2000
Honda finally releases the all-new liquid-cooled four-stroke that spies have glimpsed testing around SoCal. Motocrossers and woods/tight-trail guys moan a collective, "What the...!!" when they see the 300-pound XR650R. The 200 guys who trail ride in Baja are totally pumped. Suzuki's rumored four-stroke appears as well, and the DR-Z400 has a wider appeal than the XR650R but had virtually no impact on MX and showcased no new technology. As a result, KTM is the first company to return Yamaha's YZ400F volley. KTM has 400 and 520 models in motocross, cross country and enduro trim. Shane Watts attempted to win a GNCC on each size EXC that KTM made, and he came close, winning on a variety of bikes on his way to the title. Yamaha, knowing that other companies must be taking aim at the YZ400, boost the bike (YZ and WR) to 426 for 2000. Honda does come out with a second-generation aluminum chassis for the CR125 and 250R, and it's clear that the new design is much better. Yamaha had shown prototypes of aluminum-framed bikes for years, but soon every brand would be on target for aluminum frames for nearly all motocross bikes. As every pit expert had predicted, Carmichael struggled adapting to supercross on a 250, but he went directly from three straight 125cc national championships to winning his first 250cc outdoor title on the first try in 2000. Travis Pastrana wins the 125cc crown, but freestyle contests and free-ride videos make his appeal off the scale with young riders. Partway through the year, Bryan Nylander joins DR.
2001
Before any Japanese brand can even react to Yamaha's YZ400/426F, Yamaha drops another bomb in the form of the YZ250F. Even though 400 to 520cc four-strokes had proved faster than 250cc two-strokes, we didn't really think a 250cc four-stroke could do the same. The 250F wasn't any faster and it made a lot less peak power than fully modified 125s, but it pulled over an rpm range that felt three times longer. The YZ250F immediately revitalized the careers of riders like Kyle Lewis and Larry Ward. Ernesto Fonseca wins the 125cc West title on the bike. This was the pinnacle year for Honda CR250R two-stroke development. Future models won titles with RC at the helm, but that was the rider. Yamaha's 250F, a powerful KTM team with World champ Grant Langston and the Pro Circuit squad keep Travis Pastrana from repeating as 125cc National champion. No matter. The young rider wins the 125 East SX title, and his brash moto style combined with a freestyle persona is more popular with fans than any rider in the U.S. That includes new SX champ Carmichael. RC finally discovered the jump skill to match McGrath and corner speed that topped him. He easily repeated outdoors as well. After being fired from Honda in the U.S., Mickael Pichon returns to Europe to win the first of two World titles in 2001. After a dry spell from 1997-a period that included injuries and a disastrous contract with Husqvarna-Stefan Everts earned the 500cc World MX title for Yamaha. That pretty much ended the speculation that Yamaha signed a burned-out has-been. The U.S. team withdraws from the Motocross des Nations after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Big news for DR is the now-annual 24-Hour test moved from Petersen Ranch to Glen Helen Raceway. For us, what started as a one-bike endurance test had grown to a multibike comparison. It simply grew too big for a private ranch. In May of 2001, longtime Dirt Rider shop foreman Daniel Bush moved on to Honda. Jason Webb, Tom Webb's nephew and a DR test rider and photo model since he was 4 or 5 years old, took over.