VIDEO: Behind The Scenes of the 2016 450 Motocross Shootout

Dirt Rider's 450 Motocross Shootout is one of our most highly anticipated comparison tests each year, but it's also a lot of work. In this video, the DR staff and testing crew bring you a behind-the-scenes look at a day of testing in this vast comparison.

For 2016, the groundwork for this shootout was laid months before the actual comparison began, when we first began receiving 2016 test units from each manufacturer. Rather than putting different amounts of time on each machine (which would have made for a less-than-fair comparison), we went with our usual cap of 10 hours of break-in on each bike. This initial testing period allowed us to get to know each motorcycle and find our favorite suspension settings (some engine mapping was revised and we did allow for coupler swaps on the Suzuki). As each bike reached the 10-hour mark, it was then impounded until a designated prep day where the manufacturers’ techs were able to complete a basic prep (oil, air filter, clutch, etc.) on their respective bikes. During the prep day, Dunlop’s Jay Clark helped us spoon on fresh MX32 tires. From there, we completed a designated photo/video shoot day with all of the machines at the newly reopened Sunrise motocross track in Adelanto. With the photos and footage in the bag, testing took place at a number of southern California motocross tracks with a wide variety of our best test riders. The video you see here is just one snippet of the grand scheme of the overall comparison, but it will definitely give you a feel for what goes into this test.