Custom Motorcycle Cables

Ride Freestyle Motocross

If you are reading this then I will presume that you have an interest in participating in the sport of freestyle motocross. This is an inherently dangerous activity and those who participate in this sport will be subjected to injury. Like driving your car, it isn't a question of if you will be involved in an incident; the question is when, and to what degree. But this sport is radical; flying your motorcycle while performing a flashy maneuver is extremely satisfying. If you are still stoked to get involved in this sport, then I will explain to you how to get involved, and how to preserve yourself so you will have many years to express your individuality.

I won't bore you with the history or origins of FMX because no one cares...let's just get out there, have fun, and stay safe.

The way you setup your bike for Freestyle is really your business, but there are several modifications that MUST be made to your bike to make it capable of flying you around.

Choosing a bike is important because each make and model has their own unique specifications. You should choose a bike based on your own capabilities and style. If you are looking for a bike, be cautious and calculated in your choice. The best engine for freestyle is arguably a 250; its balanced power and maneuverability combination is choice among competitive riders. If you are an inexperienced rider who only plans on throwing down for fun, then a 125 is probably your economic choice because it is lighter than a 250, and doesn't have the powerful torque of one either. The drawback of the latter is judging what gear to hit the ramp with...more on this later...If you already own a bike, be it a 125, 250, 450, two stroke, four stroke, whatever, you will want to make sure the bike is clean and well maintained before you even think about modding it. If you're just an average trail rider with a poor excuse of a ride, then stay on the trails and out of the air.

Now that you have a bike that is in good shape, it's time to start the tedious, I mean fun work of taking stuff off, and putting stuff on.

We will start with shaving down the seat foam. Cutting down your seat foam is necessary to be able to move around on the bike. It also helps make your grab holes more accessible. The first step in doing this is to remove your seat cover. This you can do with a small flat head screw driver. Pry out each staple and simply pull the cover off. Now here is where you must use your creativity any way you want to. The goal is to shave down the foam to about two inches in the front, and about an inch or less where your butt goes near the grab holes. You can use any electrical cutting tool or band saw, it's your preference, just take your time so you do not screw up. When your improved seat is finished, staple the seat cover back on using a staple gun and reinstall the seat nice and tight.

Ok this is going to be a long article, so if you've made it this far, then know that this is just the beginning. If you are serious about this then you have a lot of work ahead of you. Boy I should charge duckets for this information...maybe I will. Ok enough of my tangent. The next thing to do is to put in grab holes. You will want to take off the side panels, examine where the holes should be in relation to your comfort. Bear in mind that the sub frame is what you will be grabbing on your tricks. Make a mark on where, how wide, and how deep you want the holes to be...being creative with it. Heat up the area to be cut along with your cutting tool, which should be an exacto knife or a dremel cutting wheel. Make sure to grind down the sharp edges and put the panels back on. If there is a significant space between the sub frame and the seat, I would consider cutting off the two plastic knobs on the seat that rest on the sub frame. That will keep the seat on the sub frame and it looks and feels better with the grab holes, but do whatever suits your desire.

Now that the seat is shaved down and grab holes are installed, it is time to look at the motor. You really only have to look at the carburetor to improve power delivery. Stay away from intake reeds that increase rpms, a really fast bike is not what you want for freestyle. Personally I have the needle almost all the way down with the air screw two turns open. I have a stock silencer and an FMF fatty pipe, a large rear sprocket, and a tight, lubed chain to maximize low end power; I don't have a high top end power, but it pulls ridiculously. As far as the jetting and fuel mixture, go for the best performance. Have a shop look at it and make sure you don't blow up your engine running the wrong mix.

Finally the suspension should be nice and stiff. Stock suspension is really good if you set the rebound nicely by the clickers. Consider adjusting the spring and valve specs on the bike with your weight, this will give proper suspension as if you were racing pro supercross. This will be good for gaps from 20- 80 feet, if you plan on the big time 100+ feet gaps, consider getting extra damping on the bottom third of the suspension stroke. If you don't know what I just talked about, then read the manual, then have a technician help you.

This is freestyle, so you can do whatever you want, be creative, use your intellect and set everything up the way you want to base on your style. Create some custom graphics, change up the look of your ride, keep it fresh, and don't forget to change the oil, lube your chain, wash the bike, clean the air filter, lube the cables, and keep up on the regular maintenance.

Now that your ride is set for hitting the ramps and riding the courses, it's time to make sure you have the right gear to keep yourself safe, and keep flexible.

I'm going to be a hypocrite here but you should consider getting a bullet proof vest. Regular chest protectors restrict movement and are not used by riders for this reason. However, BP vests provide protection of your vitals while leaving you more able to get around. I do not have either and risk serious injury to my thoracic region. Actually, my right lung collapsed twice recently, and was probably due to a crash I had at the end of September.

You need to make sure you have a helmet, goggles, gloves, and boots when you ride. You may also consider limb pads for your arms and legs. A neck protector may come in handy, and a lower back brace is used by some of the big time pros like Twitch, and Adams.

Now I would head over to your local supercross track and start practicing your riding skills. When you build confidence on the track, and become more comfortable with your riding, start busting some moves on the bigger lips and gaps. You will want to be able to hit a ramp, so now you got to build one, or buy one.

If you buy a used ramp, make sure it is a rev 3 model; rev 1s don't fold up and rev 2s are a little too shallow. They usually run between 2000-5000 dollars, and you must pick it up. If you elect to build a ramp, you must decide on a wooden or steel ramp. Steel is more reliable because it will not bow, and it isn't slippery. You need to haggle with a welding and fabrication shop to get a deal, or you need skill in this area. Buy yourself the ramp plans at FMXramps.com, or fmxschool.com. Take the plans to your local shop, and make a deal. Now that you will have your ramp on its way, we need a place to put it.

Now is where things get complicated, freestyle's number one enemy are lawsuits. Liability is a big problem and it keeps many would-be riders out of the action. Finding a place to build a course, or finding a track that has FMX ramps along with their MX tracks are very scarce in the US, and even in Australia, where FMX is more popular, FMX is being shut down by faggot lawyers. It's complicated enough to build a ramp, a course to ride on, and maintain it, but now you need insurance on your own property, and if you're lucky to be connected with other professionals, you can ride at places like Durnhamtown GA, and Youngstown OH. Other places to ride would be the Mulisha Compound in Temecula CA, and the RIVC compound in Irvine CA. It is unlikely you would get to ride at any of those professional practice areas, so you are stuck jumping on your own land, or a very supportive friend's land. Be persistent and again, you will need to fight for your right to ride. Someday there will be public FMX courses, but today it is still very much underground.

Hopefully you've been successful thus far, you have a place to ride, and your skills are improving. It is now time to get into an amateur contest. Since the sport is underground it will take some time to find one, but there are a couple. For example, FMX EAST has at least two a year in Ohio and Georgia, and there are always smaller ones like Dirtstock.

You should consider grabbing a sponsor or two to get discounts on gear, as well as a shot at doing a show or getting into a contest. I will throw up an article on this, but is like applying for a job.

If you do not feel like entering into an amateur contest, or getting a sponsor because of the responsibility, and feel your trick list is getting consistent and decent, you can make a five minute video of you throwing down a run of your best tricks. The IFMA do shows all around the country, as well as exhibitions with Monster Jam. They will accept any decent rider, but they must qualify in a preliminary run to be in the show for that weekend. This information is extremely valuable. If you follow these steps, and have a lot of luck, you will be well on your way of getting your name out there in the freestyle industry. This information is more than adequate enough to at least educate you about how you should go about pursuing this awesome activity, if you are hungry for more, then stay tuned, because we have more coming at you.