Latest Product Reviews

Reviewed by Michael Lindsay and Andre Barbosa // Photos by GuyB If you saw our First Ride segment on the 2014 YZ250F then you'd know that we were extremely impressed with Yamaha's latest small-bore four-stroke, but our main concern was whether all this excitement in the bike hold up when we got it back to California. Sadly, the dirt out west is not nearly as tacky as what we originally rode on at Monster Mountain in Alabama, so after putting in some time on the YZF in home territory, we wanted

Review and photos by Andre Barbosa I'm a firm believer that you can substantially extend the longevity of a four-stroke engine if you feed it a steady diet of clean air, good fuel, and high-quality oil, at regular intervals. As a result, I'm very methodical about always keeping clean and well-oiled filters in my bikes. This task is made much easier if you have a few air filters in rotation, as it's much easier to clean several filters once a month, rather than cleaning a single filter every week

Review by Bryan Wallace/ Photos by Michael Lindsay Since Vital MX received their 2014 YZ450F, I was lucky enough to grab it for the past few months to pound out some laps, and put in the hours. With all this time on it, I found myself wanting to see if there was anything to be gained in the power department. FMF had an early jump on development with the new YZ450F, thanks to their partnership with JGR. So when I was handed this and told to try it out, I was excited to see if all the testing

Review and Photos by Andre Barbosa As fair warning, I'm very particular about grips. I guess it all started in my early riding days, when I was constantly battling the blisters in the palm of my hands. In search of a remedy I experimented with numerous different grips; with varying compounds, diameters, and designs entering the equation through the years. Over time, the blisters were finally replaced by calluses, but my fascination with grips stayed for good. When the chance to test the Scott SX

Review and Photos by Joe Carlino Unfortunately, accidents and injuries are inevitable in this sport we all love. The only precautions we can take are to use the proper protective gear. Along with helmets, boots and chest protectors, the neck brace has become one of the more standard pieces of safety equipment that you'll see on the track today. Neck brace safety is becoming more and more popular each year, so I decided to try out the latest offering from one of the leaders in neck protection

Review and Photos by Thiess Lindsay As a taller rider (6’3”) with slightly bigger-than-average feet (size 12), I’m constantly trying to get more comfortable on motorcycles that are designed with a much smaller rider in mind. Being able to open up the rider compartment has become of particular interest to me. Whenever I have the opportunity to speak with taller AMA pros, or one with a shoe size in the double digits, I try to pick their brains on what they’ve done to fit the bike to them. A while

Review and photos by Andre Barbosa Many people do not pay much attention to tie-downs. After all, securing a bike to a vehicle seems like a pretty simple job. I felt the same way, until many years ago I had my bike fall from a trailer. Luckily, I was driving slowly at the time, but the repair bill still amounted to new radiators, handlebars, grips, brake lever, and radiator shrouds. As you can imagine, I started paying very close attention to tie-downs after that incident. Product Highlights

Review and Photos by Michael Lindsay Tested on: 2013 KX450F and 2013 KX250F Don’t you hate it when you buy the latest and greatest bike and struggle with the handling? Even after setting up the suspension, you may still find yourself wanting to change its characteristics. Now, whether you’re looking for more bite, gaining a little stability, or trying to eliminate the front end tucking, a good route to go is to try some different offset triple clamps. Finding the right offset can be a challenge

Review and photos by Andre Barbosa Unfortunately, even the best riders crash. It isn’t a matter of if, but when they’ll happen. I’ve personally acquired enough concussions over the years that making the search for a high quality helmet even more important to me. After spending quite a bit of time researching different models, I was led to the Shoei VFX-W. Shoei has a reputation for making top quality helmets, and having always been positioned in the higher end of the market, the VFX-W carries