Sneak peek!
By TMX Archives on 14th Aug 03
during the first week in August the biggest single MX race going takes place in the deep south of the United States at Loretta Lynn's ranch. EVERY YEAR during the first week in August the biggest single MX race going takes place in the deep south of the United States at Loretta Lynn's ranch. The AMA national amateur championships is a week-long affair with major factory backing as the future stars of the sport are all here.The event is a massive deal with most families using their holidays to come and spend a week helping junior's career - as well as simply enjoying themselves. There seems to be a million golf carts and pit bikes cruising about (I'm currently nursing a sore shoulder after an unfortunate late night drunken golf cart 'rolling over' incident).The factories take this event very seriously and all put on a massive show with evening seminars to lure the buying public. Also, the scouts are looking out for the next big thing and anyone who does well here always gets a deal or a contract - it's that serious.It also gives the factories a chance to show their new equipment for the first time. I took a walk around when I had a few spare minutes to check out what's new and give my slant on it all.Now I'm going to go out on a limb here and say things ain't what they used to be with MX bike development. I know the bikes are better than they've ever been - by a long shot - but a few years ago we couldn't wait to get a glimpse of the new bikes. We didn't have the internet so grainy pics in the weekly newspapers were the first we saw and the bikes were very different each year.Now I never used to be a four-stroke fan but since Yamaha rocked the MX world with its YZF400 back in '98 things ain't been the same. Now the new breed of four-bangers are truly the *******s (for want of a better word) and the factories are bringing out the smaller 250Fs for the patient public - a market Yamaha have owned for a few years now. However, Honda and the new partnership of Kawasaki and Suzuki are providing all-new 125 class contenders.The first time I saw the Honda CRF250 I was amazed by the size of the thing. After being used to the awesome 450, the motor is tiny. This isn't a sleeved-down big bike put together in a rush to get the thing out into the dealerships, this is a totally new bike in pretty much every way.The motor seems almost lost in the frame and everything looks compact and light. I spoke to RC who took this particular bike around the Washougal circuit the Monday after the national and he was raving about the lightness and agility of the thing. In fact, he was pretty excited about the whole project and now they have his full approval.The plastics, the frame, the subframe, everything is new. I believe the only parts shared from the two-strokes are the wheels, brakes and British-made Renthal handlebars which will be standard issue for the whole CR range in '04 - good job Henry and crew! I was told the final touches will be applied to the production version as this one was the test prototype which Fonseca has been developing. Saying that, I'm assured it's pretty much what will hit the showroom floors in October.For the rest of Doc Wobbly's spy report don't miss the September issue, on sale now