RUMORS, GOSSIP & UNFOUNDED TRUTHS: IT WILL ALL BE MUCH CLEARER AFTER ROUND FIVE

• CLASSIC MXA TEST RIDER PHOTO: WHERE MXA TEST RIDERS ARE MADE

Jody’s backyard mini track didn’t thrill his Beverly Hills neighbors, but it was the training ground of a lot of future AMA Pros and MXA test riders—plus, it was very pretty.

GYRO GEARLOOSE STUFF WE NEVER SAW A SECOND TIME

The world is full of creatIve people with ideas aplenty. Some times find interest from a potential manufacturer, but more often than not they fade away to never be seen again. MXA loves weird ideas and often refers to them as “Gyro Gearloose” ideas, in references to the 1950’s Disney cartoon character who was an ingenious inventor, whose inventions did not always work the way he wanted them to. Here, we highlight a few inventions that werei ahead of their time, behind the times or just plain without a time of their own.

SUZUKI EXTRIGGER ELECTRIC PLAY BIKE

The electric Extrigger.

The Suzuki Extrigger Concept bike, which was never scheduled for production, boasts fore and aft light-emitting devices that transmit information via complex blinking… for no reason that we can think of.

The battery plugs into the gas tank? Which doesn’t hold gas.

The aluminum-framed machine comes with inverted forks, mag wheels, disc brakes and 136.7 pound dry weight. The electric motor comes from Panasonic.

KAWASAKI J

It changes as you ride it.

The electric-powered Kawasaki “J” concept features two narrow front wheels and one larger rear wheel. In motion the “J’s” handlebars and riding position can transform from a road-racer stance to a comfortable riding position. In performance-mode, the front wheels and handlebars move closer together, and rider and bike-height drops closer to the road.

No air. No flats. Lots of offroad potential.

Bridgestone Airless tire’s spokes are constructed from a thermoplastic resin combined with a rubber tread. It can never go flat because it doesn’t rely on air pressure, but instead is a structural design

SCUBA-POWERED YAMAHA 02 PURSUIT

Yamaha 02 Pursuit.

Built on a Yamaha WR250, the O2 Pursuit looks like any other off-road bike, but its power comes from compressed air stored in a scuba diving tank hidden under the bodywork. It is powered by DiPietro air rotary engine. Range is reportedly 60 miles and it has been clocked at 87 mph.

NEW LIFE FOR OLD CROSS ENGINES

Honda CR500.
Rafik Kaissi, who immigrated to the United States from civil-war-torn Lebanon to Austin, Texas, creates working motorcycles from junked bikes. They may not be very practical, but Rafik loves to work with motocross engines like the Honda CR500 two-stroke. See more at www.rkconcepts.com

• 2025 AMA SUPERCROSS WINNERS AT A GLANCE—THREE DOWN, 14 TO GO

Ken Roczen will have the Red Plate in Arizona on Saturday night.

Date/Venue                                                      450                                                250
Jan. 11…Anaheim, CA…………..Chase Sexton (KTM)……………..Jo Shimoda (Hon)
Jan. 18…San Diego, CA………...Eli Tomac (Yam)………………………Julien Beaumer (KTM)
Jan. 25…Anaheim, CA…………..Jett Lawrence (Hon)………………Haiden Deegan (Yam)
Feb. 1…Glendale, AZ
Feb. 8…Tampa, FL
Feb. 15…Detroit, MI
Feb. 22…Arlington, TX
Mar. 1…Daytona Beach, FL
Mar. 8…Indianapolis, IN
Mar. 22…Birmingham, AL
Mar. 29…Seattle, WA
Apr. 5…Foxborough, MA
Apr. 12…Philadelphia, PA
Apr. 19…East Rutherford, NJ
Apr. 26…Pittsburgh, PA
May 3…Denver, CO
May 10…Salt Lake City, UT
450 points leader…Ken Roczen (Suz)
250 West points leader...Julien Beaumer (KTM)

• WHO’S WHO IN THE SUPERCROSS ZOO” CURRENT AMA SUPERCROSS POINTS HEADING TO ARIZONA

The top four in AMA 450 Supercross points are only separated by 5 points 

TOP TEN IN 450 POINTS
(After 3 of 17 rounds)
1. Ken Roczen (Suz)…62
2. Chase Sexton (KTM)…59
3. Jett Lawrence (Hon)…57
4. Eli Tomac (Yam)…57
5. Cooper Webb (Yam)…52
6. Jason Anderson (Kaw)…49
7. Hunter Lawrence (Hon)…45
8. Justin Cooper (Yam)…42
9. Justin Barcia…(Gas)…42
10. Malcolm Stewart (Hus)…40

In the 250 West, Julien Beaumer (23) has a 7-point lead on Haiden Deegan, 9 points on Jordon Smith and 13 points on Jo Shimoda.

TOP TEN IN 250 WEST POINTS
(After 3 of 8 rounds)
1. Julien Beaumer (KTM)….69
2. Haiden Deegan (Yam)…62
3. Jordon Smith (Tri)…60
4. Jo Shimoda (Hon)…56
5. Cole Davies (Yam)…52
6. Coty Schock (Yam)…49
7 Anthony Bourdon (Yam)…39
8. Ryder Di Francesco (Kaw)…35
9. Michael Mosiman (Yam)..35
10. Hunter Yoder (Kaw)…33

 • NEED A NEW TRUCK? WHAT ABOUT THE HONDA ACTY PICKUP TRUCK?

The Honda Acty has been in production since 1977  in Japan.

The Honda Acty pickup truck is designed to provide an economical and efficient way to carry stuff. The Acty, short for Activity, offers a robust and rugged exterior design comprised of a large rectangular shaped front with multi-reflector halogen headlights, low grille,  door mirrors and the sides of the bed open wide for a flat cargo bed with an easy opening and closing tailgate.

The interior provides seating for two with acceptable comfort for both driver and front passenger. The seats are covered with leather fabric and there is lots leg and head room space. The doors open wide for easy entry and exit. The floor is carpeted and the dashboard has a large display. The Acty comes with keyless entry, power door locks, power steering, air-conditioning, sun visor, ignition key warning buzzer, 3-spoke steering wheel, AM/FM Radio and gas gauge warning light.

The Honda Acty (front) next to Honda’s first-ever pickup truck—the 1963 Honda T360. The T360 had 356cc, double-overhead-cam, four-cylinder engine.

The Acty is powered by a 660cc, three-cylinder, gasoline engine with a five-speed manual or optional automatic transmission. The Acty is available in two-wheel or four-wheel drive models. back in 2021, the Acty was discontinued because of stricter emission and frontal crash regulations, but there were lots of them built over the last 44 years. If you want one, just google “Honda Acty Pickup” and you will find a wide selection of 2021 and used Acty’s that can be bought and shipped to the USA. Prices run around $11,000.