This multi-component shoulder cup for a BMW riding jacket is a single piece of metal, plastic and leather. Sounds impossible, but it’s real. The poor guys in Kawasaki’s testing department. Since the introduction of the FI KX450F in 2009 the machine has won in WORCS, GNCC, OMA, National H&H, Supercross and National Motocross, but the [...]
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My mechanic swears that it is better to change the oil on a dirt bike when the bike is cold. He claims all of the particles and contaminants are closer to the drain for a quick exit by allowing time to settle at the bottom vs. churning them up when warming the bike up. However, [...]
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2010 BMW G450X Specifications: Tested: September 2010 issue Price: $8,945 Seat height: 37.5 in. Weight (tank full): 274 lb What’s Hot! Solid feel to the chassis and an overall feeling of stability the others can’t match. Slimmest ergonomics where your knees grip the bike, and the most comfortable standing position for tall and stand-up riders. [...]
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A one-word description of the power would be smooth. It is energetic but always builds easily with modern short-stroke energy. Off the bottom the engine has a little chug to it and plenty of torque, but never the grunty, old-school thump associated with classic strokers. Get it in the midrange and the power builds strongly [...]
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Races MX and SX were stronger than ever with a more global vibe, though the World SX championship still lacks luster. The U.S.-invented GNCC series has remained the off-road star of the world and attracted the world’s best. The WORCS series provided a somewhat equivalent option for those wishing to race Western off-road. Pitbike racing [...]
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This is when a KTM 450 SX-F rider has a smile on his face: Powering out of a turn with a roostertail blowing off of the rear tire. Followers beware. 2011 KTM 450 SX-F New Features: The accepted norm is to build on success, and not to toss it out and start over, but KTM [...]
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How do you make it run? Install the off-road kit that comes with the bike. Freeing the TE’s herd of ponies requires a new air filter cage, removing a throttle stop, inserting a plug into the oxygen sensor bung and plugging a jumper clip into the wiring harness where the O2 sensor plugs in. You [...]
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New bodywork and nitride-coated inner fork tubes are the first details of the 2009 Kawasaki KX250F to pique a gearhead’s curiosity, but the beauty is deeper than the green and black skin. For any beauty, a long-legged skeleton is a must, and Kawasaki reshaped and sculpted every alloy bone. Every manufacturer is chasing that elusive [...]
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Life for manufacturers used to be easier when it came to selling motocross four-strokes. At one time both Yamaha and Honda dominated the market. But now every color has a 450F and they’re all great. It was rumored that Kawasaki postponed the release of its 450 for one year after it could have produced it. [...]
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Replacing a legend is always a risk. For the past seven years, the KTM 520 and 525 have been the ruling class of off-road four-strokes. The joy of a magnum four-stroke is big torque, and first the 520s and then the 525s had plenty of the four-stroke goodness that thumper-lovers crave-arm-wrenching torque and big-time boost [...]
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The big-bore 290F is trying to save the weight and serve the power. It works. Big-Bore 250FWe selected a big-bore to represent itself and the ultramodified 250F for a variety of reasons. For one, the performance increase a big bore brings is a great dollar value, and the power is added in the very parts [...]
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Four-fifths of the popular brands of 450cc motocrossers are virtual clones. Sure, they look and feel somewhat different, but each is based on an aluminum frame with linkage rear suspension holding similar kickstart engines. Close inspection will uncover small differences like the YZ semi-perimeter frame, the Honda Unicam valve train and the coming EFI RM-Z, [...]
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Companies Used Company Part Price Website Total cost of fix-up (parts and labor hours) 40 hours labor Vertex Hi-compression piston kit $196.66 www.vertex.com Cometic gasket kit $54.99 www.cometic.com Steahly 7-oz flywheel $109.99 www.steahlyoffroad.com Acerbis Replica plastic kit $121.99 www.acerbis.com Acerbis Rally Pro handguards $83.99 www.acerbis.com Clarke Mfg. 3.1-gallon fuel tank $199.99 www.clarkemfg.com All Balls Linkage [...]
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Performance through civility: Every change the Kawasaki made to the engine and chassis were aimed and making the bike easier to like, and better focused for a wider range of riders. Old sayings like “No new is good news” stay in use because they often contain lasting truths, but it is rarely true when applied [...]
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Kawasaki KX100 The basic design of the KX100 is sound because it has survived and even thrived for many years with few changes. On the positive side the KX is a proven design with Kawasaki’s solid perimeter-style frame, an energetic yet friendly powervalve-equipped engine and lineage that benefits from the abundance of KX85 performance and [...]
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Wonderful can come in small packages
In this video, Carson & his dad
HILLSDALE, Mich., (Aug. 14, 2012) – Let
HILLSDALE, Mich., (Aug. 9, 2012) – The
