Welcome to the Weekly Dirt, the place to go each week to catch up on all that’s happenin’ in the world of off-road. This week we’ve got a special treat of off-road nuggets, so let’s get to it!
Photo courtesy Beta
One thing that the OEMs are doing now to target specific buyers is to bring out a “Limited Edition” edition of a standard model; one that offers more in the line of high-end accessories for less money than it would cost you to buy those items at retail. It’s a good strategy, and one that works for all involved. American Beta just announced its new Limited Editions “factory” bikes, which are hand built in the Tuscany hills of Florence Italy and are “inspired by the Beta factory off road team.” Offered in 350, 400, 450, and the big brother 498cc for 2012, these special models include more than $3500.00 in accessory items from the Factory Beta catalog as standard equipment for a fraction of the cost. Each model will be offered for $9950 MSRP.Features on the factory edition include all-new 48mm Marzocchi closed-cartridge forks with hard-coated tubes, billet aluminum triple clamps with two-position adjustable offset, factory Sachs rear shock, a complete titanium Arrow exhaust system (saves over 1.8 lbs.), a lighter frame (saves over 2 lbs.), extra-wide billet aluminum footpegs, Progressive Handlebar Damping System, Supersprox dual-material rear sprocket, dual-map ignition with switch, Braking oversize front and rear brake rotors, quick-pull front axle, modified clutch, and are finished off with special race-team graphics, seat cover and special black swing arm.First shipments are expected to arrive the first week in April.
For more information, visit www.americanbeta.com.
Photo Shan Moore
Paul Whibley kicked off his OMA title defense in a positive way this past weekend, taking a come-from-behind win over defending national enduro champ Russell Bobbitt by a 33-second margin at the finish. The Am Pro Yamaha rider tells us his big goal this year is to regain the GNCC title he won in 2009, and he’s going to ride this weekend’s national enduro in Salley, South Carolina as a warmup for the GNCC opener in Florida. The South Carolina will be a sandy affair, which will give Whibs a bit of saddle time in the sand before moving on to Florida. This will be Whibley’s first ride in a national enduro, so we will check back in with the Kiwi off-road star next weel to see how things went.
Photo Shan Moore
Justin Barcia has been tearin’ it up in the East Lites division of the Supercross series, having won both rounds of the series so far. Barcia is a controversial, as well as highly entertaining, rider to watch. Be sure to check out a Motocross.com interview we have with Bam Bam, click here to read the Justin Barcia Interview.
Photo Shan Moore
I attended the Atlanta Supercross this past weekend and I was struck by how much Ryan Dungey and KTM turned things around from the San Diego race two weeks ago. If you remember, the San Diego race featured a set of gnarly whoops, which separated the players from the pretenders. Dungey struggled in the whoops on his KTM, but in Atlanta, the team had the bike working as well as any other machine on the track. I spoke to Roger DeCoster in Atlanta about the San Diego race and what was going on with their setup, and this is what he told me: “It was obvious we had some settings issues in San Diego,” DeCoster said. “We screwed up and had the ‘bucking bronco’ setting by mistake (laughs). We were way off at that round but last week in Dallas we were much better and it was good here at Atlanta. The power is good on the new bike so it’s mostly down to suspension settings for us, and it’s hard because this is the first year with this bike and with only one rider you only get so much input. Ryan wanted to change something before San Diego and we changed it and on the test track it looked good but obviously in the race it didn’t work. It’s hard to make big changes on race day because you have so little time. We just screwed up at that race and we were off our settings.”-Shan Moore
Happy Leap Year! To celebrate, we’re giving you the February 2012 issue of Dirt Rider Magazine for FREE on all your apple devices. How to download: Just head on over to the newsstand on your iphone, ipad or whatever gadget you may have, click on store and then search for “DIRT RIDER”. Once you have found us, hit install then go back to your newsstand and you will see Dirt Rider on your shelf. Enter Dirt Rider to download the February 2012 issue for FREE! -Lindsey LovellWant to learn a few things about the future of two-strokes? Here are a couple of videos to make you smarter than even magazine editors:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gVeqix2Yc4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu3NEPSBfUs-Jimmy LewisThe Traxxas Slash 4X4 is one of our latest toys here at Dirt Rider and we are beginning the long and rigorous method of testing that we enforce on items that come in and out of our doors. Step one of course is breaking it in and getting everything dialed, so we mounted a GoPro Hero2 on the roof and took to the bicycle jumps. Mixed with some awesome actions shots, this video is a glimpse from the very beginning of the Traxxas Slash’s testing schedule.
Note: When installing your GoPro make sure you allow the sticky to set for more than a couple of minutes or she may fling off. -Chris GreenThat’s all for this week. Be sure to check back in this time next week for more off-road news.
