The 2015 YZ 250 FX Continues To Evolve

Maybe I signed off a little too soon. Since part 6 I installed a FMF Mega Bomb S/S header.  This was the most dramatic change in performance I’ve done to the bike. The addition of the Rekluse was a comfort thing for me, so was the suspension for that matter. The bolt on horsepower increase was not cheap at $350 list, but the low to mid range torque increase was well worth it. My first butt dyno ride around my driveway was a holy cow!

The first ride in the dirt was at our SOTMC (Sierra Old Timers) ride day at the MMX sand track. I have a KTM 450SX Factory Replica (Dungy) that I’ve used for MX but as I’ve said previously I wondered if the 250FX can replace it. The 450 suspension was originally done by Factory Connection and was way too stiff for me so I had Bucky at SBB revalve it so this was my first ride on it since then. I decided to take the FX along at the last minute because of the new bolt on power. 

The change in the 450 with the revalved suspension was dramatic and I really enjoyed riding it in fact I rode it most of the day. I did get the chance to ride a new stock 2015 Yamaha 250F and my 250FX back to back. Since my bike is set up for me and the 250F was stock the only real thing I was looking for was the difference in power between the two. There was a difference my bike had more low to mid range pulling power and less upper mid to top power than the 250F. The 250F did rev’d out quicker. The 250FX no doubt has different cams perhaps a little fly wheel weight and different ECU programming. It would be interesting to ride the stock 250F with a FMF Mega Bomb Header on it to see what the difference might be then. But for what I was doing both worked well just a little different. When doing any kind of off road riding though I have to believe the 250FX would have the advantage.

I rode the 250FX exclusively at MMX again the next week and then went to a marathon race in Fernley, NV that weekend. They ran the two MX tracks together for forty five minute races then had a team race in the afternoon. There will be an Old Timer International MX event held there in April so I wanted to get a little track time. It’s interesting the two tracks are sand and side-by-side but are different, one has traction and the other is like sugar sand and low traction.

My Fernley ride was fun but I struggled with the 250 in the deep sand, my arms pumped up and my hands went to sleep I couldn’t get on top of the sand. I swear this is the truth, I slept in my in closed bike trailer the night before the race and it moved around a lot, I have vertigo problems and it was bothering me so I put Sea Bands on my wrists to help with the motion sickness. They are very tight and have a sort of button that pushes on some nerve in the wrist to help prevent motion sickness. Well I forgot to take them off before the race and I have to think those things contributed to my arm pump and I’ve never hand my hands go to sleep while riding. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

The other thing that came in after part 6 was the IMS over sized gas tank that has been on order since I bought the bike. However it came without a cap. You have a choice of either a screw on cap or a dry brake system. And of course whatever you picked it was extra. The tank they sent was a 2.5 gal. Their web site is now advertising a 3.0 gal tank but in order to get an extra half gallon of fuel and with virtually no room under the seat they added capacity to the sides of the tank and utilized the radiator shrouds to hold more fuel. The nice thing about this tank is you get to keep the seat stock.

The tank they sent was a challenge to install, especially with no instructions. In order to install it you must remove the sub frame in order for it to fit in under the sub frame rails. They’ve utilized every fraction of an inch to ad fuel without adding any width to the tank, which is good but makes for a time consuming install. Turns out my tank is a pre production unit and required some tweaking here and there on my part and wasn’t intended for me at all.  The tank was sent to Roseville Yamaha without any paperwork so everyone assumed it was for me, but it was actually sent through Yamaha Racing and was for Vaughn Wilk a sponsored rider, oops. The tank was designed for a dry-brake system only so when I installed a screw off cap on it one of the negatives is the cap became a potential nut buster. (Which it did) I may have to make a dry-brake system out of it in order to save my nuts. All this for a half gallon of fuel, eh, I think it will be worth it. 

I’ve gone fifty miles a couple of time with the stock tank but didn’t think I had much gas left. (Turns out I had more fuel left than I thought) I think I should be able to get at least seventy five miles out the new set up when riding at a good pace for me; others may get less.

I tried the out the new Mega Bomb pipe and fuel tank at the fourth round of the Western National Hare Scrambles Championship held above Redding at the base of Shasta Dam. The course was twenty miles and the top AA PRO riders were making a lap in 43-44 minutes.

My race was in the afternoon and was in creditably dusty something the morning racers didn’t have too much of. An eighth row start, 30 plus riders in my row a first turn crash meant front fender viability part of the time. Another three falls on the first lap along with a brand new roll off system that malfunctioned, a camel back hose I couldn’t reach added up to a lap that couldn’t end soon enough. Then about three quarters through the first lap I caught up to the 2014 Dist 36 Master “A” (60 plus)  class champion, passed him and shortly after that I caught up to the leader of my class, it’s amazing how inspiring that can be.

At the end of the first lap I came into the pits to clean my goggles and tear the rest of the roll off film off my goggles the bulk of it had wrapped itself around my rear sprocket. The second lap was almost dust free and a lot of fun, I could finally see. Instead of coming up on five or six riders at a time it was for the most part one at a time.

With a hundred and sixty riders either ahead of me at the start or on my row I ended up 79^th on the first lap and 67^th overall at the end, first in my class and 2^nd in Master “A” class not bad.

The bike worked perfectly, the only issue I had been on the long down hills I over heated the brakes, front and rear. With the 250 not having a whole lot on engine braking in the first place then add the Rekluse it felt like I was just freewheeling it down those hills sometimes. Spooky when you’re used to engine braking. But the first lap had some bottlenecks and the Rekluse more than made up for it then.

After a little over forty miles of racing on a course that was both very fast and very slow at times I had plenty of fuel for the two laps but I don’t think I could have completed another one.

As of this writing I have 36 hours on the 250FX. 

Doug 21J

Villopoto says he may NOT retire this year!

Sorry, apparently the original video has been taken private.

Here is a great video interview Moto Magazine did with RV in Italy.

Supercross champion Ryan Villopoto admits he may make a u-turn and not hang up his boots at the end of the season.
In this video interview for Italian site MXBars, the Kawasaki GP ace says: “I said I was going to retire however this season went. But maybe my decision can change.”
RV also says he’s finding it tough getting used to the European tracks which he says are a lots smaller than he’s used to, which leads to one-line tracks which are difficult to pass on.
Villopoto spectacularly looped out at Sunday’s Italian GP at Trentino but it seems he will be fit to race the Dutch GP at Valkenswaard this weekend.

Episode II.... The Unknown

Spectrum - Trailer from Kyle Cowling on Vimeo.

Round 2 of the 2015 International OTMX Series

Fernley, NV.

The second round of the Old Timer International Motocross championship was held in Fernley Nevada. Fernley is about as opposite in beautifulness as it gets when compared to say Washougal. I didn’t even bother taking pictures, the same could be said for round one which was held in a giant pit behind a prison in Arizona.

The track in Arizona had many sections that were fun even had some up and down elevation changes. But there were parts of the track for us not as brave guys that were very sketchy to say the least. The Fernley track on the other hand was flat and fast and at first glance didn’t have the look of a very technical layout, but as time went on it turned out to be a tough challenging track. At first you could  over jump some of the table tops but as the track got rougher you had to keep your courage up down the long back section in order to even come close to jumping them. A little head shake in the rough sand straights tends to shrink you.

I think the east track at Fernley tends to have much deeper softer sand and the track had three or four corners that were flat, deep and loose. One right hander in particular gave virtually everyone problems. The track seemed fairly short or the lap times were just that fast I’m not sure but we made lots of laps. Unlike Arizona I don’t think they hauled anyone away, there were lots of tip over’s but nothing really serious that I know of. 

Carmen Ogino #72 leads the 50 Expert class at the Fernley sand track

I don’t know how many riders there were but I heard they had about a hundred pre entries plus people like me who post entered. I’m not sure but I believe this was this particular group of Old Timers first time to put on a race and I must say overall they did a good job. Things started out a little disheveled but they pulled it together when it mattered, I’d go back, if they promised to get rid of the mosquitoes that appeared every evening. (Question, where do mosquitoes come from when there’s no water in sight in the desert for miles?)

I enjoyed the weekend had a great time visiting with all the people I’ve come to know doing these events; it doesn’t get any better than that. And sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you, this weekend I ate the bear. There were seven in my class (including last year’s class champion) and I won all the motos, sweet. Looks like I’m going to stick with my KTM 450 for motocross. It worked great!

Next up; The Sierra MotoCross Classic at Prairie City June 6-7.

Doug 21J

Answer, the locals say the mosquitoes come from the sage brush.

Southwick Returns from the Dead!

Fans, riders flock to motocross event in Southwick

Track located near American Legion post on Powder Mill Rd.

By Sy Becker

 

SOUTHWICK, Mass. (WWLP) – It was like home week for many motocross fans and competitors in Southwick on Sunday.

Hundreds of riders took part in the day’s events, which organizers claim are bigger and better than before national competition was discontinued at the Southwick track.

Riders who cut their teeth at the American Legion-owned track told 22News what it meant to them to compete here again.

Keith Johnson of Carver said, “My first race here was in 1977, so a long time ago. I grew up racing here, turned professional racer for 20 years, raced all over the country, all over the world, really.”

Organizers told 22News fans have remained faithful to the Southwick track during the more than 20 races held each year near the American Legion post on Powder Mill Road.

Travis...Is He Completely Insane?

 TP is the ultimate showman. There is no one like him. He continues to amaze with his unlimiteed bag of tricks and the boy can sure ride a bike!

Another MX Track Stays Open

Motocross track permit renewed

Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2015 5:30 pm

Motocross track permit renewed By JOHN KLINE john.kline@goshennews.com Goshen News

GOSHEN — Local motocross riders got some good news Thursday during a meeting of the Elkhart County Board of Zoning Appeals.During Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to approve a request by Jeffrey Hershberger, owner of Homestead Motocross Inc., for a special use permit renewal for a motocross practice track at 12970 C.R. 4, Middlebury.

According to Hershberger, the track’s special use permit — required due to its location in a residentially/agriculturally zoned area — was first approved in 2013 for a period of two years. With the track’s special use expiring this year, Hershberger said he needed to either apply for an extension, or be forced to close the track.

“We are here to ask for an extension of five years on our special use permit to maintain our existing motocross track,” Hershberger said of his request. “We will maintain a dust controlled environment, and maintain the hours that were previously approved, seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. ride time only, and no more than 20 vehicles on the track at a time.”

According to the company website, www.homesteadmx.com, the practice track is designed to appeal to riders of all ages and skill levels, and includes various training obstacles, such as sand whoops, small doubles, table tops and a step-up. The track also includes space for riders to go around each jump in the event they are unsure of their ability to safely complete the jump.

Hershberger noted that the track is maintained on a weekly basis, and includes portable restroom facilities. No alcohol or illegal substances are allowed on the premises at any time. Cost to use the track is $10 per rider per day.

In reviewing the request, county planning staff said there have been no complaints lagainst the track in the two years it has been in operation.

As such, staff recommended approval of the permit extension with the following conditions and commitments: that the days and hours of operation be limited to seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; that the number of riders be limited to 20 on the track at any given time; that portable restroom facilities be provided; that the riding area and driveway access be dust controlled; that no riding of the motocross vehicles be allowed on the driveway access; and that there will be no sanctioned race events allowed on the track.

The board agreed, and a motion to approve the permit extension was approved unanimously.

Ricky Opens OHV Park

Motocross legend Ricky Carmichael
will open new OHV park in Milton

April 16, 2015 @ 3:03pm

•  

Legendary Motocross and Supercross rider Ricky Carmichael, 2013 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Inductee, will headline the grand opening the Florida Forest Service’s newest off-highway vehicle (OHV) park on the Blackwater River State Forest in Milton, Fla. on April 18.

The Clear Creek OHV Riding Area will offer 27 miles of trails for off-highway motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles.

The grand opening will begin at 8 a.m. with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Carmichael will sign autographs started at noon.

The park is located at 8348 Redbird Trail in Milton.

For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visitFreshFromFlorida.com.

Wow... Great Photography From Cudby

This is the time of the year when many clothing compasnies introduce new riding gear. They have their sponsored riders show off all the new colors and styles in high energy videos. Have you ever wondered where they shoot those videos or what the still shots look like. Check out these pictures for some very high quality shots! Nobody does it better than Fly Racing.

Fly Racing - "Now that we've released our 2015.5 Kinetic Vector spring racewear, we thought we'd give you a
glimpse of Team FLY riders in action during the recent photo shoots. Shot on location at
Zaca Station MX with riders Andrew Short, Zach Osborne, Martin Davalos, and Zach Bell; as well
as at one of the So. Cal Supercross test tracks with Trey Canard, we thought we'd give you a
behind-the-scenes look at what our spring release gear looks like in action."

http://www.flyracing.com/breaking-news/action-fly-racing-spring-release-racewear-photoshoot

Motocross racing on Caroline Bay may be here to stay.

Can you imagine racing like this in the US? Just think how much fun this would be! Sounds like the boys down under had a  absolute blast. Moto is so much fun worldwide!

  

 John Bisset /FairfaxNZ. South Canterbury Motorcycle club beach racing on Caroline Bay,

Motocross racing on Caroline Bay may be here to stay.

Hundreds of spectactors watched as at least 150 riders from the South Canterbury Motorcycle Club ripped their way around a purpose-built course on the beach for the first time in 13 years on Saturday.

Organiser Andrew Richardt said he had been overwhelmed with the positive feedback he had received during the "bloody awesome" day.

"The public response to it has just been incredible. Even people who don't know or like motocross were coming up to me and saying how great it was to see the beach being used.

"It drives you to have another one, to try to make it an annual thing again."

The club days used to be held on an almost annual basis from 1996 to 2002 but were only reinvigorated this year after some new blood at the club had a go at getting them back.

Richardt wanted to hold it in January because the drought had dried up the motocross track in the region.

He was given permission by Environment Canterbury and the Timaru District Council to hold the event in April, once the bay's little blue penguins were out at sea.

He said he would talk with the council again to see if it was possible to carry on using the beach.

"I haven't heard one complaint but we'll just check with them at the end of the week and see how they are feeling about it."

The racing itself was a mighty struggle, Richardt said.

Across nine classes, from mini bikes to senior motocross riders and clubmans, there were plenty of spills on the loose sand.

There were no major injuries, with the kids in particular enjoying themselves, he said.

As the tide came in some of the course the club had laid out earlier in the day with the help of a digger was swallowed by the incoming tide, making for interesting conditions for the riders and forcing the final round racing to be shortened by a few laps.

 - The Timaru Herald