450s have come on leaps and bounds since 2016!
BikeGuy321
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7/14/2019 8:52am
cable wrote:
50lb E-MTB on small supercross sized tracks like bmx.
Honda and Yamaha start making dual suspension e-bikes(Yamaha already does make e-bike motors). They both undercut Specialized, Intense, ect by thousands of dollars per bike. E-bikes finally catch on in a big way, because a solid bike isn't $10k. MX and SX style tracks start popping up specifically for e-bikes. The sport grows and ultimately becomes bigger than moto because you don't have to drive hours and hours to ride and have a good time + all the people who ride MTBs who enter the sport.
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7/14/2019 8:56am
cable wrote:
50lb E-MTB on small supercross sized tracks like bmx.
BikeGuy321 wrote:
Honda and Yamaha start making dual suspension e-bikes(Yamaha already does make e-bike motors). They both undercut Specialized, Intense, ect by thousands of dollars per bike. E-bikes...
Honda and Yamaha start making dual suspension e-bikes(Yamaha already does make e-bike motors). They both undercut Specialized, Intense, ect by thousands of dollars per bike. E-bikes finally catch on in a big way, because a solid bike isn't $10k. MX and SX style tracks start popping up specifically for e-bikes. The sport grows and ultimately becomes bigger than moto because you don't have to drive hours and hours to ride and have a good time + all the people who ride MTBs who enter the sport.
You may have just described what the future for moto will look like in twenty years.
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SmokinJoe439
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7/14/2019 9:10am
What about the hydrogen powered engine? Not only are they working on them they are racing them too.
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ktmdan
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7/14/2019 9:19am
Pre chamber ignition seems like an easy implementation. VVT and lift control perhaps. A p4 hybrid would be cool but not worth the development and weight.
Electric is inevitable and I would be surprised to see any groundbreaking ICE development before then.
7/14/2019 9:38am
E-bikes. Racer111 will call you a pussy for riding one though. 😂😂
Racer111 wrote:
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all...
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all you here is faint whining from 20 bikes. I love the roar of the bikes. It’s part of what gets you amp’d up At a race. Take that away and soon the sport will fade. Just my 2 cents.
I agree with this completely. while the performance is likely an improvement, I can see enthusiasts saying nope given the lack of engine roar. i personally think it sounds like finger nails on a chalkboard. But I would love to ride one. How crappy would the SX experience be when all you can hear is people talking around you as opposed to the growl of the engines? That would totally suck.
7/14/2019 9:55am
What about the hydrogen powered engine? Not only are they working on them they are racing them too.
I could see hydrogen being the answer to a lot of the issues. I don't know why it hasn't taken off to be honest. They don't burn hydrogen in these types of engine/motors. Hydrogen is the same as electric/Ebikes only hydrogen is used as a fuel source for reverse electrolysis which generates electricity when combined with oxygen , which in turn is used to recharge a battery (or keep it charged). Its no different than Ebikes, just no charging time. Fill up with hydrogen, which keeps the batteries charged. All hydrogen solves is the "charge time" and "range" issue of battery powered vehicles. Personally, I'm really surprised this hasn't taken off more in industry.

Solar power is used for electrolysis to split out hydrogen from water which is stored like a fuel station. People fill up their fuel tank and the hydrogen is mixed with oxygen in a reverse electrolysis process which generates power to continuously recharge the batteries. And for those that are worried about safety of explosions, hydrogen is safer than gasoline in that regard - and we have millions of cars driving around with tanks of gasoline in them now. Totally addresses the recharge time / distance an electric vehicle can travel. Probably just isn't as well funded I would assume.
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7/14/2019 10:03am
Ejector seats with a parachute wouldn't go a miss
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7/14/2019 10:24am
cable wrote:
50lb E-MTB on small supercross sized tracks like bmx.
BikeGuy321 wrote:
Honda and Yamaha start making dual suspension e-bikes(Yamaha already does make e-bike motors). They both undercut Specialized, Intense, ect by thousands of dollars per bike. E-bikes...
Honda and Yamaha start making dual suspension e-bikes(Yamaha already does make e-bike motors). They both undercut Specialized, Intense, ect by thousands of dollars per bike. E-bikes finally catch on in a big way, because a solid bike isn't $10k. MX and SX style tracks start popping up specifically for e-bikes. The sport grows and ultimately becomes bigger than moto because you don't have to drive hours and hours to ride and have a good time + all the people who ride MTBs who enter the sport.
peltier626 wrote:
You may have just described what the future for moto will look like in twenty years.
Thai sounds like a thing that would happen honestly
7/14/2019 10:25am
zippytech wrote:
I guess I don't think much has really changed since the 90's The concept of the motocross bike has not changed in decades. Remember back when...
I guess I don't think much has really changed since the 90's The concept of the motocross bike has not changed in decades. Remember back when we went from 4 inch suspensions to, mono shocks, to water cooling. Them where mass changes. Everything since has just been improvements.

I'd argue that moving to EFI was a pretty significant development though?
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SwingHard
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7/14/2019 10:30am
E-bikes. Racer111 will call you a pussy for riding one though. 😂😂
Racer111 wrote:
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all...
I cringe when I watch a video of them. I can’t stand the quiet. Just imagine being in a stadium watching a SX race and all you here is faint whining from 20 bikes. I love the roar of the bikes. It’s part of what gets you amp’d up At a race. Take that away and soon the sport will fade. Just my 2 cents.
level wrote:
They would have to play music to keep it interesting. It would be awful without that loud fun noise. However that being said it’s just a...
They would have to play music to keep it interesting. It would be awful without that loud fun noise. However that being said it’s just a new noise anyways with 20 bikes in the track mike thousands of people clapping. You don’t get to hear a single bike revving.
Pump the sound of 500cc 2-strokes into the stadium sound system!
7/14/2019 10:30am
zippytech wrote:
I guess I don't think much has really changed since the 90's The concept of the motocross bike has not changed in decades. Remember back when...
I guess I don't think much has really changed since the 90's The concept of the motocross bike has not changed in decades. Remember back when we went from 4 inch suspensions to, mono shocks, to water cooling. Them where mass changes. Everything since has just been improvements.

Don't let prizefighter read this- he thinks 450s have come on leaps and bounds since 2016!
They have compared to the Suzuki.
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mxman
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7/14/2019 11:01am
ABS Brakes
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