Vital MX Pit Bits: Anaheim 1 20

We're over our allotment of eye candy from round one of the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross series season-opener, but we're okay with that.

GuyB

1/6/2020 1:26am

Oh, you think this bike is Cooper Webb's? Nope, it belongs to Carlos Rivera (and KTM). Carlos lets Coop ride it on weekends, though.

One big change seen throughout the KTM (and Husqvarna) families are these triple clamps, which will also be available in KTM's Power Parts catalog.

The split design clamps look similar to the Xtrig clamps, but the pinch bolts on these are both toward the rear, where the Xtrigs have one bolt in front, and one towards the back. Yep, Cooper (and and Zach Osborne) use the Showa steering stabilizer.

Like at the Red Bull Straight Rhythm, Cooper is running the "modern" fin on his Bell Moto 9 Flex. These are 3D printed, pop off easily in a crash, and will be on his helmet throughout the season.

Justin Bogle’s KTM 450 SX-F.

Yep, Justin's still using the rear holeshot link.

Ah, those big bold pegs, with nothing in the center to pack with mud and dirt. We like 'em.

Since KTMs come stock with the vented air box, we probably won’t see too many custom hole cutting anymore.

That’s one long header, looking for that bottom end power. Oh, and that brace... (You'll see those on the Huskys, too.)

Bogle opts for the oversized brake tip.

Hmm...we hadn't seen this version of a Kite holeshot device before.

New Dubya Talon-hubbed wheels for the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KTM/WPS guys.

Out West, it's the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM duo of Derek Drake and Brandon Hartranft.

While Hunter Falk and Mitchell Falk aren't working together anymore, they do get to occasionally catch up at the races. Hunter was wrestling with a seriously tweaked wrist, but he still made it into the 250 main on his BWR Honda.

Those darn dirt bikes. We're used to seeing Kristian Ortiz spinning wrenches, not in plaster. But mechanics like to ride, too. Good thing for him he's got some time before he starts wrenching for Jordon Smith.

The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM crew have a newer tractor for their rig now. Good thing, as the drivers will be putting in miles over the next couple of weeks, going to St. Louis and then returning to Anaheim.

Martin Davalos' Tedder Racing KTM.

What? You want more Hondas? We've got that. We saw Team Honda HRC's bikes at their media day, so we'd already had a pretty good preview of what to expect.

It's a little hard to see, but the guys at Throttle Jockey did an excellent job of outlining and removing as much material as possible between the logos. These guys are looking to save weight wherever possible.

Both Ken Roczen and Justin Brayton (shown) have their own custom graphics for the front and rear brake reservoirs, as well as the clutch reservoir.

Kenny, getting frisky during practice.

Jett Lawrence’s GEICO Honda CRF250R.

Yeah, that’s “chrome” in the D'Cor graphics. While the bling is cool, the shiny material is reportedly harder than the usual stuff to install, and also harder to keep looking good.

The red/silver setup matched up well with the Shift gear Jett Lawrence and Christian Craig were sporting,

Ah yeah, custom cap graphics on the top-level suspension components are always sweet. So is a good safety wire job on the steering stem nut (and elsewhere throughout the bike). The clamps are still looking good, too.

Check that color in that Yoshimura pipe. Last year the cases were ceracoated but this year they are akodized.

The silver theme continued through the center of the rear fender and seat. As far as we know, this was an A1 one-off. We also spy a bunch of foam (like under the sidepanels and seat) to help deaden some decibels for sound testing.

Quick connectors for electric components make the mechanic’s job quicker and easier.

Those axle pinch bolts are much taller than stock...and we'd also guess lighter and stronger.

The trio of Smartop MotoConcepts Racing guys are all dialed for season, and Malcolm Stewart is looking to pick up where he left off at Phoenix last year, by showing some serious speed.

The Akropovic exhausts are new for the team this year. XPR looks to have a good engine package done up for these guys.

Malcolm Stewart qualified fourth-fastest in the 450s.

Justin Hill? He was right behind Malcolm in the fifth spot during qualifying.

Mitchell Falk's BWR Engines Honda.

Mitchell had a pretty sweet custom helmet for the weekend.

That's Jerry Robin's Chaparral/FXR/Honda in front, along with Justin Starling and Chris Blose behind him.

Meet Luke Clout from the Penrite Honda team. The truck was still getting final wrap touches on Friday, but looked to be well set for their run at the West Coast series.

The Penrite Honda guys had a few components we hadn't seen before, like these EZE triple clamps.

EZE also supplies their hubs.

The Penrite Honda guys also use Bridgestone rubber, which we haven't seen used much among the teams on this side of the pond in quite a while.

Chad Reed's Mountain Motorsports Honda has a unique look, with the black frame and swingarm.

We dig the stripped head cover. The stock bike has a dark coating.

So…is the little 22 on Reedy’s Xtrig clamps there to make it personal? Or is that the offset?

Eli's race scooter. As in past years, he's running KYB suspension components, while Adam Cianciarulo is on Showa.

Fast time in 450 qualifying? Adam Cianciarulo.

AC's Monster Energy Kawasaki.

That header is crazy short, but the diameter looks pretty big. Plus, that resonance chamber is huge as well.

So sick… Custom logo on a custom BFRC shock.

Nothing new, but the green plastic in the carbon fiber chain block is always rad.

Extended, custom radiators to keep temps down.

Little cutouts in the front brake line guide… because every little bit counts.

No rock nor debris shall damage any factory perch. The good part is that these pieces have slimmed down a lot since teams first started working on them.

Extra thick silicone hoses.

Top to bottom, AC’s Showa suspension is customized.

Kawi takes no chances when it comes to protection, whether it's up front...

...or at the rear end.

The footpegs are boxed in on the bottom to keep dirt from packing in

Collecting uspension data is important, too.

Why measure the torque every time? Torque it, mark it, done.

More gorgeous fork caps.

Hmm...we had a team or two question us about whether Monster Energy Kawasaki it still using their 2019 powerplants. It certainly look like it.

Austin Forkner had a bit of a rough practice session with a digger in the whoops. Fortunately, he was good to go for the night show.

Cameron McAdoo looks like he's going to have a good season ahead with the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki crew.

Michael Mosiman's 250 Husqvarna.

Dean Wilson has had limited time to bounce back following his recovery from a broken hip at the Monster Energy Cup, but after a day of riding in the hills, and a day of MX, he went back to riding Supercross.

Jason Anderson's race bike.

On Zach Osborne’s bike, it looks like he’s running the Rockstar Edition clamps.

The factory Huskys, like the KTMs, don’t get too crazy with the engine bling. At least what we can see.

A little extra protection on the header.

We're looking forward to seeing what Jason Anderson can do this season.

Jacob Hayes' Gas Monkey Energy Husqvarna.

Hopes are high under the Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing tent after a good offseason, and a good first round for Justin Barcia.

Aaron Plessinger's Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing 450.

Just about everyone is now running a secondary starter button, to ensure they've got a way to get things refired...even if there's crash damage to the primary button. We've seen them on the factory Hondas, Kawasakis, and Yamahas.

The Pro Circuit pipe on Plessinger's bike gives that cylinder a nice warm hug.

It looks like some new linkages for the Monster Energy/Yamaha Factory Racing guys.

Fork coatings are back on the Factory Yamahas.

Mmm...that carbon on Aaron Plessinger's bike. Remove a couple bolts, and these slip in and out pretty easily...even when the bike is on the stand.

Benny Bloss will be the single rider for the Rock River/Yamaha crew this season.

Dylan Ferrandis was fastest in 250 qualifying.

It's been a bit since we've had had a number one rider from either coast defending their title, so we dig seeing Dylan Ferrandis out there with it on his bike.

Robbie Wageman was the lone soldier under the Rockwell/Nuclear Blast/Yamaha tent.

We like the look of the JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing bikes. JGR's bikes will be Pirelli-shod again this year.

Ryan Breece was a late addition to the HEP Motorsports squad.

Man, that muffler... Yoshimura did up a cool gold-plated exhaust for Adam Enticknap's display bike in the HEP pit area.

The first person that fires up that bike is going to be in sooo much trouble. Gold will not handle the heat well.

Speaking of gold... A1 is always a talent showcase.

It's really good to see Austin Forkner back in action.

Jett Lawrence getting stretched out before the start of practice.

It came together rather late, but Kyle Chisholm and his pop are going racing with help from TiLube, Rock River, and a bunch of other companies on board.

Chad Reed often checks in with the Dirt Wurx crew after practice sessions for track feedback.

Pairing up a LitPro with a handlebar-mounted Apple watch.

Of course, A1 is also part fashion show, and a place for companies to show off some of their latest looks. Both Ken Roczen and Adam Cianciarulo were sporting a matching look. Imagine that.

Cooper Webb had some new Thor Spring 2020 gear for the weekend.

Tyler Bowers in Answer's new Trinity Pro Glo Limited Edition racewear.

Eli Tomac was sporting this black/white Alpinestars kit for the season-opener. His Tech 10s were an LE edition boot that will be available as a Tech 7 for the public. There's also a matching helmet, though Eli has his own Bell Moto 9 Flex helmet to match the gear.

The Ride of Fame is something new for this season, and gives fans a way to get up close to the riders as they head to and from the track.

We'll admit, this might not have been the practice order we'd expected to see. But we're digging the unpredictability of the season so far.

While it may not have been the biggest (or fastest) bike in the pits, the Honda Monkey that Yoshimura built up might have been the trickest. This thing had a lot of goodies on it. Öhlins shocks, Yosh pipe, and different rotors are visible on this side...

...and air intake kit, oil cooler (with braided lines), and clear cam gear cover are among the goodies on this side. It might not get you atop the podium, but it'd be a fun ride.