Following a successful outing in our 2009 Torture Test, the KTM 250 XC unofficially joined our test fleet and became roped into some extra Long Haul duties around the shop. When the bike wasn’t being raced around enduro courses by
There are some bikes that we just ride all year long, pretty much box-stock. In 2009, that bike was the Yamaha YZ250F. It survived our shootout and then was Publisher Sean Finley’s desert and track bike for the rest of
The KTM 450 SX-F is in a class by itself. As the only electric-start motocross-specific machine, it clearly holds some interesting conveniences and advantages over the rest of the bikes in the crowded, often cookie-cutter world of moto. Looking back
Factory KTMTaddy Blazusiak #111 KTM 250 XC Taddy Blazusiak is the man to beat. Even though Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ricky Dietrich holds the #1 plate, Taddy has a generous point cushion and, as of press time, a three-round undefeated streak
Just 12 years ago Yamaha dropped a bomb on the motocross world: Not only would the company release a four-stroke motocrosser to the public, it would laugh at what was considered to be four-stroke doctrine at the time. For those
Every year new motocross bikes hit magazine pages and showroom floors across America. Shortly after they’re released to the masses (and often before they’re available), companies like MX race team powerhouse Pro Circuit get to work developing products to elevate
OK, this is one of those products that is not a must-have. Seriously, the stock preload adjuster rings usually work fine, even if they are time-consuming and a bit of a pain at times. This is one of those products
It doesn’t get bigger than this: 280mm of brute stopping force in a complete brake kit guaranteed to bolt on to any 2002-’09 CRF250 or 450 R or X. My long-haul ’09 CRF250R had a mush-tastic front brake. I was
I’m a member of the wraparound hand guard school. Even though we don’t hit that many trees out West, we do smack brush and branches, and I like the security of knowing that the throttle parts, handlebar and levers are
Before the Bolt-It-On tiedown system arrived, when we jammed a lot of bikes into the Dirt Rider Gearbox trailer, it looked like some strange giant spider with a nylon-strap web had attacked the bikes. It wasn’t pretty or quick, but
A clear field of vision is about as essential in motocross as a parachute is in skydiving. Because of this, the major goggle companies are continually looking for better ways to make sure that riders get the best possible performance
New graphics are like new shoes: You just feel faster with them on. But if Nike relied on me to make sure its Swoosh was correctly aligned and bubble-free with perfect stitching, the shoe giant would have better luck selling
When Shock Doctor sent out its Power Dry High-Output Blower for me to test, I didn’t think it was something I needed. Even while I was using it, I didn’t fully appreciate what it was doing. Only when I needed
I generally don’t expect to compare a fixed-up older bike to the newest batch of MX stallions. I have always believed the factories wouldn’t change a model unless it was for the better, so I never really gave it a
Passion is hard to suppress. And it has a price. It can consume you and drive you crazy. Or you can be crazy and do something with that energy. I won’t comment further on the passion that fuels the guys
