2017 HONDA CRF450R - E-START OPTION - MORE POWER - LESS WEIGHT - NO AIR FORK
CONONDALE CLASSIC BEHIND THE SCENES WITH ANDO
KTM 450EXC-F BIG-BORE BOLTER
THE LATEST NEWS AND RACE RESULTS
THE POWER SHOT
PHOTO AARYN MINERDS
It’s been a long time since a Honda won an Open-class motocross title in Oz. Ando was the last guy to do it in 2008 on a bike built by the great Pip Harrison. Pip and Honda have hit the track with renewed enthusiasm and new blood. Can they find wins where they’ve been absent for so long? It’s going to be a tough ask in 2016 but we reckon it won’t be too far off.
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GEAR BAG
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5. ACERBIS PROFILE GEAR BAG
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The Limited Edition Venom Tech 10 fuses all the performance innovations of the iconic Tech 10 with an exclusive colour combination. Sporting a red lower chassis, light and dark blue upper shaft, and high-vis fluorescent yellow and white accents on the front. A visually stunning, high-performance motocross boot with a sophisticated and modern motorsports feel. The Venom Tech 10 is available from Alpinestars dealers, RRP $679.95
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Jake Moss Confirms Doping Allegations
THE FORMER MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI RIDER HAS TESTED POSITIVE TO THE BANNED SUBSTANCE OSTARINE.
BY HAYDEN GREGORY
In a statement made on his personal facebook page, Jake Moss confirms that he has been advised by Motorcycling Australia and ASADA that he has submitted a positive sample. Ostarine is a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) drug which has similar properties to anabolic agents. The drug if often a popular choice given it’s similarity to these agents yet lack of steroid-related side effects. Moss is currently claiming his innocence while attempting to challenge the results. This alarming news follows Moss’ decision late last week to step away from the Kawasaki team for family reasons. The full post can be seen below. "As you may know, I recently announced my retirement from racing. As I said at the time, this decision to retire was based upon my decision to focus on my family and career away from competitive Motocross ad Supercross racing. "I have recently been advised through Motorcycling Australia and ASADA that I have allegedly tested positive to Ostarine, which is prohibited substance under the World Anti-Doping Code. "I do not accept the results of the test and I am in the process of challenging those results through the appropriate processes." Dirt Action will follow this story very closely and update you on any new developments.
All Star Teams Named for Monster Energy SMX KTM AND HUSQVARNA HAVE UNVEILED THEIR SUPERSTAR SQUADS. BY HAYDEN GREGORY
KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer has joined Youthstream’s Giuseppe Luongo in announcing the KTM and Husqvarna teams for the inaugural Monster Energy SMX and Manufacturers Cup. A host of top line riders have been named adding to the appeal of the event. The Husqvarna team will consist of Jason Anderson, Max Nagl and Zach Osborne while KTM will field the top flight trio of Jeffrey Herlings, Marvin Musquin and Ryan Dungey. “I believe it will be the greatest event in the world and I have to really thank KTM because these teams will make the difference.” Luongo said, “My dream was to have an event like the Motocross of Nations but for the manufacturers. In Assen, the other manufacturers will announce their teams and believe me, they will be strong, so here we will have seven manufacturers who will have very strong teams, and to win will mean something big.” The Monster Energy SMX Riders and Manufacturers Cup is set to take place in Germany’s VELTINS-Arena on October 8. The event will be like no other showcasing each brands top tier athletes pitted against each other head to head. FIM Director Tony Skillington shared his excitement with the unique event. “As a true fan and enthusiast I think this is a brilliant event for our sport and
I think anybody with an interest in motocross will view this as a very very unique opportunity to see the best riders of the world, from both sides of the Atlantic, race each other. That alone should inspire people to come and support the event,” he stated. Team Honda has also named their three rider team featuring Tim Gajser, Evgeny Bobryshev and Gautier Paulin.
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Roczen Sweeps Unadilla KEN ROCZEN HAS SCORED HIS SEVENTH CLEAN SWEEP OF THE 2016 LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS By Hayden Gregory Justin Barcia got 450 racing underway with a holeshot ahead of Roczen and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac. It didn’t take long for hometown rider Roczen to find the front, taking control of the race by the end of lap one. Tomac soon followed into second place but all eyes were on Roczen who continued to pull away from the pack. The championship leader looked unstoppable out in front repeatedly clocking off fast laps to easily win his 15th moto of the season. Tomac held on for second place while Frenchman Marvin Musquin claimed third ahead of Barcia. In moto two, Roczen burst out of the gates scoring the holeshot ahead of KTM riders Musquin and Dean Wilson. The German rider once again got to work early, placing space between himself and all other chasing riders. Tomac would finish the first lap all the way back in ninth place. With Roczen looking set for a clean sweep, the battle was on for minor placings. A small mishap by Musquin saw him drop back to seventh while Bloss made a charge towards the front overtaking both Wilson and Nicoletti. Incredibly it only took a few more laps for Musquin to find his way back into second place as one by one he took down the leading riders. Tomac was also making a similar move forward reaching third place by the end of lap seven. A dominant Roczen was in a league of his own, taking the chequered flag once again to extend his 450 championship lead. "We had a great day today. The bike was great in these rough conditions and it was a huge help to be able to get into the lead early and ride my own race," said Roczen. "It feels good to get another 1-1 and get back on top of the podium. We'll go out next week looking to do the same thing." Musquin would beat Tomac for second in moto two and second for the round after the pair finished on equal points. Roczen now holds a 63 point championship lead over Tomac with only two rounds left to race. Musquin remains in third place 159 points off the pace.
450 Class Championship Standings 1 Ken Roczen, Germany, Suzuki - 484 2 Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Kawasaki - 421 3 Marvin Musquin, France, KTM - 325 4 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Yamaha - 276 5 Christophe Pourcel, France, Husqvarna - 217 6 Benny Bloss, Oak Grove, Mo., KTM - 183 7 Justin Brayton Fort Dodge, Iowa, KTM - 173 8 Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki - 171 9 Phil Nicoletti, Cohocton, N.Y., Yamaha - 168 10 Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM - 163
Webb Extends 250 Championship Lead COOPER WEBB HAS DOMINATED ROUND TEN OF THE 2016 LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP AT UNADILLA. By Hayden Gregory 250 racing got off to a troubled start with a huge crash on the opening lap resulting in a red flag and a restart to the moto. For the second time riders lined up behind the gates and Adam Cianciarulo scored the holeshot ahead of Cooper Webb, Arnaud Tonus and Joey Savatgy. Cianciarulo looked strong out front opening up a small gap between chasing riders and himself. It took until the halfway point of the moto until we saw the gap start to reduce with Webb making a charge towards the Kawasaki rider’s rear wheel. Once in sight Cianciarulo could do little to defend the pace of Webb with the championship leader bursting to the front. Webb would continue to pull away in a flawless second half to comfortably take the chequered flag by eight seconds. In the closing stages, Cianciarulo began to fade as Joey Savatgy and Aaron Plessinger both made their move to claim second and third places respectively. The second 250 moto kick started with a holeshot to Austin Forkner closely followed by Savatgy, Webb, Alex Martin and Aaron Plessinger. The rookie looked confident in the lead just one week on from his debut moto victory. Savatgy soon ran into trouble, falling off the pace before pulling out of the race completely on lap six. As witnessed in the opening moto, Webb started to turn on the pace late, closing in on Forkner before once again snatching the lead. Moments later a crash brought out a second red flag and due to the amount of racing that had been completed Webb was awarded moto victory ahead of Forkner and Plessinger. Webb finished 1-1 to score his fourth round win of the season. Plessinger (3-3) showed consistency to finish in second with rookie Forkner (7-2) earning his second consecutive podium result in third. "The restart definitely helped me in the first moto, but [Adam Cianciarulo] was riding awesome and I just hit my marks and slowly the race came to me. I was able to lay down some fast laps in the middle of the moto, which helped me make the pass and save energy towards the end," said Webb. "It was kind of a repeat in Moto 2. [Austin Forkner] got out front and opened a gap early, but my fitness is good right now and I began clicking off laps near the halfway point. Once I got into the lead I was feeling great and even thought I held onto the win, I was a little bit disappointed that the race got called early [with the red flag]." With two rounds remaining, Webb holds an 81 point lead in the championship with second placed Savatgy suffering a poor result in Unadilla finishing all the way back in tenth place. 250 Class Championship Standings 1 Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha - 422 2 Joey Savatgy, Thomasville, Ga., Kawasaki - 341 3 Alex Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha - 341 4 Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha - 321 5 Austin Forkner, Richards, Mo., Kawasaki - 293 6 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, Yamaha - 285 7 Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Husqvarna - 253 8 Adam Cianciarulo, Port Orange, Fla., Kawasaki - 197 9 Arnaud Tonus, Switzerland, Kawasaki - 195 10 Mitchell Oldenburg, Alvord, Texas, KTM - 190
MOTOR TEAM MOUTHUSA SELECTED FOR MXON COOPER WEBB, ALEX MARTIN AND JASON ANDERSON HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO REPRESENT THE UNITED STATES IN MAGGIORA, ITALY ON SEPTEMBER 25. By Hayden Gregory Cooper Webb will spearhead the team in the MX1 class. The Yamaha Yamalube rider is the defending AMA 250SX West Champion and current point’s leader in 250MX. Webb first represented USA in 2015, where the team finished second. "I'm looking forward to going back again this year and trying to win," Webb said. "Last year, we came very close, but still got second. We have another chance this year to win. I'm looking forward to redemption. Riding MX1 is a huge honour." Jason Anderson will also join the team in the MX1 class. This is Anderson’s first International selection and he is honoured to be heading to Italy. "Being the rookie and being off the whole summer, it is kind of crazy to be selected, but I'm up for the task and ready to do some work there," Anderson said. "Cooper and I on the 450s are definitely going to be able to battle for the front. And, if we get good starts, there's no reason we can't win. I'm going to race the Glen Helen GP and see where we are at coming into Motocross of Nations." The final member of Team USA, Alex Martin has previously ridden MXoN for Team Puerto Rico. Although it will be his first time in the red, white and blue, Martin believes his prior experience at the event could play a major role. "It's a huge honour to be chosen. It's kind of cool that I've been a part of the event twice now before with Team Puerto Rico. I saw how everyone treats the U.S. team and how it functions at the race, and now I'll get to experience that on the inside,” Martin said. "I think just knowing the drill [will be helpful. They operate a lot differently over there, with it being a two-day event rather than one-day. Practice is the day before. And I think the first time I raced in the event, I underestimated riders' abilities." Ryan Dungey opted out of Team USA, after committing to the SMX Cup a week later in Germany, while Eli Tomac also made himself unavailable due to workload. "Every year, it seems to be harder to get our Motocross of Nations team together, with racers' busy schedules and injuries," said Team Manager Roger DeCoster. "This is one of the youngest teams we have put together over the years, but I am confident these three guys can do the job." The United States have won the most FIM Motocross of Nations titles with 22.
MUSQUIN OVERLOOKED FOR TEAM FRANCE THE RED BULL KTM RIDER HAS SPOKEN OUT ABOUT HIS MXON NON SELECTION.
By Hayden Gregory The French Motorcycle Federation has denied Marvin Musquin a chance to represent his country in September after selecting Romain Febvre, Gautier Paulin and Dylan Ferrandis to defend the International title. Last weekend Ferrandis broke his arm at the MXGP of Switzerland and rather than call up Musquin, Benoit Paturel was named as a replacement. Musquin is currently third in the 450 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and has taken to Facebook to share his thoughts on the team. “A lot of people are expecting me to react since I wasn’t picked in the French Team for the Mx Des Nations, but It’s not for me to comment the federation’s choice. I will support the French Team 100% tho, and I hope we will keep the trophy in our country!” Musquin stated. “I also hope I will be part of the team Next year, in Glen Helen. I wanted to thank KTM for always giving me their full support for all the extras races I decide to be part of. They always gave me the best material for either the overseas Supercross or Mx Des Nations. “I’m really happy that I will be racing the Manufacture Cup in Germany on October 8th for the KTM Team. I will also be racing Lilles Supercross on November 12th and 13th, and Geneva Supercross on December 2nd and 3rd. So many occasions to see my Euro fans.” 250 Class Team France has won the last two Motocross of Nations titles. 1 Cooper W
372 2 Jeremy M - 321 3 Joey Sav - 319 4 Alex Mar 5 Austin F - 257 6 Zach Osb - 253 7 Aaron Pl - 245 8 Arnaud T
MOTOR MOUTH BY HAYDEN GREGORY
Sanders Extends AORC Lead Daniel Sanders has gone from strength to strength in the 2016 Yamaha Australian Off-Road Championship.
By Hayden Gregory Rounds nine and ten were held over the weekend in Monkerai, NSW, and once again Sanders has strengthened his hold on the outright title. The KTM rider swept both rounds with a time of 1:00:38.547. With only two rounds left to race, Sanders comfortably leads the E3 class ahead of Beau Ralston and Lachlan Stanford. KTM stalemate, Tye Simmonds, crossed the line in second place outright with Broc Grabham only a few seconds back in third. Husqvarna Racing’s Glenn Kearney was the standout rider in the E1 class showing great speed to finish ahead of Scott Keegan and Riley Graham. Simmonds and Grabham scored first and second respectively in the E2 class with CDR Yamaha’s Chris Hollis in third. Jemma Wilson was the pick of the women clocking a time of 1:09:57.965 to also strengthen her championship points lead ahead of Emelie Karlsson and Jessica Gardiner. Riders now get three weeks off before the final two championship rounds take place in Victoria on September 10-11.
CHAMPIONSHIP E1: 1. GLENN KEARNEY 2. SCOTT KEEGAN 3. RILEY GRAHAM 4. JACK SIMPSON 5. TOM KITE 6. BRAD HARDAKER 7. BAYLEE DAVIES
CHAMPIONSHIP E2: 1. TYE SIMMONDS 1 2. BROC GRABHAM 3. CHRIS HOLLIS 4. TOM MCCORMACK 5. GEOFF BRAICO 6. LUKE TISDALE 7. PETER CLARK 8. JARROD WILSON 9. NICHOLAS STOCKWELL 10. SCOTT DUNN
CHAMPIONSHIP E3: 1. DANIEL SANDERS 2. BEAU RALSTON 3. LACHLAN STANFORD 4. LYNDON SNODGRASS 5. MITCH BOWEN 6. BRAYDEN ZILLMAN
TRANSMOTO CHAMPIONSHIP EJ: 1. WIL RUPRECHT 2. JONTE REYNDERS 3. ANDREW WILKSCH 4. BEN KEARNS 5. FRASER HIGLETT 6. JAKE MCGLASHAN 7. DALTON JOHNSON 8. JACOB PEACOCK 9. JESSE LAWTON 10 KADE DORRINGTON
CHAMPIONSHIP VETERANS: 1. DAMIEN SMITH 2. ANTHONY GREENE 3. BJORN OSBORNE 4. SCOTT CAMPBELL 5. JASON PEARCE 6. KURT BROOMHALL 7. GUY WADE 8. JARROD EVELEIGH 9. TREVOR DUNCAN 10. SHANE COFFEY
CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN’S: 1. JEMMA WILSON 2. EMELIE KARLSSON 3. JESSICA GARDINER 4. SOPHIE COLDICUTT 5. KARINA BAILEY 6. BRITTANY RUBIE 7. IRENE VASILAS 8. KATE NORMAN
CHAMPIONSHIP MASTERS: 1. DEREK GRUNDY 2. ROBERT BAILEY 3. PETER SCHAPER 4. ANDREW CAIS 5. ROD KEARNS 6. DAVID PRATTEN 7. MAL DALTON 8. DANNY GUNNING 9. CRAIG HALE 10. COTT MCCLEAN
MOTOR MOUTH WEBB WILL JOIN REED IN THE 450 CLASS TO SHAPE A FORMIDABLE DUO.
REED AND WEBB TO SPEARHEAD FACTORY YAMAHA IN 2017
By Hayden Gregory Australian legend Chad Reed has signed a supercross only contract for 2017 which will see him build on the strengths of last year’s Factory Yamaha program. “I'm excited to get back to work with the Yamaha guys,” Reed said. “2016 was a great learning and rebuilding phase for me and for Yamaha going racing as a factory team again. We learned the bike and found our strengths and weaknesses.” Reed will be joined by Cooper Webb in the premier class a move which will no doubt add a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the team. “It’s a huge positive that we are able to use this time wisely to prepare for 2017, and the team and I are motivated to continue building. I think Cooper brings a new level of energy to the team. Youth has that natural way of upping the enthusiasm! I like that energy, and I’m looking forward to having him as my teammate,” Reed finished. Webb is a two time 250SX West Regional Champion and currently holds the 250 points lead in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. 2017 will see the youngster graduate to the 450 Factory team, a move he describes as a dream come true. “I’m really excited to be joining the Yamaha Factory Racing team,” Webb said. “It’s a dream come true for me, especially to be able to stay with the brand where I started my professional career. Also, it’s going to be great to team up with Chad. I met him a long time ago, and growing up, he was always my favorite rider. So, to be teammates with a legend is awesome. It’s going to help me tremendously to learn from him, and I can’t think of a better teammate to have as I move up to 450s full-time.” The announcement allows both riders ample time to prepare for the 2017 season, something which eluded Reed this year given his last minute deal.
Roczen now holds a 53 point lead in the 450 championship. Tomac sits all alone in second place with Marvin Musquin a further 73 points back in third.
250 Class 1 Cooper W 372 2 Jeremy M - 321 3 Joey Sav - 319 4 Alex Mar 5 Austin F - 257 6 Zach Osb - 253 7 Aaron Pl - 245 8 Arnaud T
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Official Honda Press Release
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2017 Honda CRF450R REIMAGINED AND MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER, THE 2017 CRF450R IS COMING
The 2017 Honda CRF450R; it looks different, feels different and delivers a whole new rider experiance - in plain and simple terms it’s faster, much faster. The CRF450R has defined the art of balance, with an engine that produces hard-hitting usable power in a race-ready package since 2002. It’s always been a machine that offers total control, together with the durability and longevity that Honda is long famed for. The 2017 model is reimagined, it’s the first ‘from the ground-up’ redesign of the CRF450R for eight years and packs a powered-up HRC designed engine with an 11% overall power boost and stronger torque right through the rev range. It gets an all-new seventh generation aluminium frame with new chassis geometry, lower centre of gravity and a titanium fuel tank making it lighter and more compact. The new CRF450R is fitted with factory driven 49mm Showa USD coil spring front forks, developed from a version supplied to MX race teams. They are everything one would expect from effectively race-spec suspension, the out of the crate fork action is supple, smooth and fully in control. For the very first time, an electric-start kit is available on the CRF450R. Kit specification and local availability will be announced later. The body is more compact with aerodynamically-efficient plastics with feature film insert graphics for optimum scratch resistance and a bolder effect. Large Project Leader (LPL) for the 2017 CRF450R, Mr M. Uchiyama described the new model as a complete change from previous models, “Nothing has been overlooked and we have been relentless in our effort to provide customers with a machine that’s ahead of the pack” he said. Direct input from Honda’s MX GP and AMA teams highlighted the need to develop a race partner with the unoquivical need to be first out of the gate, first into turn 1 and to punch out a blistering lap time. Honda have taken this literally with the design inspiration completely underpinned by creating a machine that is the ‘Absolute Holeshot.’ Mr Uchiyama talked of the central focus on ‘producing a new model with execptional engine performance, engine power, low centre of gravity and to offer outstanding rear wheel traction’ all in the one package. “We are proud to give a machine with this kind of performance to motocross lovers worldwide.” He added. It’s a lot to take in; a complete redesign and geometric rework that’s resulted in a stronger, lighter, sharper, faster machine... Christmas might arrive that little bit earlier this year.
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250 Class 1 Cooper W 372 2 Jeremy M - 321 3 Joey Sav - 319 4 Alex Mar 5 Austin F - 257 6 Zach Osb - 253 7 Aaron Pl - 245 8 Arnaud T
BIKE TEST: 2017 KTM 450EXC-F
B I G - B O R E
BOLTER KTM TOTALLY REBUILT A 450 THAT’S REGARDED AS THE FLAGSHIP OF ITS MODEL RANGE. IT COULD'VE GONE WRONG. IT DIDN’T STORY ASHENHURST PICS KTM/SEBAS ROMERO
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TM’s 450EXC-F has ruled the roost for some time now. Aside from Yamaha’s latest WR450F, there hasn’t been a single bike that could sustain an attack on the Kato’s position at the top of the heap. It has consistently been the best bike in its class for years. It’s been a while since it’s had dramatic changes but the corporate overlords have seen fit to not just fit a new set of forks or a radiator cap but rebuild it from the ground up along with the rest of orange model range. Was it worth it or did they do a 1997 CR250 and wreck it?
THE BARE BONES This is an all-new 450 EXC-F and it has a lot to live up to. The bike feels different but not dramatically so. The new bodywork has changed the familiar ergos slightly around the knees to the footpegs but, in an effort to make the bike lighter and centralise mass, KTM has done a great job of making big changes while keeping the feel pretty much exactly as we’re accustomed to. Also impressive is that the lowering of the bodywork hasn’t created any snags for boots. When we hear that a seat has been made slimmer, nightmares of past Gas Gas planks return. No need to stress here, though — the seat, which is rounder and shorter than the SX-F version, is comfortable and easy to move around on. The bike is fairly quiet and as a sign of the times the exhaust note won’t spin your beanie — but neither is it obnoxiously loud. It doesn’t need to be. As we were soon to find out, this bike is about the ride, not the noise. The bike we tested had the Traction Control switch attached, which you can buy from the Power Parts catalogue. It also doubles as an engine mapping switch. We reckon this is something you should order before you leave the dealer and you’ll see why as we head out and churn some dirt.
STANDOUT BITS & PIECES
DIRT CHURNING The very first thing that becomes blatantly clear when you first spin the wheels on the 2017 450EXC-F is that it’s light — five kilos lighter than the 2016 model, and that’s a lot. In fact I Googled five kilos and found out that that’s equal to two Chihuahuas (and I doubt you’ll learn that fact anywhere else but here in DIRT ACTION). It doesn’t feel overly small between your legs in comparison to the previous model but the reduced weight is impossible to miss. The 450EXC-F used to be a bit of a brute. Not as aggressive as the 520 if we go right back, but it wasn’t real subtle. In my opinion it’s been smoothed and
I t feels incredibly light. The 2016 was 111kg — this is 106kg. T he seat height is 10mm lower than on the 2016. T he cold-start button is released by pushing the throttle forward. T here’s no kickstarter. 5 6Hp at 50Nm — yeah, that’ll do us, thanks. T he engine is 2.4kg lighter than in 2016. N ew “no dirt” footpegs and gear lever are welcome additions. T he ODO lock-on grips are brilliant. F itting a lithium-ion battery was smart and saves a full kilo. C licker adjustment is at the top of each fork — no need to lie on the ground any more. K TM sees no benefit in aluminium frames and isn’t a fan of the air fork for off-road. A ussie models come with thermos fan standard. T he traction control/engine map switch is a must.
tamed a bit too much in recent years. Not that I can ride a 450 to its limits (nowhere near it) — that’s not really what I’m getting at. It used to be a bit of an animal and I liked that but the introduction of EFI ushered in a more user-friendly bike that was kind of missing an X factor. For 2017, the bike is more refined than ever, more technically advanced than ever, and what I like about the engine is that it’s exciting again. It could’ve turned out more vanilla but it’s not.
The bottom end is all about grunt and control at low speeds to pick through loose terrain and rock shelves without stalling or falling short on muscle. Our test track had a few sections that involved lower speed climbs on loose hills and some true single-trail that wound through close trees and singleline stuff through off-camber runs. The amount of control you can maintain on the EXC-F is impressive and a lot of that is thanks to the new crankshaft.
POWER PARTSPICKS Brought to you by KTM Newcastle
Genuine metal bashplate — don't leave home without one 79039074000 Traction control switch $189.99
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE ENGINE IS THAT IT’S EXCITING AGAIN. IT COULD’VE TURNED OUT MORE VANILLA BUT IT’S NOT About three years of work went into the development of the more powerful CPU, which is the bike’s electronic brain. Through this they could’ve tamed the bike more or taken it in any direction they wished. The Kato guys got it right for 2017 with a bike that comes alive sooner than the 2016 model and keeps building with no gaps in the range — and I mean no gaps. The EXC-F just pushes and pushes until your brain says, “Sorry, mate, lack of talent dictates you should back it down right now.” The new XPlor fork and shock combination is stunningly good for the average bloke, although I suspect it’s a bit too soft for gun riders. What’s surprising to me is how KTM managed to keep the 450 a fast and accurate-turning bike while making it more comfortable and plush than ever before. Usually the dreaded P-word signifies a comparison with a TT-R or the like, but the clever new frame in conjunction with the XPlor kit has managed to provide a ride that glides over the smaller trail trash but still handles big hits and corners well. That’s no easy task and it’s made a little harder with less weight and a more powerful engine, but it goes to show how the effort in centralising mass pays off. This is a well-balanced bike, better than the 2016 450, and will appeal to a greater range of riders. But more importantly it’s a better bike for the average rider. It’s more comfortable and more stable but at the same time has regained some more animal. We rode with the Traction Control off and we rode with it on. While we didn’t think the TC was a must for the 250 or 350, we reckon when it comes to the 450/500 you’d be mad not to use it. Once we had it on we left it on. Switching back and forth isn’t all that easy on the fly because of the stretch from the grip to the switch and the fact that the switch is built like a tank and takes a fair amount of pressure to activate.
So we left it on and found it was the best way to ride. The TC looks for spikes in the ignition that signify wheel spin and keeps it in check, which is just brilliant on slippery hills and keeping the throttle on through corners. There’s no shuddering like what some of you might be familiar with from the traction control you find on an adventure bike — you just get to the point where you know you’re going to lose traction and, well ... it just doesn’t happen. The bike keeps driving and, aside from the obvious fact that you’re putting good power to the ground, it’s also less fatiguing because you’re not struggling to control a rampaging big-bore. It doesn’t dull it beyond being a rocket, though, and in a lot of cases with TC applied you’ll actually be able to ride faster. The Brembo brakes are less aggressive than in previous years and I have to admit I prefer the old feel up the front, but I do like the rear, which had a smallerdiameter piston. You can fit SX pads in the front to regain that bite and I’d go that way if you love your current anchors.
TM FMF K Powercore 16 grey $799
79407940300 Factory seat wave $209
NEW HOTNESS KTM took a big chance redesigning a whole new range and the flagship 450 needed to be just right. It’s not only right, it’s better in pretty much every way. It’s difficult to compare it with another current model from the competition because nothing else feels anything like it. It’s lighter, faster, less fatiguing and more versatile. The balance makes it an easier bike to ride but it feels like it’s been let loose again and has some mongrel, albeit in a neater package. This is a game changer. It’s not the only one in the 2017 model range but it’s going to be one of the standouts. It’s a big step forward — one of the biggest in a single year we’ve ever seen — and KTM’s gamble has paid off. This is a bloody good 450.
TM Rear brake K caliper support with disc guard $259
FEATURE: INSIDE MSC
Mark at work on another masterpiece
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ENCH MARKS S T O R Y AND P HO T O G R A P H Y BAR RY ASHENHURST
An Aussie family in a rural backwater that came up with the world’s best steering-dampener is one of the untold success stories of the dirtbike world
M
aster toolmaker Mark Cumming made his first steering dampener in 1997. Back then it was a basic design with no adjustment, a seewhat-happens experiment. Mark says he cobbled it together in his spare time, although nothing this man does is really cobbling. Anyhow, he made this thing and gave it to a friend to try out at a New South Wales pony express in Canberra where the two of them were competing on identical Suzuki RMX250s. It was one of those events run in a forest — a dank, dark, slippery forest, the type of environment New Zealanders consider ideal terrain. So, old mate goes out with Mark’s prototype on his bike and after half an hour or something he comes back with this dirty big grin. He’s all worked up. The bloke can hardly contain himself. “Ya gotta ride with this thing. Ya gotta ride with it!” he yells, pointing at the dampener. “It’s bloody unreal!” Mark, being less prone to excitement, doesn’t get tangled up in his mate’s enthusiasm until he mounts the dampener on his own RMX and takes off on his first lap of the course, which naturally enough is bombed out with tree roots, busted branches lying everywhere and billions of pine needles that slide every which way, even in a light breeze. Mark’s racing through all this stuff, you know, dodging and weaving and what have you. Pretty soon he’s taking less notice of the gnarly stuff — or the worst of it, anyway — because the steering dampener’s working like a voodoo spell and he’s tracking straight where he should be flailing and bashing and ricocheting all over the place. In short, he’s having a grand old time with all the other mad gangbangers. Then a major thought lodges itself in his scone: “Hey, this thing’s pretty damn good!” That might have been the start of something big, or medium-size, anyway, but it took a while for Mark to get serious about making dampeners for money. He made a few, a dozen or so, for his mates at the Central Coast Dirt Riders Club and that turned out all right, but it wasn’t until John Hall started to push that he began to see a bigger picture. John, then the owner of Cessnock Motorcycles, saw what Mark was doing in his spare time and suggested he make adjustable dampeners that John could sell. He’d fit them to the TMs he was importing and the big black VORs that would follow. “John started buying these dampeners 20 or so at a time”, Mark recalls. “In fact, he was selling so many that he was coming back to me more often than I wanted him to. I was in a bit of a bind, really. We were still involved with my plastic injection-moulding operation in Gosford [NSW], where we employed 30 people. I was busy all the time and didn’t feel like bashing out steering dampeners all bloody weekend, but John was a good friend of ours and I guess his enthusiasm infected me.” It turns out that, not long after contracting John Hall’s enthusiasm, Mark’s company in Gosford was bought out by a larger competitor. As a result, Mark was unwittingly thrust into the corporate world of snarky back-biting. After much too long, he says, he had one of those gotta-get-outta-here moments. He’d had a gutful. These weren’t the sort of people he wanted to spend his working life with so he resigned — chucked it all in. He then went home to discuss with his family what they might do next to afford some of the things they’d become accustomed to, like food.
The family that makes dampeners together stays together: Vaughan (left), Mark and Simone
There are now three MSC dampener designs, all with the same valving but mated to “God knows how many mounting kits” for 100 different dirt bikes, adventure bikes and road bikes
The first one ever made (far left) and the latest versions
Vaughan Cumming
Cross-section of MSC product
WHAT NOW? Mark’s wife Simone is a no-nonsense woman. She saw a path through the fog and summed up the situation as only a wife can. Without a preamble of any sort, she suggested that Mark and their son Vaughan, also a toolmaker, fire up the secondhand CNC milling machine sitting in a corner of the workshop and start cranking out the world’s best steering dampeners.
Well, she didn’t say it in exactly those words, you understand, and Mark didn’t appreciate right then that he’d end up making a rotary vane dampener that would be considered world’s best. But he got the point his beloved was making and before long the Cumming corporation was building a new family business in quaintly rural Mangrove Mountain, about a 60-minute drive from Sydney. Twenty years later they’re still at it, all three of
them. Business has been so good that the Mangrove Mountain factory is being expanded to include a new assembly area, a larger office and a workshop where customers’ bikes can be worked on. More undercover area will house an enlarged anodising operation, which looks and smells like a meth lab but can add a lustrous, micron-thick layer of long-lasting colour to metal. (The Ralle-Moto logo on some MSC dampeners is engraved straight through the anodising to a depth of depth of .15mm. You can see it but barely feel it.) Mark says he and Vaughan are “cursed with ideas”: they have mental plans for prototypes stacked to the roof. But, back then, Mark was also cursed with a smart wife and a son who obviously shares his dad’s gift for cutting up four-metre lengths of aluminium bar and turning the metal cakes into something functional and, as it happens, beautiful. Vaughan Cumming jokes that he started making parts for steering dampeners when he was a schoolkid of 14, which in his opinion qualifies as child labour, but he obviously enjoys the manufacturing process. He considers it creative, which it is, yet is comfortable as only a toolmaker or watchmaker can be with the incessant demand for exactitude. A world-class steering dampener is a precise artefact, a beautiful thing, and the smaller it gets, the more jewellike it becomes. Because five- or 10-weight hydraulic oil is pumped under pressure in these tiny machines and can’t be contained with a conventional seal, the rotary vane in an MSC dampener is built to a tolerance of one 100th of a millimetre. Engines are built to similar tolerances.
When business is bopping, MSC can turn out 1000 dampeners annually and today, says Mark, half their sales go to overseas clients. The company doesn’t sell dirtbike dampers into the US — Scott and GPR have that market clobbered — but is selling more adventure bike dampeners in America because MSC is the only company making them specifically for these big, fast, heavy machines. There are now three MSC dampener designs, all with the same valving but mated to “God knows how many mounting kits” for 100 different dirtbikes, adventure bikes and road bikes. Mark produced the first adventure bike dampener in 2009 and that device is now up to its third iteration. Product is continually being refined, of course, but with a product this good, improvements can be made only in fractions of a millimetre. The only components not manufactured in house these days are O-rings, screws and oil. The housings are aluminium while the linkage arm and all the moving parts are shaped from billet steel. “It’s not the cheapest way to make a dampener,” says Vaughan, “but it’s the only way to make one that will last”.
NEW PRODUCT The adventure bike market is growing and MSC is attempting to cash in on that by designing and manufacturing oversize footpegs — no surprise there; the pegs on my V-Strom are like pencils — so you’ll soon see a number of oversize pegs for adventure bikes, built to the same exacting MSC standards. The company also has a prototype up and running for a mountain bike dampener. I’ve seen it. It looks like jewellery; Antiques Roadshow would swear it was made by Fabergé. But, in reality, since some pedallers are now spending up to and including $10,000 on their pushies, the market for dampeners among these well-heeled enthusiasts could be bigger than huge.
The company also has a prototype up and running for a mountain bike dampener. I’ve seen it. It looks like jewellery; Antiques Roadshow would swear it was made by Fabergé
MSC dampeners are respected and sought after worldwide. Some of the most successful riders and race teams use them and wouldn’t swap for quids. And they’re winning fans in the most unlikely places. A bunch of dirt riders bought MSC dampeners for bikes they ride in northern Alaska. In winter. In most cases you can keep track of who buys what. In fact, that’s Simone’s main job: deciding what the trends are, which model dampener they should make and how many. But sometimes an order comes out of the blue and takes you by surprise, making you wonder who the customer is, what he’s riding — is he with friends or is he alone? An American soldier rang the office on a satellite phone from Baghdad one night and ordered two dampeners for his BMW F800 back home in the US. About a year later the soldier’s dampener arrived back in Mangrove Mountain for servicing. It’s still there. Simone wasn’t able to contact the soldier or his family to return it. They never heard from him again.
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