Australasian Dirt Bike Magazine

THE LAST FOUR weeks have been mental. We’ve finally emerged from lockdown and it feels like we have a new lease of life. Riding is back on, racing is on the screens but, best of all, we can go to the pub for an ice-cold schooner. Part of the reason w

EDITOR: Mitch Lees DIGITAL EDITOR: Olly Malone SUB EDITOR: Wolter Kuiper DESIGN: Brendon Wise & Joe Ferrara MOTOCROSS EDITOR: Lee Hogan TECHNICAL EDITOR: Mat Boyd ENDURO EDITOR: Geoff Braico HEALTH EDITOR: Stephen Gall EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT:

THE 2021 RANGE of Factory and Racing models features updates aimed at extracting more power from lighter engines while improving rider comfort and control. Bikes are expected to land in mid-August. ■

COVID-19 WREAKED havoc on all the major European manufacturers at a critical time in the production cycle leading up to MY21 releases. Most factories stopped work due to the restrictions and supply chain interruptions and only resumed weeks before th

– New graphics – New rear brake return spring to improve pedal return and stop leadfoots cooking their brake pads – New crankshaft (125SE) – Counter-balancer to reduce vibration and rider fatigue (250/300SE) – New gearbox and selector mechanism with

THE EXC RANGE is headlined by minor updates to the suspension, engine and graphics across four-stroke and two-stroke models. KTM says it worked on optimising the current platform, which they also said last year, with further mods to the WP suspensi

– Updates in the frame’s steering head area and in reinforcing plates – Revised ZF fork settings and new internal components – Subframe improvements to make it more robust and durable – New sideplate mounting for easier installation – Revised seatbas

THE DAKAR RALLY is getting a major overhaul after last year’s complaints about the high speeds and boring terrain in Saudi Arabia. The 3-15 January event will this time use the city of Jeddah for the start and finish, simplifying logistics and cuttin

I am a 12-year-old from Scone, NSW, and have a KTM 65SX. Next year I will move up to an 85SX. My favourite type of riding is motocross and my favourite track is Maitland District Motorcycle Club. At the moment I cannot ride at all, thanks to Covid-19

THERE USED TO be an unwritten law with dirtbikes: “If you can’t start it then you can’t ride it.” The idea was that if you didn’t have the ability to kickstart the bike you were trying to ride, maybe you shouldn’t be onboard. Electric start has made

Australian off-road racing legend Ben Grabham explains the basic techniques important for trailriding. Watch the video at adbmag.com.au MotoGP rider Marc Márquez mixes up his training with some laps around the motocross track. Watch the video at

FIVE EASY TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR CARBURATION Riders of fuel-injected machines need not watch, this one’s for the carby crew. Beta team rider Brad Freeman shares five simple tips to improve the carburation of your bike. ■

Glad to be back @nepgenduro [AMA National Enduro] racing! I got the win! Definitely rode on the cautious side but I did what was needed while still battling some niggling injuries from last weekend’s GNCC. Another week to heal and I’ll be ready to pu

WHAT CAN I SAY? We’ve finished the AMA Supercross season in Utah, bringing to a close what has been an incredible ride that lasted two decades in the best SX series in the world. I have to say the whole experience of the last seven rounds in Salt Lak

WELL, THE FINAL AMA Supercross round in Salt Lake City was a tough day at the office. I went over the handlebar in the rhythm lane during my heat race and gave my head a big hit. The bike was pretty banged up so I had to rush back to the pit area to

Bike: 2018 Kawasaki KX450F Fork: Showa 49mm SFF-Air USD Mods: SKF seal kit and external air-spring balance chamber. The damping rod has had a mild re-valve to suit. Travel: 400mm total. 300mm in the fork and another 100mm in the Hossack secon

Let me start by saying, this setup looks as odd in the flesh as it does on the pages here. As soon as Laurie wheeled it out of the van I was transfixed. He laughed and said he gets that a lot. In my technologically limited brain, it did not compute.

We were limited in our testing this time round but now we have a better grasp on what it is and how it works we will grab a standard bike to compare it with and head to the bumpiest, most flogged out track we can find. Stay tuned … ■

TYPE DOHC, four-valve DISPLACEMENT 249.9cc BORE & STROKE 78 x 52.3mm COOLING Liquid COMPRESSION RATIOS N/A FUEL METERING Keihin 44mm EFI TANK CAPACITY 7.0L TRANSMISSION Five-speed, constant-mesh CLUTCH Magura hydraulic, wet multiplate WHEELB

TYPE DOHC, four-valve DISPLACEMENT 249.9cc BORE & STROKE 78 x 52.3mm COOLING Liquid COMPRESSION RATIOS N/A FUEL METERING Keihin 44mm EFI TANK CAPACITY 7.0L TRANSMISSION Five-speed, constant-mesh CLUTCH Brembo hydraulic, wet multiplate WHEELB

As we revealed in our incredibly glossy pages last month, the 2021 Xtrainers are already on their way to Australia and due to go on sale in August. After receiving Beta’s new counter-balanced, two-stroke engine for this year, changes to the Xtrainer

TYPE Piston-port, reed valve DISPLACEMENT 293.1cc BORE & STROKE 72 x 72mm COOLING Liquid COMPRESSION RATIOS 11.45:1 FUEL METERING Keihin PWK 36 TANK CAPACITY 8.5L TRANSMISSION Six-speed, constant-mesh CLUTCH Wet multiplate WHEELBASE 1467mm

QUICK FANG | SUZUKI DR-Z125L When you see a 125 being tested in ADB, you probably expect it to be Enduro Editor Geoff Braico dragging his pinky finger through a purpose-built, ’barscraping rut on our Yamaha YZ125X long-termer in search of Instagram f

There are two sizes available for the DR-Z. The smaller DR-Z125 is for younger kids and the vertically challenged with a seat height of 775mm. It is very light at 88kg and has a wheelbase of 1245mm. You can buy this one for $3790 rideaway. The DR-Z

TYPE SOHC, four-valve DISPLACEMENT 693cc BORE & STROKE 105 x 80mm COOLING Liquid COMPRESSION RATIO 12.7:1 FUEL METERING Keihin 50mm EFI TANK CAPACITY 13.5L TRANSMISSION Six-speed, constant-mesh CLUTCH Magura hydraulic, wet multiplate WHEELBA

Unless you have ridden or raced the Finke track, you really cannot imagine how harsh the race is on a motorcycle. I was pleasantly surprised at how well everything held up on the 500SEF-F during my time with it. I did lose a few bolts but that can be

I will give you guys two build levels when considering setting up a 500SEF Factory for Finke. I could give you three, but that would be giving away the high-end info saved for Grabbo’s Trail and Track customers. The first level is for a rider who jus

TYPE Piston port, reed-valve DISPLACEMENT 293cc BORE & STROKE 72 x 72mm COOLING Liquid COMPRESSION RATIO N/A FUEL METERING Dellorto 39mm EFI TANK CAPACITY 8.5L TRANSMISSION Six-speed, constant-mesh CLUTCH Magura hydraulic, wet multiplate WHE

Market forces eventually caught up with DOT. Being a small manufacturer it found it increasingly difficult to compete with the growing number of imports. The demise of engine supplier Villiers didn’t help and large-scale production was at an end. Bur

RideADV started out as a part-time business for Greg Yager (below), known by some as Trail Boss from the now defunct Old Bull Trail Riders web forum. Over time the business grew until it was almost a full-time job pre-CV-19. RideADV not only conducts

The reason I went with the Dal Soggio cartridge kit is because I felt the Xplor fork sucked. I couldn’t get it progressive and the Dal Soggio was as close as I could get to a Cone Valve without paying $5000. Shock Treatment set up the cartridges and

Dal Soggio, which is based in Vicenza in northern Italy, has these cartridge kits available for a wide range of forks; Showa SFF-TAC, KYB PSF, WP AER, WP 4CS and WP Xplor. So don’t feel left out if you are on a Suzuki or Sherco, you can go purchase e

NAME: Tyler Bereman AGE: 28 HOMETOWN: Temecula, California, but born and raised in Templeton. BIKE: KTM 450SX-F CAR: Mercedes-Benz Sprinter that used to be Rockstar Husqvarna’s suspension van. FOOD: Mexican food. I can’t get enough of it. DRINK: Red

Laurent and Mélanie Malosse organize motorcycle tours (enduro and adventure) mainly in Auvergne, but also in Spain. On demand they are willing to travel to Eastern European countries such as Croatia. Pre-covid they were charging about $A1800 for five

Many of the European riders introduced the rest of the world to jumping through the whoops. One rider who almost exclusively jumps through them is KTM’s Marvin Musquin and while it’s a little slower it seems to have less risk. You will not be able to

WHEN WE PICKED up the 1998 Suzuki RMX250 for a full rebuild we did what every rider does and squeezed the clutch. The feeling was horrible. Stiff and rusty. The clutch would still engage but it was sticking and gave you horrible arm pump. Fortunately

Supercross riders and, typically, those who don’t want to cartwheel Supercross and the odd motocross track This is hard to practice as not everyone has whoops on hand but the skill is basic so it shouldn’t need much practice  All sizes can do thi

“For the most part, our advice is always for the customer to visit a KTM-authorised dealer. For this year’s models there have been some reports of this issue and thus the gasket between the clutch [sidecase] cover and the power-valve cover has been s

1 Always clean the bits with parts cleaner and make sure they are dry before refitting. 2 Use a thin O-ring or the seal won’t fit correctly. 3 Use automotive Silastic only, not some crap you did your bathroom with. 1 Drop the power-valve retaining

DIRTBIKE RIDING IS a primarily outdoor activity. So on the rare occasion like a pandemic when the outdoors isn’t a go, what can we do to prepare for when we can hit the trails again? Here’s a little list of distractions that will keep your mind occup

IN THIS TRACK Check we are taking a look at a true outdoor adventure location, packed with a great variety of not only bike tracks, but 4WD routes as well. About four hours north-west of Brisbane is Manar Park, a working cattle property of 15,000 acr

1. The first Australian dirt track title I raced in was at Gunnedah in 1992. I won it on a Suzuki RM80. 2. The following year, I was leading the Australian 80cc flat track title final in Canberra and pulled in a lap early. I remember being devastate

1. It was about to be sold for parts. 2. The Finke engine built for Jason is rumoured to have cost about the same as a brand new XR650R. 3. The ‘batwing’ to smooth flow in the airbox is more snake oil than performance. 4. He’s thinking about runni

Ipswich’s annual agricultural show tried a bike stunt spectacular and the patrons loved it. The show consisted of trials, freestyle jumps and supercross. Stefan Merriman was leading the Enduro World Championship by 46 points and looking good to beco

Sidi has long been a name in motocross, enduro and trials boots. This full page ad on the back cover displayed both current and upcoming models. Diadora also offered a range of boots in this full-page ad. Too bad it only makes gym gear now, we coul

In ’05 I was riding for Serco Yamaha, again on a YZ250F in the Australian MX Championship and won that, and again in 2006. So were you strictly a How does the Cameron Taylor story begin? When I was three, I started riding on a Honda MR50, just runn

The Enduro World Championship is set to kick off in September, with what was the penultimate round in France to open proceedings on 18 September and the Italian round following a week later. The German round is now in the middle of the season in Octo

LARBERT MX TRACK is our go-to complex for motocross shootouts because it’s absolutely epic. The complex is now owned by supercross and motocross weapon Lawson Bopping who runs a tight ship with excellent tracks. Using experience he gained from racing