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

Kawasaki is one of the many companies to have EFi in their 450cc motocross bike. Photo from DirtRider.com
-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

Kawasaki is offering Monster Energy themed motocross bikes for 2009. Photo from Kawasaki.com.
-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

Honda's streamlined 450cc plastic is a sign of the improved fit and finish throughout the motocross industry. Photo from DirtRider.com.
-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

Husaberg's plastic subframe is one of the most radical 2009 motocross innovations. Photo from Dec. 08 Dirt Rider
-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

Yamaha's quieter 450cc exhaust system is a step in the right direction for the motocross industry. Photo from Yamaha.com
-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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Viewing 7 Comments

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    owao! I love this bike!
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    I always loved enduro motorcycles to be honest and I had two of them a few years ago. The last one looked exactly like this one from Yamaha and I remember I bought some really nice motorcycle covers for it, in order to make it look perfectly. Now I'm planing to switch to super sport type and I'm planing to buy a suzuki this year.
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    Do you know how motocross was innovated?
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    Your post are very professional and informational , Thanks MIKE
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    Thanks for the compliment Brock. I know you cycle a lot, but do you do any motocross?
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    EFI is definitely the biggest change to factory bikes. I believe it is limited to 450F's, but will they extend it to the 250F's? For people who ride in a variety of weather and altitude conditions it helps eliminate some of the variables of setting up for each day of riding. I (and many of my friends) still feel like there is a gap in the market for an in-between bike- something larger than the 100's frame, but smaller than a full 250F frame. Its obvious that MX drives the market for the most part. On the trails and single track however, those suffering from SLS (Short Leg Syndrome) have to be able to ride technical terrain even better when on a fill size bike because we don't have the luxury of being able to dab a foot down when things get sketchy. I've learned that doing slow speed drills like figure eights and slalom cones. Shane Watts instruction DVD Dirt Wise has some great tips and tricks, all in the name of riding faster, smoother, more technical. I started on a KX100, but quickly outgrew it and felt very cramped. When I first threw my leg over my 125sx it felt like trying to get up on a horse! I absolutely love my 125sx when it comes to the track and more open trails, but when I ran my first single track enduro I knew it wasn't the bike to have. I had to pick my bike up at least a dozen times because of tight, sketchy situations where, if I could've put a foot down I'd be good, but instead I tipped over and stepped of the bike. I'd much rather use my energy for riding harder, faster, longer, than to repeatedly pick my bike up over and over. For those of us who can't afford 2 bikes, a medium sized bike would be rejoiced by many.
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    Thank you for the excellent comment Cori, I appreciate it.

    EFI is definitely great, and like I stated above I see very few disadvantages to it. Although it is limited to 450fs at the moment, I cannot see why the technology wouldn't be brought to the 250fs in time. I believe they started with the 450cc because it has traditionally been a larger bike, and had a more difficult type of powerband for riders to handle. The smoothness provided by EFi was a much bigger advantage for this type of power as opposed to the small, easier to handle 250fs.

    In response to the SLS, I definitely agree with you. I am a small rider on a 250f, and I agree that in tight sections they can be hard to handle at times. On wide-open motocross tracks I feel very comfortable, however, in tighter corners I find myself having a hard time handling the larger frame. Some companies such as KTM or Husaberg have released bikes in between the 250f and 450f size, however, the 85/100cc to 250f gap is still wide open. The Honda CRF150R is slightly bigger (with big wheels) and more powerful than a KX100, however, it is clearly aimed at the 85 class and not smaller adults. A 175-250cc four stroke with a frame size in between the CRF150R and a full-sized 250f would be perfect for smaller riders. However, the R&D and productions costs of producing a bike like this makes it unrealistic for larger OEMs such as Kawasaki, Honda, or Yamaha. Hopefully, if demand for such a product grows, KTM or a similar company will take up this task. KTM has been known to focus on niche markets, and this sized bike would fit perfectly into their line of bikes.

    Once again, thanks for the great comment.
 

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  • pligg.com

    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 ...

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