Motocross Community
From Mod Mania
MOTOCROSS MODIFICATION INDUSTRY
In 1924 the first off road motorcycle race was held known as Scrambles, held in the Northern Britain and were it increased rapidly in it’s popularity which has now developed in the modern sport known as motocross, With the success that developed and popularity of the sport other European nations adopted the motorcycle racing style. Inevitably there were rapid developments in the style of the racing and the tracks, the tracks took the most rapid development with the circuits becoming shorter, therefore integrating the need for laps. As the addition of these changes to the track, tracks became plateaued and a need for more excitement was craved, jumps were introduced in the circuits. By the 1930’s with all the development that motocross had undergone, competitions formed which led to competitors needing the best equipment to handle the rugged surfaces and impacts the motorcycles were put under when landing the jumps. It was not only the bikes that required the need for better equipment to handle the conditions, the changes that the motorcycles undertook was also to the benefit of the rider’s comfort.
During this 1930’s period there was a rapid amount of modification made on the motorcycles. The largest and most momentous development was the movement from rigid frames to the introduction of firstly the front fork suspension. This allowed for a reduction of shock impact when the motorbike would come back down to the track from being airborne. The suspension would compress, allowing the motorcycle to land smoothly and continue racing. Not only did this take stress off the motorbikes frame, it also reduced the amount of arm pump that is created in the rider’s for arm when landing and handling the motorbike around the circuit.
After the development of the front fork suspension was the introduction of the swing arm in the 1950’s. The swing arm suspension allows there to be movement in the rear wheel of the motorcycle. This new suspension system along with the front fork suspension dramatically increased the amount of rider comfort for the rider and meant that greater speeds could be generated when riding over jumps. These major modifications from the rigid frame motorcycle have meant that the common dirt bike can be used for more then just motocross racing but also freestyle motocross.
With the ability for high level riding and exciting speeds being developed around these tracks has lead to four major competitions. These competitions are the, FIM motocross world championship, Motocross des Nations, AMA motocross and Supercross championships that have massive amounts of sponsorship money supporting top level motocross teams. With the booming industry and constantly emerging teams the most sort after and powerful brands seen in sponsorship are energy drink brands such as Red Bull, Monster Energy and Rockstar. These brands are also often seen on motorbikes with the same coloured bike. For privately owned motorbikes it is not a common sight to see people by sticker kits for their motorbikes with a clash of colours. Secondly to energy drink brands for sponsorship is aftermarket parts for a motocross bike such as exhaust brands, clutch part companies and oils for the engine. Similarly to the energy drink brands there is a common theme seen with aftermarket parts on private bikes with brands that sponsor top level teams seen on a same brand motorbike. For companies that manufacture aftermarket parts for increasing the performance of a motocross bike have an issue to supply to the world with products that are not only reliable for private bike owners but also affordable, with owning and running a motocross bike being very expensive. It is not an issue for top level motocross teams who can afford to replace a part on the bike for very little money with the benefits of sponsorship, it is however an issue for people who ride recreationally or race at open days around the world who buy a product often on a budget who can only afford to buy for example a mid range $700 dollar exhaust once or twice in the life time of their motorbike. There are some products that have established a quality to such a level that you cannot doubt the price tag that is placed on the item. Unlike an exhaust which usually has a good life span, there are some parts on a bike that need regular changing such as clutches, piston rings and the drive chain to name a few of high ware parts. These are the parts which are often modified by private owners a need good reliability from products with these needing to be changed regularly.
With the style of riding in this sport and the type of terrains that are ridden on all the components of a motocross bike are put under much duress, there are common themes that are seen in the modification process surrounding these machines. The most common and cost effective modification that is undertaken is the change of the appearance or people’s ability to personalize their bike. These are done with the purchases of sticker kits that are put on a new plastic cover. A lot of the sticker kits that are purchased are those that replicate the top America motocross team’s logos. With the accumulation of dust and dirt on a bike there is a lot of cleaning and rubbing occurring on these sticker edges. With all these cleaning process, the manufactures of such sticker kits need to ensure that their product will have a long life. Similarly with aftermarket performance parts as stated before for example exhaust manufactures need to ensure that their part is durable enough to withstand the all the impacts that a motocross bike sustains.
Therefore since 1924, companies that have had involvement with the modification process of motocross bikes, have had to provide and develop products that will endure the environments that one of these machines are used in. With the need to provide a product that is durable, these companies need to ensure that they are creating a financially viable item that means individuals can modify their bike with a product that will perform to a high level, have a long life span and not hurt the pockets of the motocross community.
- http://www.sportscomet.com/ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motocross - http://www.xsportz.com.au/
