Supercross 2009 - Factory Race Bikes - Dirt Rider Magazine

Ryan Dungey

Mike Gosselaar always builds a clean-looking machine. That may not have been easy this year, since he spent a fair amount of his time working with Chad Reed in Australia. The bike looks like the basics have not changed since 2008

Suzuki\'s bikes have a striking graphic appeal, and they look powerful and effective on the track. Chad Reed may not be a tall rider, except compared to RC; so he has the bike set up higher with firm suspension. Suzuki claimed it rarely tests engine combos but spends testing time on chassis and suspension setup.

This little carbon-fiber guard helps the front end to rub in ruts without catching. It is a great idea, but the execution is beyond great. The piece merges with the parts around it like it was born there, and that is not an easy task with carbon fiber. The works Showa fork doesn\'t use the wide axle clamp that Honda uses.

Suzuki tends to go with what works. We\'ve seen this shock before, though we know the company has been doing a lot of suspension setup and testing with Reed. Nothing fancy here, if you discount the fact that the parts are works and machined from billet, but it gets the job done in fine fashion.

Both Honda and Suzuki use this works Nissin billet caliper. Viewed closely it is an amazing piece with many curves and dips painstakingly machined in. Note that the caliper mount doesn\'t just bolt to the fork, it butts a flat machined spot to the back of the lower fork bracket to keep the caliper from flexing.

Suzuki is the only manufacturer to run a triple clamp with such a radical radius to the edges to enhance fork feel. Honda prefers a slight radius, but some brands use a hard edge. Each company tests, because in the end it is all about the entire combination. What works with the RM-Z chassis may not fit with another brand.

The factory Yamaha, JGR and San Manual machines are similar in specification. James Stewart doesn\'t run the cut airbox of the factory team, but he does run the Akrapovic exhaust-a big change for him after many years affiliated with Pro Circuit. Stewart is following the current trend of just a bump in the seat rather than a step.

The Yamaha and San Manual riders can choose works Nissin brakes or Brembo. Josh Hill is the only rider who chose this radial-mount six-piston Brembo complete system. The other riders feel it\'s too powerful, though some chose the Brembo master cylinder for a bit more stopping power.

It has been a long time since we saw an airbox on a factory bike cut this radically. This is part of the effort Yamaha made to match the power it had in 2008 with the 2009 sound limits. The box is only cut on the left side, since intake noise from a hole in the right side would make the bike fail the sound test!

Yamaha\'s race team and its accessory division GYTR worked together to design a race head that is prepared with a CNC machine. Every head comes out the same, and reportedly the team does no porting at all. Best of all, you can buy the same head from GYTR for your YZ450F or 450 quad.

It looked like all of the Yamaha riders ran clutch arms with varying amounts of extension. You can see that Josh Grant\'s has been cut and welded. The team had a problem with inconsistent free-play in the lever. It wasn\'t sure of the cause, but the play went away when this spring was added. Stewart ran a larger spring.

JGR was the first to have this sheet-metal wrap on the footpeg bracket. Those pegs are available to the public from Lightspeed and GYTR. The arch of the brake pedal over the footpeg is sharpened like a knife, so when the area gets packed with mud, the pedal cuts through the mud rather than packing it into place.

The JGR team had a rock jam in this area of the master cylinder in 2008, and the rider thought the engine was seizing up. This spring keeps out rocks, and the riders like the added feel the spring provides. JGR was the only team we saw running this device that it fabricated in its in-house race shop.

Honda dealt with a new bike for 2009. Insiders admitted engine performance is not where it was in \'08...yet. Honda made a point of saying the production bike worked best with KYB at the new model introduction, but the Honda race team never tested works KYB on its supercross bikes. Its Showa units worked fine.

Short\'s mechanic Jason Haines came up with the idea for these stands with a top angled to allow the \'09 CRF450R to sit with both wheels off the ground, to make it easier to work on. At a supercross race that generally means \"easier to clean.\" The bikes don\'t usually need much work, but they must look perfect.

Andrew Short wanted a different clutch lever, so the race team dug up everything it had. He liked this old-style straight lever best, so the team had it made to fit the modern perch. The surface is glossy smooth like waxed glass. A notch in the back allows the end to snap off rather than bend the lever in a fall.

Trey Canard

Ryan Dungey

Mike Gosselaar always builds a clean-looking machine. That may not have been easy this year, since he spent a fair amount of his time working with Chad Reed in Australia. The bike looks like the basics have not changed since 2008

Suzuki\'s bikes have a striking graphic appeal, and they look powerful and effective on the track. Chad Reed may not be a tall rider, except compared to RC; so he has the bike set up higher with firm suspension. Suzuki claimed it rarely tests engine combos but spends testing time on chassis and suspension setup.

This little carbon-fiber guard helps the front end to rub in ruts without catching. It is a great idea, but the execution is beyond great. The piece merges with the parts around it like it was born there, and that is not an easy task with carbon fiber. The works Showa fork doesn\'t use the wide axle clamp that Honda uses.

Suzuki tends to go with what works. We\'ve seen this shock before, though we know the company has been doing a lot of suspension setup and testing with Reed. Nothing fancy here, if you discount the fact that the parts are works and machined from billet, but it gets the job done in fine fashion.

Both Honda and Suzuki use this works Nissin billet caliper. Viewed closely it is an amazing piece with many curves and dips painstakingly machined in. Note that the caliper mount doesn\'t just bolt to the fork, it butts a flat machined spot to the back of the lower fork bracket to keep the caliper from flexing.

Honda uses exceptionally light magnesium for the right-side engine case and cam-chain tensioner of the \'09 450. Mag will shatter like glass under the right impact, so the outer case is aluminum. Honda\'s works pegs have the wickedest-looking teeth. Yoshimura put an identification plate on the Honda header pipes.

A wide axle clamp like this one on Kevin Windham\'s Geico bike allows a much more rigid feel and accurate steering. Most other teams have returned to a narrower axle clamp now that frame rigidity and axle size have topped out for the moment.

Only the factory Honda teams got the wicked factory pegs, but these look plenty tough in titanium. JGR Yamaha was first with this type of sheet metal peg-mount wrap, but the wraps have spread through the pits now. They keep mud from jamming the peg up.

KTM\'s 450 team is now the Jagermeister/MDK/KTM team with riders Travis Preston and Josh Summey.

In yet another attempt to make a bike bulletproof, KTM has FMF header pipes that are double-skinned to make them tougher. Titanium is delicate when hot, so the added strength is a good plan. Note that the header has a joint with springs to add some flex to the system.

The top KTM bikes used this little arrangement on the shock. None of the staff wanted to comment. It is likely a very small, spring setup that works as a secondary spring, mostly for small impacts or chop. It looks like the collar moves and the small springs support it and are tunable, as some of the spots are empty.

KTM uses a giant front axle with special Talon hubs with a carbon-fiber center section. The works Brembo brakes are actually for sale from KTM dealers. We\'ve ridden with them, and they\'re awesome. KTM sells a WP fork, but not this one.

Jake Weimer

Like Honda, Kawasaki started with a brand-new fuel-injected bike for 2009. Kawasaki is pretty liberal with aftermarket products and doesn\'t really make an effort to keep the bike looking production. With the brilliant green it is hard to hide a Kawasaki, right? Kawasaki stayed with KYB as the suspension supplier.

Both the factory Kawasaki team and Pro Circuit run these magnesium works Nissin brakes for dry supercross races only. PC uses bolts with dished heads and drilled, integrated washers. The light brake line bolt can\'t take heavy torque, so it\'s safety-wired to make sure it doesn\'t loosen. The line is wired also.

A few details to guarantee a finish: RV\'s radiator has a 1.8 cap (1.3 is stock), welded seams (they don\'t split as easily if the radiator is crushed) and safety wire to make sure the cap can\'t come loose. Even the basically nonessential overflow hose is safety-wired-no steam in the rider\'s face.

Ryan Dungey

Mike Gosselaar always builds a clean-looking machine. That may not have been easy this year, since he spent a fair amount of his time working with Chad Reed in Australia. The bike looks like the basics have not changed since 2008

Suzuki\'s bikes have a striking graphic appeal, and they look powerful and effective on the track. Chad Reed may not be a tall rider, except compared to RC; so he has the bike set up higher with firm suspension. Suzuki claimed it rarely tests engine combos but spends testing time on chassis and suspension setup.

This little carbon-fiber guard helps the front end to rub in ruts without catching. It is a great idea, but the execution is beyond great. The piece merges with the parts around it like it was born there, and that is not an easy task with carbon fiber. The works Showa fork doesn\'t use the wide axle clamp that Honda uses.

Suzuki tends to go with what works. We\'ve seen this shock before, though we know the company has been doing a lot of suspension setup and testing with Reed. Nothing fancy here, if you discount the fact that the parts are works and machined from billet, but it gets the job done in fine fashion.

Both Honda and Suzuki use this works Nissin billet caliper. Viewed closely it is an amazing piece with many curves and dips painstakingly machined in. Note that the caliper mount doesn\'t just bolt to the fork, it butts a flat machined spot to the back of the lower fork bracket to keep the caliper from flexing.

All of the factory and major privateer teams keep a selection of wheels on hand with different tires mounted. That way there is little scrambling if track or weather conditions change rapidly. The trick disc covers are neat, but there aren\'t many regular weekend riders who have enough extra wheels to need them.

Kawasaki goes for clean simplicity in the rear axle area. None of the teams wanted to discuss the material of the axles, but we know teams use chrome-moly, titanium or aluminum. Most of the other fasteners are titanium. The hub is machined from billet, and it looks like aluminum.

Pro Circuit uses the same hubs as the factory Kawasakis, but anodized a slightly different color. The axle area is not as compact but looks very trick. The head of the axle sits flush inside the adjuster block. Since it sells its own parts and other brands, PC makes more of an effort to showcase the parts as well as the bike.

Pro Circuit had this short, fat shock reservoir in \'08, but that shock only fit the 250F. PC suspension guru Jim \"Bones\" Bacon cut off the reservoir and rewelded it before Mitch Payton ground it smooth. That was the mold for this new \'09 KX250/450F shock. The little cover prevents a boot changing the high-speed compression.

Ryan Dungey

Mike Gosselaar always builds a clean-looking machine. That may not have been easy this year, since he spent a fair amount of his time working with Chad Reed in Australia. The bike looks like the basics have not changed since 2008

Suzuki\'s bikes have a striking graphic appeal, and they look powerful and effective on the track. Chad Reed may not be a tall rider, except compared to RC; so he has the bike set up higher with firm suspension. Suzuki claimed it rarely tests engine combos but spends testing time on chassis and suspension setup.

This little carbon-fiber guard helps the front end to rub in ruts without catching. It is a great idea, but the execution is beyond great. The piece merges with the parts around it like it was born there, and that is not an easy task with carbon fiber. The works Showa fork doesn\'t use the wide axle clamp that Honda uses.

Suzuki tends to go with what works. We\'ve seen this shock before, though we know the company has been doing a lot of suspension setup and testing with Reed. Nothing fancy here, if you discount the fact that the parts are works and machined from billet, but it gets the job done in fine fashion.

Both Honda and Suzuki use this works Nissin billet caliper. Viewed closely it is an amazing piece with many curves and dips painstakingly machined in. Note that the caliper mount doesn\'t just bolt to the fork, it butts a flat machined spot to the back of the lower fork bracket to keep the caliper from flexing.