Upgrade to enjoy this feature!
Vital MX fantasy is free to play, but paid users have great benefits. Paid member benefits:
- View and download rider stats
- Pick trends
- Create a private league
- And more!
Only $10 for all 2024 SX, MX, and SMX series (regularly $30).
I do appreciate the little set up /reliability details that they usually have in their tests. This year's 450 was weird though, I did not like the format. Did they actually rank them? Based on what I saw it was Euro=win, Japan=bad.
Call me a fanboy all you want, this’ll be the first Honda I’ve owned since I had a 2001 cr250 in ’05 😂😂😂
The Shop
Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.
I value what they say.
Nice bike, but the stock bars vibrate so much I feel like I'm running a jackhammer, and the rear suspension is waaaaaaaaay too soft, it felt like I was going to break the thing and I'm 170 Lbs.
and it needs a much more aggressive map IMO
I will give him this, he has ridden every modern dirt bike ever made, but some of his suggestions on settings and bike mods are not very useful sometimes and can be way off. The editor there does hold a Master's degree, but not in engineering as you might expect, but Gerontology.
Bottom line is I take MXA's opinions and superior attitude with a grain of salt and I don't take it as gospel. For me, someone like Kris Keefer gives more accurate and detailed information.
For all of MXA's passive aggressive criticism of other bike tests, keep in mind that they rarely if ever test these bikes at more than two tracks, Glen Helen and Fox Raceway, at least that's what I see in my travels around town.
They're tools, always have been.
As Yeti831 the Dunlop tire and map switch on the GasGas was the peak of hypocrisy
They spend a ton of time sorting out the bikes, they do a very good job of it too. It is nothing more that info/guide if you choose to use it. I look forward to it, I look forward to all of the shootouts. Information is good. Not that there is anything wrong with that
Pit Row
I said more accurate for me, and I’ll tell you why.
(1) Kris is my exact height and weight, so his settings seem to work for me more often than not. I’ve been trying the MXA suggested settings by their anonymous test riders for 30 years, and they generally don’t work for me. At least with a guy like Keefer I can connect a rider with the stuff he says.
(2) MXAs testing and results are based on riding at glen helen which is fine, but make that known to the readers. There are other tracks around here with different dirt. In fact , I’m at Pala right now and every factory team is here testing outdoor settings on a rough, wet and rutty track, but I don’t see one MXA guy here testing.
The only time I ever see Jody at another track in SoCal is when he flys over super low and fast in his WW2 airplane...
They test in back to back moto’s of what a bike does during racing. They test at several SoCal tracks and do the same rider switch along with Dyno testing.
They try making changes, pipes and gearing and it’s not over a weekend it’s over a couple months.
They are telling you what the have complied not what you should do. The only gospel on buying your bike is you. They just give you options.
Anyway, I remember people have said the same about MXA regarding other brands over the years "XxxxxAction" and I think one would be hard pressed to argue that the other rags are riding and testing as much as MXA does.
As far as set up goes, I set it up how Keefer recommended and then later I went to MXA’s settings, which were better for me.
https://motocrossactionmag.com/the-first-ride-report-that-you-have-been…
https://motocrossactionmag.com/motocross-actions-2009-450-shootout-all-…
I actually ended up test riding a 17 1/2 FE & I came away wondering why MXA thought these bikes were so good.
The CRF I had wasn’t stock, but IMHO I actually felt the CRF was a better bike with the simple mods it had.
I didn’t jive with the Euro bikes handling mostly do to the air forks giving it a vague planted feel especially in the turns. The euro cockpit has a different feel to it & perhaps it’s an acquired taste for some. A couple of things I felt that were better were the brakes & the hydro clutch.
Needless to say I ended up buying an 18 CRF450r toward the end of the year.
I’m in the minority & feel the KTM’s are overrated bikes. To each their own.
Post a reply to: Motocross Action 2021 450 Shootout