The Weekend Race Set Up 3/6-7/2021 (Mesquite)

I always thought it would be cool to share the notes that I create after a race with the reader. 98% of the time I will input notes about each test bike/part I decide to race on any given weekend. The part as well as the bikes change from time to time, but I always like to have a log of what I ran as well as the conditions of each race. Below is a brief breakdown on the bikes, parts as well as notes on how each performed or felt. Last weekend we brought three bikes to race (KTM 250 SX-F, Honda CRF450R, Yamaha YZ450F), but we are going to give the Honda CRF450R it’s own baseline settings article later this week so stay tuned for that. Below are two breakdowns of what was on each machine and how each machine fared in race conditions. Each time my son and I race, you can check back here to keeferinctesting.com every Tuesday (when we race the previous weekend) for “The Weekend Race Set Up”. 

Track: Mesquite 

Kris Keefer

Terrain: Soft/Grabby dirt with long choppy ruts/steep downhill

Start: Grate with concrete after gate

Avg Lap Time: 1:30

Total Number Of Motos: 6 motos (Two 20 minute plus 1 lap motos, 4X7 lap motos)

Weight At Time Of Race: 171 pounds w/o gear

2021 Yamaha YZ450F:

Engine Hours 36.2

Mods/Parts: 

Tires: Dunlop MX3S/MX33 13.5/12.5 PSI 

Bars: Pro Taper SX Race Evo

Grips: Renthal Half Waffle Soft

Levers: ARC RC-8 Perch/Lever

Throttle: ZRT 

Rider Triangle: -5mm down and back peg position/stock bar height/rear hole

Gearing: 13/49 Renthal Sprockets/DID ERT3 Chain

Engine Mods: Vortex ECU Mapped By XPR/FMF 4.1 Full System

Engine Oil: Blud Racing 10/40 Pro Series

Fuel: VP T4

Holeshot Device: WC

Graphics/Seat: D’Cor Star Racing Yamaha Spec

Suspension: Enzo Racing Test Fork/Shock Spec #KK108

Air Filter: Twin Air Power Flow Kit 

Results: 1st 30A (1-1), 4th Open Pro, (5-4) 3rd 25A (4-1)

Notes: 

• GH World Vet ECU setting allowed third gear corners without on/off area 2 feel. Power was controlled and easy to manage late in motos.

• YZ450F felt slightly heavy compared to Honda CRF450R on area 1-2 of corners at Mesquite but was more stable on area 3 of corners.

• Fork was soft on end stroke on de-cel (grabby dirt). Went in +2 clicks on Comp.

• Shock sag at 105mm made for acceptable balance, but slowed rebound down -1 click to compensate for soft bump leading into ruts.

• Shock still had firm feel on accel bump and possible I need less HS Dampening

• WC start device needs to be at 120mm for grate start

• Rider Triangle allows for less leg fatigue and rear felt fatigue than stock triangle setting.

• Seat Foam breaking down after 8 hours. Need new foam/standard height.

Suspension Setting: 

Fork: (Spec #KK108F)

C: 10

R: 9

Height: 2mm

Shock: (Spec #KK108S)

LSC: 12

HSC: 1.25

R: 8

Sag: 105mm

Track: Mesquite 

Aden Keefer

Terrain: Soft/Grabby dirt with long choppy ruts/steep downhill

Start: Grate with concrete after gate

Avg Lap Time: 1:30

Total Number Of Motos: 7 motos (One 20 minute moto, 6X7 lap motos)

Weight At Time Of Race: 130 pounds w/o gear

2021 KTM 250 SX-F:

Engine Hours 48.8

Mods/Parts: 

Tires: Dunlop MX3S/MX33 13.5/12.5 PSI 

Bars: Pro Taper Fuzion Suzuki Race Team

Grips: Pro Taper 1/3 Waffle Race Cut

Levers: Stock

Throttle: ZRT Grey Cam 

Rider Triangle: Stock

Gearing: 14/51 Sunstar Sprockets/DID ERT3 Chain

Engine Mods: Vortex ECU Mapped By XPR/FMF 4.1 Full System

Engine Oil: Blud Racing 10/40 Pro Series

Fuel: VP MR Pro 6

Holeshot Device: WC

Graphics/Seat: Throttle Syndicate/GUTS seat cover/firm foam

Suspension: REP Racing Test Fork/Shock Spec #AK2

Air Filter: Twin Air Power Flow Kit 

Results: 3rd Open All Star (5-3), 2nd Schoolboy 2 (3-2), 2nd Open Am (2), 1st (2-1)

Notes: 

• REP AER setting was set at 8.9 bar in AM to compensate for heat/race day length

• Fork comfort on bigger braking bump was better than stock setting

• Fork comfort on small/light bump/accel was still firm through handlebars

• Shock felt low on accel. Turned HSC in 1/4 turn. Helped balance

• ECU setting was clean in AM, but PM 82 degree conditions had dirty feel on roll on mid RPM. Could be boiling fuel MR Pro 6. Must pick up/switch to MR Pro 6 HT for spring time.

• Need to drop hole shot device to 120mm (from 100mm) for Aden’s lightweight ass on metal grate.

• Broke brake pedal tip off (crash)

• Bent clutch lever (crash)

Fork: (Spec #AK2F)

C: 14

R: 12

Height: 5mm

Air: 9.89-9.90 Bar 

Shock: (Spec #AK2S)

LSC: 15

HSC: 1.5

R:11

Sag: 105mm

2021 250 MX Baseline Stock Suspension Settings Bible

Here is your one stop shop for some baseline suspension settings for all (except the Suzuki) the 250 motocross machines. These settings are a great start for anyone between 150-180 pounds. If heavier springs are needed the below specs will specify this. If you’re asking yourself ,why not gives some specs for riders under 150 pounds, don’t fret, email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com and I can try to walk you through some options. -KK

2021 Honda CRF250R:

In stock form the Showa suspension on the 2021 Honda CRF250R has decent comfort on de-cel bumps, but lacks a little hold up for riders ranging from 160-190 pounds. If you’re over 190 pounds going up a spring rate on each end is your ticket to a better handling CRF250R. After riding with this setting below at more than three different tracks, more than one time around, I figured out that this baseline suspension setting gave the 2021 Honda CRF250R the most “track toughness”. If you happen to feel like the fork is harsher (through the mid stroke) with this setting, simply open up the rebound (faster) back to stock setting. This will help free up the fork slightly under front end load (off-gas). The shock needs just a little more hold up under acceleration so simply going stiffer/slower on low speed compression/rebound gives the rider more comfort and added traction out of corners. I tried experimenting with high speed compression, but the Honda is finicky with high speed. Going stiffer on high speed compression (shock) put too much weight on the front end (fork) creating a harsher feeling front fork.

Fork:

Spring Rate: 4.8N/mm

Height: 3mm 

Compression: 6-7 clicks out 

Rebound: 10 clicks out 

Shock:

Spring Rate: 52N/mm

Sag: 102-103mm

High Speed Compression: 2-5/6

Low Speed Compression: 9 clicks out 

Rebound: 5 clicks out

2021 Kawasaki KX250:

The 2021 KX250 to me has a better suspension feel than the KX450 as well a better hold up. The KYB suspension has a wide range of comfort for different size riders so stock springs should suffice unless you’re over 180 pounds. If you’re over 180 pounds then going to a 5.0N/mm fork spring (like last year’s fork) and 56N/mm rear spring and softening up the compression a couple clicks on each end and that should increase the comfort for you heavier dudes.

Fork: 

Spring Rate: 4.9 N/mm

Height: 4mm

Compression: 9 clicks out 

Rebound: 10 clicks out 

Shock:

Spring Rate: 54 N/mm

Sag: 102-103mm

High Speed Compression: 1.25 turns out

Low Speed Compression: 9 clicks out

Rebound: 11 clicks out 

2021 Yamaha YZ250: 

Much like the chassis, the 2021 suspension feels firmer (compared the 2020), holds up more in the stroke slightly, yet still has that KYB free feeling movement (unlike a Showa feel where it moves less with a dead feel) that is very active on the track. That active feel translates into a a front/rear end that follows the ground well under small chatter and bigger/softer braking bumps. I did have to go a little firmer on both ends for my style of riding, but it didn’t take long at all to feel comfortable. Track Toughness of the 2021 Yamaha YZ250F is better than the 2020, but if you’re north of 180 pounds you might want to drop in a set of 4.8N/mm fork springs and live happy! 

Fork: 

Spring Rate: 4.7 N/mm

Height: 4mm

Compression: 8 clicks out 

Rebound: 9 clicks out 

Shock:

Spring Rate: 56 N/mm

Sag: 104mm

High Speed Compression: 7/8-1 turn out

Low Speed Compression: 8 clicks out

Rebound: 9 clicks out 

2021 KTM 250SX-F: 

Always remember that a WP AER fork needs more time to break in than any other fork on the market. Your AER fork will need at least 5-6 engine hours to fully break in. If you feel like your fork is stiff/harsh before that, don’t fret yet, as this is a common feel among these forks. These KTM/Husqvarna/Gas Gas settings are for riders anywhere from 150-180 pounds. Lighter riders under 150 pounds will need a slightly softer air setting (around TKTK bar), but can use the same clicker adjustment readings. 

Fork: 

Spring Rate: 10.6-10.7 bar

Height: 5mm

Compression: 11 clicks out (with 10.6 bar) 15 clicks out (with 10.7 bar)

Rebound: 11 clicks out 

Shock:

Spring Rate: 42 N/mm

Sag: 102-103mm

High Speed Compression: 1.75-2 turns out

Low Speed Compression: 11 clicks out

Rebound: 12 clicks out 

2021 Gas Gas MC250:

Fork: 

Spring Rate: 10.6-10.7 bar

Height: 5mm

Compression: 11 clicks out (with 10.6 bar) 15 clicks out (with 10.7 bar)

Rebound: 10 clicks out 

Shock:

Spring Rate: 42 N/mm

Sag: 102-103mm

High Speed Compression: 1.75-2 turns out

Low Speed Compression: 11 clicks out

Rebound: 11 clicks out

2021 Husqvarna FC250: 

Due to the lower nature of the Husqvarna setting, we preferred to go a little stiffer with this set up to get more comfort on the Husqvarna suspension.

Fork: 

Spring Rate: 10.7-10.8 bar

Height: 5mm

Compression: 14 clicks out 

Rebound: 9-10 clicks out

Shock:

Spring Rate: 42 N/mm

Sag: 100-101mm

High Speed Compression: 1.5 

Low Speed Compression: 10 clicks out

Rebound: 11 clicks out 

2021 450 MX Baseline Stock Suspension Setting Bible

Here is your one stop shop for some baseline suspension settings for all (except the Suzuki) the 450 motocross machines. These settings are a great start for anyone between 160-200 pounds. If heavier springs are needed the below specs will specify this. If you’re asking yourself ,why not gives some specs for riders over 200 pounds, don’t fret, email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com and I can try to walk you through some options. -KK

2021 KX450 Suspension Settings:

The stock KX450 fork is too soft on de-cel and needs more hold up. These settings will help achieve this and leave you with enough comfort where your hands will not be screaming for mercy. 

Fork: 

 Spring Rate 5.1 N/m Spring (5.0 N/m is stock) *If B level rider and over 200 pounds 5.2 N/m springs are also a great option*

 Oil Level: Standard

 Compression:11-12 clicks out (12 clicks out with 5.2 spring)

 Rebound Range: 10-11 clicks out

 Fork Height: 2-3 mm

 Shock:

Sag: 104-105mm

 Spring Rate: 54 N/m (190 pounds or over, try 56 N/m)

 Low Speed Compression: 16 clicks out

 High Speed Compression: 1 1/8 turns out

 Rebound: 10-11 out

2021 Yamaha YZ450F Suspension Settings: 

Suspension: If you’re sticking with stock valving the 2021 Yamaha YZ450F’s suspension settings are still slightly soft (once suspension is broke in) at times on bigger bumps at speed. Going slower on the action as well as stiffening the compression really helps the whole bike remain planted around the track. The comfort that the KYB SSS fork/suspension has is unmatched and the track toughness it provides makes your life so much less stressful on set up. This setting below will work for most riders ranging from 160-195 pounds with no gear. 

Fork: 

Height: 4mm

Compression: 6-7 clicks out

Rebound: 7-8 clicks out

Shock: 

Sag: 104mm

Low Speed Compression: 8 clicks out

High Speed Compression: 3/4 turns out

Rebound: 7-8 clicks out 

2021 Honda CRF450R Suspension Settings:

The stock suspension might be too soft for you if you’re anywhere over 180 pounds. Honda has a 5.0 N/m fork spring that is adequate for most, but the valving seems too soft. Out back the 54 N/m shock spring is also way too soft, so if you’re looking for a quick band aid to make your Honda CRF450R better, without going to a re-valve, going a spring rate up on each end has helped me feel more secure on high speed tracks, as well as soft bumpy tracks. Bringing both ends up a little in the stroke (with the heavier spring rates) has given me more front/rear wheel traction as well a Honda that corners better without over-steering. Unlike the 2020 Honda CRF450R, going up a spring rate on the 2021 version has given the new red bike more track toughness, but you’re still going to have to deal with some frame rigidity. If you’re not into spending more money on a re-valve at this time, simply get some heavier springs and try this setting: 

 Fork: 

 Spring Rate: 5.1 N/m

 Height: 2mm

 Comp: 11-12 out

 Rebound: 11 out

Shock:

 Spring Rate: 56 N/m 

 L/S Comp: 12 clicks out

 H/S Comp: 2 3/4 clicks out

 Rebound: 10 clicks out

 Sag: 106mm

2021 Husqvarna FC450 Suspension Settings:

The recommended settings were 10.7 bar or 155psi of air in the fork, compression at 12 out and rebound at 18 out. This setting was, as suspected, too soft for my liking and after testing at a few tracks, I found a base line setting of:

Fork:

Air Pressure: 11.1 bar or 162 psi of air

Compression at 13 clicks

Rebound 15 out. 

*With Factory Hard Parts Triple Clamps or Ride Engineering Split Clamps*

Height: 5mm

Air Pressure: 11.1 Bar

Compression: 12 clicks out

Rebound: 13 clicks out

Shock:

Sag: 100mm

L/S Comp: 8 out

H/S Comp: 1.5 out

Rebound: 12 out

With this setting I had no issues bottoming on hard landings as well as  bump absorption/hold up/traction were very good even at GH late in the day. 

The shock was a bit more difficult to find a great setting for, but that is due to the shock spring being slightly soft (undersprun for my level of riding). The action of the shock wasn't bad, my issue was with a spring that is just simply too soft. The shock was riding too low in the stroke which caused a low squat in the apex of turns and a soft blow thru feeling on transitions, whoops, and hard landings. As I said this is easily fixed with a stiffer spring but when striving for a stock base line setting you do the best with what you have. I ended up going with 100mm of sag, high speed compression at 1/2 turn out, low speed compression at 8 out and rebound at 12 out. Now some of you may ask why I didn't go further in on compression and I did try that, but the action on acceleration chop/braking bumps suffered when things are closed off that much. The soft feeling on landings, whoops and turns was more manageable than the instability in choppy acceleration bumps or entering braking bumps at speed. Not the ideal trade off, but again if you have to make do until you get the correct spring rates or a revalve, these settings should work for you. At the end of the day this base line set up allowed me to get more comfortable at speed and gave me a direction of the areas I want to improve.

2021 KTM 450 SX-F Suspension Settings:

Fork (Stock Triple Clamp): 

Height: 5mm

Air Pressure: 11.0 Bars

Compression: 13-14 clicks out

Rebound: 13 clicks out

*With KTM Hard Parts Triple Clamps or Ride Engineering Split Clamps*

Height: 5mm

Air Pressure: 11.1 Bars

Compression: 15-16 clicks out

Rebound: 13 clicks out

Shock:

Sag: 102mm

Low Speed Compression: 10 clicks out

High Speed Compression: 1.25 out 

Rebound:  11 clicks out 

2021 Gas Gas MC450 Suspension Settings: 

The 21 Gas Gas MC450 has a similar suspension feel to the KTM, but the chassis has slightly more compliancy so the setting that I came up with is only slightly slower moving than the KTM. This is a general happy spot for the other red machine: 

Fork (Stock Triple Clamp): 

Height: 5mm

Air Pressure: 11 Bar

Compression: 14 clicks out

Rebound: 11 clicks out

*With Factory Hard Parts Triple Clamps or Ride Engineering Split Clamps*

Height: 5mm

Air Pressure: 11 Bar

Compression: 11 clicks out

Rebound: 10 clicks out

Shock:

Sag: 103mm

Low Speed Compression: 10 clicks out

High Speed Compression: 1.5 out 

Rebound:  10 clicks out

2021 KTM 450 Factory Edition (Connectivity Unit Map)

Looking for less engine braking and an overall lighter feel from your 2021 KTM 450 Factory Edition? This map can help the heavy feel when breaking in your new steed as well as continue to keep giving you a freer feel as the engine hours roll on. Less front end fork dive and more engine recovery out of corners is what this setting can do. Maybe you’re a third gear roll on type of rider? This map/setting can help..

2021 KTM 250/350SX-F Top 5 Mods And Top 5 Maintenance Tips

We have seen some quality time over the last few months with the 2021 KTM 250/350SX-F and have come up what we think are the best as well as the most relatively inexpensive mods to each one of these machines. Both machines respond well to these mods and while we were at it, we put together our top 5 maintenance items that we have felt our test bikes needed. Here are the details, in no particular order.

1. KTM 250SX Air Filter Cage: This is the cheapest and easiest way to get more throttle response out of your KTM 250SX-F/350SX-F. You will notice better throttle response through the low to mid RPM range by simply going to a 250 SX two stroke cage with no backfire screen. Here is the part number you will need. P/N 5040601600

2. FMF 4.1 Full Muffler System: To me, FMF makes the best muffler system for the KTM 250/350/450 SX-F. There are some other companies that have other bikes dialed in more, but on the KTM, FMF has got it down. You will get more low to mid RPM response as well as more mid range pulling power. Top end is increased plus the over-rev is as good as stock. It is one of the few times that I was impressed because it was actually better than stock in almost all areas. The downside is that you must keep up on muffler packing (every 10-12 engine hours) because the FMF will blow out and that could damage your expensive titanium can. Did I mention that you will lose almost two pounds with the titanium 4.1 system? If you slap on spring forks on your KTM, you will be gaining almost three pounds. You can get most of that weight gain back down with a 4.1 Titanium FMF Muffler system.

3. Pro Taper Handlebars: The stock Neken handlebar is too stiff and doesn't offer too much comfort. Throw them in the trash. Get yourself a set of Pro Taper bars and make your arms and hands happy again. The Pro Taper SX Race bar worked well for riders from 5’8 to 6’1. The SX Race bend comes in a crossbar or crossbar-less style and is 800mm width, 87mm height, 54.5 rise, and 54mm sweep. If you’re looking for a better “stand up feel” from your KTM look for handlebar close to this measurement. If you do like the stock bar try the Pro Taper Husqvarna Stock bend with 5mm bar mount risers (Ride Engineering sells these).  

4. Throttle Tube: There are a couple you can choose from here… If you’re looking for an aluminum throttle tube that is expensive, but helps the feel of your throttle, I recommend the ZRT throttle. This throttle tube makes the pull have almost zero drag and is a tough SOB. There is some set up/prep time to this throttle (cutting the right side of the handlebars), but it can help the pull over the long haul. If you’re more the plastic style tube type of rider, look at the Motion Pro Titan tube as it’s tough for a plastic tube and doesn’t have as much drag as the stock lock on style ODI grip/tube that comes on the stock KTM’s. The stock plastic throttle has a lot of friction and gets tough to turn too quickly.

5. Ride Engineering One Piece Bar 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. This bar mount has saved my son and I a couple times when we are out doing motor. He seems to crash a lot in corners and the stock mount on the KTM 250 SX-F just twists and bends easily.

Extras: 

Rear Axle/Axle Blocks: Going to a Works Connection Elite axle block kit or Ride Engineering axle block kit will get rid of the fixed left axle block on the stock KTM’s axle. This will help the rear end to move more freely under throttle and improve the shock’s comfort on acceleration chop. Both are great, but you will have to decide if you want a complete axle/axle block kit like Ride Engineering’s  or just the blocks themselves like WC’s.

Rear Brake Pedal Spring: Purchase a Honda CRF450R rear brake pedal spring with the rubber around the spring. The KTM rear brake pedal spring vibrates and will break every 4-5 engine hours. Orrrrrrrrr. Get a Fasst Co rear brake return spring and be done with it! Fasst Co’s rear brake return spring offers tunable pedal resistance and a more controllable feel by placing the spring in compression instead of tension, minimizing the "on-off" feel of most rear brakes.

Top 5 Maintenance Items:

1. Fuel Filters: If you’re a KTM owner, do yourself a favor and put a couple of these in your toolbox just in case. Fuel filters can get clogged on all KTM’s and this can cause damage to your fuel pump or possibly not allow your bike to start properly.

2. Throttle Cables: If there is one thing that DOES NOT last on KTM’s it is the throttle cables. Every 15-20 hours I will have to replace the throttle cables to ensure that my throttle doesn’t feel hard or sticky when twisting. Originally I thought my throttle tube was dirty or maybe the right side of the handlebar had dirt on it, but I found out through a couple KTM mechanics, that the throttle cables simply wear out. You can’t lube them or clean them out as it will only make the throttle feel better for a short amount of time.  

3. Check All Spokes: KTM spokes always come loose near the rim lock so make sure you pay attention to all the spokes after every ride. If you don’t check them constantly you will lose or break a couple. 

4. Check Engine Mounts/Swingarm Pivot Bolt: Always check the torx bolts that hold the top engine hangers on the bike. After break in, these will loosen up a bunch, so you might need some blue Loctite on the threads. After you do this, please continue to check these as they still back out from time to time. The torque spec on these bolts are important to the ride attitude of these KTM’s. Also the KTM’s come with frame guards and that means you will not know (until it’s too late) when your swingarm pivot bolt backs out. Take off your frame guard and check pivot bolt regularly. While you’re at it, get the Acerbis frame guards as they last longer and have better grip than the stock ones.

5A: FI Indicator Light: The little FI indicator light bulb will fall out of the rubber casing as soon as you get past 10 hours. The best thing to do is put a little silicone inside the rubber casing, so the light bulb as well as the wire doesn’t flop around.

5B. *KTM 450 SX-F Only* Clutch Rubbers/Cushions: Over time (around 25-30 hours) The stock clutch rubbers could eventually crack and could cause your KTM’s clutch to slip. You might think that this is caused form the clutch plates itself, but if you pull your clutch apart you may see your fibers/steels are still good but these rubbers are cracked. Even if the rubbers crack, they can’t hurt anything as they are locked in place within the pressure plate. If you’re looking for longer lasting clutch rubbers that have a tighter tolerance you can purchase the Rekluse clutch rubbers for your stock clutch system and these have proven to last longer than the stock ones. 

Getting In The Industry (Test Rider 101)

Keefer, I want to help you test”. Of course you do, but do you know what you have to do once off of the bike? Do you know what the correct way to do things when you’re on the bike testing? I hear this statement all the time, but I end up asking the questions above to the person, every single time I get asked. To me, I don’t think a lot of people understand the ins and outs of testing. From the outside, a gig testing for Keefer Inc./Racer X or any other motocross media outlet appears to be one of the best jobs in the industry and it is! Where else do you get to ride the latest bikes, sometimes on private tracks, while wearing new, free riding gear? Yet, despite all the apparent perks, being a test rider is actually a tough job that requires dedication, being an honest person (well, hopefully), persistence and more than a little luck. The purpose of this article is to fill you in on some of the false notions surrounding the gig of being a test rider and to tell you how to become one if, that is, what you are looking to do.

Falsehoods That Surround Being A Test Rider:

There are several components of being a test rider that aren’t exactly understood by those trying to get this type of job. Here are some things that I put together that you all may think happens in the testing world, but are simply just falsehoods.

Fiction: Testing is easy work. While you may think that bike tests involves simply cruising out to the track, throwing some big whips for the camera, being back at the house by 2 p.m playing video games, you couldn’t be more delusional. Testing is hard work and those that do it right, do a lot of it! Most of my test days begin early in the morning to take advantage of the quiet time I have at home to type and typically don’t finish a testing day until I run out of light in the evening. Don’t get me wrong, it is fun, but becomes more like a real job the more you do it. The toughest thing about being a test rider would have to be the long days I put in at the track and only to return home to start typing an article or a podcast. I am mentally fried by the time I am ready to hit the sack. Sorry Mrs. Keefer, you’re not getting any tonight! To evaluate a motorcycle in a comparison situation you have to make sure you give equal time for each bike, and that could be up to six motorcycles! So, it is definitely a full day. Your body is tired at the end of the day right up to that last bike you get on, but you have to make sure you’re in the right frame of mind (and in shape) when you are testing at 5:30 in the evening. You have to make sure you are fair and not in a rush to leave the track just because you’re tired.

Fiction: Test riders get paid a lot of money. Believe it or not, I don’t pay my test riders (I only have two guys) a whole hell of a lot for their services. While this may seem unfair, consider the flip side: My test guys get to ride the latest bikes, get parts and gear to test and keep. Your hobby is work, but at least you don’t have to pay for your hobby. Not only that, but they end up getting a lot of time on each bike, which makes it a great gig for aspiring pros or those who desire a lot of training. When I started at Dirt Rider, I got paid nothing for years until a check showed up for a couple hundred bucks after a shootout. I had to put in my time and pay my dues in order just to get a couple hundred dollars. When you test for a manufacturer (think durability testing) you will get a set amount per day, but it is usually only a couple hundred bucks per day for a 12-14 hour day

Fiction: You have to be fast or a pro to be a test rider. FALSE! Being a high-level racer type certainly makes someone a good test rider on paper, but this isn’t always the case when it comes to track time. Many pros are very adept at gauging what is going on with their equipment; conversely, some pros can’t even tell if they have a flat rear tire. Trust me, I have seen it! Speed is not directly related to having a good sense of what a bike is doing and as such I try to use riders of every skill level. When I test for manufacturers I have to be conscientious of the fact that these bikes need to perform for a wide variety of riders, not just what I like. When doing stuff for Keefer Inc., I usually try to have multiple opinions in which helps broaden the evaluations I bring to readers, since not everyone out there is a Supercross Pro. This is also why you’ll see mid forty year old, blue collar guys testing in my tests alongside 240 pound weekend warriors, not just 170 pound fast guys; diversity only enhances the value of testing.

Fiction: Test riders get to roach out bikes. While I can’t say the same for other testing sites, there is no denying that I ride a lot and spend almost as much time in my garage as I do on the track. Why? Because I adhere to one simple rule that my dad preached to me when I was young: treat anything you ride as if it was your own. One look around my garage and you will find clean bikes, lubed chains, fresh filters and fresh engine oil in the machines. I take great care to not only keep the test bikes in solid shape, but also to know what makes them tick and this transfers into getting the correct feedback to you all. On the track or on the trails, I encourage my test guys to ride a bike to its full potential, but this in no way includes thrashing it. All of the manufacturers are great dudes and if I trash a bike and give it back to them like that, I would feel like shit.

So now that I brought up some common myths about test riding, how the hell do you become a test rider? 

Be Persistent And Available:

If you really want to test rider, the first thing you need to do is to make yourself available. Like “I don’t have a life” accessible and on short notice. I usually like to get the information out to the people ASAP, so I often have to plan test sessions without much warning. As a result the guys I have used earned their test riding moments by simply being in the right place at the right time. I have literally talked to riders at the track and I could tell by just the way they treat their bike, how they ride and what type of attitude they have, offered them to try out test bikes. Some of those guys came off articulate when it comes to explaining how a certain bike performs on the track. Sometimes being lucky and in the right place at the right time helps. This isn’t a slam dunk and doesn’t mean that you’re going to be a test rider, but it helps to have a good presence at the track. Say hi to people at the track and look like your enjoying yourself instead of hiding out in your van all day.

Knowledge Of Dirt Bikes:

Please for the love of all that is holy know which way to turn a clicker to speed up the rebound? What does a bike do if the mapping is off? How does the bike react if the sag is set wrong? Do you know what sag is? These questions-and more like them-all need to be answered by a test rider before getting the job. No one is looking for super freaks when it comes to bike knowledge, but a test rider needs more than an elementary idea of how a motorcycle works and how certain changes affect its performance on the track. A test rider needs to be picky enough to know how he or she likes their setup, yet open-minded enough to be able to try something different (I to can struggle with that last part at times). He (or she) cannot be afraid to try new settings, setups and has to be vocal enough when something isn’t working. If you don’t know or can’t feel a difference between bikes or settings, then it is OK to say “I can’t feel a differnce”. Most importantly, a tester needs to distinguish between what effect the track is having, what the bike is doing and what the rider or his technique is causing. This comes with either a natural ability to know a dirt bike, or lots and lots of seat time

Confidentiality:

A lot of my work is confidential and if I screw that up, I wouldn’t have a job. If you can’t keep a secret, don’t even think about trying to become a test rider. If you give up a secret before it comes to production, you risk getting blackballed from any type of testing! The word “embargo” is gold with the manufacturers. I mean Matthes tries to get shit out of me all the time and I simply just tell him, “I know nothing”! Some people think it’s no big deal and I am being too intense, but I take my testing extremely serious and that includes not talking about things until they are in production or the embargo has lifted. The best test riders are not only great at breaking down each machine, but they would have to be water boarded before giving up the goods of a new bike or part.

Be A Good Person And Professional:

As most of you know I like to have fun just as much as the next guy, but when it comes time to start busting ass and working, I am all in. Playtime is over and work mode kicks in. As a test rider I am representing myself and am expected to be professional at those times. This includes not riding like a jackhole at intros, treating people with respect, not looking like I just woke up on the beach the night before, not showing up to the track late or in old, thrashed riding gear and not typing up a second grade opinion of something on an iPhone. Being able to formulate a solid opinion is not only helpful, it’s essential; what good is a rider who can feel what a bike is doing, but can’t put it into words. Or if a rider just starts making up shit to sound like he or she knows what the hell they are talking about. Being punctual is also key when turning in reports on time. I get so many kids that just want to ride the bikes and then go home to throw up an Instabanger to pull chics. Go home, get the report/opinion done and send it in. That is how I got more work. It’s surprising how much of a big deal that is to companies. So many people want to do the fun shit, but not the hard stuff afterwards. Lastly, if you don’t know how to spell at least 90 percent of the words on your report, go take a college course, so you can have the complete package or “The Quan” as Jerry McGuire would say.

Be Consistent:

As with many things, consistency in testing your own stuff is key. Know what you like and stick to it, but again, don’t be afraid to be flexible and try new things. Don’t ever use the word “perfect” in the testing world. There is nothing perfect because everything can get better through testing. An old saying goes “you’re only as good as what you try”. I try to live by that motto when it comes to testing. When I work with manufacturers, consistency is also important because it provides a common goal to work toward. We always have a baseline setting that we are looking to get better than and sometimes we will re-visit that baseline setting along our testing path. Consistency on the track plays a big roll to making bikes better as well. When on the track make sure to hit the same line every lap when you’re testing, so your feeling on the bike never sways one way or the other. If you pick a smoother line one lap and miss the bump you were hitting, you’re not getting an apples to apples comparison.

Help Wanted:

The worst way to approach any one in the industry is to walk right up and demand to be allowed to ride a bike. Instead, it’s better to prove that you have the skills to be a good test rider and that you can follow it up with consistent feedback and valuable opinions. I like that a few riders have given me (at the track, I may add) professional printed out tests of their machines and that goes a long way in my eyes. If you have taken the time to architect an article on your machine and then have the balls to present it to someone, that shows responsibility, gumption, being pro-active as well as not being a lazy ass! All things that I love! If you’re serious about a job in this industry try a few of these things and see where it gets you. You will never know if you don’t try! See you at the track!  As always our door is open to you, the reader, if you have any questions I would love to hear from you! kris@keeferinctesting.com

Soul Riding On The 2021 Husqvarna FC250

By Kellen Brauer

 Keefer graciously has allowed me to test out the 2021 Husqvarna FC250 over the last couple months. I’m no expert rider, nor expert tester, but it has been fun trying to decipher more about the machine than just hopping on it and going. This is by far the newest bike I’ve ever really spent some time with as I own a 2002 Honda CR250 and haven’t personally owned a newer bike than my long-time companion that was the glorious 2006 Honda CR450F. Until this year even, I’d never spun any laps on a fuel injected machine. So, I’ve really tried to dig a much deeper hole in my brain to accelerate my learning of this much newer machinery.

Having filmed with Keefer on Racer X Films a lot this year, I’ve had the pleasure of riding the 2021 Kawasaki and KTM 250s along with this Husky. Right away, I felt much more connected with the Husqvarna. Both the Kawasaki and KTM had that snappy feeling you often experience on a 250F because you need to ride them harder than a 450 to get that true meat of the power down to the ground. The Husqvarna doesn’t have that same feeling to me. While it definitely works great when I ride it hard for the five corners that I can manage to go that speed, it feels easy to cruise a gear high and coast your corners as well.

I’ve put in just over seven hours on the bike and wanted to leave it about as stock as I can initially. I’m just at 6-feet and a hair over 150 lbs. so my style did take a little while to adjust to that lower ride height. I went down to 10.2 Bar on the pressure in the fork and two clicks softer on high speed on the shock (with a 102mm of sag) and it actually feels like I don’t need to do much more for the speed I go. What I initially struggled with was low speed chatter in the front end and I couldn’t find the middle ground where I didn’t blow through the whole stroke on high-speed landings. So, I went softer on the fork clickers first, but then went back to stock, then just tried to adjust the pressure and it feels like I’ve solved that issue so far. Big bumps and hard landings are no trouble and that tight/harsh feeling that I felt on small chatter is now gone.

Though the ride time has been short, I’ve put the bike through its paces. I raced it at Cahuilla, rode it at Pala, tried it out on an abandoned track called Amago and even went on long off-road rides in Ocotillo. The power delivery this bike offers handled every change in terrain I’ve thrown at it beautifully. Sure, a fifth gear sand wash in Ocotillo requires a bit more attacking than cruising through the silt on a 450, but that’s about it. Tight trails, sharp 180s on a track, sand whoops, long doubles, the power from bottom end to top end seems to have no problems adapting on how I choose to ride it. It honestly feels a little bit like riding a 350 when I ride this bike, with the only thing that brings me back down to the 250 reality is how quickly you run through the gears on occasion.

A few quirky things I have struggled with are the need to take the whole muffler off to get to one bolt when you remove the lower right rear side panel, and the headpipe sticks out just a touch too far apparently. With the trail riding I’ve been doing, I’ve needed to plant my foot in weird spots or actually step off the right side of the bike to swing it around a couple of times. I’ve now burnt my pants at the knee three separate times on the header while doing this. The expletives have been aplenty.

The next steps I have planned are likely to go to a taller bar as the stock one is just a bit to low for me. I adjusted the angle of it as I tend to ride over the front of the bike a bit more, but that only seemed to pull my shoulders forward and not actually help me with maneuverability. I’m definitely also getting a carbon fiber headpipe guard, but that’s really just because I need to protect me from myself apparently. I really don’t want to finick too much with the power as I love it currently, but I’ve thought about maybe going up a tooth on the sprocket to just widen that range a bit more. I also think I’m not done with adjusting suspension even though I’m happy with the current setting, so maybe just having them valved to my weight and speed will do the trick.

Either way, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the feel of the bike so far. I loved it the second I hopped on it and I still love it now. Thinking back to the last time I had a 250F in 2010, I remember loving the bike, but feeling frustrated with how hard you had to ride it at times. I haven’t felt that once with the Husqvarna. Working a desk job for Racer X and running my own business on the side, I don’t always have an abundance of time to hit the tracks, so having a 250F like this one that doesn’t pull my arms out of socket, yet still easy to be lazy on like a 450, is perhaps the perfect balance for me. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing dialing in the bike to my liking more and more. Stay tuned too Keeferinctesting.com and Racerxonline.com for more updates on the 2021 FC250.

2021 KTM 350 SX-F East Vs. West Settings Comparison

Written By: Kenny Day

East Vs. West? Yep, you heard it correct.

 Hello everyone, 

Kenny here with Keefer Inc. Testing and West vs East is my new focus, no this is not a competition of what coast has the best riders, or dirt, because we know that east coast has the best dirt, but simply trying to solve a burning question I’ve had personally. WOULD MY SETTING STILL BE APPLICABLE ON THE EAST COAST? This is something that I wonder at times and get asked a lot since I am an east coast native. Now that I live on the west coast and can migrate over to the east easier now to ride, why not quarterback this question a little more right? Keefer gave me a 2021 KTM 350 SX-F test sled to ride for the year and I was headed to my good buddy Luke Renzland’s place in Florida, so I thought this could be a perfect time to weave in a little test. Now “Dreamland” has a lot of sand, big jumps yet also has a mix of clay too. Unlike Southern California where Fox Raceway and State Fair is the softest dirt we have, Renzland’s place almost has a mix of all the conditions in one track, but the sand is much softer/grabby. In one area there will beach sand, in others deep clay and even in some parts of the track it will have a sandy/clay (AKA heavenly loam) in others.

Although I’m not the most experienced tester, I take pride in saying I’ve spent lots of hours on my dirt bike from coast to coast so I have a fairly good feeling on the bike. In this recent trip to Florida I had a very eye-opening experience that made me question some of my statements that I’ve relayed to the listeners/readers in the past. Over the past year I’ve fully adapted to the “west coast” style of riding as well as set up, hard pack – square edge tracks with some high speed, hang it out sections and the minute I did my first lap on a Florida sand track…..Well, I’ll just say it felt like my first day of riding back east again.  I spent the first hour of my day trying to understand how to ride sand and while I was taking a break trying to reduce the size of my forearms, I realized that my set up in California may not work on this rough, whooped out Florida track. I needed to get stiffer with my settings.

Immediately, I went stiffer on compression on the fork/shock.  The braking bumps form up different on the east coast, bigger, more spaced out and they get cupped out, so I found my suspension being further down in the stroke all the time when my throttle was turned off. There was noticeably more chassis pitching than out on the west coast and I could even use less engine braking out here on the east. I didn’t have a tunable ECU on hand to try this, but from my experiences that I have had with the Vortex ECU, that would have been a nice feature to have on the east coast. Less engine braking in softer conditions relaxes the machine and doesn't bind up the chassis going from on/off or off/on throttle. I also noticed that I get way more ass end high feel coming into corners because my fork was diving too much. My sag stayed the same at 98mm but on the high speed compression (on my shock) I changed from 1 ¾ to 1 ¼ out, allowing the shock to ride a bit higher in the rear. Now this may sound contradicting to some, but I did manage to go up on my air pressure to help balance out the higher feeling rear setting I was creating for myself. On the WP AER fork I also added more air pressure (up to 162-164 PSI from 155) as I was searching for more hold up. Once I did manage to tweak my west coast settings this gave me more confidence going into the bigger east coast bumps harder. The balance of the stock suspension felt better and I also noticed less harshness from the AER fork in the softer terrain than on the west coast where the bike can feel too rigid.

Although my changes were not major, the biggest thing that stood out me is how different the characteristics of the bike felt when comparing the different soils. The 2021 KTM 350 SX-F shines on hard park tracks of California and unlike the AER fork, the frame does a great job at absorbing the choppy conditions. However in the Florida sand, I found the frame had slightly too much flex in heavy load situations, which left me wanting to stiffen the bike up. This is where I would love to try some engine mounts or something to get me a little more stiffness under on throttle lean situations. On these east coast tracks, the KTM 350 SX-F wanted to wallow under load and then snap back the opposite way one off throttle. Going with a little stiffer chassis setting can help this area. The engine characteristics were similar from coast to coast, but I found myself revving the 350 out longer in order to get the orange machine to move forward in a hurry more through the sand. I feel like I wanted more torque feeling in the softer conditions (Map Two) and could handle more power, unlike the west coast where I liked that longer more linear/smoother power (Map One). 

 So to answer my own (and maybe yours) question of “ are the bikes still as good on the east coast”? My answer would be yes they are, but you will have to set them up differently than what these Cali magazine guys tell you. Luckily for us Keefer does have a sand track near his home in Hesperia, so at least his baseline settings that he posts are a blend of sand and hard pack/loamy tracks. Not east coast style but at least it gets you closer to east coast settings. The tackiness of the east coast dirt is like no other and I am fairly sure that Keefer and I will be going back east more in 2021 once this pandemic is over! The 2021 KTM 350 SX-F was still an absolute dream to ride for me on the east coast ( I love this bike), but I can certainly say that a little more bottom end power is in order on this machine for anyone that is living back east (that is a heavier rider or an intermediate level rider or above). For more specific details on my baseline settings for both West and East please see below.

2021 KTM 350 SX-F

East Setting:

Fork:

Height: Second Line

Air: 162-164 PSI

C: 13 out

R: 20 out

Shock:

Sag: 98mm

HSC: 1.5 out

LSC: 8 out

R: 16 out

West Setting:

Fork:

Air: 155 PSI

Height: Second Line

C: 17 out

R: 22 out

Shock:

Sag: 105mm

HSC: 2 out

LSC: 11 out

R: 18 out

2021 Husqvarna FC450 Baseline Stock Suspension Settings

By: Joe Oehlhof

So for this year I've been tasked with shaking down and dialing in the 2021 FC 450 and I wanted to start by riding it stock for a few hours and finding a direction to focus my time. As enticing as it is to ride a new bike and immediately want to start making changes to suit you, sometimes this can be counter productive, especially if this is a bike with significant changes from the previous year or if its new to you. For me it’s best to ride the bike in stock form, get used to it, become comfortable on it and start finding things you wish were better.

The first couple rides on this bike gave me some areas to focus on and the first area I want to tackle is suspension, but first a quick synopsis of the rest of the bike: The motor was a good mix of power and tractability and the option of 2 different maps gives a little more tunability to mapping for different scenarios, which I will get more into after I dial in the handling and suspension. The rider triangle suited me well and I was comfy right away. The bars, levers, grips, footpegs, brakes, shifter, seat and all the other components that make up the ergos were easy to get used to and I needed little to no adjustment. Lastly, the stock gearing was matched well to the power character of the motor and didn’t have any delayed recovery areas when shifting. Overall a very solid bike in stock form that I'm excited to try and improve on.

Typically stock suspension is a little on the soft side for me with my weight being 190lbs and I'd like to think I'm still able to go somewhat fast for a couple laps. As most of you already know stock bikes are designed to suit a broad spectrum of rider size and ability and if you're on either end of that spectrum, getting stock suspension to work for you can be a bit difficult. For me the AER fork on the Husqvarna/KTM have come a long way and once you settle on an air pressure, you can fine tune the feel with the compression and rebound clickers. Initially I started with the recommended settings that you cand find on a sticker on the back of the airside fork. I like that Husqvarna did this because it gives you a starting point and as we get older sometimes we forget what the stock settings are. The recommended settings were 10.7 bar or 155psi of air in the fork, compression at 12 out and rebound at 18 out. This setting was, as suspected, too soft for my liking and after testing at State Fair and Glen Helen I found a base line setting of 11.1 bar or 162 psi of air, compression at 10 clicks out and rebound of 18 out. With this I had no issues bottoming on hard landings as well as bump absorption/hold up/traction were very good even at GH late in the day.

The shock was a bit more difficult to find a great setting for, but that is due to my weight of 190lbs and needing a stiffer spring. The action of the shock wasn't bad, my issue was with a spring that was too soft. The shock was riding too low in the stroke which caused a low squat in the apex of turns and a soft blow thru feeling on transitions, whoops, and hard landings. As I said this is easily fixed with a stiffer spring but when striving for a stock base line setting you do the best with what you have. I ended up going with 98mm of sag, high speed compression at 1/2 turn out, low speed compression at 8 out and rebound at 12 out. Now some of you may ask why I didn't go further in on compression and I did try that, but the action on acceleration chop/braking bumps suffered when things are closed off that much. The soft feeling on landings, whoops and turns was more manageable than the instability in choppy acceleration bumps or entering braking bumps at speed. Not the ideal trade off, but again if you have to make do until you get the correct spring rates or a revalve, these settings should work for you. At the end of the day this base line set up allowed me to get more comfortable at speed and gave me a direction of the areas I want to improve.

Lastly, I have been asked a couple times if I noticed the bike feeling lower since this bike has been lowered 10mm from the factory. For me the bike does feel more compact, not necessarily small or low, but I'm able to move around easily on this bike and not feel out of position. The only time the bike felt low was in deep ruts. I noticed feeling the frame hit the sides of the rut, but this could also be due to the soft spring. Its definitely an issue that can be sorted out fairly quickly. I am excited to keep working with each area of this bike and I'll keep you guys up to date on the changes I make. Stay tuned

Top 5 Mods To The 2021 Kawasaki KX250

We have just over 25 hours on the 2021 KX250 and so far we really love this machine. The KX250 is one of our favorite 250F’s to ride due to the work the Kawasaki R&D engineers made to the 2021 model . Although there will be a follow up article soon with some ECU and engine mods we thought why not throw up our initial top 5 mods that we have done to our worn in 2021 KX250. These mods below have improved the engine and chassis feel even more and as given us more confidence in the machine.

1. Pro Circuit Ti-6 Muffler System: Normally I DO NOT get more bottom end with a PC system (versus stock) on any brand of bike, but I was surprised that I got a little extra bottom end pulling power out of the PC system. RPM response is a little softer than the stock system, but when opening up the throttle out of corners the KX250 with the PC system pulls harder than the stocker. Mid range is where you will feel the meat of this power. When accelerating out of the corner and shifting to third, the KX250 doesn't have that “empty” feeling that the stock muffler has at times when the track is tilled deep. The PC system keeps pulling once the KX250 is shifted into third gear and continues to pull harder into the top end of the machine. Over-rev is as good as stock and I didn’t notice any loss of over-rev when swapping the two mufflers back and forth. 

 The only real negative I have found from the PC system is I wish it would have a little more low end RPM response. Like I mentioned that stock muffler has a great initial touch of throttle which can make the bike feel a little lighter when hopping over bumps or popping out of blown out berms. The PC system pulls better out of corners, but is just a smoother initial touch (AKA, low end RPM response). If you want more low end RPM response and could stand to lose some pulling power then take the screen out of the Ti-6. Doing this will give you more low end RPM response, but will hurt some mid range.

2. ECU Re-Mapping: If you want more pulling power as well as more top end install the “Chavez Map” with your Pro Circuit Ti-6 or any other muffler system and thank me later.  We used Kawasaki’s Calibration Tool to tweak the fuel and ignition timing in order to try and get some more pulling power out of the 2021 KX250. The map you see above will get you some extra torque when exiting corners while maintaining the excellent mid-top end power that the 2020 comes with. Use the stock green coupler with this ECU setting…

3. Gearing: 13/50 gearing is just fine for the Intermediate to Pro level rider with either the green or white coupler. If you’re a heavier rider that is lazier in corners you can try a 13/51 gearing to help you get back into the meat of the power sooner. We suggest using the green coupler with our preferred ECU setting with the 13/51 gearing however. This will ensure that mid-top end pulling power doesn’t fall off too soon.

4. 110 Rear Tire: A few manufacturers still like to run a 100/90-19 rear tires because it’s lighter. However, the 110/90-19 rear tire offers more traction and has better comfort on square edge, hard pack areas of the track. The 110 doesn't weigh the 2020 KX250 down in deeper soil that much and in fact, I see no negative on the track to going up a size on the rear. The Kawasaki has plenty of mid-top end to carry the small amount of extra weight the 110 carries. You will get more lean angle bite coming out of corners as well as increased stability with the 110. The 110 will fit on your 1.85 rear rim so don’t worry about your standard current rim size with the 110 rear tire sizing. I am currently running a 110/90-19 Dunlop MX33 on the rear of the KX250 with good results in soft to intermediate terrain. 

5. Pro Taper EVO Handlebar: 

 The stock Renthal Fatbar 839 handlebar is a great bend, but for me it’s still too stiff. If you’re looking to get less vibration and more flex out of your 2021 KX250 look into a Pro Taper SX Race bend as it’s only a couple millimeters lower than the Renthal 839 bend in height. 

Honorable Mention: Ride Engineering makes awesome one piece rubber mounted bar mounts that DO NOT twist like the stock ones have/can. The stock bar mounts are soft so going to these 100.00 bar mounts ensured my handlers do not twist in my clamps. I like the stock triple clamp for this machine so I left stock triple clamps on.

Maintenance Schedule: 

• Change oil every 2.5 engine hours with Blud Racing Pro Series 10/40

• Oil filter every other oil change

• New Chain guide/slider at hour 15

• Purchase a new throttle tube when getting new grips. (Stock grips are vulcanized to the tube)

• New DID ERT3 gold chain at 10 hours

• Running VP T4 race fuel

• Using Dunlop MX3S front/33 rear combo at 13.5/12.5 PSI

• Acerbis Plastic Kit at 20 hours

• Throttle Jockey Team Green Graphics Kit

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! 

2021 KTM 450 SX-F Baseline Settings/Top Mods

The 2021 KTM 450 SX-F orange brigade is an amazing machine to ride! It only gets better with some modifications and some tweaks. The KTM 450 SX-F responds well to a few mods and with that makes for one hell of a fun motorcycle to ride/race. Here are few things that you can do to make your 2021 KTM 450 SX-F better. Do one or do them all, but just note that each mod makes enough difference on the track for my tired old ass to type about it when I get back to the office.   

Engine/ECU: For 2021 KTM has a better ECU setting and although it’s clean, I still would like some more added RPM response/puling power. I have been on the Vortex ignition bandwagon for a couple years with this machine and for 2021 it hasn't wavered. If you want the same great rear wheel connection as well as more pulling power everywhere, look into a Vortex ignition from Chad at XPR Motorsports or Jamie at Twisted Development. I have turned a lot of KTM riders onto this mod and have had a 100% approval ratio. What I like about this modification is that it doesn't hurt reliability and makes for a very usable yet powerful engine for almost every type of rider. Yes, it will set you back around $800.00, but to me is much better than slapping on a muffler system and will do more for your engine. A stock re-map will not get you nearly the rpm response or pulling power that a Vortex will give you. Another good reason to get a Vortex ECU is that they have great resale value. You will also most likely be able to keep that Vortex ECU in circulation (if you get a new 2022 KTM) until 2022.5 as that will most likely be the year that KTM will release it’s new model. 

Suspension: If you haven't listened to my WP XACT Pro Components suspension podcast you may want to at least check that out, but if you're sticking with the stock suspension for a while, you can try this setting to see if this helps comfort when the track gets rough. This setting below should be in the ballpark for riders around 165-200 pounds, but if you’re heavier than 200 pounds going to a stiffer rear spring will help the ride attitude of the KTM. I have went to several tracks and tried many different settings, but this specific setting had the most “track toughness”. The KTM’s stock WP suspension doesn't quite have the comfort like the Husqvarna does, but the KTM/WP set also holds up more in the stroke, which is a better fit for me personally. To get some added comfort back with the added hold up, try this setting. 

Fork (Stock Triple Clamp): 

Height: 5mm

Air Pressure: 11.0 Bars

Compression: 13-14 clicks out

Rebound: 15 clicks out

*With KTM Hard Parts Triple Clamps or Ride Engineering Split Clamps*

Height: 5mm

Air Pressure: 11.1 Bars

Compression: 15-16 clicks out

Rebound: 13 clicks out

Shock:

Sag: 104mm

Low Speed Compression: 10 clicks out

High Speed Compression: 1-1/2 

Rebound:  11 clicks out

WP XACT Or Spring Conversion:

This is a question I get a lot! Which is better? Should I get a spring conversion or XACT Pro Component fork? I have tried Enzo’s KYB conversion as well as a REP valved XACT fork and both have their advantages. The Enzo KYB conversion soaks up small bump/hard pack chatter better than a REP XACT fork, but the REP XACT fork moves less and to me has slightly better performance with slightly less comfort. Both spring set ups are better than other re-valved AER set ups that I have tried and to me the spring set ups are way more consistent throughout the day. You will have to decide on how much money you want to spend (Enzo KYB Spring Conversion is around $2000.00 and the XACT fork is around $3000.00) as well as what type of rider you are in order to get the most out of your suspension. If you like a fork that moves in the stroke a lot and follows the ground well (front tire contact patch), the KYB conversion is great. If you want the most hold up as well as a fork that allows the rider to charge/hammer through big bumps easier, the XACT fork set up is also a great choice.  

Chassis: Aftermarket engine mounts are all the rage right now and some of you may not have the money to spend on a pair of engine mounts for your KTM. I will say that I do feel like the KTM chassis is stiff when new, but be patient as it will break in and feel better after 15 hours or so. I decided to play around with torque specs on the engine mounts for fun and stumbled across some more comfort. If you’re experiencing a stiff feeling chassis sensation and want the KTM to settle while leaning (under throttle), there is an inexpensive way to achieve some extra front end traction (as well as an overall more planted feel). You can torque all top engine mount bolts to 30Nm. This band aid will give you a more planted sensation when on throttle while leaning the KTM 450SX-F through sweepers and fast straights. You will have to make sure that all engine mount bolts have blue Loctite to ensure they do not back out (you should do this regardless if you keep all the bolts in or not). You can also try torquing your swingarm pivot bolt to 95 Nm (instead of 100Nm) to help rear end traction out of corners. The downside to doing these mods is that the chassis will flex a little more, so if you’re riding deep tilled tracks this modification might have too much flex for some (especially when chopping throttle).  

Handlebars: The stock Neken handlebar is too stiff and doesn't offer too much comfort. Throw them in the trash. Get yourself a set of Pro Taper bars and make your arms and hands happy again. The Pro Taper SX Race bar worked well for riders from 5’8 to 6’1. The SX Race bend comes in a crossbar or crossbar-less style and is 800mm width, 87mm height, 54.5 rise, and 54mm sweep. If you’re looking for a better “stand up feel” from your KTM look for handlebar close to this measurement. If you do like the stock bar try the Pro Taper Husqvarna Stock bend with 5mm bar mount risers (Ride Engineering sells these).  

Triple Clamps: After riding back to back with the stock triple clamps, the KTM factory clamps and the Ride Engineering clamps I have realized that the stock clamps are stiffer. I have since installed the Ride Engineering triple clamps on our 2021 KTM 450 SX-F with excellent results. The front end has more of a softer initial touch on slap downs and the fork action is smoother on de-cel bumps. It’s crazy to think that the fork feels softer now with the Ride clamps installed, but that is exactly how it feels when riding on the track. I was able to increase my air setting on my fork to help hold up off-throttle and kept more comfort through the entire stroke (with the stock AER fork). I also get slightly more lean angle front end traction (or cornering stability) with the Ride clamp because the front end isn't bouncing around inside long/choppy ruts. The KTM factory clamps are close in comfort to the Ride clamps, but offer slightly less straight line front tire feel.  

Rear Brake Pedal Spring: Purchase a Honda CRF450R rear brake pedal spring with the rubber around the spring. The KTM rear brake pedal spring vibrates and will break every 3-4 engine hours. Orrrrrrrrr. Get a Fasst Co rear brake return spring and be done with it! Fasst Co’s rear brake return spring offers tunable pedal resistance and a more controllable feel by placing the spring in compression instead of tension, minimizing the "on-off" feel of most rear brakes. 

Gearing: I like the stock 13/49 gearing for most conditions. If you remember last year I thought 14/52 was better in sandier conditions, but have come to the realization that I liked the gear spacing more with the 13/49 gearing. 

Twisted Development Exhaust Flanges:

The Twisted Development exhaust flanges are shaped differently than the stock OEM flange, which can change the engine character of the KTM 450 SX-F. I went through several during testing and found out a size/shape that can actually enhance the low to mid range power character. Compared to the stock piece the TD Performance flange will give you better throttle response through area 2-3 (mid to exit) of corners. Another advantage to me is that the TD flange helps pulling power out of corners as well and helps third gear lugability. The TD flange just helps the RPM’s pick up quicker, which in turn makes the KTM feel lighter when the track gets bumpy. There is no need to remap your ECU and it takes minutes to install.  

 The TD flange works with the stock headpipe/muffler system or any aftermarket system. I tried it on a stock muffler system as well as a full FMF system and with both, the TD flange helped in aforementioned areas. For $200.00 bucks, to me, it’s a great way to get a little more snap out of your KTM 450 SX-F. 

Rear Axle/Axle Blocks: Going to a Works Connection Elite axle block kit or Ride Engineering axle block kit will get rid of the fixed left axle block on the stock KTM’s axle. This will help the rear end to move more freely under throttle and improve the shock’s comfort on acceleration chop. Both are great, but you will have to decide if you want a complete axle/axle block kit like Ride Engineering’s  or just the blocks themselves like WC’s.

Muffler: To me, FMF makes the best muffler system for the KTM 450 SX-F. There are some other companies that have other bikes dialed in more, but on the KTM, FMF has got it down. You will get more low to mid RPM response as well as more mid range pulling power. Top end is increased plus the over-rev is as good as stock. It is one of the few times that I was impressed because it was actually better than stock in almost all areas. The downside is that you must keep up on muffler packing (every 10-12 engine hours) because the FMF will blow out and that could damage your expensive titanium can. Did I mention that you will lose almost two pounds with this system? If you slap on spring forks you will be gaining almost three pounds. You can get most of that back with a 4.1 Titanium FMF Muffler system.

If you have any questions about any of these settings or mods please contact me at kris@keeferinctesting.com and I am happy to help you.

My Favorite 2021 Yamaha YZ250F Maps

Here are two of my favorite maps that I have tried for the 2021 YZ250F. Both give a distinct different feel, but each offer something that I feel the YZ250F needs. Yes, you can also try these in your 2020 YZ250F as well.

Less engine braking.

More mid range and top end pulling power.

Randy Richardson's World Vet/2021 YZ250F Experience

#WhatTheHelen 

 It started with a text message. Steve Matthes sent a photo to Kris and me Sunday evening, November 1, of a freshly installed MICHELIN® StarCross® 5 Soft front tire along with the comment “World Vet prep”.  Ever being the jokester, my quick reply was; “When do I need to fly in?”From there, things escalated really quickly. Their plan, that I’d invited myself to be a part of, was to race the Saturday motos of the 36thAnnual Dubya USA World Vet MX Championships. The race is rich in history and continues to honor the late Tom White whose passion for motorcycles has inspired many. If you’re like me, hearing last year’s Medals Up episode of the PulpMX Show and the epic banter and laughter regarding the event was something I regretted missing out on in 2019 and I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of this year’s event. Thankfully I was able to move some meetings around allowing me to take vacation days from my job at Michelin and redeem some Delta Sky Miles to book my flights for would certainly be an unforgettable trip. 

Being as much a fan of E-MTB’s as #StravaSteve , I flew into Las Vegas early Thursday morning to enjoy a nice mid-day ride with the Intense Tazer elite athlete before loading up and heading off for the drive down to the Hi Dez. Friday morning, I felt like I was sitting in on an episode of “Coffee With The Keefers” as I was, you guessed it, having coffee with the Keefers. Steve and I arrived to Glen Helen Raceway for the Friday practice and unloaded our matching 2021 Yamaha machines. Steve’s an official #blUcrU Ambassador and would be riding his YZ450F that is set up for his weight and/or speed. I’d be riding a new Yamaha YZ250F thanks to Mike Ulrich of Yamaha Motor USA that thankfully I didn’t even have to install Michelin tires on as my buddy Matt Sirevaag had already taken care of that. Thanks Vaag! After going out in separate sessions for our first practice, I snuck out in Steve’s second practice session and dropped in behind him. After witnessing 4-Time’s smooth style and line selection first hand, I don’t know how that 5thManitoba title escaped him. Once finished, I leaned my bike against Steve’s Honda Ridgeline truck as my back had begun aching after only two practice sessions and placing it on the bike stand was not an option. I thought Steve would be OK with this parking technique made famous by his favorite rider’s son Beckett Ferry. Boy was wrong as he was not happy with me, which was only the first of many times during our time together.

We left the track then met Kris and Aden for lunch, where I told them about my lower back pain and limited range of motion. Kris quickly diagnosed this as Glen Helen Back as apparently GHB is a common condition due to the numerous square edges and braking bumps found throughout the famous hilly circuit. Needing numbers for my bike, Kris took us deep into the bowels of the Hi-Dez to a local shop called Mojave Motorsports in hopes of finding three packs of 2’s that I needed.  Though many motorcycle enthusiasts have shifted from brick & mortar dealerships to the larger click & order online retailers, I love visiting smaller family run Dealerships as they are the heart and soul of the power sports industry. Surprisingly enough, they had countless packs of 100% brand numbers available and I was able to purchase three packs for my number, 222.

After installing the numbers, I stuck pretty much every random sticker we could find onto the front fender in hopes of having the same style as DarksideMX’s signature graphics kit. The remainder of the day included visiting with all of the Keefer’s friends that dropped by unannounced, much to Steve’s annoyance. After Heather prepared us a home cooked dinner, which Kris put less effort into than I did parking the bike after practice, we sat around and listened to Kris tell us how a much needed rain was coming and how great the desert would be if we’d skip the race the next day. Though he made it sound appealing, I’d come to race and I went to bed early as my body clock was still on East Coast time. I quickly fell asleep hearing Kris in the living room still repeating his famous phrase “Desert Rats Assemble”!!!!!! We awoke to cool temps and overcast skies Saturday morning and my lower back was tighter than Jason Weigandt is with money. We piled into the Keefer Inc. Testing sprinter van and headed down I-15 and into the rain. We parked with the regular crew of Vaag, Janky Mike, Fireman Dave, and photographer Dallas Dunn who’d captured Steve and me riding in the perfect conditions during Friday’s practice. 

We unloaded the bikes and set up the canopies for shelter from the increasing rain. Ironically, Steve helped with the tents. As the rain began to fall harder, I overheard Kris talking with everyone in the sprinter about how we could just load back up and go ride the Hi-Dez where it hadn’t rained in over 150+ days. Once the conversation made its way to outside to me, I quickly vetoed that idea by reminding them that I had never raced at Glen Helen in over 54yrs and that I hadn’t flown across the country to go ride around burned couches, dishwashers, and abandoned cars in the desert. 

My first Moto was race 8 on the day and I think it was possibly the worst conditions possible. Having just finished race number 7, Janky and Vaag gave me some quick pointers as I selected my spot on the gate. Their key message was to take the inside line in the second turn prior to a steep uphill that lead to the highest point on the track. While Steve’s personal starts may not be his greatest strength, he is a former factory mechanic so his support on the starting line was greatly appreciated. He told me all the great tips he used to share with Timmy Ferry, who was known for his mid-pack starts, so I was excited when Mike Alessi walked up to us. Known for his holeshots and let’s just say creative technics, I asked Mike what number I should count to before dropping the clutch. With a blank stare back at me, I realized that either my sarcasm had eluded him or he didn’t find it funny. Thankfully Steve laughed as I hate wasted humor.  

When the gate dropped, I got a good jump and began clicking thru the gearbox of the Yamaha YZ250F and secured a pretty good start against the mostly 450cc bikes. Mid-way thru Glen Helen’s first turn “Talladega”, I pulled an outer tear-off from the EKS Brand Goggles they’d professionally prepared for me and headed down towards that second turn.  I tucked the bike into the inside line just like they’d suggested and any hopes of me becoming the 23rdStar Racing Yamaha racer in 2021 went away quickly as I also tucked the front end mid-corner falling into the muddy slop. Though I was still suffering from GHB, I was able to somehow pick the bike up and remount to begin climbing the steep hill in first gear. Despite rumors about how much I revved the YZ250F, I did NOT remain in first gear the entire race. During the remainder of the first lap I had a few close calls with other riders as I began working my way back towards the position I was in prior to my fall. I could hear the Keefer clan yelling for me as I ended the first lap and I headed back onto the start straight. Entering that second turn again, I decided to move out to the middle line as that inside line and I didn’t seem to get along very well.

Though I’m not sure where the San Andreas fault-line is located, I do know that gravity is much stronger in the second corner as another sudden gust of gravity pulled me to the ground a second time. I yelled “What the Helen?!?”.  Frustrated with myself, I remounted once again vowing to not fall in that corner the next lap. I guess you could say the third time around was an improvement as I did make it thru the corner that lap only to come together about a third of the way up the hill with a rider who I was passing. Laughing at the situation rather than crying, I picked my bike up again, downshifted into first gear and somehow was able to climb up the hill ahead of the guy whom I’m sure I roosted with mud the entire way up.  I’m sorry Sir. The track was very one-lined and I was mostly able to keep the bike in that one line, though sometimes drifting unpredictably similar to Musquin in a rhythm section. I was so proud of myself for not falling in that turn on the fourth lap that I gave the Glen Helen crowd, or at least my friends that were watching and laughing at me, a big fist pump as I cleared the top of that hill for the first time without issue. Having caught and passed many riders during the race, many of them multiple times due to my crashes, I finished the 50+ Intermediate first moto with a 3rd. Thankfully, the only thing that was more clear than my problems staying upright was the clear vision provided by the EKS Brand Goggles Zip-Off system that worked flawlessly throughout the moto.

I didn’t get as good of a jump in my second moto but my riding was much improved and I didn’t fall in that corner that’d been my nemesis during the first moto. Maybe the main reason was because immediately after my first moto, they’d blocked that corner with orange cones and re-routed the turn. You’re welcome everyone. One of the funny highlights of that second moto was me yelling “A-Ray” at a guy whose Akrapovic muffler was dangling down by the swingarm of his KTM450. I’d hoped that bringing attention to his misfortune would make passing him easier on the now even more one-lined track. Winning my class in the second moto was similar to when Lloyd rode the hog up to Harry in Dumb and Dumber as I’d totally redeemed myself! I was thankful that GHB was my only injury and I was proud of my 3-1 for 2nd overall results. 

We all headed out to watch Steve’s final moto of the day and though he’d gotten off the gate without incident in his first moto, I definitely didn’t want to miss any opportunity to witness something like his 2019 performance. Steve’s start issues couldn’t escape him as the rider to his right inadvertently hung a hard left just over the gate taking down 4-Time in the process. Knowing the incident would be talked about after the race, on Monday night’s PulpMX Show, and for years to come, I sure was glad I’d captured it all on video as it’d be proof for any differences of open as to who owned what percentage of the Blame Pie. Ok, let’s be honest, I was really happy that I had the video so I could create edits with the countless songs that immediately began popping into my child-like mind. We all watched Steve continue to push forward all the way to the end of the moto as the lyrics “I get knocked down, but I get up again”and “Stop! Drop!” ran thru my head. Fast forward to Monday night’s PulpMX Show. Ever the perfectionist that has resulted in his fan favorite platforms, Steve was NOT happy with my derailing of his show by airing some of the videos I’d created. In the studio, there was more tension than in the spokes of a brand new set of Dubya USA wheels. If you didn’t get a chance to watch PulpMX Show #444, please do as it’s a classic with Steve angrily removing his headphones similar to Kenny Watson prior to one of his many mid-show walkouts. I truly am sorry Steve and you’re welcome Pulp Nation.  

I simply can’t thank the Keefers and the Matthes’ enough for their hospitality and for making this fun trip possible for me. Your friendships are a blessing and if you’re ever in Piedmont, SC, you’re more than welcome to stop by my house anytime, even unannounced. 

2021 Honda CRF250R Baseline Settings/Top Five Mods

My son Aden and I have been riding/racing the 2020 Honda CRF250R for over a year now and since Honda left the 2021 Honda CRF250R unchanged, I decided to get you some notes on some baseline stock settings, as well as some mods that you can do to improve your CRF250R. Some of these settings/mods have evolved since last year as we learned more by going to a wider variety of tracks. 

Suspension: 

In stock form the Showa suspension on the 2020-2021 Honda CRF250R has decent comfort on de-cel bumps, but lacks a little hold up for riders ranging from 160-190 pounds. If you’re over 190 pounds going up a spring rate on each end is your ticket to a better handling CRF250R. After riding with this setting below at more than three different tracks, more than one time around, I figured out that this baseline suspension setting gave the 2020-2021 Honda CRF250R the most “track toughness”. If you happen to feel like the fork is harsher (through the mid stroke) with this setting, simply open up the rebound (faster) back to stock setting. This will help free up the fork slightly under front end load (off-gas). The shock needs just a little more hold up under acceleration so simply going stiffer/slower on low speed compression/rebound gives the rider more comfort and added traction out of corners. I tried experimenting with high speed compression, but the Honda is finicky with high speed. Going stiffer on high speed compression (shock) put too much weight on the front end (fork) creating a harsher feeling front fork.

Fork: 

Height: 3mm (Stock is 5mm)

Compression: 6-7 clicks out (Stock is 9 clicks out)

Rebound: 10 clicks out (Stock is 11 clicks out) 

Shock:

Sag: 102-103mm

High Speed Compression: 2-5/6

Low Speed Compression: 9 clicks out (11 clicks out is stock)

Rebound: 5 clicks out (6 clicks out is stock)

Chassis:

As of right now I prefer the stock engine mounts torqued to the OEM/manual settings. Some bikes react better to aftermarket engine mounts than others and as of right now I feel the best settings (for comfort) come from the stock engine mounts. Another way to get more compliance is to torque the swingarm pivot bolt to 52 ft.lbs. for increased flex/comfort under throttle, while leaning. If you feel like the rear end is planted and doesn't deflect under load on chop please leave it at the OEM/manual torque spec. If you feel like the Honda is standing up through mid corner simply go back up to 5mm on fork height with the above suspension specs to help mid corner lean.

Gearing: 

I went back and forth between the stock 13/48 gearing and 13/49, but ultimately decided on sticking with the 13/49 on softer tracks. Why? I felt the 13/49 gearing made second gear less usable, but helped me get into third gear quicker. If you’re riding a tight track and suffer from bad corner technique going to a 13/49 could benefit you more. Decide which tracks you ride the most and what type of rider you are in order to decide which way to go with your gearing. 

Steering Head Nut:

Do yourself a favor and tighten up the steering head nut a little on the 2020-2021 Honda CRF250R. The steering comes too loose from the factory and can cause some knifing in corners and can give you slight head shake on de-cel. Simply tightening the steering head nut a little makes the Honda’s front end feel more planted (less loose feeling) when performing corners/initial lean/turning the handlebars. This is a simple modification, but really helps the Honda’s ride attitude around the track. Sometimes it’s the simple/easy things in life that make a difference. Dirt bikes are no different. 

ECU Map Switch:

I like map three the best for most tracks around these parts and for more torque out of corners. Even though Honda improved their torque for 2020-2021, it still lacks some pulling power out of corners, compared to the Yamaha. Running the 2020 CRF250R in map three will benefit you the most in this situation. This is my preferred map, but map one is also very usable and can pull pull you farther in second/third gear. 

Clutch:  

Going to a Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack will give you better clutch lever feel as well as clutch life. The engagement of the lever ratio doesn't change, but it lets you put more of that horsepower to the rear wheel, without slipping, when hard on the throttle in soft dirt. This is simply a clutch pack and not the complete system. You use the stock OEM inner, outer, basket clutch pieces with this kit. 

Cooling:

I am not going to sit here and say that Honda fixed ALL of their cooling issues with the radiator change they made for 2020-2021. The Honda CRF250R still runs hot and will puke some radiator coolant out of the overflow when riding in the higher RPM’s during a long moto (20-30 minutes). Just keep an eye on your coolant level if you’re riding in hot an or deep sandy conditions. I had to add a little coolant to the radiator on longer, hotter days here in Southern California. Don’t be lazy and you’ll be fine. Oh and don’t sit there in the pits, talking to your buddies while your CRF250R idles. IT WILL PUKE OUT COOLANT! See below for a band aid fix. 

Another Inexpensive Way To Get Less Rigidity:

Renthal Fatbars come stock on all CRF’s and while we like the strength/bend of the new bar, I still feel like they are stiff on slap down landings/square edge. Going to a Pro Taper EVO handlebar will take away some rigidity as well as give you less vibration to your hands. The 4mm wall thickness of the Pro Taper EVO bar is something I have tested back to back against the Renthal Fatbar. Even if you painted both bars black and sent me on a blind test, I would come back within a lap and tell you which bar was which. It’s that noticeable. If you like the stock bar bend try the Pro Taper EVO SX Race bend as that is the closest bend to the stock 839 Honda Fatbar. 

Renthal 839 Fatbar    (L) 802 (H) 91 (R) 51 (S) 51 (mm)

Pro Taper SX Race    (L) 800 (H) 87 (R) 54 (S) 54 (mm)

Top Five Mods:

Clutch:

Going to a Rekluse Torque Drive Clutch Pack will give you better clutch lever feel as well as clutch life. The engagement of the lever ratio doesn’t change, but it lets you put more of that horsepower to the rear wheel, without slipping, when hard on the throttle in soft dirt. This is simply a clutch pack and not the complete system. You use the stock OEM inner, outer, basket clutch pieces with this kit. 

Steering Head Nut:

Do yourself a favor and tighten up the steering head nut a little on the 2020-2021 Honda CRF250R. The steering comes too loose from the factory and can cause some knifing in corners and can give you slight head shake on de-cel. Simply tightening the steering head nut a little makes the Honda’s front end feel more planted (less loose feeling) when performing corners/initial lean/turning the handlebars. This is a simple modification, but really helps the Honda’s ride attitude around the track. Sometimes it’s the simple/easy things in life that make a difference. Dirt bikes are no different. 

Chassis:

Just like I mentioned above, I think the stock engine mounts are the best for feel on the track, but you can drill a 5mm hole in the middle of the top engine mounts if you still feel like you need more chassis compliance on square edge choppy tracks. This is a “FREE” mod that does help! I have learned this with the 2020 Honda CRF450R and this can also apply to the CRF250R

Boyesen Supercooler Kits:

The Boyesen Supercooler flows more water than the stock water pump on the 2020-2021 Honda CRF250R. Boyesen has been working on water pumps since the 90’s and the switch to four-strokes has only made Boyesen’s effort more important. The Honda CRF250R runs very hot. The Boyesen Supercooler can reduce engine temperatures by as much as ten degrees, as confirmed by tests at Team Geico Honda. How does the Supercooler achieve this? Hydrodynamics. Boyesen’s investment-cast aluminum water pump cover has bigger water inlets, a sculpted design, no casting seams, less restrictive corners, a more efficient impeller and less cavitation. Stock water pumps aren’t very hydrodynamic. Their internal shape and impeller can create excessive amounts of air bubbles in the coolant. Air bubbles lessen not only coolant flow, but the amount of coolant per cubic gallon. Boyesen’s Nautilus-shaped cover and impeller increase pump capacity. Boyesen’s water inlet has an increasing diameter and curved shape. This is a big improvement over most stock inlets, which decrease in diameter as they near the impeller and have a 90-degree bend at the pump. Boyesen’s patented impeller design is 25 percent more efficient at moving water than the stock Honda CRF250R design. While I don’t get much overheating in Southern California dirt, I have experienced some of those problems in deeper east coast dirt. Installing this Boyesen product has relieved some of the heat stress on the Honda and has allowed me to go more than one moto without having to add coolant to the Honda’s radiator. 

Yoshimura/FMF Muffler Systems:

Either one of these systems will give an increase in mid range pulling power (compared to stock) as well as some added low end recovery. The FMF has more snap off the bottom than the Yoshimura system, but the Yosh system will give you a little more mid range meat. Compared to the stock system either one of these systems is an improvement to me. The FMF mufflers are considerably louder than the stock system and the Yosh mufflers have a deeper tone in comparison to the stockers. For the money that you will spend on mufflers just know that you will NOT be getting a drastic change in overall power character. Both of these systems alter the engine character some, but don’t expect it to be a mind blowing experience after bolting either one of these systems on. Some motorcycles react better to aftermarket muffler systems than others. 

** Aden (my son) preferred the FMF system on his race bike as he felt more excitement from the FMF system compared to the Yosh system. 

Optional More Expensive Way To Get More Pulling Power:

The Vortex ignition mapped by XPR Motorsports or Twisted Development will give you more low end grunt as well as a pulling power that will increase the length of each gear. The maps that Chad at XPR and Jamie at Twisted have created will allow the rider to lug a little more without the Honda falling off as easy (AKA, more recovery). The down side is that it will cost you around $800.00 to get this mod. However, the plus side to this mod is that it will give you more overall pulling power than an aftermarket muffler system. 

Race Tech Re-Valved Suspension: If you’re looking to get your suspension re-valved for your ability and weight, Race Tech has great settings for Honda CRF’s. Some of the best suspension that I have tried on any late model Honda has been Race Tech. The stock Showa suspension is very good, but for my 170 pound frame it can be a little soft. Getting the Honda re-sprung as well as adding Gold Valves to my fork/shock has dramatically improved how I can push around the track when it gets rough. This mod is not for everyone as some can simply get away with stock suspension, but for those that are competitive and want to push harder into corners, Race Tech can be a great option for you Showa bump sticks.

If you have any questions about this test or the Honda CRF250R please feel free to email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com

2021 Yamaha YZ450F Baseline Settings/Mods

The 2020 and 2021 Yamaha YZ450F’s are identical minus some different graphics, so this gave me a chance to experiment more with standard settings as well as other aftermarket mods for this machine. For a bike that may get some flak thrown its way in the professional motocross racing world, this Yamaha YZ450F machine has treated me exceptionally well this year in my racing endeavors. I have won a Loretta Lynn’s title as well as a Vet World Championship on the exact same machine and haven’t had a huge maintenance list to go through.

Is the Yamaha YZ450F the lightest bike? No. Does it corner the best? No. Does it have the best cockpit? No. To me, when I answer those questions with a “no”, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. I don’t want a twitchy machine that has tons of cornering strength anyway. When you have a bike that can corner excellent, chances are high that you will have some stability issues. The Yamaha is a great middle of the road machine that does everything good. Below are some key settings, as well as mods, that I have rolled over into my 2021 YZ450F. These can help you drop your lap times, give you more comfort on the track and make a good bike, GREAT! 

Suspension: If you’re sticking with stock valving the 2021 Yamaha YZ450F’s suspension settings are still slightly soft (once suspension is broke in) at times on bigger bumps at speed. Going slower on the action as well as stiffening the compression really helps the whole bike remain planted around the track. The comfort that the KYB SSS fork/suspension has is unmatched and the track toughness it provides makes your life so much less stressful on set up. This setting below will work for most riders ranging from 165-195 pounds with no gear. 

Fork: 

Height: 5mm

Compression: 6-7 clicks out

Rebound: 7-8 clicks out

Shock: 

Sag: 104mm

Low Speed Compression: 8 clicks out

High Speed Compression: 3/4 turns out

Rebound: 7-8 clicks out 

Engine/Power Tuner App: I have tried several maps on the YZ450F, but have always came back to the two below. The stock engine has a lot of bark (rpm response) from 0-10% throttle opening and for the tracks that we have out here (on the west coast) it’s too much at times. For you east coast riders try the “TP5” map as that should be enough bottom to mid range delivery to get you out of that soft soil, yet keep it manageable/linear to hold onto for a 20 minute moto (YES, I AM JEALOUS OF YOUR DIRT!). For all the rest of you, try the TP 3.0 map as that is the map that I use 80% of the time. The linear/easy to roll on throttle delivery along with the longer pulling power that this map has makes it a tractor around the track. This makes connection to the rear wheel much more apparent with this TP version. Yes, these maps will also work on your 2019 YZ450F, so give them a try.…  

Seat: If there is one problem area of the Yamaha it is the seat. The seat still breaks down quickly and can feel clapped out. This makes you feel like you're riding in the Yamaha and not on top. I would say go get a taller GYTR seat, but for some reason, they don’t have any at this time! Come on GYTR, get it together! Since the tall GYTR seat is scarce at the moment, I am sticking with a standard height/density GUTS foam which is actually a little firmer than the OEM foam. If you still can’t find the GYTR tall seat then go to gutsracing.com and get yourself a standard foam.

MX3S or Pirelli MX32 Mid-Soft Front Tire: Yamaha will not want to hear this, but I feel the Yamaha corners better with a Dunlop MX3S/Pirelli MX32 Mid-Soft front tire rather than the stock MX33. If you’re having trouble with initial lean into corners, get yourself a Dunlop MX3S or Pirelli MX32 Mid-Soft front and thank me later. 

Gearing: I tried a 13/50 gearing set up for all you novice riders, but it didn't work as good as the stock 13/49 set up. The stock gearing is just fine for 90% of tracks because the Yamaha’s engine has so much torque that it can pull third gear. Yes, even for you novice riders! Third gear is that “lugable” that you will not stall through corners, just make sure to cover the clutch lever. 

Triple Clamps/Offset: The Yamaha YZ450F doesn't need aftermarket triple clamps nor does it need an offset change. The rigidity balance that the stock clamp has is a blend of comfort and performance that is hard to find with aftermarket clamps. Still having a hard time in corners? Don’t purchase clamps, simply go to a 102mm shock sag setting or go to a fork height of 7mm. I suggest trying one or the other, not both at the same time. This keeps balance as well as keep the superb bump absorption of the chassis/clamps. Some other machines accept aftermarket clamps better than others, but this Yamaha has the most comfort/performance with the stock clamp. Don’t go backwards on your set up by purchasing parts you don’t need!

Muffler: I go back and forth between the Pro Circuit and FMF muffler systems if I am not running the stock muffler. Both systems are smoother off the bottom end and pull more in the mid range than the stocker. I like this because it can actually calm the chassis down a little on acceleration bumps. There is nothing wrong with the stock system, but if you MUST get an aftermarket system go with one of these two brands. 

Enzo Re-Valved Suspension: If there is anyone that knows KYB suspension it’s Ross from Enzo Racing. Ross has been doing my Yamaha bump sticks for years and even though I can be a pain in the ass, the guys at Enzo always seem to find a setting that makes me happy. What exactly did I want to improve upon from the stock stuff? I loved that the stock suspension had tons of comfort in the small bump category, but I needed a little more hold up from the stock suspension when pushing it harder over bigger braking bumps. The fork has a tendency to dive a little when off throttle and that can upset the shock leading into area one of the corner. The Enzo guys improved upon the fork by adding more hold up with the valving, but not going so stiff that the Yamaha gave me deflection on braking bumps. Enzo also incorporated their spring tubes. When I tested back to back with the Enzo spring tubes as well as the stock spring tubes the Enzo setting gave me a little firmer feel through the mid stroke and allowed the bike to be more balanced off throttle (less diving). My fork is still relatively soft in terms of a setting, but it makes for more front end feel through corners and that is key for me because I am a front end steering rider. The shock was also firmed up so that the rear of the YZ450F didn’t squat too much under acceleration. An Enzo high speed adjuster was installed on the shock and that can be felt under heavy loads such as g-outs and jump faces. The Enzo adjuster is slightly different internally (the Enzo guys can explain it better to you then I can) than the stock adjuster, but on the track the rear of the bike tracked straighter under acceleration as well as kept a firmer feel to the end stroke. I kept the stock spring rate in tact on both ends of the bike, but only beefed up the valving in order to achieve a well balanced YZ450 on or off throttle.  

Vortex ECU: I haven’t been that vocal about this mod because it’s so hard to justify spending $800 bucks on an ignition when the Yamaha ECU/Power Tuner app is so good. However after working on a ton of settings on the standard ECU, I decided to try the Vortex to see if I could make the power broader with it versus the stock piece. I have worked on settings with Chad from XPR  and I can say that we have spent many days with at the track trying to make the Yamaha not spool up so quick (light crank feel). You might be asking yourself, “what the hell is spool up”? The Yamaha has a quick revving light crank feel and sometimes that feeling can cause lack of rear end traction when exiting corners. Now this is great when traction is high and the dirt is deep, but once the track gets rough, this Yamaha can be too much to handle compared to a KTM or Husqvarna. Adjusting the ECU via Power Tuner App helps a little, but for safety reasons Yamaha only allows certain parameters, but the Vortex ECU has a wider range of adjustment. Adding the Vortex ECU helps lessen engine braking and also gives the Yamaha a longer power character. Now usually when you get less engine braking in any particular engine character you might feel a more free feeling engine, but with the mapping that Chad created, it makes the power more controllable with less pitching off throttle. The maps that we came up with help rear wheel traction out of corners, allows the rider to ride in third gear even easier, yet allows me to use second gear longer out of corners. Once I got a map (with the Vortex) that wasn’t too powerful, I have noticed an improvement in chassis feel when the track gets rough. The YZ450F can be pushed harder through bumpy conditions now that the delivery of the Yamaha is much broader with less engine braking. I used XPR’s mapping in the Vortex ECU at Loretta Lynn’s and World Vets as I felt more connection to the rear wheel with Chad’s map at the end of the day. I would recommend anyone looking to get more connection as well as more power to get with Chad and ask for the Keefer National & World champion map.

Which Bike Is Best For You? 2021 KTM 450 SX-F Vs. Husqvarna FC450

The average shootout format seems to be an outdated model to me. Don’t get me wrong, I like doing shootouts, as well as viewing their rankings after all is said and done, but is it really telling you, the potential consumer, what you want to know or is it more of a scene on the side of the freeway that you just have to look at? I have done shootouts for 20 plus years and although fun and interesting to do, I just don’t know if it’s something that gives buyers the most information in these ever changing times. Just because a certain bike wins a shootout doesn’t mean it’s the best bike FOR YOU! I get countless emails about which bike is right for me and most of them say that they watch every shootout video, but they still can’t decide. So if you are one of these potential consumers that still can’t make up his or her mind, then this article can help you hone in on why a certain bike could be right for you. As a production test rider for several manufacturers over the years, I am wired to think about all different types of riders when I evaluate a certain machine. In this article I will try to break down each machine, which one does certain things on the track better than the other and hopefully give you more purchasing knowledge on which way you’re directing your hard earned money. We will be doing these types of matchups with other machines down the road, but we hope this gives you a more clear cut path on if one of these two machines are right for you. 

Why KTM Vs. Husqvarna: I picked these two because let’s face it, most of you out there think these two machines are the same, however when I ride these bikes back to back they don’t feel that similar. The Husqvarna is lower to the ground compared to the KTM (10mm lower) so handling feels different. The engine character varies because of the subframe/airbox differences and the suspension setting/bump absorption doesn’t feel the same due to, you guessed it, swingarm and valving differences. Each have specific traits about them that are better than the other and we are here to break those down for you. Even if we do break all of the nuts and bolts down to you, it’s up to you to know what type of rider you are. Are you a front end steering rider? Do you like an exciting or smooth engine character? How often do you ride? Do you just ride or do you race occasionally? These are the questions you should be asking yourself before you spend 10K on a new dirt bike. 

What Is It Like To Ride A 2021 KTM 450 SX-F?

Engine Feel: The KTM has more roll on low end power and throttle response than the FC450. The KTM does feel lighter in tighter areas of the track, but feels similar to the FC450 through the mid range. However, top end doesn’t pull quite as far as the Husqvarna nor does the KTM feel like it revs out as far as the FC (in map one or two). Engine vibration is more noticeable with the KTM, but to me the KTM’s ECU feel just has more crispness and a cleaner feel throughout the RPM range. If you’re looking for massive amounts of torque feel on the track, you’re looking at the wrong color, but if you want an easy to ride 450 that you can actually manage, this orange bike is best in class in that category. 

Chassis: If you're a current KTM owner you know that it takes more time to break in the 2021 steel frame compared to a Japanese aluminum framed motorcycle. I only around 10 hours on this chassis, but it literally took me almost 7 hours to feel completely broke in. The Husqvarna feels more forgiving sooner than the KTM frame. The KTM turns better in area 2 of the corner compared to the FC, but the Husqvarna does have a little better side to side movement than the orange bike does due to the lower feel of the white bike. Straight line stability on the KTM is not the best of the 450 bunch, but not the worst neither. You can drop the WP XACT fork down to the first line (2.5mm up) like I did to help straight line stability. 

Suspension: WP has changed their settings for both manufacturers in 2021 as the two brands each has proprietary settings. The KTM has a firmer feel that I prefer because when I start pushing the orange machine it simply has less movement for my liking. Going up to an 11 bar reading on the AER fork as well as a slightly slower rebound setting really helps calm the front end down coming into corners and lets front end steering riders enjoy their technique more around the track. The rear end is not as finicky to set up as the front so going to a 104-105mm of sag along with a slightly stiffer low speed compression setting on the shock will be something that riders 170 pounds and over will appreciate. If you’re over 200 pounds, going to a heavier shock spring will help balance under acceleration. 

What Is It Like To Ride A 2021 Husqvarna FC450?

Engine Feel: The Husqvarna FC450 has a smoother roll on power than the KTM and less low end excitement. The airbox as well as the muffler is a little different on FC and to me these two parts are the reason for a more connected/smoother corner exit feel. Mid range however the FC450 starts to show you why it’s one of the most seamless power deliveries in the 450 game. The Husqvarna has a wide mid range that allows longer second and third gear shift points, that the KTM doesn’t quite have. Top end/over-rev also pulls slightly longer than the KTM spread and vibration of the engine is not as apparent. It might build RPM’s too slowly for some 450 sized riders, but lighter riders will appreciate the engine character. The ECU setting although better for 2021, just feels different than the KTM. It still has a slightly rich feeling overall and maybe with the new “ECU Tool” that KTM/Husqvarna will be coming out with, can help some of the Husqvarna’s low end laziness. 

Chassis: Having the lowered 10mm suspension setting is noticeable the moment you hit your first corner. The Husqvarna feels lighter in area 1 of the corner, but needs more engine excitement for area 2 (when getting on throttle). Area 3 of the corner however, the rear end of the FC450 feels more planted than the KTM. I get more rear wheel traction out of corners as the overall feel of the Husqvarna does feel lower to the ground under throttle. Straight line stability is better on throttle with the Husqvarna, but to me, off throttle, the KTM holds up better, which allows me to charge into corners harder. 

Suspension: Husqvarna/WP will tell you that they set up their 2021 suspension settings for the average consumer that wants comfort out of their motocross machine. They succeeded in getting less mid stroke harshness (de-cel) out of the AER fork, but to me the setting is still too soft. I also understand that I am not the target consumer Husqvarna is trying to market this bike to, so I took this into consideration. The action of the fork is smoother feeling than last year’s fork setting, moves less in the stroke, but gives the rider a considerable amount of front end traction (for an air fork) on braking bumps. This new lower 10mm AER fork will feel low if you’re a heavier or aggressive type of rider, so going up to10.9 bar would be in your best interest. Slowing the rebound down a couple clicks on the fork will also slow the action down a little even more and keep it from diving too much on jump faces and g-outs. Also don't forget to bleed your AER fork before every ride. Yes, it has bleed holes. I noticed the Husqvarna is more temperamental to this. 

The WP rear shock still likes a sag of 105mm, but the overall feel of the shock is slightly empty feeling (soft) at the end of the stroke. If you’re slamming into steeper jump faces or g-outs you will bottom out and see rubber marks under the rear fender fairly quickly. If you’re experiencing a lot of this, stiffening your high speed compression a quarter turn and turning in your low speed compression a couple clicks will help the shock’s end stroke feel. What the 2021 rear shock does do better than the 2020 is offer more rear wheel traction on acceleration bumps. The rear wheel drives through square edge chop better and doesn't give the rider a sticky feel like the 2020 shock did. The lowered Husqvarna setting to me benefits lighter or shorter riders much better than the KTM.   

Which Bike Is Right For Which Type Of Rider? 

Even though both of these bikes are great machines we put our thinking caps on and thought of a few different types of riders. Below is a list of a few labeled riders, so if you think you can relate to one of these riders below, picking the correct color should be made easier for you. However, if you still can’t make a decision after viewing these, my door is always open at kris@keeferinctesting.com. Maybe I can help you further. 

Vet Rider (Less than 200 pounds): Husqvarna FC450

 Vet Rider (More than 200 pounds): KTM 450 SX-F

 Aggressive Light Rider (under 170 pounds): Husqvarna FC450 

Lugging/Lazy/Smooth Type Of Rider(Gear High): KTM 450 SX-F

 Ergonomics For The 6’0 And Under Rider: Husqvarna FC450

 Ergonomics For The 6’0 And Over Rider: KTM 450 SX-F

 Front End Steering Rider: KTM 450 SX-F

 Rear End Steering Rider: Husqvarna FC450

 West Coast MX Rider (Less Loamy Dirt/Square Edge): Husqvarna FC450

 East Coast MX Rider (Loamy/Soft Dirt/Bigger Bumps): KTM 450 SX-F

 Off-Road/GP Rider: Tie/Husqvarna FC450/KTM 450 SX-F

Who Wins The Durability Test? I have ridden both of these machines a lot and will say that both of these machines have been great, but to me KTM has a less chance of breaking. I have broken one sub-frame on a Husqvarna FC450, but past that, I haven’t had any problems with the FC. Both machines require you to check engine mount bolts as well as sprocket bolts so get your blue Loctite ready!  The life on the clutch of the KTM is unbelievable as I can get up to 30 hours on a clutch (and I am hard on clutches). Replacing the fuel filter every 10-15 hours or so, in both machines, will prevent any problems down the road with your fuel pump. Rear brake pedal springs absolutely suck on both machines so get yourself a Honda CRF450R rear brake pedal spring and thank me later.   

Who Wins The MSRP/Contingency Battle? The KTM contingency is better than Husqvarna’s at most races in 2021. So if making some money for parts is your think when you race, go the orange brigade route. 

 Who’s Best In Which Category? 

If you’re really dissecting on which part of the motorcycle is most important for you when riding, below is a ranking on who is better (albeit it could only be slightly better) in over 30 categories! Again, there is no winner or loser in this test, but it’s about which bike is best for you!

 ENGINE:

 Low End Power: KTM

 Mid Range Power: FC/KTM

 Top End Power: FC

 Over-Rev: FC

 Roll On Acceleration (Control): FC

 Throttle Response: KTM

 FI Setting: KTM

HANDLING:

 Straight Line Stability: FC

 Turning/Cornering: KTM

 Steer Effort (Low Speed): FC

 Steer Effort (High Speed): FC

 Maneuverability: KTM

 Weight Feeling: KTM

 C.G. Feeling: FC

 Weight Bias: KTM

FORK:

 Comfort: KTM

 Performance: KTM

 Bottoming Resistance: KTM

SHOCK:

 Comfort: KTM

 Performance: KTM

 Bottoming Resistance: KTM

BRAKES:

 Front Brake Power: KTM

 Front Brake Feel: KTM

 Rear Brake Power: KTM/FC Tie

 Rear Brake Feel: KTM/FC Tie

RIDING COMFORT:

 Machine Size: KTM has a roomier rider triangle and feels slightly narrower feeling

 Handlebar Feel: FC has Pro Taper, much better bar. 

 Grips: FC/KTM 

 Seat Position/Height: FC/KTM

 Seat Shape: FC/KTM

 Seat Stiffness: FC

 Leg Room: KTM

 Vibration: FC has less vibration feel

 Engine Noise: FC is quieter 

2021 Honda CRF450R Initial Baseline Settings/Mods

I have come to find out that Honda didn’t allocate enough 2021 Honda CRF450R’s to dealerships, so if you’re lucky enough to be able to get your hands on one, you may be looking for a couple fixes and a baseline settings for your new red ride! Have no fear as I have been spending some quality time on the 2021 Honda CRF450R and have come up with a couple fixes as well as a setting that may work for a broad range of riders. Below are a couple mods that you can do for a relatively low cost and get a dramatic change in the way your 2021 CRF450R rides. 

ECU Setting: 

Honda doesn’t exactly want you to change their ECU settings, but in the 2021’s case, we have no choice but to try and get some better maps as the standard 1&2 maps are very rich/dirty feeling on low RPM situations. Honda doesn’t “really” have an ECU tool for the consumer to make custom maps, so we have to leave it up to only a chosen few techs that have the Honda’s programmer. Even when a tech has a Honda programmer, map 1 is locked, so only map 2 and 3 are available to change. I have talked to a few 21’ CRF450R owners that DO NOT feel the rich/dirty feeling, but if you find it bothersome, I have tested some new maps with Jamie from Twisted Development that will help. You can send your stock ECU into Twisted Development for a re-flash that will change your map 2 & 3 settings. With the Twisted re-flash, map 2 now has better pulling power than the standard map two, but still feels long and linear like map 1. Connection is better to the rear wheel now that map two is cleaned up so slow RPM cornering is much cleaner. Acceleration out of corners provides more forward rear wheel bite and helps second gear roll on delivery. The Twisted #3 map has more bottom end snap and pulls harder out of corners, which is great for softer conditions. This map is great for you eat coast soft/loamy riders, but still fairly manageable when the track gets rough. With the Twisted re-flash the 3rd map gives you more bottom mid range with a little less over-rev, so this map is a great third gear roll on map for lazier riders. The Twisted re-flash will set you back $200.00 and is well worth the money considering how bad the standard mapping is on the 2021 Honda CRF450R.  www.td-racing.com or 951-698-7222

Optional Suspension Setting: 

The stock suspension might be too soft for you if you’re anywhere over 180 pounds. Honda has a 5.0 N/m fork spring that is adequate for most, but the valving seems too soft. Out back the 54 N/m shock spring is also way too soft, so if you’re looking for a quick band aid to make your Honda CRF450R better, without going to a re-valve, going a spring rate up on each end has helped me feel more secure on high speed tracks, as well as soft bumpy tracks. Bringing both ends up a little in the stroke (with the heavier spring rates) has given me more front/rear wheel traction as well a Honda that corners better without over-steering. Unlike the 2020 Honda CRF450R going up a spring rate on the 2021 version has given the new red bike more track toughness. If you’re not into spending more money on a re-valve at this time, simply get some heavier springs and try this setting: 

Fork: 

Spring Rate: 5.1 N/m

Height: 2mm

Comp: 11-12 out

Rebound: 11 out

Shock:

Spring Rate: 56 N/m 

L/S Comp: 12 clicks out

H/S Comp: 2 3/4 clicks out

Rebound: 10 clicks out

Sag: 106mm

Test Muffler Shown. Not production model.

FMF 4.1 Muffler System: 

Putting an aftermarket muffler system on isn’t necessarily about more horsepower, but about changing the character of the engine in a way that the Honda needs. I went out and tested three different versions of what FMF is about to offer the consumer and the one I chose looks to be the one that will go into production. So what does the 4.1 system do? What I liked about the 4.1 system right off the bat is that it calmed down the vibration feel that I get on the Honda. For whatever reason bolting on the 4.1 helped the harmonic vibration that I get when hitting higher RPM’s from the stock muffler. This actually gave the Honda more comfort, because it felt less rigid! The 4.1 also made the engine character broader with better low end RPM response, but with a smoother roll on. Mid range is increased as well as slightly more top end/over-rev in 2nd/3rd gears. After going through three different versions of pre-production FMF systems and several headpipe/muffler combinations I was pleased with what we left the track with. I was so pleased that I kept my favorite FMF combination on my test machine. 

2021 Kawasaki KX450 Baseline Settings

Engine Feel: Just in case you were trying to decide on if the 2021 KX450 is better than the 2020, even though not much has changed, there is actually a little difference because of the new clutch. The 2020 comes on quicker with a lighter, more free-revving feel and has less engine braking, but the 2021 has more connection to the rear wheel, more control under throttle and has a little more engine braking, which for me is a good thing. I am usually not a guy who likes to de-tune a stock 450cc motocross bike, but the 2020 Kawasaki simply is too crisp from 0-5% throttle opening on slicker/hard pack tracks. The 2021 KX450 comes on a little smoother down low and feels like the new clutch helps with rear wheel traction.  

The mid range has a nice amount of meat and the smoother pulling power of the top end/over-rev is noticeable on longer straights or up hills. I didn’t lose mid to top end pulling power with the black coupler (compared to the stock green one) and I could ride the KX450 more aggressively through corners with the updated clutch. This is an impressive power plant!

Weight Feeing (Chassis): I am able to lay the KX450 down with ease and cut down under a blown out rut almost as easy as a KTM/Husqvarna. I do get a little twitch on de-cel (which can be fixed with a fork spring change), but it wasn't a horrible or un-easy feeling. Straight line stability is still the same straight and arrow Kawasaki feel that you expect, but with added traction. The frame absorption is the best attribute of this machine and other manufacturers should take notice of how well this KX450 feels when the track goes to crap. The whole bike feels friendlier than any other 2021 machine on square edge and the only other one that comes close in comfort is the Yamaha YZ450F.   

Suspension Comfort: The 2021 Kawasaki is so much more balanced than previous generation KX450’s and I was able to set the front end down where I wanted to without feeling like the front end was going to snap my wrists. The fork has tons of comfort, but is also too soft/low on de-cel for my liking. At tracks with hills or sizable jumps, the fork was too low in the stroke and bottomed too many times. Going stiffer on the compression only hurt de-cel bump comfort, so I settled on going slower on the rebound, which helped some. The shock is soft as well on slap down landings, but going eight clicks (two full turns) in helped keep the rear end up and thus helps wallow feeling. This setting will get you by on most tracks, but do yourself a favor and read the recommended suspension settings below for optimal balance of the KX450. The recommended settings below will help with hold up and ride comfort.

Cornering/Chassis: The 2021 KX450 is a more “neutral” cornering machine than in previous years. I am able to get more rear wheel bite than last year, but I am still able to turn on the front end fairly well. I had a rear end steering tester with me when we did the intro and he mentioned how well it backed into corners still. I thought front end bite from area 2-3 of corners was still acceptable, but got even better with a heavier fork spring. I say “area 2-3” because the KX450 still does have a slight vague feel on entrance of corners, so increasing spring rate prevents the front end from diving, which in turn prevents your front tire from pushing on entrance. 

Rider Triangle: The footpeg to seat to handlebar ratio is great! The seat is flat, which puts me more on top of the machine and the Renthal 839 Fatbar makes the bike feel very friendly for a wide range of riders. 

Brakes: Do yourself a favor and get a 2021 KX250 rear disc and hanger. The 250mm disc is too grabby and really screws up my corners/braking points. The rear end will slide when I don't expect it and this causes my corners to be herky/jerky. Go back to the 240mm disc on the 21 KX250 and live life happier. 

2021 KX450 Suspension Settings:

After almost 20 hours on the 21 KX450 these are the best settings for a wide range of riders. This setting is based around comfort and will give the rider the most confidence. Use this set up until you get a re-valve. Once you re-valve, use recommended suspension tuners spec.

Fork: 

Spring Rate .51 N/m Spring (.50 N/m is stock) *If B level rider and over 200 pounds .52 N/m springs are also a great option*

Oil Level: Standard

Compression:11-12 clicks out

Rebound Range: 10-11 clicks out

Fork Height: 2-3 mm

 Shock:

Spring Rate: .54 N/m (190 pounds or over, try .56 N/m)

Low Speed Compression: 16 clicks out

High Speed Compression: 1 1/8 turns out

Rebound: 10-11 out

Coupler/ECU Setting:

The engine on the 2021 KX450 in stock is smooth off the bottom and easy to ride, but does have a little dip from mid to top, so I created this map to help fill that dip in and make it pull slightly longer. You will notice even more of a linear (more control at low RPM) pull down low without any jerky feeling through corners. With this map installed it helped settle the chassis down through long ruts and improved overall traction feel. In the testing world we call this "cornering stability". With this map installed it helped the 2021 KX450's cornering stability, especially on intermediate terrain. You will need to use the white coupler and use the Kawasaki FI Calibration Tool to create this map. 

Aftermarket Mufflers: I have tried a lot of mufflers with the KX450 and to me the FMF and PC have the most noticeable change to the engine character of the KX450. As ugly as the stock muffler is, it’s a very good muffler for a broad range of power delivery. However, when you go to a FMF muffler, do yourself a favor and look at this article on how to make it rubber mounted. https://www.keeferinctesting.com/offroad-testing/2020/10/8/how-to-save-your-subframe-on-your-2019-2021-kawasaki-kx450. 

We have broken a subframe tab because the FMF is a solid mount system, not rubber mounted. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the subframe tab will not break if it’s rubber mounted as we have broken the tab on the subframe with the stock muffler as well (which is rubber mounted).

This guy knows a thing or two about muffler brackets.

On My Own Dime (2021 Honda CRF450R)

I met Dallas Dunn through the hi dez as we sometimes met up at the same places to ride from time to time. As I got to know him more, I could tell he was a quiet, hard working guy, that just loved to ride anything two wheels. Dallas is an accomplished BMX rider as well as one of the best photographers I have come across in my time. When I started this OMOD thing, I wanted some of my core test riders as well as free lance guys to write some raw evaluations, for you the consumer. When Dallas told me he purchased a new 2021 Honda CRF450R, I thought this would be a perfect article for Keefer Inc. Testing. Dallas works his balls off, is a single dad and purchased a $12,000 motorcycle because he loves to ride. How many of us can relate to that?! I would say A LOT of us could. Without further adieu, here’s Dallas and what he thought about his purchase. -KK

Let me start out by saying I’m by no means a great test rider, I think I am getting better at feeling the motorcycle, but this isn’t what I do all the time. I’m a 34-year-old and a full time heavy equipment operator that just loves to ride dirt bikes in my spare time. Thankfully Kris has taken me under his wing and gave me the opportunity to be a part of Keefer Inc. My main roll here is lurking around in the background with a camera in my hands shooting photos, but I want to challenge myself to learn other things to help out as well, so that’s why we are here giving you my “On My Own Dime” article.

The New 2021 Honda CRF450R has been one of the last bikes to get released and hit the showroom floor. I have been riding Suzuki’s for the last couple years, but when I laid my eyes on the new Honda CRF450R, I was instantly sold. Honda is known for its quality motorcycles with great durability so this red one is the one I really wanted. Since selling my RMZ450 in July, I’ve been waiting for this beauty to hit the dealers and I almost pulled the trigger on the 2021 Kawasaki KX450F, which is also a great bike, but my heart was set on the CRF450R machine. I’m stoked I didn’t settle. September 16th Honda had their Intro at Glen Helen Raceway, but unfortunately I was not ale to make it down with Kris that day because I was on shift at work.

After hearing about the first rides on the bike and some of the negative reviews on the ECU mapping, I was a little discouraged. I thought the bikes would get delayed longer… I almost went down to the local dealer and picked up and the 2021 KX450, but I would call Kris to chat it up and he would just say, “just CHILL DOWN and wait”. Not much time went by and they showed up at a local Southern California dealer. They had a few extras that were not spoken for, so I left work early and hauled ass down to the dealer and plopped down 12K on a new Honda! Yeah, 12K. More on that later…

After about three months off the bike I was back in business the following Tuesday. I loaded up my fresh new CRF, met up with Kris and Aden down at State Fair MX to break her in for its maiden voyage. So far, the bike hasn’t had the best reviews, but I was still stoked on it. I really wanted to compare what I felt to the amazing test riders that really are just splitting hairs. 

My first time out on the track just to break it in my first impression was WOW this thing is bad ass. I had a grin from ear to ear under my helmet! Coming off a 20 RMZ 450 that had a few mods, this new Honda already feels better than what I was used to riding. I did 2x15 min mid throttle motos with cool down periods for break in and was ready to give it a real test. 

CHASSIS/SUSPENSION 

I’ve always liked the rider triangle and ergonomics on Hondas, so I already felt right at home and after coming off the RMZ, this bike was confidence inspiring for me. The bike tracked straight and felt compliant over the small bumps that we have on the west coast. State Fair MX is a smaller track, so I don’t feel I have any issues with stability. I’m 170 pounds so as of right now the stock suspension fell adequate enough for my Vet B rider ass. I feel like I can go a little stiffer on the fork, but I just left it alone for the day. My Technique is a little off from not riding for a few months, but cornering this bike was next level. Honda’s new thing is “Razor Sharp Cornering” and I noticed it did have a Suzuki feel when entering corners. I also liked that it tracked straight on the exit of the corner over acceleration bumps. When I went to a faster track the following day I dripped the forks down to 3mm and that helped increase stability without hurting the cornering character I liked so much. 

ENGINE:

Compared to the 2020 CRF this new 2021 bike has a lot more roll on power that doesn’t just explode out from underneath you. This 2021 power plant is much more manageable. At times I was wondering if I was in 2nd or 3rd gear because even 3rd gear had great low end power and I could lug the bike around if I wanted to. I rode in map 1 and I could feel the (dirty/gargle) rich feeling down low so I rode in MAP 3 most of the time during the couple days I tested/rode. This Honda is very easy to ride and roll on throttle almost felt like a KTM. I want to have the ECU re-flashed by Chad at XPR, or Jamie at Twisted to see how much better this red machine gets. I’m excited to see how the re-flash improves the throttle character. I really like the overall feel and performance of the new hydraulic clutch and the lever pull is so much better than previous years. Shifting and modulating the power in the turns with the hydraulic clutch feels much better to me than when I had my cable pull clutch on the yellow bike.

Am I Happy That I Spent 12K?:

No, but if I was going to spend 12K on a bike, this bike sure does make me forget how much it was when I ride it! That’s how much fun I am having on this machine compared to my Suzuki. This new bike has got me moteted to eat better, train more and improve myself. So I guess you can say that 12 grand is also giving me a better quality of life as well. My mental health is much better as well as getting to hang out with my friends and ride, instead of working on my bikes is a welcomed site! -Dallas Dunn