VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P127
get that same feeling, and I think I can repeat
what I do over here.
One interesting thing I've noticed with Enduro
-
Cross these last two years is some of the top rid-
ers are racing two-strokes again. For the last five
or six years, all the top riders, other than Jonny
[Walker] have raced four-strokes. Now, this year,
Cody Webb switched to a two-stroke and Cooper
Abbott decided to switch to a two-stroke after
the first race. So, you're racing with a bunch
more two-strokes even indoors now. You race
the KTM 350 four-stroke. Do you think they're
equal between the two types of bikes?
It's funny you say that because after the first
race, when Cody and Jonny pretty much shocked
everyone, the two-stroke was looking pretty good,
and it was definitely in the back of my mind. The
two-stroke is definitely better in certain situations,
and the four-stroke is better in some situations. I
think in the European series, the two-stroke might
be a little bit better just because the tracks are so
tough. When I showed up to the race this week
at the last round in Reno, and I saw the plastic
pipes, I'm like, that's definitely a two-stroke sec
-
tion. I just knew Cody and Jonny were going to
be really good in them and they were. The two-
stroke, when it's super technical, is a lot less tiring
because the bike rides lighter, so the four-stroke
tires you out, and you get arm pump easier. Then
if you get arm pump, it's going to be hard to ride
the way you should be riding. So, it just all de
-
pends on the track. But generally speaking, for
the AMA series, usually they're a little bit faster
with some jumps, so I prefer the four-stroke.
You ride the two-stroke for all the hard enduro
events; is it hard for you to transition between
the two bikes? Does that play in at all or make
you think that maybe it might make sense to
switch to be on one bike?
Yeah, I've thought about it. For me, switching
to the four-stroke is actually really easy. Maybe
not even a full day of riding, I'm good to go. Go
-
ing back to the two-stroke is a bit… it's not even
so much the engine. It's more the suspension
because EnduroCross suspension is quite stiff.
When I went to Hixpania, which was after the first
race last year, the suspension was so soft. You
have to ride completely different. The forks just
collapse. So, when I went over to Spain for that,
it took me like two days just to get the feeling on
the forks because they're so soft. You bottom out
just going off a two-foot drop almost, where En
-
duroCross we were doing that garbage container
drop at the final [Reno]. We were falling from the
Hart enjoys competing indoors and out
and switches back and forth between a
two-stroke and a four-stroke.
