Innehållsförteckning för Issue 239 från Dirt Action

In case you don’t know about VERi, they’re the Vintage Enduro Riders Inc. and they put on an event that has been described by competitors as “nothing short of awesome”. The Australian Three Day Vintage Enduro is a spectacle you have to see for yourself, with it being touted as the only multi-day standalone competitive vinduro in the country. Taking place in Wombat Forest in Blackwood, Vic, the event is designed specifically for pre-1988 dirtbikes only, which are divided into four classes: pre-’76; pre-’80; pre-’84 and pre-’88. You can compete competitively or as a noncompetitive rally rider, who many say have more fun anyway. And that’s the name of the game here: fun. There are four individual and different loops, and you ride two loops per day for 55km, with…

Looking to keep up with the kids on the property or around the paddock and don’t want to put the kilometres on your race bike? CFMoto have got you covered with their new side-by-side vehicle (SSV), the ZForce 1000 EPS Sport. Available in either red or silver liveries, the ZForce has been updated to handle Aussie conditions and has long-travel A-arm front suspension and multi-link rear to make it the ultimate paddock/bush-basher. But it’s not all high speeds and taking it off sweet jumps; there are two power modes so it can be slowed down for when you’re running after the kids on their peewees without an issue. The 963cc V-twin puts out a healthy 80hp and 78Nm, and weighs in at just 695kg - that’s roughly the same as…

Cast your thoughts back to 1980 and you might recall it was the year Mount St Helens blew its top in the American north-west, the Cable News Network hit our screens for the first time, John Lennon was shot down in a New York street and the mind-twisting Rubik’s Cube made its debut. If you’re a student of adventure bike riding history, however, you’ll certainly remember 1980 as the year BMW pulled the wraps off the R80G/S and overland motorcycle travel was changed forever. Until then, if you wanted to ride around the world, you either did it on a self-modified road bike or tied all your worldly possessions onto a dual-purpose thumper and set forth into the great unknown. Breaking new ground, BMW shoehorned its air-cooled boxer twin motor…

Twenty-twenty was a hell of a year for Dan Sanders. Not only did he finish an astounding fourth in his very first crack at the Dakar Rally, but he also managed to win the outright championship in the AORC the previous year and also a little race called the ISDE. Even though he’s been around for years now on the Aussie scene, it seemed that the world was finally sitting up and taking notice of the young bloke from the Yarra Valley. But then the incessant pain in the arse that was COVID-19 kicked off and life as we know it was put on pause, the pandemic drawing a bunch of red lines through Chucky’s racing aspirations for the past 18 months. We caught up with him in between training…

IT COSTS LESS NEW THAN MANY SECOND-HAND MOTOS In case you haven’t heard of them, Braaap Motorcycles have been around for 15 years and are an Australian importer of café racers, mini-bikes and, now, dirtbikes. “Yeah, wow, another online importbike re-seller,” I hear you saying, but there are a couple of key differences with Braaap which warrant a closer look. Number one: all of their bikes are assembled here in Victoria, which makes them about as close to an Australian-built moto as you’re gonna get. Number two: for a couple of hundred bucks on top of the (cheap) purchase price, you get a lifetime warranty on your steed. We reckon both of these things are pretty impressive, so when we heard they were bringing out a new 450cc dirt/sumo offering,…

01 Who has the most Finke wins? A) Randall Gregory B) Toby Price C) Ben Grabham 02 How many wins is the current record? A) 5 B) 6 C) 7 03 In what year was the race first run? A) 1976 B) 1975 C) 1974 04 Who was the first winner? A) Peter Stayt B) Phil Stoker C) Geoff Curtis 05 What was he riding? A) Yamaha 250 B) Suzuki 370 C) Honda 500 06 How did the race start out? A) As a mapping route for the Ghan railway B) As a ‘there and back’ ride between mates C) As a surveying expedition for the Finke River 07 Where is the stage one finish line? A) Ghan B) Titjikala C) Apatula 08 When is the race held? A) Easter…

So many of us seem to hate riding ruts on the MX track. They can upset the bike, convince you that the front end is millimetres from washing out in front of you, and even lead to some pretty gnarly crashes. Rutted tracks can be daunting at first, so we thought we would put together a few tips to keep you upright and smashing PBs like your surname is Tomac. First things first, there are two basic types of ruts you’ll encounter on a MX course: corner ruts and straight ruts. Each needs to be handled differently to keep your speed up, but as with everything, you need to practise if you’re going to get good at riding them. All the knowledge in the world will only get you so…

Initially scheduled to take place back in March, the Nowra rounds of the 2021 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship (AORC) had to be postponed due to some rather catastrophic rainfall and flooding in the area. The deluge turned the track and pits into a temporary aquarium, effectively making travel to and from the area an impossibility, ruling out multiple teams. However, after a mammoth amount of work put in by the Oyster Bay Motorcycle Club, the track is shaping up to look fantastic and it has now been announced that the Nowra rounds will take place on 28-29 August, becoming rounds seven and eight of the season. It should also be mentioned that Shoalhaven City Council provided significant support to the event, meaning the organisers can ensure a great race weekend…

New for this year is the addition of Kawasaki’s brand-spanking KLX230S, which is going to serve as a replacement for the popular KLX230R. The new bike is more accessible and has had the seat height lowered by 25mm down to 900mm, which will suit shorter riders like a Savile Row three-piece suit. It still has the good stuff too, like electric start, a pokey four-stroke that’s geared for midrange torque, long-travel suspension and fuel injection, and it tips the scales at a respectable 115kg. The KLX230S retails for $5699, making it fantastic value for a weekend fun bike.…

Want to get your grom started off on the right foot with their riding? Competing for parent of the year? Then Sherco have you covered with their electric balance bikes. Starting at $649 for the smaller EB12 and hitting $749 for the EB16, these things are the perfect introduction to riding for your kids and will help them hone the fundamentals of riding — things like balance, hand-eye coordination and braking techniques — before they step up to a mini bike. The Sherco balance bikes are fully electric, with simple twist-and-go throttles and selectable power modes that can be adjusted for experience levels. The seats are also height-adjustable for a range of ages. The more powerful EB16 is punted along by a 170W brush motor and 5.2Ah lithium-ion battery that…

Beta riders achieved outstanding results at the recent Grassroots Enduro Kosciuszko Killer Hard Enduro event. Beta Australia’s Ruben Chadwick led the charge, setting the quickest time in the prologue and taking out second position in Gold / Pro Class for the main event aboard his Beta RR 300 Racing. “It was a really well-run event with good competition and plenty of riders in Gold Class,” Ruben said. “I’m feeling pretty happy to come away with second. Conditions were really rocky and dry, which suited me and the bike setup, which was great.” Wade Ibrahim took the gold and Chris Perry rounded out the podium in third, 11 seconds ahead of Ben Grabham. Beta also had great results in the women’s class with Amber Lock placing third in what is fast…

THE GODFATHER Stephen Greenfield is a legend when it comes to the Finke. He has been involved in more races, in one way or another, than you can imagine. He has built race-winning bikes, tuned suspension, serviced bikes, mentored riders, and did I mention picked up four outright wins and 10 podiums (outright winner 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004)? Growing up in Alice Springs meant Greenie was there for the birth of the Finke in 1976. He was only six years old at the time and ten years later he borrowed a mate’s YZ250 to enter his first race. At the end of day one, Greenie was 11th outright. On the run home the desert took its toll when, 40km out of Finke as he moved into the top 10, a…

THIS YEAR CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF THE AMCROSS SERIES. WITH ALMOST A YEAR OFF RACING FOR MANY, YOU COULD TELL THAT EVERY RIDER’S CLUTCH FINGERS WERE TWITCHING. The Easter long weekend would see most families vacationing somewhere up or down the coast, but not the avid amateur motocross racer. They headed to the Sapphire Speedway for the first round of the OGIO AMCROSS BEGA presented by DIRT ACTION. Campers, caravans and vans rolled in on Good Friday to set up for Saturday’s junior racing. This year celebrates 20 years of the Amcross series. With almost a year off racing for many, you could tell that every rider’s clutch fingers were twitching as they eagerly waited to get some laps in and for the event to be underway. The Far South…

PRO-GREEN-MX cleaning products have recently landed in Australia thanks to Steve Cramer Products. The brand hails from, and was developed on, the muddy trails of the UK, so that in itself signals some sort of credibility. There is only one way to know how well this stuff works, however, and that is to get on the bike and get really muddy to test the product ourselves. But first, let’s look at some fast facts about the product that caught our attention and perhaps distinguish it from some of the brands of cleaner that we already have here in Oz and are more familiar with. The main one is it’s promoted as salt-free. So, salt in a cleaner? This is obviously not the kind that you would find on your dinner…

01 Sick of camping out of the back of the ute? You could bring a five-star hotel along with you, keep yourself and your bikes out of the elements, and lord it over the peasants camping in the mud. 02 The Basestation comes with a fridge, cooktop, microwave, AC, innerspring bed and roll-out awning, and it has enough room for the whole family to kick back in. There’s probably a feature that tells you you’re handsome too. 03 It’s not one of those trailers that’s limited to caravan parks either. With fully independent coil suspension, you’re sweet to take this to even the roughest MX park in the country without a drama. 04 After a dusty day riding on the tracks, what could be better than coming back to the…

They say prevention is better than cure, and maintaining your motorbike is exactly that — preventing anything from going too wrong mechanically speaking and leaving you stranded on the side of the track wondering why your engine is hissing steam and your muffler is emitting an alarming amount of smoke. Having the basic tools and knowledge is invaluable and will not only save you money on servicing costs, but also aid you in finding and fixing problems before they can sink their teeth into you. So grab your service manual and let’s jump into keeping your moto in fighting fit condition. 01 Wash, dry and oil (if needed) your air filter. Most of us are running oiled aftermarket filters so before you next head out on your ride, make sure…

Hard enduro powerhouse and Sherco rider Tim Coleman was not in a good way at round one of the Grassroots Enduro series, The Tenterfield Terror, back in March. Tim collapsed from what was later to be determined as heatstroke, and after being cared for by fellow riders and event officials, was flown to hospital where he remained in ICU in an induced coma, suffering organ failure and a nasty lung infection that required multiple surgeries. On top of everything else, COVID restrictions meant that his family and friends could not visit him while he was in intensive care. After the surgeries, lung collapses, infections and blood loss, Tim was finally moved out of ICU and into a ward after 41 long days, with his wife, Ina, providing updates via social…

While we’re talking about the green machine, Empire Kawasaki returned to racing at Wonthaggi’s 2021 ProMX Championship opener in April, marking the team’s national debut with Jayden Rykers competing in MX1 on-board his KX450 (for more on this exciting new series flick to page 52). Rykers initially signed with Kawasaki for last season, but this marked his first outing with the Empire Kawasaki team following the cancellation of last year’s series. As a result, round one proved a crucial learning experience for the highly-rated Western Australian. Qualifying was held in what could best be described as “damp” conditions, and the torrential rain didn’t make things any easier as the day went on. Jayden recorded the 14th-quickest time overall and his day drastically improved from that moment as he adapted to…

GASGAS Racing Team has jumped into the 2021 Australian Off-Road Championship and all-new ProMX Championship with both feet, spearheading each series with Mason Semmens and Aaron Tanti respectively. At just 19 years of age, Semmens is regarded as one of the sport’s most capable young stars and is now in a position to build upon experience gained during his rookie campaign in 2020. He started off well, too, winning rounds 1 and 2 at the Golden Beach opener of the AORC and taking a lead in the title run. “The weekend was tough, both physically and mentally,” Semmens said, “but I’m really happy with my performance. Having not raced for more than a year, there were nerves entering Golden Beach and I had a crash in the first sprint but…

Yamaha’s WR250F has been dominating the 250cc four-stroke enduro sales race in Australia since its introduction. It’s been crowned prince with a massive following, but that reign at the top is definitely under attack. We’ve been mighty impressed with Honda’s new CRF250X and we believe it has what it takes to give the Yamaha plenty of opposition. But without testing the bikes back to back it was impossible to make a definitive comment on which bike will now rule the 250 four-stroke roost. We’ve been absolutely inundated with requests to face the WR250F off against the newest kid on the block, so with our own interest levels reaching redline we decided to make the highly-anticipated bike fight happen. With the date settled and the location arranged, it was time to…

It’s no secret that coronavirus has taken a bat to the economy. Small to medium businesses in particular have borne much of the financial brunt of the crisis and to the dismay of racers and fans everywhere, the MX Nationals Series was one of the casualties, closing things down soon after the COVID kick-off. Motorcycling Australia, however, couldn’t abide that, especially given they’re largely staffed by ex-racers and crew chiefs, so they acquired the chamiponship and set about getting things ready for when the zombie apocalypse died down a little. After months of hard work and fanatical dedication from their staff, the ProMX Championship was launched back in April. Despite being hampered by weather that would have Thor himself choosing to stay inside and put his feet up by the…

01 1981 SUZUKI RM125 The late ‘70s and early ‘80s were, from an innovation standpoint at least, arguably the greatest time for motocross bikes. It seemed that every year manufacturers brought new and exciting technology to the party, starting with the 1973 Honda CR250 Elsinore. This was the first ready-to-race-out-of-the-box Japanese contender, instantly putting European manufacturers back by a decade or so. In 1981, Suzuki rocked up to the exploding-in-popularity motocross soiree with a keg of beer, a big bag of party drugs and a “let’s dance” attitude in the form of the RM125. This was the pinnacle of cool and it put the moto-world on notice. Liquid-cooled, lighter, faster and just plain better than the competition, the RM125 proceeded to wipe the floor with all-comers, largely thanks to its…

It’s a question that is asked over and over by riders looking to step up from their 125s: “should I go a 250f or a 450f?” and given that modern bikes are very different beasts from even a few years ago, we thought we should do our best to get an answer out of an infinitely variable equation; and probably piss a few people off in the process. There really is not a single answer to this question, and a lot of things have to be taken into consideration if you’re going to buy the right moto. 250fs are often (mistakenly) seen as a bit of a soft version of the 450f models; while, conversely, many a seasoned rider will tell you that their old 450 would rip your arms…

ARC BRAKE AND CLUTCH LEVERS ARC is an American company that specialises in levers for motorbikes. Seems a bit obvious, right? But that’s a hell of an oversimplification. Since 1999 they’ve been designed to fit a rider’s hand positioning on a dirtbike perfectly, and they have also worked out that they could design the lever so that in a crash it would rotate out of the way, preventing the lever from being damaged. Over the last couple of decades ARC have worked hand in hand with factory teams and championship-winning riders to develop a lever for a huge range of motos that will most likely outlast the bike they’re installed on. With a client list that includes the MX god himself, Ricky Carmichael, you know these products are the real…