Green avenue photography motocross vol16

https://issuu.com/kevinlefebvre 1GAPmx tests the TM MX 300

LAYNE NUYENS

Yamaha’’s

EXPLOSIVE RACE ACTION!

2 www.canadianmotoshow.com

Crashing sucks. Having your bike explode like a Chinese firecracker sucks way worse though.

https://issuu.com/kevinlefebvre 3

Penticton, BCCanada

web: https://issuu.com/kevinlefebvreemail: [email protected]

telephone: 1.250.460.0781

6 Around the Pits A few shots behind the scenes and off the track

8 Bike Test Tearing up Popkum Motor Park on the 2016 TM MX300 2T.

17 Race Schedule gapmx will be covering most of the Future West Moto rounds.

49 Pro Photo Tips Just a thought for your consideration.

gapmx is wholly produced in Canada, with the help of similarly moto-passionate people including: --The Canadian Moto Show--Penticton Honda Centre--Something Pretty Boutique--Buoy Clothing Co.

I haven’t met any moto-heads as passionate as The Canadian Moto Show’s own Brent Worrall, but if you think you share his level of passion, and want to con-tribute something to the gapmx eMag, e.g., photos, artwork, video, etc., get a hold of me at the email addy below so we can put your skills to work! Wide-spread, unauthorized downloading, distribu-tion and reproduction of this document is absolutely endorsed and encouraged. Hey, great photos and be-hind the scene stories don’t move themselves onto the desks of sponsors and industry folks, people!!

K e v i n L e f e b v r e g a p m xA l l p r a i s e h o n o r a n d g l o r ybelongstothelordjesuschrist

volume 16 - April 3, 2016

http://www.canadianmotoshow.com/

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=penticton%20honda%20centre

https://www.facebook.com/SomethingPrettyBoutique/

https://www.facebook.com/Buoy-Clothing-Co-511105369040869/?fref=ts


Animated race announcer and all around wildman Brent “Airmail” Worrall called him “The Beast from Kelowna East” and Yamaha mounted Casey Keast did not disappoint race fans, coming from behind in both Pro Am races for the moto wins and the overall.

“The

Beast”


ABOVE LEFT: Morning vs. Afternoon. Despite the sudden hot weather in BC, track conditions for the riders were actually very good. Getting to the starting line though...not so good. The pits were dusty, and hopefully this is addressed before the National.

ABOVE: Always a friendly face, the Newf playfully chats it up waiting in staging for his moto.

ABOVE RIGHT: These two race fans had a blast checking out the pit area, but I am curious about the sign be-hind them. Sign me up, GKMA!

RIGHT: The future of BC motocross right here, L-R Bradbury, Kingston, Dubuc, Smith, Greenhalgh and Da-vies.

LEFT: Casey Raimondo contemplates race strategy in between motos. Casey holds down second place in the Ladies class series points.

Around the Pits


Whenever there is a com-mercial on TV for a mega lottery jackpot,

my wife engages me in a conversa-tion about what she would do with the money if we won. While she has visions of building a mansion and traveling the world, my dreams primarily are focused on building a killer custom big-bore two-stroke dirt bike that stands out from every-thing else at the track. I would order a bike in the crate, then prior to as-sembling it, send out the suspension and cylinder for valving and porting, order aftermarket reeds, brake com-ponents and sick looking wheels.

And of course, after all the pieces are massaged and returned to me, I would have somebody else build the whole thing, because I, as a pencil-pushing office worker have absolute-ly no mechanical skills whatsoever. A bad day for me is when my dry erase markers run out of ink. At the risk of sounding para-noid, TM is a motorcycle manufac-turer that must have intercepted all of my thoughts and read my mind about what this dream motorcycle would be like. And they have re-sponded by building what I think, is the most exciting dirt bike in the world right now: the TM MX300. The TM MX300 is the world’s only 300cc MX bike offered for sale to the public. Yes, other manufactur-ers and aftermarket companies do offer a big-bore kit for existing 250cc bikes, but these kits require installa-

tion after the fact, and often, carb boring and airbox mods to ac-commodate the additional flow of gases through the larger cylinder. That’s fine if you have the skills to replace the cylinder (which I don’t) the patience to send your carb out to a machinist for boring (which I don’t) and the time to tin-ker with the carb settings after re-assembly (which I don’t). With the myriad of work and family com-mitments I already have, I want to just ride my bike on the weekend, not spend half of it in the garage. Fortunately, TM has already done all of the testing and fine-tuning on their MX300, and their hard work behind the scenes in Italy means owners on our shores won’t have to masquerade as mechani-cal engineers while bringing their big-bore fantasies to life.

2016 TMMX300


It’s all in the details. One could stare at the MX300 for hours just noticing all of the finer details of this motorcycle, such as the engraved triple clamp and anodized bolts.

Fit, feel and finishThe TM MX300 has a distinct feel to it, quite different than the TM MX450 that we tested one month ago. The seat of the MX300 is about an inch lower than the MX450, and you can also feel the difference in weight immedi-ately. Out on the track, this sensa-tion becomes even more obvious. The MX300 not only feels lighter than its 450cc brother (which would be expected), but it also feels lighter than any other 250cc two stroke on the market, by any manufacturer! The sensation of light weight is enhanced by an ex-tremely slim midsection. The ra-diators barely stick out much wid-er than the gas tank, and the HGS pipe tucks extremely well into the bike. From the cockpit, the rider can’t help but notice the beautiful billet aluminum top triple clamp, with TM, KYB, the fork tube di-ameter and offset all engraved in the material. The bars sit on rub-ber spacers to assist in vibration reduction. The fork tubes have measurement marks inscribed, to assist in getting both tubes to the exact same height in the triple clamps. Interestingly, the plastic does not turn color if creased in a crash. I wish all plastics on oth-er brands maintained their color throughout – the last thing I want following a big crash is a big white crease line in my plastic to remind me of my crash. Gold anodized fasteners adorn the bike, and the plastic is shaped to allow the bolt heads to sit recessed, so that the rider’s clothes and boots do not snag. Unlike the 450, which has the airbox above the engine and the gas tank behind the engine,

the MX300 has the fuel tank and airbox in their traditional locations. The seat has a high grip cover sur-face that keeps the rider planted in one spot, and the profile allows the rider a very natural transition mov-ing from the back to the front of the bike. As with the 450, the MX300 features adjusters on the levers that allow the rider to adjust the lever distance from the bar. Hand guards come standard on all TM bikes, and offer a decent amount of hand pro-tection.

Monster motorThe TM MX300 features a square 72x72mm bore and stroke; the MX250 by comparison uses the same stroke length coupled to a 66.4mm bore. The MX300 is fed by a 38mm PWK Keihin carb that moves air and fuel through a Moto Tassinari VForce 3 reed cage. The cylinder has a computer modulated Electronic Exhaust Valve system (EES) attached to it, which opens and closes an ad-ditional exhaust chamber based on engine RPM, to maximize horse-

power at every part of the rev range. Honda was developing a similar system prior to discontinuing their CR250 altogether. Other companies use a less sophisticated mechanical power valve system. The spent gas-ses exit through a works HGS pipe. HGS is an exhaust company out of the Netherlands, who has built pipes for many factory teams and has been used by top MX riders over the years such as Chad Reed, Andrea Barto-lini, Andrew McFarlane, Davey Stri-jbos and many others. The bike I rode at Popkum was new, having only about 30 min-utes on it. I love the sound of two-strokes, and starting it up for the first time, the adrenaline started to really flow as I sat there for a min-ute, blipping the throttle to bring the engine temperature up. The 300MX has a throaty growl to it, but it idled through the pits nicely and I estimate it could easily be ridden off-road use over twisty single-track terrain. Once on the open track though, the motor builds revs very quickly,

https://youtu.be/u9tBRRKOnvI


making a tremendous amount of power in the bottom-end and mid-range. It is noticeably faster than any of the 250cc offerings, and even a bit quicker than the 450 out of corners. Although we did not do a drag race with the two bikes, from the saddle I would guess that the MX300 would get the jump over a 450 off of the start, and stay ahead of it until the 450 is able to get into the higher gears, where it would likely catch up and eventually start pulling away. But the distance needed to do that likely exceeds any start straight on any MX track. The TM MX450 is no slouch, but I cannot emphasize enough how quick the MX300 is. On the MX300, I found myself short shifting to make the most of the low-end and mid-range. The power does fall off a bit in the top-end, but it is a gradual decline, rather than a

sudden sign-off. And by the time the power starts to flatten out, you are already going very, very fast. Out of the box, this bike has an incredible motor for supercross or arenacross style tracks. It also helped tremen-dously that it shifted easily and car-bureted cleanly right off of idle, so crawling through slow, slimy turns that require careful throttle control were not a problem. The hydraulic clutch gives consistent feel no matter the temperature of the motor, and never faded or acted up. The bike features two adjustable maps, which the rider can change from a button mounted on the bar. I rode the bike with Map 1 enabled; regrettably, I forgot about trying Map 2 until I was in my car driving home! D’oh!

SuspensionThe MX300 shares similar suspen-sion components with the MX450,

that is, Kayaba SSS suspension on the front, and a handmade TM shock on the rear. The rear shock features a beautiful anod-ized reservoir that is a work of art. The suspension performance on the MX300 is well-balanced, but slightly softer than on the 450, with a little less slow-speed com-pression, and a little more rebound than the 450. The shock absorbed both big and small hits very well. The fork performed very well too, and felt consistent all the way through the stroke. I would think that the fork could perform very well with merely clicker adjust-ments, at least for my weight and speed. Pro riders may need to in-stall stiffer springs, but racers who aren’t quite at that level would be hard pressed to complain about this fork. It is very forgiving pack-age that works well over a variety of terrain.

BrakesThe TM MX300 came with the exact same braking package as the 450 tested a month earlier. The components on the front feature a 270mm Galfer rotor, mated to a Brembo caliper. The steel braided brake lines connect the caliper to a Nissin master cylinder, which mates to an adjustable brake lever. Out back, the 205mm rotor com-pliments a Nissin caliper, steel braided line and Nissin master cylinder. Front and rear, the brak-ing performance on the 450 tested last month was outstanding; to-day, on the lighter MX300, this system is indescribably strong! The brakes require so little of the rider’s energy to engage, and the feel is excellent, and very predict-able. Outstanding components and performance.

With the kickstarter pulled out, the “brains” of the computer driven Electronic Valve System are visible between the works pipe, and the handmade shock.


HandlingThe TM MX300’s powerful motor, slim profile, supple suspension and awesome brakes would not amount to much if the bike did not have handling to match. Fortu-nately, the MX300 is rock solid in the turns, and it is just as comfort-able railing berms as it is sneaking to an uncharted inside line for a block pass. The MX300 requires very little effort to get to the in-nermost rut in a turn, and it feels planted there. Nonetheless, the attributes that make the MX300 so responsive in the turns mean that the rider has to pay more at-tention on the fast straights, es-pecially as they get rougher. The triple clamp has a 20mm offset, but the rider can order the bike with a 22mm offset from the fac-tory. The 450 had the 22mm offset clamp installed when we tested it, giving it an advantage in straight-line stability. The other issue that I think contributes to the MX300 sensitivity on the straights is that the final gearing is very short. I found myself getting to fifth gear

long before the end of the straight sections, my foot trying in vain to shift up one more time. With the RPMs coming up so fast on the MX300 (and even faster than on the 450), hitting rougher edged bumps at high RPMs made the chassis feel a bit unsettled. Nothing too bad mind you, and nothing like the older two-stroke Suzuki and Honda 250s, where supercross oriented turning meant that the rider was put on the gravy train to Tankslapper City on the wide open straight sections of the track. Fortunately, with the TM MX300 chassis, we don’t have to re-live the “nostalgia” of those days, as it tracks very well on the rougher straights.

OptionsTM offers a crazy amount of options when racers order one of their bikes. The MX300 is available with 48mm KYB forks or 50mm Marzocchi forks; TM or Öhlins shock; Nissin or Brembo brake components, CNC engine covers; carbon fibre parts, etc., the list goes on. I think this is great. You don’t have extra pieces ly-ing around the garage, and you get

the bike you want, from the factory, in one fell swoop. Awesome.

Final thoughtsI have owned many two-stroke dirt bikes over the years, the majority of them Japanese brands which seemed to always demand a concession. All the Suzuki bikes I’ve owned had poor brakes and wimpy clutches. All of the Honda bikes I’ve owned have been under-sprung and the chas-sis got nervous at speed. The one problem that never showed up on these bikes though, was too much power. The 2016 MX300 is differ-ent though; it does not ask riders to make concessions, and it makes a ton of power! Thank goodness that TM continues to see a future in two-strokes, and has put such effort into evolving their technology! Readers might recall that I liked the TM MX450 Fi when I tested it last month. Truth be told, I like the TM MX300 even better. It makes 450 level power, but feels lighter than a 250cc two stroke. It has brakes that could stop an SUV, excellent rear suspension and very good front suspension. I would take an afternoon to play with the click-ers on the forks to get them dialed, and I might drop a couple of teeth on the rear sprocket to allow each gear to pull a little longer and allow me to use first and second a bit more (instead of just third, forth and fifth gears around the track). Overall, the total package is amazingly dialed, and hits it out of the park for me. But don’t take my word for it; give Popkum MX Park a call at 778.255.RIDE (7433) to book a time to take it out for yourself!!

k e v i n l e f e b v r eGreenavenuephotography

VForce3 reeds and a hydraulic clutch; the bike bristles with trick parts.


2016 TM MX300

https://issuu.com/kevinlefebvre 15www.tmracingmotorcycles.com

SID SANOWSKI


ABOVE: Sid Sanowski airs out the TM MX450Fi on Popkum’s massive step-up jump. BELOW: The TM MX85, MX300 and MX450Fi all are available for rent at Popkum Motor Park. Give them a call at 778.255 (RIDE) to book yours today!

To download your own FREE desktop wallpapers of the TM MX 85, 300 and 450Fi, follow this link: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=469A6B34F01617D4!11300&authkey=!AOWk1Rt1S39f1u4&ithint=folder%2cjpg

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=469A6B34F01617D4!11300&authkey=!AOWk1Rt1S39f1u4&ithint=folder%2cjpg


Watch for gapmx at the following Future west moto races:April 2-3 : Kamloops.......yes!April 9-10 : Popkum.......yes!April 30-May 1 : Popkum......yes!May 28-29 : Nanaimo......maybeJune 18-19 : Cloverdale.....yes!June 25-26 : Cloverdale.....yes!Sept. 3-4 – Kelowna......yes!Other races ...TBDWant to see your photo show up in gapmx?Here are some suggestions:--Keep your bike looking fresh; e.g., race numbers,----Ride with your best looking riding gear----Most importantly, eyes forward and ride hard!--

Who knows, YOU could be on the next cover of the magazine! Any rider from any class could be next. And that is a great way to be seen by sponsors, friends, family, virtually anyone in the industry. Check out the Canadian Moto Show website to see the magazine, as well as plenty of outtake images. And, don’t forget to bookmark it and “like” it on social media!


Ladies

RMR Suspension’s Lisa Matechuk watches the conclusion of the prior race from the starting line. Lisa would finish a respectable 8th in the highly competitive La-dies class.


Ladies


“giggles”With hard charging like this, Kiana “Giggles” Sache has taken the series points lead the Ladies class.


Crashing sucks. Especially when it happens 10 feet in front of one of the industry’s best videographers. That’s a killer angle you have though, Matt! Kristen Tse (138) was able to overcome many track challenges and take home the overall in the Ladies class with 2-1 scores.


plus 4

0/50


Jari Heinonen swept both the Plus 40 and Plus 50 classes on his Yamaha 2-smoker.


The sandy track got rough, over the day, becoming especially challenging for the riders on the small-wheeled bikes. Zane Mellafont (74), Travis Gibbs (151) and Blake Davies (lower right) get it done though. Looks like Travis had a blast doing it, too!


This is where it all begins. Spencer Hall’s dad gives him a bit of a pep talk prior to the start of the 50cc 4-6 class race.


1 100 KTM SAWYER SCHELL2 319 KTM EZRA BLAIR3 14 COB MASON SZATMARI 4 93 KTM NATHAN KINGSTON5 569 KTM ADAM DORRANCE6 94 KTM WINTER DAVIES7 194 YAM SPENCER HALL

50 cc

4-6


“Mad” Max Day (right) would take home the gold in the Schoolboy class on his Valley Moto Sport backed KTM SX150. Max was leading the first 250 Junior race of the day untill it was red flagged and re-started.

Mitchell Bradbury (above) looked fantastic in his classes, taking 2nd overall in the 85cc 12-16 division, and a pair of thirds in the Schoolboy and SuperMini classes. That’s a lot of seat time on a rough track!

FOLLOWING PAGE: Trevor Steeves moved up from the Minis this year to take 7th place overall fin-ishes in both the 250 Junior and Open Junior classes.


Joey Parkes leads Penticton Honda rider Corey Steeves in the second 250 intermediate moto of the day. By the race end, Steeves would get around Parkes to take third in the moto and third for the day, while Parkes would go on to finish 6th overall.


pro photo tipsIf there is some action going on in front of you, keep the camera close to your face; in fact, watch the action un-fold through the viewfinder, as opposed to watching it “live.” Yes, it may feel weird, like the camera has become glued to your face, but trust me, when that critical instance happens you stand a much better chance of captur-ing it. Your composition and ability to focus on the primary point of interest will improve too. Use your cam-eras burst mode, and when in doubt, just hold the button down, rapid firing until the action passes. It’s always a better problem to have too many images to sort through later, than to have missed that one special moment.


ABOVE LEFT: It doesn’t get any better than this for race fans. Tyler Gibbs (46) narrowly edges out Zach Ufimzeff (34) for the second moto win of the SuperMini class. I for one, was left extremely impressed with how much speed Zach has found over the off-season. Tyler Dubuc (15) had a good day with 8th (SuperMini) and 3rd (85cc 7-11).


LEFT: Julien Benek overcame poor starts to win both motos of the 85cc 7-11 class. He won the first Supermini race of the day but could not complete the second moto, hampering his chances for a strong finish.

ABOVE: Layne Nuyens graced the gapmx cover this issue, and after this round, he has the series lead in both the 85cc 12-16, and the SuperMini classes. Keep it up, Layne!


1 170 YAM JULIEN BENEK2 30 KAW DEVYN SMITH3 15 KTM TYSON DUBUC4 930 YAM THOMAS KAISER5 119 SUZ COLTON FLEMING6 151 KTM TRAVIS GIBBS7 74 KTM ZANE MELLAFONT8 574 HUS CHARLES CHARLTON9 722 KTM JAKE MADDICKS10 124 KTM EASTON HALL11 70 KTM KEENAN WARHURST12 39 KTM RYAN KERNESTED13 924 KTM KEEAN LEARD14 94 KAW ANDREW HART15 24 KAW SEBY SULYOK16 13 KAW GARRETT MCDONALD

RACE RESULTS85 cc 7-11


PRO A

M


1st 217 Yam CASEY KEAST 1 12nd 116 Yam CODY MATECHUK 3 23rd 101 Kaw RYAN LOCKHART 2 34th 782 Kaw KRIS FOSTER, 4 4 5th 523 Suz LEE COUTTS 6 66th 526 Hus PARKER EALES 5 7 7th 91 Yam TYLER CRAIG 10 5 8th 118 Yam BOSTON CALDER 7 8 9th 45 Hon MARK THOMPSON 9 9 10th 138 Kaw KYLE LIEBAERT 8 DNS 11th 392 Suz CODY LITTAU 11 DNS12th 724 Hon DANIEL WEGENER DNF DNS

pro-am


pro-am


Honda mounted Mark Thompson crosses the finish in the Pro Am class. For com-plete race results and race schedule, head over to futurewestmoto.ca

Readers can enjoy the newest issue of gapmx, which will always be posted at www.canadianmotoshow.com within a couple of days of the event.

Extended Version issues such as this one take longer to produce and are much bigger documents, but gapmx readers can get this version too by heading to https://issuu.com and start “following” gapmx for free.

Check out the gapmx eMag directly at:https://issuu.com/kevinlefebvre

http://futurewestmoto.ca/

http://www.canadianmotoshow.com

https://issuu.com

https://issuu.com/kevinlefebvre


crash and burn-reduxThe soft, sandy track conditions kept the race speeds down a bit, but still provided plenty of intense race action. The sand also produced more than a few ruts, which seemed to just reach up and grab the front wheels of riders. Fortunately, Brian Schneider got up just as quickly as he fell down, no worse for wear. Brian would go on to finish 11th overall in the Vet Jr. class.


Not every racer who deserved to be profiled in this eMag is in it.

The good news though, is that you can tune into the online radio program that is absolutely on the pulse of BC mo-tocross, www.canadianmotoshow.com for “live” rider interviews, merch give-aways, series updates, and insider industry announcements. And you can check out the rest of the website for additional race photos.

Watch for the next issue of gapmx, which will be covering the April 10, 2016 race from Popkum Motor Park.

http://www.canadianmotoshow.com

Green avenue photography motocross vol16

Documents

Transcript of Green avenue photography motocross vol16