Motocross and Enduro Off-road Gear Reviews

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MX Idol – VERY FUNNY!

Reviews Gear
MXoN: Sixty Years and a Day DVD This is the complete story of the Motocross of Nations (exactly why the race lost its original European pronunciation of des Nations after 60-odd years remains a mystery, though) and if you’re prepared to endure the endless parade of American chest-beating that forms the core of this lavishly produced documentary then it’s actually worth making the effort to watch. [MORE…]
One Chance to Win DVD If you loved On Any Sunday but found yourself aching for more vintage motocross then this amazing DVD should plug the gap nicely. Originally conceived by young film maker and motocross fan Charles Bush, who decided to film an entire AMA series with a view to making a documentary movie about motocross, this film didn’t go on national release due to the original distribution company going bust. [MORE…]
The World’s Ultimate Hard Enduro Challenge DVD Don’t let the Borat-style tongue twisting title put you off, this DVD is seriously hard-core. [MORE…]
Frank Industries Clear Advantage Visor It’s often the simplest ideas that are the best. Indeed, sometimes a problem has existed for so long that everybody has just accepted it and assumed that there was no solution. But it only takes one bit of slightly lateral thinking and all of a sudden a new product hits the market and we all wonder how we ever managed without it. [MORE…]
Asterisk Cell Knee Brace Us dirt bikers measure risk in a bit of a warped way. Thanks to years of two-wheeled pleasure and numerous bumps to the head, our fear of injury is seemingly less developed than, say, your average tennis player. [MORE…]
CTi Custom Knee Brace As the publisher of MotoX, I often have to take a back seat while the younger but not necessarily fitter members of my team enjoy taking to the tracks and trails on their dirt bikes. I am not much of a rider – golf is more my thing these days. [MORE…]
MX of Nations 2007 DVD Given that I went to Budds Creek last September and had a great time I was keen to watch this DVD and relive the memories. And to an extent I wasn’t disappointed. The race action – when you eventually get to it – is pretty decent and provides its viewer with a good account of the event, thus it gets the thumbs up. [MORE…]
The Big Jump The Tao of Travis Pastrana When we were kids and used to mess about on our pedal bikes during the school summer holidays, building ramps and daring each other to do bigger and more dangerous stunts, there was always one lad who never backed out when challenged to do something that was: a) impossible; and b) likely cause huge amounts of pain. Travis Pastrana was surely one of those kids. [MORE…]
Stefan Everts The Biography Among the plethora of sporting biographies jostling for space on the shelves at your local WH Smiths, finding a decent book about off-road motorcycling is like looking for a needle in a haystack; you’ve got more chance of finding Lord Lucan alive and well in the ‘True Crime’ section than any book offering more than a grudging reference to MX. [MORE…]
Stefan Everts MX Training & Racing Techniques SAND Volume One DVD How do you analyse genius? Impossible, some might say, but Stefan Everts’ new DVD features the ten-times world MX champ in fine form as he makes a fairly good job of dissecting the formidable riding techniques that saw him amass more silverwear than David Dickinson raiding the Queen Mum’s cutlery drawer. [MORE…]
Alpinestars Charger Kit Alpinestars’ 2007 Charger kit protected me well for over a year and I was extremely happy with it. My old red and black gear withstood wind, rain, mud, cowpats, plenty of crashes (including one on concrete) and the unsubtle attentions of the family washing machine with barely a wrinkle to show for it. What’s more, I also believe that it looked damn stylish, too. It’s fair to say then, that I liked my ‘07 Astars kit. Very much. [MORE…]
Alpinestars Racer Kit I guess that had I never become involved in off-road motorcycling (and avoided becoming a tofu munching, festival bothering hippy), I would never have owned a pair of yellow and blue trousers, let alone a complete outfit with matching gloves. [MORE…]
CTi2 Knee Braces Injuries play a big part in motocross, but injury prevention plays an even bigger one… Motocross has evolved dramatically over the years, and fortunately – thanks to extensive research and new technology – it’s become a much safer sport. [MORE…]
Alpinestars Adventure Dual Jacket Bondage trousers. Does this mean anything to you? Because if it does, and you used to rattle up the high street bedecked in the latest fashion in the late seventies, you’re are clearly older than you’re letting on, and, if you’re still riding motocross, you are doing pretty well! [MORE…]
SixSixOne Flight Icon Helmet I’m not usually one for changing things purely for the sake of it (that’s how I manage to defer decorating the living room, except for once every five years or so) and I tend to be the same with my riding gear. [MORE…]
Fox Vertigo Main Goggle When Swanny first handed me this extraordinary looking pair of Fox goggles I thought that he was having a laugh. Constantly referring to me as Tortoise is bad enough, but Zebra? [MORE…]
Airoh Stelt Rescue Helmet Having seen Airoh’s super-cool lids grace the heads of myriad world championship motocrossers I decided it was time yours truly blagged one for himself (for the purposes of testing, naturally). [MORE…]
CompMX Raceline Series Kit CompMX is a new brand of motocross riding gear that has recently appeared on the UK scene. When the kit first arrived at MotoX Towers I was immediately struck by the dramatic colours and the sharp, aggressive style. [MORE…]
Fox Boomerang 2 Boardshorts I gave these ‘boardies’ a thorough workout when on holiday last month and they served me well. [MORE…]
Spider Grips This is the latest piece of test equipment to find its way onto the MotoX long-term Suzuki. I have to say that I had not really found much wrong with the OEM grips and, although they are relatively hard, they were not uncomfortable. However, as Baseline Racing had been kind enough to include a set of the US-made Spider Grips with its box of goodies, it seemed rude not to give them a go. [MORE…]
CRD MX 9.6 End Can There’s a strange, unwritten law with dirt bike ownership that says: you must fit a different end can within weeks of purchase. When even the manufacturers don’t use their own silencers to go racing, you know that there’s a hidden message. And once you decide to commit the cash, there’s a bewildering range out there; from hand-built performance-enhancing exotica to budget models that, frankly, are about as good looking and effective as a length of drainpipe. [MORE…]
Electric EG1 MX Goggles Eye protection is a very subjective thing. Most goggles basically look and feel pretty similar because their only role in life is to defend your eyes from a whole host of nasty things that can threaten your precious mincers whenever you ride a motocross bike. [MORE…]
Baseline Racing Chain Block and Swingarm Slider OK, everyone knows that you’ve got discs in your spine, don’t they? Flat little jobbies that stop your vertebrae grinding each other into a mush. But unless you’ve actually had a slipped disc, or even worse, had a disc collapse, you really do not notice they are there – they just get on with the job of keeping things running smoothly without any care or maintenance. [MORE…]
Delkevic Knee Brace Sorry that I haven’t been keeping you up to date with my riding exploits lately (don’t say that you haven’t missed me!) but my budding riding career has been temporarily held up by a nasty injury. You remember that prolonged wet spell we had back at the beginning of spring? Well, despite the wet weather I had been practicing regularly on my scary Kawasaki KX250 two-smoker and, while I wouldn’t say that I had tamed the beast, we had still reached what I would describe as an understanding between us, if you get my drift. [MORE…]
CRD Radiator Braces It seems that no self-respecting kid in 2007 can go without a perfect set of pearly whites, thus braces are de rigueur for the myspace generation. From Hollywood starlets (and Ugly Betty) to my own youngest daughter, braces are, apparently, the way forward. So it was obvious that, in order to be ‘down with the kids’, I needed a set. However, with the long-term Suzuki considerably more attractive than myself, it took priority. [MORE…]
Samco Radiator Hoses ‘Don’t it always seem to go, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone…’ sang dough-faced Joni Mitchel in her retro classic hit Big Yellow Taxi. And that’s particularly true with radiator hoses – you don’t really notice them until they decide to spurt scalding, superheated water into your socks. [MORE…]
PodMX Knee Brace Like body armour, knee braces are a tetchy subject to some dirt bike riders who don’t consider them necessary and whose sole idea of injury prevention appears to be the wearing of a helmet (because they’re compulsory) and an elaborate tattoo that reads ‘No Fear’. This, they believe, demonstrates how hard they are, hence, they don’t need to wear any extra protection. That’s for poofters, innit? [MORE…]
Von Zipper Sizzle Goggle Motocross is one of the most fashion-driven sports imaginable, which is good because it always leaves the door open for new companies to come along and challenge the old guard every now and again. [MORE…]
Alpinestars Tech 7 Boot The latest mid-range motocross boot from Alpinestars is a beautifully crafted upgrade to the (already excellent) Tech 6. The ad men obviously spent a good couple of weeks brainstorming and, after countless focus groups, expensive lunches and ‘thought showers’, they finally settled on a name for the new boot … fanfare please … the Tech 7! Wow, inspiring. [MORE…]
Graf-fix Race Background Those with a keen eye will have noticed my KTM’s new number plates making their MotoX debut in my long-term report last month. [MORE…]
Sinisalo SCD Kit The first thing my missus said when I walked downstairs to show off my new Sinisalo gear was: ‘you look like a spaceman,’ which means either: a) she’s not seen many spacemen before; b) this gold and orange kit is pretty shiny and futuristic looking; or c) she’s a bit mental. [MORE…]
Ignition Racing dB Dawg As loyal readers will know, MotoX has a Suzuki RM-Z250 long-term test bike this year, looked after by the ever-capable Julian Challis. Now, being a thumper, the issue of noise raised its ugly head when JC applied to his local club so he could take part in a H&H event and, while the RM-Z is in no way the noisiest bike out there, the exhaust note from the standard end can is still pretty intrusive. What’s more, with so many practice tracks and race venues under pressure from decibel-obsessed killjoys, the issue is not going to go away. Thus, as a reaction to this threat, more and more clubs, both on the Hare and Hounds and MX circuit, are getting tough on noise limits. [MORE…]
Scott Bevo 89Xi WFS Goggles Those with a keen eye may have noticed that I’ve been knocking around in a pair of Scott’s Bevo Xi goggles for a wee while now and, while I genuinely love them to bits, over the winter months when my local MX track turned into a sloppy quagmire I was desperately in need of a little … extra. [MORE…]
Shift Faction Kit Now I’ve said this before, but there’s not really an awful lot you can say when it comes to testing a shirt and a pair of trousers, but here goes… [MORE…]
On the Pipe 3 ‘Another Hit’ DVD There are some people in this world that are capable of doing things on a motorcycle that are, to put it bluntly, unnatural. Most of those people seem to turn up on On the Pipe 3, and many of the incredible stunts that they pull are so terrifyingly nuts that they surely deserve to be hauled away by the men in white coats as soon as they touch down. [MORE…]
Berik OVS Pro RC When the world and his mum are wearing pure white MX boots it’s always nice to find something a bit different, and this pair of Berik OVS Pro’s that arrived at MotoX HQ at the end of last November definitely set you – well, me – apart out from the crowd. [MORE…]
Motrax Barstrap I’m all for the easy life, there’s no need making jobs more complicated than they need to be, and getting a bike strapped down in the back of a van should be a doddle, so why is it sometimes such a chore? [MORE…]
Unofficial Tech 10 sticker kit Now then, let me begin by stating that these aftermarket boot graphics are not official Alpinestars jobbies. No, they’re made by some enterprising British chaps and sold through Twig MX (www.twigmx.co.uk). [MORE…]
Kriega Hydro-3 Hydration Backpack Recently, while seeking advice prior to competing in a local Hare and Hounds event, I was strongly advised to make sure I wore some kind of Camelback or hydro-pack to help avoid the debilitating effects of dehydration during the event. Duly warned, I got hold of a Kriega Hydro-3 reservoir (stolen from under Swanny’s desk – don’t tell him!), filled it to capacity with three litres of fresh water laced with Lucozade, and ventured forth… [MORE…]
RacePrint Custom Shirts Why wear a boring standard riding jersey when you can have one customised with your own name and riding number? RacePrint customise race shirts with names, numbers and even sponsors logos (subject to copyright approval, of course) using a broad selection of font styles and colours. The custom shirt printing service also allows plenty of room for individual bespoke designs, so if you have a particularly creative streak RacePrint can accommodate your wildest flights of fancy. [MORE…]
2006 Maxxis British MX Championship DVD The 2006 Maxxis series delivered some of the closest battles seen in years, particularly in MX2 where an emergent Tommy Searle put the cat well and truly among the pigeons, by almost stealing the title from under the very nose of his older and more experienced rival, Carl Nunn. [MORE…]
MXdN 2006 DVD Whatever your final impressions were of the 2006 MXdN, from a spectator’s viewpoint it delivered just about everything that was expected in terms of on-track action. With RC unfortunately sidelined due to injury his compatriots in Team USA duly stepped up to the plate and did what they came to do, claiming the Chamberlin Trophy for a record 17th time. [MORE…]
Up & Go Grand Prix Lever Kit Now, I’d say that I am the least crash-prone out of all the MotoX team (well you’re obviously not trying hard enough – Ed). I have several theories why this is, not the least of which is that I ride slower than a pre-‘65 trials rider with a double puncture, but my finely-honed self-preservation instincts are based on a deep-seated phobia of something that most motocross riders will instantly understand – pain! [MORE…]
Knox Cross Sport Shorts I’ve been knocking about in these little beauties for a good six months now and, like my Alpinestars Bionic jacket, they’ve quickly become an essential part of my ‘feel safe’ kit. By that I mean: when I’m sporting them I feel protected; when I forget to throw them in the van and I get to the practice track without them I feel naked. [MORE…]
Race to Dakar DVD The Paris Dakar Rally is to off-road racing what the conquest of Everest is to mountaineers. Since the legendary rally’s inception in 1978 almost 30 people have died attempting it and scores more have been injured, some of them so badly that they face the rest of their lives unable to feed themselves without help, let alone ride a bike again. No walk in the park then, so what type of person is tough or insane enough to even consider taking on such a challenge? Amazingly, most people who attempt the Dakar Rally are fairly normal types as opposed to genetically modified super humans and actor Charley Boorman – despite being far more famous than 99% of his fellow competitors – is just such an everyday kind of guy. [MORE…]
Alpinestars Tech 8s Now then, I’ve had these here boots in my possession for a good few months now and, as you can imagine, the sheen has well and truly worn off and they’re looking far from box fresh. That said, I’ve been mightily impressed with the way they’ve stood up to general wear and tear (and being left in the back of the van, filthy, for weeks), and given that they still clean up nice ‘n’ white, it’s a thumbs up for quality of finish. [MORE…]
Supercross DVD This isn’t a roundup of the latest indoor AMA heroics from Stewart, Carmichael, Reed et al, no siree; this is a glossy teen movie telling the fictional tale of two motocross-obsessed brothers from the rough end of the paddock who aspire to achieving national supercross championship glory. [MORE…]
KBC Moto-X6 helmet When I joined the MotoX team earlier this year my riding kit consisted of some ancient Wulfsport kit, a pair of shocking pink Sidi Boots from the 1980s, an original pair of JT Racing ‘Mikkola’ gloves left over from my schoolboy scrambling days and a 10-year-old battle-scarred Bieffe Greg Albertyn replica helmet; not much to be proud of, I’m sure you’ll agree. [MORE…]
Fox Main Pro Goggles Virtually since birth I’ve been a dyed-in-the-wool Scott man, but I had the chance to try out these new goggles from Fox during an intensive day at Yamaha’s Off-Road school in Wales and I was very glad to have them along. [MORE…]
Half Way to the Top DVD Quite why Youthstream has opted to release an overview of the first half of the 2006 season just at a time when everything is winding up is beyond me, frankly. Maybe there are more plans to release another DVD concentrating on Everts’ historic 10th world championship and this is just an aperitif, but the timing of the release just seems so odd that Halfway to the Top feels about as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. [MORE…]
FDX 10/150 Power Washer & Baffled Water Tank Motocross and off-road riding in general is a great hobby but it can also be a mucky one. Not too long ago, fancy equipment like power washers were virtually unheard of in the paddock and particularly muddy or dusty meetings saw even the full-on factory teams resorting to washing their bikes in the nearest stream or river. [MORE…]
Motoskinz Custom Graphics Kit New graphics are a highly effective way of freshening up your bike for a relatively modest amount of cash, but the idea of sprucing up MotoX’s RM-Z250 long termer with some replacement graphics hadn’t really occurred to us until we took a call from custom graphic designers MotoSkinz, who originally contacted us to answer an enquiry from a reader who was looking for a set of Nate Adams replica graphics. [MORE…]
Propa-Lok Bike Shoe With off-road bike theft an ever present and very real threat, a decent security system isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. With that thought in mind, the Propa-Lok Bike Shoe could well be the ultimate motorcycle anti-theft device that will out fox the ingenuity of even the most determined and cunning thieves. [MORE…]
Airoh Runner Helmet I’ve been through quite a few skid-lids since I started work on MotoX magazine three years ago (not because I crash a lot, you understand, I am just a hopeless fashion-victim), but I have to put my hand on my heart (or helmet) and state without any doubt that this Airoh Runner motocross helmet is one of my favourites so far. [MORE…]
Pump-X Now then, before I start, let me say this: my test of this product was not scientific, it was neither measured particularly accurately nor is it conclusive, and thus it cannot be taken as 100% proof that Pump-X is the answer to your prayers, it just means that, for me, on this particular day, it happened to work okay. [MORE…]
Sidi Vortex Boots These Sidi boots have had a good workout lately. Although I am an office bod, I’ve enjoyed a few days riding with the MotoX editorial team, showing ‘em how it should be done. Sort of. To be fair to the lads, they have been trying their best to keep up with me and they’ve even showed me their front wheels a couple of times, but they’ve got to work harder. Despite the fact that I’m no stranger to the local fish n’ chip emporium, and I occasionally wash down the mushy peas with a beer, or seven, I’ve been going pretty well, even if I do say so myself. [MORE…]
These boots are made for crossin’… The last brand new MX boots I owned was an original pair of Alpinestar’s Roger De Coster replicas (the black ones with the polished steel shin guards and buckles that took forever to fasten, especially with cold or muddy fingers) that my mum bought me when I was 12. [MORE…]
Lazer MX6 Raptor Helmet I’ve had this lid for donkeys, well over two years, which says plenty about its quality, but more about value for money: at just £129, it was a bargain. I don’t look after it particularly well either, so its life has been anything but easy. [MORE…]
Planet Knox Cross Sport Jacket Knox are a UK motorcycle clothing company with well established roots in road racing but they’ve recently expanded their range of hi-tech body armour to include turf as well as tarmac, courtesy of their new Cross Sport Jacket, which is designed specifically for off-road riders. The Cross Sport’s road racing influence is clearly reflected in the ultra-modern body-suit, which comprises a lightweight mesh jacket or vest, designed to be worn beneath the racing jersey. The full set up also includes removable plastic pads for the forearms, elbows and back, which are held in place with quick-release fasteners and allow the rider to choose the level of protection required depending on track conditions or which parts of their anatomy are most precious. [MORE…]
Fox Strafer 2006 kit As dirt bike magazine journos we’re fairly lucky in that we don’t have to fork out for our own kit [perk of the job]. It’s offered to us for testing purposes, which is great, but the relationship works both ways: we get new kit to wear and the manufacturer – in this case Fox – gets exposure in the magazine. It’s a win win. [MORE…]
Sidi Flex Force boots Made from top grain leather, the Flex Force boots boast Sidi’s unique Side Replacement System [SRS], which can be quite handy due to the wear and tear caused by your bike’s exhaust pipe. It basically means you can replace the sides when they get knackered as apposed to the entire boot [much cheaper]. [MORE…]
Alpinestars Sport Boxer Briefs I know, I know, they’re pants: boxer shorts, but heh, they’re aimed at the motocross market so why shouldn’t we test them, eh? Anywho, they’re not a bad idea these briefs. You see, riding off-road can be tough on your dangly bits. What with hard seats, hard impacts and repetitive knocks your manhood can take a fair beating when it’s on the saddle [all the more reason to stand up when riding], so these little black numbers can offer a degree of protection. [MORE…]
Fox Transport Bag OK, so it’s just a bag, but we all need somewhere to keep our kit, and this is the Daddy when it comes to kit-keeping-capabilities! No word of a lie: I can curl up and crawl into this bag, it’s huge. Naturally, that size is great when you’re carting great lumps of kit around the country in the back of your van. When you can’t decide what to take, why not take it all? This bag will swallow it without worry. [MORE…]
PACED Documentary DVD/2005 MX1 World Chamionship DVD Having watched PACED and the 2005 MX1 World Championship DVDs back-to-back the impact is astonishing. PACED grabs you from the off and keeps your interest. The MX1 World Championship DVD, on the other hand, leaves you wondering how anyone can make such an exciting and dynamic sport like motocross look so dull and uninspiring. [MORE…]
Alpinestars Bionic Protector Jacket Now, like Marmite, these jobbies are either loved or despised. You either like or loathe the idea of covering every inch of your upper body in armour but, if like me you have, on average, at least three scary moments during each ride and one big crash, it’s worth its weight in gold. [MORE…]

Motox Issue 63
(June 2008)
on sale May 9

MotoX Magazine - The complete dirtbike mag

In this issue…
Antonio Cairoli
Stephen Sword
Rui Goncalves
Michele Rinaldi
Simon Lawson
Twin Shock Racing
Pro Am World Cup
2009 Pre-Production Bikes
Mallory Park
Top Ten Lottery Must Haves
Top Tips from the Pros NEW!
Guest Speaker: Roger Harvey
Josh Coppins
Ben Townley
Brad Anderson NEW!
Longterm KX250F
Longterm WR250F

PLUS!
Dedicated Youth Section
MotoX - Yoof - Dedicated Youth Section

[FULL CONTENTS HERE]

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