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If you watched any of the 2020 Lucas Oil Pro motocross series, you probably think that the Yamaha YZ250F is the all-time horsepower king of the 250 class. That’s clearly true of the bikes ridden by Dylan Ferrandis, Justin Cooper and the other Star Racing/Monster Energy team members, but on the production level it’s a […]
The Husqvarna TX300 two-stroke is probably the most versatile dirt bike in the world. It’s had amazing success as a motocrosser, a desert bike, an EnduroCross bike and a hare-scrambles bike. Last month we got to ride one that was specifically tailored for the forests of Oregon. Dallas Nyblod came down from the great Northwest […]
This week we got to ride the new Kawasaki KX250X and KX450X for the first time. It’s about time that Kawasaki offered off-road race bikes again. Zach Bell, Josh Strang, Jordan Ashburn and Robby Bell have all been racing converted KX motocross bikes, and Team Green has been offering off-road contingency payout for years, broadcasting […]
The 2021 450 MX shootout is underway–sort of. We have already tested the Honda CR450R, the Husqvarna FC450, the Kawasaki KX450, the KTM 450SX-F and the Yamaha YZ450F. Unfortunately, we will have to wait for a full house. The Suzuki RM-Z450 and the GasGasMC450 have yet to arrive. It will be the biggest shootout that […]
We’ve been living with the 2021 Kawasaki KX250 for almost a week now and love it more each day. Kawasaki took its time updating the 250 four-stroke, starting with a new head and valve train in 2020. Now the job is complete; the rest of the bike is all new. The chassis is more or […]
This week’s announcement that GasGas motorcycles will be offered in the U.S. came as no big shock. The prices, however, were a surprise. Pierer Mobility, the parent company of KTM and Husqvarna, acquired controlling interest in GasGas at the end of 2019. GasGas trials bikes were the main prize, and would continue without much change. […]
We finally got a chance to ride the 2021 Honda CRF450R this week, and what a ride it was. We’ve been a little obsessed with this bike since it was announced. Not only is it the most interesting new bike of the season, it’s the most exciting Honda of any kind in years. The twice […]
The TM 250EN 4T Fi is in the garage now, awaiting a race-test this weekend. This is one exotic motorcycle. Any TM is already exotic. This is a small Italian company that specializes in race bikes, with a number of world championships to its credit and even a few GP motocross wins. Even by TM […]
Our 2021 KTM 450XC-F test bike arrived in the nick of time for the rescheduled NGPC series next week in Idaho. This is the perfect bike for that series, which was formerly known as the District 37 Big 6 GP series. The KTM 450XC-F has a long history of success there with riders like Gary […]
The story of the 1969 Husqvarna 500 Twin Baja Invader is fascinating to anyone with an interest in racing history. There was only one ever built and it won races on both sides of the world with iconic riders like J.N. Roberts and Gunnar Nilsson. Today, the bike still exists in the Tom White Early […]
We’ve been serving our quarantine on adventure bikes for the last month or so. It gave us a chance to ride the new Yamaha Tenere 700 back to back with the 790 Adventure R. Up front, we’ll tell you that these have become our two favorite ADV bikes, but they are much more different than […]
This week the 2021 KTM 450SX-F was dropped on us and we spent a couple of days getting to know it at Glen Helen Raceway. This isn’t a year of big changes for the KTM. There are two things worth knowing about the new 450SX: the front suspension has major changes and now KTM has […]
RIDING THE 2020 HUSQVARNA FE350S DUAL-SPORT The Husqvarna FE350S remains one of our favorite dual-sport bikes of the year. This year, it has an “S” suffix because there is another FE350 in the line; a dirt-only version of the same bike. Both variations have the newer frame design and bodywork that were introduced on the […]
The 2021 Husqvarna FC450 is here and even though this can’t be considered a year of major change, there’s still a lot to talk about. On the top of the list, Husqvarna is continuing to follow a different evolutionary path from KTM. We began to see some hints of that last year; the Husky’s power […]
Kawasaki was the first manufacturer to release a 2021 model to the press. The new Kawasaki KX450 is in our greedy hands and we couldn’t be happier. Mark Tilley, in particular, is the bike’s biggest fan. He used the 2020 model to dominate the Vet Expert and Senior Expert classes in the NGPC events and […]
TM continues to be a tiny Italian thorn in the paw of the giant KTM / Husqvarna / GasGas conglomerate. This week we got to ride the EN 250Fi 2T, which is digi-speak for the fuel-injected 250 two-stroke off-road model. TM is using transfer port injection similar to the KTM / Husqvarna system. TM also […]
We’ve had the opportunity to spend some time on adventure bikes this summer, and loved every minute of it. The highlight was the return of the KTM 790 Adventure to the garage, which has reconfirmed its status as the pick of the litter. Paul Krause has joined us on several rides in the Southern California […]
This week’s announcement of the 2021 KTM and Husqvarnas held a surprise for those of us who thought we knew everything. The 2021 KTM SX-F and XC-F models will have smartphone connectivity that should make mapping changes much easier at the track. The Husky models that will have this system are the FC and FX […]
Just before the Covid-19 lockdown, the third round round of the National Hare and Hound series took place, which would be one of the last races held for some time. The Mint 400 had been a car-only race for years, but for 2020, they opened it up to motorcycles once more and included it in […]
Sherco is about a year into its new deal in the U.S. and what a year it’s been. We got to ride the entire line in Italy at a world press introduction at the end of 2019, and then we had another opportunity to ride the 250 two-stroke in Kentucky. This month we finally got […]