March 2018 Issue of Two Wheel Mania Magazine

CONTENT This & That 2 6 10 12

50

2018 Honda Gold Wing 2018 Kawasaki KLX 250 2018 Suzuki Boulevard CT90 2018 KTM 350 EXC-F

Head to Head

4 50cc Scooters 35 Sub 150cc Trail Bikes 72 Motorcycle Locks

Gear Up 5

Mini Motocrosser

Product Spotlight 8

Enduro Engineering Task Racing Helmet Light Kit 63 Shoei NEOTEC II Modular Helmet

Get Lit: Low Light Motorcycle Gear

32

Buyer’s Guide

14 Top Five Motorcycles Under $6,000 32 The Right Tires for the Job 50 Low Light Motorcycle Riding Gear Buyers Guide

Feature

20 10 Ways to Fall Back in Love With Your Dirt Bike 36 Chap Moto’s Replica RMZ 42 25” ATV Tire Shootout 52 Ultimate Motorcycle Bucket List...Part II

Tech Tips/How To

The Right Tires for the Job: Different Types of Motorcycle Tires

26

26 How To Go UTV Racing 58 Install Ann-Lynn Doors on a Can-Am Maverick X3 Max

Personal Profile

64 Get to Know a Chap Moto Employee: Kyle Bradshaw

Happenings

68 2017 Chaparral Motorsports Monster Parking Lot Sale

TWM Picks

70 Cold Weather Riding Gear

How To Go UTV Racing

This & That

IF YOU RIDE THIS:

2018 HONDA GOLD WING TOUR AIRBAG AUTOMATIC DCT Smart Display

Key

The centerpiece of the cockpit is the 7-inch, full-color, TFT LCD which provides infotainment (Apple CarPlay) navigation, and manages displays HSTC and suspension adjustments as well as tire pressure.

Smart key activates the motorcycle’s systems, can lock or unlock the ignition and handlebar lock, and opens the panniers and top box all by remote.

Forward & Reverse

Suspension

The new Gold Wing’s DCT features a 1.1mph forward Walking Mode with reverse of .75 mph, operated instantly from a +/- switch on the left handlebar.

The double-wishbone front-suspension system reduces friction and enhances agility as well as changes the path the wheel travels through the suspension stroke for improved handling.

43 years after the first GL model hit

one of the ultimate long distance

the road Honda has backed up the

touring motorcycle, things get even

legendary touring bike by introducing

better for the iconic Wing in 2018

a completely refreshed model that

with features like throttle-by-wire

not only sports a ton of new features,

with four ride modes: Tour, Sport,

but is one of the most technologically

Econ and Rain. There is also Honda’s

advanced and luxurious motorcycles

Selectable Torque Control (HSTC)

on the market. Redesigned from the

for improved rear wheel traction,

ground up for 2018, this Gold Wing

Hill Start Assist (HSA), and a forward

model hits the road more than 80

and reverse walking mode for

pounds lighter with an innovative

precarious situations. The electronic

double wishbone front suspension,

accoutrements continue with an

automatic 7-speed DCT transmission,

electrically adjustable windscreen a

and a more powerful and fuel

smart key system, Apple CarPlay and

efficient 1833cc horizontally opposed

Bluetooth connectivity, and airbag

six-cylinder engine.

deployment for impact protection.

Having already established itself as

2

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

YOU SHOULD GET THAT: TOP NOTCH TOURING GEAR B

A

C

Shoei GT-Air Swayer Full Face Helmet - $670.99

B

Dual Layer EPS liner provides enhanced impact absorption while allowing unrestricted cooling airflow through channels for great ventilation.

A

Alpinestars Vence Drystar Textile Jacket - $349.95 Multi material main shell construction with PU coating for durability, abrasion and tear resistance and protection from the elements. Waterproof/breathable Drystar liner.

E

C

Alpinestars Primer Drystar Leather/Textile Gloves - $99.95 Durable poly fabric main shell with leather reinforcements and advanced polymer hard knuckle protector.

Waterproof Drystar performance sealed triple layer construction.

Insulating membrane.

D

F

Alpinestars Radon Drystar Boots - $199.95

E

Durable and advanced touring boot with class leading protection inside and out. Drystar membrane provides 100% waterproofing. Ergonomic toe box construction.

D

Battery Tender Junior Selectable Lead Acid/Lithium Charger - $44.95 Battery chemistry selection with proper charge algorithm for leadacid, flooded or sealed maintenance free (AGM and gel cell), and Lithium batteries.

F

Nelson Rigg Deluxe All Season Cover - Starting at $39.95 Made from a water resistant lightweight UV treated Tri-Max polyester. Soft windshield liner protects against scratching and hazing. Silver heat resistant panels help protect from hot exhaust pipes.

See more colors and styles at ChapMoto.com

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3

Head to Head

SUB 50CC SCOOTERS

FUN LITTLE ERRAND RUNNERS AND CITY COMMUTERS

2018 Agility 50

2017 Ruckus

2018 Vino Classic

Manufacturer: KYMCO

Manufacturer: Honda

Manufacturer: Yamaha

MSRP: $1,599

MSRP: $2,699

MSRP: $2,299

Engine: 49cc, SOHC 4-stroke

Engine: 49cc, single cylinder 4-stroke

Bore x Stroke: 39mm x 41.1mm

Bore x Stroke: 37.8mm x 44mm

Engine: 49cc, 3 valves, SOHC, single cylinder, 4-stroke

Transmission: CVT Automatic

Transmission: Automatic V-Matic belt

Bore x Stroke: 38.0mm x 43.6mm

drive

Transmission: Automatic CVT

Fuel Delivery: 18 mm CV carburetor

Fuel Delivery: Fuel injection

Fuel Delivery: Carburetor Power: 1.9bhp @7,400 rpm/ 3. ft-lbs

@7,000 rpm (according to Kymco)

with automatic choke

Weight: 203.9 lbs (dry weight)

Power: 4.3 hp/3.3lb-ft tq (according to hondaprokevin.com)

Seat Height: 31” Fuel Capacity: 1.3 gal Fuel Economy: 102mpg

While it might not exude the retro vibe of the Yamaha Vino or the bare bones ruggedness of the Honda Ruckus, it’s hard to pass up the value of the Kymco Agility 50. Rolling in at $1,100 less than the Ruckus and $700 less than the Vino, the Agilty 50 is a great buy for someone who is just looking to get by with a pair of motorized wheels. Sure you may never hit Back to the Future warp speeds of 88mph on the mighty 50, but you’ll have plenty of go to easily maintain city speeds and leave pedal pushers in the dust. Text books, a couple boxes of cereal, a change of clothes, or even a helmet can be hidden out of sight in the under seat storage compartment. And when the time comes to haul more than groceries, the passenger pillion is there to provide a comfortable seat or can be used as a rider backrest when going solo.

Weight: 194 pounds (wet weight) Seat Height: 28.9” Fuel Capacity: 1.3gal Fuel Economy: 114mpg

The Ruckus bares it all with practically no body work. With its exposed bones and rugged, industrial look the Ruckus has quickly become a hit in the custom scene. Ride it as is and enjoy the hell out of it, or turn to the aftermarket for a wide array of parts and accessories such as stretched frames, LED lights, and wide wheel kits to make it yours. The minimalist styling of the Ruck makes it easy to work on but leaves on-board storage space rather lacking compared to the Vino and Agility 50. With Honda’s track record of building reliable and durable automobiles and motorcycles your worries about repetitive repairs or roadside fixes will be few and far between.

Power: N/A Weight: 179lbs (wet weight) Seat Height: 28.1” Fuel Capacity: 1.2 gal Fuel Economy: 127mpg

Dripping with style, the Vino is Yamaha’s nod to the classic Italian scooters favored by British mods of the ‘60s. Borrowing styling elements from the iconic Vespas and Labrettas, the Vino’s smooth sweeping lines make it a real looker that easily catches the attention of admirers wherever it goes. As the lightest of the bunch the Vino is a piece of cake to whip around making it ideal for tight alleyways and narrow bustling streets. Boasting nearly 130 combined city/highway miles per gallon, you could run a month worth of errands on a single tank of gas. Precious valuables and a couple groceries can be safely stored in the lockable under-seat compartment to help give you peace of mind when away from the scooter.

Chaparral Motorsports is an authorized Kymco, Honda, and Yamaha dealer. (800) 732-3648

4

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Gear Up

EVERY DAY CARRY MINI MOTOCROSSER D

irt bike gear and protection has come a long way—especially for the wee riders. These days’ childrens motocross gear is often made up of the same fabrics and has many of the same qualities and features as adult gear. So even though your mini motocrosser might not ride like a pro they sure can look like one.

E

B

G

A

C

F D

A 2018 KTM 50 SX (MSRP: $4,099)

E

HJC CL-XY 2 Blaze Youth Helmet

B Fox Racing Titan Pee Wee Roost Deflector (MSRP: $39.95, p/n 06053-464-262)

F

Fly Racing Kinetic Era Youth Pants

G

Fly Racing Kinetic Era Youth Jersey

C Fly Racing Kinetic Youth Gloves (MSRP: $29.95, p/n 132-371-41205)

(MSRP: $99.99, p/n 035-292-913)

(MSRP: $104.95, p/n 132-371-43218)

(MSRP: $36.95, p/n 132-371-422YM)

D Fly Racing Maverick Pee Wee Boots (MSRP: $99.99, p/n 132-364-55096) Visit ChapMoto.com to see more Mini Motocrosser Gear

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5

This & That

IF YOU RIDE THIS:

2018 KAWASAKI KLX 250 (DIGITAL CAMO EDITION) Fuel Saver

Camo

The new DFI makes the KLX a pretty decent fuel sipper that gets about 60mpgs. That means you can get 120 miles out of the two gallon gas tank.

The digital camo color scheme has been borrowed from its big brother the KLR 650 and is a nice departure from the typical green and white.

Wheels

Suspension

The 21” and 18” black powdercoated spoke wheels not only aid in ground clearance but fit perfectly with the stealthy look of the camo design.

Suspension is handled by a 43mm cartridge fork with compression damping adjustments. The rear is outfitted with a Uni-Trak shock with compression, rebound, and preload adjustments.

After missing from its lineup for

break any land speed records but

several years Kawasaki has

will provide power that is easy to

re-released the KLX 250 into the wild

handle and manage in offroad

of the dual sport world—this time

situations–which could be a real

sporting modern technology in the

positive for those new to the dirt.

form of Kawi’s Digital Fuel Injection

The relatively tall seat height of 35”

(DFI). Gone is the Keihin CVK34 carb

and 11” of ground clearance may

and in its place is a 34mm throttle

look intimidating to riders of shorter

body that delivers a fine mist of

stature, however, weighing in at 304

go juice via a 10-hole injector and

pounds and with its narrow mid-

precise engine mapping. The addition

section the bike is relatively easy to

of the DFI system results in instant

balance and maneuver.

throttle response, no more cold starting hassles or dealing with a choke, and miles of smiles no matter what elevation you climb to.

The 249cc four stroke single won’t

6

THE RUGGED AND TOUGH K AWA S A K I

Two Wheel Mania | 1800 841 2960 | www.ChapMoto.com

Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

YOU SHOULD GET THAT: GO ANYWHERE GEAR B

A

C

Bell Helmets MX-9 Adventure MIPS Berm Helmet - $219.95

B

Lightweight Polycarbonate/ABS shell.

MIPS energy management system.

Integrated/removable shield with NutraFog II anti-fog, anti-scratch, and UV protection.

A

O’Neal Racing Baja Jacket – $99.99 Windproof, water repellent shell.

Pockets on shoulders and elbows for impact foam. Adjustment straps for neck brace. Hydration bladder and hose compatible. Nine water resistant pockets.

E

C

O’Neal Racing Butch Gloves - $49.99 Polycarbonate, ballistic coverage, on individual knuckles. TPR (Thermoplastic Rubber) and direct injection patches on top side of fingers and wrist. Silicone rollover fingertips, for enhanced lever control.

D

F

Klim Outrider Textile Pants - Starting at $169.99

E

Cotton canvas construction. D3O Hook & Loop hip and knee armor.

Leg cut compatible with off-road and adventure boots. Meets or exceeds C.E. LEVEL 1 certifications.

D

O’Neal Racing Rider Shorty Boots - $109.99 Motocross boot with air mesh interior, generous heel support and cushioned insole for extra comfort.

Injection molded plastic plates protect against impacts. Snap lock adjustable two buckle closure.

F

Fly Racing Johnny Campbell Signature Series Tool Pack $45.95 Tool compartment with key loop, clear plastic bolt pocket, fold down mesh pocket and elastic straps for basic tool necessities. No slip back keeps pack in a secure position.

See more colors and styles at ChapMoto.com

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7

Product Spotlight

ENDURO ENGINEERING TASK RACING HELMET LIGHT KIT

Providing a mix of spot and flood lighting the light doesn’t add too much bulk to your helmet—the light, helmet mount, extension cord, and six power cord management clips only weigh a 1/2 pound. The lithium ion battery is 4”L x 3”W x 1/2” tall and weighs .6 pounds, so all together you’re looking at 1-1/2 pounds. However, the nice thing is that the battery comes with a pouch with a belt loop on it so you can attach it to your pants and won’t feel the entire weight of the kit on your head. If you keep the battery pack in a backpack or chest protector you probably wouldn’t need to use the included extension cord, the cord clips will come in extremely handy though and prevent you from getting hung up on tree branches.

R

iding your dirt bike on trails at night can be a blast, it can add a whole new element of excitement to terrain you’re extremely familiar with. Whether you’re competing in a 24 hour endurance race or just out and about with your riding buddies, the Enduro Engineering Task Racing Helmet Light Kit can come in very handy for a variety of situations. It can work in conjunction with your headlight to provide additional lighting for the path ahead of you, it can provide necessary light to help you make emergency trailside repairs, or be a beacon of hope for riders who have strayed too far behind you.

The Enduro Engineering Task Racing Helmet Light Kit (p/n: 056-30-600, MSRP: $169.95) comes with everything you need to install onto your helmet and ride into the night. Included in the package is a 4-LED light that provides 4800 lumens, a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack with carrying case, battery charger, two quickrelease helmet mounts, 24” power cord extension, and power cord helmet clips. The light is enclosed in a highly durable and compact billet aluminum housing that measures a little more than 2” long and just under 2” tall.

On a full charge the battery delivers 4 hours of light and takes about 7-9 hours to fully charge for first use.

8

There are two mounts (one flat, one curved) that feature a snap-locking system to securely hold the light in place but also allows the light to pop off the helmet in the event of an accident or if you hit something with the light. While the most popular mounting location is on the top center of the helmet you can also place the light on the side of the helmet or even upside down on the underside of the visor. Both mounts have a curved cradle system that lets the light slide so you can adjust the angle up or down and then you tighten it down with the thumb screws. With the snap lock system you can rotate the angle of the light 360 degrees to set the light facing forwards, backward, or anywhere in between.

With four modes to choose from: high, medium, strobe, on/off you can set the light to suit your needs.

Additionally, you can stay in tune with the battery as the on/off button on the backside of the light housing will illuminate green when the battery has more than 65 percent juice and will glow red when it dips below 35 percent.

Most people will assume they can see perfectly fine with just their stock dual sport headlight but when they add a helmet light they realize they can see places and things that they couldn’t before. With a helmet light you can see what/who is behind you without having to turn the bike around, see beyond the scope of your turning radius, and walk away from your bike off trail if needed. In fact, many people who race at night even double up on the Enduro Engineering Task Racing Helmet Light Kit and go full Mickey Mouse ears on top of their helmet to really brighten up their path.

Two Wheel Mania | 1800 841 2960 | www.ChapMoto.com

This & That

IF YOU RIDE THIS:

2018 SUZUKI BOULEVARD C90T Low Profile

Visability

While it might be a heavyweight cruiser, tilting the scale at 800 pounds, the 28.3� seat height helps provide a low center of gravity for a lighter feel.

The windshield can quickly and easily be removed when just cruising around town.

Storage

Electrochemical

The lockable, large capacity saddlebags are made from impact-resistant ABS plastic and wrapped in leather-texture to match the rider and passenger seat.

Suzuki uses its Composite Electrochemical Material (SCEM) coating on the inside of the cylinders to help reduce friction for longevity.

Classic styling in a modern package

The center piece to the C90T is a

succinctly sums up Suzuki’s tour-

90ci, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, SOHC,

ready cruiser model. With smooth

54-degree V-twin that puts out nearly

flowing lines from front to rear

70hp and torque in the mid-80s and

accentuated by deep cut fenders

emits a mellow yet powerful rumble

with flared tips and the timeless

through the slash cut mufflers.

look of a tear drop-styled gas tank, this motorcycle draws attention whether sitting on its sidestand or jamming down the highway. Jump on the oversized, deep-seated saddle and take a Sunday ride or load up the wife and saddlebags and head out for a weekend adventure; this cruiser is ready to chew up the miles and protect you from the elements and debris with its tall windshield.

10

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

YOU SHOULD GET THAT: GEAR FOR CRUISING IN STYLE B

A

C

Z1R Nomad Tribal Half Helmet - $79.95

B

Advanced ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)/polycarbonate shell. Speaker pockets accept most open face communications/ Bluetooth. Adjustable forehead vents. Removable ear/neck curtain.

A

Cortech Dino Leather Jacket - $299.99 Top grain 0.9mm - 1.0mm thick cowhide leather. Removable shoulder and elbow armor with an articulated high density back protector.

Adjustable waist belts.

E

C

Z1R 270 Leather Gloves - $29.95 Made from premium goat skin leather. Impact foam knuckle protector. Padded palm with leather overlay.

D

F

Highway 21 Defender Riding Jeans - $119.95

E

Heavy weight 12 oz. denim with DuPont Kevlar fiber reinforced panels. Detachable hip armor pockets can be used with C.E. barricade hip armor. C.E. knee armor with adjustable knee armor pockets.

D

Chaparral Quality Tee - Starting at $12.99 Made from 50% cotton and 50% polyester. Screen printed graphics.

Coolest tee shirt you’ll own.

F

Willie And Max Braided Tool Pouch - $49.99 Constructed of black synthetic leather. Internally reinforced with plastic to maintain shape. Install with either cable ties or laces.

12”W x 5”H x 2 1/2”D.

See more colors and styles at ChapMoto.com

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11

This & That

IF YOU RIDE THIS: 2018 KTM 350 EXC-F Engine

Clutch A hydraulically operated DDS clutch makes clicking through gears and power management in slippery terrain a breeze.

The 349cc engine delivers excellent power throughout the entire 12,800 rpm rev range.

Footpegs

Airflow

“No Dirt” footpeg design keeps the pegs pivot from becoming clogged, ensuring the footpeg is always in the correct position.

New radiator guards have been installed on the 2018 350 ECX-F to provide better airflow in muddy conditions.

If Goldilocks had to choose between dual sport bikes she’d most likely go with the 350 EXC-F. Falling in between the 250cc and 650cc offerings from the Japanese manufacturers, this 349cc Austrian machine hits the sweet spot in the power to weight ratio category and delivers loads of fun. Weighing in at about 250 pounds wet, featuring a lightweight chrome moly steel frame, and sporting the same engine as the 250 EXC-F, but with a slightly bigger bore and longer stroke, the 350’s power punches above expectations. For 2018 KTM improved handling characteristics with new outer tubes on the upside down WP suspension for more sensitivity and to lighten the overall weight. The forks have also been revised with stiffer settings as well. The rear WP Xplor PDS suspension was also treated to stiffer settings. Trail or tarmac the 2.3 gallon tank will provide miles of riding enjoyment and the six speed transmission will help drop the RPMs to make highway jaunts manageable.

12

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

YOU SHOULD GET THAT: FAST-PACED BREATHABLE GEAR

A

C

Leatt GPX 4.5 Helmet - $229.99

B

Constructed from an injected polymer compound shell in three sizes. 360 degree turbine technology reduces up to 30% of head impact at concussion level and up to 40% of rotational acceleration to head and brain. Maximized ventilation.

A

Klim Dakar Jersey - $64.99 Highly durable and versatile jersey with balanced ventilation.

Body mapped fabric placement with aggressive moisture wicking properties. Athletic fit designed to fit over elbow cups or low profile padding.

C

Klim Inversion Pro Camo Leather/Textile Gloves - $89.99 100% windproof Gore Windstopper shell. Goat leather palm, fingers and knuckle overlays add durability and dexterity. Poron SR impact foam on top of hand and knuckles/fingers.

D

F

Klim Dakar Pants - $189.99 Abrasion resistant high tenacity 600 denier Cordura construction with 840 denier Cordura integrated into knee and seat area. Adjustable zippered thigh vents.

E

D

Scott USA Prospect Goggles - $89.95 Scott TruView lenses are lightweight and block 100% of harmful UV rays.

Three layer molded face foam. Lens lock system keeps lens in place.

Bonus clear lens included.

F

Sidi Adventure 2 Gore-Tex Boots - $495.00 Sidi’s best touring and offroad features into an effective adventure boot design. Gore-Tex construction adds a waterproof, yet highly breathable barrier.

See more colors and styles at ChapMoto.com

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13

Buyer’s Guide

FIVE UNDER SIX:

TOP FIVE MOTORCYCLES UNDER $6,000

E

veryone loves lists right, well, except maybe for

one bike from each of the following categories: sport

To Do lists. For the most part however, top five

bike, naked bike, cruiser, dual sport, and pocket bike.

lists are a fun way to kill some time and start a

Thirdly, to answer the question many of you might be

debate. And that’s exactly what we are hoping to do

asking “Why did you choose $6,000 as the price point,”

here, get you talking about whether or not you agree

it’s because when it comes to motorcycles, sport bikes

with this list of our favorite top five motorcycles that can

are one of the most popular styles and when it comes to

be had for under $6,000.

the big four Japanese manufacturers (Suzuki, Kawasaki,

First things first, in this list we are going to only take into

Honda, and Yamaha) they all have entry level sport

consideration street legal motorcycles, so no dirt bikes.

bikes that fall under $6,000.

Secondly, in order to get a nice broad collection of styles and riding configurations we tried to pick at least

14

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Sport bike: Yamaha R-3 MSRP: $4,999/$5,299 ABS

While its 321cc in-line twin engine

well balanced. Sitting at about 30” the

new rider away. For the experienced

might not excite those more

seat height and clip-on handlebars

rider looking to jump into organized

experienced with high horsepower

give riders a sporty riding position

track racing on the weekends the R3

sport bikes, the Yamaha R3 does

which is comfortable and aggressive

delivers enough power to get you

top out with the most displacement

but isn’t overbearing for riders with

excited in the turns while building

amongst the Honda CBR300, Suzuki

shorter legs. For the entry level rider

confidence and perfecting your skills

GSX 300R, and Kawasaki Ninja 300.

the R3 brings manageable power

as you click through the gears of the

Those extra cc’s help put the R3 at

without being so overwhelming that

6-speed transmission.

the top of the horsepower food chain

it would get too out hand and scare a

against its competition, pushing out nearly 37hp and about 20 lb-ft of torque.

With its full faired dress, for five grand you get liter bike styling based off a long lineage of achievements and accolades from its big brother the R1. Toss in an extra $300 and you can add ABS to the R3 for even better braking performance.

Whether you’re an entry-level rider looking for sleek styling or a skilled canyon carver interested in getting into track racing without sacrificing your large displacement bike, a sub 400cc motorcycle fits the bill nicely.

Weighing in at about 370 pounds the R3 is agile, easily flickable, and is very

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15

Buyer’s Guide Naked Bike: KTM 390 Duke KTM$5,299 390 Duke MSRP

16

Less is absolutely more with the

was left untouched in the 2017

light at the bars and over top with

KTM 390 Duke. For a brand that

update, KTM did punch up the fun

a well-balanced center of gravity.

typically falls at the higher end of

meter with a tad bit more power

ABS comes standard but braking

the spectrum on pricing, you get a

via a larger air box and redesigned

has been improved with a larger,

great amount of bang for little buck

muffler that now hugs the right

320mm Brembo front caliper.

with the Duke—especially when

side of the bike. In addition, power

you consider the bike received a

delivery was smoothed out with

Quite a bit of improvement for only

slight revamp for 2017. Modern and

a retuned fuel map, a throttle-by-

minimal bodywork with precise lines

wire system, and slipper clutch.

expose the industrial looking steel

So now not only is the bike getting

trellis frame helping the bike exude

about 44hp/27lb-ft torque but

a mix of beauty and strength.

it’s all coming through in a more

A new and slightly larger 3.5 gallon,

responsive and predictable manner.

steel gas tank at the center of the

While the 2017 Duke does have

viewing at all times of the day. You

backbone improves overall range

some added bulk (a little more than

can also upgrade the display with

(previous was 2.8 gallon) without

20 pounds) KTM addressed this by

an optional Bluetooth package that

disrupting the silhouette of the bike.

tightening up the overall stance,

allows you connect to your smart

Up front rider safety leads the way

shortening the wheelbase to 53.4

phone which allows you to answer

with an ultra-bright LED headlight

inches and reducing the trail to 3.7

calls and manipulate audio functions

that we can only assume was

inches. New upside down WP 43

through handlebar switches.

styled after the head of a praying

mm open-cartridge front forks help

mantis. In fact, all lighting is LED,

suck up bumps and keep the front

With all these great features,

helping draw less power while still

tire locked to the pavement.

illuminating brightly.

So even though the bike may feel

less than $5,500, the Duke 390 is a

Even though the 373cc liquid cooled,

heavier, it responds and handles

hard motorcycle to pass up–not only

four-stroke, single cylinder engine

quickly and effortlessly and still feels

figuratively but literally as well.

$300 more than last year’s model right? But wait there’s more! For the MSRP of $5,299 you get a new 5-1/4inch TFT display that is full color and customizable. Besides showing you a bevy of information, the display is light sensitive to provide optimal

upgrades, and performance enhancements, and a price tag of

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Cruiser: Yamaha SR400 MSRP $5,299

As we continue to warp forward into

torque somewhere in the low to mid 20s, the 399cc mill won’t blow you

a future of soul sucking gadgetry,

off the back of the 2-up seat at a stop light, but it’s plenty of oomph to

the SR400 is a refreshing nod of

comfortably click the five-speed trans through the gears to highway speed

nostalgia. The SR400 might have

and still have a bit of muscle left over to wring it out in top-gear around a

electronic fuel injection but that’s

slow moving truck. But then again it’s not really horsepower or speed that

about as modern as it gets—heck

draws people to this motorcycle, it’s the simplicity and retro styling of the

it has analog gauges and a rear

classic ’70s era UJM that makes people want to throw a leg over the SR400.

drum brake by golly. Ideal for those

Loaded with plenty of shiny bits to complement its classic lines, such as the

who like to really be one with their

front and rear steel chromed fenders, Mickey Mouse turn signals, slender

motorcycle, the SR400 is a purist’s

exhaust, and passenger grab bar, it’s easy to appreciate the simplicity this

dream come true as it’s outfitted

bike. Plus it has a ton of potential for customization. With a few simple mods

with a kicker pedal. None of that

you could have a fun little café racer or a trouble making scrambler itching

push-to-start nonsense; just like the

for a roll in the dirt.

old adage goes, if you can kick it you can ride it. Okay, so it’s not all that tough to kick the 399cc, air-cooled four-stroke single cylinder engine to life. There’s a small window (kick indicator window) on the top right side of the engine that lets you know when the piston in in the optimal position to kick the motorcycle to life. There’s also a compression release lever on the left side of the handlebars that makes kicking the bike to life even easier.

Putting down horsepower and

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Buyer’s Guide Pocket: Honda Grom $3,349-non ABS model

Having already established a cult-like

though it may be compact lengthwise, for those that are of average height

following in the scooter segment

it still offers a decent riding position with its 30-inch seat height and mid

with its bare bones Ruckus, Honda

controls. And while it does have a two-up seat, with the fuel-injected, 124.9cc,

hit back with another small offering,

air-cooled, single-cylinder, four-stroke putting out just under 10hp, flogging

this time delivering a sub 200cc

the Grom is definitely more fun as a solo activity.

displacement two-wheeler to its

Some may chuckle at the horsepower, but weighing in at less than 230

Sport category with the introduction of the Grom. In short time the 125cc Grom has made a big impact in the custom scene with an abundance of aftermarket parts such as suspension upgrades, extended swingarms, body kits, exhausts, and engine hop ups.

pounds, the Grom has some spunk, making it easy to whip the front wheel towards the sun. Sure your top speed will probably barely crest 60mph and you might not be able to legally ride on freeways or highways in certain states, but the ability to zip around and hoon the bike with supreme ease will make side streets and frontage roads all the more exciting. Add in the fact that you can get about 134 MPGs out of the 1.4 gallon gas tank and the Grom delivers big on satisfaction and enjoyment with a fun-size package and price.

Outfitted with sporty styling, the Grom can slip in amongst a line-up of larger displacement street bikes and still get nods of approval, while the bright red calipers at either end give off the illusion of high performance Brembo stoppers.

Sporting a small footprint with its 47-inch wheel base the Grom is a master at snuggling into the tiniest of parking spaces, making it a great choice for college students, city dwellers, and commuters. Even

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Dual sport: Honda CRF250L Rally $3,349-non ABS model

It’s nearly impossible to look at the

Whether it’s cruising 70mph on the

that pass for headlight housings.

Honda CRF250L Rally and not want

highway in sixth gear or chugging

The faux carbon fiber pattern on

to jump on the saddle and just head

along a mountain side single track

the rubberized coverings is a nice

for the hills and see what kind of

trail, the Rally can get you just about

touch, but the different sized dual

trouble you can get yourself into…

anywhere and everywhere. Sitting

headlight setup looks like a wonky-

and out of. And that’s exactly what

proudly with 10 inches of ground

eyed character from an Adam

this bike is all about, getting you

clearance and a 35-inch seat height

Sandler movie. Other than that

from spot to spot and taking you on

this small displacement dual-sporter

minor detail the Rally offers a lot of

adventures you’ve always dreamed

has AVD bike features such as a skid

punch for little price, it’s lightweight,

of. With its bodywork inspired from

plate, handguards, 21-inch front

agile, easy to handle for all skill

the Africa Twin and HRC’s CRF450

and 18-inch rear spoked wheels

levels, can tackle open highway

Dakar Rally bike, the CRF250L Rally

wrapped in knobby tires, and plenty

speeds, and looks like it’s ready to

offers big adventure bike styling

of suspension travel, 11-inches up

rock the Dakar.

in a much more manageable and

front and 10.3-inches at the rear.

affordable dual sport package.

You also get full body coverage

Beyond its sporty, offroad looks, the

and a decent size windscreen. Best

250L Rally utilizes the same frame

of all, with a curb weight of 341

and liquid cooled, 249cc, single

pounds, you get all these features

cylinder, four-stroke engine found

without the stress and energy

in the CRF 250L model, delivering

of maneuvering a hefty, large

the reliability and ridability Honda

displacement ADV bike through

is known for. In fact for 2017 Honda

precarious situations.

made some improvements to the

Protected behind the windscreen is

performance of the CRF250L’s engine by upping the throttle body size, changing up the air box, and going with a lighter and revised exhaust systems—all of which were implemented into the Rally model as well.

a frame-mounted digital info center that provides you with RPM, speed, mileage fuel gauge readings as well as all your basic indicators. The only beef we have with the Rally is the odd old school aviator goggles

Chaparral Motorsports is an authorized Yamaha, KTM and Honda dealer. (800) 732-3648

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Feature

10 WAYS TO FALL BACK IN LOVE WITH YOUR DIRT BIKE

Remember the day you brought your dirt bike home from the dealership and you were so excited? Everything was bright, shiny, new, and most importantly in good working order. Then as time went on and you put more and more laps and hours of riding time into the bike it started to lose its luster as parts got scratched up, bent, or just downright broken.

It happens to the best of us, not that we lose our passion for our dirt bikes, but just like anything, when you spend enough time with it you tend to get a little bored or maybe some of the excitement slips away. One of the best ways to rekindle the fire and help you feel those same jittering butterflies you did when you first got your dirt bike is to change things up. It doesn’t have to be a complete tire to tire makeover, sometimes just an upgrade here or there or even trying a new product can give your bike a fresh new look, make it feel like an all-new machine, or help it perform significantly better—and put a huge smile on your face.

Below we have listed ten things you can do that can help you fall back in love with your dirt bike.

GRAPHICS/PLASTICS When you first threw a leg over your dirt bike the stock graphics were pristine without a single scratch or scuff and your plastics were in perfect shape. More than likely it only took a few rips around the track before a roost or two from your buddy changed all that. A little wear and tear on the graphics and plastics isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does show that you actually ride your dirt bike, but after a while you might want to change things up a bit.

Swapping out your stock graphics is like getting a new tattoo–it’s still the same skin underneath it’s just a bit flashier. There are plenty of pre-designed stickers and graphic kits from companies like Factory Effex such as the Factory Effex Monster Energy Complete Graphic Kit (MSRP: $124.95), Metal Mulisha Universal Trim Kit (MSRP: $54.95) and even factory team replicas like the 2016 Factory Yamaha/Chaparral/Chad Reed Team Graphic Kit (MSRP: $124.95) so you can represent your favorite racer.

If slapping on new graphics is like getting a tattoo then changing out your plastics is sort of like going under the knife for plastic surgery; it’s still the same bones underneath it’s just that the exterior shapes and contours of the skin looks a little different. In some cases, if you have an older bike you can give it a face lift and make it look younger by replicating the style or colors of the latest model. Some people may want a complete pigment change and go for some flo-yellow plastics or take a trip to the dark side with all black plastics.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Besides a cosmetic change, another route to go with plastics would be to add a complete protection setup. Up front you might add a Cycra Factory Edition Stadium Number Plate (MSRP: $39.95) to help cover your lower triple tree or you can cover your front rotor to help keep rocks, sticks, and dirt from damaging/interfering with your braking system. If you have a painted frame or even a raw aluminum frame you know how much damage your boots can cause to the sides of the frame as you ride. A set of frame guards will not only protect the frame but with their rubber inserts the Acerbis X-Grip Frame Guards (MSRP: $49.95) will provide additional grip. Your bike probably came with a chain guide and slider but chances are the plastic material is pretty thin and may even be worn down. You can beef things up with a new chain guide block and slider. Companies like Acerbis and T.M. Designs sell the parts in a variety of colors and you can purchase the chain guide and slider separately or get them in a kit.

Lastly, if you do a lot of offroad riding or you’re going to be on a muddy track then a skid plate can come in real handy to protect your engine and keep mud from building up. Hand guards are a good idea to protect your hands from roost and trees when trail riding.

CONTROLS

More than likely you’ve gone down a few times on your dirt bike and your hand controls have taken a beating. Levers like the ARC Folding Levers from Works Connection (MSRP: $64.95) can be very useful as they have can fold forward to prevent breaking or bending.

If you’ve been experiencing arm pump then you might want to try swapping out your dirt bike grips or even the handlebars. Moving to a dual compound material or even a half waffle pattern could help relieve some stress in your forearms or hands. A different bar bend or height can not only help with arm pump but slightly change up your hand positioning to provide a more comfortable ride and possibly improve handling.

Down below, you could benefit from a wider footpeg platform for more control or sharper teeth for better grip. Flo Motorsports’ Pro Series Footpegs (MSRP: starting at $129.95) offer a little bit of both with a large platform that measures 57mm wide and 75mm long and replaceable stainless steel teeth.

CHAIN/SPROCKET

Changing up the gearing is probably one of the fastest, easiest, and least expensive ways you can breathe new life into your bike. If you spend a lot of time on your dirt bike you’re eventually going to have to change your sprockets and/or chain because they are wear items that will need replacing over time.

We have written about drive ratios and dirt bike gearing changes before, but long story short, you are either gearing up or gearing down when change the size of the smaller counter shaft sprocket or the larger rear sprocket. Because it has more teeth, it’s often best to change out the rear sprocket, as it will allow you to get more finely tuned adjustments. Changing your dirt bike’s drive ratio is a compromise between top end speed and low end torque, so you need to determine ahead of time what will be best for your riding style, track conditions, or the goal you are trying to achieve.

The basic rule is if you want more top end speed then you’ll want to gear up with a smaller rear sprocket. If you want more low end power for better hole shots and

acceleration out of corners then you’ll want to gear down with a rear sprocket that has more teeth.

When changing the gearing it’s best practice to also install a new chain at the same time. This will improve overall performance of the parts as they wear in together. Also, if you make big leaps in your sprocket sizes then you may need a longer or shorter chain to accommodate the changes.

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Feature

EXHAUST

Everybody loves the sound of a dirt bike, but if you’re still running the stock exhaust system you might not be getting the sound and performance you desire. A new two stroke pipe or upgrading your four stroke exhaust can make a world of difference. If you don’t want to do a full system swap, there are still plenty of benefits from simply installing a new slip-on.

In most cases an aftermarket slip-on from a company like FMF or Yoshimura will weigh less than stock, deliver a more performance oriented sound, and probably add a couple of extra horsepower and torque points. If times are tight and you don’t have the money to spend on a full system, silencer, or slip-on then consider at least repacking your muffler.

Over time the stock packing in your muffler gets burnt up, wears down or gets blown out, all of which can reduce the performance of your bike. Installing fresh muffler packing can make quite a bit of difference in your dirt bike and help it perform like brand new again.

TIRES There’s a lot of science and testing that goes into those round black things at either end of your dirt bike. If you just automatically re-shoe your dirt bike wheels with the same tires that came stock then you’re missing out on a whole world of excitement. When it comes to choosing dirt bike tires the three most popular terms you’ll come across are: soft terrain, hard terrain, and intermediate terrain. Like the names imply, these motorcycle tires are designed for a specific type of terrain/riding conditions. There are a couple others such as paddle tires, sand tires, and offroad tires.

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Which is right for you? Well it all depends on a few things: the track or area where you’ll be riding, the type of soil you’ll be riding, and how well or often the track is prepped. If you can answer these questions you’ll have a really good idea as to what kind of tires you should outfit your dirt bike with.

Soft Terrain: Has it been raining lately? Does the track crew tend to overwater? Is the dirt soft and fluffy and easily gives away as you push into it? If you ticked these off then you’ll be looking at a set of soft terrain tires.

These tires have taller knobs that may vary in height and/or have slight peaks or angles to them—especially on the outer edges. The knobs on a soft terrain tire are designed to be stiff so that they can dig and cup into the terrain to provide traction in loose, loamy dirt or muddy conditions. A wider spaced knob pattern makes it harder for dirt and mud to get caught up in between the knobs and when it does this design allows for the debris to easily get flung out.

Hard Terrain: Are you hitting the trails? Has it been really hot? Is the dirt in the area dry, gritty, or hard pack? Those are ideal conditions for hard terrain tires. You might not find too many situations to use Hard terrain tires on a motocross track, the more common among trail riders and GNCC/Hare and Hound enthusiasts. Characteristics of most hard terrain tires are shorter knobs with a flatter profile for better consistency and grip, as well as a smoother ride. Since there most likely won’t be a lot of loose dirt to get caught up between the knobs, the knobs are spaced closer together to provide more surface area and grip.

These tires often feature softer/stickier compounds that help provide extra traction on the harder surfaces.

This softer compound allows them a bit of flex to move across the hard pack and provide a broader footprint on the surface. The sidewall is also a bit stiffer so that the tire holds its form in a turn and can withstand the torment of the hard surface.

Intermediate Terrain: If you’re not too sure what you’re getting into then intermediate tires may be the way to go. Sort of like the Goldilocks of dirt bike tires, intermediate tires do a lot of things well and can get you through all types of conditions and terrain. While intermediate tires are very versatile and can handle mud, soft dirt, and hard pack, they do tackle these conditions with some compromise in certain areas i.e. they may not self-clean as well as soft terrain and won’t grip as well as hard terrain on blue grooved sections. The nice thing about intermediate tires is that most manufacturers offer intermediate-hard and intermediate-soft tires which as the name implies delivers a broad range of performance for a myriad of conditions but performs even better in certain types of terrain as opposed to standard intermediate tires.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

If you’re seat cover is starting to show some wear or you just can’t get that hole shot because you’re constantly slipping off the back of your bike it’s time for a new seat cover. Adding some grip to your seat will make a world of difference to your riding performance. The Factory Effex RS1 Seat Cover not only provides an extra-grippy surface with its textured material, but the strips of traction panels over the top of this dirt bike seat cover help keep your butt in place.

The other nice thing about changing up your seat cover is it allows you to add some color and another level of customization to your bike.

WHEEL SET

If you’ve taken a hard crash or two, you may want to check out your dirt bike wheels; they may not be as true as when they came from the factory. Your wheels can take a lot of abuse so it’s important to inspect them regularly, make sure the lip of the rim is in good shape, the hubs and bearings are in good working order, and all of the spokes are tight. Even if your wheels are good, if you’re looking to take your racing to the next level and wanting to shed weight, you may find that aftermarket wheels are lighter or stronger than your stockers.

Or maybe you want some red ano hubs mixed with black rims? Whatever the reason, getting a hold of some new dirt bike wheels can really dress up your ride and in some cases depending on what you get can help improve your overall performance.

Companies like DID and Talon are well known in the industry for making some great wheel components like billet hubs, extremely durable aluminum rims, and stainless steel spokes.

Then you’ve got the guys over at Dubya USA who are masters at putting together some great combinations of style and performance.

SEAT (FOAM/COVER)

There are many reasons to change out your seat and the cover. Over time the foam in your seat will soften up or possibly even completely break down causing loss of padding and discomfort. If you’re just not comfortable on your bike or want to change up the riding position you can pull out your stock seat foam and install taller, wider, lower, or even add a slight hump to suit your needs. Shorter riders may find that the stock seat is constantly doing a number on their junk when standing, therefore a shorter seat would provide a larger gap adn help prevent uncortable situations. Companies like Factory Effex offer a wide array of seat foam styles for your dirt bike such as wide seat foams and taller foams.

BRAKES

(OVERSIZE ROTOR/STEEL BRAIDED LINES)

As much as racing a dirt bike is about going fast, it’s equally important to be able to control all that speed.

That’s where a quality braking system comes into play.

Upgrading to stainless steel brake lines or even an oversized brake rotor can make improvements to your motorcycle that you can actually feel. Over time rubber brake lines can break down and become worn to the point that they expand under the pressure applied

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Feature from the fluid being squeezed through them, causing your brakes to feel spongy.

Engineering offers a couple of different offsets, typically 20mm, 21mm, 22mm, or 23mm.

Your brake lines take a lot of abuse from flying rocks, collisions, and sun/weather damage which can lead to leaks. By installing steel braided brake lines not only will your brakes perform much better but they’ll also be better protected. Steel braided brake lines, like those offered by Galfer provide a more consistent and positive feel at the brake lever. This is due to the fact that there is braided steel material that is wrapped around a Teflon inner hose (where the fluid flows through) and the braided steel keeps the line from expanding—thus eliminating that spongy/soft feeling. Galfer also wraps the braided stainless with a UV resistant PVC coating on the exterior which adds yet another level of protection to the brake lines.

Besides the ability to change up the handling via different offsets, Ride Engineering’s triple clamps are a little lighter than stock (depending on your bike) and in some cases offer more flex. The lower clamps feature mounts machined into them making it easy to install a steering head stabilizer. Selecting the offset that is right for you is a matter of preference and every rider will have a different riding style, so it’s a matter of figuring out what you like don’t like. If you’re not sure which direction to go check in with whatever company manufactures the setup you’re interested in or chat with a Chaparral Motorsports expert to get their recommendation.

When installing new brake lines you might as well upgrade your rotors as well. This move will really help you get the most out of your braking system. Whether you’re looking to cut weight, or boost your braking there’s a few ways you can go such as solid or floating rotors. Galfer’s Wave rotors design have been a very popular choice due to their ability to dissipate heat through their multi faced surfaces and proprietary steel material that aids in excellent braking performance.

If you really want to change things up on your dirt bike, Galfer’s Tsunami Oversize Rotor Kit (MSRP: starting at $252.00 comes with a 280mm Wave rotor and a relocating bracket to properly space out your caliper for the larger rotor. The benefit of running an oversize rotor is even more surface area which provides better heat management and dissipation, a better feel at the brake lever and more brake torque.

REKLUSE CLUTCH

Installing a Rekluse EXP 3.0 Clutch (MSRP: $899.00) in a dirt bike is a major upgrade that can benefit new riders as well as experienced racers and expert riders. The ability to ride without having to worry about stalling the bike and make fast speed gear changes without having to operate the clutch lever allows riders to focus their attention on other things like braking, cornering, and the track ahead.

The basic concept behind the clutch setup is that it utilizes centrifugal force to engage the clutch. Upon start up, with low rpms you can tap the bike into gear without pulling in the clutch lever and you won’t have to worry about the bike lunging forward and stalling. Then as you apply more throttle and the rpms increase, the clutch design expands and more force is applied and eventually the clutch engages and provides the drive to propel the bike.

You can still operate the clutch as you normally would and if you’re into clutch-less shifting you can still do that as well. One thing that many people like about the Rekluse clutch is that it makes it hard to stall the bike which can be very handy in the event of a crash. After using one of Rekluse’s clutch setups many riders have seen their confidence significantly increase which has also led to improved riding ability and lap times as well.

TRIPLE CLAMPS

It can be a pricey upgrade, but some people have really noticed an improvement in the handling and their overall satisfaction by ditching the stock triple clamps and upgrading to something from the aftermarket like one of the offerings from Ride Engineering. If you’re not happy with your bike’s handling and cornering then maybe it’s time to consider changing out your triple clamps for a different offset other than whatever came stock on your dirt bike. For most year, make, and models Ride

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Tech Tips/How To

HOW TO GO UTV RACING

A BASIC GUIDE ON WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

R

unning up and down the dunes or kicking up dust across an old fire road in a UTV is a great leisure time activity for most people. However, we all seem to have that one friend that turns every UTV outing into a race whether blatantly laying down a challenge or sneakily whipping ahead so that they can arrive at the destination first. Heck, maybe that person is you?

With their ability to go just about anywhere and easy handling the popularity of UTVs has grown over the years and so has the interest in UTV racing. The average

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UTV owner may think that pitching his/her vehicle into a high speed corner for the perfect last lap pass to win the checkered flag is just a pipe dream. That’s not the case, there are quite a few race series’ such as WORCS, the Dirt Series, and the Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series (LORORS) which all have established rules and guidelines that make it relatively easy for the average person to race their UTV at a competitive amateur level. Who knows, with some vehicle mods and personal safety equipment you could be the next RJ Anderson.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

-Most events are double headers with racing on Saturday and Sunday. Race fees are typically $300 for the weekend or $150 for single race events. RZR 170 entry fees are $125.

-Points for the main events start at 50 for first place and are reduced by two points each subsequent position down to two points for 25th. 26th place gets one point.

-Points are also awarded for the top five qualifying spots with five points awarded to the number one qualifier, four points for number two, three points for number three, two points for number four, and one point for the fifth qualifying spot.

Chaparral Motorsports’ service manager, Keith Brooks, currently competes in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series (LOORRS) and Lucas Oil Regional Off Road Series (LORORS) short course UTV circuit, and races his Yamaha YXZ 1000RSS in the Pro Production class. Originally from Georgia, Keith has an extensive background in racing that dates back to the ’80s. He has raced everything from dirt bikes and ATVs, to boosted ‘Busas and 800cc, 900cc, and 1000cc RZRs—and has won nationals and regionals throughout his career. With his deep knowledge in racing and his experience in UTV racing we tagged along with Keith while he was testing out at Glen Helen and picked his brain on what it takes to jump behind the wheel and spin some laps in the Lucas Oil short course UTV series.

For this article we are going to focus on the LORORS. LOROS and LOOORRS share the same rules and guidelines and the rule books are pretty extensive so we won’t cover everything here but will gloss over some of the more important details and key things you should know if you’re thinking about jumping into UTV racing.

There are five classes you can choose to compete in: Unlimited UTV: Heavily modified UTV up to 1000cc displacement.

SR1 UTV: Heavily modified Yamaha Rhino, utilizing a Yamaha R1 1000cc engine or a Kawasaki Teryx, utilizing a ZX-10, 1000cc engine.

Production 1000: Stock 1000cc UTV Production Turbo: Stock 1000cc factory turbo UTV RZR 170: Stock Polaris RZR 170 UTV (open to kids ages 6-12) As of right now LORORS has three regions: Southern California, Utah, and Arizona. The racing season runs from February to November with anywhere from 8-10 rounds of racing.

-Qualifying for a LORORS event is five laps. The races usually run 10-14 laps (20-30min) depending on the track.

As far as lap times, at Lake Elsinore, Keith can run a lap in less than a minute and can hit a top speed of just over 70mph. At Glen Helen he runs 50-52 second laps and hits a top speed of more than 60mph in the first straight.

A typical LORORS two day race weekend schedule consists of: Saturday/Sunday 6:00 AM - Gates open 6:30 AM - Tech/Registration Open 6:30 AM - Track Crew Safety Briefing 7:00 AM - MANDATORY Driver’s Meeting 7:30 AM - Media Safety Briefing 8 AM – 11 AM - Qualifying 11 – 11:30 AM - Track Prep/Crew lunch 11:30 AM - 5 PM - Main Events

You Must:

• Apply for and obtain a valid LORORS license.

• Be at least 14 years old to race the UTV classes. Ages 6-12 can race the RZR 170 class.

• Wear a fire retardant one piece suit that meets SFI Spec 3-2A/5. The suit must cover the neck to the ankles as well as down the arms to the wrist.

• Wear gloves and shoes that meet SFI Spec 3.3/5 as well as fire retardant socks, head sock and/or helmet skirt.

R1 Full Face Helemt MSRP: $199.99

• Wear a full face helmet with a Lexan shield.

• Helmets must meet Snell Memorial Foundation SA 2010 requirements or better.

• Use a head and neck restraint such as a D-Cell, R3, Hans, Hybrid or other restraint certified to SFI spec 38.

• Have a race spotter. Spotter should have two working

radios; one “listen only” radio and headset with the

ability to hear the competition director and one two way radio to communicate with the driver in the race vehicle.

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Tech Tips/How To

Your UTV Must:

• Utilize the stock chassis and maintain stock appearance.

• Have an aftermarket roll cage. Cage material must be DOM or 4130 chromoly with a diameter of 1-1/2-inches and .095-inch wall thickness.

• Have solid doors. Unlimited, Production Turbo & Production 1000: Door openings must have a ‘U’ shaped tube bent to follow the door opening. Doors must have bracing designed to provide maximum protection to the driver. Door area must be covered with sheet metal or a minimum of .063 inch thick aluminum.

• Have a race seat that is bolted on place. Driver’s seat must be within 2 inches left or right of stock location.

• Meet certain minimum weights (driver is included in vehicle’s minimum weight): RZR: 1610 pounds, Arctic Cat & Can Am: 1610 pounds, Yamaha: 1780 pounds. Production Turbo and Production 1000 TBD. • Have front and rear bumpers, bumpers have to be rounded and capped with no sharp edges. Production Turbo, and Production 1000 classes must have side nerf bars that are at least as wide as the center line of tire or wider from front to back and should be a minimum of 12 inches from the front and rear tires.

PRP Seats 5-3 3” Five Point Racing Harness

Have a five-point, quick-release harness with 3-inch straps that meet SFI specs 16.1 or 16.2 (youth) or 16.5 spec.

PRP Seats offers its 5.3 3” 5-Point Racing Harness (MSRP: $139.00) in several colorways.

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• 2” belts may be used if they meet SFI specs 16.1.

Keep all A-arm mounting points in the stock location and position as delivered from the manufacturer (can be reinforced for strength).

• Have left half of windshield opening covered with a LORORS approved rock guard that has a minimum 1/8” rod and a maximum 1.5” squares.

• Have driver’s side window nets with welded attachments and secured at top by a removable 1/2” solid steel rod and seat belt style latch system.

• Have the shock mounts in the stock location. No bolt on extensions. No external bypass shocks. Shock manufacturer is open for Production Turbo, Production 1000 and RZR 170 classes.

• Engines and all internal parts must remain completely stock for that model year. No internal modifications for Production Turbo, Production 1000 and RZR 170 class.

Must use stock throttle body and flywheel • Utilize the factory installed turbochargers in the Production Turbo class (no modifications allowed).

• Have a positive action on/off switch labeled “ignition on/off” and have a red circle around it. Switch must be located on the left hand side of the dash panel and accessible from the outside of the race vehicle.

• Run the stock OEM ECU (ECU may be flashed) in the Production 1000 and Production Turbo classes.

• Use pump gas with a maximum of 91 octane in the Production Turbo, Production 1000 & RZR 170 classes (race fuel is not allowed).

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

• Have a remote timing responder purchased or rented from LORORS. Responsder are $40 to rent (limited number available). Responders must be mounted 10 inches back from the leading edge of the front bumper on the passenger side.

What You Can do to Your UTV:

• Modify the chassis for durability and strength but it must retain the stock width, length, and configuration.

• Remove glove box and center foam lined storage box.

• Remove the two piece rear bed plastic or stock bed bottom and sides.

• Remove the front headlights rear taillights, and rear taillight body panel. It is recommended if lights are

removed that they are blocked off with aluminum panels with stickers to mimic lights.

• Use aftermarket wheels and tires. In the Production Turbo, Production 1000 and Unlimited classes the maximum tire size is 30 inches outside diameter.

• Use aftermarket replacement steering rack and tie rods in the Production Turbo & Production 1000 classes.

• Increase the overall wheelbase (spindle to spindle) by only eight inches in the Unlimited class.

• Run an aftermarket exhaust in Production Turbo, Production 1000 & RZR 170 classes. Titanium exhaust is allowed but must be approved. SR1 and Unlimited classes have more specific requirements.

Use aftermarket air intake/air cleaner.

Other Things to Consider:

A fresh air system will help you breathe and see better in dusty conditions. Klim’s R1 Air full face helmet is a great option. To go along with that, PCI Race Radios offers their Silver Race Air Single Package (MSRP:$134.95) that supplies a steady flow of air into your helmet.

Swapping out your stock wheels for a set of bead locks will give you peace of mind in when conditions call for running low tire pressure. Raceline Wheels’ Black Mamba Beadlock Wheels come with a sturdy billet beadlock ring to protect the wheel and keep the tire seated.

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Tech Tips/How To There are several things you can do with the suspension to help improve the handling of your UTV such as going with heavier springs and/or revalving or installing all new shocks. Aftermarket sway bar ends or new sway bars all together would be good as well as upgrading to a billet steering rack.

You’ll be doing a lot of hard braking and replacing the rubber lines with steel braided brake lines can help reduce fade and improve feel.

What to bring with you to the races:

• Canopy or something to shade you from the sun in your pit area. A tarp is useful to help keep the dust down and makes it easier to find little loose parts when working on your vehicle • Spare parts: axles (1 each), wheel/tires, front a-arms, control arms, rotors, rear hub, air filter, coolant, fuel • Jack to raise the vehicle—Keith uses dirt bike stands, one at the front and two at the rear to get the wheels off the ground.

• Cleaning supplies: SC1, WD40, pressure washer, scraper to clean mud off the tires, and a car detailing kit. You want to clean your UTV after each track session to show off your sponsors and knock excess dirt/weight off the vehicle.

• A nitrogen tank or air compressor to dial in the air pressure in your UTV tires • Flashlight/shop light • Plenty of tools • Food

Installing aDragonfire Racing Quick Release Billet Steering Wheel Hub (MSRP: $136.99) and Sport Steering Wheel (MSRP: $99.99) can not only make it easier to get in and out of your vehicle but can be an extremely important feature in the event of an emergency.

There are a lot of small rocks and other debris that gets kicked up on the track so it’s a good idea to protect your CV joints with some CV guards.

A rearview mirror isn’t required but it’ll help you know if someone is on your tail or trying to make a pass on you.

• Chairs We covered a lot of material but this should give you a good idea of what’s involved when it comes to going UTV racing for the first time. We mostly covered guidelines setup by the Lucas Oil Series, but there are other races like the Dirt Series and WORCS that outline some of the same safety requirements, but may better suit your budget or desires when it comes to racing.

Visit ChapMoto.com to see more UTV parts and accessories

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Buyer’s Guide

THE RIGHT TIRES FOR THE JOB: DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOTORCYCLE TIRES

N

ot all motorcycle tires are created equal.

Sure they are all round, and unlike automotive tires, have a curved profile to make it easier for rider to lean in and out of corners, but where one motorcycle tire differs from the next is in the composition and intended use. For example, you wouldn’t use the same tire on a Yamaha R6 as you would on a HarleyDavidson Road Glide. Actually, I guess you could but you probably wouldn’t be satisfied with the results. The Harley tire wouldn’t provide the extra grip and feel that a dedicated canyon carver would want and a hardcore long distance Harley rider would be fed up with replacing the R6 tires every few thousand miles.

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Motorcycle tires can be broken down into a wide array of categories depending on how specific you want to get. For the purpose of this article we are going to keep the categories pretty broad and only focus on DOT street legal tires—no non DOT track tires or racing slicks.

With so many tires to choose from for different applications you‘ll find that everyone has their own way to define the different types of motorcycle tires and their own names for various categories (even the manufacturers). This is the way we group them: Cruiser/Touring, Sport/Super Sport/Hyper-Sport/Performance, Sport-Touring, Dual Sport/ADV.

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Cruiser/Touring Tires: Cruiser/Touring tires are designed to be robust to hold up to heavy bikes and deliver long mileage with good wet weather traction. You’ll find these tires on metric cruisers, American V-twin, and custom bikes.

On the cruiser side you have the Harley-Davidson Softail and Dyna models, Yamaha Bolt, Styker, and Raider models and Kawasaki Vulcan models. On the touring side you have the even heavier bikes such as the Harley-Davidson Street Glide, Road Glide, and Electra Glide, the Honda Gold Wing models, as well the Yamaha Venture. Since they are intended for heavy motorcycles, cruiser/touring tires have stiffer sidewalls that enable them to handle heftier loads such as two-up riding and saddlebags/trunks packed with a ton of gear. Another feature of these tires is that they have more tread depth than most other tires; the tread depth on most rear American Elites is 10/32nds of an inch. The combination of deeper tread depth and harder compounds means less wear and more mileage. While cruiser/touring tires might have very sturdy construction they are also a bit heavier than most other tires of comparable size.

Dual Sport/ADV Tires: You’ll notice a dual sport or ADV tire when you see one. These are DOT approved that are also designed to handle offroad use. With distinct knobs or large tread sections to provide grip in mud, dirt, rocks and light sand, these tires can nearly do it all and get you just about anywhere you want to go. When researching tires in this category you’ll notice that they are often listed with percentages in regards to their intended use such as 70% offroad 30% on-road. The aggressive knobby tires are more swayed towards dirt and therefore will have a higher offroad percentage whereas the less aggressive tires will be better geared for the road with some light offroading mixed in. Many of the heavy ADV bike like the Africa Twin and KTM Super Adventure 1250 come with tires that are built to handle the heavier loads and are intended for lots of highway use.

The KTM 1290 Super Adventure comes stock with Continental’s Trail Attack 2 tires which are designed for 85% on-road and 15% offroad.

The big blocks of tread on this tire help deliver a smooth ride on paved surfaces while the deep grooves allows for easy self-cleaning and provide grip in offroad situations. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the Dunlop D606 which is a 90% offroad/10% on-road tire with large individual knobs for superior traction in loose dirt, single track, and wooded trails. Then right in the middle you have the Michelin Anakee Wild which is a 50% on-road 50% offroad tire. The Anakee features broader blocks that provide a decent ride on hard surfaces and can trudge through mud and soft terrain with ease. With a durable radial construction they can handle heavier loads while maintaining great stability when cornering on the road.

When choosing your next set of tires you want to really think about the type of riding you will be doing and select a set of tires that best fits that type of riding. By matching up your tires to your riding style you just might find your new tires deliver better performance and a much more enjoyable ride.

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Buyer’s Guide Sport-Touring: A mix between touring and sport performance tires, sport-touring tires are optimized to deliver the best of both worlds with long mileage and great traction. These tires are ideal for bikes like the Yamaha FJR1300, Kawasaki Concours 14, and the BMW 1200 RT where rider spends a lot of time in the saddle cross country touring while also burning up corners. However, with their ability to deliver longevity and good handling, you can also find these tires on lighter sport bikes and naked bikes like the Yamaha FZ-10 where the owner might be more concerned with getting the most out of their tires mileage-wise as opposed to having the absolute grippiest tires possible. We are talking about kind of rides that do a lot of highway commuting during the week and then hit twisty mountain roads on the weekends.

Most sport-touring tires feature dual compounds with softer rubber on the sides to ensure high levels of grip when cornering and a harder compound in the center patch to provide long mileage and a stabile ride. Besides mileage and grip these tires also perform great in wet weather situations with plenty of sipes designed to evacuate water from the contact patch. Some of the more popular tires in this category include the Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT, Pirelli Angel GT, and Metzeler Z8 Road Tec. One of the newest tires to enter this category is the Sportmax Roadsmart III from Dunlop. Optimized to last longer on the road and perform better than its predecessor the Roadsmart II, through extensive testing, Dunlop found the rear RSIII was able to provide nearly 12,000 miles while the fronts were ridden to an astonishing 20,000 miles—all while delivering great traction and predictable handling through the life of the tires.

Sport/Super Sport/Hyper-Sport/Performance Tires: Intended for lightweight sport bikes and high performance street bikes, tires in this category are designed to deliver nimble and precise handling with superb grip from edge to edge. These tires are lighter and comprised of softer compounds that can provide excellent grip and allows riders to lay their bikes deep into corners. Some tires in this category may have a more pronounced center line that makes its quicker and easier for the rider to transition from side to side. While these tires may have fewer tread lines/sipes to provide a bigger contact patch, they can still handle wet weather conditions.

A stiff carcass ensures stability and support especially in high speed cornering and braking when forces are greatest. Many manufacturers use multi compounds in the construction of their high performance tires in an effort to provide a combination of both supreme traction and good mileage wear—although they won’t last as long as cruiser tires. With more performance oriented tires you’ll find softer compounds and less siping for optimal highs-speed cornering. For example liter bikes like the Honda CBR 1000RR, Yamaha R1M, and Suzuki GSX-R1000R are outfitted with Bridgestone’s super sport tires, the Battlax RS10s, which Bridgestone developed with technologies derived from MotoGP. Ideal for dry conditions, these tires would be a great option for those that spend a lot of their time at the track.

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Head to Head

SUB 150CC TRAIL BIKES

OFFROAD FUN FOR NEARLY EVERYONE

2018 TT-R125LE Base

2017 CRF150F Base

2018 KLX 140G Base

Manufacturer: Yamaha

Manufacturer: Honda

Manufacturer: Kawasaki

MSRP: $3,299

MSRP: $3,799

MSRP: $3,699

Engine: 124cc, air cooled, single cylinder, SOHC, four-stroke

Engine: 149cc, air-cooled, singlecylinder, SOHC, four-stroke

Engine: 144cc, air-cooled, four-stroke, single-cylinder, SOHC

Bore x Stroke: 54.0mm x 54.0mm

Bore x Stroke: 57.3mm x 57.8mm

Bore x Stroke: 58mm x 54.4mm

Transmission: Constant-mesh 5-speed; multi-plate wet clutch

Transmission: Five-speed, manual

Transmission: five-speed, manual shift

shift

Fuel Delivery: Mikuni® VM20

Fuel Delivery: 24 mm piston-valve

carburetor

carburetor

Curb Weight: 198 lbs.

Curb Weight: 233.9 lbs.

Seat Height: 31.7”

Seat Height: 32.8”

Ground Clearance: 10.4”

Ground Clearance: 10.1”

Wheels (front/rear): 19”/16”

Wheels (front/rear): 19”/16”

Fuel Capacity: 1.6 gal

Fuel Capacity: 1.9 gal

The Yamaha TT125 might not have the larger displacement like the other two dirt bikes on this page but what it does have is a really light weight feel and low seat height making it a great bike for riders moving up to big bike features. Weighing in at less than 200 pounds the TT is the lightest and offers the shortest seat height of the bunch. Up front a 31mm fork can be adjusted with different preload settings and offers 7.1” of travel, while a single rear shock has adjustable compression and rebound and delivers 6.6” of travel.

With its smooth power delivery from the square engine, riders of all levels will have fun on this Yamaha as it soaks up bumps and clears hurdles with its with more than 10” of ground clearance.

Falling into Big Red’s CRF lineage, the CRF150F delivers great handling and power that is easy to manage for beginner riders but still has enough zip to keep experienced riders grinning. A bit taller than the TT-R, Honda’s 150 offers a 1” taller seat height while still maintaining similar ground clearance to help taller riders feel more comfortable on the bike. A 35mm Showa front fork provides more than 9” of travel while the Pro-Link Showa rear shock sucks up 8.9 inches of wheel travel.

The CRF150F offers the peace of mind when it comes to security and safety with its keyed ignition. Backed

by Honda’s legendary build quality and reliability, the CRF 150 is one of those bikes you’ll never want to get rid of as it will always be ready for the next adventure.

Fuel Delivery: Keihin PB20

Curb Weight: 218.2 lbs.

Seat Height: 33.9”

Ground Clearance: 12.4” Wheels (front/rear): 21”/18” Fuel Capacity: 1.5 gal

If you’re looking for big bike fit and feel without having to jump into the realm of more powerful 200cc and larger displacement trail bikes, the KLX 140G is the way to go. Outfitted with a 21” front and 18” rear tire, you get easy maneuverability, more ground clearance, and comfortable ergos—similar to what you would find on a full size dirt bike but with easy to manager power and torque.

The green machine features a 33mm telescopic front fork with 7.5” of travel and a Uni-Trak linkage system with a piggyback reservoir single shock that has fully adjustable preload and 22-way rebound damping providing 7.9” of travel.

With the tallest seat height and most ground clearance of the three, the KLX is the logical step in moving towards a full size dirt bike.

Chaparral Motorsports is an authorized Yamaha, Honda, and Kawasaki dealer. (800) 732-3648

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R E L KIL E BE

CHAP MOTO’S REPLICA RMZ

F

or as long as the company has been around, Chaparral Motorsports has always been involved in racing in some form or another.

From running its own highly successful privateer Supercross team to supporting independent riders with its Race Support program, Chaparral firmly believes in supporting the people that help keep the motorsports industry thriving. Last year Chaparral Motorsports joined up with Bar X Motorsports and Suzuki Factory Racing as a leading sponsor for an amateur motocross team that saw great success.

The team consisted of four riders: Cole Barbieri, McClellan Hile, Brock Bennett, and Brock Papi.

Barbieri, Hile, and Papi all rode Suzuki RM-Z250s

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and 450s while Bennett competed on a RM85.

The entire team was pretty successful throughout the season with multiple podium appearances, several first place finishes, and all riders earning their tickets to the mecca of amateur motocross racing, the 2017 Loretta Lynn’s AMA Amateur Motocross National Championship.

With the help of team manager Larry Brooks setting up the bikes and dialing in the components, the Suzuki race bikes not only performed extremely well but looked awesome.

In fact, the bikes were so slick looking that Chaparral decided to build a RM-Z450 replica to display on its sales floor.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

The project started with a 2017 RM-Z450 that came right out of the crate and was moved directly into the ChapMoto Mod Shop. The project was started by stripping off the stock plastics and installing an Acerbis front fender, rear fender, side panels, number plate, radiator shrouds, and fork covers. Of course to follow with the race bike’s color scheme the new body work was mix between black and yellow pieces.

To provide a bit more durability in the knee area and traction at the butt area the stock seat cover was tossed aside and replaced with a Factory Effex RS1 cover. The new cover has Duratech ballistic nylon incorporated into the side panels to

better withstand rubbing and abrasion from the rider’s knees and boots. There are also raised ribs that run across the seat to keep the rider from sliding backward.

While the stock wheels were used, they were treated to new rubber in the form of a pair of Dunlop Geomax MX3S tires. Intended for soft to intermediate terrain, the MX3S dirt bike tires excel in a variety of scenarios thanks to the design elements such as the Carcass Tension Control System (CTCS) Dunlop’s block within a block tread technology, which enables better cornering action and more side control.

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Feature

The brakes were upgraded with a Galfer Oversized Tsunami rotor up front and a Wave rotor in the rear. Both rotors aid in heat dissipation, improve lever feel and modulation, reduce dirt build up, and shaves weight over the stock rotors. To add some protection from rocks, sticks, and mud/dirt accumulation the oversize rotor was hidden by an Acerbis front disc cover mounting kit and X-Brake Cover and then an Acerbis skid plate was bolted up to the underside of the frame.

Performance-wise the Chap Mod team removed the heavy and restrictive stock exhaust system and mounted up a complete FMF Racing Factory 4.1 RCT MegaBomb Titanium System. From tip to tail this exhaust is all about gaining horsepower and dropping weight. The exhaust is made from premium materials such as lightweight titanium and aircraft grade aluminum. Between the innovative MegaBomb header design and Titanium muffler with carbon fiber end cap, the 4.1 helps boost overall performance by as much as 15 percent and only weighs 5.4 pounds. To accommodate the new exhaust system a GET Power ECU was installed to help with tuning for maximum performance and to deliver better acceleration and throttle control. The new ECU came with a GET WiFiCOM 38

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

which allows users to change engine parameter right from an app off their smart phone.

At the rear of the bike the stock 50 tooth sprocket was replaced with a Mika Metals sprocket. The new sprocket is still a 50-tooth so it didn’t change the gearing ratio but the sprocket is machined out of high grade T6 7075 aluminum. Not only is the Mika sprocket lighter than stock but with its large window cut outs there is less chance for for mud to build up on it. The new sprocket was wrapped with a Pro Taper Gold Series 520MX chain.

Speaking of Mika Metals, a set of the company’s oversized Stewart/Villopoto bend Pro Series handlebars were secured to the stock bar mounts. At the ends of the bars the Chap team installed a pair of Lorenz and Jones Half Waffle grips and a collection of Works Connection components such as an Elite Perch Lever and perch body with an adjustable thumbwheel. Roost protection was added in the form of a pair of Acerbis X-Ultimate Handguards.

The final pieces that were added to the bike was a Work Connection Pro Launch Device mounted on the fork leg to help get the edge on starts, a Hinson clutch cover, and a custom graphic kit mimics the graphics on the race team bikes.

It’s not an exact replica of the race bikes, there’s a few performance mods the Chap team didn’t do in order to help keep the price down. However, the black and yellow color scheme along with the parts and accessories that were added really give the RM-Z450 a fierce look—almost like it’s about to fly out the gate and sting the competition.

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Feature

CHAPMOTO’S REPLICA RMZ DESCRIPTION

PART#

PRICE

ACERBIS SPIDER EVOLUTION FRONT DISC COVER W/MOUNT KIT

257-206310-9999

$29.95

ACERBIS PLATE

257-211363-0231

$25.95

ACERBIS FRONT FENDER

257-2113640231

$25.95

ACERBIS LOWER FORK COVER SET

257-211373-0005

$34.95

ACERBIS SIDE PANELS

257-211378-0001

$49.95

ACERBIS REAR FENDER

257-211384-0231

$27.95

ACERBIS RADIATOR SHROUDS

257-211386-1017

$49.95

ACERBIS MX STYLE SKID PLATE

257-221502-0001

$79.95

ACERBIS X-BRAKE FRONT DISC COVER

257-225024-0001

$29.95

ACERBIS X-ULTIMATE HANDGUARDS

257-264548-1017

$39.95

PRO TAPER GOLD SERIES 520MX 120 LINK CHAIN

302-3105

$ 84.95

GALFER REAR WAVE ROTOR

319-8158

$133.00

GALFER TSUNAMI MX OS ROTOR KIT

319-8219

$329.00

AFMF TITANIUM RCT COMPLETE SYSTEM W/ CARBON FIBER END CAP

327-043306

$899.99

DUNLOP GEOMAX MX3S SOFT-INTERMEDIATE 80/100 21 51M FRONT TIRE

331-8535

$ 127.51

DUNLOP GEOMAX MX3S SOFT-INTERMEDIATE 120/80 19 63M REAR TIRE

331-8546

$154.95

GET-POWER ECU W/WIFI-COM

728-GK-

$599.95

RX1PWR-0126

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MIKA STEWART/VILLOPOTO 1-1/8” PRO SERIES HANDLEBARS

818-MK-11-SV-W

$109.95

FACTORY EFFEX RS1 SEAT COVER

FX18-29424

HINSON CLUTCH COVER

HIN-C330

MIKA METALS 50 TOOTH REAR SPROCKET

LV6855026

$64.99

LORENZ & JONES NEXT LITE SOFT HALF WAFFLE GRIPS

LV8072025

$ 9.95

WORKS CONNECTION PRO LAUNCH

WC12-520

$119.95

WORKS CONNECTION ELITE PERCH BODY

WC16-805

$79.95

WORKS CONNECTION ELITE PERCH THUMBWHEEL ASSEMBLIES

WC16-850

$37.95

WORKS CONNECTION ELITE PERCH LEVER

WC16-870

$37.95

$69.95 $169.99

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Feature

Dig! Climb! Pull! Brake!

25” ATV TIRE SHOOTOUT

T

here are a ton of tires to choose from when outfitting your ATV with new rubber, in fact unless you know exactly what you like or need, selecting a set of ATV tires can be a rather daunting task. If you are familiar with Chaparral Motorsports then you know we offer tires from just about every manufacturer. Between our 25,000 sq-ft tire department and 89,000 sq-ft tire storage facility we have fresh supplies arriving at our store or being shipped to our customers daily. Tire technology is constantly changing with new materials, construction methods, and tread patterns continually being developed. Therefore, in the quest to become more educated as to how different tires handle different situations we decided to take on the task of conducting a massive tire test with 21 of our most popular ATV tires. We wanted to do this test to not only increase our knowledge on tire performance but to also help our customers make more informed purchases.

The goal of this 25” ATV Tire Shootout wasn’t solely to determine the “best” overall tire, what we really wanted to know was how various tires and tread designs performed in different

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ALL 21 TIRES THAT WE TESTED: AMS Slingshot XT AMS Swamp Fox ITP Blackwater Evolution ITP Mud Lite XTR ITP Mud Lite II ITP Terracross R/T Kenda Bearclaw HTR Kenda Bearclaw Kenda Mastodon AT Kenda Mastodon HT Ocelot Atacama

Ocelot P375 Ocelot Q373 Mars Quadboss QBT446 Quadboss QBT447 Quadboss QBT671 Sedona Mus Rebel RT Sedona Rip Saw Radial Sedona Coyote STI Roctane XD TG Knight Utility

scenarios and determine which tires stood out in specific types of situations. But yes there were several tires that rose through the pack and performed rather well. The AMS Slingshot XT was a top performer in nearly every test and was crowned the shootout winner. Close behind in the 2nd overall spot was the Ocelot P375 and right behind the Ocelot was the highly popular Kenda Bearclaw Hard Terrain Radial (HTR) rounding out the top three. We don’t have enough space in this article to cover all of the

tires that we tested in this shootout, so we are only going to cover the results for the top three. You will be able to find a complete breakdown for every single tire tested on the Chaparral Motorsports blog at http:// www.chaparral-racing.com/blog/.

The test vehicle we used was a 2017 Yamaha Kodiak. The front tires we used for testing were 25x8-12 and the rears were 25x10-12. All the tires were mounted to comparable aluminum wheels with a 5+2 offset,

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

and each front and rear tire/wheel was weighed. To see how each tire would fare in real word situations, we came up with five tests that best mimicked the types of terrain and activities most ATV riders would experience. We conducted the 25� ATV Tire Shootout over a two week period at two different locations. The first location was Glen Helen Raceway just a few miles north of Chaparral Motorsports, and the second location was a private facility also close to the Chaparral headquarters.

The tests consisted of a sled pull, hill climb, downhill braking, top speed braking, and a mud traction. All of the tests were judged by fastest time, except for the sled pull which was judged by distance. We conducted all the tests in four wheel drive except for the mud test. The mud test was conducted in two wheel drive because most sport quads do not have four-wheel drive, so we wanted to show owners of those vehicles what they could expect from the tires in deep mud and only two wheel drive. Scoring was based on a 1 through 21 point scale with the best performer in each test receiving 1 point and the worst getting 21 point. The Overall winner was the tire with the lowest point total.

THE TESTS:

SLED PULL We built our own sled out of an old watercraft testing tank. The sled was outfitted with a winch and a rolling rack that was loaded with utility jugs filled with water and several sand bags. The sled pull was conducted on a large flat dirt surface at Glen Helen Raceway. We moved the sled over a few feet for each pull so that every tire had a fresh surface with no ruts. We started each pull with the weighted rack at the very back of the sled, then once the winch was switched on

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Feature the rider would max out the throttle as the winch pulled the rack closer towards the back of the ATV thus increasing the tongue weight at the hitch. Once the ATV stopped attaining forward momentum the throttle was chopped and a measurement was taken to see how far the sled had traveled. We also noted the tongue weight at which the ATV stopped moving forward. The scale we used maxed out at 1,000 pounds, however, the entire sled was weighed at a truck scale and came in at more than 3,000 total pounds. As you’ll see in the results some of the tires pulled beyond the 1,000 pound capacity of our scale.

HILL CLIMB The hill climb was conducted on the steep hill located on the REM track at Glen Helen. From the base to the top was approximately 245 feet. While the hill does have a good incline to it, it’s also very soft and powdery dirt making traction even more difficult. The rider started on the flat at the very bottom of the hill and then hammered full throttle straight up the hill as soon as the timer dropped his hand. Timing stopped once the ATV crested the hill or stopped forward progress. Almost all the tires made the ascent and those that didn’t were measured off for distance traveled once they dug in and stopped traversing the hill.

DOWNHILL BRAKING The hill climb was also used for the downhill braking test. The rider perched the quad at the top of the hill and then coasted downhill for approximately 100 feet and applied full pressure to the front and rear brakes. As soon as the rider hit the brakes the stop watch was started and timing was based on how long it took the quad to come to a complete stop.

TOP SPEED BRAKING This test was conducted at the private facility. It was a flat dirt surface. The rider took a 1/8-mile run at top speed and then applied full pressure to the front and rear brakes once it came to the indicator cones. Timing started as soon as the brakes were applied and stopped once the quad came to a complete stop.

MUD TRACTION Mud is extremely scarce in southern California, especially with the exceptionally dry fall/winter we’ve had. Therefore, we created our own 95-foot mud bog at the private facility by soaking a section of dirt for days on end and using a backhoe to churn up the top soil to allow the water to penetrate deep down. After a week of work we had a nice stretch of mud that was around 2 feet deep. For this test the rider started at the beginning of the mud pit and then as soon as the timer said go he gave the quad full throttle and plowed through the mud as far and fast as possible. Time was stopped as soon as the quad cleared the end of the mud pit. This was another test where just about every tire was successful in making a full run. The only tire that didn’t make it all the way through was the Kenda Bearclaw K299.

TOP THREE TIRE RESULTS: 1. AMS Slingshot XT

Front: MSRP $95.95, p/n P1256-651 Rear: MSRP $109.95, p/n P1252-651 As the overall winner of the shootout, the Slingshot XT really stood out amongst the competition by ranking in the top five in all of the tests except for the downhill stop. With an overall score of 25, the XT beat out the next competitor the

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Ocelot P375 by eight points. This tire proved it is built to handle muddy situations with its arrow like tread design and widely spaced lugs. With 1” of tread depth, the tire was able to really dig in without a lot of build up between lugs. It has pronounced chevron-like shoulder lugs that wrap the sidewall and provided extra side bite that helped it gain extra traction.

An excellent mud tire, the Slingshot XT is also a great all around tire as evidenced by the results. It features a sturdy six ply rated casing, dimpled tread elements on the surface of each lug for better traction and bite, and the massive reinforced lugs extend to the center line of the tire to provide a smooth ride on hardpack terrain. Even with its thick lugs and meaty overall appearance the Slingshot XT was surprisingly light. The front tire/wheel was tied for the lightest with the Quadboss QBT671 at 28lbs., and the rear was the lightest of all at 31lbs. All four tires/wheels weighed a total of 118lbs. making it the lightest of the bunch. One thing many ATV riders will appreciate about the AMS Slingshot XT besides it great all-around performance is that this tire is DOT approved.

AMS Slingshot XT Results For Each Test: Sled Pull: 3rd place overall. Distance traveled: 72 feet. Total Elapsed time: 13.8 seconds. Calculated weight at the front of the sled skid: 1,000+ lbs.

Hill Climb: 5th place overall. Full run up the summit. Total elapsed time: 13.79 seconds.

Downhill Braking: 13th place overall. Total elapsed time to stop: 2.81 seconds.

Top Speed Braking: 3rd place overall. Total elapsed time to stop: 2.3 seconds.

Mud Traction Test: 1st overall. Full run. Total elapsed time: 11.6 seconds.

Chaparral Motorsports owner Dave Damron (right) with Jimmy White (left), AMS Brand Manager accepting the Shootout award on behalf of Parts Unlimited.

2. Ocelot P375

Front: MSRP $106.99, p/n 748-P375-0000 Rear: MSRP $119.99, p/n 748-P375-0015 The Ocelot brand is the newest tire brand among the 21 tires we tested. It is the Chaparral Motorsports house brand and is manufactured specifically for us by a major tire manufacturer. We developed this line to be a highly competitive and comparable tire to the major brands but at an extremely affordable price point.

The P375 is a 6-ply rated tire with a very distinct directional tread pattern. With its aggressive tread design and thick lugs, that are more than 1” tall, the P375 was able to really excel in the mud test and the large cleanout areas between the lugs allowed mud to easily fly off for ultimate traction with every revolution. The P375 barely missed the Slingshot’s time in the mud run by only .8 seconds, not too bad. The scooped lugs provided additional bite while the main lugs crossing over the center line helped provide a more consistent and large contact patch that helped for gripping in sloppy conditions as well as braking scenarios.

AMG SLINGSHOT XT

With individual lugs separated from the main tread these tires were able to handle a variety of situations with pretty good results— especially when it came to needing to stop. Weighing in at 35lbs. up at the front and 38lbs. at the rear for a total of 146lbs, the P375 wasn’t the lightest but it also wasn’t the heaviest tire tested. The Ocelot P375 excelled in the Top Speed Braking and Downhill Braking tests where it scored top honors is both, making it a top five contender in three of the five tests. We attributed this to a combination of its lug design, tread pattern, and weight.

You may notice that the MSRP for the P375 is higher than the AMS Slingshot XTs, however, because it’s Chaparral’s own tire we can and do regularly place it on sale for significantly lower than the XT and other brands. In fact, the front and rear tires are currently on sale for $64.88 and $72.88 respectively, making them not only a great value when compared against the other tires but also a great performing tire as well.

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OCELOT P375 45

Feature Ocelot P375 Results For Each Test: Sled Pull: 17th place overall. Distance traveled: 24 feet. Total elapsed time: 9.3 seconds. Calculated weight at the front of the sled skid: 805 lbs.

Hill Climb: 12th place overall. Full run up the summit. Total elapsed time: 15.22 seconds.

Downhill Braking: 1st place overall. Total elapsed time to stop: 2.15 seconds.

Top Speed Braking: 1st place overall. Total elapsed time to stop: 2.1 seconds.

Mud Traction Test: 2nd place overall. Full run. Total elapsed time: 12.4 seconds.

3. Kenda Bearclaw HTR Front: MSRP: $138.99, p/n 328-5370 Rear: MSRP: $153.99, p/n 328-5372 The Kenda Bearclaw (HTR) is a rather popular tire amongst both ATV and UTV owners and for good reason as we saw by its third place finish in our shootout. With the ability to do a little bit of everything rather well, the Bearclaw HTR with its 8-ply tire rating makes for an extremely tough carcass the does an excellent job of resisting punctures but also ups the weight. The Front tire/wheel weighed in at 38lbs. and the rear combo tipped the scale at 39lbs. putting all four at 154lbs.—heavier than the Slingshot XT and P375.

Even though the HTR’s knobs aren’t

as tall/deep as the P375 or XT this tire was still able to dig into soft terrain and pull the ATV forward. This proved to be true in the sled pull where the tire landed in the 6th position and mud test where it crept in just under the top ten mark. The center lug tread pattern design really seemed to help the tire take hold when the brakes were applied as it came in 4th and 5th in the Top Speed braking and Downhill braking tests. Another benefit of the center lug was it made for a smoother ride at speed, but this was also attributed to the radial construction. The Kenda Bearclaw HTR is a robust tire that can definitely take a beating, hold its own in a variety of tasks, and like the name says, claw its way through tough situations.

KENDA BEARCLAW HTR

Kenda Bearclaw HTR Results For Each Test Sled Pull: 6th place overall. Distance traveled: 52 feet. Total elapsed time: 11.7 seconds. Calculated weight at the front of the sled skid: 950 lbs.

Hill Climb: 11th place overall. Full run up the summit. Total elapsed time: 15.19 seconds.

Downhill Braking: 5th place overall. Total elapsed time to stop: 2.49 seconds.

Top Speed Braking: 4st place overall. Total elapsed time to stop: 2.4 seconds.

Mud Traction Test: 9th place overall. Full run. Total elapsed time: 16.2 seconds.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

OVERALL OBSERVATIONS: #1 Tires with very similar tread patterns performed very differently.

On face value, it looked like “the same” tire but due to construction differences similar tires performed very differently.

In a consumer world where 8-Ply and Radial are words used to portray some tires as being better, stronger, and more robust, we found that those words on the sidewall did not make them the best performing tire in all situations. #2 Tire weight The quad we used for testing was a Kodiak 700 with plenty of power, but we did find that tire weight played a big role.

The winning tire, the AMS Slingshot XT, had a front tire / wheel weight of 28lbs. and the rear tire/wheel weight was 31lbs., this was the lightest total out of 21 tires. The heaviest front tire/wheel combo, 39lbs. front and 44lbs. rear, was the Sedona Rip Saw, which is a very popular tire but placed 20th overall in our shootout. That is a total rotating mass of 166lbs., nearly 50lbs. heavier than the Slingshot XT at 118lbs. So the ability to spool up quicker and less rotating mass to bring to a stop did help in performance—but wasn’t a sole factor. #3 Gnarliest Tread Looking at the tires before putting them to the test, we would have bet money that the ITP Blackwater Evolution tire would have walked away with the win. Not so much. That tire placed 14th overall. Weighing in at 36 lbs. for the front and 41 lbs. at the rear, it put the total weight for all four corners at 154 lbs., that’s a lot of weight to spin. In addition to the lugs being super deep and spaced very far apart, the lugs are really stiff with no sipes nor general tread direction. This tire ranked #2 in the Full Speed Braking test and #5 in the Mud Pit Traction test. So basically, two tests where getting your wheels spinning quickly nor having a directional pattern really played a role. What this proved to us was that it was not how deep or hard the rubber was that made the best all-around tire; supple rubber on the top with a sturdy base seemed be a winning combo if the weight of the tire was in the low 30’s.

ITP BLACKWATER

TOP SPEED BREAKING If you are a rancher running fences at top speed with a need to stop immediately if an animal jumps into your path, the Ocelot P375 would be the best tire for you. Other great options would be the ITP Blackwater Evolution and AMS Slingshot XT, both of which were able to bring our nearly 700lbs. ATV to a stop in less than 2.3 seconds.

MUD TRACTION TEST If you are a hunter, rancher, or enthusiast who loves to play in the mud, the AMS Slingshot XT, Ocelot P375 and Sedona Mud Rebel RT would be great choices as they were able to clear our 95-foot mud pit in 12.7 seconds or less without much fuss or fighting.

DOWNHILL BRAKING If you fly up two track roads but need to cut some corners getting to the bottom or to a specific downhill destination braking quickly yet safely is required, the Ocelot P375, Sedona Mud Rebel RT and Kenda Mastodon AT were the top three tires for this task. All of them were able to come to a complete stop in less than 2.5 seconds when coasting down a really steep hill. Not bad for halting a nearly 700lbs. machine heading down a steep and loamy decline.

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HILL CLIMBING If your type of riding consists of tough hill climbs, the top tires we have found for this task are the Ocelot Q373, Quadboss QBT671, and the Quadboss QBT447. These three tires not only made it to the top of our hill climb challenge, they did it quickly at just 13.67 seconds or faster. The slower, less apt for hill climbing tires took upwards of 18 seconds to make it to the top—if they made it at all.

SLED PULL If you put your machine to the test pulling and hauling heavy items, there are two tires which really excelled here with sled pull distances of more than 80 feet and a sled skid weight of more than 1000lbs. The Ocelot Atacama tire was the winner with a distance of 95 feet. The number two performer was the Kenda Mastodon AT at 88 feet. Another great choice would be the AMS Slingshot XT (the overall Shootout winner) which came in third in this test with a 72 foot sled pull at 1,000+lbs.

As we stated earlier, there is not enough room to cover all the tires and results in this article. To go along with all the written information we gathered we also utilized a total of 10 cameras to capture all the action from various points of view from the ATV and along the various test routes. So, while we have only covered the top three performers and mentioned a few of the other tires here, you can read a full review and breakdown of all the results for all the tires along with videos on our blog: http://www.chaparral-racing.com/blog/ and YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ chaparralmotorsports.

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Buyer’s Guide

Get Lit:

Low Light Motorcycle Riding Gear Buyers Guide

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e’ve reached that time of year again where we (well everybody except for those in Arizona, Hawaii and the US territories) have to set our clocks in accordance with daylight savings. For the past five months we’ve had to deal with darkness setting in earlier but now it’s time to spring ahead and enjoy some extra daylight starting on March 11th.

As a motorcyclist daylight savings is great because it gives us more time in the evening to enjoy sunlit roads. That often means taking the long way on our two-wheeled commute home from work and riding well into the evening hours as we bask in the warmer weather. The down side however, is that daylight savings also means one less hour of sleep, which can mean you’ll be sharing the road with tired and grumpy drivers for the first few week of daylight savings–not the best combination for your safety when on two wheels. The best way to increase your safety when riding during low light or night time conditions is to wear either high-viz or reflective motorcycle riding gear. A combination of both bright and reflective gear would be ideal. In other words, in low light go bright. This guide will show you some head to toe options to help make you more visible to others on the road.

Arai Quantum-X Full Face Helmet It’s hard to be any more noticeable than when wearing a brightly colored fullface helmet. Over the years Arai has built a strong reputation for quality helmets that deliver excellent safety and comfort. The Quantum-X is available in several colors and different graphic options but if you want to be seen the Flo-Yellow ($709.95, p/n 381-806502) version is where it’s at. Devoid of graphics or weird designs, the solid hi-viz yellow color scheme will have your head sticking out like a sore thumb— and that’s the point right? Other features of the Quantum-X include a round shell design to better fit riders who have a round head shape, a Variable Access System (VAS) Max faceshield that provides excellent visibility in all conditions, and plenty of adjustable vents to fine tune inside temperatures. The Quantum-X also comes with a clear pinlock insert to eliminate fogging. When summertime comes around you can pop in the optional VAS Pro Shade to reduce sun glare.

Joe Rocket Atomic Ion Textile Jacket Don’t let the black and hi-viz yellow chassis of the Atomic Ion jacket ($219.99, p/n: 225-1743-5604) fool you. It might look like every other hi-viz textile jacket, but as soon as light hits the jacket it reveals a big trick up its sleeve—actually on its sleeve. Joe Rocket has incorporated some really unique reflective elements on the shoulders and elbows that light up like a flare when illuminated. With a ton of tiny little dots comprised of Innolite reflective material on the shoulders and elbows on this jacket will definitely get you noticed at night. The tiny dots are almost unnoticeable in daylight but then pop as they reflect light in low light settings. To go along with the Innolite shoulders and elbows the Atomic Ion jacket also has reflective panels and logos front and back to really make the jacket shine.

Comfort features include six points of adjustment, neoprene cuffs, a removable insulated liner, and plenty of pockets inside and out for storing all your items.

Protection-wise, this textile motorcycle jacket features removable C.E. approved armor in the shoulders and elbows, as well as removable spine armor.

Icon Stryker Mil-Spec Field Armor Vest Speaking of armor, Icon’s Stryker Mil-Spec Field Armor Vest delivers the best of both worlds, hi-visibility with high impact protection. Available in either Mil-Spec Yellow or Mil-Spec Orange ($150.00, p/n: 038-2701-0519) this motorcycle vest also features swaths of reflective material all over the front and back side to ensure you grab the attention of others. Additional safety is incorporated with armor and padding to help keep your core protected in the event of an impact. On the front side is an injection-molded chest plate while the other side has a C.E. approved back armor, D30 back insert, and an injection molded spine on the exterior. You can tailor fit the vest to fit over or under your motorcycle jacket with adjustable waist and shoulder straps. With plenty of ventilation points and a HydraDry moisture wicking liner you could ride during warm weather conditions and still be comfortable.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Icon Squad II Mil-Spec Backpack If you ride a motorcycle that doesn’t have saddlebags, then you know a backpack is a must. Icon’s Squad II Mil-Spec Backpack in yellow ($160.00, p/n: 2501.2801.7) not only offers a ton of storage but it’s basically a giant mound of hi-viz and reflective materials resting on your back—perfect for catching the eyes of those speeders behind you eager to get home or not paying attention. Don’t get it twisted, Mil-spec isn’t just a fancy marketing term used to describe this backpack, it actually meets U.S. Military Hi-Visibility specifications, so it’s perfect for those in the military that are required to wear a piece of hi-viz gear when on a motorcycle. The backpack has a compartment that can hold a 15” laptop as well as a jacket carrying system, and helmet compartment to store your gear when off the bike. The main compartment offers 18 liters of storage. The comfort fit chest closure system helps take some of the weight off your shoulders and keeps the jacket close to your body at high speeds. If you don’t like yellow the backpack is available in orange as well.

Alpinestars SP-8 v2 Leather Gloves The SP-8 v2 Leather Gloves from Alpinestars packs a ton of features. First of all they’re available in a variety of colors all of which have a broad strip of reflective material running across the back of the hand—exactly where opposing headlight would hit when your hands are on the handlebars. Color options are great, but we want to be seen and Alpinestars delivers with its Black/White/Hi-Flo Yellow version ($99.95, p/n: 020-3558317-125-L). With patches of bright yellow material scattered throughout it’s just enough to make people take notice. Supple leather offers a comfortable fit while also holding up extremely well to abrasion resistance. And advanced over-molded polymer knuckle protectors come in handy when you inadvertently clip the mirror of that inattentive motorist creeping over on your space when lane splitting. A perforated cuff helps keep you from overheating when using the gloves in warmer temperatures and foam padding reinforcements in key areas provide an extra layer of protection and comfort. For those addicted to their smart phones the index finger is touchscreen compatible—just don’t text and ride.

Tour Master Venture 2.0 Air Vented Textile Pants While they might not light you up like a strobe light, there’s enough reflective paneling and piping on these Venture 2.0 Air Vented motorcycle pants from Tour Master ($189.99, p/n: 03-8718-0205-06) that you should quickly get spotted by daydreaming motorists. These textile motorcycle pants have long strips of Phoslite reflective piping that run the length of the sides of the legs and have reflective panels just above the knees for extra visibility. The pants can be used as over pants or standalone pants. They are vented so they aren’t the best option for the extreme cold but they do come with two removable liners; a waterproof liner and an insulated liner to help get you through miserable weather. Like a Timex these pants are built to take a licking with double stich construction and an armor-link mesh shell with 1680 denier ballistic polyester knee panels and seat panel. To help reduce injury in the event of an accident the pants feature removable C.E. approved knee armor with Tour Master’s exclusive three position knee armor alignment system. There is also removable soft hip armor. You’ll ride in comfort with a dual elastic panel waistband with adjustable waist belts, accordion style expansion panels at the rear waist and above the knees, and fitStretch materials in the calf and inseam.

Fly Racing Milepost II Boots These Milepost II motorcycle boots from Fly Racing offer a lot of great features such as waterproof and breathable leather construction, ankle, shin, and toe protection as well as a built in shift pad. Where these boots literally shine however, is on the strips of reflective piping running along the outer chassis of the boots.

There is piping at the toe along the shin/ankle and over the back of the heel. On the backside you’ll find a large patch of reflective material that stretches over the Achilles area and lights up when headlights behind you hit them. Off the bike these boots provide all day comfort with their E-Z Walk soles and removable/replaceable comfort insoles.

Whether you choose to wear all this gear at one time or only bits and pieces as you ride at night, as long as you do something to help get you noticed you’ll be increasing your odds of a safe ride to your destination.

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Feature

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e are back again with yet another list chocked full of adventures and accomplishments for fans of two-wheeled transportation. If you didn’t catch the first installment of our Ultimate Motorcycle Bucket List you can read it online at http://www.chaparral-racing.com/blog/twowheelmania-magazine/. In this list we continue where we left off, taking you across the world on beautiful adventures and giving you ideas of goals to achieve before you jump aboard the big motorcycle in the sky.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Trip around the East Coast During Fall Spring and summer are typically when you see the most motorcycle riders on the road, but fall is definitely where it’s at. Not only are the temperatures cooler and more ideal for riding, but it’s all about the colors man, the colors! We might not experience it much here in California (especially southern California), but a trip up through the east coast when the leaves begin to turn can be a life changing experience. A leisure motorcycle cruise down a desolate country road surrounded with various shades of red, brown, orange, and green can bring great inner peace and help you mentally prepare for the forthcoming winter hibernation.

With plenty of rolling hills, amazing scenery, and a plethora of historic inns and quaint bed n breakfast spots, the New England area is loaded with great riding roads and places to hop to and from along your route.

Go for a Two Wheeled Surf on California State Route 1 We have a lot of things to be thankful for here in California, but by far one of the Golden State’s greatest features is its magnificent coast line. With long stretches of sandy beaches, rocky ocean side cliffs that look like they could be in a professional painting (many have been), stunning flora and fauna, and a myriad of historical and interesting attractions along the way, California’s State Route 1 (SR1)/Highway 1 has deservedly become an iconic roadway recognized the world over for it beauty. SR1 runs from Dana Point in the south to Leggett in the north and stretches for more than 650 miles along the coast (mostly), making it the longest state route in California. The route takes on several names along it course such as Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), Cabrillo Highway, Shoreline Highway, Coast Highway, and US 101. SR1 also serves as a one of three main north/south thoroughfares between two of the state’s most popular cities, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

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Feature Most of the route traverses along the California coast providing awesome views of the majestic Pacific Ocean. It does also wander inland at some points as it climbs through lush tree lined sections, massive rolling fields, and bustling cityscapes. There are plenty of places to visit along the way such as Huntington Beach, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and Santa Cruz, just to name a few. If you’re feeling funky, book a night at the historic Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo—every room has its own theme and is uniquely (that’s putting it lightly) decorated. You’ll also want to make a trip up to Hearst Castle and checkout the magnificent layout the newspaper magnate called home. Just north of the castle be sure to make a stop at Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery and watch these massive mammals bask in the sun.

If you plan a road trip along Highway 1 make sure you give yourself at least a week because you’ll want to take your time to appreciate everything the west coast has to offer. Most people will rent a convertible to take all the sights, sounds, and smells—but you’ll have them beat with just your two wheels.

Soak in the Amalfi Coast If you’re a connoisseur of fine wine, fine food, or fine views, the Amalfi Coast is for you. Meandering along the Salerno Gulf of southern Italy, the gentle Mediterranean climate, piercing blue hues of the Tyrrhenian Sea, centuries of history, and pristine scenery have drawn vacationers for decades. Cruising the coastline you’ll be treated to jaw dropping coastal views with crags that disappear into the glimmering bay, mountainside villas stacked amongst each other like colorful Tic Tacs, and some of the most desirable scenery in the world. While Amalfi is one of the main towns there are plenty of other destinations along the coast to ride to. Whether it’s sightseeing ancient sites, stretching your legs with a vigorous yet stunning hike, sipping on the region’s finest limoncello, or blowing your children’s inheritance with an extravagant shopping spree, there’s plenty to do along the coast when not exploring on two wheels.

Travel the Transfagarasan Road You might not be able to say it, but when you see it you’ll definitely want to ride it. Located in the Carpathian

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Mountains of Romania, this 56 mile piece of paved ribbon serves up tight hairpins and sweeping S curves as it winds past Poenari Castle, the residence of Vlad the Impaler, and climbs more than 5,000 feet to its highest point at an altitude of 6,699 feet. As the second highest mountain pass in Romania the road is only open during certain times of the year, typically June through October.

Constructed in the early ‘70s for military purposes, the Transfagarasan is a national road in Romania and has earned several nicknames such as “Road to the Sky”, “Road to the Clouds,” and “A spectacular Monument to Earth-Moving Megalomania” due to the fact that it was initially blasted out with the help of 5,900 long tons of dynamite.

It was even called “the best road in the world” by Jeremy Clarkson on an episode of Top Gear, so take that for what it’s worth. Besides it’s amazingly squirrelly ascent/decent the route takes you through an assortment of five tunnels, 27 viaducts and 831 small bridges. Just don’t plan on zipping in and out of the turns if you make your way to this road as the average speed is about 25mph.

you know exactly what parts you have or where they came from, you’ll be spending a lot of time trying to figure out if you even have a complete bike or a bunch of bits from several different bikes. While it does take a ton of work to figure out what you have and how it all goes together, the satisfaction and intimate knowledge you obtain from completing a project like this is immeasurable and gives you great stories to tell about the bike.

Restore a Vintage Motorcycle

Rebuild a Basket Case No we are not talking about taking a basket-weaving class at the local community college; we are talking about carefully reconstructing a collection of parts into a fully functional, safe-riding motorcycle. The phrase may not be as common as it used to be, but if you mention basket case to any old time motorcycle rider he/she will be bound to tell you about the time they spent a chilly winter in their garage identifying, sorting, cleaning, and reassembling a pile of parts they scored. A basket case is a motorcycle that someone tore down with the intention of rebuilding but never did because they either didn’t know how or just gave up. They got the name basket cases because the owner or whoever tore it down would end up just throwing all the parts into some kind of large container like old wooden fruit basket, an old milk crate (maybe a couple of them), or cardboard box.

It takes a lot time, dedication and often research to rebuild a basket case, mostly because unless

While restoring a vintage motorcycle is very similar to rebuilding a basket case, in this instance we are referring to a bike that is mostly complete, but may have seen much better days. In some circles you may hear the term barn find, which is the ultimate goal of many fans of old motorcycles--to score an incredible deal on some vintage iron that’s been rusting away in an old barn somewhere. If you’re a die-hard motorcyclist then chances are there’s that one old school bike that you have been yearning to get your hands on. Maybe it was that motorcycle you used to zip around on back in college, or the first motorcycle you ever rode, or the picture of your grandpas’ Flathead Harley that your grandma used to keep on the mantle. Whatever it is, the thrill of chasing that motorcycle down can almost be as fun as getting it in good running order.

Restoring a vintage motorcycle takes time to research the parts and make sure everything is from the correct year. You may find that the previous owner tried to customize the bike to their liking or used aftermarket parts as opposed to OEM replacements. Chasing the parts down can be an extremely long and daunting challenge, but on the rare occasion you can score a highly scarce NOS part it can be like finding a nugget of gold. Color-matching the paint to factory hues, sourcing vintage motorcycle tires, and understanding the mechanical intricacies of your machine are all part of the challenge but also what make vintage motorcycle restoration so rewarding and so much fun.

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Take A Lap Around Nürburgring When it comes to track days, if you’re going to test your two wheel mettle in a closed course setting you might as well do it at one of the most popular motorsports locales in the world, the Nürburgring in Nürburg, Germany. At nearly 100 years old the circuit has garnered several nicknames that include The Ring and Green Hell, it has also changed course (pun in intended) over the years but is still a sought after destination and highlight of any moto or automotive enthusiast. The complex is comprised of two circuits the GP track and the Nordschleife. While you can find track days for both most people prefer to partake on the longer Nordschleife circuit which runs nearly 12.9 miles in length.

The extremely demanding 13 mile-long course requires constant attention as you rip through 33 left turns and 40 right turns of varying degree some with bending inclines that drop off into blind curves. Definitely not for the faint hearted, there used to be days where they would allow motorcycles only to ride the one way course, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore (at least at the time this article was written). So that means you will be “sharing” the course with the family wagon as well as supercars, oh and there’s no speed limits. As beautiful as it may be with its lush green surroundings, rolling hills and dense forests this is one track you don’t want to take your eyes off of otherwise it will come up and bite you. Be forewarned you will see people slide off into the rails, lift off the inclines, and possibly even clip one another. Just keep your eyes on the road ahead, pick your lines carefully, and don’t ride beyond your abilities.

Cruise the Beartooth Highway If you like the rocky mountains and high elevations then hit up Beartooth Highway. By far one of the most popular stretches of roadways amongst Harley riders (I am simply basing this on the number of Beartooth

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

H-D Tee shirts I have seen in my life), Beartooth Highway is a National Scenic Byway-All American Road that runs from Red Lodge, Montana in the east and drops you into the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Even though it’s only about 70 miles long, the Beartooth has been called one of the most scenic drives in America. Surrounded by multiple National Forests and cutting through immense alpine landscapes sided by ice cold lakes, waterfalls, and lush tree lined valleys this highway has the highest elevation in Wyoming and Montana with its peak hitting 10, 947 feet at Beartooth Pass in Wyoming.

Due to its elevation, the roadway is only open May through October. And if you venture out in the middle of summer it’s still recommend you bring an extra layer of long sleeves as it can get a bit windy and chilly. A wildlife lover’s dream, with 13 National Forest campgrounds you can post up for a day or two for hiking and see everything from mountain goats to grizzly bears. With picturesque surroundings that will remind you of an old western movie, you’ll have an easy time imagining yourself as a cowboy flogging your reliable steed up, down, through, and around some of the best views this great country has to offer.

Visit the Barber Motorcycle Museum If your idea of a good time is fawning over impeccable pieces of two-wheeled machinery and then jumping on your ride and knocking down a few closed course laps then the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is the place for you. Recognized as the largest motorcycle museum in the world by Guinness World Records, the Barber Museum and Motorsports Park is a motorcyclists dream come true. Located in Birmingham, Alabama, the museum houses more than 1,400 motorcycles from all the major manufacturers spanning some 100 years. As well as two wheeled dreams the museum also caters to fans of four wheels with a choice selection of rare race cars and an extensive Lotus collection. Known as the “Living Museum” the 830 acre park sports a 2.38 mile closed course track that hosts a plethora of motorcycle and automotive races and events.

There are some 60-plus track days held throughout the year that lets riders of all skill levels twist their throttles and dip their knees across the world-class 16 turn track. This place is the motorcycle equivalent of having your cake and eating it too.

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Tech Tips/How To

INSTALL ANN-LYNN DOORS ON A CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 MAX

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n its stock form, the Can-Am Maverick X3 is one of the best looking UTVs currently available. Where the vehicle could use some help though is at the doors.

The stock door skins do very little in the way of protecting the driver and passengers. Besides being made of plastic, the door skins with their asymmetrical design leave a lot of open space which makes it easy for branches, rocks, and other debris to fly into the cab area and possibly hit or jab someone.

To help provide more coverage and protect the driver and passengers Chaparral Motorsports created its AnnLynn Doors. The door skins are precision cut out of heavy duty aluminum and then shaped to fit onto the stock door frames. The door skins provide full coverage and totally enclose the lower cab area from the top of the door frames down. The door skins not only help keep rocks and branches from entering the cab, but they also keep personal items from flying out. In addition to protecting the driver and passengers, the doors help give the vehicle a more finished look.

The Ann-Lynn Can-Am Maverick Doors are available for either the two seat ($999.99, p/n: 07-28011) or four seat (p/n: 107-28011) Can-Am Maverick X3 models. The door skins come covered with a durable black powdercoat finish. Installation is rather easy as the door skins come with all the necessary brackets, hardware, and weather stripping. Follow along as we show you how to install the Ann-Lynn Doors on a Can-Am Maverick X3 Max.

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I N CLU DE D I N TH I S K IT : • Fr o n t d o o r s ( 2 q t y ) ( p a s s e n g e r s i d e h a s n o t c h o n t o p e d g e) • Rear doors (2 qt y) • 1/4 - 2 0 x 1/ 2 ” b u t t o n h e a d s ( 8 q t y ) • 1/4 - 2 0 x 3 /4 ” b u t t o n h e a d ( 6 q t y ) • 1/4 - 2 0 x 1 -1/4 ” b u t t o n h e a d ( 2 q t y ) • 1/4 - 2 0 x 2 -1/4 b u t t o n h e a d ( 2 q t y ) • 1 -1/4 ” h e x h e a d f l a n g e b o l t s ( 8 q t y ) • Nylock nuts (26 qty) • 3/8 ” spacers (2 qty) • 3 /4 ” s p a c e r s (4 q t y ) • S h o r t d o o r s k i n h a n g e r b r a c ke t s ( 2 q t y ) • L o n g d o o r s k i n h a n g e r b r a c ke t s ( 6 q t y • 80 ” front weather stripping (2 qt y) • 86” rear weather stripping (2 qt y)

TOO L S N E E DE D • 17/ 6 4 ” d r i l l b i t • 1/ 2 ” d r i l l b i t • To r q b i t # 3 0

• 1 0 m m s o c ke t /o p e n e n d w r e n c h • Ratchet

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

B 4

5

3

2

1

1

RIVET

C

A

Won’t be reused

The first step is to remove the stock door skins. We are going to start with the driver’s side doors. There are five torx head bolts (red) that need to be removed using a torx 30 bit. Bolts 1 and 2 require the use of a 10mm socket or box end wrench to remove the lower nuts. Once bolts 1 and 2 are removed the plastic triangle piece (A) can be removed and set aside, it won’t be reused. After removing bolt number 3, slide the door latch cover (B) off of the door pull. The latch cover will not be reused. Behind the latch cover is bolt number 4. Remove bolts 4 and 5. Use a 1/2” drill bit to drill out the head of the rivet (yellow) on the underside of the door frame (C). You may also need to use a flat head screw driver to pop off the head of the rivet if it starts spinning. Be sure to support the door skin so it doesn’t fall as you work.

5

A 3

5

4

2

6 3

2

1 1

2

4

The rear door skin has five rivets (yellow) that need to be removed–use the 1/2” drill bit. There are four rivets holding the door latch cover (A) in place, the 4th is located on the underside of the door frame. Once the four rivets are removed the door latch cover can be removed and set aside (it will not be reused). The 5th rivet is at the top of the door frame. There are six torx head bolts (red) that need to be removed using torx 30 bit. After removing bolts 1-3 the plastic piece (B) can be removed and set aside (it will not be reused). Bolt 6 can be found behind where the latch cover was. When removing the last bolt be sure to support the door skin so that it doesn’t fall.

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Tech Tips/How To

3 This is the front driver side door. The front driver and passenger doors look similar; however the passenger door has a notch on the top front section so you can remove stock cover over the gas cap. The long straight folded edge is the top of the door and faces the inside the cab.

6 Next, install a long bracket with a 1-1/4” hex head flange bolt and nylock nut. The long bracket mounts to the lower rail of the door frame, towards the door latch.

4 This is the rear door on the driver’s side. The rear doors are identical. Like the front doors the flat folded edge is the top and faces inside the cab.

5

7

Start the install process of the front driver side door skin by mounting a short bracket to the lower rail of the door frame using a 1-1/4” hex head flange bolt and one nylock nut. The short bracket mounts towards the door hinge. The flat edge of the brackets face outward. Do not completely tighten any of the nuts/bolts until everything is installed.

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You can now set the door skin over the door frame and align the two upper holes in the door skin with the holes towards the top of the door frame. One hole is in the gusseted area by the latch and the other is in the gusseted area by the door hinge. Use two of the 3/4” button head bolts and nylock nuts to hold the top of the door skin in place.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

8 Use two of the 1/2” bolts and nylock nuts to secure the lower half of the door skin to the hanger brackets (arrows). Once everything is installed securely tighten the hanger brackets and door skin nuts/bolts.

9 Moving to the rear door, use a 7/16” drill bit to open up the top hole on the rear door frame.

10 Mount two of the long hanger brackets to the lower frame rail using 1-1/4” hex head flange bolts and nylock nuts.

The outer bracket gets mounted at the second hole from the end.

11 The inner bracket gets mounted at the first slotted hole towards the door hinge.

12 Next, align the lower mounting holes on the rear door skin to the holes on the hanger brackets and loosely secure the bottom of the door skin with two 1/2” button head bolts and nylock nuts.

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Tech Tips/How To

13

15

Place a 3/8” spacer between the door skin and door frame over the hole in the gusset nearest the door hinge. Use a 3/4” button head bolt and nylock nut to loosely secure the door skin and spacer to the frame.

14

Place a 3/4” spacer over the slotted hole in the gusset near the latch and use a 3/4” button head and nylock nut to secure the door skin to the frame. Once everything is aligned, tighten down all the hardware.

16

Using a 3/4” spacer, 2-1/4” button head, and nylock nut loosely secure the top of the door skin to the upper door frame rail (the hole that was drilled out with the drill bit).

Lastly install the weather stripping around the edge of each door skin and then repeat all the steps for the front and rear door skins on the opposite side of the vehicle.

With these AnnLynn door skins installed you and your passengers will now have a much more enjoyable ride as you’ll be protected from sand, rocks and branches flying into the cab area.

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Product Spotlight

SHOEI

NEOTEC II MODULAR HELMET

A

vailable for purchase in March of 2018 will be the newly redesigned Shoei NEOTEC II Helmet.

This modular motorcycle helmet is replacing the ever-popular Shoei Neotec modular helmet and is coming to market with significant advancements and upgrades to its predecessor. With this new helmet we are experiencing a similar “massive jump in technology” that we saw when the Neotec replaced the Multitec back in 2011. In short, the NEOTECH II from Shoei features improvements in nearly every aspect of its design and functionality. testing. This testing brought forth improvements for the integrated rear spoiler, Vortex Generator lip on the face cover and airtight window bead, all of which assist in managing airflow around the helmet while reducing wind noise. Noise management was additionally improved with the all-new “Noise Isolator” cheek pads which deflect wind helping to reduce unwanted noise.

The extensive time spent wind tunnel testing also allowed Shoei to look closely at how the air was being channeled through the helmet. This new NEOTEC II now features a more productive dual-layer EPS liner, a larger lower vent shutter increasing airflow and an all-new exhaust outlet flank with adjustable upper air intake. All of these improvements have made for a more voluminous intake of air with improved hot-air expulsion.

Weighing in at just 3.92 lbs. or 1780 grams (medium, matte blue, p/n: 375-0116-0132-05, MSRP: $699.00) the NEOTEC II features four different shell sizes and five different comfort liner sizes that make up the size run of XS through 2XL. This combination of shell sizes and comfort liners will allow users to truly get a custom fit with the smallest and lightest exterior shell possible.

Not only did the shell size change, the shape has been optimized and enhanced through extensive wind tunnel

Other areas of improvement for the NEOTEC II are the stainless steel Micro Ratchet Chin Strap, enlarged single-button chin bar release, distortion-free 3D injection-molded dropdown sun shield, a new eyeglass compatible interior, a fully removable, and washable 3D comfort liner. The NEOTEC II also features an intercomready design to integrate seamlessly with the Sena SRL communication system.

If you are in the market for a modular helmet this year, the Shoei Neotec II will not disappoint. Offered in six sizes with nine different colors this helmet will be a real head turner.

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Personal Profile He’s just a guy who loves motorcycles and who loves to ride motorcycles…almost daily that is.

Motorcycles of every shape and size as can be seen by the list of bikes he has owned: Previously owned bikes: Honda CR80, Yamaha YZ250, Honda CR500, Suzuki GS1100L, Honda VT1100C, Suzuki DRZ400 , Honda Magna V45, Yamaha FJR1300, Kawasaki ZX12R, Honda VFR800, Yamaha V-Star 1300, KTM 450 EXC, Kawasaki Concourse, Harley-Davidson Softail, Suzuki DR125, and a Honda CM400.

Still in his garage: Suzuki DR125, Honda, Yamaha TY250, Honda VTX 1300, BMW R1200GS ADV and KTM 950 Super Enduro

GET TO KNOW A CHAP MOTO EMPLOYEE:

KYLE BRADSHAW Typically in this column we will introduce you to a Chaparral Motorsports team member and give you some insight as to how they got into motorcycles, ATVs, or UTVs. We tell you about their childhood and the kinds of motorcycles and ATVs they learned to ride on and talk about some of the vehicles they’ve owned or currently own. In this issue we are going to do things a little bit different as we let Kyle Bradshaw, the newest addition to our marketing team, tell you a little about his life and how motorcycling has influenced his family.

Here’s a little background on Kyle and his motorcycle habits: Kyle sees himself as an allaround motorcyclist and an avid one at that.

He has ridden more than 500k miles on and off-road on many different genre of bikes.

While he has owned Harleys, he does not see himself as a “biker.” Having owned several Goldwings he does not see himself at a “touring guy.” And having owned several dirt bikes, he does not see himself as a “motocross guy.”

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IT’S IN THE BLOOD

Motorcycling has been a way of life in the Bradshaw family for longer than I can remember. Just this past September, for my father’s birthday, I just might have taken my Pops on the last motorcycle ride he may ever remember…

My family’s motorcycling history runs pretty

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

deep beginning with my grandfather, Ted Bradshaw, who rode a motorcycle in the Korean War. After the war he rode motorcycles for fun, he rode motorcycles for his commute, he rode motorcycles for the Utah Highway Patrol, and then he rode motorcycles for pleasure until his health took this way of life from him in 1990.

Dad was a lone wolf on his bike. Daily he would ride his bike back and forth to work, but raising a family of six, he did not have a lot of free time to ride for pleasure. Once a year, I can remember Dad jumping on his bike and disappearing for a week or so. He never had a plan, other than to ride, to take pictures, and to have his own motorcycle adventure. For someone without a plan, he always returned with stories of epic proportions.

June Lake was a destination he had referenced in multiple stories. “That’s it! June Lake it is!,” I thought to myself. Quickly I put together a ride, which would take us to that familiar and much discussed fairytale-ish location.

As far back as I can remember my father has owned and commuted daily to work on a Honda CB350. When I was three years old, we went to the Santa Clara Kawasaki dealership, where my father purchased my very first Bell helmet. I was placed in front of my dad, and hugged the tank as we rode home on his first brand new 1979 Kawasaki KZ1000. From that moment I was hooked and my father and I would build a lifetime of motorcycle memories.

In August of 2013 my motorcycle-riding father was diagnosed with Frontal Temporal Lobe Dementia, thus ending his life on two wheels.

His doctor applied for the revocation of his driver license and he was devastated. With a very short window of time before the DMV would follow through and the law would be informed, I wanted to take my father on one last ride. But where should I take him, I thought.

It was just about dark on the second Friday in August of 2013 when we headed towards the hills. Dad was stoked! With excitement similar to a child the night before Christmas, we talked about this ride we were about to embark upon… with a surprise destination. As we prepared to pull away from the house, we experienced the first of many small situations, which were signs that the doctor had made the proper driving restriction recommendations.

As I pulled up to the first stop sign, I noticed that Dad was not behind me, so I circled back to the house. He was there, flipping the Hi – Low headlight switch on and off. I pulled up to inquire and he exclaimed, “my bike won’t start!”

Damn disease I thought as I gently suggested why the bike was not starting. Once we “found the starter button” we were off and running.

I’m not going to lie, as we rode our bikes towards the Sierra Nevada foothills I began to question the sanity of this ride. “But he needs this.” I thought. “It’s in his blood!” As we reached Angles Camp, CA I figured it was time to call it a night, so we pulled over and settled into a little hotel.

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Personal Profile The next morning we got on our bikes, riding through Yosemite National Park, up and over Tioga Pass and down into the Mono Lake town of Lee Vining. After grabbing a quick lunch, we headed south on 395 towards the June Lake turn-off. As we got close, I could sense a little bit of confusion and excitement in my father’s body language. As we got closer to the turnoff, he waved me over to the side of the road.

Dad had known that I had planned a trip with a surprise destination, but now he wanted to take over, making the suggestion that we go check out June Lake! He was so excited to be able to show me where he had camped on several of his past motorcycle adventures.

Smiling on the inside, I agreed and up the road we headed.

The evening was great. We set up camp, enjoyed a great dinner and then took a short hike to watch the sunset high above the lake on a huge piece of granite. We sat there for hours, talking about life. How great it is on one hand, and how crappy it is on the other. Following a big sigh, he thanked me for taking him on this amazing trip. While it felt great, it was sad that this would be our last motorcycle trip together.

“Yes Sir!” I said and we headed back to camp.

Fast-forward four years to July of 2017… Lying awake at night, I just couldn’t rest thinking of ways to get Dad back out into the wind again.

At this stage in the game, getting onto the back of a motorcycle just wasn’t an option. So, what next? “That’s it, a sidecar! I will take Dad on a birthday ride in a sidecar,” I said to myself. So I went to work. I spent the few next months searching for a sidecar rental company. Striking out time and time again, I almost gave up.

It was at the Chaparral Motorsports Annual Monster Parking Lot Sale that a co-worker walked up and said, “I hear you are looking for a sidecar?” No way! Really?! Yes Sir! It just so happened that the co-worker had a 2010 Honda Gold Wing with a Hannigan sidecar and offered to let me borrow it. Just two weeks later, I jumped on the Honda and headed east to pick-up my father for a surprise birthday motorcycle ride into the mountains of Arizona!

Just epic!

While the trip was amazing, in the following days we experienced several more heartbreaking situations. The bike not starting due to the side stand being deployed, forgetting how to fasten the helmet, forgetting how to brake, and not remembering to put the side stand down before stepping off the bike, were just a few. We were blessed to share that last ride and in the end, we both new it was his last ride.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

Saturday morning my father and I jumped onto what he called “his chariot” and headed up the 17 into the mountains towards Flagstaff, Arizona. Jacket vents open on the valley floor with temps in the high 70’s my intention was to have us camp as we did years before. It’s Arizona… it can’t be that cold in the evening or so I thought. As we gained altitude, nearing the Mormon Lake area the temps dropped into the 40’s and it was only midafternoon. A quick Accuweather check showed that temps would drop below freezing overnight. Wow! We (or I… cough cough) were not prepared for that! So we found a hotel room in Flagstaff.

We enjoyed a nice meal downtown as we sat discussing the awesomeness of the trip.

Dad was enamored by the “race sled” that we were so generously gifted for the ride. As our conversation progressed, while waiting for the live music to begin, the topic of building a hack for the side of my BMW R1200GSA was tossed around. That could be fun, we both thought.

We could ride dirt roads, back to streams and lakes at which we could camp and fish. Pipe dream, maybe. But it was a fun conversation.

Sadly, that weekend in September will most

likely be the last time that my father will have the opportunity/ability to feel the wind in his face created by a motorbike. Thankfully we have had a lifetime of motorcycle experiences that we can reminisce on, bringing smiles to our faces and joy to our hearts.

I love Dad! Thank you for being strong as you work through the rest of your days. I will always be thankful for you and the life of motorcycling you have shared with me.

Your Son, Kyle

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Happenings

2017 CHAPARRAL MOTORSPORTS

MONSTER PARKING LOT SALE

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eyewear booth, and the Metal Mulisha booth that a few people rushed directly to in order to make sure they got exactly what they wanted before items sold out.

It’s hard to believe how fast time flies as this year marked the 31st annual Monster Parking Lot Sale. Coincidentally, there were 31 vendors who participated in this year’s event, which made for excellent shopping with attendees bouncing from booth to booth. The diversity in vendors covered the gamut from motocross gear suppliers such as ODI and FMF, ATV flag mounts and accessories from Stiffy, UTV accessories from Assault Industries, and street bike jackets and riding pants from Alpinestars.

As was the case last year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Parking Lot Sale, this year there was a scavenger hunt with more than 35 prizes donated from vendors. So on top of great deals and discounts attendees were able to score free swag if they were keen enough to spot one of the scavenger hunt tags hanging throughout the vendor area.

hile it may take more than a month of planning and prepping, the whirlwind that is Chaparral Motorsports’ biggest sale of the year, the annual Monster Parking Lot Sale, only lasts seven hours.

Eager with anticipation for deals and huge discounts, this year attendees started lining up as early as 5am on October 7th and once the gates dropped at 8am the crowd shopped non-stop until the registers closed down at 3pm.

In fact, with so many different vendors on site, everyone had their own agenda as to what they wanted to shop for first. Even though the massive crowd looked like they were about to storm the doors at a Black Friday sale, once the gates opened everyone peeled off towards their desired booths which made for a smooth and calm start.

Of course there were a couple spots like Oakley, the Fox

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The Chaparral vending area was a big draw with exceptionally low prices on roller gear bags, mx gloves, zippered hoodies, motorcycle helmets, and of course every type of ATV, UTV, cruiser, street bike, and dirt bike tire you could possible think of. It wasn’t long before there were boxes and deserted pallets that had been picked bone dry.

Between all the deals and prizes that were given away, there was plenty of opportunity for people to stack up on everything they needed and then some. We know for a fact that many people weren’t just at the Monster Parking Lot Sale to treat themselves, they were also there to get a big jump on their Christmas shopping. And just like Christmas, there’s a lot of buildup and excitement leading up to the big day and then it’s over in a flash.

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

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TMW Picks

8

3

10

7

9

1

6

4

5

2

Master Synergy 7.4 Women’s 1 Tour Heated Leather Gloves

TPG Winter Basegear Long Sleeve Shirt 6 Firstgear $69.95 (351-3732)

Heated Socks 2 Firstgear $69.95 (351-2962)

Racing Cold Weather Moto Sock 7 Fly $24.95 (132-350-0240-L)

$259.99 (03-8766-7405-75)

Heated Women’s Pant Liner 3 Firstgear $189.95 (351-2957)

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4

Firstgear Heated Rider Glove

5

Firstgear Dual Portable Heat-Troller

$129.95 (351-2809) $99.95 (351-2820)

Teton Long Sleeve Shirt 8 Klim $79.99 (261-3712-000-140-200) Tornado Advance Pants 9 Forcefield $64.00 (FF-5022-5L)

10 Fly Racing Mid Layer Pants $69.95 (132-354-6100L)

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Two Wheel Mania | Issue 7 | March 2018

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14

18

17

11

19

12

20

16

13 Warm Skin Balaclava 11 Schampa $14.95 (070-11136)

16 Bikemaster 1” Heated Grip

12 Zan Headgear Micro Fleece Neck Warmer

17 Alpinestars Guayana Gore-Tex Textile Jacket

13 Answer Racing Taiga Gloves

Master Blacktop Hooded Leather Jacket 18 Tour $324.99 (03-8740-0105-06)

Racing Legion Offroad Jacket 14 Fox $199.95 (260-17678-007-L)

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Tour Master Nomad Leather Chaps

20

Joe Rocket Latitude XL Leather/Textile Gloves

$11.98 (350-9206)

$64.95 (345-0402-0133-0054)

Tour Master Synergy 7.4 Women’s Heated 15 Textile Jacket

$69.95 (310-1997)

$699.95 (020-3602518-13-L)

$199.99 (03-8728-0105-06) $69.99 (225-1600-1104)

$221.99 (03-8761-0405-75)

Visit ChapMoto.com to see more Cold Weather Gear

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Head to Head

MOTORCYCLE LOCKS

MAKE SURE WHAT’S YOURS, STAYS YOURS

Fahgettaboudit Chain and New York Disc Lock

Keeper 5S Disc Lock

Detecto 7000 RS1 Pixel Disc Lock Alarm

Manufacturer: Kryptonite

Manufacturer: Kryptonite

Manufacturer: Abus

MSRP: $180.95

MSRP: $22.99

MSRP: $139.99

Colors: Black/Yellow

Colors: Hi-viz Yellow

Colors: Black/Red, Black/Hi-viz Yellow

Weight: 15 lbs.

Weight: 1.5 lbs

Weight: 1 lbs.

Lock Type: Chain and U-bolt disc lock

Lock Type: Stapler style disc lock

Lock Type: Disc lock

Lenght: Chain 5ft, U-lock 2.12”x1.86”

Lenght: 41.5 slot length, 5mm pin, 6mm slot width

Lenght: 9.8” x 5.5” x 3”

All it takes is a New York minute for your unsecured motorcycle to disappear, but snake this bad boy through your motorcycle frame and/ or wheel and like the name says, Fahgettaboudit. Sure you might not want to haul this beast around in your backpack or saddlebags but loop this dookie rope chain around a fixed object in your carport or the side of your house and you’ll have peace of mind knowing that it’ll take a thief with Samson-like strength to bust it apart. For those characters that try to use “brain instead of brawn” the unique hexagonal design of heat-treated boron manganese steel chain makes it difficult for bolt cutters to get a bite on. You could also just leave the chain behind and use the massive U-lock on your rotor at your various stops. The U-style lock features anti-pick and drill resistant disc style cylinders.

This little disc lock might be the least expensive of the three, but don’t let the budget minded price fool you. This is one of our bestselling motorcycle locks and for good reason. It’s compact and light enough to carry in a backpack or jacket pocket. The extremely tough construction, stapler style design, and dual reinforced disc style cylinder make it difficult for would be thieves to cut through or pick the lock. The 5mm pin makes this lock a great choice for rotors with extremely small venting holes. The bright yellow color not only acts as a theft deterrent but also helps you remember to remove the lock before you try to roll away. The DFS 10 comes with a bright orange reminder cable that can be attached to one end of your handlebars as an extra reminder to remove the lock before you ride away.

It’s a screamer! With its convenient one-handed operation and patented Snap n’ Go system you can easily clamp this lock through one of the holes on your motorcycle’s brake rotor and walk away—the Detecto 7000 RS1 will do the rest.

If somebody moves the lock, turns your handlebars, bumps your bike, or tries to roll the motorcycle away this little bugger will squeal like a pig with its deafening 100db alarm.

And if the ear piercing sound doesn’t send thieves running, the lock’s hardened steel construction will give them a hard enough time that chances are somebody will come to your motorcycle’s rescue. To assist with night time safety and security the Detecto comes with two keys, one of which has a LED light built in so you can see what you are doing when to go to unlock it from your rotor.

Visit Chapmoto.com for more motorcycle lock options

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CHAPARRAL® MOTORSPORTS 555 SOUTH H STREET SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92410

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

SAN BERNARDINO, CA PERMIT NO. 3152