Vital MX

Send us Fan MailBe 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!

Send us Fan MailWhile 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.

Send us Fan MailWe 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.

Send us Fan MailWe 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.

Send us Fan MailWhen 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.

Send us Fan Mail“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!

Send us Fan MailJust 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.

Send us Fan MailWhen 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.

Send us Fan MailWhat’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.

Send us Fan MailOne 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.

Send us Fan MailAre you fishing for something new to listen to? So were we, and when we hit up James "Bones" Bacon about doing a podcast, he said, "Sure, as long as we can go fishing while we do it." Bones headed up the suspension side of Pro Circuit for over three decades, Over the years he got to work with all of Pro Circuit's legendary riders from pro to amateur, and in off-road, freestyle, MX and Supercross. While he slipped into retirement about a year ago, we couldn't let him get away that easily and headed up to his place for a chat.

Send us Fan MailFor 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.

Send us Fan MailJust 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.

Send us Fan MailNormally 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.

Send us Fan MailIt'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.

Send us Fan MailIf you were going to pick the most successful motocross trainer of the last 20 years or so, it'd be pretty much impossible to not to select Aldon Baker. From individual riders like Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto, and Ryan Dungey, to nearly the whole current Red Bull KTM and Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna rosters, he's been helping build winners for a long time.In here he talks about how he got started, the difference between training an individual rider versus a whole stable full of talent, the struggles of starting his own facility, and a whole lot more.

Send us Fan MailFreddie is the last man standing from the MX Heaven Swedish invasion of 2011. Since then he's done everything from a full privateer effort to filling in with Team Honda HRC. Now it's a family affair, with his wife Amy, and daughter, Jolie, making the rounds. We caught up with him after the third round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at Thunder Valley.

Send us Fan MailChristina Denney has been the team manager of the CycleTrader.com/Rock River/Yamaha team for the last decade, and she had a rather interesting route to ending up in the team manager's spot. She lets us in on that story, plus what it's like to be the lone female team manager in the paddock in this week's Inside Line.

Send us Fan MailMike Williamson's recent departure as Eli Tomac's crew chief at Monster Energy Kawasaki had lots of tongues wagging in the forum. We know people were looking for answers, and we covered an assortment of topics with him, including some distant and recent history. We also chatted about some of the riders he's worked with in the past, including Ryan Villopoto and James Stewart. He's also back to racing again, but this time with his son, Jake.

Send us Fan MailTrey Canard had plenty of highs during his race career with wins, as well as Supercross and outdoor titles. But he also scored more than his share of pain and injuries, and announced his retirement during the latter half of the 2017 outdoor season. While we're not likely to see him racing in the future, we were happy to see that he's found a new way to enjoy riding. We'd been chasing him for a podcast for a while, and recently caught up with him after a test day with the Honda team, where he was working on outdoor settings for Ken Roczen. He's got a lot to say, so let's dive in here.

Send us Fan MailJohn Gallagher may have the toughest gig in the sport. As the race director for the Monster Energy Supercross series, he's part of the crew that has to make decisions and has to dispense penalties when things get out of line. Being a ref in any sport is tough. But judging from some of the comments that we've seen in the forum lately, people misunderstand not only what he does, but some of the hows and why that goes into a lot of the decision-making process. That's why we asked John to sit down for a chat.

Send us Fan MailWe're back with another old-schooler, and I have to admit, I've got a fondness for storytellers, and riders who can tell tales from back in the day. Jim Holley definitely falls into that category, and he's definitely not afraid to let it fly. Nearly every weekend during the Supercross season, you can catch him on Raceday Live, getting the scoop from the current day heroes. So settle back, and listen in.

Send us Fan MailForrest has been the driving force behind Butler Brothers racing since the days that he and his brothers were the team. Now known as the Rocky Mountain ATV-MC/KTM/WPS team, it's a program that he's been steadily building, through good times (like partnering with KTM, and picking up their first 450 class wins), and bad (which includes some shady sponsor deals). He covers a ton of different topics here, so settle in for some good tales. He even covers a few stories that he said he's never told.

Send us Fan MailThis week's guest is Jeremy Albrecht, AKA J-Bone. These days he keeps things moving as the team manager for the JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing team. But he's been around forever, first as a rider and racer, and later taking on wrenching duties for the Kawasaki factory team for the likes of Jeff Emig and James Stewart. He's got some interesting stories, plus has great insights into the modern day racing scene.

Send us Fan MailThis time around we’re checking in with a trio of folks at Feld Motorsports, who run on the Supercross series. A lot of fans don’t know the faces behind the scenes, so this serves not only as a bit of an introduction, but also as a way to answer some questions on the inner workings of the series. The bulk of our time was spent with Mike Muye, who’s sort of the field general, but we also check in with Doug Cabrera who works on the TV side, and Jay Laws, who runs the art department on there, and has been part of the crew for over 20 years.

Send us Fan MailThis is part two of our conversation with Broc Glover. If you missed part one, you might want to go back and listen to that first, and then dive in here. Either way, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. Sit back and enjoy. This one moves forward on his career timeline, including his time at Dunlop, and a whole host of other topics.

Send us Fan MailThis week's guest is Broc Glover. We cover a ton of ground in this one, from his early days and championships to a crack at the GPs, but that’s only the half of it. This one is a two-parter, and we’ll post up the second half of the conversation in a few days.

Send us Fan MailTony Alessi has always been a polarizing figure in the sport...especially while going racing with his sons, Mike and Jeff. These days, however, he sees things in a completely different way as team manager for Smartop MotoConcepts Racing. It's more about business, and there's less family emotion to make things crazy. He's also promoting Minicross events, and helping bring along a next generation. Listen in to hear all that, plus what he feels is the biggest mistake he made.

Send us Fan MailDan has worked through the ranks, going from test rider and mechanic, to winning championships wrenching for Jeff Stanton. He later made the jump to Team Manager at Team Honda HRC, and he's currently the team manager for Geico Honda.

Send us Fan Mail Christian Craig has faced some major hurdles in his career, like nearly losing the ability to walk prior to his first Supercross season, and a forced sabbatical when he lost his ride a couple years later. Craig packed up his life, got a job, started a family and has come back to the sport with a new motivation. Learn more about Christian’s journey in the latest episode of the Inside Line.

Send us Fan MailTyler Bowers made his pro debut a little over ten years ago and what the beginning of his career was supposed to look like may come as a surprise to many. We look into Tyler's career so far as the four-time AMA Arenacross champ tells his story.

Send us Fan MailThis week's guest is Roger DeCoster. Besides winning five 500cc world titles of his own, he's spent a lifetime working as a team manager with some of the best in the business. We checked in with him to find out a bit about his past, present, and future.

Send us Fan MailRoss Maeda is what some would label as an OG of suspension tuning for the motocross world. A racer turned test rider, then technician and all-around development and suspension guy; he now runs his own shop, Enzo Racing. Over his career, Ross has worked with racers such as Bob Hannah and Roger Decoster, all the way to Ricky Carmichael and Ryan Villopoto. We caught up with Ross for a broad background on testing and some of the earlier days of moto suspension.

Send us Fan MailWe've heard Bevo referred to as the Czar of Motocross. With a career that's spanned 45 years of everything from wrenching for privateers and factory riders, and then making the jump to Scott Goggles and now 100%, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone else who's seen and done it all like Bevo. The good part for all of us is that he also loves telling stories, and he's got plenty of good ones here.

Send us Fan MailZach Osborne has been around the world-and-back in the name of professional motocross, check in to hear some of that story...

Send us Fan MailWe chatted with Doug just before the Southwick National, where he was set to celebrate his 55th birthday by racing his son in the 125 race before the National motos. We cover a lot of territory in this one, from his early days as a struggling privateer, through his pro days, many titles at the Vet Worlds, bike development, and his own exhaust company.

Send us Fan MailDerek Dorresteyn, CTO and Co-Founder of Alta Motors, takes us through the trials and tribulations of developing the world's first competitive electric motocross bike.

Send us Fan MailWith 150 Supercross wins, 113 MX wins, and 30 titles, the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team is a force to be reckoned with. Mitch Payton created Pro Circuit after his own riding days ended, and over the years they've had great equipment, as well as a stellar lineup of talented riders, all of which led to where we are today. Listen in as he helps us break in our first podcast.

Send us Fan MailYep, it's true, we'll soon be adding podcasts to the variety of content available from Vital MX. Here's GuyB with the quick announcement.