Innehållsförteckning för Mar/Apr 2020 från Dirt Action

After a breakthrough 2019, Luke Clout has set his sights on the USA and a chance to turn heads with Penrite Honda racing. Clout is currently battling in the West Coast 250 AMA Supercross Championship before returning to Australia for his assault on the MX Nationals series. “I am excited to get back to America and race the best supercross riders in the world. I feel I am a better rider than I was when I raced there three years ago. I have learnt a lot and I owe that to riders like Justin Brayton, Chad Reed, Jason Anderson and Brett Metcalfe. These guys have achieved so much overseas and they have elevated all of us by competing in the Australian Championships,” said Clout. Yarrive Konsky has put his confidence…

For me, one of the attractions of BMW motorcycles is their uniqueness. The company goes out of its way to do things differently to the others, and nowhere is that more evident than with the all-new X-Challenge. Well, all-new except for the fuel-injected, 650 GS-based engine. This is one proven motor, a point BMW’s Miles Davis was keen to make during the tech presentation at the launch. One look at the service schedule is proof enough of an engine built to last — how do 10,000km service intervals sound, once the first 1000km service is out of the way? The 652cc unit’s four-litre engine oil reserve, catalytic converter (Euro 3 emissions friendly) and quoted fuel consumption of 3.6 litres per 100km (at 90km/h) point to a green, under-stressed engine that…

LOGITECH DRIVING FORCE FEEDBACK RACING WHEEL G29 » Ideal for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 » Enhance your console experience » Dual-motor force feedback » Helical gearing with anti-backlash » Mounts securely to table or racing rig PIONEER DDJ1000 DJ CONTROLLER » Customisable colour LCD on jog display screens are located in the centre of each jog -wheel and reveal only the information you need whether that’s BPM, waveform, playback position or hot cue, loop points » Transitioning to this DJ controller is a breeze thanks to the familiar jog-wheels and layout. Using rekordbox Dj with the DDJ-1000 feels the same as playing from USB drives with an NXS2 set-up » Improved Magvel Fader is durable for more than 10 million movements. The refined software processing of the jog-wheel and…

ROUND THREE: WOLLONGONG, NSW LOCATION: WIN STADIUM, NSW TRACK STYLE: USING THE FULL SIZE OF THE NRL STADIUM AND FEATURING A SECTION THAT INCLUDED THE GRASS HILL USUALLY FOR SPECTATORS. THE WHOOPS PLAYED HAVOC ALL NIGHT WITH RIDERS FROM THE RIDERS Cody Dyce — SB Motorsports Ecstar Suzuki — 7th SX1 “I am pumped on the result from this round. I really could not believe I was heading into the whoops for the first time leading the field in my heat race. I didn’t really know what to think, I was just pumped and went with it. The second lap around I was thinking to myself, what is going on. I was expecting Brayton to blow by me in the whoops; I was going in there committed but was just…

ROUND FIVE: MELBOURNE, VIC LOCATION: MARVEL STADIUM, DOCKLANDS. TRACK STYLE: LARGE-FORMAT TRACK, LONG WHOOPS SECTION, METAL FINISH-LINE RAMP, SLIPPERY DIRT FROM THE RIDERS Justin Brayton — Penrite Honda — 1st SX1 “I’m stoked I got the win. The last few weeks have been so tough, so to get this championship means a lot. I love this country. Thankyou so much for welcoming me, and I hope that I’ve done your country proud coming over here and winning four straight.” “I’M STOKED I GOT THE WIN. THE LAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN SO TOUGH, SO TO GET THIS CHAMPIONSHIP MEANS A LOT.”JUSTIN BRAYTON — PENRITE HONDA — 1ST SX1 Jason Anderson — Rockstar Energy Husqvarna — FIM Oceania Champion “This title is sweet; it’s rad I was able to get it…

The Kawasaki KX250 has long been a front-runner in the 250 four-stroke motocross class. Known for its strong engine and dependable handling, the 2020 model was treated to some considerable updates to see its return to the top of the ever-tight 250 four-stroke pecking order. In recent years, the Yamaha, KTM and Husqvarna have taken it to the Kawasaki in the lites class fight, in particular when it comes to outright horsepower. Kawasaki are dubbing this the most powerful Kawasaki KX250 ever, and we would believe it. Outright horsepower is incredibly important when racing a 250 four-stroke compared with the 450 class, where each and every model has a huge amount of grunt on tap — for the average man, too much. WHAT’S NEW? » NEW engine with increased peak…

After reading Conor’s previous product review on the Fasst Co Flexx Handlebars, I was intrigued and needed to have a spin on his bike. I had ridden the RM-Z450 prior to having these Fasst Co Flexx bars fitted and it was super rigid. I ride mainly Amcross and natural-terrain tracks, and I felt that although the bike was tracking well on bumps, I was feeling it. Each hit or tweak was transferred through the hands and was wearing me out. The Fasst Co Flexx handlebars eliminated the transfer of the vibrations and impacts to the hands. It was like running soft suspension without the negatives — something that Conor also agreed about in his initial review. Choosing an aftermarket handlebar is usually one of the first modifications to grace a…

01 GEAR SELECTION You need to keep a two-stroke in the meat of the power. A 300 two-stroke can handle being short-shifted more so than a 125-250cc machine, so choose your gear accordingly. On a small-capacity two-stroke, you need to always think ahead and not rely on the endless amounts of torque you have on hand when it comes to a new-age four-stroke machine. Keep it in the meat of the power curve and keep a finger on the clutch to bring the revs back up as you lose some of your revs and momentum. You will be rewarded with smiles galore when you get it right. 02 LINE CHOICE On sections such as hill climbs, look for traction. A two-stroke is a busier machine to maintain control of and…

Announced at the 2019 EICMA, the all-new Suzuki V-Strom 1050 and V-Strom 1050XT are full of features and built to explore Australia. The two models are designed for the ultimate in adventure riding, with varying levels of features between the pair. FEATURES » New-generation flagship V-Strom model line-up » Available in two variants: Standard and Cross-Touring (XT) » New Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (S.I.R.S) » New Cruise Control System (XT model) » New Hill Hold Control System (XT model) » New Slope Dependent Control System (XT model) » New Load Dependent Control System (XT model) » New Suzuki Drive Mode Selector (SDMS) » New styling. Design inspired by legendary DR-Z desert-racer » New height-adjustable windscreen » New LED headlight and LED rear combination lights » Updated Euro 5-compliant V-twin engine…

Hayden Mellross has slotted into the vacated seat at the CDR Yamaha Monster Energy Team, joining Kirk Gibbs under the factory Yamaha awning. “Every kid that grows up racing dirtbikes in Australia has a dream to ride for the CDR Yamaha team, so it’s exciting to me to be part of this team now,” Mellross said. “They have won an incredible amount of championships in their history and are undoubtedly the benchmark for professional racing in Australia, so it’s with pride I can say that I’m a CDR Yamaha team rider. “I am also excited to be back on Yamaha, as it’s a brand I spent plenty of time on in the US and one that I have had plenty of success on in the past. I have heard nothing…

6D has changed the way we look at helmet safety within our sport. Its development and testing has helped pave the way for safer helmets across the board. The latest 6D ATR-2 has further increased the safety and quality on offer from 6D and now features a range of new colours. Head to dirtaction.com.au for our interview with 6D founder Bob Weber and more information on the 6D brand. HELMET FEATURES Removable, washable comfort liner features genuine Dri-Lex anti-bacterial fabric Emergency quick-release cheek pads PU-over moulded EPP lined chin bar includes sternum pad Goggle band integrated shell recess at the eyeport area improves goggle fit and seal Shear-away visor screws designed to reduce angular acceleration potential Nose guard provides improved roost protection Titanium D-rings Lightweight with improved centrs of gravity…

The very first Honda XRV650 RD03 Africa Twin is a legend among motorcycles, but was never exported to Australia. I don’t know why. So, how did this particular Africa Twin get to Maitland? Andy had first seen one when the family was living in Scotland. It was the 750, the second model to grow on the Africa Twin family tree. He had the hots for it right off, he admits that, but at the time he believed he’d never own one because he’s not a big bloke and this was a very big bike. “Only one foot barely, barely touched the ground when I sat on it”, he says. He’s lightly built too, and this was a combination of physical characteristics that did nothing to prepare him for life with…

ROUND ONE: BRISBANE, QLD LOCATION: BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE TRACK STYLE: TIGHT AND TECHNICAL ARENACROSS-STYLE LAYOUT TO SUIT THE SMALLER VENUE FROM THE RIDERS Justin Brayton — Penrite Honda — 1st SX1 “I couldn’t have scripted this any better; what a dream start. The whole team worked well and I just enjoyed being back down under in front of the crowd. Also, I can’t explain how cool it was to see all of the Brayton FLY jerseys out there; it’s something I will remember for a long time. I really gelled with the track quickly, my bike felt awesome and I was enjoying it out there.” Dan Reardon — CDR Monster Energy Yamaha Team — 2nd SX1 “It’s good to be back and racing again and this was just what I…

ROUND FOUR: AUCKLAND, NZ LOCATION: MT. SMART STADIUM, NZ TRACK STYLE: LONG STRAIGHTS WITH TECHNICAL RHYTHMS. THE TRACK ALLOWED RIDERS TO EXECUTE DIFFERENT COMBINATIONS TO GAIN AN ADVANTAGE FROM THE RIDERS Brett Metcalfe — Penrite Honda Racing — 3rd SX1 “All I can say is it’s about time. The Bridgestones were hooking up tonight and I am so glad to come away with a third and get the monkey off my back. I need to back this up in Melbourne. All I can do is focus on finishing on the podium again and see what happens around me.” Chad Reed — Penrite Oil Mountain Motorsport Honda — DNF SX1 “I lined up for practice and qualifying no problems. I wasn’t at my best but I didn’t fly all the way…

It’s been such a long time coming. I can’t think of another model that has been teased to the extent this one has been — the only two in recent times that come close, off the top of my head, would be Yamaha’s YZ65 and the KTM 790 Adventure R. But the wait is over and things have kicked off well, with the first shipment selling out before it touched sunburnt soil. There is a weight of expectation on the Ténéré 700 that isn’t on many other new releases because it’s replacing a fading model line consisting of the 660 and the 1200. The 660 was OK at best, while the 1200 was a decent bike up against some extremely good bikes in the big-bore category. Neither showed a skerrick…

Why was the Ténéré 700 developed in Italy and not in Japan? We had three reasons to develop this Ténéré 700 [in Italy]. One reason is the manufacturing factory. Some of the bikes for Australia and New Zealand are produced by the MBK factory in France. Due to some capability-balance we selected the YMRE (Yamaha Moto R&D Europe where the Moto GP team is based — Italy) to develop the Ténéré 700 so the factory and the R&D would be close to make a good bike, not only for function but for manufacturing. The second reason is the YMRE capability to handle such a big and complicated development. Recently, YMRE has been working on the XSR700 and so we selected YMRE to develop this model as kind of a test…

I have a confession to make. I have an FMF pipe sitting in a box. It came not long after the 350 arrived. Normally I would ditch the stock pipe as soon as a package like that arrived, but I’m ashamed to say I haven’t yet utilised that wicked bolt-on. Well, ashamed is a bit harsh. The truth is I rode the 350 at the world launch with an FMF on it and loved it, more so than the stock pipe. But I want to give the stocker as much ride time as I can before I switch over so that I’m totally used to it when the FMF hooks on and does its thing. That’s the only way to make a good comparison. And I’m not exactly busting to…

Fantic Motor has released its all-new Yamaha-powered 125cc and 250cc two-stroke machines. The partnership between the two brands has expanded fromm the previous 50cc two-stroke and 125cc four-stroke engine supply to include the 125cc two-stroke and 250cc two- and four-stroke engines. Yamaha will also assist with other chassis components. The new Fantic XE125 Enduro, XX125 and XX250 MX models were introduced at the recent EICMA event in Milan, and were designed, engineered and produced in Fantic’s Italian facility. Although arrival in Australia is not confirmed, these models will be raced in major enduro and motocross events around the world to lead Fantic Motor’s comeback to racing.…

KTM Group General Manager Jeff Leisk has announced that after 25 years of association, he will retire from the KTM Group. Current KTM Southeast Asia President Brad Hagi will take over from Leisk. “It has been an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding experience for me and I am grateful for the support that I have received and the friendships that have been built with our customers, dealers and of course the media,” Leisk said. “Together with the team in Australia and New Zealand, we have established a strong network and an enviable reputation across all segments to become leading brands in the market. I am confident that the KTM, Husqvarna Motorcycles and WP Suspension brands will continue to grow in this Oceania market under Brad’s leadership. With the recent sale of…

The Dakar Rally is the most brutal rally event in the world. A previous winner, Australian legend Toby Price took aim at the 2020 Dakar Rally with the Red Bull KTM team. KTM has 18 Dakar wins on the trot. That’s incredibly impressive and a credit to the team when it comes to their machinery and their reliability. If you’re a punter willing to take on the Dakar Rally, you too can ride the basic KTM 450 Rally machine via special order from KTM. The bike is based very closely on the machine you see here that Toby Price tests and races. Stefan Huber, KTM Factory Rally Team Leader: “The all-new KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA is based on our already-successful new factory machine that we began racing at the end…

The Yamaha YZ125 and YZ250 are two of the most enjoyable motocross bikes available in the world. They are high-excitement, high-RPM fun machines. It’s all about ripping gears, revving the tits off them and fanning the clutch. Sure, you will probably be faster on a new-age Yamaha four-stroke but, hell, you won’t have as much fun. But what if we took that fun factor, threw a few gum trees into the mix and tuned those YZs for the bush? Then you’d have what you see on these pages of DIRT ACTION, the Yamaha YZ125X and Yamaha YZ250X. Good fun? Oh, hell yeah. YAMAHA YZ125X The Yamaha YZ125X is an all-new model for 2020. It’s based heavily on the long-standing Yamaha YZ125 motocross machine but is modified and tuned to be…

ROUND TWO: PORT ADELAIDE, SA LOCATION: GILLMAN SPEEDWAY, SA TRACK STYLE: LARGE-FORMAT AMA-STYLE SUPERCROSS TRACK FROM THE RIDERS Lawson Bopping — Empire Kawasaki — DNF SX1 “My health is still pretty ordinary, so I wasn’t able to finish. I loved the track and the KX450 was good, as it always is, so I was able to get third in my heat race even though I wasn’t even pushing it and was trying to be conservative. I was fourth in Superpole as well. I was working my way up in the main, got to around sixth, but then went down by myself in the sand. I couldn’t even circulate after that; I was totally gassed and this could be the end of the season for me. I’m really hoping that my…

When the announcement was made that the Monster Energy Aus-X Open was moving from Sydney to Melbourne, I was slightly bummed. Being NSW born and bred, the best event on the calendar moving south to Victoria stung. Would the stadium be what it’s cracked up to be? What about the fans — would they support it? Could I make the trip to watch the action? Would the bigger stadium allow photographers to capture the action? All these questions rang in my head until we headed on a plane to Melbourne for the final round of the Australian Supercross Championship, the Monster Energy Aus-X Open. Like many other fans, we made the Melbourne trip an extended one to truly appreciate what the Victorian capital has to offer and ensure we were…

As the old saying goes, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Fortunately for me, I was on the solid side of the deal this time around. With a big year of racing, injuries and disappointments, it was time to mix it up. What better way to do that then to follow that gut feeling, learn a foot-plant 360, build an 18ft X-Games-spec quarter pipe and go overseas to ride with the best in the business? Girlfriends can have their perks, especially when they live in the mecca of motocross. I recently went on a trip to California; it was one I won’t forget. It started off as a trip to go hang with my girlfriend and shoot some photos for my business, Vibe Imagery. If I got…

Has there ever been a time that a field of motocross bikes has been so evenly stacked? Twenty-twenty will potentially bring the closest parity in a class that we’ve seen in many years. And in a class that is usually defined by horsepower, is there a manufacturer that stands out above the rest? Suzuki still believes it has a winning package with its 2020 entry into the 250 class. The 2019 model saw a major overhaul of the entire bike with increases to power, changes to the chassis and weight reduction for optimal performance. While we don’t see any significant changes for the 2020 model, the bike still proves to be more than race-ready for the task at hand. THE DELIVERY A host of changes from 2019 that saw huge…

Chad Reed’s face appeared on the screen inside Marvel Stadium and the crowd erupted. Their hero was in the house for the 2019 Monster Energy Aus-X Open. Chad’s wife, Ellie, stood next to him as he sat on his #22 Honda CRF450R. Media focused their lenses on the pair’s face, Chad’s eyes welling with tears and Ellie’s filled with pride. After 22 years of professional racing, the greatest Australian motocross racer to ever live would announce his retirement at the end of the 2020 season. It’s hard to describe the emotions within the stadium as Chad circulated around the track, receiving a standing ovation as he waved to the screaming fans. This would be the last time Chad would race as a professional athlete on Australian soil. It was a…