How A Man Rekindled His Fire For Dirt Bikes Through A Suzuki RM-Z450

Written By: Preston Jordan

Disclaimer: The only thing with two wheels that I am proficient with is a household dolly. Do not take my words as gospel, I’m just a fortunate, below-average rider who was given an opportunity to tell you all about my experiences. Take it or leave it, this is my experience and opinion… nothing more, nothing less! We all know how weird people can get when faced with a difference in opinions and beliefs. 

Get yourself a beverage and delicious snack because this is going to be a long-winded, overly detailed article about my journey back into motocross on a bike that I discovered I actually never knew anything about. I guess I should start with a little history… The last bike that I owned was a 2014 KX450f, which was a great bike, zero complaints. In fact, I loved Kawasaki’s so much that I bought three KX450fs in a row and never really bothered to give any other manufacturer a chance to take my hard-earned money. I spent years of my life messing around at local tracks on weekends with friends, but as time passed, things changed, and my passion for riding began to fizzle out. After just about all my regular moto friends either got hurt or started families and quit riding, the last bike that I owned basically just collected dust in my buddy Bryan Buchanan’s (co-owner of ERA Moto) garage. After a while of not having anyone to ride moto with anymore, riding by myself became stale and boring, so rides became few and far between. 

After Bryan loaned me an extremely outdated 1990’s mountain bike and took me out to a local MTB trail network, I quickly became hooked. This newfound sport quickly became an obsession, resulting in a quick transition from motocross to mountain biking. Not long after that first MTB ride, I decided that it was time to take the final step and sell my hooked up KX450f while it was still worth any bit of money. After pocketing a decent amount of cash for my bike, I used some of the proceeds to help get my first mountain bike in February of 2018. I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to afford to get a new bike ever again, but I decided to take the plunge anyway. Since then, I have spent just about every free weekend of my life riding my mountain bike and I am still just in love with MTB as I was after that first ride at Greer Ranch in 2018. Mountain bikes helped fill that void that grew when riding motocross fell out for me. In fact, I almost immediately lost interest in riding motocross and didn’t put much effort into getting back out riding.

The last time I rode a dirt bike was at the 2019 KX450f media intro at Pala Raceway in June of 2018. I literally did a lap or two on the vet track then handed the bike right back to the people at Kawi… I thought that ride was it for me, the end of my time riding motocross. I didn’t really enjoy it that much because I just felt extremely uncomfortable. Fast forward to December 2021; I got a FaceTime call from Keefer stating that he had a girl that he wanted to hook me up with. Anyone who knows Keefer would understand why I took the comment completely seriously. I immediately tried to shut the entire situation down, thinking I was getting tossed into an awkward situation that would make some other random stranger just as uncomfortable. He told me that girl he was talking about was sitting in his garage, so he walked outside to give me a glimpse… What was sitting there waiting for me was a beautiful new 2022 RMZ450. After a brief talk about what he expected out of me if he gave me the opportunity to borrow the bike, we discussed a timeframe to come by and grab it. Just a week or two later and I was on my way up to Hesperia to take temporary possession of a dirt bike for the first time in a few years; to say that I was excited to have the opportunity to ride again is an understatement.

Up until this point, I had only ridden a Suzuki one time before, which was right before the Keefer Inc. 450 shootout back in 2017. My initial impression of the 2018 RMZ450 back then was that it was incredibly stiff! I could feel every single bump on a somewhat smooth Racetown 395/Sunrise MX track, which led to me hopping off it prematurely. To be fair, I also immediately noticed that it turned like an absolute dream. No matter how far you leaned it over, it never felt like dead weight that wanted to just continue falling to the ground. Suzuki’s have long been known for their flawless cornering capabilities, but outside of that, a lot of people have negative things to say. I never gave the bike a chance to see if some of the hate they got was warranted, and that lies solely on me.

I really didn’t know what exactly to expect when I picked the bike up from Kris, but to be honest, I wasn’t expecting too great of things out of it for the rough trail riding here in the desert based off the stereotypical Suzuki comments that I always saw across social media and my single experience with the rigid frame when I rode it at Racetown 395/Sunrise MX. If it felt a bit harsh on the smooth track that I rode it on, I figured that I wouldn’t be able to handle it in the open desert. Regardless, I was offered a new bike to ride so who am I to have a preference of what bike I’m being handed to ride? I’m a below-average rider who was given an insane opportunity so Keefer could have given me a Cannondale MX400 (they make incredible mountain bikes nowadays, btw) and I still would have been just as happy and appreciative. I was loaned a current year, fresh 450 and that had me extremely excited to be able to ride again.

After Keefer got me set up with the bike and some gear, I was just about ready to get out and ride. I knew (and still know) that I had no business on a track, so I decided to keep it local and ride trails where I live to try to get somewhat comfortable again. I still hope to ride Cahuilla MX again before Suzuki or Keefer asks for this thing back, but I have no interest in rushing to get back out there, only to get myself or someone else hurt because I had no business out there yet in the first place. I hit a local motorsports store where I live to get the rest of what I needed so within days, all that was left was for me to do was ride the thing.

My first ride back was an interesting one, to say the least. I was surprised at how foreign it felt! A few years off had me feeling like a complete beginner all over again. My braking points were embarrassing, my balance was bad, I was staring at the front wheel the entire time, etc. Not to say that I wasn’t doing that when I used to ride a lot, but man did I feel out of sorts. I knew it would be bad, but I had no idea it would be this bad. Regardless, I knew that only time would help fix this mess, so I soldiered on for more local trails to try to dust off some of the endless cobwebs.  

As soon as I got onto a familiar trail, I decided to open the bike up. To my surprise, I discovered how quick the Suzuki 450 is. I wasn’t expecting the bike to get up to speed as rapidly as it did, and I did not remember my last 450 feeling this quick! I decided that I needed to back off a bit and get more used to the bike before I found myself at the front door of a local ER. I spent the rest of the ride putting around and learning some of the characteristics of this uncomfortably speedy 450. 

After a few more rides on the RMZ, I got more comfortable with it and started to figure out why I initially felt the way that I did about the speediness of the bike. The power delivery of the Suzuki is laughably smooth! When you crack the throttle, it doesn’t just yank out from under you and unsettle your body weight… the power rolls on gradually, which helps keep the rear wheel tracking. I wanted to see if the bike felt this way throughout the entire range of the motor, so I would purposely lug around in a higher gear then drop the clutch and roll on the throttle. Every time, the bike would hook up and take off without the rear wheel feeling like it was ever breaking free. Insane traction out of a motor this beastly in stock form! For someone like me who hasn’t been on a bike in years, the incredibly smooth characteristics of the motor was more than welcomed and a breath of fresh air. 

If a smooth motor isn’t your thing, there’s good news! Although not solely unique to only Suzuki’s, I appreciate the ability to swap out couplers and/or do your own custom mapping on the RMZ450 using a simple phone app to tweak the motor to your own special preferences. This comes in handy when you want to set up maps for specific tracks that you ride, or if you don’t like the feel of the motor in its stock form, you can change the delivery of power to suit your needs. The ability to customize is always nice and the simplicity of using an app makes it that much cooler. Personally, I’ve been riding the bike with the stock black coupler, and it is easily more than enough for me right now. If I still have the bike for a while and feel it might be fun to mess around with after I feel comfortable riding again, I may mess with some of the tuning someday, but for now, the motor feels incredible in stock form! Zero complaints.

The bike feels extremely comfortable to sit on and I felt at home with most of the ergonomics just about immediately. The only major slip up that I had was with the controls… more specifically, the brakes. I didn’t think it would be an issue, but I almost earthed myself more times than I’d like to admit from grabbing a fistful of front brake, mistaking it for the rear brake like my MTB! After about 5 times of almost losing the front end, I started to figure it out. The bars are also quite a bit narrower than my mountain bike bars, but I was able to adapt to that relatively quickly. I didn’t get the feeling that I was sitting on the bike as much as I did sitting in the bike, if that makes sense; more sitting in a pocket than just on a flat bike. This feeling of comfort coupled with the incredible cornering characteristics of the bike really makes for an easy riding bike! Truly, just about everything in stock form felt almost perfectly set up for me, helping lessen the uneasiness of me feeling like I was about to die every other second. 

Don’t get me wrong, although the bike is extremely comfortable in stock form, not everything is rainbows and sunshine for me. There were a few negatives that I noticed, but they’re small and nitpicky so likely a nonissue for the average rider. The biggest negative that I felt right off the bat was the twitchiness of the front end in small chop and braking bumps. The front end felt very nervous in small and successive bumps, but oddly felt nice and composed in larger rollers and whoops. I figured this out the hard way when I went to pin it through a rough straight and almost had the bars yank out of my hands, like complete speed wobbles. I can’t fault the inherent characteristics of the Suzuki for this issue, as I figured that it was simply a setup issue with the spring fork. I went riding with a local buddy of mine, Zack, who has learned a ton about suspension over the years and recently started doing his own valving, so after some discussion, we made some very minor adjustments to try to get me more comfortable. After just a few clicks of rebound adjustment up front, the bike felt night and day better, although it still gets a little nervous in similar conditions from time to time. The front end feels way more manageable after those few clicks of adjustment, and I may dial more things in later down the line, depending on how long I have the bike. 

If you’re willing to take the time to set your bike up correctly for yourself, I’m sure what I was feeling would be a nonissue or something that could easily be fixed with a simple revalve from your preferred suspension shop. Again, I will say that although I did have an issue with successive small chop, the suspension felt pillowy soft through everything else. I’ve had nicely valved suspension on previous bikes, and none felt as comfortable and predictable as the stock suspension on this thing does. If put in words, the only way that I can describe it is an old Cadillac… it soaks everything up well!

Another personal gripe is how thin the bike feels around my knees. I know that most people like a thinner bike because it feels more nimble and more maneuverable, but I felt that this bike was a just a wee bit too thin for my liking, making it quite a bit harder for me to grip the bike. I feel like the only thing I can do to grip the bike is always squeeze tightly with my ankles, since the bike is widest at the cases, making it a bit more difficult to grip the seat with my knees unless I turn my toes way in for an unnatural feel. This may be another nonissue though since I sold my knee braces a while back and am currently just using knee pads. If I currently wore knee brace, this would likely be unnoticeable. I plan to get knee braces in the somewhat near future so I might be singing a different tune soon. These last few little nitpicks were my only complaints… I might discover more in the future, but so far everything else has been solid.

So, it has been a few weeks since I’ve started riding again and it has definitely been a bit of an eye opener. I am still hilariously bad at riding a dirt bike and I am absurdly sore since tons of my muscles haven’t been worked this hard in years, but I am enjoying every single bit of getting back into it! Even though I am still laughably bad at riding anything two wheels, I feel like being on mountain bikes this entire time has helped the transition back into dirt bikes. Things that I have learned from mountain bikes have helped me with riding a dirt bike and made things not so foreign. On the same note, I feel like riding a dirt bike will absolutely help me with riding a mountain bike. When the time comes to hand the RMZ450 back over, I feel like I will have gained a lot from the opportunity! 

To sum this overly and unnecessarily lengthy article up, the Suzuki is a fantastic bike, and not just for people getting back into the sport like I am, but for anyone looking for a solid bike with a plethora of positive characteristics. I still hope to be able to ride a current model CRF450 and/or KX450 someday to see what differences I am capable of noticing, but for now, this bike has really opened my eyes to the Suzuki 450’s capabilities. I can admit that after combining my first experience riding a Suzuki with all the social media hoopla, I also developed a lack of interest in trying a Suzuki for any extended amount of time. After having been able to ride this one consistently for a few weeks now, I’ve come to realize that I am the idiot that I always knew I was… this bike is honestly way better than I was expecting. I have no reason to lie to any of you naysayers… this bike is probably A LOT better than you might think it is, too.

 If you’re on the cusp of grabbing a new RMZ450 but are unsure because of the comments that you read online or hear from strangers at the track, my personal suggestion is that you should probably ignore others’ opinions (mine, the stranger included) and give one a try! You never know, you may end up just as pleasantly surprised as I am. This bike has given me the itch to get back into moto and as soon as I am financially able (hopefully within this lifetime), I will be getting myself a new 450. Who knows, it might even be a Suzuki. If so, I hope to bring you more lengthy reads in the future. Thanks for the endless opportunities, Keefer!

TLDR: Suzuki’s are probably better than you might think they are, dirt bikes and mountain bikes are just about equally as fun and beneficial to each other, my entire body hurts, extreme sports are expensive.

Testing Terms: Engine/Suspension *Updated*

If you learning more about your motocross bikes and also getting the lingo down, there is some help for you below. Here are some common terms that we use within the R&D industry that can help you explain what your bike is doing to tuners. Even if you just want to sound cool when you’re talking to your buddies, these terms will make you look like a regular factory test guy.

Suspension:

Pitching: This word is used when the rider lets off the throttle and the weight of the motorcycle forces the front end down. This usually happens when there is a lot of engine braking or the fork is too soft. The 2021 YZ450F was notorious for having a lot of this pitching when coming into a corner. Pitching can upset the chassis balance and can cause some oversteer through area 1 and 2 of corners. Pitching can also mean that a certain bike can squat (shock) too much under throttle out of corners causing the bike to have too much movement fore and aft. Pitching can make the machine seem unstable and cause the rider to not set up properly for corners. 

Hold Up: Hold up is mostly used when the fork or shock is riding too low in the stroke. When a rider is asking for more hold up he is usually wanting a stiffer compression setting so the fork or shock isn't “blowing through”. 

Harsh: This term has got to be the worst feeling to a rider. A harsh feeling is when the suspension is either too soft or too stiff. Yes, it can actually be both! If the suspension is too stiff the rider will complain about a harsh or firm feel through the handlebars. This stiff/harsh feel is caused by the suspension not being able to use all of its stroke. If the harsh feel is coming from the stiff side, opening the compression or the rebound can help alleviate some of this feeling. If the harsh feeling is coming from a soft sensation it’s because the suspension is riding too low in the stroke. Riding too low in the stroke can cause a harsh feeling because you are now in the mid stroke where the valving starts to ramp up to get stiffer. By stiffening the suspension a little you are now stiffening the initial part of the stroke which can actually make your bike feel plusher because your machine is riding higher up in the stroke around the track. “Harsh” is a tricky term because the cause of the harsh feeling can be from a too soft or too stiff of a setting.

Plush: I have never been a huge fan of this term, but the word plush means soft or supple feeling. If I hit something at speed most riders want their bike to feel plush and not harsh. However be careful when using this term to suspension techs as they may want to set your suspension up too soft. Plush can also mean the same with frame feel. For example, the KX450 has a plusher feeling to its frame than the of the Honda CRF450R. I like to use the term “bump absorption” more than the word plush. When the Kawasaki KX450 hits a certain square edge at speed, it has a better bump absorption feel than the Honda CRF450R. Off-road riders look for that plush feeling because they have less jumps to deal with and can hit roots/bumps at higher speeds. A softer compression setting or a faster rebound setting usually leads to a plusher feel.

Crust: We can thank air forks for this term. I came up with this term when I was at home during thanksgiving and I was watching my wife make a french apple pie. I always liked the middle of the pie more than the crust, so it immediately made me think of air forks. In order to get to the gooey goodness of the pie, I have to break through the crust right? Well air forks are the same thing! The top of the stroke of almost any air fork is called the crust because it’s usually has a hard/harsh feel initially and then you have some comfort. The crust usually gives you some deflection and a harsh feeling through the handlebars on small chop. We use the word crust because air forks usually feel like you have to break through the stiff portion of the travel in order to get to the softer/more forgiving portion of the stroke. WP has improved the air fork feel over the years so let's hope they continue down the path of a less crusty initial stroke on their air forks.

Empty: This term can be used when talking about engine character or suspension feel. When talking suspension empty usually means there is not a lot of damping feel. If you say “I feel like my end stroke is empty”, it means that it blows through or simply doesn't have any damping feel.  

Rigidity Balance: Rigidity balance is an important term when testing any chassis. If the bike has a firm feel and its rigidity balance is too firm it could mean that it corners excellent, but feels very harsh and has deflection on rough/fast straights. If the rigidity balance is too soft the bike can have a wallow feeling when under throttle as well as give the rider less confidence on braking bumps because of its unpredictable feel. Rigidity balance is something that every manufacturer works a lot on when developing their machine. A bike has to corner with precision, but also have enough comfort in order to have good bump absorption. A machine that has great rigidity balance is a Kawasaki KX450 because it turns well and can hit bumps at speed with a consistent feel.   

Performance: Performance is a word we used in the testing world when a rider is looking to ride at a higher level as well as be able to push the motorcycle without having it be too soft. Getting a chassis or suspension package to have better performance is basically asking the tuner that you understand that you’ll sacrifice some comfort, in order to get a machine that you can slam into obstacles harder without getting blow through. Usually riders that are faster or heavier want a performance based setting so they can hit jumps as well as bumps at a faster rate. 

 Comfort: A comfort setting is something most vet riders want so they don’t feel every little bump on the track. A comfort setting usually involves a softer setting that moves more in the stroke, but also can bottom out when hitting bigger jumps or larger bumps at speed. The 2021 YZ450F’s suspension package is a great example of blending both performance and comfort together. 

 Blow Through: This usually happens when hitting bumps/jumps hard and the suspension just dives without much damping force feel. If your suspension feels like it’s blowing through then you need to try and get a stiffer setting through clickers or internally with valving.  

Vague: Vague is usually a term used by describing front wheel traction. Front wheel lean angle traction can feel vague when the fork setting is too stiff, have the wrong offset triple clamps, or if you have the wrong compound front tire. A vague feel means that you will be washing your front tire out under lean angle and the bike may have less of a contact patch. Running too much air in your tire can also give you a vague feel.

 Damping Feel: Damping feel or force is the feeling of the suspension when moving down. Damping feel is used when explaining to tuners that you either have a soft feeling and need more of a stiffer setting. Damping feel can also be helpful/used when asked if the action of the suspension is too fast or too slow. 

 Deflection: Deflection happens when either a suspension setting is too stiff or a chassis setting is too rigid. Deflection happens when your front or rear end hits a bump/square edge and your bike simply doesn't absorb it. It’s like a pinball bouncing around from some side to side and can cause you to roll the throttle off in a hurry. Deflection also causes you to have less contact patch and makes the bike feel less planted. Going to a softer setting with the suspension or chassis usually alleviates some of this feeling. 

Contact Patch: Contact patch is a feeling of how much tire is felt underneath you. Contact patch can be increased by running less air pressure in your tires, running a softer suspension setting, chassis setting and/or increasing/decreasing offset. I like using this term a lot with my evaluations because without the feeling of a wide contact patch it will feel like you are running bicycle tires on your dirt bike. Having a wide contact patch feel gives you more confidence to roll the throttle on sooner when exiting corners. 

Engine:

Empty: This term is shared with the suspension side of things as well, but when a rider says that at a certain point that his power feels empty, he could mean that it’s a little lean or it just feels flat. Empty refers to a feeling where there is no more pulling power, or the power just simply feels flat (not exciting). 

Dirty Feeling: When a machine has a dirty feel to it that usually means the ECU/jetting is rich. A dirty feel means that the bike sputters, coughs, misses, etc., and most of the time it is due to a rich setting. Getting a dirty feeling delivery can also mean that your air filter element is clogged. You should clean it.

Recovery: Recovery describes how quickly a rider can get back into the meat of the power when missing a shift or when the machine is being lugged. Recovery is important because it gives the rider the confidence to know that if they make a mistake, the machine can get back up in the RPM’s and move down the track in a quick manner.

Excitement: Excitement is usually the initial feeling of the crack of the throttle anywhere in the RPM range. The Honda CRF450R is known to have a lot of excitement down low, but that excitement can also be a handful when rolling  corners. If a machine doesn't have enough excitement it also can suffer from poor recovery. See what I did there?

Lethargic/Lazy: This term is used for a machine that revs heavy or is slow to rev/spool up. A rich feeling can cause bottom end to feel lethargic/lazy feeling. Lethatgic can also mean that you will have to use the clutch a lot to get the engine into the meat of the power. 

Pulling Power: Pulling power is similar to torque feel. Pulling power is usually felt when the machine is exiting the corner or when driving up hills. The initial pop out of the corner usually reveals how much pulling power a certain bike has.

RPM Response: RPM response is the initial crack of the throttle anywhere in the RPM range. Excitement and RPM response can share the same meaning at times except when talking about having a lazy feeling engine character. Having good RPM response in an engine is important because it can help the machine feel lighter and more flickable.

Bottom End: Bottom end delivery usually refers to the power feel once immediately out of corners or when getting off the gate.

Mid-Range: Mid-Range delivery usually refers to the power feeling once exited from the corner and the rider is starting to make his shift into third gear. Mid-range feeling can be experienced in any gear but is only categorized by throttle position in the production testing world.

Top End: Top end is felt when a rider is full throttle and is accelerating down a straight. Top end can be felt in any gear but is most recognized in third and fourth gears on a moto track. How far the bike can pull each gear is usually categorized as top end.

Over-Rev: Over-rev is a term used by most testers as a sign of when the engine falls off its peak horsepower/top end. Having an engine with good over-rev means that the engine can pull each gear farther down the track without having to shift up a gear. Having an engine with a short over-rev means that the engine likes to be short shifted (up to the next gear early in the RPM range) and can't pull its gears very long.

Connectivity: This term is used when a test rider is trying to explain the feeling he has from this throttle hand to the rear wheel. Does his throttle and rear wheel feel connected to the ground or does the bike break loose or slide out? Good connectivity to the rear wheel allows for an easier-to-ride machine and can help the chassis settle down on rough tracks.

Kids, Dirt Bikes, And Creating A Work Ethic

It seems I always do the most thinking while driving to and from the track. I am usually driving to a track 4-5 times a week and when I do, I sometimes think about where our sport is going, how I can help people within our sport, how can I improve Keefer Inc., you know shit like that? I am sure most of you that drive a lot are similar to me, so when I had these thoughts about writing an article on how you can build a solid work ethic for your child through dirt bikes, I immediately made a note into my phone to do this when I got back home. Instead of thinking how I can get my kid to “make it” within our sport of motocross, I think about how I can use dirt bikes as a tool, to help him become a better man for the rest of his life. That’s right! Imagine that! A dad that doesn’t care if his kid becomes a factory rider or not. A dad that doesn't care if his son ever makes a dollar in this sport. I want to be a dad that creates a love for motorcycling, so when he gets older and has real responsibilities, he can use dirt bikes as an escape from the day to day grind he will face or use that said dirt bike to create a hard working human so his foundation of hard work is there for his adult working career. Sure, I want Aden to enjoy the feelings we all get when we have a great day of riding, but if you have a child that rides or if you’re thinking of doing the mini parent/amateur national thing (like my wife and I are doing with Aden), here are a few things to remember when doing this as a family. 

A Kid In The High Dez: 

I guess to fully understand why I am writing this, I must first tell you a little bit about my background and where I come from. My dad was an auto mechanic for a water company in La Habra, California and was around dirt bikes and classic cars his whole life. My family would go out camping in the desert, on the weekends, so we could watch my dad race District 37 events, as well as get some quality time riding together as a family. As I got older, my dad could see that my passion for motorcycling was starting to grow, so he put me in my first race at nine years old and I was never the same. Now my dad didn’t have enough money for both of us to race, so good ol' pops stopped his own racing in order to put the little extra money we did have, towards my dumb ass. He worked late nights, side jobs, on weekends, just so I could have a new bike every two years and he tried hard to keep my bikes up and running, even though his kid was screwing them up every day after school. We never had the money to go back east to race, but he did what he could for me locally, so I could have a good time. If I wanted to race on the weekends, I had certain chores and grades that needed to be kept up. Through that I learned work ethic without even me knowing. Of course at the time I hated all of it and even skimped out some days when he wasn’t looking, but somehow I would always get caught not doing my work at home and had to forego some weekends of racing because of my laziness. Or like my dad used to say “I had my head up my ass”. Eventually I learned that I needed to do my work at home thoroughly to keep my dad off my ass, so as I reached my late teens I had a pretty good foundation of work ethic.

Teaching Our Kids Work Ethic Through Dirt Bikes: 

Once Heather and I could see that this dirt bike thing was catching fire within Aden we asked him what he wanted out of this dirt bike hobby and he responded with “I want to race and see how far I can go”. Since we know that only a handful of riders can retire from racing their motorcycle, we wanted to use the dirt bike way of life to create a work ethic for our kid, just like my dad had done with me. I learned early that if I was going to succeed in this sport, I had to work hard for it and I think that is like anything in life right? If Aden decides one day he is done with racing or maybe he only gets so far with this sport, he will always remember the work he put in and my hope is that work ethic will be rolled over into his new job/career. Plus having a passion and hobby you can come home to after work is huge for his mental state of mind.

 I am not hard on Aden for his race results, but I am a big believer of his effort during a race and his preparation before one. I sit down with Aden every week and go over the school and “work” schedule. Since Covid-19 has hit, his school schedule is a little different so he now can go to work/track with me and then he can do the school work required when he gets home. I am a big believer in public school and would much rather have him back in school (for interaction purposes), but I see no end in sight to this pandemic, so it looks like all of us parents are now school teachers as well. That is another article for another time, but Aden is expected to at least carry a “B” average in school or else his bikes are put to the side. I also put in place a riding program, so he knows exactly what he needs to do on the bike when he arrives to the track. If I have testing all day, I can’t sit there and babysit him, so having his schedule laid out makes for a seamless day for both of us. Once Aden gets home and his school work is finished, he must then get his bike washed and ready for the next day’s riding. After he is finished with his bike work, he either has gym work or a mountain bike ride with pops. At the end of the day, he is pretty spent and is usually out by 9:30. 

Heather and I also let him know that if he DOESN’T want to race these big amateur races that he is free and clear to let us know and all of this structure riding programming will cease. He can be a soul rider and just do this for fun, but that also means that his parents will not worry about new bikes, new gear, etc. If he wants to just “ride” and have fun that is perfectly fine with us, but he still will have to keep up with his grades, work around the house and also find something else to occupy his time besides video games. I like to leave it up to him what sport he wants to play, but he is required to have some sort of hobby/sport, so his idle hands will not get him in trouble. Dirt bikes kept me out of trouble from the greasy hands that is the high desert of Hesperia, California. I wanted to ride more than party and to this day I still think dirt bikes saved me from going down the wrong path. This is why Heather and I make damn sure Aden is busy with some sort of activity in this day and age. 

Money:

Here is the big kicker right? I mean without money, none of this is going very far anyway right? You don’t need to go to Loretta Lynn’s, Mini O’s, etc. to create a work ethic for your child. This is where I think some of this amateur national stuff gets lost in translation. Do you NEED to be a champion at the amateur level to get help from manufacturers? Absolutely not! Does it help? Of course it does! However, if you absolutely haul ass on a dirt bike, come from a good family and are a good kid, people or the industry will find you, trust me on this! All of this amateur shit is super expensive and not necessary to get your work ethic logic into your child’s moldable mind. If you don’t have a lot of money, instead maybe stay close to home and do a local series that gives awards as well as payouts to the riders who do the whole series. Make that series your Loretta Lynn’s. Get your child to work hard for that series ending points finish and teach him the value at sticking to something even though he or she may have a bad race or two. Most kids (including me when I was young) want to give up once they do bad, but making sure they see their way through the whole series will give them a sense of accomplishment. When I rode for the Bullfrog Spas/MotoConcepts Honda team at a couple AMA Nationals in 2019 I sucked as hard as anyone could suck! However, I used my crappy finish to teach a lesson to my son. Sometimes you suck even when you work your ass off! IT HAPPENS! Does that mean you just give up? I didn’t give up! The following year we set new goals as a racing family and we accomplished two out of the three goals in 2020. Doing this showed him that it’s possible to rebound from failure. WE ALL FAIL MORE THAN WE SUCCEED! A man smarter than me once told me this and it has stayed with me all of my adult life. 

Family Sport: 

I can’t say this enough… If it wasn’t for dirt bikes, I probably would have got in more trouble than I did when I was a kid. I wanted to get up in the morning to ride, which led me to not partying at night with my friends or doing drugs and that is something that the high dez is known for. Life can suck kids in and spit them out, no matter how good of a job you do at parenting, but dirt bikes can give them drive and hope. It did for me! You also may be asking yourself, “but Kris it’s a dangerous sport”. This is also something I struggle with at times too. I don’t know how my parents were so damn calm when I raced. I am more nervous watching Aden race than I am when I am lining up to the gate. I want my kid to be as safe as possible, but I also know that this is something that he wants to do. I mean I do this sport as well, so how can I tell him “no” when I am taking the same risks myself. What I do let him know is that this sport is dangerous and he can get seriously hurt or even worse lose his life doing this sport. I also am very adamant about teaching him everything about safety on the track, how tracks form, what to do and what not to do. I am big on technique first and speed second. I am the type of dad that tells him “DO NOT JUMP THAT”! I am more about safety than speed. Of course he doesn’t always listen to dad, but I know that he hears me, so I make damn sure that I am always up his ass every time he swings a leg over a bike. He knows what CAN HAPPEN! It is up to the parents to decide when a sport is too dangerous for their child and not anyone else. I always seem to revert to my dad’s old saying of “pull your head out of your ass son and look around”! 

Rewarding Feeling:  

Getting to share the same feeling that I get through dirt bikes with my son is something that I can’t explain. On the way home from the track we talk about line choice, how a certain jump on the track felt when hitting it, how good that inside rut was and so much more. Not many sports in our world can let the father/son relationship grow because they share the same feelings of a sport on the exact same thing and on the exact same day! It’s unreal! Dirt bikes are more than just going fast. It is a tool for adult life! Hopefully it can be a tool in your household as well. Here's to all the mini parents out there doing it for the right reasons and we hope to see you at the track soon! 

Best Of 2018

Where did the year go? Wow! Time flies when you're riding, testing, typing, and talking about dirt bikes! With 2018 coming to a close I look back on the bikes/products (yes, some are 2019 bikes that I tested in 2018) that arrived or gained popularity this year and I picked a few that I think deserve some recognition. I went through a lot of bikes, parts, and gear this year so it was tough to narrow it down to just a few, but in the end these are the ones that stood out to me. I am a very picky guy, (just ask my wife) so pleasing me is somewhat difficult, but these products/bikes below indeed did something in order for me to write about them once again. As 2018 draws to a close, I salute these companies, manufacturers, and products for making the sport faster, safer, and more comfortable for all of us enthusiasts out there. Here they are in no particular order….

Vortex ECU For KTM 450 SX-F/Husqvarna FC450/Yamaha YZ450F: 

If there is one thing you can do to improve your modern day four-stroke power delivery, it would be to map your current ECU. Yamaha has an awesome PowerTuner app to play around with, so you can get your power delivery the way you like it (within a safe parameter) on the track. On the flip side to the Yamaha, the KTM/Husqvarna comes with a handlebar mounted map switch that allows you to choose between three settings (standard, aggressive, and traction control) so you can go pick and choose on how aggressive you want your orange/white bike to be while riding. However, if you really want to get more usable power, that is controlled, and broader, the Vortex ECU mapped by Twisted Development is my number one go to modification. On the 2019 KTM/Husqvarna 450’s the ECU comes rich down low and somewhat lethargic, which makes the bike heavy feeing. With the Vortex ECU mapped by Jamie at Twisted Development the stock KTM/Husqvarna lethargic power delivery down low becomes a snappy, easier to ride machine that pulls stronger out of corners and longer down the straights. By simply taking your seat off and plugging this Vortex ECU in, these two bikes quickly become two of my favorite machines to ride. You also have 10 pre-programmed maps on the trim dial so you can choose how aggressive you want your power delivered. Run the Vortex on pump fuel or race gas, it doesn't matter because there’s a map for both. The improvement you will feel on the track is huge and noticeable right away! www.td-racing.com 

2019 Yamaha YZ450F: 

Small changes to the 2019 Yamaha YZ450F made it our 450 MX Shootout winner and my favorite bike of the year! No it’s not the lightest bike on the market, but it’s engine delivery is unmatched, has the best production suspension in the game, has a better cornering ability for 2019, and is the most reliable bike on the track. Every time I think I may have found something better, I hop back on the ol’ 2019 YZ450F and fall in love all over again. It’s one of the only bikes I can ride in stock form and go very fast on right away. Kudos to all the Yamaha Japanese engineers and North America test riders for making an incredible machine! www.yamaha-motor.com 

6D ATR-2 Helmet:  

6D Helmets launched their ATR-2 in 2018 and improved on an already great ATR-1 helmet. It has a shorter chin bar/nose area, shorter visor, and is lighter that the ATR-1, but keeps all the safety features of the ATR-1. It’s hard to write about something, that in some cases, can’t be fully tested until shit goes wrong. In the world of helmet safety, we as buyers have to be very trustworthy customers. I mean…We have no choice, but to trust in a certain helmet company’s technology right? We have to trust in what the helmet company is telling us (about their latest safety technology offerings) is in fact the truth and works in real world conditions, just like the test results say back at the testing facility. The only way to truly know if the helmet “works” or not is to crash and that is something that riders usually aren't looking to do. However, when it does come time to test the safety aspect of the helmet, it better damn well work and be what we paid for. I have worn and trusted in the 6D technology for quite sometime now and even spent my own money on a few helmets for my kid and I. My son and I both have crashed in an ATR-2 and came away dazed, but not confused. I feel whole heartedly that this is due to the 6D Technology, plain and simple. www.6dhelmets.com 

Ride Engineering One Piece Handlebar Mount:   

The Ride Engineering One Piece Oversize Bar Mount has a one-piece top that is designed to resist bending much better than the stock bar mount. Precision machined from aircraft quality aluminum, there is also a 6mm difference between the forward and back mounting positions. Ride Engineering also machines their own stainless steel posts that prevent over tightening, unlike some other competing brands that DO NOT use quality posts. I have stuck these Ride Engineering bar mounts on the KTM 450 SX-F and the Honda CRF450R with great results after crashing. I never had to find something to bang my front wheel off of to try and straighten my bars/mounts after a crash. These powerful suckers do not cause added rigidity to your ride and only cost $104.95, but you can save 20% by using the code Keefer-20 over at ride-engineering.com 

Guts Racing Firm Seat Foam And Gripper Wing Seat Cover: 

The real only downside to the Yamaha YZ450F is the seat density and cover. The foam is not firm enough near the middle portion of the seat the rider sometimes can hit the fuel tank when pushing hard into corners. So when you think of the words “hard” or “firm” you may think of uncomfortable right? Well in this case you would be wrong. The “firm” GUTS foam is just what the doctor ordered, especially when I am slamming into corners. With the GUTS firm foam the density is harder in the middle of the foam/seat, but also on the sides of the foam where you need it (especially when riding aggressively). Your butt is not always placed directly in the middle of the seat when you're riding, so why just make the middle part of the foam firm? GUTS thought of this because all of us riders need to have a firm feel on each side of the foam as well. The GUTS Racing foam provides the correct amount of density, so I am not pushing my tushy through the foam and into the plastic of the fuel cell. On top of the foam gripping the bike is important to me so Andy from GUTS makes these special “wing” gripper seat covers so my long legs have something to lock on to when standing up through rollers or choppy terrain. Having the “wing” seat also improves the cushioning of the side of the seat even more with the added padding sewn into the cover. It’s a brilliant idea and works awesome! www.gutsracing.com. 

Works Connection Elite Axle Blocks For KTM And Husqvarna: 

Consisting of a pair of CNC’d Elite axle blocks, a titanium drive-side receiver, and a square removal tool nut, the Elite Axle Block Kit converts your stock KTM/Husqvarna rear axle from a fixed design into a floating type. KTM and Husqvarna Factory teams use this same floating type design on their race team bikes to improve traction as well as straight line stability, and it actually works! Another key component is the integrated receiver post on each axle block that allows the use of a caliper to precisely measure and match the left and right axle block’s position. This assures exact alignment of the chain and sprocket, which is critical to prolonging chain and sprocket life. I have been secretly running these on my KTM and Husqvarna test bikes for almost a year now and it may not seem like it’s much once installing them, but you will notice more rear wheel traction and a less harsh feeling under acceleration chop. www.worksconnection.com 

2018 Yamaha YZ65: 

Anytime a manufacturer develops a new dirt bike for kids I am all in. Yamaha introduced a new model to their lineup with the YZ65 in 2018 and it was well perceived not only by my little test guy, but by many other littler riders and parents alike. The YZ65 has a potent engine, great suspension, and adjustability that lets little riders a chance to grow with their machines. We even let our test rider Dustyn Davis ride it with his friends at the 24 Hours Of Glen Helen and the   YZ65 lasted the entire time in the muddy conditions. We have almost 80 hours racked up on this test unit along with a WORCS championship that Dustyn won along the way. 

2018 Top Gear Choices: 

You guys knew this was coming right? I am such a gear fanatic that I couldn't just pick one set that was my favorite, so I am giving you my top three sets of gear that I tested/wore throughout 2018, in no particular order: 

1. Fly Lite Hydrogen: Lightweight, flexible, and most of all very comfortable the Fly Lite Hydrogen gear is a joy to wear on long days of testing. It’s ventilated enough to breathe through the hot summer days in the desert, but also is durable enough to last through the abuse I can throw at gear. Not to mention the solid colorways that FLY came back to for 2019 has me all giddy like a school girl on prom night. 

2. Fox FlexAir: When you put a set of Fox FlexAir gear on you really notice how lightweight and minimalistic this stuff really is. The gear is snug and so streamlined when I am riding that I notice that I can move around on the bike a lot better. This is a real thing folks! Just like cyclists streamlined, form fitting gear helps your body become more agile while riding and Fox does it right with the FlexAir gear! 

3.  O’Neal Hardwear: Say what you want about O’Neal, but they have come a long way with the styling of their gear. I wanted to put O’Neal in this mix because the Hardwear fit is much better in 2018 than it has been it quite sometime and there is no other gear out in the market that is as tough as the Hardwear pant and jersey in my opinon. Yes, the gear is a little heavier than the two above it, but the stuff is tough and has a clean look for 2019!  

LitPro:

If you like analyzing your riding like me then the LitPro is a pretty incredible tool to have. Look, I will be target up with you. I wasn't on board with the LitPro a while back because it was too damn hard to use and confusing to me. However LitPro has made some updates to their app and made easier for us idiots to use the device. I have been riding with the updated software for a few months now and by no means am I a pro at it, but at least I can see each session I do and analyze my lap times, my line choice, what’s faster, and which bike I may be faster on at any given time. I love that I can get with my buddy Travis Preston and really show him how fast my corner speed is compared to him! To me that is worth the $499.00 price tag! You can even track your heart rate during each moto, just in case you really want to go all “Baker Factory” out there!   www.litprolive.com 

2018.5 Husqvarna FC450 Rockstar Edition: 

Did you really think you were going to get through this without me mentioning the Rockstar Edisssssh? No, the 2018.5 Husqvarna Rockstar Edition didn't win our shootout, but that doesn't mean I didn't get happy every time I rode one of these suckers. I would talk about how much fun it was to ride (to my wife) so many times that she finally got sick of it and went and bought me one. The Rockstar Edition has better ECU mapping than the 2019 FC450, it feels the lightest of all 450’s on the track, is super connected from my throttle hand to the rear wheel, and my lap times (from my LitPro) always said I was fastest on it! Simply put, the 2018.5 FC450 Rockstar Edition is just a fun bike to ride and gets even better with just a couple modifications like an FMF Muffler, removal of the backfire screen, and some good race fuel. To me the Yamaha and Husqvarna are my two most favorite bikes to ride of the 2018/2019 model year!   

2019 450 MX Shootout

The 2019 450 MX Shootout has officially taken the checkered flag. After three days of testing, over 100 pages of testing notes, 16 test riders, countless engine hours racked up, and over seven hours of testing information sent to your ears (via podcast) we finally have a winner. The results changed dramatically from last year’s shootout and for 2019 the top five were all miserably close for each test rider. The tracks we chose to test at were also chosen by four out of the six manufacturers to evaluate their production machines before we got our hands on them. These tracks provided deep, loamy soil conditions in the morning that turned hard pack and slick towards the end of the afternoon. We feel these were the best tracks (combined with the prep that was performed) brought out each machines strengths and weaknesses. In doing this we feel the information gathered was the most accurate we could offer (from the west coast) from an evaluation standpoint. Below are the final rankings and a brief evaluation summary that were tallied up by using an olympic style scoring. If you want to hear more about each bike and get a much broader breakdown of each machine, click on the podcast tab to listen to the Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Keefer Tested Podcast Presented By Fly Racing And Race Tech right now!

First Place: Yamaha YZ450F

The Yamaha YZ450F won because it provided the riders with the most comfortable suspension, an easy to ride engine character, and a new found planted cornering ability. The small changes that Yamaha made did make a big difference out on the track. It’s also one of only a couple bikes that can use third gear through corners an get you out in a hurry. “Recovery Time” on this engine is impeccable and forgives riders when they make mistakes when shifting too early. Testers agreed that the YZ450F is much more confidence inspiring than that of the 2018 version through corners (cornering stability). It split wins/days with the Kawasaki, but the Yamaha had nine “individual test rider opinion wins” throughout the shootout that tipped the scales in its favor. Small changes on paper equals big changes out on the track for 2019. Congratulations Yamaha!

Second Place: Kawasaki KX450

The most improved machine in the 2019 450 MX Shootout belongs to Team Green. The KX450 won the first day of the shootout and was a favorite of most testers throughout the week. The chassis is well behaved and can be pushed hard by the rider without it doing anything out of the ordinary. The lightweight feeling of the KX450 is noticed immediately around the track and the free-feeling engine character makes it a very fun/playful bike to ride. With four “individual test rider opinion wins” it was the only other bike in the shootout to keep the Yamaha honest. Kudos to Kawasaki for making a great first year/generation KX450. That is not easy to do!

Third Place: Husqvarna FC450

The Husqvarna FC450 is one of the most connected throttle to rear wheel bikes in this year’s shootout. There is so much traction that it is deceiving to some testers to figure out how much throttle to give, to clear obstacles immediately out of corners. It doesn’t feel or sound like the Husqvarna is really hauling ass down the track, but you end up over jumping certain jumps at times because the FC450 is hooking up so well. All of the riders preferred the black throttle cam on the Husqvarna/KTM for more a snappier/quicker RPM response. The WP suspension isn’t holding this bike back as much as it did in year’s past and leaning it over in corners is made easy with its lightweight feel. The Husqvarna fell down the ranking because riders did want a little more throttle response in deeper conditions (even with the black throttle cam installed). The FC450 was one of only three machines to score more than one “individual test rider win”.

Fourth Place: KTM 450SX-F

The KTM 450SX-F has more bottom end and RPM response than the Husqvarna, but lacked some compliance/comfort when the track got choppy and rough. The KTM still feels lightweight through corners and gives riders, that lack cornering technique, more confidence through ruts. The Neken handlebar is a little more rigid than that of the Pro Taper bar that is on the Husqvarna and that doesn’t help on slap down landings. The engine character is smooth and linear thus helping/forcing riders carry more speed through corners. The WP/AER front fork lacks some small bump absorption, but once you break through that initial part of the travel, it is quite nice. The KTM 450 SX-F is one of my favorite bikes to ride with some minimal modifications done to it. The is how close all of these bikes really are! A little massaging here and there can make a fourth place bike a first place machine.

Fifth place: Honda CRF450R

Ride Red. No Wing No Prayer. The Honda CRF450R has the fastest feeling engine character in the shootout. If you’re looking to get from point A to point B in a hurry, the Honda’s engine will oblige. As fast as the CRF450R is, it still feels connected to the rear wheel without much loss of traction, but the rigidity balance is what hurt it the most. When the track gets hard packed and rougher, the Honda suffers from lack of stability. The front end gets a little twitchy and can be difficult to ride fast when track conditions get worse. The suspension has a lot of comfort, but that comfort needs to come from the frame more, in order to be a shootout winner. Riders did like the on-the-fly handlebar mounted map switch and its three modes. Each mode has a completely unique feel to it unlike other machines where switching maps didn’t make a “huge” difference.

Sixth place: Suzuki RM-Z450

The Suzuki RM-Z450 is the best looking bike out of the bunch. However, looks alone couldn’t get the Suzuki up the charts in 2019, but the zook has improved slightly since last year. The BFRC shock still unloads (kicks) off throttle, which causes the rider to have a lot of pitching coming into corners. Most riders didn’t mind the engine’s delivery, but just wanted more from the powerplant (especially on deep tilled tracks). The white coupler was almost unanimously used by all riders which helps “wake up” the bottom to mid range, but the Suzuki still signs off too quickly up top. The cornering of the RM-Z450 is still great, but other machines are as good, if not better than the Suzuki for 2019. This bike would be great for a rider who wants to spend less money and still have a good bike to go race/ride on the weekends. Small modifications can really help the Suzuki become a better machine. In fact, we will be doing a project 2019 RM-Z450 this year, so stay tuned!


If you have any questions about the shootout please feel free to email me at kris @keeferinctesting.com. As usual we have an open door policy over here and love to bullshit about dirt bikes. If you see me at the track, come over and say hey!