5 Coolest 2009 Motocross Bike Innovations
November 29th, 2008 • My Thoughts
The 2009 motocross bikes are here, and they look great! The “Big 5″ have made a lot of changes to make this years bikes the best ever. However, 5 innovations within the industry have struck me as the coolest and most interesting.
Electronic Fuel Injection
-Photo from DirtRider.com.
Obviously, Electronic Fuel Injection (EFi) is one of the biggest new features of 2009. This has been in testing for a few years, but 2009 is the first in which the majority of motocross 450s will be EFI based. Form my point of view, EFI is almost entirely a step in the right direction. Not only does it produce soother, more consistent power in various weather conditions and locations in the power-band, but it also eliminates the troublesome and sometimes even dangerous low end bog that four strokes experiences sometimes. The one downside is that EFI adds some foreign technological complexity that mechanics experienced with carburetors may be confused by. Hopefully, however, the EFI systems should work good out of the box and not need a lot of after market tuning. Overall, I believe that EFI is a great transition for the sport of motocross and will provide us with better performing bikes for years to come. The auto industry has not looked back since switching to EFI and I doubt motocross will.
Theme Bikes
-Photo from Kawasaki.com.
To say that theme bikes are a new feature of 2008 is a little bit of a stretch as they hae been around for almost as long as the motocross industry itself, and has been popular recently since Yamaha’s 50th anniversary yellow colored bikes. But, for 2009 Kawasaki has taken the idea of theme bikes to a new level with their Monster bikes. These are stock Kawasaki bikes with black plastics and Monster graphics. Clearly, it is simply an advertisement for Monster, however, they definitely look cool and will attract a lot of newby buyers to purchase a Kawasaki if they are on the fence about which brand to go with. Regardless of the motivations behind this move, there is no doubt that this is a sign of the maturity of the motocross industry, and I expect advertiser-themed bikes to be a stable of the motocross industry for years to come.
Fit and Finish
-Photo from DirtRider.com.
This is not really a new feature for 2008, but more of a build up of a lot improvements made in the past couple of years. From Kawasaki’s coated fork legs, to KTM’s refined forks and finger-compression adjusters, to Yamaha’s refined exhaust (YZ250F), to Honda’s streamlined and thinned plastic, and larger (finally) airbox it is obvious that all of the motocross manufacturers are desperately trying to find the edge over the competitors. The truth is that all of the major motocross bikes are so close in performance that any small difference could push a consumer from one brand to another. This will only push the “Big 5″ to analyze every aspect of their full size motocross bike offerings, resulting in a faster, better handling, and easier to maintain product for consumers, expert racers, and pros alike.
In addition, this near-perfection state that motocross bikes have reached marks a major turning point in the motocross industry. Much like the auto-industry. the true performance of bikes from year to year is minimal, and the manufacturers are faced with the daunting task of selling slightly improved bikes to consumers in a down-economy. This leads them to either introduce a radically designed bike that looks different even if the performance is not (i.e. Honda), or make sure that their current offering is 100% perfect, in the hope that consumers will notice their attention to detail. Either way, it is a sign of maturity to the industry and one that will affect the types of changes made to motocross bikes in the future years.
Plastic Subframe
-Photo from Dec. 08 Dirt Rider.
This is not exactly an innovation on a motocross bike, but it is on a dirt bike, so it qualifies for this list. The Husaberg FE450 and FE570 Enduro bikes have been radically redesigned for 2009, and one of the biggest new features is the plastic subframe. This is a first for production bikes, and it is awesome to see a motorcycle manufacturer (albeit a small one) working hard to innovate and think outside of the box. It is hard to know how durable the plastic subframe will ride, or if it will catch on, but I give Husaberg a lot of credit for at least trying to innovate.
Quiet(er) Exhausts
-Photo from Yamaha.com.
For years the motocross industry has faced closing tracks and riding areas because of loud four strokes. Activist groups such as the Blue Ribbon Coalition have been rallying for quieter stock and after market exhausts, and it seems as if there efforts are finally paying off. All of the 2009 bikes are starting to come standard with quieter exhausts, although Yamaha’s YZ450f is the most notable. According to the October 2008 Issue of Dirt Rider:
And one of the best features of the YZ which carried over from last year-its quiet yet funny-sounding muffler. This is good for the sport, and you’d better get used to it with impending sound regulations. It muffles a very solid and long pulling motor that has plenty of torque, light on the snap.
This transition to quieter exhaust systems is great for the sport, and the areas around motocross tracks and it is the beginning of the transition to an eco-friendly motocross community.
What features are you most excited for 2009? Let me know in the comments.
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November 30, 2008 at 8:25 pm
5 Coolest 2009 Motocross Bike Innovations — Mikemartinracing.com, Personal Blog of New England Motocross Racer Mike Mart... Short round-up of the ...