Still The Same
Story and Photos by Trevor Hunter
Just like clockwork, we find ourselves working late nights in the garage, making hundreds of phone calls, texts, and emails, and over stressing every little detail in preparation to head to Glen Helen in early October for the annual 24 Hours of Glen Helen.
Spanning 24 continuous hours from 10am Saturday morning through 10am Sunday morning, teams traverse the 10 mile course day and night battling silt, dust, ruts, rocks, high speed chop, lappers, and more. Finishing this race is an achievement in itself, and winning is that much sweeter! This year, most of our usual crew was limited due to injuries so instead of racing the Pro class with a serious 4-man effort, we checked our egos, gather a group of friends and went and battled some of the top magazines and media sites in the Business class. 24.5 hours and 66 laps later, the Dirt Bike Test crew topped the Business class, besting Motocross Action, Cycle News, Dirt Rider, and more and finished 8th Overall, despite some mechanical issues early in the night. In order to do this, we have to start with finding the “best” bike for the job. Again, this year we set out to race Yamaha’s YZ450FX.
As we said earlier, we were set back with a few injuries in the months leading up to the race, leaving us with zero pre-race prep as we’d normally do. As a result, we stuck to a very familiar setup that resembled our successful package that we raced last year. However, we made some changes overall, mainly in the suspension department, to accomodate for the different riders and the level that we were coming in with. The YZ450FX is a great base overall with a superb and powerful motor, capable of being tuned for FREE with the GYTR Tuning App, and one that doesn’t need any modifications.
The engine is left stock, aside from a Stator and Flywheel out of a WR450F to increase power output for lighting through the night. Using a 2024-2025 WR450F Stator (Part #: BNK-81410-02-00) and Flywheel (Part #: BNK-81450-00-00), we were able to power the XL80 with no issues. To power the XL Pro, we used these battery packs which can power the lights for roughly four hours a piece. To read more about powering lights on a bike, check out our Tech Tip articles HERE and HERE.
TCS Powersports handled the suspension tuning for us. Running .50 kg fork springs and a 6.0 kg/mm shock spring for our average weight of 165lbs, Todd at TCS has worked with us to develop some valving that softens the initial feel and small bump compliance while retaining and increasing the bottoming resistance for the bigger hits, all with a smooth, progressive feel through the stroke. Due to our lack of testing time this year, we ran a stock shock setting (with the 6.0 spring) and an experimental fork setting that resembled the new YZ250F with preloaded pressure springs and valving similar to the motocross bike. While there were some promising aspects to the valving style, we could use some fine tuning for better small bump comfort in the fork while getting back to our own shock setting that offered more comfort.
At the back of the bike, we ran a lot of different parts from stock with most aimed at durability/comfort. To start, we ran TM Designworks’ Slide-N-Guide Kit to replace the stock worn components with a beefy plastic rear chain guide that can withstand abuse against rocks and ruts paired with their front chain slider. A Guts Racing “Wide” Seat Foam is a much better and more comfortable seat shape and foam over stock, something we like for 30 minute motos but deem necessary for a 24 hour long endurance race. DDC Sprockets handled the gearing and we went with the 14/52 gearing.
The 14/52 setup helps lengthen each gear, makes the lower gears more usable, and more importantly, helps the chassis feel of the bike. Going up on each end of the sprockets, it helps relieve the chassis and softens the hit under acceleration. We do this gearing more for chassis feel, but we do like the effect on the power as well. Some of our heavier/slower riders prefer 14/53 for slightly tighter gaps and to be able to run third gear longer, but it varied based on weight, corner speed, etc. The gearing change lengthens the gears, makes the lower gears more usable, and mellows the initial hit while overall providing an electric, connected feel from your wrist to the rear wheel.
Baehr Concepts’ Dry-Break Cap worked flawlessly all race long, keeping dirt out of our tank and holding a tight seal with no issues falling off or coming lose despite 24 pit stops. You can contact them to order your own HERE.
Baja Designs handled the lighting for us once again with an XL80 clear/XL Pro amber combo using a Modified Machine Works cage to protect the setup. Using a 2024-2025 WR450F Stator (Part #: BNK-81410-02-00) and Flywheel (Part #: BNK-81450-00-00), we were able to power the XL80 with no issues. To power the XL Pro, we used these battery packs which can power the lights for roughly four hours a piece. To read more about powering lights on a bike, check out our Tech Tip articles HERE and HERE.
Luxon’s 23.5mm Gen3 Offset Clamps increase stability, help cornering, and overall help the feel of the bike. One thing we didn’t like about last year’s setup was the increased firm hand feel through the handlebars with them, but we’re experimenting with new bar mounts to increase comfort.
A Precision Racing Products Steering Dampner is a nice touch that bolts easily to the handlebars and works well with a smooth action throughout the range.
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