In Preparation: New Set Ups for the East
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 | 4:00 PM
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PrintWhat does it take to set up a bike to win races at the highest level? Constant change. Our own Steve Matthes, former factory Yamaha mechanic, explains the set up options available to go from the opening rounds in California and Texas to this weekend’s event in Pennsylvania.
The teams have raced exactly two out of the twelve rounds in Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross, and conditions in both of those rounds were pretty unique to each area. First up was Hangtown with its sawdust and a combination of California dirt. The berms look solid but they are ready to give way if you slammed into them too hard. The ruts weren’t very deep and the bumps developed into square edges with no give.
The next week in Texas, the racers faced sand and more sand with a hard base underneath. The track developed nice and rough. This was Texas, in the center of America, and it had it’s own unique characteristics.
Hangtown is a combination of sawdust and California dirt.
Photo: Simon Cudby
Starting this week, at the venerable High Point Raceway, the teams and racers will face a true east coast motocross track. They’ll have to get used to having softer dirt, deep ruts, off-cambers and maybe a touch of rain in the air because there’s a 60 percent chance of it on Saturday.
A lot of teams run the 90 size front tire at the first couple of races, which has a taller sidewall and allows for more plant on the track. This weekend, the 90 tire might not work as well due to the ruts. More plant means the tire doesn’t fit into a rut as well and the front end grabs a bit. Many racers opt to go with the more standard 80 front tire.
On the back, most teams run a 120 which is the widest tire you can get that fits on a 450. With the advent of four-strokes and their tremendous torque and horsepower, the 120 tire is widely used by everyone. But just like the front tire, with the High Point track being more like a slot car track in places, some guys might just try to get in and out of the ruts a little quicker and try the 110 rear size.
High Point features softer dirt, deep ruts, and off-cambers.
Photo: Simon Cudby
As far as bike set-up, most of the teams test extensively in Southern California, and they get to a point where they want the power, but they want it to be delivered in a smooth manner. You have to be able to hold on and ride aggressively for 35 minutes, and you don’t want to battle the front end of your bike constantly coming up on you.
After the first practice at High Point, you’ll find teams will be trying to find that extra snap for the machines due to the dirt. The tackier nature of the High Point soil (and the ruts) will grab a bike and suck it down. A bike that seems more than fast enough at Hangtown might be lacking that little bit of snap to get in and out of the turns at High Point. Also, the bumps coming in and out of the turns have a bit more give to them, so the suspension may need an adjustment.
So as you can see, there are plenty of things that go into setting a motorcycle up underneath some of the world’s fastest racers and track to track, and weekend to weekend, there are multitude of things that riders and teams can do to try prepare for battle. But the first Eastern-based motocross of the season, at High Point, is often the toughest to prepare for, because this track and soil is tremendously different than what the teams have seen in testing, and through the first two rounds.
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another hoooooole shooooot
Wow , looks pretty , nice rolling hills, greean grass, and great dirt!!
I appreciate the article because it does shed some light on some lesser known things that teams do.
However the line "So as you can see, there are plenty of things that go into setting a motorcycle up underneath some of the world’s fastest racers..." is misleading. All that was written about was tire width and "finding extra snap". Whatever that means.
Maybe a bit more info. about suspension and engine work next time?
your an idiot. this whole article is wrong
It's "You're" not "your".
Does the Wow in your name stand for "Wow, I can't spell?"
Clutch, Engine, Suspension, Fuel Tank, Seat, Horn, Mirrors, Grips, Sponsor Decal selection, swing arm bearings, chain, spockets,
Lots of changes
Matthes good come back!
Damn Matthes, Hangtown had rice hulls not sawdust, It works much different, love ya!
HighPoint SetUp Tip: Remove the wash plug from the bike's exhaust. Was on a CR250 a few years ago for Amateur Day. How the bike ran at ALL with the plug in the muffler I don't know. We were pitted right by the practice-session track entrance, I was trying out wearing earplugs for the first time, and had my helmet on when I started it. "Hmmm, bike sounds weird, guess it's the earplugs and all the 4strokes around me." Immediately downhill and then steep uphill with a little double halfway up. Gassin it downhill and, "Wow, maybe it's cold or maybe I just THINK I'm gassin it and am really a big puss." Then I am downshifting just to make it up the hill. In 1st and still not gonna make it. Pull off to the right of the hill and look back... A whole hillside of people watch (all the other bikes are gone) as I shut down, reach around to remove the exhaust plug... and cant figure a place to store it. So I pull forward on my pants and drop it into my jock strap (old habit, played sports in college, gotta wear a strap if I am gonna sweat, can't break it, don't argue the point, move on). I have done this with small items before, but guess what? It's hot. Hot with got 2stroke exhaust spooge on it. This really hurts and I am not sure exactly how this manifested itself in my body language, but I heard a lot of laughter coming across the valley. Re-fired the bike, resumed my 2-3 laps, and returned to the pits. Kinda forgot about it, really, until I nonchalantly removed my gloves while talking to a little gaggle of our girlfriends/wives, reached into my crotch, and pulled out "motorcycle parts." They still talk about it.
Matthes,
Way to give "wow" a Stevie Matt slap!
pegs were scraping at hangtown in the ruts and you say ruts werent that deep
kenney says suck it
theres so many tracks in the east and southeast with rich tacky clay-like mud.
I don't know where to start, first off, hangtown was not "sawdust and california dirt", the ruts were knee deep, and their weren't berms just rutted out corners with blown out rice hulls. Define "california dirt" because the dirt changes all over california from southern to northern you can find anything from concret type dirt, to beach sand. wtf were you even walking the track? anyone who was there would agree with this whole comment, terrible article steve, its pretty sad a 20 year old knows more than you.
I'm sure JGR.. will be "swapping the pull rods , adjusting the clickers and advancing the timing for a little more torque , you wanna sticker? "...cause Loc Dog don't play no trick a*s bi*#hes......WORD.
@ ElsiRacer, That my friend is some funny shat!!!!!
ya Elsinore thats funny! or the old lose the seat during a moto! Looking for Villo & Wilson up front this weekend!
That Elsinore was the equivalent of stepping onto the ice with skate guards on. Too funny!! Go B's!!!!!!!
I have to admit I'm a little disappointed with this toothless article after reading the title. I thought perhaps it would have some real factory wrench set-up info.
So what type of suspension adjustments would a team make to compensate for bumps exiting turns that may have more give to them?? I'm not being sarcastic; this is the type of info most riders/readers i know would love to know and learn.
Geez Matthes, do you guys take the same secrecy oath as workers in Area 51?
I hope no one over at Factory suzuki fergets to put enough gas in the damn thing to make it go.....say a whole moto or so?? Or that isn't preperation anymore?
Like many of the people that left comments I was so ready to see Matthes give us some good set up info. I was anxiously waiting to see the suspension setup changes. When I finally read the article it was like watching Reed rail the berm and setup for the Quad that everyone else is doubling through, except every lap he just rolls through, single, single, single, single.
@ Elsinore yes that story was good myde my day lol the motocycle parts was really good and hey I alway wore a jock strap when I raced or practiced I though it was commen sense, No offence Steve but this article about bike changes was pretty lame, maybe you had writers block I like most of your articles. Heck I made more chacges on my bike from track to track in texas than you mentioned Steve. I kept a log aon setting that worked for the diferent tracks even for the changes for suspension fror the motos.Even in the 80's I was using coolers rto keep my gas cool and used these thermal dots , indicators to measure my head cylender and other parts to see how my bike was running along with monitoring shock and for temps.
With a intro saying "Matthes explains bike changes for the weekend" I gather from the article, everyone slaps on narrow tires and re-maps EFI for "a bit more snap" and then head to the starting gate. I suppose the factory guy's might also lube their muffler bearings for the east coast setup!
Hey Joe ^- That $50/gal VP 4.1 race fuel they use boils in the low to mid 90 degree temps- the Suzuki vapor locked. Maybe the thermal transfer properties of the aluminum tank? Damn engineers...
Very funny Elsinore. Sounds like something I would do.
so maybe a extra pint of gas mighta made the difference ya mean? D.N.F.
I burn esso gas in my briggs n stratton...never vaporlocks.
tonewall,
Quote of the century!
Wow, what a bunch of whiney freakin' crybabies around here anymore. Its like a blog of 10 year old girls. @SHANE H. guess what?? No matter if the dirt is from North or South, its still " from California right" So its California dirt, you whiner.. the cry-babies are never happy with nothing. Its a free site and everyone wants everything that THEY think is perfect. Go away!!
Those rice hulls really suck the power out of a bike, so at hangtown i put a blue powerband on my nami bullet-450 and it worked really well, i think i'll just stick with that setup for the first practice at highpoint....
I read in yamaha fiction magazine that the universal fix for any bike is to add one tooth to the rear sprocket, so if the blue powerband isn't enough, i'll break out my orange helmet and try plan-B...
Elsinore...that story just made my day. Very funny stuff.
title should have read:
In Preperation- New Concession Stand Snacks in the East.
matthes would have nailed that article.