Your Dream Factory MX Bike

McGrath’s 1-800 collect bike.

Im basic and havent been the sport super long but I would pick the Star Yamaha 250. Bike is faster than ill ever be.

RC500, just because

1985 Honda RC 250. Not a Honda guy, been on KTM's the last 38 years but this was easy.

BOOM!!!

I’d cut off my left tit for Roger Decosters RM 370

James Stewart's 2004 KX 125

Mike Brown's 2003 KX 125

James Stewart's 2005 KX 250

Splitfire/Pro Circuit's 2000 KX 125

None of the newer factory bikes do it for me. They are badass no doubt, but do not have the badassery of the older bikes.

Well, any number of the various RC Hondas of the 80s, and, the 87/88 YZM500 Watercooled Yamaha. And, well, a bazillion and one other 'Works Bikes'.

But, though not an MX bike (but imagine one pared down / made specifically as an MXer) , for me, it's the EXP2 400, in both Dakar and Baja versions:




Trapping Valved, Fuel Injected, Aluminium Framed.

Wildly ahead of their time, with regards to a 2T for the future.

They showed what could be done, but, only used the Trapping Valve tech on the CRM250 AR. Well, that at least was something. Then, they locked all their development away.

Damn Honda and their "All Fourstroke, All The Time" ethos.

First choice



Second choice



Third choice


I’m partial to my teenage years

Reed’s 2004 YZ250

Donnie Hansen’s 1982 RC250.

What could’ve been a HRC bike.

MC’s 93 CR250.

Terry Good owns it now, bike and the pictures. Hannahs OW40

Diamond,s 87 cr125. Ryan mills 04 cr125. 93-96 Henry or Lamson cr125. Fonsaca, Preston or Byrne 02-03. Cr125.

Sign me up

Tim Ferry’s 2002 yz426f or Everts’ Yz500f (big bore 426 was a 500 for open class I think? The year he won the 125, 250 & open class in one day).

MXA did an issue where they flew to Italy and tested his bikes. I’ll dig around for the link.

Jeff wards factory kawi 1990 kx500
Rc pc 1997 kx125

2004 factory yz250 with tree trunk forks

There are so many but for me (at my age) this is the definition of "factory bike".
The stock version must have been a better bike overall and Bartolini won the World Championship with it in 1999 but this 1997 Peter Johansson Factory Yamaha YZF 400 is so trick. Apart from the plastics I think everything on this bike is factory and never went to production.


One of the cleanest (no airbox etc.) factory bikes for me is this 1998 Husaberg FC 600 from Joel Smets.


And one of the most beautiful factory bikes imo is this Jamie Dobb KTM SX 125 from 2001.
I love the whole color/graphics arangement.


Sidenote: No big sponsors were involved in these graphic schemes. Just FACTORY. I like it simple. :-)

125 2 stroke : Bobby Moore Yamaha Chesterfield 1994.
250 2 stroke : JMC American Honda 1995.
250 4 stroke : Ferrandis Yamaha Star.
450 4 stroke : ET3 Kawasaki.

Call me crazy but I would love to feel what a PC Factory/Works/Whatever you call it Super mini for AC or JS feels like.

Mumfords 150 was also pretty trick from what I remember.

Yep, we have a winner! One of the Honda factory bikes from the 83-84 time frame!