Innehållsförteckning för October 2016 från Dirt Action

Australian legend Chad Reed has signed a Supercrossonly contract for 2017 which will see him build on the strengths of last year’s Factory Yamaha program. “I’m excited to get back to work with the Yamaha guys,” Reed said. “Twenty sixteen was a great learning and rebuilding phase for me and for Yamaha going racing as a factory team again. We learned the bike and found our strengths and weaknesses.” Reed will be joined by Cooper Webb in the premier class, a move which will no doubt add a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the team. “It’s a huge positive that we are able to use this time wisely to prepare for 2017,” said Reed, “and the team and I are motivated to continue building. I think Cooper brings a…

British rider Graham Jarvis is in the form of his life, most recently securing a third win at Erzberg and his fifth career Romaniacs title. Currently aged 41, Jarvis has signed to remain with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Racing Extreme Enduro team through the 2017 and 2018 seasons. “It’s fantastic that I’m going to race with Husqvarna for another two years,” Jarvis said. “The new TE 300 is an amazing machine. I’ve been racing it for a few months and already I’ve earned two major wins on it: Erzberg and Romaniacs. “Within Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing I feel like I’m part of a global team. My focus is on the big outdoor extreme enduro events, while I’ll also be trying to squeeze in as many other races as possible.…

EVEN FOR ITS TIME IT WAS A REASONABLY SIMPLE BIKE BUILT TO WIN VIA BRUTE STRENGTH There’s an entire generation that doesn’t know the 500cc motocross machinery — what they sounded like, who rode them and how brutal and yet capable they were. It’s ancient history now but these bikes were once the measure of a man. Specimens such as Jeff Ward’s 1989 KX500 are the stuff of legend, as is pretty much every Works Honda of the mid-to-late 80s. In fact, the green and red camp really went at it in the big-bike class and produced some standout machines that, to plenty of us, are still everything a man could ever want. In 1984, Honda released the CR500 to replace the CR480. It didn’t go down well with some…

“I’VE TRAVELLED A LOT OVERSEAS BUT I NEVER GET ENOUGH OF SEEING DIFFERENT PARTS OF AUSTRALIA” Not too long ago I attended the Australian launch for Ducati’s first true adventure bike, the Multistrada Enduro 1200. The launch was a pretty good experience. The guys from Ducati were obviously enthusiastic about the bike, which is the company’s first proper crack at the off-road market, and they have every right to be. It’s packed with features, has a pedigree that displays quality and reliability and is very much aimed at the upper end of the scale long dominated by BMW. But the launch ride was short. At about 100km, it was a good ride but, in a positive sign for any bike, I was left wanting more seat time. Ducati was…

Those in the industry will know John Hafey and that he works for Husqvarna Motorcycles Australia. The thing most people don’t know is that he’s an avid collector of road and off-road motorcycles, among other things. You can find him at the national motocross races and other events but his passion is getting out and about on one of his many collectable motorcycles at a vintage motocross meeting. I caught up with John at the recent Classic Dirt number 12, held this year at Queensland’s Green Park MX course. He wasn’t hard to find, lounging around on a mid-70s dragster pushbike close to his pride and jewels, all parked perfectly in line under his six-by-three tent. I immediately noticed the KX80 and how beautifully it had been restored and asked…

AIROH AVIATOR 2.2 01 Weighing in at as little as 950 grams, the Aviator is lighter on your head than a hipster’s man-bun. 02 The field of view from the port is enormous so you can see the look of misery on your mate’s face as you breeze past him. 03 The Airoh Emergency Fast Removal (AEFR) system allows for a quick removal of the cheek pads when it’s needed most. 04 The Airoh is available as a Matt Phillips replica so you can run a lid just like the Aussie world champ. 05 Ventilation on a hot Aussie day isn’t a problem with the Airoh designed to allow plenty of airflow around your nut.…

The 2017 AMSOIL Arenacross will travel across 13 different states including new stops at Portland, Oregon’s Moda Center and the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. AMSOIL Arenacross is the most intense motorcycle racing on the planet. The fearless and highly talented athletes will compete on man-made dirt battlegrounds built inside the country’s best-known arenas for 19 nights of high-speed, high-flying and fierce-racing competition. “The field is stacked in AMSOIL Arenacross,” said five-time Monster Energy Supercross Champion Ricky Carmichael. “There are so many fast guys that could win on any given night, which makes it really exciting. “AMSOIL Arenacross keeps getting bigger and better every year and the talent of the riders coming in is at an all-time high. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the 2017 season has…

“THE RACING WAS FIRST CLASS, THE EVENTS RAN SMOOTHLY AND THEN THE AUS-X OPEN TOOK IT TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL” WHERE & WHEN Rd 1 Sep 17 Jimboomba, Qld Rd 2 Oct 14 Toowoomba, Qld Rd 3 Oct 29 Adelaide, SA Rd 4 Nov 5 Avalon, Vic Rds 5/6 Nov 12–13 Sydney, NSW After a year of getting Supercross back on the map, the championship returns for 2016 looking to build on some solid foundations. The wheel is finally starting to turn for Supercross in Australia. Last year saw the start of a small yet sustainable series run by a host of individual promoters trying to revive a sport that has had a chequered history in Australia’s sporting landscape. The racing was first class, the events ran smoothly and…

Kawasaki’s KLR650, take a bow. Come on, stand up and take a bloody bow. Yes, you’ve been derided in certain circles and far too often overlooked, but for sheer longevity and ability to provide faithful service you’re one of the greats. How many models can anyone name that have lasted as long as the KLR? It was released way back in 1987 which, to give some perspective, was the year the first mobile phone call was made in Australia. The KLR has survived all this time with minimal changes. And guess what? It’s one of the biggest-selling bikes in the adventure market year after year. Not even U2 have had chart success like that. The KLR is bigger than Rick Astley, who started and finished in the 80s. It’s more…

The bike that took the 250F class by storm in 2014 has remained mostly unchanged over the past three years but for 2017 it gets a solid list of changes aimed at reinforcing the strong position this bike has in its class. There isn’t much of the bike that hasn’t received a tweak of some sort: engine, gearbox, footpeg position, frame and even plastic have been updated. The list of updates looks very much like some of the GYTR performance options that have been available for the bike over the past years. While they may not be identical, it would seem there’s plenty of race-team flow-on into this bike. THE ENGINE The engine receives what you could just about call a totally new head. The cam profiles are more aggressive,…

First of all, where do you call home and what do you do for work? I call Melbourne home. [I’m] currently working part-time as an Army reservist and fulltime as a postgraduate law student at the University of Melbourne. How long have you been riding bikes? Unlike other people who go on adventure rides and have been riding since childhood, I haven’t been riding very long. I actually only began riding six months prior to my current trip, [in] August 2015! Can you broadly describe the ride you’re on? After doing a lap of Tasmania, I rode from Melbourne to Adelaide, up to Uluru, then to Darwin. From Darwin I headed across to Townsville, up to Cooktown (I couldn’t go further due to time constraints and wet season) then back…

German rider Max Nagl currently sits third in the MXGP class following 14 top-three moto finishes. With only two rounds left to race, the Husqvarna rider will be looking to finish on the podium, end the season on a high and give back to the team for rewarding him with a new contract. “I’ve enjoyed some of the most successful times of my career as an MXGP rider with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team, so to be staying with Husqvarna, Antti [Pyrhönen] and the guys is something I’m really very pleased about,” Nagl commented. “I think that we’ve showed what we’re capable of as a team and enjoyed lots of very positive GPs during both this year and in 2015. “Although I’m now one of the most experienced…

Sherco is now represented in 65 countries with over 850 dealers. In Australia, the dealer network is steadily growing and adjusting to suit the growing demands of riders who are drawn to Sherco. This has been a great year with the success of Australia’s own Matthew Phillips dominating the Enduro World Championship on a Sherco 300 SEF-R. Not only is Phillips winning the E2 class, usually dominated by 450cc machines; he’s also leading the GP class for the overall. With just one weekend of racing left on the EWC calendar on September 10/11, Phillips holds an 18-point lead in the E2 class and 15 points in the EnduroGP for the overall. Locally, the Motul Pirelli Sherco Factory Team is proving quite successful with Wil Ruprecht winning the AORC Under-19 class…

Kawasaki’s KLR650 is a single-cylinder 650cc adventure/touring bike. Essentially designed in 1988, it’s been a mainstay on adventure trails for 28 years. The bike has received many upgrades in those years, the biggest being in 2008 and the most recent in mid-2014. The bike is popular due to LAMS approval, reliability and value for money and is recognised as an adventure bike capable of carrying rider, luggage and often pillions many thousands of kilometres through remote roads in many countries across the world. Before tackling the many adventure challenges Australia has to offer, some upgrades are required. Below are my top 10 in my order of importance. 1. FRONT SUSPENSION UPGRADE: The KLR650 comes equipped with a simple damper rod-style front fork. Fitting aftermarket travel control valves (aka emulators) will…

Since its introduction back in 2005, the RM-Z450 has been an extremely successful bike for Suzuki. On the track it has won countless races and championships in all parts of the globe. In sales, the RM-Z range (250/450) represents 10 per cent of Suzuki Australia’s sales in recent years, so the bike has a good connection with the public. The 2005 model was almost the first bike released at the end of the Suzuki-Kawasaki alliance of the early 2000s. And within the first lap, you knew it was a Suzuki. Then, in 2008, they released the first of the EFI machines and, despite some serious hiccups in the first year, from 2009 the bike was well received and successful on the track. But the knock against the RM-Z450 is that…

THE BIKE IS ONE OF THE MORE DISTINCTIVE IN A PERIOD OF BIKES THAT HAD CHARACTER AND ARE STILL REMEMBERED ALL THESE YEARS LATER For Australian moto fans, the phrase Yamaha of Troy brings back great memories of Chad Reed making his name early in his US career and his cousin Craig Anderson taking the win at Southwick in 2003. The team wasn’t always with Yamaha, though. In fact it really made its initial reputation on Hondas and some of the most memorable-looking CRs of all time. The guys at Axis Motorsports gave us a call and suggested we come over to snap some shots of a bike they were finishing for owner Paris Corless. We’re not going to fill these pages with words — we’ll let the bike do…