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As the dirt bike industry is distilled to its most essential components, we increasingly look to small companies for innovation and purity. TM is a small Italian company making motorcycles that matter; motorcycles like the 250MXE two-stroke. This is currently the only electric-start two-stroke motocross bike available in the U.S. Beyond that, it’s a new […]
The Kawasaki KX450 is the first of the 2021 models to arrive and we have already spent a day testing it. The bike might look unchanged, but it has a number of welcome improvements. The most significant is the redesign of the clutch; it now has a single cupped disk spring rather than five coil […]
The Husqvarna FC450 Rockstar Edition is traditionally a preview of the coming year’s model, so even though this bike is called a 2020½ version, it provides a glimpse of the 2021 FC450 that will be released in the spring. The most important changes are all invisible, but are very significant. The WP XACT air fork […]
Yamaha got back into the game in a big way last year. The YZ250F had been eclipsed by faster, lighter electric-start bikes, and despite a solid run of pro motocross success, it had been saddled with the stinging title of “Good Novice Bike.” Then 2019 came and everything changed. The new YZ250 had been recast […]
Back in 2018, Honda released a CRF250R that was almost the complete opposite of the previous model. The new model liked to be revved, with the power all up top. Honda changed its image in the 250 class almost overnight from beginner-friendly puppy to pro-level screamer. For 2020 the engineers went back to the drawing […]
Suzuki has a reputation for finding a platform it likes and keeping it relatively unchanged for several years. The 2020 RM-Z450 model is a perfect case in point. Literally, the only change Suzuki made to the machine was cosmetic color changes to the graphics. But, you have to remember that in 2018 Suzuki made huge […]
Yamaha is deeper into the digital age than anyone, and the 2020 YZ450F has a mixture of new hardware and software to bring it into the new decade. Externally, the bike looks as it has since the really big makeover of 2018. That was when it got a new frame and motor, as well as […]
Kawasaki stunned the world in 2019 by releasing an all-new KX450 that we thought would never come out of Japan.
At one time, the KTM 450SX-F went through a period when it was searching for its identity. Then KTM settled on a formula that was then repeated again and again. It was light, powerful and smooth. It was technologically sophisticated without being gimmicky, and it was built with high-quality components. The 2020 version is all […]
The Husky 250 motocross four-stroke settles in to a life in the high-rev lane
Since the introduction of the latest-generation CRF450R back in 2017, Honda has made small refinements every year in hopes of making the overall package as attractive to the consumer as its mid-2000s CRF450R models. For 2020, Honda engineers have again followed the pattern, making changes to the brakes, ECU mapping and suspension. They have also […]
Ricky Carmichael’s Championship Honda CR250 is undoubtedly one of the most iconic race bikes of the past 15 years. Ricky was able to capture a perfect season, battle against new contenders, and fight adversity within to become better know as the GOAT (greatest of all time). Dirt Bike Magazine sat down with Erik Kehoe (race […]
Husqvarna attracts a slightly different buyer from KTM. It’s more of a prestige brand, and the buyers are older, more affluent and more brand conscious. The people in charge have decided to capitalize on that. The 2020 FC450 isn’t a big redesign, but we already knew that. Husky tips its hand each fall by releasing […]
The 2020 Husqvarna FC250 is out and it’s still among the fastest and lightest bikes in the 250 motocross world. This year, Husqvarna worked on the suspension and created more separation from KTM. The bike also gained a little more throttle response thanks to a vented airbox cover. For Husqvarna’s original press release on the […]
The Husqvarna Rockstar Edition is here, decked out in the colors of the factory race team. As a tribute to Jason Anderson’s 2018 AMA Supercross title, it bears a big number one in addition to team graphics. It’s a tradition for this bike to be a preview of the next year’s production model–this time last […]
The 2019 Husky FC250 motocross bike might be a blood brother to the KTM, but it has its own personality
The 2019 Suzuki RM-Z250 was the last 250 MX bike in the Dirt Bike Magazine test fleet. We already knew what to expect because we did a brief riding impression of the bike in Japan a few months ago. Once the production test bike arrived, it was pushed directly into our 2019 shootout and thus […]
This week at Dirt Bike, we’re finishing our 2019 250 MX shootout. RideBDR also dropped its new adventure route and Supercross will be on a new network.
Yamaha’s new electric start YZ250F changes the game in the 250 class
The 2019 Kawasaki KX450 is completely new and sets new standards for what Japan can do