Vital MX

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Daniel Blair was recently named Team Manager for the Orange Brigade. He tells us why this job was perfect for him, what his vision is for the future, and if he's still going to do tv for Supercross!

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Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey talks to us about his exciting comeback for the 2022 Summer! What he learned, how much he enjoyed it and he answers the big question on if he'll continue racing...

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Malcolm Stewart discusses recovering from his knee injury, being back at the races, fishing, and much more.

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Andrea Leib, Director and Founder of On Track School and Learning Solutions runs us through their program and how they got started. Along with how they're helping change the way up and coming motocross racers and children in general can take charge of their education and chase their passions.

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Here is the full roundtable discussion of the 2022 Vital MX 450 Motocross Shootout. Each bike has its own video and there is a full written article with rider notes, weights, dyno charts, and more if you want to read that as well. But since you are here, we present the uncut rider opinions and discourse for the 450 shootout where we dig into each bike, one by one, to talk about pros and cons and what each of the testers changed to get the bikes to their liking. 

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Aldon Baker is the number-one name in motocross training. He changed the game with Ricky Carmichael and never looked back. Obviously, he knows what he’s talking about when it comes to fitness, nutrition, gym work, bike work, cardio, and every other physical piece of the training puzzle. But we sometimes forget that the squishy, grey mass between our ears is what is controlling us and controlling the bike. 

With the bikes being so good, and nutrition and fitness being at such a high level, where does the mental factor fit in this puzzle? Confidence, ego, pressure, fear, anger, aggression, calm, focus… The mind is a roiling torrent of thoughts and feelings and every racer has to deal with negative, and positive emotions, to get the most out of all the hard physical work that they put into their program. Aldon talks about how each rider is different, but ultimately it is a balance of confidence, respect, fun, and hard work. 

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Triple clamps are one of those big-ticket items for motocross bikes that can really change the way a machine handles. Stock triple clamps on modern motocross bikes are pretty good and are way better than they have been in the past. Yet, with most parts, OEMs have to make some compromises for cost and ease of manufacturing. Aftermarket triple clamps can be lighter, stronger, flexier, and have different offsets to change the turning characteristics of the bike. To dig into the science behind triple clamps, we met up with Billy Wight of Luxon MX, a newer player in the triple clamp space. We talk about materials, manufacturing, testing, and more. Enjoy. 

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In the moto world, people were happy with coiled metal in their bike’s fork. Then came the air fork and on paper, everything sounded great! Way lighter, change ‘spring’ rates at the track, tons of adjustability, better handling… The list went on and on. In reality, things weren’t so awesome. Most riders weren’t a huge fan of the ride feel, but the real sticky booger was that the setup and pre-ride requirements were not only confusing but just a pain in the butt! After a few years, motocross bikes returned to coil springs, that is except for the moto bikes coming from Austria. WP was the lone hold out of the air fork and that is what you will find today on all KTM, Husqvarna, and GASGAS’ motocross bikes. With a much simpler design, and continued development and refinement, these are the pinnacle of air fork technology. But there are plenty of riders out there who just have a bad taste in their mouth about air forks. We grab Leigh Crawford of WP USA to talk all about air forks: How they work, the pros and cons, how to adjust them, when they work best, how they are different than other brands’ air forks, and much more. So grab your fork pump and inflate your brain with some air fork knowledge!

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We are obsessed with making our motocross machines faster, yet today we want to talk about slowing down. Motocross brakes are simple on one hand, but with all the different parts and pieces, are nearly infinitely complicated on the other. Factor in the rider preference (which varies a surprising about from rider to rider) and you have a dynamic, multi-faceted system with no one correct solution. We talk with Sando Milesi, CEO of Galfer USA, about all the ways you can increase the performance, personalization,  and durability of your dirt bike's braking systems. 

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It has been 13 years since the launch of the Leatt Neck Brace, the first motocross neck brace on the market. Over the years there seems to have been peaks and valleys in acceptance and usage. We recently got to talking with some of our testers and riding buddies about neck braces in general and it seemed like a lot of them were in the same boat... That is, they tried an early version years ago and weren't immediately comfortable, so they never tried it again. Or, they heard a pro rider or prominent trainer say they don't believe in them, so they don't either. 
Personally I'm in the first group... someone that tried one the early braces, found it somewhat bulky, heavy, intrusive and never gave it another try, even though today they are much lighter, sleeker, and more comfortable and customizable. We sat down with Chris Leatt, the founder and inventor of the Leatt Brace to rehash the neck brace conversation. Listen as he explains the scientific and medical data behind a neck brace and motocross protection in general.