MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT

#WHIPITWEDNESDAY

Rider: Chad Reed

Chad Reed’s 2011 motocross season, famously known as the “Year of the Chadapult,” was a defining moment in his career. Reed started this season with the launch of his own team, TwoTwo Motorsports, backed by sponsors like Honda and Bel-Ray. Throughout the year, Reed showcased remarkable consistency.  His fierce rivalry with Ryan Villopoto was very intense, leading to thrilling head-to-head battles on the track. Despite facing injuries, including a significant crash at the X Games, Reed’s determination and resilience prevailed. He secured several race wins and numerous podium finishes in the Supercross and Motocross series, ultimately finishing as the runner-up in Supercross and third in the outdoor championships. The “Year of the Chadapult” remains an iconic chapter in motocross history, for Reed’s spirit and determination to always finish what he started.

TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: KINCADE PAVICH’S YZ300

“This Yamaha YZ300 started out as my buddy Danny’s 2005 Yamaha YZ250. This bike was well-loved and had seen countless miles of Montana single track. I wanted to keep the bike true to its roots, and decided to do a big bore 300cc electric start woods build. I stripped the bike all the way down to the frame and got to work. With the support of some amazing companies in the industry, this beast was born. This bike features custom holographic graphics from DeCal Works along with a gorgeous custom seat cover.”

“The cylinder was bored out by Millennium Technologies to achieve 300cc displacement. The bike is equipped with Shinko tires and ProX rebuild kits throughout. A Wiseco crankshaft and clutch basket ensure optimal engine performance. A Phathead cylinder head not only provides a beautiful finish to the engine, but performance upgrades over stock as well as the ability to interchange domes.”

“An IMS oversized tank and footpegs ensure ultimate rider connection to the bike while being able to go the distance. The AXP extreme skidplate with linkage protection is the best skid plate on the market and allows sliding over logs and obstacles with ease. Fast Metric fasteners provided shiny new bolts all around so the bike has no signs of being nearly 20 years old. Cerakote was used for coatings, and Deja Moto provided help with the suspension. Finally, the Panthera Motorsports electric start kit was the cherry on top of this woods weapon.”

“The electric starter for the Yamaha YZ250 comes from Panthera Motorsports. The starter and battery will add 5.7 pounds to the YZ250. It retails for $1,625.”

MXA FANTASY LEAGUE

In the new Supercross season, we’ve introduced an exciting addition – a brand-new app for fantasy play! Accessing this app has never been simpler; whether you’re using an Apple or Android device, including the Apple store on desktop or even directly on your Chrome browser, you can easily download it. While we’re eagerly awaiting the upcoming season, please stay tuned for when entries open, granting users the opportunity to dive in and begin crafting their fantasy teams. One particularly noteworthy feature of this app is the “private parties” function. With it, you can create a party and invite all your friends to join in, enabling you to collectively track your results, rather than solely relying on the main scoreboard. In these private parties, you can conveniently make your rider selections in the same location as your regular gameplay. Join us today by downloading the App for Apple here, and for Android here.

MXA PHOTO TRIVIA

Who is this rider? Answer at the bottom of the article.

BETA 125CC VS. 200CC 2-STROKE COMPARISON

CLUB MX EAST VS WEST

Typically, we find ourselves waiting for the official race entry list to be released before we can determine which riders will be participating in the East Coast Supercross versus the West Coast. However, thanks to the considerate gesture of the Club Mx Yamaha team, they’ve simplified matters for us by providing early insights into their roster for each coast’s competition.

In the West Coast division, Phil Nicoletti and teammate Garrett Marchbanks have been designated as the chosen representatives for their team.

For the upcoming East Coast rounds, Club MX has made the strategic decision to enlist Jeremy Martin, along with two promising newcomers to their team — Coty Schock and Jett Reynolds.

SHOULD I GO SOFTER OR STIFFER?

Dear MXA,
I own a 2011 KTM 450SXF and my usual track has big jumps, some with flat landings. I wonder whether I should soften or stiffen the suspension. And, whatever the answer, how many clicks I should I use? Personally, I’d rather have stiff suspension.

Congratulations on having a running 13-year-old four-stroke. It seems as though you answered your own question with your last sentence, but we will expand the answer to help you. The 2011 KTM 450SXF still had a 41mm Keihin FCR carb, weighed 242 pounds, and made 53.92 horsepower. The most notable change from the 2010 KTM 450SXF was the swap from the no-link PDS rear suspension to a rising-rate shock linkage. Here are some basics about living with your 2011 KTM 450SXF suspension.

Forks: The 2011 KTM 450SXF was not equipped with the current AER air fork or even the earlier 4CS fork, but instead used WP’s closed-cartridge technology. It was not an especially good fork and softness was not one of its traits. We ran our stock 2011 WP forks at 12 clicks out on compression and 12 clicks out on rebound. The stock fork springs were plenty stiff, but if we thought that the forks were too soft, we would add 10cc of fork oil to each leg (through the air bleed hole on the fork cap).

Shock. We liked the 2011 KTM linkage system. Its main advantage over the previous PDS system was that the linkage was more “contractive.” What does that mean? The PDS no-link system always felt like it was fully extended, whereas the new linkage system seems to take a set with travel left in both directions. The linkage allowed the shock to both extend and contract from its base setting. The stock spring rate was 5.7 kg/mm, and if your static sag indicates that you need a different spring, you can work around this base setting. We think that the stock spring is good for riders from 160 pounds to 190 pounds. We ran the low-speed compression on 12 clicks out, the high-speed compression on 1-1/4 turns out and the rebound on 12 clicks out. Check out the rest of the article here.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: MALCOLM STEWART’S JOURNEY BACK TO RACING