On the Pegs Magazine - 02 February 2018 by On the Pegs

CODY WEBB TALKS KTM FUEL INJECTION

The Big Picture

AND GAM PICKY, PICKY

David Garza picks his way though a rocky creek bed at the revent RevLimiter Extreme Enduro in Decatur, Texas. The event was won by Cody Webb. Look for full coverage elsewhere in this issue,

PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE

The Big Picture

AND GAM BLAST OFF

Cody Webb launches out of Jarvis Falls en route to the overall win at the RevLimiter Extreme Enduro in Decatur, Texas.

PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE

The Big Picture

AND GAM IMPACT!

TRS factory rider Adam Raga absorbs a harsh impact in a section during the recent Sheffield Trial in England. Raga finished second in this year’s event after winning it in 2016.

PHOTO COURTESY JOHN HULME - TRIAL MAGAZINE

The Big Picture

AND GAMES

TESTING, 1,2,3

Jordan Ashburn rips through a turn on his Beta 430 during a stesting session at his home in east central, Tennessee.

PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE

AND GAMES A LONG JOURNEY

Matthias Walkner guided his Red Bull KTM to first overall at this year’s two-week-long Dakar Rally in South America.

PHOTO COURTESY MARCEL MARAGNI/ REDBULL CONTENT POOL

THE LOOP

News and Culture From The World Of Trials, Offroad and Extreme Racing

BETA SIGNS CABESTANY

SPANIARD JOINS BRIT ON ITALIAN MARQUEE

Beta Motorcycles recently announced that Albert Cabestany will be part of its Factory Team for the 2018 season in what will be a welcome return after the Spaniard conquered the World Trial Indoor Championship (X-Trial) with Beta in 2002. In addition to the 2002 World Title, Cabestany has been runner up 7 times and also third 6 times.

The Tuscan company has now completed the line-up of the Beta Factory Trial Team, which in 2018 has two top riders, James Dabill and Cabestany, with the aim of returning among those competing to win. For Cabestany, the program for the next season will involve the Trial World Championship and in the Spanish Trial Championship.

“I’m really happy to come back to Beta” said Cabestany. “The chance to ride this bike arrived in the right moment, because it is exactly what I need to motivate me so I can give my absolute best. I feel again the joy of riding a trials bike, and it suits my style perfectly. I want to thank Lapo Bianchi, Donato Miglio, Beta Trueba and Joan Pons for all the effort they put into this project and most of all, the motivation and commitment they showed to me from the first second we met. I will try to help the team with my experience and try to put the bike in the top places of the podium as it deserves. It will also be a good experience to have a strong teammate like Dabill because in the past all the weight of the team has been on my shoulders, and for sure I can learn lots of things from him. I would also like to thank the support of my fans at the end of the year, because this has encouraged me even more to fight for the top position’s in the World and Spanish championships”.

GNARLY ROOTS ANNOUNCES TEAM BOBBITT GOES FOR SIXTH TITLE

Gnarly Routes, a premium off-road motorcycle tour company, announced today its launch and partnership with five-time AMA National Enduro champion, Russell Bobbitt, past AMA National Enduro competitor, Cole Kirkpatrick, and multiple select partners.

In 2018, Bobbitt will chase his sixth AMA National Enduro championship aboard a Gnarly Routes KTM 350 SX-F. Bobbitt also plans to attend select high-profile races. He will focus his time outside of racing on offering premium guided motorcycle tours.

Bobbitt and Kirkpatrick will take participants on guided rides at some of their favorite locations throughout the United States. Gnarly Routes offers a rental fleet composed of multiple 2018 KTM 250 XC-W TPI and KTM 350 EXC-F motorcycles. The rental bikes are replicas of Bobbitt and Kirkpatrick’s motorcycles, featuring the same high-end components from various off-road companies.The five tours scheduled for 2018 will take place in Texas, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho with an additional adventure tour on dual-sport KTM 1090 Adventure R motorcycles. Bobbitt will also attend multiple dual-sport events as a KTM Adventure Ambassador. A full schedule of tours will be published at gnarlyroutes.com with dates and more specifics coming soon.

Beta AMA National Dual Sport Series 2018

Schedule Announced

The American Motorcyclist Association’s 2018 schedule for the Beta AMA National Dual Sport Series, presented by Kenda Tires, includes 16 multiday rides organized by AMA-chartered clubs and promoters. The routes feature some of the best riding opportunities throughout the United States on private and public land.

One lucky participant in the series will win a new motorcycle from title sponsor Beta USA. Beta’s lineup can be seen at www.betausa.com.

Additional participant prizes or AMA member deals and discounts will be offered by series sponsors Kenda Tires, ADV Moto and Seat Concepts.

AMA Recreational Riding Manager Heather Wilson said the terrain for these events may vary widely. In the East or Midwest, the courses often involve woods riding, with gravel or dirt roads connecting riders to multiple woods sections. In the West, a course is often a mix of sand and dirt, marked by significant elevation changes and wide expanses of open country.

“This segment of riding has captured the interest of both racers and recreational riders,” Wilson said. “It’s common to see a group of riders planning a camping and riding trip on social media months in advance and then sharing their stories after the event. The camaraderie in dual-sport motorcycling is exciting to see.”

The AMA National Dual Sport Series, which dates to 1987, is once again backed by Beta USA, who will be donating a Beta motorcycle to be raffled to a series participant at the end of 2018.

“All of us at Beta are very happy to continue for three more years with the AMA and the national dual sport series,” said Beta USA President Tim Pilg. “We have

enjoyed handing out goodie bags at the events, and many of our dealers look forward to attending upcoming events with a Beta display.”

Pilg said Beta’s RR-S dual sport models represent a quickly growing category in the United States.

“It makes perfect sense to continue to grow with the series,” Pilg said. “Not to mention, giving a new Beta motorcycle away to one lucky winner each year!” Follow the series’ official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AMADualSport. Post your photos from the events on social media using #AMAdualsport.

2018 Beta AMA National Dual Sport Series, presented by Kenda Tire

• April 14-15: Bybee, TN.: Slate Creek Adventure Ride: Appalachian Trail Riders

• April 21-22: Stanton, Ala.: Perry Mountain Tower Run Dual Sport Ride: Perry Mountain Motorcycle Club

• June 2-3: Bixby, Mo.: Show Me 500 National Dual Sport Ride: Midwest Trail Riders Association

• June 2-3: Lock Haven, Pa.: Durty Dabbers Great Adventure Dual Sport: Durty Dabbers

• June 9-10: Wabeno, Wis.: Ride for Research: Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders

• June 22-24: Big Bear, Calif.: Big Bear Run: Big Bear Trail Riders

• June 23-24: New Blaine, Ark.: Ozark 200: Arkansas Dirt Riders, Inc.

• July 21-22: Logan, Ohio: Copperhead National Dual Sport: Hocking Valley Motorcycle Club

• Sept. 8-9: Dover, Tenn.: Land Between the Lakes 200 National Dual Sport: K T Riders

• Sept. 8-9: New Plymouth, Ohio: Baby Burr National Dual Sport: Enduro Riders Association

• Sept. 22-23: Wabeno, Wis.: Big Woods 200: Wisconsin Dual Sport Riders

• Sept. 22-23: Buck Meadows, Calif.: Yosemite Dual Sport Adventure: Family OffRoad Adventures

• Oct. 6-7: Mount Solon, Va.: Shenandoah 500: Washington Area Trail Riders

• Oct. 13-14: Columbus, Ind.: Buffaloe 500 National Adventure Ride: Stoney Lonesome Motorcycle Club

• Oct. 20-21: Prescott Valley, Ariz.: Howlin’ at the Moon: Arizona Trail Riders

• Nov. 3-4: Port Elizabeth, N.J.: Hammer Run: Tri-County Sportsmen

• Nov. 23-24: Palmdale, Calif.: L.A. - Barstow to Vegas: District 37 Dual Sport

The series schedule and detailed information about the events can be found at www.americanmotorcyclist.com/Riding/Dual-Sport-Riding.

UTE CUP DATES SET

The Rocky Mountain Trials Association has announced the date for the 2018 Ute Cup Trial. The two-day event will take place on August 18-19 on the Rainbow Trail near Salida, Colorado. Entries are $50 per day.

The Ute Cup is known for its unpredictable alpine weather, with epic trails typically reaching above the tree line at 11,000 to 12,000. As usual, sections do not include splits, with all riders competing on the same line. The difficulty may be described as Intermediate to Advanced.

The 2017 winner was Ryan Young.

This year’s Trials Marshalls will be Scott Jordan and Paul Smith. Riders can compete as individuals and on teams. For more information, contact Stan Hensley at 719-564-6476. Also, check out the RMTA website at www.rockymountaintrials.org.

BEN SPIES OUT

Just weeks before his scheduled return to national off-road competition at the opening round of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series, Ben Spies suffered a broken scapula in a practice crash at his family ranch in southeast Texas. Spies was preparing for the enduro opener when the setback occurred.

In addition to the broken scapula, Spies suffered a collapsed lung in addition to a couple of broken ribs.

The former World Champion road racer and MotoGP star had planned on racing most of the national enduro series in addition to select Full Gas Sprint Enduro rounds in 2018.

Spies, who won three consecutive AMA Superbike championships, the 2009 World Superbike title, and one MotoGP race, was forced to retire from road racing four years ago due to a nagging shoulder injury. Luckily, it was the opposite shoulder he injured this time.

“I’m super bummed I’m going to have to miss the first two or three rounds of the @nepgenduro series,” Spies posted on his Instagram feed. “Super bummed as I felt I was getting into a rhythm with everything on the bike. The games we play!”

Be sure to check out the interview On The Pegs did with Spies just days before his accident. You can find it in the off-road section of this issue.

2018 BETA EVO

COMPETITION READY

The 2018 Evo Factory editions are perfect for trials riders who want a bike equipped with all the technical and aesthetic features that make it truly competition-ready.

Beta has launched three 2-stroke versions on to the market (125, 250 and 300 cc) plus a 4-stroke version (300 cc). The new Evo Factory range has undergone considerable refinement, ensuring an even higher performance along with Beta’s proven reliability.

As Italy’s only trials bike manufacturer, Beta is the undisputed global market leader and has introduced numerous technical upgrades across the entire Factory range. These upgrades join the new features already introduced on the Evo standard 2018 models, putting the Evo Factory models at the very pinnacle of the trials market.

2018 Beta Evo Factory Edition 4-Stroke

ENGINE

As is the tradition on Evo bikes, the engine plays a pivotal role. It ensures user-friendliness and outstanding rideability without ever compromising on performance. The new Evo Factory’s continue their dominance with the following upgrades:

2-Stroke

Black magnesium engine covers: Compared to the standard version, these provide major weight savings along with an eye-catching design.

Titanium head pipe: Boosts performance significantly and reduces weight.

Profiled clutch discs: Provides a more progressive feel under the most extreme conditions.

Combustion chamber with speciallydesigned volume and squish (300 cc 2

stroke only):Increases power improved torque. Painted red for a stunning ‘racing’ look.

New electronic control unit (ECU): Provides greater sparking power. This increases over-rev.

Red anodized engine oil plug.

4-Stroke

The 300 cc 4-stroke engine on the new Evo Factory MY 2018 is equipped with a lighter titanium silencer that increases power output down low while adding more delivery at the higher revs.

CHASSIS

(2-Stroke & 4 Stroke)

To make the new Evo Factory a true competition-ready bike capable of competing at the highest level across all categories, much of the design work

has focused on the suspension. More specifically, the differences with respect to the Standard versions are as follows:

Fork with compression and rebound adjustment: Riders can fine-tune their fork action with a rebound adjuster at the top of the fork leg and a compression adjuster at the bottom.

Black anodized triple clamp: Provides greater lightness and rigidity.

Rear suspension with longer travel and adjustment of both compression and rebound: Settings have been refined even further thanks to more progressive hydraulics and a more stable setup that provides outstanding benefits in traction to the rear wheel,

especially in pre-obstacle compression and launch. On the version for the twostroke models, easier access to controls now allows quicker, simpler adjustment of the settings.

Progressive linkage: More sensitive and progressive, works with the new shock for better traction and more thrust over tall obstacles.

Lanyard-type kill switch: For safety and regulations of some club events.

Black anodized bar end plugs: To protect the grips and throttle tube in the event of a fall.

Red anodized chain adjusters.

Machined foot pegs in with non-slip steel teeth: Maximum boot grip even

under extreme conditions and significant weight reduction.

Racing brake discs: More powerful braking, weight savings and a more aggressive look.

BrakTec brake and clutch master cylinders: For improved brake and clutch feel.

Rear brake caliper with brake pad anti-vibration system: Reduces rear brake squeal.

Michelin tires for all engine sizes, ensuring the best performance on the market:

• X11 (for 2-stroke 250 and 300 cc and 4-stroke 300 cc versions): tires that ensure outstanding stability, as dem-

onstrated by top riders in international competitions.

• X-light (for 2-stroke 125 cc version): highly suited to a light bike/rider combination.

New graphics: For a true racing look

Prices are unchanged for 2018!

Prices: (MSRP)

125 Factory $7799.00

250 Factory $8299.00

300 Factory $8499.00

300 4-Stroke Factory $8599.00

*Plus $319.00 destination, sales tax, and other dealer license fees.

Availability: February

2018 SHERCO FACTORY NEW RANGE

Sherco recently released specs on its complete RR off-road lineup for 2018, including a slick looking 125 with a frame slightly different from its big brothers to suit the smaller displacement engine. Here are the specs:

125 SE FACTORY

Technical points:

• Compact powerful engine

• Optimized engine cooling system

• Rotary valve (powerful, solid, reliable)

• Redesigned cylinder head / double segment piston

• Optimized crankshaft

• VForce 4R Reed Valve System

• Powerful 220W ignition

• 125 specific geometry

• Blue anodized Excel rims

• WP XPLOR fork with compression spring adjustment

• New rear brake disc

Evolutions:

• Neken fork triple trees: weight gain of 15%

• “Diamante” Sella Dalla Valle gripper seat cover

• New Galfer front brake disc

• New neon yellow handlebar pad

• Dual material rear sprocket

• Ultra-strong in-mold graphics Factory kit

250/ 300 SE FACTORY

Evolutions:

• Neken fork triple trees: weight gain of 15%

• “Diamante” Sella Dalla Valle gripper seat cover

• Ultra-strong in-mold graphics Factory kit

• New Galfer front brake disc

• New neon yellow handlebar pad

• Dual material rear sprocket

• Optimized engine cooling system

• New regulator for the battery charging system

• Electrical harness: stronger and more flexible

• New Ignition coil: more powerful which produces better engine performance

• New FMF exhaust system

• New engine cylinder: 15% weight reduction, new cylinder porting which improves traction and control.

• New combustion chamber: optimizes engine flexibility

• New water temperature sensor to control ignition timing based on engine temperature

• New exhaust valve: Tighter control of the piston-valve clearance to guarantee a better fit. Reduction of the number of moving parts.

250 / 300 / 450 SEF FACTORY

Technical points:

• Redesigned gear election drum

• New injection mapping

• Crankshaft with viper head rod (durability-

performance) on 250/300 cc

• Optimized piston (improved life and more compression) on 300 cc

• Modification of the oil supply system (temperature control - efficiency) on 450 cc

• Redesigned gas pump

• WP 46 shock absorber (outstanding shock absorption) on 250/300 cc

• WP XPLOR fork with compression spring adjustment

• New rear brake disc

• Akrapovic complete exhaust system

• Blue anodized Excel rims

Evolutions:

• Neken fork triple trees: weight gain 15%

• “Diamante” Sella Dalla Valle gripper seat cover

• New Galfer front brake disc

• New neon yellow handlebar pad

• Dual material rear sprocket

• New regulator for the battery charging system

• Ultra-strong in-mold graphics Factory kit

SECTION 8 A = A, B = B, C = C WE MIGHT BE CRAZY, BUT...

By Erek Kudla – AMA Off-Road Racing Manager

Starting at the beginning of 2017, I had been tasked with something core to the AMA’s role as a sanctioning body. While I was hoping the AMA International Six Days Enduro Qualifier Series would be my signature movement, it has been quickly overshadowed by something much bigger. Classification. This is something that has been a touchy and all together miss-managed subject for the last 50 year, but AMA congress (made up of AMA delegates from all of the districts and clubs across the United States) has made brought it to the forefront with the introduction of the “AMA Advancement” portion of the rulebook.

Classification, at least proper classification, refers to riders riding in the correct class across the board. Being from the West Coast, which is spanned by only three AMA districts, classification was always straightforward. “I’m a B rider…so I race B.” and that was it. I’ve discovered that on the East Coast and into the Midwest, classification is a bit more complicated.

For example, there’s a common practice of riders competing at one level in local events (say, the B class) and at another level in national series (say, the C class), especially by riders who compete in non-AMA-sanctioned series between nationals. When asked, these riders will cite “increased competition” as the reason they bump down. My response: That’s what a national is! It’s nationallevel competition. It’s supposed to be harder than the local series. It’s not supposed to be easy.

I’ll offer myself as an example. On the West Coast, I am normally a top 10 overall rider locally. I could be on the starting line, check out the competition and be able to say “I’ll be 7th today” and was usually right there. When I would go to a round of the AMA National Hare and Hound Championship Series, I would struggle to finish inside the overall top 50. That’s how it’s supposed to work. The competition is tougher. Period.

Part of the confusion is probably rooted in the AA designation. AA and “pro” designated classes are added by the series promoter to identify the highest level of competition. In many

case, a local AA series rider may not be classified as AA nationally. In this case, these A riders can’t compete in the highest classification. Many observers then conclude that since these A riders “drop down” (even though they don’t), then B riders drop down, as well as C riders. This is also not the case. There are only 3 classifications in AMA: A, B and C. AA- and pro-designated classes are just additional A classes added by the series. They’re still A riders.

Furthermore, “pro” in this case is not a reference to AMA Pro Racing, which requires an AMA Pro Racing license for the relevant discipline. In AMA-sanctioned off-road racing, we only need an AMA membership to compete. We do not have to buy or qualify for an AMA Pro Racing license, which is required for professional motocross, Supercross and the MotoAmerica-promoted AMA Superbike Championship. In all off-road AMA National Championship Series— AMA National Enduro, GNCCs, AMA National Hare and Hound, the AMA/NATC National MotoTrials Series—the “pro” classes are the designated top classes. They are still an A class.

The AMA rules are very clear on classification. If you’re an A, then you’re an A, you’re an A. There is no way to have dual classification, unless you are an off-road racer racing motocross or track racing or vice versa. In that case, you can vary by one skill level. For example, if you are an A enduro rider and you would like to race motocross, you can race no lower than the B class. If you are an A motocross rider, you can race no lower than B in GNCC, etc. If you’re caught riding out of class, the penal-

ties are severe and can be as high as a one-year suspension. So, don’t do that please.

The AMA wants to keep competition fair and balanced for all classes. Sandbagging will not be tolerated. Everyone isn’t piling into the C class for some trophies while the true C riders are left scratching their heads. The riders themselves need to help police this for the good of the sport. If you see a rider riding down a class, let us know. Also, if you see this happening, don’t wait until halfway through the season. That just sucks for all parties involved.

For riders who feel they are improperly classified, there is an entire classification/appeal process outlined in the AMA rulebook (section 2.1 in the off-road version). But whatever you do, don’t “move yourself down.” You must follow the procedure in the rulebook. The 2017 rulebook is online now, so download it, save it on your phone and keep it with you!

Finally, the AMA Results Center is full of all the results sent to us from across the entire United States. This is a great way to see where you and your competition stand! If you don’t see results listed from an AMA-sanctioned race you know happened, contact the organizing club and remind them to submit the results to the AMA so you can track yourself throughout your entire racing career. n

Thanks always to Don Williams for the use of the phrase “Section 8”!

SMAGE RIDING TECHNIQUE PAT

FOR THE NEXT YEAR, NINE-TIME US MOTOTRIALS CHAMPION PAT SMAGE WILL BE BRINGING US MONTHLY RIDING TIPS DESIGNED TO MAKE YOU A BETTER RIDER. AND WHO DOESN’T WANT TO BE A BETTER RIDER? WHETHER YOU’RE A TRIALS RIDER OR AN OFF-ROAD ENTHUSIAST, WE’RE CERTAIN YOU’LL BENEFIT FROM PAT’S TIPS, SO SIT BACK AND TAKE IT ALL IN. BE SAFE AND DON’T FORGET TO PRACTICE WITH A BUDDY!

ANGLED LOGS

BETA RACING P3 CARBON FIBER SKID PLATES & PIPE GUARDS

WWW.BETAUSA.COM

Beta recently announced its new Beta Racing - P3 Carbon-fiber Skid plates, Pipe guards, Brake Disc guard, & Frame decals. These new Beta exclusives are branded with the Beta Racing by P3 logo, and are in stock & available through your Beta Dealer & Beta BYOB program.

• P3 Carbon Skid plate 2015+ 4-Strokes, AB-21246 Retail: $199.00

• P3 Carbon Skid plate 2013-’17 2-Strokes, AB-21245 Retail: $199.00

• P3 Carbon Skid plate 2018+ 2-Strokes, AB-21251 Retail: $199.00

• P3 Carbon Skid plate 2015+ XTrainers, AB-21247 Retail: $199.00

• P3 Carbon Pipe guard 2013+ 2-Strokes, AB-21240 Retail: $169.00

• P3 Carbon Pipe guard ‘13+ 2-Strokes (w/ FMF), AB-21241 Retail: $169.00

• P3 Carbon Pipe guard 2015+ XTrainers, AB-21242 Retail: $169.00

• P3 Carbon Disc guard ‘13+ RR & 14’+ RS, AB-21248 Retail: $134.99

• P3 Frame Grip guards 2010+ RR, RS, RR-S, AB-21249 Retail: $24.99

Photos: Alessio

Barbanti,

R. Schedl

Sic Wicks Premium Candles

Max Sug. Retail: See website

Website: https://www.facebook.com/SicWicks/

Make your house smell like your motorcycle experience. Sic Wicks Premium Candels offer motorcycle-themed scents.

TRIALS TRAINING CENTER TRIALS TRAINING CENTER

Airoh TRR Trials Helmets

Max Sug. Retail: Check Website Website: www.rypusa.com

Ryan Young Products is carrying the new Airoh TRR Trials Helmets, with superior ventilation and a modern design.

EE Rear Brake Rotor Guards For Honda Max Sug. Retail: $94.95

Website: www.enduroeng.com

Enduro Engineering has available rear brake 1otor guards now for current model Hondas: Honda 2017-2018 450 CRF/CRFRX 2018 250 CRF

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, JANUARY 6, 2018

SHEFFIELD TO BOU

THE TOP TRIALS RIDERS IN THE WORLD COMPETED FOR THE MARTIN LAMPKIN TROPHY IN SHEFFIELD ARENA AT THE ANNUAL SHEFFIELD INDOOR TRIAL IN GREAT BRITAIN, WHERE TO NO ONE’S SURPRISE TONI BOU CAME OUT ON TOP, TAKING YET ANOTHER SHEFFIELD INDOOR WIN.

PHOTOS COURTESY JOHN HULME - TRIAL MAGAZINE

JAMES DABILL

SHEFFIELD TO BOU

SHEFFIELD BOU

Apacked house in Sheffield Arena, now called Fly-DSA Arena, witnessed Repsol Honda’s Toni Bou claim his second straight Martin Lampkin Sheffield Trial win after losing out to arch rival Adam Raga (TRS) in 2016. Raga was second in this year’s edition, while Sherco’s Miquel Gelabert surprised the trial world with a stunning third place finish in the standalone event, which is not part of the World X-Trial series.

The Sheffield event is by invitation only and this year, in addition to Bou, Raga and Gelabert, the field was filled out with newly signed Gas Gas rider Jaime Busto, Beta’s James Dabill, Vertigo’s Jorge Casales, Jack Price on a Gas Gas and Iwan Roberts (TRS).

Bou topped qualifing earlier in the day on the extremely challenging sections with eight points, but Raga was not far behind, just two marks off the pace. Casales qualified third with 19 points, followed by Gelabert with 20 and Busto with 22.

In the final, Bou stepped up his game and outdistanced Raga by a full 10 points, 8 to 18. Meanwhile, Gelabert turned in the ride of his life, posting 26 marks while Casales was fourth.

RESULTS

1. Toni Bou (Hon) 8

2. Adam Raga (TRS) 18

3. Miquel Gelabert (Shr) 26

4. Casales (Ver) 30

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE, JANUARY 13, 2018

TWO IN A ROW FOR BOU

The reigning X-Trial World Champion Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) took a majestic victory in the second round of the campaign, in front of the French crowd in Montpellier´s Sud de France Arena. The X-Trial proved particularly demanding for the riders, providing not only close scoring, but an exciting spectacle and contest for the podium places, which were decided by minimal margins.

In the Final itself, Bou claimed victory by a five-mark margin over Adam Raga, gaining critical advantages in the second and fifth sections. The TRS rider gained back a single mark in section

four, but then conceded two in section five and Bou was able to put one hand on the trophy.

Raga’s best moments were arguably reserved for the second round of Heats where he came out on top and James Dabill (Beta) was the best-scoring nonqualifier to claim the third step on the podium. Benoit Bincaz missed out on a first podium by just two marks despite a stunning performance on the challenging Section Two, but claimed fourth position on count-back after a tie with Miquel Gelabert. The young Spaniard´s fifth place finish, as the best ´event rider´ sees him progress as an

JERONI FAJARDO

automatic qualifier to the third round of the Championship in Toulouse next Friday. Jeroni Fajardo finished behind his fellow countryman and last in the second round after three failed sections and with an eighteen-mark total. In one of the biggest shocks of the night Jaime Busto, who finished second in the opening round in Vendée, had a catastrophic night that saw him finish at the bottom of the pile in Montpellier. Having fallen to a five-mark score in section three, he dropped to fiascos in the last two sections of the lap and to elimination. Home representative Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco) and Japanese

legend Takahisa Fujinami (Hon) were also eliminated in the opening round of Heats.

MotoGP star Alex Rins was among almost 5,000 spectators in the stands in the Sud de France Arena.

With the victory, Bou extended his lead in the championship standings to 13 points ahead of Raga.

“Victory was very important and particularly hard, with both the second round and the Final proving particularly demanding,” said Bou. “In the first section of the second round I tried three times at the start and it cost me physically, even though I wasn´t able

JAIME BUSTO

to get through the section that nobody managed; my back in particular started to hurt. Adam made things very difficult for me in the Final and the level of the event was very high. Victories like today´s are crucial in the context of the Championship.”

Bou remains second in the standings after the Montpellier round.

“It´s been a very difficult competition, and I´m really satisfied with my result because I was in contention right to the end, and I also won the second round,” said Raga. “This second position is the best way to start the month of January, which will be very intense with three events in three weeks.”

Newly singed Gas Gas rider, Jeroni Fajardo rounded out the podium.

“Getting back on the podium is great news,” said third place finisher Fajardo. “I´m really happy, because it shows what great work we´re doing. The new bike is working really well, and I´ve adapted well to it. It´s been a great day which I want to dedicate to my family and everyone who has supported me.”

RESULTS

1. Toni Bou (Hon) 1

2. Adam Raga (TRRS) 2

3. Jeroni Fajardo (GG) 6

4. James Dabill (Beta) 9

5. Benoit Bincaz (Sco) 13

6. Miquel Gelabert (Shr) 14

7. Alexandre Ferrer (Shr) 14

8. Takahisa Fujinami (Hon) 15

9. Jaime Busto (GG) 16

TONI BOU

JAIME BUSTO

PHOTO

SHAN MOORE

SIMPLY MARVELOUS

Karl Davis Jr. talks to On The Pegs about juggling his work as a Marvel Universe Live performer and competing as a pro trials rider, while former Women’s pro trials champ Louise Forsley talks about living the life!

LOUISE FORSLEY PERFORMS A WHEELIE TURN DURING A RUNTHROUGH FOR THE NIGHT SHOW IN OKLAHONA CITY

UnlikeSupercross, there’s not a lot of money to be made competing in Trials, even at the ro level. However, pro Trials riders Karl Davis Jr. and Louise Forsley have found a way to put their “feet up” skills to good use when comes to earning a living. For the past four years, Karl and Louise have been working for FELD Entertainment, performing in FELD’s production of Marvel Universe Live.

Karl and Louise were recently in Oklahoma City preparing for a show when On The Pegs spoke to the two current and former pro Trials riders. The two spend about nine months a year on the road traveling from show to show, living out of suit cases like gypsies.

OTP: Have you adapted to this gypsy lifestyle?

KARL: It’s almost like a rock and roll kind of lifestyle. A different city every week. Everything is really fast-paced. Everything is new every week everywhere you go, so it’s just like a rock and roll, gypsy lifestyle. Really fun and interesting.

LOUISE: . We travel every single week, so we’re constantly moving city to city. That gets tiring after a while, just always out of a suitcase. But we get to stay in pretty nice hotels, so that makes it easier.

OTP: Do you guys travel on a bus?

LOUISE: We used to the first year we traveled with the tour, but now I travel in my van so I can carry my own trials bike and my own mountain bike. Then on our off days, which is Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we can go find places to ride, which makes it more sustainable. Being able to still ride on our off days and live a normal life besides just being stuck on the tour.

KARL: All the motorcycle riders on tour, we all drive our cars to bring our own equipment, our own bikes to go ride on our off days. It’s awesome because we actually get freedom on tour. On our off days we can go ride in amazing areas all over the country. It just gives us that little bit of freedom. We get to go explore. I’ve pretty much ridden every area of the US just because of this tour and my off days on it.

PHOTO BY SHAN MOORE

OTP: Karl, last year you only got to ride two rounds of the US MotoTrials Series, but you did quite well. How do you juggle national competition with the hectic Marvel Universe schedule?

KARL: . We were actually in-between a tour. It was like a break in-between tours, so I got to ride Texas and Kansas this year.

OTP: You seemed greatly improved over the previous year. To what do you attribute that evolution in your riding?

KARL: I think just the difference was my mentality. Before when I was riding, that’s all I did. That’s all I put my effort into. I think it would make me mad when I would mess up in a trial. I’d get really frustrated because I was putting every ounce of effort into competing and trying to do good. Then after I had this job, I was just riding more for fun. It wasn’t like, I need to try and make amazing results. I still am, but it’s not like all the pressure is on that. I know I have a job to go to, so it’s not like all my thoughts and efforts are going into trials. It’s kind of a good break from it. I was able to manage it where I was still training a lot and working a job. So it’s just less pressure on my brain, I think.

OTP: Louise, you look as fit as ever. How do you maintain good eating habits on the road?

LOUISE: I don’t like to go out to eat much just because I can’t find what I want. I just prefer cooking on my own in the room. We have a crock pot and a hot skillet.

OTP: Louise, you play the Black Widow in the show, how sketchy are these obstacles compared to what you rode in trials?

LOUISE: . They are definitely a lot easier than what they look like. We spent so much time just riding in parking lots, practicing wheelies and nose wheelies and more trick riding style, so that’s become much easier than riding in slippery rocks and creeks. It’s much easier than the outdoor stuff.

OTP: Do you miss competing in trials?

LOUISE: .Yeah, definitely. I miss the atmosphere and the fun weekends that they are and the people. I definitely miss that. I do miss the competitive side of it too, training. I always loved training for competitions more than maybe sometimes riding the competitions too. Yeah, I do miss it.

OTP: What do you guys dislike most about travelling with the show?

KARL: . Toughest part is the travel. It does wear on you sometimes. You’re stuck at a hotel. You don’t really have a place that’s homey. You’re always moving to a different home. There’s nothing really consistent to it, which is the hardest part I guess is the consistency. You’ve got two bags. You got to load those up and unpack them every single week. Cooking is hard. Trying to cook in the rooms.

LOUISE: . I would say traveling in cities is the hardest. Just the routine of packing a suitcase every single Sunday. We bring stuff to cook with. We have a lot of stuff to pack in and out. We do dishes in a sink or a bathtub or whatever. We literally live out of the hotel rooms.

OTP: What do you guys like most about travelling with the show?

KARL: I would say it is also the travel. Just the experience of traveling every week. I enjoy it. It keeps everything fresh. It’s a good way to see the world and get paid for it. That’s definitely the coolest thing about it. Not many jobs you can get where you’re paid to ride, and then travel and see every corner of the world, which is awesome.

LOUISE: . I guess it would be the fact that I’m riding a trials bike in this big show and that tons of people are coming to see. The fact that I’m able to show my skills doing that. It’s a blast.

OTP: Louise, do you miss competing in trials events? You were on the national circuit for many years and won many titles?

LOUISE: Yeah, definitely. I miss the atmosphere and the fun weekends that they are and the people. I definitely miss that. I do miss the competitive side of it too, training. I always loved training for competitions more than maybe sometimes riding the competitions. Yeah, I do miss it.

KARL: Yeah, for sure. I miss it too. Trials, I’ve always loved it. I think I always will. I do miss it a lot. It kills me during the summer when I can’t be at a national because my childhood was every year going to all the nationals. I still think that trials is the biggest part of my life. All the families and the people who are in it are who made me who I am today. It sucks when I can’t be there to be in the sport 100%, but I’m trying my best. On my off days I go try and ride with as many people in local clubs as I can, just to stay in tune with the sport and promote it more. Still trying to do as much as I can for it while being away from it.

OTP: How much time do you get to spend at home?

LOUISE: Not much time. We had a break between our old tour and this tour. That was like a two-month break, and then since we started it’s been six months, almost seven months, and we’ve had only one week off so far.

OTP: Q: When you first started, you guys had to actually go to Tampa and live down there? It was like a six-month process, wasn’t it, learning your parts?

KARL: We were down in Tampa I think for three or four months, building the show, doing rehearsals, learning fight choreography. Actually the learning how to fight, it’s tough trying to teach motorcycle riders how to fight. We’re in a show with a bunch of martial artists and gymnasts who can manipulate their bodies really well, and you got us who really aren’t the most flexible. We don’t use those muscles ever, so it was a process learning how to fight. We all kind of adapted. I guess you could say we’re halfway fighters.

OTP: It’s been great talking with you two, good luck with the rest of the tour. n

DBG’S DIALOGUE A bi-monthly column by

Daniel Blanc-Gonnet

Before I talk about the upcoming 2018 season, I want to quickly recap the last year. 2017 was a year of a lot of change for me; I graduated college, got a job, moved to Arizona, and pretty much started a new life! Through all this my focus on trials never faded and has probably gotten even stronger. A lot of people say that trials will never make you money and that “The only way to become a millionaire riding trials is to start off as a billionaire.” My response is always that I never started it for the money. The experiences and lessons I’ve learned from trials are far more valuable than money could ever be. I was forced to work hard, persevere, and mentally strengthen myself to be able to compete at the top level of this sport in the US and attempt to live life like all my peers. Not only all that, but I have had the fortune to travel all over the world just to ride a motorcycle over rocks in a different country! How crazy does that sound? Over the past year, reflecting back on my journey with trials and how difficult it has made everything else in my life, I realized I wouldn’t trade it for the

world. As I enter this new era of my life, I have often asked myself, do I want to continue doing this? And the answer is: I don’t think I will ever stop. Even when I am too old and broken to ride, I hope that I can promote the sport that has helped shape me into the person I am today and bring the same experiences to other kids around the country. Coming out of 2017, with a 6th place finish in the Pro class at the NATC nationals, and a second place finish at the Trial Des Nations, I am determined to bring my riding to the next level. Looking back at videos and scores from the past season, I was able to come up with a plan to tackle the “lowest hanging fruit” of my riding AKA the techniques that would save me the most amount of points for the least amount work. I narrowed the big point takers down to splatters and consistency. Almost 2/3rds of the sections in the pro class have splatters which makes this technique very point heavy. Improving this category for the next season is rather obvious by practicing splatters religiously for the next 9 months. As for consistency, both physical strength

and mental rigidity play a part in this category. To keep myself from burning out with only riding, my plan is to use cycling and rock climbing to improve physical strength with time off the bike. To improve my mental rigidity, the on the bike practice involves much more structured section riding along with the three ride rule. The three ride rule is where every section I practice, I must clean the section three times before moving on. Along with the above goals, I decided to regiment my practice by focusing on only techniques up to one month before the first national. For the month up to the national, I will practice sections at two minute long lengths to ensure that my fitness and

consistency can withstand longer than that of the NATC’s sections.

Up to this point, I have been practicing three days a week with my training partner Josh Roper and the outlined plan is in motion. The first major competition is the El Trial De Espana on April 14th and 15th which is 13 weeks away. 2018 will be an interesting season with such a spread out competition calendar but will fortunately allow time to have a dynamic season if the first two rounds don’t go as planned. I am excited for what is to come! I will see everyone out on the loop! n

The T-18 (Dragonfly) is coming very soon. The first adult electric trials bike with a real clutch, 3-hr battery, gears and a weight of 120 lbs.

TRS Motorcycles

TRS ONE RR

ADAM RAGA RACING

USA DEALERS

Dirt Riders West - Mike Carlton, 800.467.0604, Scottsdale, AZ

Lewisport USA - Adrian & Mandy Lewis, 209.785.6878, Copperopolis, CA

Balance Trials Supply - Bill Haskell - 720.207.7715 - Erie, CO

Trial Store USA - Alex Niederer - 941.404.0757 - Bradenton, FL

Aloha Trials - Clayton Oshita, 808.822.2706, Kapaa, HI

Northwest Cycle - Ron Rivenburgh, 815.344.7780, McHenry, IL

Jack’s Cycles - Stuart Preston, 207.337.1274, South Berwick, ME

Competition Wheels - James McKenzie, 704.906.3238, Concord, NC

HVC Cycle - Brad Obidowski, 402.817.4795, Lincoln, NE

Miller Ranch Trials - Aaron & Andy Miller 607.765.8362 Corning, NY

Torne Mountain Trial - Jon France, 914.490.0637, Hillburn, NY

Adroit Engineering - Jon Rentschler, 440.668.3207, Chardon, OH

Gran Prix Cycle - Gary & Robyn Byers, 541.926.3139, Albany, OR

MotoMex - Danny Aguirre, 214.912.9005, Dallas, TX

Skagit Powersports - Gary Lawver, 360.757.7999, Burlington, WA

THE INSIDE SCOOP

A LONG TIME COMING

TO MANY, THAD DUVALL MAY SEEM LIKE AN OVERNIGHT SUCCESS, BUT HIS RISE TO THE STATUS OF ELITE OFF-ROAD RACER IS SOMETHING THE 27-YEAR-OLD HAS WORKED FOR HIS ENTIRE LIFE.

The 2017 season might have seemed like a mixed bag for Thad DuVall, packed with plenty of highs and lows, wins and injuries. But most of all it was a successful one. It was a season that saw the West Virginia rider establish himself as one of the top off-road racers in the country.

Thad came into the season having won the Full Gas Sprint Enduro title in 2016 while riding for KR4 Husqvarna. He also won the lone national enduro he entered in Ohio, which most likely was a tryout for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Rac-

ing team. Thad apparently passed the test and was signed by the factory team for the 2017 season.

Riding an FX 350, Thad totalled four national enduro wins in 2017, and two GNCC victories, leaving him runner-up in both series at seasons’ end. He led the Kenda AMA National Enduro title chase until a slip at last year’s ISDE in Spain left him with a broken bone in his wrist. Despite the setback, Thadeus finished out the series and narrowly lost out to Steward Baylor in the final championship battle, which came down to the final round.

On The Pegs spoke with Thad just after the last round in Alabama to get his thoughts on the year.

Tell us how big getting this factory ride was for this year? How big of a change was that for you?

To get the factory ride for 2017 was a big change for me. I’ve been on the factory teams, but it’s kind of like I’ve been on a support factory type deal thing with Honda in ’13 and ’14, and then with KR4 and Husqvarna in ’15 and ’16. But I’ve never really been underneath a semi since 2011. So, it was kind of like a breath of fresh air a little bit. I didn’t really know what to expect. I’ve kind of been out of the whole semi type deal thing, but luckily these guys opened their arms and welcomed me in. I just became part of the family quick. When we got to do a lot of testing earlier this year it was kind of like, all right, these guys are putting in 110% and I need to as well. It was kind of like a breath of fresh air for me and something for me to go home and do my homework and work really hard to maintain it. Luckily I think I proved a lot of people wrong this year. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air.

When you rode for Randy Hawkins at Am Pro Yamaha, you rode a lot of national enduro, but up until this year you kind of got away from that. Was there a period of getting back

up to speed this year riding the national enduro series again?

Yeah. I rode national enduro I think maybe ’10 and ’11 for sure, and then I rode a little bit in 2012 with Honda and John Ross. It was never really a first choice for me. I really struggled at them. I wasn’t really having fun with them. So we kind of stepped away. When (team manager) Timmy (Weigand) approached me about the deal with Husqvarna, that was part of the deal was national enduros. I didn’t really know what to expect. During the 2016 summer break I went and did the Ohio national enduro. I went there with no expectations, just go have fun, and I ended up winning it. But I think it was just different because I didn’t really have a lot of pressure on me. It was just kind of like I went and did it for fun. It was only 40 minutes from my house, so it was really familiar. We came to the first round at Sumter and I got smoked by Kailub and Stew, so it was kind of like, wow, all right, maybe I’m not up to speed yet. Then we went to Alligator and I really struggled that day for sure. At the end of the day, I think the Alligator was kind of a step in the right direction. For me to do so bad, it was kind of like, all right, I’m going to go home and I’m going to do some homework and figure out how these guys are going so much faster than me. What are they doing different? I think that was kind of like the changing point in the

season for me. I went home and I made some super tight trails. I rode them every day for weeks, just trying to get better. It was kind of fun because it was like a challenge for me. Then we went to the next one and I did pretty well. Then the win streak. After the Alligator I think that’s when I kind of was like, all right, I need to get my speed up big time. For some reason this year I’ve just been watching a lot of videos of Stew and I’ve really been trying to concentrate on Charlie Mullins because I feel like Charlie has been one of the better riders at these. It’s just the aggression you see is over the top. That’s what I’ve

really tried to put in to this year is just being aggressive when I need to be. That’s what I feel like has really helped me at these.

Do you think it’s mostly mental, or do you think part of it is physical like maybe I need to scoot up forward on the seat a little more and get on it?

I think with me it was just the aggression and mentality of it. I never really had a good attitude about national enduros before, but this year like I said it was a breath of fresh air and it was kind of new. It was kind of like, let’s just go have fun and see how I do. When I

put all those things together into one basket it seemed like it really helped for sure.

How do you practice for a national enduro?

Luckily we have a family farm so I have unlimited woods and fields. We went back and we cut a pretty good trail. I like to keep it to like a five to eight minute loop. That way I don’t really get bored when I go out and ride, and that way I can learn the bike and learn what it’s doing. If I need to make changes, I can make changes. But for me it was just making a super tight, just slower kind of no flow at all. That’s something I feel like I really struggled at, when the tracks don’t have a good flow. So I tried to put it all in perspective and go from there.

When you were with Randy you were kind of a wild child, but now I think you’re one of the most solid riders and consistent riders on the circuit. How did that change come about?

I don’t know. I woke up one day and it was kind of like one of those things where if I’m going to make a career out of this, then I need to learn how to be a better rider and be more consistent. When it comes down to it, it’s not all about money, but in any job you have to make money. So I was at that point in my life. I think it was the end of 2015.

We sat down and I was like, am I going to make a career out of this or do I need to go get a job? We really changed a lot of things and ’16 went pretty well. It went good enough where I landed a factory ride. I just sat back and was like, all right, another year. What do we need to do? I’ve changed a lot. I’ve changed how I eat, how I drink. I feel like I’m just now learning how to really put it all together. It stinks at the same time because I wish I would have done this four or five years ago and I feel like I could have had maybe a couple championships and a lot more wins, but it’s kind of like it was good for me to learn the hard way of everything don’t come easy. I’ve had some really lows and I’ve had some really highs. I wouldn’t say it’s not a bad thing, but it was a good thing for me just to learn how to do it right and what I needed to do. I got married and I feel like that kind of mellowed me out. Just all the things combined into one really helped for sure.

Is there a certain type of terrain that you feel like you feel more comfortable on?

Honestly, I feel like maybe what helps me is I’m more of a versatile rider in everything. I ride really well in the mud. I hate the mud, but for some reason I just ride really well in it. It’s just like the rocks. I feel like I ride really well. I feel like I’m a pretty well-rounded rider, and then I go to Six Days and I

get smoked by those guys in the grass tracks and stuff. I feel like my strong point would be the moto style, but you go over there and those guys are so much faster. When we come to more of a technical race and it’s kind of slower, I feel like I do a little bit better. But I feel like I haven’t rode that well this year and still won races. And Stew is back. He’s riding 100% so it’s cool. I feel like that’s what makes the championship a lot better. Both of us can ride really well in all kinds of conditions.

Talk about your wrist. In Missouri you said you rode really well, but that last test was a long one. Was it

starting to bother you towards the end?

Yeah, a little bit. The issue I’m running into is my fingers kind of go numb. I ran into the issue at the GNCC. That was a big eye-opener for me when the whole injury happened. I kind of had to fib to everybody about how bad it really hurts. During the week when I’m home, I try to just play it off with my wife and my parents. When Timmy calls and asks how it’s doing I tell him, it’s good. But in reality it still bothers me a lot. I was just trying to be tough about it. The injury is just part of it, I guess.

Do you think riding national

duro has helped you with GNCC?

Yeah, absolutely. I feel like the national enduro series has really helped me become a better rider just all around when it’s kind of slower and technical and tighter. You don’t really know where you’re at, so you’re racing the clock. I feel like that’s helped me a lot. At GNCC’s when I’m by myself I still know how to push hard as I want to. I feel like that’s been the biggest thing. You’re by yourself pretty much at national enduros, so you’ve got to learn how to really push and be aggressive. I feel like that’s really helped me at the GNCC’s.

Between the tests what kind of feedback do you get from Timmy or your mechanic Tanner Tremaine?

We look at the times and stuff, but I’m a pretty easy-going guy so I don’t really like to change much. If I’m struggling I think they know when I’m a little bit quiet. They try to cheer me up and stuff. My wife, Maggie, she’s always there in my ear telling me what’s going on and stuff. It’s good. They try to help me out the best they can. On bad days I kind of just want to be left alone and try to figure out what I’m doing wrong and what I’m doing right. It’s always good when you have such a good team behind you. Especially me and Tanner, my mechanic. We click really well. We get along really good. When he sees I’m struggling a little bit he kind of un-

derstands so he tries to make me feel a little better for sure. It’s just a group effort for sure.

Tell me about your hunting. I actually have not been going a lot. I’ve been still trying to take this pretty serious. I’ve still been working really hard and trying to ride as much as I can. The weather is starting to change at home for sure. It’s starting to get slim riding. I’ve been trying to get it in as much as I can. Trying to get through this race. I’ve been trying to concentrate on the championship and still working hard. I haven’t done much hunting yet, but we’re going to race tomorrow and then we’re going to do a few days of testing down here in Alabama. After that I’ll get home and concentrate on the hunting part, I guess. n

THE DIRT ON BEN SPIES

AFTER A VERY SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN RACING, WORLD CHAMPION ROAD RACER BEN SPIES TURNS TO THE NATIONAL ENDURO SERIES FOR FUN.

Ben Spies may not be well known in off-road circles, but in the glamorous realm of road racing, he’s up there with the greats. From 2006 though 2009, the east Texas native went on a winning streak that landed him three AMA Superbike titles and a World Superbike title. Spies then graduated to MotoGP where he was a top-five rider and in 2011 he won the Dutch TT in Assen. Known as “Elbowz” in the road racing world because of his unorthodox “elbows out” riding style, Spies retired in 2013 after a series of shoulder surgeries. Now at 33, Spies has annouced he is returning to racing, and will compete in the NE Pro2 class in the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series.

First off, how is your shoulder?

The shoulder has gotten better in some ways and still the same in others. I still have quite a bit of arthritis in it; just from the amount of injuries I’ve had and all the surgeries. Now when I’m riding, I can hold on and I can ride hard. At the end of the day, the next day when I do three days in a row, it hurts like hell. I’ve got to take Motrin and stuff like that. Now in the recent year, I would say, since I really cranked up hours of riding, I’m able to ride hard and hold on. That’s why kind of I’ve been thinking

BEN GIVES HIS DAUGHTER LYLA A RIDE ON THE 300ACRE SPIES FAMILY RANCH IN EAST TEXAS.

about doing the Enduro series. That’s where it is. Then also with enduros, I don’t care what anybody says, you cannot ride a motorcycle as hard as you can because you don’t know where you’re going. So that I think that 10% helps my shoulder. If it was GNCC-type racing, I could get in trouble real quick I think if I was pushing as hard as I could the whole time. So, coupled with the different things of where I’m at, I guess my career is over, but I’m able to ride and race again. I’ve been wanting to do something for fun and enjoy it again.

A lot of people may want to know if you ride a dirt bike with your elbows up?

A little bit (laughs). I think at least people from the dirt side obviously that’s kind of the norm, but I also think people quickly realize why my nickname was “Elbowz”.

Did you start out on a dirt bike as a kid, or did your parents get you into road racing right away?

My story was I was kind of like the backyard dirt bike kid. I think I entered one race when I was a kid, and I was on an XR 80 against KX 80s. It was just stupid. Honestly all I did was my mom’s ex-boyfriend who got me into racing. He owned an oil company, so I just kind of grew up riding a lot of oil field roads and flat tracking around, riding TT-style stuff and riding flat track stuff at my house. I never raced dirt. Then I started road racing when I was eight. So, I kinda went straight into road racing, and used dirt obviously as a tool and trained a lot, but never raced dirt or anything like that.

There was a road-race course close to your house called Oak Hill, right?

Yeah, that was probably the biggest help for

me when I was a kid. When I was seven before I started and got my license, I was just kind of riding in parking lots and learning with that. Then I started at Oak Hill and got my license. In those days, it was 100 bucks to rent the track. So, we were going out there once a week. I was just able to get a lot of time when I was a kid and start honing everything and stuff like that. So definitely road racing was kind of from day one the more important thing.

There’s so much difference between road racing and tight woods racing. Is there a bit of frustration?

Yeah, for sure. I think any road racer, and especially my style coming from the road, my technique is brake as late as you can, and stop and fire out the turn. So, that’s still my weakness and what I’m still learning, is not rushing stuff. Just trying to be fluid and smooth and not over-braking stuff. It’s totally different. It’s not one of those things where I feel like since I was a good road racer I’m just going to come and be great at dirt. I know I’m not slow, but there’s a huge learning curve. I only started doing enduro a year ago and I’ve only done four races. It’s all new, but I’m not too slow and having fun with it. Like I said, it’s something I’m fortunate to be able to do and have fun with it. I’m going to go give it a crack and have fun.

Road race and off-road are so different I wouldn’t think there’s very much that carries over from road race to tight woods.

Just obviously being on two wheels there’s that certain aspect that it is I would say 60% of it riding on two wheels is the same stuff. For me, I would say 85% of my braking power

was always with the front. Still obviously that’s your braking power in the woods, but I had to learn how to ride standing on a rear brake, which is never something I do. So, like I said, there’s a lot of learning curve stuff, but I’ve been fortunate to have a really good group of buddies that I ride with that have kind of sped up my learning curve and helped me with stuff. That’s been good too. Just mostly having fun with it, but kind of seeing that I can go do this and have some fun with it and travel around and take the family and see some stuff. It should be fun.

I feel like so many great road racers come out of Texas because of the diversity of the tracks. You have Oak Hill, which is a narrow, hilly, go-kart track. Then you have Texas World Speedway with its high banks, and then there is the true road course at Hallett in Oklahoma. Do you think those different tracks contributed to the abundance of great road racers in Texas?

That’s exactly what it is. With Oak Hill, like I said before with it being such a small track and short lap time, it actually has a big variety of turns from turn one to turn seven. Fast turns, slow turns, a lot of elevation. Smooth turns, bumpy, narrow, pavement changes, grass growing in the middle of it. It kind of has everything. Coupled with that, going to Texas World, which when I was a kid Texas World was kind of a GP track if you were on a 125. It was a super fast track, big. Then Hallett, I’d say a true

road course. It had a lot of undulation. A lot wider track than those other two. I think the mix is perfect. You see it with a lot of road racers. Even though the Haydens were from Kentucky, they spent a lot of time racing in Texas because that’s where the youth road racing was built. So I think you look at all the Haydens, myself, the Landers kids, they were super fast for a while. Then Colin Edwards, Kevin Schwantz, everybody. A lot of people came through. I think it still has that, but unfortunately the motorcycle industry is suffering quite a bit, and the youth involvement from manufacturers I think is not good at all, and that’s the main purpose.

What is your plan for this year?

Right now I’m looking at racing the NE Pro2 class in the National Enduro series. There are a few reasons for that. I think if I was trying to really go for a championship I’d race the AA class. I’m wanting to have fun. Also, in the same light, when I think of the kids that are racing AA, they’re trying to make a career out of it, so I don’t want to get in the middle of it even if I was able to. So, that’s why I’m running Pro2. I plan on racing all the national enduros unless an injury or something happens. Then probably two to four Full Gas Sprint Enduros. I think I actually would be better at stuff like that because it’s more of a track. I love the enduro stuff. I love how long it is, hard it is and all that stuff. This is a way for me to be competitive,

still be in the two-wheel aspect of sports, and travel the country again and show the little baby and wife, who is from Italy, the US. I think it’s a perfect thing. I can still give a good two, three, four years to it and have fun with it and see what happens.

Not many guys that have been on top are willing to do what you’re doing, because you have to kind of swallow your pride a little bit. That’s fine with me. I’m not a world champion on dirt.

But you’re still a world champion. Jean-Michele Bayle did it, but I think he was a little bit better at dirt than I was. That’s the only person I see that’s obviously done the crossover. For me, I always look at it like on the road race bike when I was in my prime everything was good and we won a lot. I was quick for sure on a road race bike, top five I think in the world for a few years. But it’s one of those things, I’ve been riding dirt long enough to know that there’s some super talented guys. I went to that Zink Ranch round and it was my first ever one to do. I think I was 27th or 28th. I had fun with it, but then you see what those Baylor boys do and what Thad DuVall does. It’s like, okay, those guys can ride. It’s not one of those things where I think the Pro2 class I’m going to be winning stuff the first year or anything like that. That’s the class that I think I should be in. Just having fun with it. I think I can get better, but it’s one of those things where if I ever get a top

fifteen overall, that’s a win for me. I have no expectations of just flipping over and winning stuff and things like that.

The biggest change is going to be learning to read the trail because you’re riding it for the first time.

That’s when learning some of this stuff, and again being able to learn from a bunch of people has helped a lot. For me, even if I go race an enduro race in Texas I’m still learning how to read trail, building up dirt on outsides of turns. I can see if they’re tighter turns, faster. So, that’s my weakness. Obviously, this first year I’ve never raced in South Carolina. I don’t know what happens to dirt when it’s got more moisture in it or this or that. I’ve got big handicaps, but also it’s not like I’m saying, “Hey, I’ve got a big handicap, so that’s my excuse already.” That’s why it is for fun. It’s for fun but also when I strap my helmet on, I’m going to ride as hard as I can and see what happens. But at the end of the day, if I DNF or I have a whatever, I’m not going to be crying about it. I’m still having fun for sure.

Did any of your sponsors carry over?

Yeah. HJC and Alpinestars I think I’m always going to work with. KTM is giving me a little bit of support too. Then obviously a lot of sponsors like Enduro Engineering. n

ALIEN AUTOPSY

A MOTORHEAD’S GUIDE TO THE COOLEST BIKES

JORDAN ASHBURN’S 2017 BETA 300 RR

Jordan Ashburn has been a mainstay at Beta for the past two years, competing in GNCC, Full Gas Sprint Enduro and extreme races, and the Tennessee rider is good at each discipline. We caught up with Jordan at the recent RevLimiter Extreme Enduro where he finished third behind Cody Webb and Cory Graffunder. Jordan had not received his 2018 bikes at the time of the RevLimiter event and, in fact, On The Pegs is scheduled to be at his home in Tennessee when the team tests the 2018 models, so this month we are featuring the 2017 he rode at the RevLimiter.

At the extreme races, Jordan likes the nimbleness of a two-stroke, so he rides Beta’s 300RR in races like the Tennessee Knockout and the Revlimiter. At GNCC and Full Gas Sprint races, Jordan relies on Beta’s 430 RR, which we will cover in a later issue, after he gets his 2018 models.

Steward

ALIEN AUTOPSY

JORDAN ASHBURN’S BETA 300RR

A MOTORHEAD’S GUIDE TO THE COOLEST BIKES

Here is Jordan’s mechanic, Kevin Spina talking about Jordan’s 2017 Beta 300RR: Starting out with the suspension, it is our own Beta factory in-house suspension setup. This setup we’re using is the same setup we use for last year’s Tennessee Knock Out. So, it’s a real soft; basically it’s a real mushy suspension for better traction on the rocks. So we really just want the suspension to be really soft and planted. We don’t really want any big deflections.

New to our 2018 team

this year is going to be Renthal. Jordan is running the 996 bar with Renthal grips as well.

For levers we went with Arc levers for this year. And as far as hand guards, we use Enduro Engineering flag brush deflectors.

The triple clamps are just stock OEM Beta triple clamps.

The bar mounts are BRP mounts.

The P3 skid plate is new for the team this year as well. They have a carbon fiber one out, which is going to offer pretty good protection.

We also put the Obie linkage guard on there. P3 also for this year is making gripped frame guards as well. This bike didn’t come equipped with them, but that’ll be something you’ll see on our 2018 GNCC endurocross bikes.

We’re doing stock wheels. But on this bike here we have Innteck brake rotors front and rear. It’s a floating front, and then the solid in the rear.

We’re using the stock radiators with Bulletproof Design radiator guards, and Samco hoses on the

radiators. Then we also added a Beta electric fan to the bike as well to try to keep it cool. It’s as Beta-offered part. It’s pretty much a plug and play setup for the bike and it’s pretty simple, and something Beta offers. You can buy it from your local dealer. The bike comes with an FMF exhaust system. Jordan runs a stock FMF muffler that comes on the bike. The only thing we changed is he runs the FMF factory fatty instead

of the gnarly, which the bike comes with.

The engine is all stock. We want mellow. We want to get the power to the ground, so we don’t make any modifications to the motor. We change the jetting slightly. We just have the Rekluse clutch cover on the bike as well. It holds a little bit more oil for the stock clutch.

As far as gear, stock gearing is 13/49. We gear it up just one tooth and go to 13/49.

We got Seat Concepts doing the seat for us. HPD does all our graphics. Also we’re running IMS foot pegs as well. Kenda does all our tires. We’re running Washougals in the rocks this weekend. We got a Gummy on the rear and then a Washougal on the front. n

Cody Webb’s Race Reaction To KTM’s New TPI System

Cody Webb talks about winning the 2018 Kenda RevLimiter Extreme Enduro in Texas after just one day on KTM’s new 2018 KTM 250 XC-W TPI (fuel-injected two-stroke).

CODY WEBB TALKS TWO-STROKE

FUEL-INJECTION AND PERFORMANCE

FMF KTM Factory Racing’s Cody Webb had a great start to the 2018 extreme enduro season as he took a convincing win at the RevLimiter Extreme Enduro in Decatur, Texas. Riding aboard the all-new KTM 250 XC-W TPI (fuel injected two-stroke), Webb swept all three motos to earn a perfect score for the day.

KTM’s new EFI two-stroke is the culmination of 10 years worth of work and research by the Austrian firm and it’s release this year sparked a firestorm of interest in the world’s first off-road fuel-injected two-stroke (yes, yes, we know, Vertigo has a fuel-injected two-stroke trials model).

TPI stands for Transfer Port Injection, and it is managed by the most sophisticated two-stroke Engine Management System (EMS) on the market, utilizing five basic EFI sensors. To top if off, the bike also has oil injection that is controlled electronically.

This is all very impressive, but how does it really perform in race conditions? Well, you can’t get any more real than an extreme off-road race, and On The Pegs spoke to Cody Webb right after he won the recent RevLimiter Extreme Enduro in Texas after just one day on a new KTM 250 XC-W TPI.

The following is Cody’s reaction.

“As far as comparing the bike to what I’ve been riding, the new fuel-injected bike is a 250 so I can’t exactly compare it to the 300 I was riding last year in extreme events, but I rode a carbureted 250 back in December and the TPI is really similar to that, except there’s just not quite as much pull off the bottom as what I’m used to. But in the standard form, it comes with a yellow power valve spring. It’s a little soft off the bottom, and then all of a sudden it’s like you’re holding on for dear life, going too fast. I wasn’t ready for that power surge to kick in. We rode it the day before the race and I ended up telling my mechanic, “Hey, let’s just make it pull a little more all the way through the motor instead of having that hard hit.” So we put a red power valve spring in, which is the softest spring setting. Green is slow. Yellow is standard, and red is supposed to be fast. It just basically opens the power valve easier, so the power valve opens quicker. I’m ready for the motor to react because

I’m expecting it to happen sooner instead of when I’m not ready for it. So, with that setting it worked great. I’m actually really impressed with it. I think the best thing for me was KTM went to a new chassis with the Mikuni carb on the old bike. It’s really finicky. It works well, but you have to change your jets and the carb settings way more frequently. It was just really handy and nice to just start the bike up, let it run for five seconds, turn it off and turn it on again. It helps it acclimate sooner. So, I don’t have to mess with anything.

“There really wasn’t much adjusting to it. I rode it Friday and I got a good feel for it. Then Saturday I putted around for a few minutes. I was like, this just has less bottom end just because of the fact it’s a 250. So I think for future I might do one tooth on the rear to pull a little better in second. I was really pleased with the performance of the bike. I know for sure this is where it’s going to end up. One day it will probably be all-electric, but for now this is the next best thing.

“The XC is a great bike, but for me the 250 is not the best option out there for extreme races. That’s personally how I feel for what my specialty is. So, since I’m on that chassis, it’s really important for KTM since that’s where they’re going in Europe and that’s the only thing available for the W’s. They wanted me to be on that bike and I’m open to ride whatever’s out there. Now I’m pretty sure I’m the only guy on the team running the air fork and the TPI bikes. It’s cool to be like testing and verifying that what they got is good.” n

2018 KENDA REVLIMITER EXTREME ENDURO

DECATUR, TEXAS, JANUARY 13-14, 2018

WEBB ON THE REVLIMITER

“I had a lot of scary moments in the qualifying because it was all just flat out. The track was kind of wide open fast with sketchy rocks you can’t see and drop offs, that was my favorite part.”

- CODY WEBB

Webb began his dominance on Saturday, where he topped the timed qualifying sessions to earn pole position for Sunday’s racing. The event hosted a three-race format, each consisting of a slightly different challenge for the riders. In race one, Webb didn’t get the best start but he battled with the other riders until he was able to make a move into the lead position. From there, Webb opened up a gap on the rest of the field to ultimately take the first win after one and half hours of racing.

The second race of the day was a one-hour competition. Webb once again got off to a slow start but he patiently waited for his opportunity to attack. It didn’t take long for Webb to put himself out front and he rode on to ultimately finish more than seven minutes ahead of the competition.

The third and final race of the day was perhaps the most challenging of them all, despite being the shortest in time. With only 45 minutes of racing, Webb jumped to the front right away and worked hard to create a gap on the rest of the field. The third and final loop of the day proved to be much more technical than the previous two, which made for a difficult time to pass lapped traffic late in the race. Despite the obstacles, Webb pushed through to earn his third victory of the day in Texas.

Overall Pro Results

1. Cody Webb, 1-1-1 (KTM)

2. Cory Graffunder, 2-3-3 (HQV)

3. Jordan Ashburn, 3-2-4 (BET)

4. David Knight, 4-4-2 (GAS)

5. Mitch Carvolth, 6-5-5 (KTM)

CODY WEBB

“In the final, I had a fourth-place start and they changed how we drop into the woods. Before the race, I walked it in the left lane. It was just treacherous. I knew no one was going to go there. It had been untouched. You could see how people worked on the right line and made it smoother. I was like, if I don’t have a good start, I’m just going to go wide. So I quickly ran down there before the start and I moved some rocks and made it so there was just a tree trunk and rocks down there. You’d go over the handlebars for sure. So, I fixed it and I went from fourth to first on the first downhill. So that was the key right there, just opening up lines. I love having different options. I think coming from trials I can different what’s out there. From there, got up the first hill clean and just kept pushing.

“The final was definitely tricky because there were a lot of ledges at the top of the hills. You’re either going to make it or you’re not. I think it’s a little different in a race like TKO where it’s kind of just long, relentless stuff and that one waterfall. Here there’s a bunch of ledges. It was awesome. It got harder and harder through that main because we were bringing up the moisture. It was perfect.

“Jarvis Falls is tricky, especially with the lappers. I think I had one lap where no one was in there hardly at all, and there was still at least one or two people. I tipped over and went down in there once. I was going at it with no run because I had to cut everyone off. I would just rev it and get completely vertical and land on the ledge and then take off and get going again. It was really tricky. A different line every time. It was pretty loose in there without having a run.”

CORY GRAFFUNDER

“A lot of ups and downs. That’s how extreme enduro goes. Had some holeshots. Had some bad starts. Had some clean hills. Had some not-so-clean hills. But all in all, it was good. Had a great battle with Jordan Ashburn in the last lap of the first race. We were going at it. I got blisters. It was really fun. The format was cool. I thought it was a really fun day. We get to race and we get to hang out with our friends a little bit in-between, and then we get to race again and then hang out. Do some bench racing and then race again. Really fun course. All in all I think just a great event.

“We walked Jarvis Falls ahead of time and I was pretty sure that I could get up the double step in one shot, which I did on the first lap. But then after that, with the lappers in it, they were just clogging the hill and then clogging the approach to it, so now your run up is cut short. So it just got more difficult and more difficult. I think I only cleaned it maybe on half the laps I made it up it. The rest of it I would get three-quarters of the way up and then have to get off and push a little bit and make it up. I don’t know about features like that. They’re really cool, but when they get one-lined then it creates that bottleneck. I feel bad, because I’ve got to be mean to all my competitors. I know that they know I’m lapping them, and that there’s someone breathing down my neck and I can’t wait. For the most part they would lean to the side. Give them a little rev and they’d look back and say, go ahead. There was another ledge just before that Jarvis Falls and there could be a row of three bikes waiting to hit it, and you can’t get by them. It’s one line wide, and you just got to wait.”

JORDAN ASHBURN

“I done good the first two motos. The last one was pretty tough. Just kind of got behind right off the start and ended up fourth the last moto and I think third overall. It was good. It was a fun day. The track was really tough, but it was a blast.

The first race it was really tight. Cory (Graffunder) got the start. We went down in the woods. He fell and I kind of bumped into him. A couple guys got around. We ended up getting stuck on this first hill and he got up before me, then he had about 30 or 40 seconds the first two laps. Then the last lap I kind of reeled him in and got around him and led him until right before the finish. I just made a mistake and went the wrong way. I picked a bad line and he got around me and that was it. If I could have beat him in that one, I could have got second. It’s all right, though. We had a good day and we did all we could.”

VIDEO BY DARRIN CHAPMAN

DAVID KNIGHT

“By the first race I had the clutch going out. We had the same problem yesterday and I should have changed it. I was like, no, it’s all right now. So, it was my fault. It went about five minutes off the start and then it came back a little bit. Then as soon as you got to the open part it would go, and then it would come back a little bit so I could just get enough. I was going to stop after the first lap and change it because I said, I can’t ride like that. Then it came back. Second lap it went again, but not as bad. Then it come to a little bit. Halfway around the last lap, probably five miles to go still, it completely went. Nothing. I knew I had a good lead over third. I was riding with no clutch and got stuck on a couple of hills. It was hard to get it going again. So then it was good and then like five miles from the end it went completely. One hill I lost so much time. Then I got stuck at the end and the other two guys passed me right on that last part, literally a minute from the finish.

“Then the second race, same. Cody was out front. I was behind. I passed him and he passed me, then I passed him back again. Then I just slid onto a rock and it just punched the clutch cover and put a hole in that. I just smelled it straight away. The oil all leaked. The oil was coming out. I sort of tried nursing it back. Got it here. Them guys had to take one off another bike, the clutch cover, and fill it with oil. So, we lost fifteen minutes here. By that point I had five minutes over third, so I had a good second.

Then that last race I just used my head. I was actually catching Cody. Then some guy on a Sherco looped it and landed under his bike in a narrow ravine. There was another guy behind him, so he went and helped him, so I probably lost three minutes just in that one part. Cody was gone then. But I knew I was a good second.

FROM SNOW TO SAND

Starting January 6, Sanz will be facing hundreds of competitors in Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The Spaniard is gearing up for her eighth Dakar, her best two-wheeled finish dating back to 2015 when she was ninth overall.

But exactly how do you train for this two-week competition? How do you prepare to race in 50° heat, to sleep in the freezing cold, to endure altitude variations?

Coming from Barcelona, Sanz has chosen the Pyrenees as a training playground. This winter, mountaineering ski has helped her recreate two key factors for the Dakar: navigation and solitude.

“It helps me focus,” she says. “Training high up is very useful in the current Dakar. Skimo helps me work all four limbs and it’s a great complement to my usual training regime. The better I feel about my fitness, the better my frame of mind is for the event.”

She’s also spent a lot of time at her hometown gym. “I want to do quality sessions, meaning they don’t have to be very long. I do high-intensity series of 60-70 minutes, with very short stops in between exercises so I keep a pretty high heart rate.

“A Dakar bike is very demanding, so I have to focus on all areas: the legs – as you get up and down a lot – but also the arms and back, core strength… All body parts are very important.”

One specific exercise stands out.

Sanz calls it ‘The Scarecrow’:

“I started doing it when I was riding in trials. I have to do small jumps while I push a weight to the front and up. It is pretty intense as I use the arms, back and legs,” she explains.

She also rides bikes and motorbikes regularly. “On my motorbike, I tend to do two one-hour series, but it depends of where I am and what’s the terrain like.”

Diet will be key too, and Sanz is well aware of that. With stages up to eight-hour long, participants only get liquid provisioning during the day.

“I lost around 6-7 kilos [during her first participation] as I had trouble eating,” she recalls. “It’s very difficult to eat when you have to wake up every day at 3am. But it’s key for me now. I make small sandwiches and I take bars, nuts and fruits with me. I have it all in my jacket and I eat during the day, before the start and when refueling.”

The 31 year old will once again be riding the KTM 450 Rally as she teams up with the Austrian manufacturer that has won the last 16 editions of the Dakar. Sanz and her team of engineers and mechanics will all be out to play their part in keeping this successful run alive.

“A realistic objective is to finish in the top 15 but, if I don’t fail, I can take an even better place.” n

A MECHANIC’S

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A FACTORY

WE FOLLOW THE ROCKSTAR HUSQVARNA OFF-ROAD CREW THROUGH A TYPICAL WEEK ON THE ROAD

FACTORY MECHANIC

“WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED TO COMPLETELY REBUILD TWO BIKES ON THE TRUCK AT ALL TIMES.”

-TANNER TREMAINE

One of the perks of going to a national enduro is seeing the factory bikes up close. Getting a glimpse of the factory parts and trick goodies has been known to make sensible people max out their credit cards for bling of their own. And if you get there early enough you will probably get to see the mechanics in action, changing out clutches or assembling entire bikes. It makes you wonder what it would be like to be a factory mechanic.

The crew at Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing opened up their pits to On The Pegs at the final round of the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series in Alabama, and gave us a tutorial on a week in the life of a factory mechanic.

Factory mechanics Tanner Tremaine, who wrenches for Thad DuVall, and Michael Thompson, who turns the spanners for Josh Strang, were more than eager to fill us in on the experience, as was driver (and cook) Bryan “Blue” Heath.

TANNER TREMAINE MICHAEL

TANNER TREMAINE (THAD DUVALL’S MECHANIC) SERVICES A CLUTCH ASSEMBLY IN THE REAR WORK COMPARTMENT OF THE HUSQVARNA RIG.

MICHAEL THOMPSON (JOSH CHANIC) LOOKS FOR A BOLT DRAWERS THAT HOUSE ALL TENERS NECCISARRY TO REBUILD

Tanner started off by telling us what the weekly grind is like. Here’s Tanner:

After Thad gets through with a race, we’ll throw the bike on the stand and wash it. Basically that’s all we do as far as tearing the bikes down on Sunday. We’ll pull all the plastic and skid plate. We’ll pull brake systems, clutch system, and make it essentially just a roller. That way, on Friday, which is rebuild day, we can essentially speed that process up. We replace plastics and rebuild brake systems every week.

So after a race we fly home on Monday, and Tuesdays we’re back at the shop. When we’re at a race we have essentially a race sheet. So, when we pull parts whether it be a bolt or an air filter, any part that comes off this semi we write that down on the list. So, when we get back to the shop on Tuesday we re-stock our

parts bag. We have a list of all and we’ll order them from the they’re shipped either to the end, or shipped to the shop Thursday is a travel day. Then Friday we start rebuilding a crash during the race, we make dered in addition to a spare.

met up with a tree. He managed to the wheel, and do some damage flew home with anything and home with the wheel, flew home the handlebars, everything. sured and replaced if it needs Friday we take the bike all frame. We take everything apart cleaning. And then we start

THOMPSON

(JOSH STRANG;S MEBOLT IN ONE OF THE MANY ALL THE PARTS AND FASREBUILD THE BIKES.

all the parts that got used the Ohio warehouse and the hotel the following weekif we have a weekend off. rebuilding the bike. If Thad has make sure that part is or-

spare. Actually in Missouri, Thad managed to do some damage damage to the forks. So, I and everything I could. I flew home with the steering, So everything gets meaneeds it. the way down to the bare apart for inspection and putting it back together.

We got more in-depth on bike maintenance by doing a Q & A with Josh Strang’s mechanic, Michael Thompson. What happens after a mud race. Do you guys throw pretty much everything away and put all new parts on?

You pretty much just want to find the nearest trashcan and just throw your bike in it. You can’t really do that. As far as the technical side, you want to save as many parts as you can. Then just use your judgment on the rest of the parts, like electronics, wheel bearings. There are a lot more things that you need to replace during a mud race than you would in a normal, standard slightly wet, or dusty race.

Does the suspension fly back with you every week?

We’re always traveling with suspension. Our semi is set up where our suspension guy, Leon Hansen, he can rebuild suspension here. So, he’s either rebuilding suspension here or we always fly with suspension that he’s built. Riders come up with different specs during the week. We’re always kind of changing settings.

Friday when you’re tearing the bike down, you’re looking for cracks?

Yeah. You’re inspecting the bike for everything. It’s not just tearing it down just to rebuild it and make it fresh. You’re looking at the frame. You’re looking at the hubs, the rims. There’s always something that you can kind of change on the bike that you maybe rushed on, that you didn’t have the time to necessarily do. There’s always something to look for. It’s mechanical, so anything can happen.

Are there items that you change out every week, certain bolts maybe?

TANNER TREMAINE MICHAEL

THOMPSON

TANNER SITS IN THE PLUS OFFICE/CONFERENCE ROOM AT THE FRONT OF THE RIG AND INSTALLS DECALS ON THE PLASTICS.

Like most mechanics, Tanner is a bit obsessive/compulsive.

Tearing the bike apart, I start with the same bolt every time and I pretty much end on the same bolt every time. It’s a pattern. As far as disassembly, it’s a pattern you can get into pretty easily. Assembly gets a little different based on multiple things.

Chains get inspected. Grips every time. With Thad, he gets a clutch every time, and brake systems every time. But as far as wear items, you can get three races tops out of a chain. Wheels with Thad it just depends.

It’s the same thing for sprockets. We run the Supersprox sprockets and they’ve been really good with us this year. We don’t change any of them because they’ve worn out. We’ll change them because they don’t look shiny. The blue is starting to wear out and we’ll replace them.

MICHAEL’S TOOL BOX IS THANKS TO THESE COOL EACH DRAWER.

Ideally enduro engines go six rounds. Ideally half a season. that we get at the end of the temperature and stays too hot,

We have a temperature monitor if it gets up to a certain temperature temperature for a period of back down, then no matter on it, we send it to the factory

You’ll have temperature spikes settles back down you know lot on Thad. If he notices maybe maybe it made a funny noise we’ll start replacing motors.

On the truck, we have every have everything from a frame, Absolutely everything. If it can broke, scratched, and replaced

THOMPSON

IS

NEATLY ORGANIZED

FOAM ORGANIZERS IN

go half the season, so five or season. But based on the data the race, if it gets to a certain hot, we’ll replace it. monitor on the engine, and temperature and stays at that time, and doesn’t come how many races you have factory services. spikes all the time, but if it know it’s fine. Then we rely a maybe it’s down on power or noise or it’s not shifting right, motors. every part for the bike. We frame, sub frame, swing arm… can be bent, damaged, replaced it’s on the truck.

A lot of the stuff you can salvage but I try to go every two races on my bolts and stuff like that. You want to keep the bike looking fresh. We’re out here to sell bikes and stuff, so you want to keep the bikes looking pretty fresh. A lot of that stuff is like when you’re running that bolt into that thread you don’t want to have any issues that you can prevent.

So, a lot of things you change, you change because of looks not so much because of wear?

Yeah, like sprockets, chains, guides. All that stuff is going to be worn. Pipes you can clean up. A lot of the bolts, you can keep the bolts for 200 hours. Aesthetically, you want the bikes looking good and looking up to shape.

What do you dread doing the most?

Hydraulics. If someone wanted to do my hydraulics, I’d be the first to let them do it.

Even more than tires?

Yeah, tires and all that stuff I’m good with, but just hydraulics. I take the pistons out, take the seals out and clean up the levers in the solvent tank, and all the little pins and springs and all that stuff. It’s just pretty tedious. Those tend to stay out the longest on rebuild days.

While we’re talking about brakes, on race day, in-between tests, what’s your drill? Do you bleed the brakes every time?

Yeah. Josh is good on his clutch, his front brake. It’s just the rear brakes. I think most riders on the team are hard on rear brakes. So, as soon as he comes in, first things first I’m going to give him fuel and then start inspecting the bike. Checking spokes, bleeding brakes, making sure the caliper doesn’t spread or anything abnormal.

TANNER TREMAINE MICHAEL

BRYAN “BLUE” HEATH GETS THE HUSKY RIG TO ALL THE RACES AND KEEPS THE SUPPLIES (AND FOOD) STOCKED UP SO RACE DAY GOES AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE.

WP’S LEON HANSEN REBUILDS IN THE RIG’S WORK AREA.

We also have spare engines.

So, when it’s time to change out that engine, we put the spare engine in and we take the other one out and ship it back. We’ll always have a spare engine on the track. So say this morning I needed to change the engine, I have two motors in the truck in case I needed to use one as a spare. I always have a spare.

As far as engines, we aren’t allowed to open them or anything like that. Only Factory Services is allowed to do that. Just the clutch is all the engine work we’re allowed to do.

Those guys in factory services are amazing. They take those motors so personally and so serious that it’s pretty cool.

As far as working with Thad, Tanner said he’s easy to get along with.

I got really lucky with Thad. team this year as well as myself, came more than just mechanic would consider him family and That for me is really cool. He’s thing’s wrong, he tells you what’s tense or upset like any rider moment. It’s more frustrations. and good to work for. A lot of know how lucky I am and they

THOMPSON

REBUILDS A SET OF FORKS

Thad. Thad being new to the myself, our relationship bemechanic to rider, to where I and one of my best friends. He’s really good. If somewhat’s wrong. He gets inwould, but it’s more in the frustrations. But he’s extremely easy of the mechanics here, they they all want him. n

I know how hard Josh is on rear brakes. Yeah, exactly. Lately this year he’s been pretty good. But in the past years that I’ve worked for him, it was ridiculous. I remember one round he won, but we also went through a lot of rear brakes. It’s kind of give and take. If he’s winning, then that’s one thing, but if he’s not winning and he’s going through all the brakes and stuff, that’s another.

Do you change pads during a race?

The last enduro we did change pads, but he’s been pretty easy on rear brakes lately. It’s just like bleed them and send him on his way.

How easy is Josh to work for; Is he super picky on certain items?

He’s not too picky. If there’s something that he doesn’t like or something that isn’t right he feels like, he’s definitely going to let you know. If you build a bike how he wants it, then it’s not going to be an issue.

What is he hardest on?

I went over that with Timmy. He won an enduro. He was winning a bunch of tests enduro, but he was also spreading rear calipers like crazy. But he was winning the tests, so it didn’t matter that he was doing that. But he’s pretty easy on equipment, to be honest. Clutches, he’ll go through some clutches and stuff like that. Other than that, he’s got a lot of finesse on the bike. He’s not running into trees or anything like that. I’ve worked with some riders in the past where it’s like he’s coming out of the test and you’re like, what’s it going to be with this bike now? But he’s got a lot of finesse on the bike and he’s pretty agile with it, too. n

3 THINGS WITH TANNER TREMAINE

1) If Thad jumps on the bike and goes out to warm up, what would be the first thing that would bring him right back to the pits?

Well, it happened at one of the rounds this year. He went out riding and he just gets a feel for the bike. We’ll put on new brakes. Everything is new on the bike. So he goes in and he scrubs in the brake pads and does all that, makes sure the levers are correct. He was just making sure everything was sound. He just had the bike in neutral and was just revving it up and the bike kicked itself into gear. He almost looped out in front of hundreds of fans. Felt like a moron, but it brought him right back and we swapped the motor that night.

2) How picky is Thad about lever placement and stuff like that?

Since his wrist injury he’s become more and more particular. I’m pretty good with him. Prior to injury, I could get it pretty close. But like any rider, you could have it absolutely perfect and they’re going to want to move it up, and then move it right back down to where it was, just because it’s peace of mind. But since his wrist injury he’s a little more particular, especially with the clutch. He doesn’t like a very strong brake. He likes it like a spongy feel. So sometimes I have that a little too strong, so we’ll play with that back and forth.

3) Can you tell when he comes in if Thad’s had a bad day?

. Where his head hangs is a good key of how his test went. He’ll come through tests sometimes and he’s just doing the shaka, the hang loose sign. That’s when you know he’s having a good time. He’s riding, he’s having fun, which is really what it’s all about. Then there’s times where maybe he missed a shift or he stalled or had a tip-over or something. He’s pretty hard on himself. n

Hello trail riding/racing friends. On this month’s suspension article we are going to look at what the AER air spring does through its 300mm stroke in comparison to a seperate function fork metal coil spring like the ones on the 2013-2018 SFF Showas that has the cartridge on one side and the spring on the other side. Just as the AER fork has the cartridge on one side and the air spring on the other side. This is not a fork comparison, or a ride subjective opinionated article. It is an objective undisputed physical mathematical spring comparison.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY PHILLIP GRAHAM

SPRING SPRING

If you are happy with your air or regular fork, I highly suggest you stop reading right now and move on to something else. Not that there is any thing wrong with the air fork, or negitive info in this article, you just dont need to worry about lines, graphs and numbers, just go ride and continue to have a great time.

In the offroad riding/racing world there are two major types of springs, straight rate and progressive. Its really

not that clear cut and dry, but thats the way the unimformed masses tend to view it. In reality you have to look at what’s called the force displacement curve of each and every spring. (displacement is a big word that means distance, being the son of a recreational drag racing big block chevy engine builder, “displacement” as a kid always meant “WINNING” to me, so if it causes you issues, i feel ya). This is where you map out the springs data points to a

graph and it allows you to see what kind of characteristics the spring has through a given distance.

TWO MAJOR DIFFERENT SPRINGS EQUALS TWO DIFFERENT METHODS FOR TESTING

How a straight rate spring is tested is to do an international compresion test. Take two points, 1 at 20%=L1 and the 2nd point at 80%=L2 of stroke/travel. Then take L2 subtract L1 and divide by the distance inbetween them and that gives you rate.

Seeing how the air spring doesnt work like a metal coil spring in any shape or form, I will be testing them both like a progressive spring. I am going to test both of these springs the exact same way. The data points will start at 50mm, and will be every 50mm over a 300mm distance, equalling 6 data points.

LETS MEET OUR CONTESTANTS

On page 136, we have the AER air spring. It can produce multiple spring rates of .76kg/mm to 1.20kg/mm “plus” depending on psi. The Cartridge is 37 to 38mm in diameter made from an high grade of aluminum alloy and is hardcoat annodized. Total length is 590mm, the internal plunger is 34mm in diameter which is connected to the smaller 12mm diameter rod protruding out at the bottom of the cartridge, and the entire spring weighs in at an amazing 1.5lbs!

On page 137 is a factory showa spring. 44mm in diameter by 660mm long, 6.7mm wire diameter with 42 total coils and 40 active coils, producing a fixed rate of .99kg/mm made from high tensil

chrome silicone alloy and weighs a porky 3lbs!

I do need to explain the unique and marvelous design of the AER air forks balance or negitive chamber. In the picture on page 137 you will notice the circle drawn around what appears to be sharpie mark in the shape of an “I”. Its actually a protusion/dimple convexed out of cartridge that allows the fork to equalize pressure between the “A” main spring chamber, which is trying to extend the fork and the “B” balance or negitive chamber which is trying to collapse the fork. The “A” chamber is roughly 4 times longer than the “B” chamber. Air is very progresive and if it wasnt for the balance chamber the air spring would be extremely progressive. The simplistic design of one schrader valve at fork cap in combo with this notch makes a very user friendly cartridge air fork.

On the graph on the next page we have force on the vertical line in kg(kilograms), and displacement/distance in mm(millimeters) on the horizontal.

Above is the AER air spring at 140 psi. Using my conversion method 140psi would be equal to a .98kg/mm metal coil spring.

Regardless if the spring was tested at 100psi or at 170psi, the graph/curve for all intesive purposes is identicle to this shape. This is a great visual tool for when somebody tells you, “air is progressive” and that statement would make a lot more sense if this graph started at the 100mm mark, but it doesnt. There is the slightly high intial rate at 50mm of 1.049kg/mm, then

FORCE RATE CHART

DISPLACEMENT IN MM.

(oddly enough the tac air fork spring looks almost indenticle to the graph/ curve of Aer).

AER AIR SPRING BY THE NUMBERS

Looking at the chart the 1st data point at 50mm is 1.049kg/mm, 100mm=.670kg/mm, 150mm=.685kg/ mm, 200mm=.871kg/mm, 250mm=1.304kg/mm, 300mm=2.316.

.99kg/mm METAL COIL SPRING

As you can see on the .99kg/mm spring graph, a straight rate metal coil spring is extremely linear.

.99kg/mm METAL COIL SPRING BY THE NUMBERS

At data point 1 at 50mm the rate is .987kg/mm, 100mm=.999kg/mm, 150mm=.997kg/mm, 200mm=.994kg/ mm, 250mm=.983kg/mm, 300mm=1.0kg/mm

Comparing the averages of the air spring vs the metal coil spring.

In this segment Im doing a side by side comparason of the average rate of data points from the AER air spring and the metal coil spring starting with the first two points at 50mm and 100mm divided by 2, then data points at 50,100,150mm added together divided by 3, and so on. (See next page)

DISPLACEMENT IN MM.

1-2 .86kg/mm .993kg/mm

1-3 .80kg/mm .994kg/mm

1-4 .82kg/mm .994kg/mm

1-5 .92kg/mm .992kg/mm

1-6 1.15kg/mm .993kg/mm

International 80/20

Compression test .88kg/mm .993kg/mm

Aer Sopro method .98kg/mm .994kg/mm

Conclusion: Looking at the data point averages side by side comparing an air to metal spring would lead you to belive the air fork is softer in its initial stroke but the air spring graph clearly dictates otherwise. What the side by side comparason and graph does show is how consistent the metal spring is and the “variety” that comes with the air spring. The international compression test is all but useless on the air spring. The rate that it produces in the shop does not coincide to how it works on the track and trail. The age old adage is still true, air is progressive and metal straight rate springs are linear. Here is a psi spring rate conversion chart that I put together from all the testing in the shop. This is a mathimatical spring chart. This will get you close to spot on. But the beauty of the AER

air fork is, “if you dont like it, then add or subtract psi until it fits your liking.”

Both Springs have their advantages and disadvantages. Both springs have their own unique individual physical properties.

Both get us through the trail and around the track.

It’s been real fun testing these springs and comparing them to each other. My hope is this article (graph in particular) helps tuners and riders alike across the board get their bikes dialed in to go have fun, compete and or win races! Everybody in this sport either loves to ride or loves watching somebody who loves to ride.

“Throttle On!”

Check out Sopro Suspension at http://www.sopro.bz

2018 CALENDAR

2018 US MOTOTRIALS

April 21-22

April 28-29

June 9-10

June 16-17

Roswell, New Mexico

Salida, Colorado

Sequatchie, Tennessee

Uniontown, Arkansas

Aug 25-26 Donner, California

2018 FIM TRIAL GP

May 19-20 Caprodon, Spain

June 2-3

Motegi, Japan

June 16-17 TBA, Great Britain

June 30-July 1 La Antigua, Argentina

July 14-15 Auron, France

July 28-29 Comblain-au-Pont, Belgium

Sept 1-2

Sept 8-9

TBA, Europe

Arco di Trento, Italy

2018 TRIAL DES NATIONS

Sept 22-23

Sokolov, Czech Republic

2018 AMA NATIONAL ENDURO SERIES

Feb 4

Sumter, South Carolina

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July 22 Cross Fork, Pennsylvania

Aug 26 Chandlersville, Ohio

Sept 9 Marquette, Michigan

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Nov 4 Stanton, Alabama

2018 WORLD SUPER ENDURO

Jan 6

Riesa, Germany

Feb 17 Malaga, Spain

March 3

Bilbao, Spain

March 31 Lidkowpin,

2018 FIM WORLD ENDURO

March 17-18 Helsinki, Finland

April 29-30

Santiago, Spain

May 5-6 Castelo Bronco,

June 3-4 Tallin, Estonia

June 30 Arco di Trento, July TBA TBA, France

Sept 2-3 Edolo, Italy

Sept 23-24 ` Hawkstone

Oct 14-15 Woltersdorf,

2018 FIM WORLD ENDURO

May 11-13

May 31 – June 3

June 8-10

July 24-28

October 26-27

Portugal -

Austria - Erzberg

France - Trefle

Romania -

Sept (TBA) Poland - Red

Sweden - Gotland

November 10 The Netherlands

2018 INTERNATIONAL SIX DAYS

November 12-17

2018 WORCS

Feb 2-4

Vina-del-Mar,

Las Vegas, Feb 22-25

Peoria, Arizona

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Cedar City,

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Spain

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CHAMPIONSHIP

Finland

Spain

Bronco, Portugal

Estonia

Trento, Italy

France

Italy

Hawkstone Park, England

Woltersdorf, Germany

SUPER SERIES

- Extreme XL Lagares

Erzberg

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Red Bull Romaniacs

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DAYS ENDURO

Vina-del-Mar, Chile

Nevada

Arizona

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2018 TRIALS INC.

April 7-8

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Tippecanoe, Ohio

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2018 STRA TRIALS

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2018 RMTA TRIALS

March 4

Stock Ranch (Tune up Trial)

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June 2/3

July 1

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Sept 30

Oct 14

Nonami Ranch

Cledgehammer Gultch

Hartman Rocks

Rainbow trail ( Ute Cub)

Valcano gultch

Pilot Peak South

Tucker’s Ranch