Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128130
We ride Mike Kiedrowski's Yoshimura Suzuki DR-Z430 and Destry Abbott's Pro Circuit Kawasaki KX250 continued {rom p.18 and throttle, and I slid out on a slick off-camber and high-sided over the bike - so much for glory. Kit and two other riders got by me while I righted the upside-down bike, and as I got going again, I noticed that the right handguard had been pushed down. I didn't think much of it, but as I began lap two, the bike started slowing significantly whenever I backed off the throttle. Then I noticed that the front wheel would stop when I wheelied, so I halted and banged the handguard back into place, fixing the problem (it turns out the guard's reservoir protector was pushing the brake lever near its pivot). On the subject of brakes, they're awesome. I had already tested them once when a cow walked in front of Kit and me on lap one, and I really started loving them as I rode solo on lap two - especially the rear. I hadn't even adjusted the lever height, but the binder felt as if it were set to my preferences, offering decent power and excellent modulation. The front was also progressive, allowing me to feed in just the right amount of power on the seat-sucker downhill. By the end of lap two, I had gotten back one of the riders who passed me when I crashed, and I caught up to the other - a Husaberg rider - in the scoring area before lap three. He turned it up, though, and we started a left Team Cycle News at the head of the pack. I love riding with Kit, and I was having so much fun on the epic course that I forgot to even pay much attention to the bike for the first couple of miles - besides, I had my hands full just trying to dodge his Yoshimura Suzuki's mean roost. After my cohort waved me by about midway into the first lap, however, I was able to pick normal lines and concentrate on the bike, and once again, I determined that the thing is fast. On the highspeed, ridge-top trails, I found myself doubling bumps that were further apart than I'm used to, and the KX pulled so hard on the acceleration uphills that my fingers were aching just from hanging on. Another cool thing is the sound. Generally a thumper fan, I don't typically think much of the two-stroke exhaust note, but Abbott's KX is an exception. The thing is so c1ean- and crisp-sounding that dialing the throttle on sends tingles down your spine, and even Kit commented that he loved listening to the bike as he followed me. Which, as it turns out, wasn't for long: As we pulled onto the grass track near the end of lap one, I was focusing more on the approaching glory of leading the pack by the pits than I was on application of brake dice that lasted much of the lap. I was comfortable with the course now, and although he (the rider, not the bike) was faster than me on the high-speed stuff, I seemed to have a slight advantage in the tight going. hard, but the fairly hefty flywheel weight smoothens out the delivery just enough to where I found it acceptable. That said, I'm sure it would be a handful for me toward the end of a longer race (unlike Abbott, I That actually surprised me, as Abbott uses a '98 transmission, and actually get tired from time to time). Speaking of which, my d(ce with his mechanic, John Braasch, had the 'Berg pilot winded me a little, and I started feeling the choppy sections more than I had earlier. I don't weigh been concerned that its lower first gear would make the bottom end a bit violent for me. It does come on much less than Abbott, but I am far ends felt as plush as could be, yet grabby, or I might've had the front never bottomed; well, maybe they did, but I never felt it. I could slam into wheel tuck under or the motor stall. The brakes held up to a lot of whoops, rises, whatever, with absolute- abuse well, too. This race had its fair' ly no concerns of a big kick or the bike getting too much air. Even hammering share of long, steep, soft downhills. ~ More than once I had a full-on death up hard-pack, choppy hills was a piece grip on the DR-Z's front brake and all " of cake on the DR-Z; you could just of my weight pressing down on the rear-brake pedal for seemingly_ open 'er up and hold it on. Over high-speed chop, I could've sworn that Kiedrowski's bike had some sort of steering damper installed, but to my surprise, it didn't. forever, and neither brake lost its feel t or power. Finding things to complain about with Kiedrowski's DR-Z was tough to The front end never shook or did anything remotely spooky, which came in real handy during the fourth and final bike shifts well, until you have to lap of the race, because my hands and spaghetti arms were getting tired and couldn't grab on much tighter. click up a gear under a load or when screaming the heck out of the engine. There were times when Chris was There were times I thought that the ahead of me on Abbott's KX, and we the trail. Luckily, that was one test I DR-Z could've had stronger brakes, but at the same time, I'm kind of glad were both grabbing handfuls of throttle out of turns; he would pull away didn't have to give the DR-Z. they weren't. The brakes - mainly the from me while I was making two or front - were so progressive that they didn't have that on/off feeling I'm so used to on most motocross bikes I've been riding lately, which kind of made the DR-Z's brakes feel a little three stabs at the shiftlever. I learned right away to get my shifts over with early and simply take advantage of the DR-Z's excellent bottom-end conlfnued {rom p.19 Stalling becomes a legitimate concern on any super-slick, muddy track - even for two-stroke riders - but I A super-light clutch pull also never even came close to killing the eased my stalling worries, since I could easily pull the clutch lever in with one figure. When it comes to suspension, I now fully understand why top off-road DR-Z. If I had, though, I don't think I would've had too much difficulty riders, and top motocrossers for that matter, demand having works sus- conditions (back in the pits with Yoshimura technicians standing all around me). But I didn't want to find out how it started after a flameout on NOVEMBER 14,2001 • cue I mushy. But without fail, I got the bike slowed down in time, and on those occasions when I performed the classic panic-brake for a rapidly approaching turn that I didn't see, I could've been a little easier. The front section of the fuel tank is a little on ki's bike were simply amazing. Both problems starting the bike in perfect power. After all, if it's got it"might as well use it. Otherwise, the DR-Z's tranny worked well. Moving around on the bike pension. The RG3-valved works Showa shock and fork on Kiedrows- starting it again, because I had no 20 do, but I came up with a couple - for one, the transmission. Overall, the was glad the front brake wasn't so the tall side, so it was a bit difficult _ n __ lIS