ASK THE MXPERTS: MXA’S MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ASK THE MXPERTS: WHAT ARE MXA’S MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONs? 

Working for MXA is the greatest job any motorcycle racer could ever aspire to.

MXA’S MOST COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Dear MXperts,
I have been reading MXA for most of my adult life, and I have lots of things I wonder about. Here is a quick list: Can I be an MXA test rider? Can I buy your test bikes? When did you start wearing nothing but orange helmets? I have a lot more, but I bet you get the same questions over and over again. What are the most common MXA questions and answers?

You touched on some of the popular questions, but here is the complete list:

Photogenic. “Can I be the guy who gets to ride the bike for the action photos in the magazine?” This is a hard question to answer. We haven’t seen you ride, but we can tell you that looking good in photos has nothing to do with whether you can do freestyle tricks or are the fastest guy in Wichita. The great photo riders, such as Pete Maly, Lance Moorewood, Larry Brooks, Dennis Stapleton, Josh Mosiman and Daryl Ecklund, are few and far between. We don’t want to break your heart, but more times than not, the talent doesn’t find us; we find the talent.

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Finders keepers. “Can I buy one of the numerous bikes that you guys have in the MXA workshop for a killer deal?” MXA does have one of every motocross bike sold in our workshop, but we don’t own them. They belong to the manufacturers, and we exchange them for next year’s models when they come out. Plus, you don’t want our test bikes after they have been raced virtually every weekend for a year.

Sponsor me. “You guys get unlimited free stuff. Could you sponsor me?” It may seem like the MXA crew has a factory ride with every manufacturer, gear company, helmet designer, goggle brand, boot supplier and aftermarket company, but unlike factory riders who get paid beaucoup bucks to use products, we get zilch—unless you consider getting a nasty phone call after writing a bad review a perk. The truth is, we sponsor seven riders of different abilities to serve as endurance test riders, and that is the most we can handle. Plus, we are the wrong people to ask. If you have the work ethic and speed, all of those bike, gear and aftermarket companies will be willing to sponsor you. Call them directly.

Pumpkin-head. “I want an orange MXA helmet. What does it take to get one?” The answer is simple—you have to become one of us. If you think that sounds easy, think again. There are very few openings in the motocross world for test riders. MXA test riders started wearing orange helmets exclusively back in 1994.

MXA is rich. “It is hard to believe how much money you guys dump into your project bikes. MXA must think its readers are made of money.” It is true that MXA project bikes often go way over their projected budgets. That is because we don’t want to leave anything off a project bike that someone might want to know about. You don’t have to buy every part we use, but we think you should know your options. Our project bikes may be opulent, but our trucks are beaters.

Typing. “You guys are so lucky. You get to ride for a living.” Kind of like Superman’s secret alter ego, Clark Kent, the MXA wrecking crew spends more time on a computer typing than riding. If we had to choose between doing a perfect scrub or typing 80 words a minute, we’d take typing speed every time. Our job is awesome, but magazines and websites don’t write themselves.

Best bike. “I am looking to buy a new bike. What is the best bike for me?” The real question is, would you really want to hear the answer? Maybe you have a deep love for Yamaha, or your favorite color is Honda red. For many, the best bike isn’t the fastest one; it’s the yellow one. It isn’t the best-suspended one; it’s a green one. It isn’t the best-handling one; it’s the cheapest one. If you ask us what the best bike is, we will tell you. That is why we do shootouts, but we don’t expect you to agree with us.

Perfect bike. “In a perfect world, what would be the best bike?” Let’s see. If we could combine the Suzuki’s cornering ability, Yamaha’s SSS suspension, Honda’s ergonomics, and the KTM’s light weight, Belleville washer clutch, Brembo brakes, broad powerband, Pankl transmission, chromoly frame and braided steel lines, we’d have the perfect bike.

Favoritism. “Why does MXA test so many KTMs and so few Hondas?” You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to answer this question. We test more KTMs because KTM produces 10 different KTM motocross bikes. This number includes 65cc, 85cc, 125cc, 150cc, 250cc and 300cc two-strokes, plus 250, 350, and 450 four-strokes. We aren’t counting their Factory Edition models, but since GasGas and Husqvarna come under the KTM umbrella, the number of available motocross bikes from Austria is well over 30. Honda only has two motocross models—the CRF250 and CRF450 (it would be fIve if we counted their Works Edition models and the CRF150 SuperMini).

KTM Action. Over our lifespan, we have been called “Honda Action,” “Yamaha Action” and “Kawasaki Action” (based on when each of those brands were winning shootouts), so we are not surprised to be called “KTM Action.” But, if you look at the 450 shootout winners since MXA started doing 450 four-stroke shootouts, you would discover that Yamaha has won nine times, KTM nine times, Honda four times, Kawasaki four times and Husqvarna two times. Yamaha won its first 450 shootout in 1998 with the YZ400. KTM didn’t win its first 450 shootout until 2010. Yamaha had a six-year consecutive shootout win streak from 1998 to 2003. KTM had a six-year consecutive shootout win streak from 2015 to 2020. Kawasaki had a three-year consecutive shootout win streak from 2012 to 2014.