Innehållsförteckning för September 2017 från Dirt Action

▸ Yamaha’s 2010 YZ450F was the first incarnation of their now well-known reverse-cylinder motor. ▸ Aimed to enhance Yamaha’s focus on mass centralisation, the “downward draft” design originally ran a Cyclone-type exhaust system, which later changed to a wrap-around header pipe in future years. ▸ The bike found instant success in Australia in the hands of CDR Yamaha’s Jay Marmont, with Jay winning the 2010 MX Nationals title. ▸ Yamaha utilised a bilateral beam frame for the first time on its 450 machine after introducing a similar frame on its 250F. ▸ With the introduction of fuel injection, Yamaha launched its Power Tuner, giving riders more control over their engine's power delivery. SPECS: 2010 YAMAHA YZ450F ENGINE TYPE: Liquid cooled 4-stroke, DOHC, 4-valve, rearward slanting single-cylinder DISPLACEMENT: 449.7cc BORE X…

International riders heading down under, especially for our supercross season or one-off supercross races, is nothing new. In fact, it's hard to think of a time where Australian supercross has not in some way relied on having an international rider, generally an American racer, head over to compete against the best we have to offer. In times gone by it was generally just one or two international riders — not always the best riders either, but big personalities that could also take it to Australia’s best on the track. In recent years and in the global world we now live in, things have changed somewhat and more and more international riders look to make a living travelling around the globe earning a crust just from racing supercross. We are now…

THIS BIKE IS ALL NEW. THERE ISN’T MUCH THAT HASN’T BEEN LOOKED OVER AND TWEAKED. The YZ 450 has some serious heritage — after all, it’s the original high-performance four-stroke motocross bike. Yet the past couple of models have, in some ways, held onto a stigma of being difficult to set up and have had varied success around the globe at pro-level racing. The bike has won races at all levels and some championships, yet it still doesn’t convince everyone. It is the only bike in the class with the reverse-format cylinder and it just seems that can be enough for some people to be sceptical of the negative effects that design brings to the rest of the bike. The all-new 2018 model is out to combat those issues —…

So many people head straight for the 450 in the local dealership when they may be more suited to a bike such as the WR250R. The Yamaha WR250R has blasted into popularity in the Australian market. It’s the new and vastly improved TTR250 if you like — it’s easy to ride, fuel injected and has pretty darn good trail-ready suspension. Let’s answer some questions about the WR250R. WHAT’S THE ENGINE LIKE? Smooth. The 250 four-stroke powerplant is designed to be easy to ride and it is. The power is lineal and forgiving. There is basically no throttle lag due to the EFI system. It’s got enough power for the majority of trailriding. A tricky hill will take a little bit of clutch to get it into the revs and climbing…

METZELER MC360 QUICK FACTS ▸ A 100% carbon black blend of synthetic and natural rubbers ▸ METZELER MC360™ has successfully accomplished SNI, ECE and DOT certifications and can be ridden legally on-road ▸ Tri-Ply carcass is designed to be strong and impact-resistant ▸ The Metzeler technicians recommend 14.5psi for use with a heavy-duty tube, with very little variance for conditions Heading to launches is one of the most exciting parts of the job here at DA. I’m not going to lie though: I didn’t think much of heading to Wollongong for the Metzeler MC360 launch. After all, how good can it be checking out some black hoops? I had been on the Gold Coast to shoot Kawasaki’s latest signing Dan Reardon. Once I landed the gear bag was packed, I…

01 The jacket is made from Durylon, Macna Dazzle and Poly 500. We have no idea what any of that is but the jacket feels both sturdy and incredibly light. This is the lightest jacket we’ve ever worn and that gets a massive thumbs-up. 02 We like the waist and arm adjustment straps. Some days you put on extra layers or strip them off and this helps ensure the fit is spot on. 03 The three layers ensure the jacket is fully weather proof. We’ve already done a freezing ride with some light rain and felt nothing the whole time. 04 Plenty of ventilation for the hotter days. Strip the layers back and open the vents and the Macna is an excellent summer jacket. 05 We like the white and…

The 2017 Husqvarna TC 250 is one finelooking machine and the appearance of the bike is always one of the first comments I hear when someone comes over to check it out in the pits. However, with a host of different races heading our way, it was time for a bit of a facelift that included fitting some versatile race numbers on the front and side plates. VERSATILE? Yep, with three different disciplines of racing heading out way in the span of four weeks, I needed to find a way to give our beloved Husky a clean, fresh look that would also allow us to quickly change up our race number from week to week. I handed that task over to the good people at Ringmaster Images and, as always,…

THE OSET 24.0R HAS BEEN GIVEN A GOOD WORKOUT BY THE LIKES OF JACK FIELDS. HE KNOWS HOW TO GET MAGIC FROM A BIKE AND HIS RIDES GO A LONG WAY TO PROVING THE OSET CAN TAKE PUNISHMENT. Oset bikes are a rare deal in today’s market: an electric bike with a proven record. Oset has been refining the electric trials bike since 2004 and now stands as the go-to brand for introducing kids to trials in both competition and recreational riding. The Oset range is impressively complete, with a bike to suit all ages and riding capabilities right up to the 90kg mark. Nothing makes taking the little guys for a ride easier than taking fuel out of the equation. An electric bike means no premixing, no fuel drums…

DAN REARDON: Building sand castles today @gopro #gopro #scubasteve KALE MAKEHAM: Guess the injury. Unfortunately I have separated the A/C joint in my shoulder for the 728th time. I was planning on racing the final 2 rounds of the 125 cup but that won’t be possible now as I’ll most likely require surgery before swinging a leg over a bike again 15 hours on a bike this year and this was the result of my only crash #blackcat #smashingmirrors #walkedunderaladder #blackcloud SOCIAL SPACE OUR PICK OF THE PICS FROM THE PROS ON INSTAGRAM SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS AT WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DIRTACTIONMAGAZINE JOSH GREEN: Said goodbye to my ranger over the weekend! Took me some awesome places! I’ll miss her! #goodmemories MXGP: #MonsterGirlMonday @monsterenergy MORNING COFFEÉ! Never first to arrive but always last to…

THE VITALS NAME: Mason Semmens NICK NAME: Wonks AGE: 16 RACE BIKE (HATTAH): 2018 KTM 250 SX-F AGE STARTED RACING: 5 years old THE YEAR SO FAR: Twenty-seventeen has been an awesome year so far. I am currently leading both 125 and 250 classes at the Victorian titles [and] I have won a few races/rounds at the MX Nationals. I have also been chosen to represent Australia at the Junior Worlds in two weeks’ time. THE BUILD UP TO THIS YEAR’S BIG DESERT RACE: I believe I had a better lead up to Hattah this year than I have any other year. I went away with Daniel Milner and Lyndon Snodgrass earlier then usual up to Hattah and did a lot of riding with those boys, which made a huge…

‘BIG’ ISN’T A WORD THAT DOES THIS PLACE JUSTICE. THE SHEER SCALE OF IT IS BREATHTAKING As I drive into Eisenerz, the home town of the legendary Erzbergrodeo, the vans and campers stretch almost a kilometre. Entry isn’t until 7.30am so of course these guys are sitting on the side of the road chatting and having a beer while they wait — it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right? As I walk up the line I meet people who have come from all over the world — nowhere seems too far. Most are groups of good mates on a pilgrimage to the mountain, some with a rider but not all. I’ve travelled 16,500km to get here, dreaming since my early thirties about attempting it myself one day, but I had no idea…

MY OLD MAN WAS ALWAYS INTO FINKE AND THE RACE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PRETTY BIG DEAL AROUND HERE Looking in from the outside it would be easy to sit back and say Daymon Stokie was lucky to win the 2017 Finke Desert Race. However, it took less than one minute on the phone to the Alice Springs local to realise that his win is a truly great Australian sporting achievement. Stokie in a lot of ways had everything stacked against him heading into the 2017 Finke Desert Race. No local had won the race in over ten years, he was racing on a new bike after signing on with the Active8 Yamaha squad for 2017, and Yamaha themselves had not won the race since 1986! If that wasn't enough,…

A decade ago, Daniel Reardon stood as the king of Australian motocross and supercross. He had three straight Australian Supercross titles, one in Pro- Lites (SX2) and two in the premier class. He missed the 2006 Australian Motocross Championship by just two points. In 2007, he was the champion. As with the majority of the motocross community, I was at the widely regarded Raymond Terrace MX Nationals round in 2007. Reardon took it to Australian legend Chad Reed not far from Reed’s home town. The two battled each other furiously in a race where many thought Reed would simply dominate; it was said that nobody could hang with the #22. The name Reardon instantly came across the desk of US-based teams after he stuck it to Chad that weekend. Before…

I LOVE RIDING ON THE BEACH. THE WEIRD THING IS I’M SHITHOUSE IN THE SAND After a round of tender loving care with basic maintenance and asking forgiveness for some pretty stupid crashes lately, the WR was primed and ready for a new challenge — the beach. I love riding on the beach. The weird thing is I’m shithouse in the sand, as evidenced by my less than epic Hattah ride a few years ago. I didn’t crash out but I really did try. But on the beach I can’t help but have fun. One thing I didn’t have at Hattah was a steering damper, so this was the first time I’ve ever ridden on deep sand with one and, man, I’ll never go back. The difference between nothing and…

01 OAKLEY CROWBAR SHOCKWAVE GOGGLE Pry open the limits of possibility with Crowbar®, a durable yet lightweight design with a wide-open view that helps you deny any challenger in your periphery. FEATURES ▸ Increased lens sizing for greater visual range ▸ Flexible O Matter chassis ▸ Rigid O Matter strap connections provide even distribution of goggle pressure ▸ Anti-fog lens on clear lens frames ▸ Removable O Matter nose guard included ▸ Improved 3-pin attachment system for tear-offs ▸ 7-pack of Oakley laminated tear-offs also included ▸ Lexan lens material provides 100% protection against UV-A, UV-B, UV-C and harmful blue light ▸ Re-designed facial fit contour ▸ Exceeds ANSI Z87.1 for high velocity impact ▸ Exceeds EN 1938 for MX goggle requirements ▸ Triple fleece face foam for maximum moisture…

NICK NAME Still waiting for the day it comes DOB 09 October 1999 FIRST BIKE Pee Wee50 WHAT AGE DID YOU START RIDING? Four CURRENT RIDE Husqvarna factory support on a TE250 WHEN AND WHERE WAS YOUR FIRST RACE AND HOW DID IT PAN OUT? My first race was a local MX club day when I was 14. I got third, which I was pretty happy with. At that stage I would have been happy to continue at that level. I never really anticipated where it could take me. It was not until 2015 when I raced and won my first Australian Endurocross Championship that I knew I could take it to the next level in the sport. YOUR GREATEST DIRTBIKE-RELATED ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE? My greatest achievement would be winning…

COLOURS: ■ Black/Pink ■ Black/White ■ Blue/Black/White ■ Flo Green/Smoke ■ Flo Orange/Smoke ■ Cyan/Flo Orange /Black ■ Cyan/Flo Yellow/Flo Orange ■ Flo Orange/Black /White ■ Flo Yellow/Cyan/Fire ■ Red/White/Black ■ Red/White/Blue RRP $89.95 The Taylors are a racing family with multiple generations racing at the highest level in the US. They’ve taken this experience and combined it with decades of knowledge developing goggles to produce the EKS-S, the latest product in their arsenal of clearvision goggles. Incorporating all the features that racers around the world love about the Go-X frame, with the addition of a “fit force” outrigger system, detachable nose guard and new strategically placed Flo Air ventilation system, the S is one of the best-fitting, most functional pairs of goggles you will try. Four lens channel restraint…

THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF PRESSURE — THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS GO OUT AND HAVE A BIG CRASH AND HAND BACK A BEAT-UP FACTORY BIKE — BUT OTHERWISE IT’S GOOD TIMES AND SOMETHING I REALLY TRY NOT TO TAKE FOR GRANTED HOW GOOD IS IT TO RIDE A FACTORY BIKE ? Well, as far as jobs go, test riding motocross bikes for a magazine is a pretty sweet one. But when the opportunity arises to test a factory race bike, the day gets even better. As a former racer, I love getting the chance to see what the top riders now have underneath them and I definitely still get a buzz out of riding an exceptional bike. Photos are important because without some good shots…

QUICK HIGHLIGHTS ▸ Lean Angle Sensing Traction Control ▸ Excellent ABS ▸ Clever headlight ▸ Class leading 6.5-inch TFT display ▸ Smartphone charge pouch ▸ Excellent seat for long days ▸ Nimble for a big bike ▸ Versatile engine As the adventure market grows, we’re seeing more and more bikes designed to handle true off-road riding and less manufacturers dishing up road bikes with knobbys. KTM hasn’t ever pretended to build anything but dirt-ready adventure bikes but the early Austrians were perhaps a little too rough. They could go anywhere but the refinement that a bike like an R 1200 GS offered made a big difference on long trips, and to the majority of riders that aren’t facing transcontinental desert rides the comfort factor outweighed the utility. Interestingly, BMW recently…

IT’S JUST A BIT NICER TO HEAR EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE IN THE REV RANGE AS THE STANDARD MUFFLER IS RATHER QUIET. WHAT’S NEW FOR THE 500EXC Last month we spent a heap of time in the garage with the KTM500EXC, fitting a new muffler, a step-seat and a trick little flip-away mirror. With a fresh dose of Motorex oil in its belly, we headed to the epic trails of Mt Kembla Motorcycle Club. First things first, the Akrapovic muffler has opened up the KTM500EXC. The 500 doesn’t need any more power, it just gives it that little more punch, which is a good thing. I like the extra noise, too — it’s not a lot, but it’s just a bit nicer to hear exactly where you are in the…