MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT

On Aug 14, 2018 Last updated Aug 15, 2018

#WHIPITWEDNESDAY

Rider: James Stewart
Bike: 2013 Suzuki RM-Z450

TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: RICK PIERCE’S 2004 YAMAHA YZ250

2004 Yamaha YZ250.

Hello MXA!

In many ways this refurbished bike was a duel effort by both myself and my moto buddy Bryce, from Texas. This 2004 Yamaha YZ250 lived the vast majority of its life as a trail bike that had been ridden hard and treated poorly with only occasional maintenance performed. The bike was rescued from this harsh reality by Bryce in the Dallas (Texas) area, and he began trying to resurrect the bike to its former glory. When Bryce acquired the bike it was beat on pretty hard with thrashed plastic, smashed radiators, and the majority of the components bent, dented scratched or trashed. Bryce made good headway in bringing the bike back to life, pulling the bike down to the frame and having both the frame and sub-frame powder coated black. He then started repairing or replacing parts as he worked his way through the bike. Bryce pulled the wheels apart, turned the stock hubs down, powder coated them black and then re-laced them to new Moose rims with new spokes/nipples.

He went through the top end and got it running correctly while adding a new Pro Circuit Works pipe and stainless 304 silencer to replace the abused pipe and silencer the bike came with. Bryce then replaced both stock radiators that were dented and twisted (to the point they aren’t worth turning in at the recycling center!) and got the bike looking and working well with all new blue plastic, Renthal bars and a few other nice improvements, including the entire front end (forks/clamps/brake) from a grenaded/parted out 2009 YZ250F.

Bryce got to ride the bike a few times before the bottom end let go and he had to park it. As Bryce had recently graduated from college and was busy with his new career and the other endeavors he had going on, I acquired the bike from him with the intention of completing an engine overhaul as soon as I could. I had a few setbacks along the way but never lost interest or gave up hope of getting the bike back in running order. I removed the engine and pulled it apart, sending the cylinder to Millennium Technologies for a complete refurbishment, while I gathered all the necessary parts for a complete rebuild. While the cylinder was out for repair, I serviced the linkage and steering bearings, cleaned, serviced and re-jetted the carb per Pro Circuits recommendations.

On return of the perfectly repaired cylinder, I gathered up all my new parts and had my good friend Dane, who worked as a professional AMA wrench for more than 14 years, (tuning for Jeff Gibson & Keith Johnson at Starr Racing, Tim Ferry & Kyle Lewis at Moto XXX among others) completely rebuilt the engine with all brand new parts from the drain-bolt up! I have always been a fan of the late 80’s 1990 YZ’s with all white plastic and red seat, so I purchased a stock capacity Clarke Mfg tank, all white plastic and a Motoseat cover in red and put the bike back together with a tribute theme to my beloved 1990 YZ250!

I really enjoyed getting this bike back in running order and creating this 80’s/90 themed YZ! It was refurbished with the intent to be ridden! It looks and sounds great and I’m really looking forward to fun track days ahead! I definitely want to say thanks to my moto buddy Bryce, as had already completed a lot of great work, and the bike was at an excellent starting point for me, and I am very grateful to my ol’ buddy Dane, and thank him for cracking open his dusty old toolbox and putting his vast amount of expertise into this rebuild project! Thanks to Motocross Action for the opportunity to show the bike to other moto enthusiasts! I hope you like it as much as I do! –Sincerely, Rick P. in OKC

EDITORS NOTE: Please keep those submissions coming. If you would like your bike to be featured in the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” please email me at [email protected]. All I ask is that you give a breakdown of your bike and a detailed description of the build. Please also send a few photos of your steed. By submitting your bike for the “Two-Stroke Spotlight,” you agree to release all ownership rights to the images and copy to MXA. Please don’t email me spam or try selling me Taylor Swift concert tickets or email me spam. I already celebrate T-Swizzle’s entire collective, and there will be “bad blood” if you send me junk mail. See what I did there? Happy submitting your smoker.

THOR | PRIME PRO | TWENTY NINETEEN

MXA | MOTO | TRIVIA

Name the rider and year. Answer at the bottom of page.

ATLAS BRACE

Atlas offers more color ways.

New for 2019 Atlas introduces 4 new colorways including full tonal “Aqua” (teal), and “Fire” (red) braces featuring full color polymer construction with matching padding. “Virus” and “Tundra” full-frame water-decal designs add flare for customers looking for more, and carrying over from 2018 are the “Nightshift” (black) and “Ghost” (white) for those looking for a clean slate that can match any gear. All colors are available in Tyke, Prodigy, and Air models/sizes, ranging from $199.99 – $329.99.

In addition to the brace line up, Atlas is also introducing a new “Fire” (red) Broll colorway, available for $99.99 in addition to the Darkside (black), White, and Pumpkin (orange) from 2018.

Atlas Neck Brace’s are known for their Patented flexible design, providing maximum comfort and mobility. Combining a simplistic minimalist design with flexibility, suspension, and the largest brace-to-body contact ratio (in the smallest overall package) makes the Atlas family of braces a clear category leader across the entire range.

Atlas’ is trusted by more Supercross pro’s than all other neck braces combined, and is used by many Championship winning professionals across various platforms:
– Ryan Villopoto & Jason Anderson (MX/SX)
– Colton Facciotti, Kaven Benoit, and Matt Goerke (Canada)
– Daniel Milner (Australia)
– Gavin Faith (AX)
– Walker Fowler (ATV)
– Brett Turcotte, and Paul Thacker (Sno-X, X Games)

Along with:
Evgeny Bobryshev, Darian Sanayei, Rui Goncalves, Martin Davalos, Chase Sexton, Kyle Chisholm, Carson Mumford, Jordan Jarvis, Ethan Mann, and many more!

Atlas Innovations:

Weightless Minimal Design
Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

Flexible Polymer construction
Tough, impact resistant polymer construction is ideal for multiple impacts. The flexible nature of the material is designed to slow down violent impacts in an effort to spread out and reduce impact forces

Split-Flex Frame
The Split-Flex Frame design allows the rear of the brace to mimic the natural movements of your shoulders to provide the ultimate comfort and mobility while cornering, scrubbing jumps, etc.

Spine & Sternum Free
Each Atlas Neck Brace sits around your spine and sternum, transferring impact forces to the bigger muscle groups rather than directly on the spine and sternum

Chest Suspension
Chest suspension keeps the head in motion during a longer period of the impact, while promoting tuck-and-roll ability during an accident.

27% More Body Contact
Each Atlas Brace is the smallest overall size compared to the competition, but contacts your body 27% more than the competition – making it smaller, and bigger. Increased surface area contact with the body helps spread out impact forces.

Wireless Tether *NEW
Previously our rear tethers used an internal braided steel cable for strength. After 3 years of development we have gone wireless!

Easy Open
Super strong 7075 Aluminum Easy Open release system makes removing an Atlas Brace effortless, reliable, and tough.

Height Adjustment
Each Atlas Air neck brace features 2 height adjustments.

Smart Mounts
Aluminum Smart Mounts of the back of each Atlas Brace provide 6 possible settings to find tune the fit around your chest and back.

For more info, please go to www.atlasbrace.com/braces or contact us at [email protected] Now Accepting team riders at the email above.

THEY SAID IT | UNADILLA NATIONAL

Weston Peick: “Unadilla reminded me of the second moto at Unadilla last year, where we got a ton of rain and it was very challenging. I tried my best and got out of there pretty happy, considering that I don’t have a lot of experience in those types of conditions. I’m sixth in the points standings, and I like Budds Creek, so I’m excited to do the press day and get more track time in.”

Justin Hill: “I felt good in qualifying. Unfortunately, I caught my previously injured leg in a rut in the first moto and that was it. I had to sit out the rest of the day. My goal is to work hard this week to get the swelling out of my knee and line up for Budds Creek. I have to give a big ‘Thank you’ to my team!”

Ken Roczen: “I haven’t raced a mud race in a long time, so the plan was to just go out there and have some fun. It was definitely on the more challenging side when it comes to conditions. In the first moto I had to come in for new goggles and then I went down twice and could only get up to seventh. The first few turns of the second moto were pretty crazy. I didn’t even make it to the finish line [to end lap one], and there was a dirt clod on my goggles. I tried to pull a Roll Off but it broke, so I had to come in again and get another set of goggles. From there I just tried to make my way up the field. It took a long time until I had a clear track, and once I did I dropped my lap time and could kind of get into a flow. I feel like if I would’ve had better starts today and been up front the day could’ve been a lot better. As it is I’m really disappointed because normally mud is really good for me and I like it.”

Dylan Ferrandis: “It was really a big battle all day today. For me, the experience I have from Europe really helped today. I’m use to not having a sighting lap prior to the race. The dirt here is awesome when it’s raining and it was a really good racetrack. It’s not often that I have the chance to battle with Aaron [Plessinger], so today was special and it was nice to push one another for the win.”

Marvin Musquin: “That second moto was just awesome, it was perfect. And I had fun! I didn’t know the time [behind me] so I just kept on pushing. Unfortunately, Eli [Tomac] got me in the first moto but the second moto was just awesome. The championship is the same as before the weekend so I will go into the last two rounds focused on winning races so I can hopefully make a dent in that lead.”

Kailub Russell: “The day started off really good, I qualified 12th in practice and in the first moto I got off to somewhat of a decent start but I had a lot of trouble keeping my goggles clean the first few laps and there was chaos everywhere. I made a bunch of good passes, I really kind of surprised myself and got up just outside the top five. I actually worked my way into third and was running there for a while but I had a little crash coming out of Gravity Cavity – I had to throw my goggles off and my gloves got all muddy so I struggled to hold onto the bars for the last ten minutes. I had one more tip-over but I rode it in the first moto to a sixth. In the second moto, I got off to a really good start. [Justin] Barcia got around me and then I think he got a little out of control and ended up looping his bike in front of me, which ended up hitting me, broke my brake pedal and I crashed and went down. I got going in tenth and just tried to feel the track out without the rear brake, which was tough today because it was so sloppy and you needed to rely on the brakes in some of the turns. I was riding really well but ended up having a pretty good crash and the bike tackled me and banged my elbow up – it hurt pretty good. Overall, I was really happy to be here and really pleased with my qualifying results and my first moto, but I’m just bummed with all the chaos that unfolded in the second one.”

Phil Nicoletti: “Today was great. I felt pretty good in practice before the rain came. I had an okay start in the first moto and made some really quick passes then just sent it. I stalked Marvin for awhile, but then Eli started coming. I had to do one lap without goggles, which hurt me. I ended up third, which I was happy with. The team hustled to get the bike dialed for the second moto. I got a good start and ran third for awhile. I tipped over in the last lap and finished fifth. I’ll take it for the home race. It was a pretty unbelievable experience for me!”

Mitchell Harrison: “Today was filled with rain and mud. I got a good start in the first moto and was running right behind Mosiman for awhile. We both went down, unfortunately, and I ended up fourth. I had the lead for awhile in the second moto, but I got together with a lapper. I knew I had to be smart to secure the overall podium, and that’s what I did. It was a great day.”

MOOSE RACING ANNOUNCES 2019 RIDER SUPPORT PROGRAM

Press Release: We’d love to have you on Team Moose Racing. Here’s Your Chance to Join the Likes of Team Babbitt’s, KR4 Husqvarna & more! Sponsorship season is right around the corner and Moose Racing is proud to offer support to all levels of racers within the U.S. Resumes will be accepted from September 1 – November 15, 2018. Information on how to apply will be on the website, MooseRacing.com, beginning September 1. Be sure to follow the instructions closely.

All resumes must be typed and include:
• Name
• Address
• Phone/Fax #
• E-mail Address – This is the only way you will be notified with an answer/contract. Nothing will be mailed.
• All social media information.
• Birth date
• Series (GNCC, Dist. 16, etc.)
• Class (Pro 125A, 250B, etc.)
• Current standings in each series and class
• Current sponsors
• Current grade & GPA (if applicable).
• List of your bike(s) / ATV(s) – (Model & year).
• Racing plans for 2019.
• Why you would be a good representative for Moose Racing.
• How you heard about Moose Racing and how you learned to send in resume.
• Top five racing achievements.
• Photos (1 action and 1 head shot). Photos will not be returned and will become the property of Moose Racing. Do not send any CDs, DVDs or movies; they will not be looked at.

If through post office:
Moose Racing
Attn: Roxane Erickson | Rider Support Manager
PO Box 5222
Janesville, WI 53547-5222

If sending UPS, FedEx, etc.:
Moose Racing
Attn: Roxane Erickson / Rider Support Manager
3501 Kennedy Rd
Janesville, WI 53545

Email: [email protected]

Fax: Do not fax (photos do not come through well).

*** There is a form on the website, www.mooseracing.com (Rider / Sponsorship) that can be used. ***

REMEMBER THIS BIKE

Jeremy McGrath’s 2005 Honda CR250.

BOYESEN BUDDY BOOGIE SPEED FESTIVAL AT PAGODA MC

Press Release: The Mortheast and mid-Atlantic’s premier dirt bike festival. “The most seat-time you will get all year” – Randy Kastle, Pagoda MC President.

Calling all Motocross, Enduro, GNCC, Cross Country, casual riders… young and old, fast and slow. This is YOUR CALLING. The Boyesen Buddy Boogie is a unique Dirt Bike Festival designed to offer the best collective Riding and Racing experience available in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Boyesen Engineering, Motocross Action Magazine, Dirt Bike Magazine, and ThumperTalk.com are proud to showcase the 1st Annual Boyesen Buddy Boogie Speed Festival held at Pagoda MC in Birdsboro, PA. The Boyesen Buddy Boogie has been created to include the full spectrum of Motocross and Offroad and has been designed to be a weekend-long celebration of the best that each discipline has to offer. From beginner youth riders and casual riding enthusiasts, to some of the fastest and most accomplished regional Moto and Offroad pilots, the Buddy Boogie Speed Festival promises to be a fun and approachable event that offers a weekend packed with family fun, riding and racing! The Boyesen Buddy Boogie is slated to be a can’t miss event with opportunities to gather as friends, as competitors, and most importantly as FAMILY to celebrate all things Moto and Offroad in one single destination event. The Buddy Boogie offers riders the most available riding time throughout the weekend. Call your Buddies and come out and Boogie!

SOCIAL HASHTAGS
#buddyboogie, #doyouboogie, #pagodamc, #ridepagoda

Event Date:
October 5th – 7th 2018 (Weekend Festival: Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Event Location:
Pagoda Motorcycle Club
441 Redlane Rd
Birdsboro, PA 19508
TEL: (610) 582-3717
www.pagodamc.org
[email protected]

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