Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 242 i Dirt Action

The CLICKnRIDE® system is one of the most epic products on the market. In short, they are universal LED turn signals for off-road and enduro dirtbikes. With an innovative click-release system, riders can simply and instantly remove their turn signals when offroad and protect them from being broken off in a fall, a swipe of a tree or other obstacles. ALL-NEW DESIGN Unique new look coupled to the original, proven universal click-release mechanism. NEW PRICING The Gen2.0 design is manufactured using the latest, most efficient production techniques, allowing the manufacturer to drop the price while also boosting overall quality and materials. SIMPLE, RUGGED CONSTRUCTION CLICKnRIDE indicators have no moving parts to wear out and are made to last. Each part is fastened down tight to withstand the harshest environments. The…

2021 FIM HARD ENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (FINAL STANDINGS) 01 Billy Bolt (Husqvarna) 104pts 02 Manuel Lettenbichler (KTM) 104pts 03 Wade Young (Sherco) 83pts 04 Mario Roman (Sherco) 76pts 05 Jonny Walker (Beta) 66pts 06 Alfredo Gomez (Husqvarna) 63pts 07 Michael Walkner (Gas Gas) 46pts 08 Teodor Kabakchiev (Husqvarna) 36pts 09 Taddy Blazusiak (Gas Gas) 29pts 10 Dominik Olszowy (KTM) 24pts With the outcome of this year’s FIM Hard Enduro World Championship boiling down to the final race of the season between Bolt and his closest rival Manuel Lettenbichler, TE 300i-mounted Bolt knew what he had to do. Holding a three-point lead in the championship standings, he needed to either win, or if Lettenbichler won, finish second or better to clinch the title. A fast pace in the morning GetzenRace qualifier…

SPACE IS CRITICAL WHEN PACKING THE VAN OR UTE, SO THE SIZE AND PORTABILITY OF A BBQ IS PRETTY IMPORTANT TO A SUCCESSFUL RIDING AND CAMPING TRIP. IT’S LIKE WEBER DESIGNED THE TRAVELER WITH THE DIRTBIKE RIDER IN MIND. Plenty of bikes have spent 2021 growing cobwebs, the Esky has sat empty and the ute has hung out in the garage. With travel restrictions in the rear-view mirror I decided to pack up the family, load up the Ford Ranger and make an excuse to test out our new Weber® Traveler™. Our country is an amazing place, so any chance I get to jump in the driver’s seat, crack the window and point towards a riding location slaps a smile on my dial. With a 2022 Honda CRF250R on the…

AFTER TWO YEARS OF EMPTY STADIUMS, STOP-START EVENTS AND GENERAL COVID INTERRUPTIONS, 2022 LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE FULL STEAM AHEAD AND BACK TO A MORE REGULAR SCHEDULE The AMA Supercross Championship is the richest, highest-profile, most attended and most prestigious dirtbike series in the world. MXGP has the tradition and the history, but the US-based supercross series — held before massive crowds in stadiums across the country, with TV beamed out around the world and the usual US-style hype — is what all eyes focus on and all riders want to win. The 2022 series is shaping up to be a cracker. After two years of empty stadiums, stop-start events and general COVID interruptions, 2022 looks like it will be full steam ahead and back to a more regular…

The Yamaha YZ250 is one of the most versatile motorcycles on the planet. In 2004, the Yamaha YZ250 sent Chad Reed to the top of the AMA Supercross Championship. In 2005, Yamaha left the motor and changed from steel to the all-new alloy frame, and with updated KYB forks it has been the same platform since. Despite the new plastics in 2015, the 2005 and 2021 are the same bike. For 2022, Yamaha have taken that incredibly solid package and updated the ergos to bring it in line with the more modern-feeling bikes on the market. Plus, no more exposed tank means no more bubbling graphics! HOW’S IT FEEL We were fortunate enough to get to test this bike at two tracks. One was Dargle Motocross, which is more of…

WHEN WOULD YOU? Choosing when to remain standing through a turn is the first step to this technique. There are all sorts of reasons why you might stay up on the pegs, but here are a few of the more common ones. A rough corner: When the surface gets so rough that trying to ride through it seated just doesn’t work or allow you to carry any speed. Slight turns or kinks: If a corner is less than 90 degrees, quite often you are through it so quickly that it’s more efficient to just stay standing. Obstacles after the turn: When you have an obstacle immediately following a turn that requires you to stand up, it can be hard to find the time to get off the seat before it.…

01 WIDE ENTRY Pick up the berm as early as possible so you open up the radius of your turn, which then allows you to carry more mid-corner speed. 02 STAY HIGH If your choice is to rail the berm, you want to stay as high as possible for two reasons. The first is so you keep the corner as open as possible, allowing you to carry the most speed. The second is because the steepest part of the berm is usually right at the top edge — the steeper the wall of dirt you have holding your tyres, the more you can lean the bike and the faster you can go. 03 FLOW THROUGH One of the hardest parts about railing a berm well is flowing through the middle…

After much excitement and build-up, the Husqvarna Norden 901 is finally released! This model was originally shown as a concept model at the EICMA Show in 2019, and Husqvarna Motorcycles has built offroad ability into an adventure travel motorcycle that is ready to rip in the Aussie bush. The Norden 901 is built to attack the mid-weight adventure segment. A smooth and torquey 899cc, 105hp parallel-twin engine powers the Norden 901 while balancer shafts minimise vibration. The engine is housed in a light steel trellis frame that is prepared to carry rider, luggage and passenger to the furthest points of the compass across any terrain, assisted by WP APEX suspension with long travel. Large-diameter 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels roll easily over obstacles on the trail. For all its…

Welcome to a new section of DIRT ACTION, Camp and Ride. We love getting out in the great outdoors, ripping dirtbikes, cooking a killer feed and shooting a few yarns over a couple of beers, so let’s dedicate these pages to all things camping and good times! MUST-VISIT RIDE PARK TO CAMP AT: LOUEE MOTOCROSS PARK The Louee Enduro and Motocross Complex is on Lue Station, a working sheep and cattle property situated near the village of Lue in central NSW. The complex is only 20 minutes’ drive east of Mudgee and approximately three hours from Sydney or Newcastle. Louee is owned and operated by a bike rider, so it has all the features you would expect to find at a property that specialises in off-road bike riding. This includes…

Forget the WR250F that has graced our presence since 2007. It is dead. It is a relic of the past. It earned its stripes and served extraordinarily well. But the new bike is so much better. The 2015 WR250F has little in common with its predecessor except that it’s blue and has Yamaha WR250F written on it. We attended a launch of the new WR-F at Coffs Harbour, which turned out to be the first launch ride for the bike anywhere in the world. The WR250F is very much an Australian project, driven by Yamaha Australia brand manager Peter Payne, with the assistance of none other than Kiwi motocross legend Josh Coppins, so it’s only fitting Aussies get the first chance to get the bike dirty. In fact, cast your…

Who is on your Mt Rushmore of motocross legends? When you think of the top four motocross riders in the world, do you think of Antonio Cairoli? Ricky Carmichael quickly comes to mind. So does Stefan Everts. Jeremy McGrath will always be the most dominant supercross rider of all time. I’m here to argue that Antonio Cairoli’s name belongs alongside that illustrious trio and in front of names like James Stewart, Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto and Roger DeCoster. To research this story I Googled “The top 10 Motocross Racers of all Time” and out of a number of lists from both Europe and the US, Cairoli only appeared in a couple of them and his highest ranking was in sixth place. As you would imagine, that was a European-based article…

Baulkham Hills Junior Motorcycle Training Club (BHJMTC) is a club run by parents for their kids. BHJMTC has developed into one of NSW’s top clubs with well over 300 registered riders. The club follows the strict guidelines set down by the sport’s governing bodies, Motorcycling NSW and Motorcycling Australia, to allow a safe riding environment for the Members. The club provides three main streams of riding and competition: training days and practice days with coaches from top training organisations; Minikhana for juniors only; and a mixed discipline multi-venue series, Dirt X, for both junior and senior riders. WHAT IS MINIKHANA? Minkhana provides entry to the sport of motorcycling. Its focus is on training children in the art of controlling a motorcycle. Through the tightly controlled program of activities that includes…

Adventure bikes are great things and can go just about anywhere. Many riders would be very surprised at what you can comfortably negotiate on an adventure bike. The key to riding adventure bikes and tackling terrain that is at the upper limit of where they should rightly be ridden is decision making. You need to consider what bike you are on and what the consequences are of riding it into certain situations. Creek crossings are a big one for this on your adventure bike; they are more than capable of making the crossing through water, but how deep the water is and what surface is underneath are huge factors. The last thing you want to do is have a 250kg motorcycle on its side, completely submerged in the middle of…

This is not a power wheelie or even one you carry for any distance. It’s a small, sharp wheelie that lifts the front wheel either over or onto something on the trail. The skill itself can be learnt relatively easily; the toughest part is being able to implement it with accuracy in different scenarios and on different terrain with varying amounts of traction. STAND FOR THIS ONE Practise this exercise standing up because that’s what’s most likely to be required out on the trail. If you need to wheelie it, you probably can’t sit down into it, so get comfortable standing up for this one. Practise keeping your right foot over the rear brake pedal, too. If your front wheel comes up too high and you feel like you may…

Looking for a weekend away? The central west town of Mudgee, NSW, is a cracking spot to pack up the family or fellas and make a weekend of it. Hook into Louee for a rip around their motocross track or huge amount of trails, race an event at the Mudgee Motocross Club and then hit the wineries for a weekend of good times. Here’s a bunch of info to help with your next stay. LOCATION: MUDGEE AND SURROUNDS, NSW WHERE TO STAY There are loads of places to stay in Mudgee and surrounds. Louee has a range of accommodation options itself, as well as the Lue Hotel across the road. The Big4 at Mudgee is a great spot with kids and has plenty of room to park the trailer. If…

As the Husqvarna FE 450 sat glistening in the morning sun, a familiar feeling came over me. It was that feeling you get when you first fall for your partner, when the rev of a V8 engine smashes you in the chest, or in this case, when you get the chance to ride one of the most amazing-looking enduro weapons you have ever seen. Factory WP suspension, in-house build factory engine, Kite wheels, FMF exhaust, factory Brembo brakes … this bike is drool-worthy. Swinging a leg over Todd’s bike, I was instantly presented with a solid and comfortable ergonomic setup. The ODI Country Boy bars are fairly low and straight, which I like, and the Guts Racing seat cover is firm and super grippy. The foot pegs are like two…

The second I got the call from Corey, the owner of Northern Coatings, to come check out their new 2019 Husqvarna TC 125 build, I knew I was in for a treat. And oh yeah, I certainly was! As I first laid eyes on this absolute 250F killer, my jaw dropped. This bike proves that it is possible to make a 125 that can be a serious threat in the 250 class. I must admit that since owning 250 four-strokes for many years, this 125 has made me seriously consider going back to one. While building this ripper two-banger, the boys had two main goals in mind: to keep on a budget while also building a show-stopping race machine. I must syay that they’ve succeeded and done so in a…

COLOUR IN PRUTTI! tag #dirtactionkidz and load to Instagram — we will feature our favourites in the next issue! FEATURED JUNIOR: HEATH DAVY » What’s your name? Heath Davy (but my parents call me Sloth, some people call me Nugget and most people think I say Keith) » Where are you from? Sydney » What do you ride? Yamaha YZ65cc, YZ85cc » Who’s your biggest inspiration? Jeffrey Herlings and my mum and dad » Favourite colour? Green » Best thing about riding? The feeling of being free and twisting the throttle. » Who are your riding buddies? Marco Posa, Taylor Thompson, Cooper Rowe, Byron Dennis » What do you do when you’re not riding? I have discovered surfing and skating. I also love riding my mountain bike with mates. »…

WRAPTIE Have you ever cruised in for a breather, trailside repair or a feed only to find all that’s left on the back of your ride is a dangling, busted occy strap? Maybe you’ve prayed to the heavens after nearly losing an eye to a speeding hook from said occy? We have and were pumped when we discovered this Aussie-developed product that not only helps solve this problem, it also makes it super easy to secure almost anything to your bike. Wraptie was born from the frustration of finding a tie solution to quickly and easily secure a pushbike to any size post so that inventor and co-founder Paul McNeill could then remove his daughter from her bike seat. It needed to be lightweight, adjustable and small. He tried every…

Envy is a feeling many of us have experienced, but the subject of that envy can be wide and varied. It could be anything from tools or a mate’s new ride to a meal when you wish you ordered the parma over a burger. I recently suffered from torch envy! Now, you may laugh but until you are the guy with one of these little beauties in your kit, well, you don’t know if you don’t know. A mate of mine, Turbo, took great delight when we last met up by sliding his new Olight mini torch out of his riding jacket pocket. I was blown away by the power of the beam and the fact it easily slips into his matching headband to transform into an unreal, versatile headlamp.…