Vital MX

Aldon Baker is the number-one name in motocross training. He changed the game with Ricky Carmichael and never looked back. Obviously, he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to fitness, nutrition, gym work, bike work, cardio, and every other physical piece of the training puzzle. But we sometimes forget that the squishy, grey mass between our ears is what is controlling us and controlling the bike. With the bikes being so good, and nutrition and fitness being at such a high level, where does the mental factor fit in this puzzle? Confidence, ego, pressure, fear, anger, aggression, calm, focus… The mind is a roiling torrent of thoughts and feelings and every racer has to deal with negative, and positive emotions, to get the most out of all the hard physical work that they put into their program. Aldon talks about how each rider is different, but ultimately it is a balance of confidence, respect, fun, and hard work. 

Triple clamps are one of those big-ticket items for motocross bikes that can really change the way a machine handles. Stock triple clamps on modern motocross bikes are pretty good and are way better than they have been in the past. Yet, with most parts, OEMs have to make some compromises for cost and ease of manufacturing. Aftermarket triple clamps can be lighter, stronger, flexier, and have different offsets to change the turning characteristics of the bike. To dig into the science behind triple clamps, we met up with Billy Wight of Luxon MX, a newer player in the triple clamp space. We talk about materials, manufacturing, testing, and more. Enjoy. 

In the moto world, people were happy with coiled metal in their bike’s fork. Then came the air fork and on paper, everything sounded great! Way lighter, change ‘spring’ rates at the track, tons of adjustability, better handling… The list went on and on. In reality, things weren’t so awesome. Most riders weren’t a huge fan of the ride feel, but the real sticky booger was that the setup and pre-ride requirements were not only confusing but just a pain in the butt! After a few years, motocross bikes returned to coil springs, that is except for the moto bikes coming from Austria. WP was the lone hold out of the air fork and that is what you will find today on all KTM, Husqvarna, and GASGAS’ motocross bikes. With a much simpler design, and continued development and refinement, these are the pinnacle of air fork technology. But there are plenty of riders out there who just have a bad taste in their mouth about air forks. We grab Leigh Crawford of WP USA to talk all about air forks: How they work, the pros and cons, how to adjust them, when they work best, how they are different than other brands’ air forks, and much more. So grab your fork pump and inflate your brain with some air fork knowledge!

We are obsessed with making our motocross machines faster, yet today we want to talk about slowing down. Motocross brakes are simple on one hand, but with all the different parts and pieces, are nearly infinitely complicated on the other. Factor in the rider preference (which varies a surprising about from rider to rider) and you have a dynamic, multi-faceted system with no one correct solution. We talk with Sando Milesi, CEO of Galfer USA, about all the ways you can increase the performance, personalization,  and durability of your dirt bike's braking systems. 

It has been 13 years since the launch of the Leatt Neck Brace, the first motocross neck brace on the market. Over the years there seems to have been peaks and valleys in acceptance and usage. We recently got to talking with some of our testers and riding buddies about neck braces in general and it seemed like a lot of them were in the same boat... That is, they tried an early version years ago and weren't immediately comfortable, so they never tried it again. Or, they heard a pro rider or prominent trainer say they don't believe in them, so they don't either. Personally I'm in the first group... someone that tried one the early braces, found it somewhat bulky, heavy, intrusive and never gave it another try, even though today they are much lighter, sleeker, and more comfortable and customizable. We sat down with Chris Leatt, the founder and inventor of the Leatt Brace to rehash the neck brace conversation. Listen as he explains the scientific and medical data behind a neck brace and motocross protection in general. 

Oscar has worked with a ton of championship-caliber riders both here and abroad. That list includes guys like James Stewart, Chad Reed and Ken Roczen, and he's currently the crew chief for Adam Cianciarulo over at Monster Energy Kawasaki.

Be honest, is your chain squeaking? Is it loud and rattling like pennies in a tin can? Is it flapping and flopping into your swingarm like its desperately trying to get your attention? Hopefully not, because not only is this unsafe, it is not the optimal operating conditions for your dirt bike. We grab Clayton Solise of D.I.D Chains (not "Did" but Dee Eye Dee) to give us a detailed look at the drive train of your bike. Believe it or not, pro teams do test different chains often to find the best characteristics for what they are trying to achieve. Obviously, most of the time it is more power and a faster dirt bike, which leads them to non-sealed chains. But, surprisingly, there are some factory supercross and motocross teams that run sealed, also known as O-ring or X-ring, chains. Plus, we talk about cleaning and lubing. No! Back away from the pressure washer, slowly and calmly. There are better, safer, and more durability-enhancing ways of cleaning and lubricating your chain. Cheers!

While we’re waiting for the racing season to resume, we caught up with Forrest Butler, the owner of the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KTM/WPS team. He had a lot to say about being on hold...and the possible way back to action.

We pull in the left lever and don't give it another thought. But what exactly is a clutch? How does it work? What are all the parts? What are the pros and cons of switching out the OEM parts for other options? What oil is best? Hydraulic or cable? Should you mess with your actuator arm? So many questions and just one podcast to answer them. In this Tech Edition of the Inside Line Podcast, we talk with Austin Paden from Rekluse all about clutches. Other than knowing about his brand's products, Austin also has deep knowledge about every single aspect of dirt bike clutch performance from stock to exotic. Sure, you could just stick with stock clutch packs and forget about it, but if you have any engine mods on your bike whatsoever, all that power has to go through the clutch and you might want to figure out the best way to get all the ponies you already paid for. 

We got a chance to chat with Dave, who has been up to his elbows in the Supercross series for the last two decades about what we can hope for in the remaining seven rounds of the 2020 season. He's seen just about every possible scenario, but the Coronavirus obviously threw everyone a curve. While this is shorter than usual, there’s some interesting info in here, both about how abruptly the season ended, and what we can look forward to in the future.

When it comes to rider safety, one of the things that we’ve enjoyed are the recent advances in helmet design, technology, and construction. 6D’s intro to the market was well-timed, with the introduction of their Omni-Directional Suspension (ODS). We checked in with Bob Weber at 6D to talk about what it took to get the company off the ground, what they’ve discovered during their time in business, and what’s in store for the future.

“Pour-in performance” is pretty much the tagline for race gas. But what is it really? How is it different than pump gas? What do octane numbers actually mean? Do you want oxygen or lead in there? Will it help a stock bike? These questions, and many more, are answered with our talk with Bruce Hendel of VP Racing Fuels, who explains all the different applications and pros and cons of running race gas. Sorry that this podcast can’t bring you smell, too. Enjoy!

Just after helmets and boots, knee braces are the most complicated and expensive pieces of motowear in our garage. But unlike helmets that have universal standards and have been around for over 100 years, knee braces started in the last 30 by a Jim Castillo who is still around to this day. We talk with Brett Guerin of CTi, the current version of one of the companies Castillo created. We cover knee brace philosophy, history, technology, and where we think braces could be going in the future. 

When talking about engine mods for motocross bikes, the phrase "ported and polished" gets thrown around a lot. But do we all know what that really means? Turns out, according to Andrew Flores, Engine Research and Development at Race Tech, polishing is the last thing you want to do to intake and exhaust ports. We get into all the different ways a cylinder head can be manipulated and what each modification does so that you can have a better idea of what head mods are available and if any are right for you're motocross machine. 

What’s really going on with your bike’s exhaust system? More than just a tube of metal shooting out burnt gasses, exhaust pipes are a blend of hard science and artistic metallurgy. We wanted to start with the basics of what exhaust pipes are all about and head into the weeds a bit with cone angles, gas velocities, and pressure, sound, and heat waves. With nearly 20 years at FMF, and more time working on exhaust before that, George Luttig is the R&D Director at FMF Racing the perfect guy to talk to about all things exhaust related. Not only is he in charge of creating new pipes for all the motocross and off-road machines that we, the general public, buy, he’s also the guy working directly with the race teams to come up with factory-level equipment that is custom-tailored to each and every rider. Sit back, relax and get ready for some serious talk about hot gas. 

One of the pleasant surprises at this year’s Monster Energy Cup was Jeremy Martin’s return to racing. If you recall, Jeremy suffered a seriously broken back at Muddy Creek during the summer of 2018 after tangling with another rider in mid-air. Even worse, he later suffered a series of infections, as well as complications from the unsuccessful initial surgery. This was obviously a major hiccup in not only his career plans, but life in general. We caught up with him before he lined up at the Paris Supercross to talk about the time off, how he’s been doing since getting cleared to ride, and a whole lot more.

For Broc Tickle, the last two years have been something quite different than the rest of his career. In 2011 he won the 250 West title, and he's been a reliable top ten rider in both the 250 and 450 classes ever since. After being on the sidelines for nearly the last two years following a positive test for a banned stimulant, he's counting down the days until February tenth. That's when he'll be able to return to action. While he's been looking forward to lining up again at the races, he's been helping train other riders, while also ramping up his own training and riding program. At this point, he doesn't have a ride lined up, but he'll be ready to rock in case something comes up.

Just before Eli Tomac wrapped up his third-straight 450 national MX title, we sat down with his dad, John, to record this Inside Line. I've known him for quite a while, back to his early BMX days, and throughout much of his legendary mountain bike career. It's pretty easy to see how Eli would have picked up a lot of early examples of what it took to be a champ, with the training, skills, and work ethic that he was exposed to. We talked about that, plus a whole lot more. It was fun to catch up with John, and I hope you guys enjoy this one.

Normally our Inside Line podcasts are a little longer conversations, but with some of the forum chatter over the recent selection of Team USA, we wanted to drop this one in with three different voices. We've got one from the AMA side to explain a bit about the selection process, one of a rider on team U.S.A. talking about how this year's team structure and prep will be different; and finally, a story of when none of the selected riders wanted to participate for Team USA.

It's always fun chatting with Hall-of-Famers, and Jeff Ward is no exception. He's been at it forever, from effortlessly wheelying his minibike in the intro of the original On Any Sunday movie, to winning a whole bunch of National championships, Supercross, and Supermoto titles. And that was just his first chapter. He later moved to four wheels with Indycars, Off-Road Trucks, Rallycross, and has had some success in each. Now when he's not out training or racing on his mountain bike, he's out giving TT races a whirl. Wardy's one of our favorite adventurers, and the subject for this week's Inside Line. Sit back and enjoy.