Bones on Suspension!

BARE BONES: QUESTIONABLE PRACTICES CAN’T BE TOLERATED

By Bones Bacon

This is one article that is going to be a little difficult to write, but I feel it has to be done. I know I am going to offend some people, but that is not my intention. I believe I have a responsibility to help guide riders into making the right decisions about their suspension. I don’t want anyone to have suspension problems that may lead to them being beaten up or, in a worst-case scenario, crashing.

“LOTS OF RIDERS ARE SUSPENSION SHOPPERS WHO JUMP FROM TUNER TO TUNER IN SEARCH OF THE MAGIC SETTING. I’M SURE THAT MY SUSPENSION HAS ENDED UP ON SOME OTHER SUSPENSION SHOP’S RE-DO LIST. BUT, THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.”

Over the years I have seen a lot of messed up suspension—broken parts, parts put in wrong or just sloppy workmanship. But, as of late, I have noticed that a lot of riders are sending me stuff that has been worked on by another suspension shop. This isn’t unusual. Lots of riders are suspension shoppers who jump from tuner to tuner in search of the magic setting. I’m sure that my suspension has ended up on some other suspension shop’s re-do list.

But, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about shoddy work from local suspension shops—things that are so egregious they could cause a rider to get hurt.

Here are some examples: When taking the valving off the end of the shock shaft or a fork piston-holder assembly, there is some delicate grinding or machining that has to be done to get the ends of the shafts un-peened. All manufacturers peen over the ends to make sure the nuts don’t come loose. After aggressive grinding, there may not be enough threads left to securely put the nut back on. On fork shafts, sometimes a tuner needs to make a new piston holder with more threads so that the new locknut will be fully engaged. On the shock, it is very critical to grind or, as I do, machine the peened-over area on the shock shaft so the nut can be removed and still have enough threads left for a new nut to be reinstalled after the re-valve has been done. I’m shocked at the number of components I get in my shop that have nuts that are barely held on by a couple of threads.

Another common problem are shocks that have been reassembled with too much oil volume inside the shock body. Most modern shocks have a bladder inside the reservoir that isolates the oil from the nitrogen. If there is too much oil in the shock, the nitrogen bladder will stay in a collapsed shape. When this happens, the collapsed bladder cannot respond to the oil being displaced into the body as the shock compresses. This can cause the shock to hydraulic lock, which can rupture the shock and cause it to break at its weakest point. It’s bad, dangerous and very expensive if this happens.

When I take a fork or shock apart and find that questionable practices have been used by whoever worked on it before, I get angry. I am not talking about their valving, spring rates, oil viscosity or setup choices; it’s more about their knowledge, experience and passion to do a good job. I don’t like suspension shops that take shortcuts—out of ignorance or negligence.

When picking a suspension company to send your components to, it should not be about who can do it the cheapest. It should be about who has the experience, knowledge, concern and funding to make the necessary replacement parts and do the job correctly. Most important, they should take pride in their workmanship.

Think of your suspension shop in the same way that you think of the clinic that is going to do Lasik surgery on your eyes. Are you going to go with the doctor who can do it for the cheapest price? Or, are you going to research the doctor’s credentials, get references from previous patients and check his tech equipment? Trust me; not every suspension shop is perfect or flawless, including mine. But, if the desire and passion are there to do the best job possible, then that is your best investment.

Jim “Bones” Bacon has tuned the suspension of the biggest names in motocross, including Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Villopoto and Adam Cianciarulo. If you have a suspension question, send it to mxa@hi-torque.com.

Ricky on Ryan

Husky Off-Road Team

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing 2018 Off-Road Team Announced

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing is pleased to announce their 2018 off-road team featuring Colton Haaker, Josh Strang, Thad Duvall, and newest member Dalton Shirey. 

Looking to defend his 2017 FIM SuperEnduro Championship and contend the 2018 AMA Endurocross series is Colton Haaker. His commitment and perseverance makes him a true pioneer and an integral part of the off-road team. 

Josh Strang will be making his return to the Grand National Cross Country series riding the FX 450 alongside teammate Thad Duvall on an FX 350. Strang will also be racing the Full Gas Sprint Enduro which is a challenge he is looking forward to. Thad Duvall is looking to not only claiming a GNCC title, but an AMA National Enduro title as well. His bout with the team has been successful one and Duvall is a driven racer looking for the top spot. 

Newest member of the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory racing team is Dalton Shirey. Dalton will be competing aboard the FX 450. He will be put to the test racing the 2018 AMA National Hare and Hound and AMA Big 6 West Coast Grand Prix Series. 

Colton Haaker, Dalton Shirey, Josh Strang, and Thad Duvall make up the 2018 Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team.  Simon Cudby

FOX MX | ALWAY5 EXTRA5 | KEN ROCZEN INTERVIEW

Eveybody Wants To Win...Not Everybody Works To Win!

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Dakar Rally — it’s almost time!

  

Rally fever rises as 142 motorcycle riders sign up for the 40th edition of the Dakar, which starts in Lima on 6 January. 

Defending champion Sam Sunderland scored a double whammy in 2017, when he completed the rally for the first time and won the race to boot.   Austria's KTM are once again the favourites, but the general classification is wide open, with their Honda and Yamaha rivals ready to pounce on any weakness.

  “There are probably 10 guys with the capability of winning the Dakar,” Sam Sunderland's diplomatic prediction obviously includes him as one of the contenders. 

Based on the number 1 that will be displayed on his motorcycle and pinned to his race suit, some would even say he is the big favourite. 

KTM target #17

At any rate, the Brit's analysis goes to show just how much things have changed since that time when the ever-consistent Cyril Despres and Marc Coma divided the spoils between themselves. 

KTM's new leader is well aware that, in rally raid, dreams of glory can often crumble under the weight of unexpected events. 

He experienced it first-hand this year, when heavy rains in the Rally of Morocco caused him to drown his bike and wave goodbye to the world championship. 

Toby Price, the other former champion racing this year, could also say a thing or two about how hard it is to defend one's title. 

The Aussie spent most of the year recovering after breaking his femur in the fourth stage of last year's race. 

However, the doubts around KTM’s leading duo do not in any way diminish their firepower in a quest for a 17th consecutive victory. 

Last year's runner-up, Matthias Walkner, claimed the Rally of Morocco, while teammate Antoine Méo finished fourth and proved that he is also a force to be reckoned with. KTM's rivals have had to settle for minor placings and stage wins so far, but their never-say-die attitude makes them once again a serious threat for the overall victory. 

 

Photo Credit: Philipp Schuster/Red Bull Content Pool

Honda attack

Honda, for example, can never be written off. Joan Barreda may not be the most consistent rider, but he is probably the fastest one, with 19 specials under his belt. 

However, HRC is pinning its hopes on 2015 runner-up Paulo Gonçalves, if he manages to fully recover from his recent fall during training. 

Kevin Benavides, who had to sit out the 2017 edition, was hot on Walkner's heels a few weeks ago when he finished second in Morocco. 

Yamaha's trio

Yamaha, meanwhile, has finished on the podium with David Frétigné (2009), Hélder Rodrigues (2011 and 2012) and Olivier Pain (2014) since it returned to centre stage. 

Now, Adrien van Beveren (fourth in 2017), last year's best rookie Franco Caimi (eighth) and Xavier de Soultrait, who won the Merzouga Rally and finished fourth and fifth in the Argentinian and Chilean legs of the world championship, have brought in a breath of fresh air to the team. 

Chile's winning hope

Like in 2016, the most consistent rider of the season has been Pablo Quintanilla, who will be riding for Husqvarna again. 

So, as far as we are concerned, Sam, that makes it 11 guys with a shot at winning!

The Dakar Rally begins on January 6th 2018, starting in Lima, Peru.

Billy Bolt’s best of 2017 got some rockstar moments

With skills to pay the bills, there’s some cracking lines and tricks pulled in this edit put together by Billy Bolt.

Keep an eye out for the attempted backflip too!

Looking forward to more good stuff over the next 12 months.

Magnificent Seven – AMA SX

Amazingly, in 25 years, only seven riders have won the biggest prize in American motorcycle racing, the AMA Supercross Championship. Since 1993, when the greatest supercross rider of all time, the GOAT of indoor racing, Jeremy McGrath, won his first AMA Supercross Championship, only McGrath, Jeff Emig, Ricky Carmichael, Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, James Stewart and Ryan Villopoto have been crowned AMA SX champ.

Not surprisingly, all seven are in the top 11 of all time list. Of course with all but Reed now retired, a new champion will be crowned in 2018 (unless Reed can pull off the impossible). In the first 19 years of the AMA SX championship there were 13 different riders crowned.

The Magnificent Seven

Jeremy McGrath 7 championships
Ricky Carmichael 5 championships
Ryan Dungey 4 championships
Ryan Villopoto 4 championships
Chad Reed 2 championships
James Stewart 2 championships
Jeff Emig 1 championship

AMA SX champions – All Time List

United States Jeremy McGrath 7
United States Ricky Carmichael 5
United States Ryan Villopoto 4
United States Ryan Dungey 4
United States Jeff Stanton 3
United States Bob Hannah 3
Australia Chad Reed 2
United States James Stewart Jr. 2
United States Rick Johnson 2
United States Jeff Ward 2
United States Jeff Emig 1

AI Future Driving Challenges!

Don’t Collide With an Autonomous Vehicle, Because It Will Be Your Fault

Soon we will live in a world where AI-controlled vehicles will be perfect, and any collision between such a vehicle and a human-controlled vehicle (motorcycle or otherwise) will be the fault of the human. Oh, wait … we already live in that world.

According to a report on visordown.com, on December 7 a collision between an autonomous vehicle (AV) and a motorcycle resulted in a finding that the motorcyclist was at fault. If you are interested, you can read all of the details on Visor Down.

Suffice it to say that properly designed, programmed and operating AVs will, essentially, never be found at fault in a collision with a vehicle operated by a human being. The sensors on the AV will record information that can be recalled, and presented, in court, if necessary. That information will prove that the AV was operating in conformance with law, and the human-operated vehicle was not.  Sounds great, doesn’t it?

Of course, likely ignored will be the fact that AVs could be hacked, have a hardware malfunction, or simply fail to pick up on cues that humans can perceive and machines cannot (such as making eye contact, or even evaluating a facial expression, with another driver/rider).

When Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking and others warn about the perils of an AI future, maybe this is how it starts.  What do you think?

Dissected: 450SX Preview I

A glimpse at what lies ahead

Following a painful couple of months, the new season is upon us. Monster Energy Supercross is around the corner! Following the departure of the reigning champion, Ryan Dungey, the door is wide open for recent hashtags to resurface and someone else to claim the number one plate. It is quite clear that an unpredictable season lies ahead, just look at the number of stars featured within part one of this preview!

Ken Roczen

There is no doubt that every single fan at Anaheim 1 will be fixated on Ken Roczen, which is brilliant for the sport. It is now easy for the casual fan to grasp an interesting story and root for a specific rider. Heck, Roczen may even overtake Chad Reed and prompt the loudest cheers in opening ceremonies. Will he feed off of all of this attention or will it prove to be an unwanted distraction as he attempts to make one of the greatest comebacks that the sport has ever seen? Roczen is particularly strong mentally, so that should not be too much of a problem. There is no doubt that the magnitude of the situation would affect certain riders though.

All eyes will be on Ken Roczen when gates drop on Saturday night (Red Bull Content Pool/Garth Milan)

Will Roczen be the same guy that he was at Anaheim 1 a year ago? The way in which he dominated at that event was phenomenal, as he ended sixteen seconds ahead of the eventual champion. Expecting that again may be a little much, as it is rare for someone to be so flawless, so most would be ecstatic just to see him inside of the top five. However, based on the social media posts and other interviews that he has taken part in, there is no doubt that Roczen believes he’ll be stood atop a podium soon enough.

It is still so disappointing that fans did not get a chance to see Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen square off at one hundred percent last year, but hopefully that duel is coming. The fast-approaching season may go down as one of the greatest in recent memory if that turns out to be the case. The promoters will have Ken Roczen to thank too, as he would have denied all naysayers and achieved what most considered to be impossible. There is no doubt that the sport needs a story such as this to fill the void that Ryan Dungey left.

Cooper Webb

The Monster Energy Knich Yamaha awning is just full of questions marks! Cooper Webb had a substantial amount of hype behind him entering Anaheim 1 a year ago, which is quite different to the current situation. Following a lacklustre season, which was full of sub-par results and small setbacks, most wrote Webb off and cast him to one side. Much like his current teammate, Justin Barcia, the machine was partly blamed for the mediocrity, but the newest YZ450F is supposed to be light years ahead. The fact that Webb actually believes that should ensure that he is in a good spot entering the season opener this weekend.

Cooper Webb will hope to fulfil his potential on the YZ450F (Monster Energy Media/Octopi)

A point that has not been focussed on too much is the fact that whilst most spent the month of October putting in lap after lap at the test track, Webb was sat on the sidelines with a wrist injury. That may not be too much of an issue, seeing as he started riding again in the first week of November, but those first few days were spent on an outdoor track and testing time would have been of paramount importance with the all-new machine from Yamaha. By the time that the gates drop this weekend, he would have spent way more than a month on a supercross track. Will it be enough?

Although his maiden season aboard a bigger bike was uninspiring, there is no doubt that he can win main events this year. The title may be out of reach for the time being, as that would be quite a step up, but the fact that he did land on the box in Oakland last year shows what he is truly capable of. When conditions suit him and his set-up, he can turn it on and challenge the greatest riders that the sport has to offer. Most forget that he actually passed Eli Tomac straight up last year. How many guys can really say that?

Jason Anderson

It seems that most are unsure where to place Jason Anderson in bench-racing discussions. Eli Tomac, Ken Roczen and Marvin Musquin are certainly going to be title contenders and then you have the rest in that second tier. Anderson is either in that elite group or somewhere between that and the rest of the guys, if that is even possible, as he is certainly better and more capable than someone like Blake Baggett. The AUS-X Open proved that he has his teammate handled, as he dominated on the second night after finally making it through the first turn unscathed. However, on the other hand, he was then a tick off of Musquin in Geneva. There are so many elements at play here.

Jason Anderson poses in Los Angeles with the Rockstar Edition FC 450 (Husqvarna Motorcycles/Simon Cudby)

Anderson is a three-time winner in the premier class, but that may not be a true representation of what he has achieved. Two of those victories could be considered gifts. The second occurred in Detroit in 2016, when Ryan Dungey was penalised two spots for jumping on a red-cross flag, and then his latest victory was at the last Monster Energy Supercross round that was run, Las Vegas. Eli Tomac and Ryan Dungey were embroiled in a title fight that left the door wide open for someone to sneak through and take the win.

What does all of this mean? Well, it is just difficult to make an educated guess on where Jason Anderson should slot in. There is no doubt that he will stand on the podium more often than not, as well as win races, but will he be able to put together a championship-winning run? That may be a tall order, although it is worth considering that he was hampered by a foot injury last year. It is unlikely that was too big of an issue, however, as it would have been fixed much sooner than it was.

Marvin Musquin

"It does not matter who wins three months before the season even starts," Ken Roczen wrote on social media. Does that answer all of the questions regarding the amount of wins that Marvin Musquin has acquired this off-season? There is no doubt that victories in Paris and Switzerland do not mean too much in the grand scheme of things, but there are positives to extract. It is quite clear that Musquin is hitting all of his marks and will enter Anaheim 1 ready. Does that mean that he will dismiss challenges from Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen with relative ease? No, but it is safe to assume that he will be in a position to get his title hunt off to a solid start.

Marvin Musquin has been riding a wave of momentum lately (KTM Images/Simon Cudby)

Certain question marks were raised through the off-season races, despite the fact that Musquin achieved everything that he set out to. The indoor event in Paris was intriguing, for example, because he looked particularly vulnerable on sections of the circuit. Competitors like Dean Wilson and Cole Seely tackled the tricky whoops with confidence, whereas Musquin just could not master them. It is not like that is anything new, as he has always struggled to overcome that particular obstacle across the globe, so could it cost him a title? Not exactly, but he may give up vital points at a handful of the rounds.

Consistency is not much of an issue for Musquin though, as he lands on the podium more often than not, but intensity may be where he struggles to match his fellow heavyweights. Good starts could counteract that though and that is one of his greatest strengths. The fact that he pilots the most competitive bike in the class only helps him in that area too. Would it be a shock to see Musquin lift a number one plate above his head in May? Not at all. It would, however, be surprising if he beats Tomac and Roczen straight up to get to that point.

Eli Tomac

When the Monster Energy Supercross series concluded in May, there was no doubt that Eli Tomac would be the heavy favourite to claim the title the following year. A turbulent time in Lucas Oil Pro Motocross caused most to forget just how strong he was indoors, however, and now the focus is on how many cracks there are in his armour. One would argue that Tomac struggles when things are not going his way and point to East Rutherford as an example of that, but was that just an isolated incident?

Eli Tomac is arguably the favourite to claim the 450SX crown (Monster Energy Media/Octopi)

It was fairly similar to what happened in Salt Lake City four years ago, when Eli Tomac was battling with Ken Roczen for the 250SX West title. Tomac was in a great position that night and simply needed to seal the deal, but fell apart in a dramatic fashion and watched the title slip away. Does that sound familiar? It is not like one can just presume that he is going to struggle to put the pieces of the puzzle together again though, as he was perfect at nine of the seventeen rounds last year. The statistics really tell the full story.

One hundred and eighty laps were led by Tomac, whereas the eventual champion led ninety-seven. Tomac claimed wins at nine of the seventeen rounds, more than double the amount of victories that anyone else had, and then he also had the best average-starting position in the premier class. Those facts really make it seem as though he is going to be tough to beat across seventeen rounds, but that does not mean that you should expect him to set the world alight this weekend. It will be tough not to jump to conclusions after the season opener, there is no denying that, but it is worth noting that Tomac has never even stood on the 450SX podium at round one.

Words: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: KTM Images/Simon Cudby