Since the reintroduction of the case-reed motor, the Honda CR250R has gone from a class favorite with “the Motor” to a powerhouse with fewer fans. On the dyno and at full throttle, the motor sings. On the track its quirky throttle response, finicky jetting and various noises from power-valve rattle to detonation really put a [...]
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My first goal was to shed some pounds, and the easy way to start was with the muffler. I installed an Akrapovic (pronounced A-crop-a-vich) slip-on with a quiet tip inserted. It reads 94 decibels and gives more snap off the bottom, but it does not make the bike faster. Weight loss was 3.3 pounds high [...]
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How close was Yamaha to winning our shootout last year (March ’05)? As close as it could get without being picked as the winner. What lost it for the blue bike? A few small category defeats that ever so slightly held it from the top spot. So if you were Yamaha, how could you fix [...]
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The traditional colors of Christmas have been red and green. From a dirt-biking family’s perspective, green is what flies out of the wallet and red is the color of the little bike that sits under the tree, right? Imagine the option of throwing blue into the picture. Yamaha would sure like you to, and it [...]
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Life came to a crashing halt the other day. Not for me, but for everyone trying to call me because I smashed my cell phone. I was riding trials bikes with Big Air Tod when I was rejected on a section, thrown to the ground, rolled over a rock and across some cacti. To top [...]
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It was a pretty well kept secret, but heavily rumored. And it is here and will be on your dealer’s showroom quicker than you can imagine with prices of $4199 for the CRF150R and $4299 for the CRF150R-Expert. There are concerns that this bike will turn the minibike world on its ear. Not yet legal [...]
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I’ve been continually flogging our KX450F, and the bike has been taking it well. I’m pretty stoked on my setup, which was explained in “Fixing the MXers” (May ’06), and I haven’t found the need to change much, though the pipe shootout has me thinking about trying some of the other pipes, especially the Big [...]
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The December issue of Dirt Rider includes a 96-Decibel pipe comparison story and the Hindle is tagged as Non-compliant.Non-compliant. That means that a pipe failed our sound test. On a fair share of public lands in the US, it is illegal to ride with a loud muffler. Just look at the fine print at your [...]
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After our raving test of the ‘Berg 650 (April ’06), we were literally shaking in our boots when Husaberg representatives asked us if we wanted to throw the bike into our Long Haul fleet. We were shaking because we were sitting on the bike and it was idling. Yes, Husabergs are quirky and exclusive, and [...]
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It was a sad day, sort of like taking your old dog to the veterinarian to be put down. I knew I was handing over a good friend and would be driving away with an empty truck and a lot of memories.If I’d known it was going to look so good inside, I wouldn’t have [...]
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The next few years are crunch time. The Forest Service’s OHV route designation rule was released last year, and things are beginning to fall into place to make this work in our favor as much as possible. It affects yours and future generations’ right to ride, specifically how much riding opportunity there will be.Yes, it [...]
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You may find yourself starring in this very same picture. You’re at a dealer with two options. Pay full price on the hot new four-stroke, or have room to bargain on an outdated and largely unchanged 250cc two-stroke, potentially more than a $1000 difference when the wallet finally shuts.Try calling the KX250 outdated on the [...]
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If all it takes is a new handlebar, some slight internal suspension adjustments and revised jetting inside the carburetor to keep a bike on top of the heap, that bike had better be really good. Oh yeah, and changing the head size on a few bolts as well. The YZ250 had the class covered last [...]
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By definition, a pioneer breaks new ground and leads the way. KTM fits that description, not by playing with crazy innovation that borders on the weird science stuff, but by modernizing and refining its engineering concepts; the company has never been scared of tapping into a fringe market or breaking rules in the process. This [...]
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HILLSDALE, Mich., (Jan. 17, 2011) – Call
Dear Dirt Rider, I just finished the
Morgantown, W.Va. (January 10, 2010) – Swedish
HILLSDALE, Mich., (Dec. 21, 2010) – While
