Dirt Action

big mx boots to fill

You may have heard by now that the long-standing editor of this here mag, Damien Ashenhurst, has decided to step on back from the bullpen and take a stroll down some avenues that veer away from the hustle and bustle of off-road media. Damo has been a veritable institution in these pages, fronting DIRT ACTION for the past 11 years, building it into what I reckon is the best mag in the game. And that’s not me being biased either. I have been an avid reader since Damo’s father, Barry, was steering the ship, so it’s a huge undertaking, and a little daunting, to step in to try and fill those rather humongous shoes. I mean, how do you measure up to a bloke who has seen and done pretty much…

kamfari – 2nd may 2021

Mud, sweat and gears will be flying in Australia’s Top End on the first weekend in May. The legendary Kamfari enduro (four-hour mud race) is turning 50 and you are all invited. If you’re up for a challenge, contact the awesome team at the Kamfari Facebook page who can help you work out logistics to get yourself and your bike to the race. The Kamfari is held at Cox Peninsula, which is about an hour’s drive outside Darwin, Northern Territory. The Darwin Motorcycle Club will assist with information regarding accommodation options, vehicle hire, bike setup and interstate transport tips to make an awesome adventure to suit your budget. It’s not as hard as you think and with borders now open, it’s time to ride. C&R Constructions is on board yet again…

2022 honda crf450 sneak peek

Honda America recently announced its ever-popular CRF450 line-up for next year, featuring six new models to suit a variety of riders and terrains. The benchmark is still the CRF450R, with the 2022 model featuring some ECU tweaks and different valving in the suspension that the Honda boffins reckon make the bike handle more responsively than ever before. Our American cousins will also be getting the CRF450WE, which stands for “Works Edition”, and receives a laundry list of upgrades like a Yoshi pipe and Showa forks. There’s also the enduro race-spec CRF450RX and its sibling the CRF450X, which features the same enduro-friendly features we’ve come to know and love over the years. The CRF450L is being marketed as the most tar-friendly of the bunch, and wrapping things up is the CRF450R-S,…

ya just can’t kill the mighty klr650

When it comes to things that die hard, Bruce Willis has nothing on the venerable Kawasaki workhorse. Two short years after being discontinued, the mighty Kwaka is back from the dead. While it won’t be setting any lap records at your local track, it’s still one of the better allround touring motorcycles on the planet. Given it’s pushing 35 years old, the MY22 KLR six-fiddy has been given a modernity makeover to keep it competitive with the sexier dual-sports on the market. The bike is available in two models, the KLR and the KLR Adventure, which (finally) feature fuel injection and sport a 23L tank. This means the range on these things should be nothing short of spectacular, while there’s the usual slew of genuine accessories that enable you to…

the lone ranger

As if Yamaha didn’t have enough to crow about when it unleashed the YZ400F and YZ426F motocross thumpers — when the YZ250F small-bore pleasure machine came along immediately after, the men in blue were crowing about ruling the roost. Hot on the heels of the thundering MX race bikes came the WR-F range of trail/enduro models, which immediately jumped to the top of the Australian dirtbike sales and registration stats. What’s curious, though, is while other brands have fought back hard in the 400cc to 450cc four-stroke trail/enduro category against the WR400F and WR426F, the WR250F stands tall and proud as the Lone Ranger in the 250cc four-stroke ranks. When it was introduced two seasons ago — as a 2001 model — the WR250F was accompanied by more than a little…

gasgas 2021 launch

Rolling up to the Hampton Halfway Hotel and seeing such a nice-looking venue in the middle of nowhere with bright-red GASGAS flags and banners out the front, I just knew it was going to be a great two days. Walking in the doors, the staff greeted me and I could see two flame-red motos lurking in the background next to a big screen and a mannequin kitted out head to toe in GASGAS gear. We did a little meet and greet before jumping straight into the presentation. We found out some key information about the new range and it was cool to hear a bit of history behind it all and the way that they want to market the brand. One of the main things I took away was that GASGAS isn’t…