QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 32 LEADERBOARD PEORIA TT. Is Good For Wiles

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1 QUICK LINKS IN THE WIND 32 LEADERBOARD PEORIA TT Is Good For Wiles

2 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 UNADILLA MX RAIN OR SHINE IT S MUSQUIN AGAIN AUSTRIAN MOTOGP MORE THAN A THRILLER SONOMA MOTOAMERICA BEAUBIER DELIVERS AT HOME TENNESSEE KNOCKOUT WEBB, JARVIS BATTLE IT OUT ALSO Rapid City Half Mile Swiss MXGP KTM 300 XC Project ARCHIVES: J.N. Roberts

3 ROUND 14 / AUGUST 13, 2017 PEORIA RACE PARK / PEORIA, ILLINOIS FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P88 Henry Wiles leads the way on the modified Peoria TT track. Lucky Henry13 For King One of the largest crowds in recent history came out to the Peoria Motorcycle Club s Race Park for the much-anticipated return of the big twin cylinder machines to the fabled TT. Round 14 of the American Flat Track championship featured the new bikes, a new track configuration and the same winner as the last 12 years. Henry Wiles continues to defy the odds and rack up wins in Thunder Valley. A lot of people asked what I thought about this

4 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P89 Henry Wiles makes it 13 straight at Peoria TT BY DAVE HOENIG PHOTOGRAPHY BY HOENIG AND FLAT TRAK FOTOS race going to twins, and I thought it was going to be even tougher to win, said Wiles. Honestly, I felt like the underdog coming into this race. It was a little bit stressful, but I got out in front and was just able to click off the laps. I had a lot of fun out there.

5 ROUND 14 / AUGUST 13, 2017 PEORIA RACE PARK / PEORIA, ILLINOIS FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P90 Wiles 13th win ties him with the Prince of Peoria Chris Carr for Peoria GNC wins and his legions of fans have justifiably proclaimed him to be King Henry. As the day wore on it became obvious that Wiles and his Willy Built/Mad Dog Racing/DPC Racing-backed, DTX-looking Kawasaki were the team to beat. When Wiles led the 52-lap main over the jump on the first lap it became a race for second. Current AFT Twins points leader Jared Mees (Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing Indian Scout FTR750) was second, but already losing ground. Mees had his hands full as Sturgis TT winner Briar Bauman (Zanotti Racing/Rod Lake Racing Kawasaki) was close behind. Defending Grand National Champion Bryan Smith (Indian Motorcycle/Allstate Insurance Indian Scout FTR750) was in fourth in a battle with Harley-Da- vidson Motor Company/Vance & Hines backed Jake Johnson. Unfortunately for Johnson, his Harley-Davidson XG750R coasted to a stop on lap three. Davis Fisher (Bob Lanphere Beaverton Motorcycles Kawasaki) filled the void left by Johnson, but he was soon under attack from Smith s Indian teammate Brad Baker, who was recovering from problems in his qualifying race that had left him with a back row start. Wiles prepares to take his 13th straight victory at the Peoria TT.

6 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P91 Jared Mees (9) held off Bryan Smith (1) to take second and extend his points lead over the defending champ. Smith ended up fourth. By the halfway point, Wiles lead had grown to over three seconds and the leaders were starting to hit lapped traffic. Wiles sliced through pretty easily, but Mees and Bauman, not so easily. I think it was really easy to get through lapped traffic, said Wiles. I was just able to pass guys really quickly. I honestly think that is because we are on twins. Briefly... Last year, when American Flat Track announced that their Premier class would be a twins class and that twins would be returning to the legendary Peoria Motorcycle Club s TT there was a lot of talk about how much faster the singles class would be. Many thought this would mean the end to Henry Wiles dominance and how dangerous it surely would be. Turns out most, if not all, of the concerns were without merit. The only major problem of the day was in a Singles heat. Jesse Janisch was fast qualifier in the Singles at seconds, while Wiles stopped the clocks at Wiles rolled out his trick Kawasaki twin motocrosser and picked up where he left off and won his 13th consecutive Peoria GNC.

7 ROUND 14 / AUGUST 13, 2017 PEORIA RACE PARK / PEORIA, ILLINOIS FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P92 While working their way through the traffic Mees was able to pull clear. We were close to Jared for a while there, but then we got into some lappers, said Bauman. He s just so smart on the motorcycle. He worked his way through there, and bottom line, I didn t. Smith was able to bring his Indian home fourth, some 11 seconds off the lead. Smith s Indian teammate Brad Baker just held off the late race charge of Jarod Vanderkooi (Richie Morris Racing/McElroy Packaging Kawasaki) for fifth place. Jeffrey Carver was able to wrestle seventh place away from Davis Fisher as they finished just in front of Bronson Bauman who was the last rider on the lead lap. Ever mindful of what happened at Sturgis, when he was winning the TT, Wiles didn t want to over-ride the track. Since last week happened, I was being careful the whole time, said Wiles. Last week, I didn t know how that bike was going to work on that track either. I thought that maybe it was actually going to be harder, but I hadn t raced a GNC since

8 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P93 Lima. I wasn t just sitting on the couch; we were working. When we came back, we were ready. Last year I was asked and I might have been a little over zealous, but I was asked about how it was going to go with the twins here. I said I think it s going to be even harder to win, but that was before they changed the track, said Wiles. They changed the track and they slowed the jump down. Making the track like that, I don t know if it really changed anything. Maybe with the heavier bikes, it was a little bit more of a workout. That s about the only thing I can say about the track change. Almost as impressive as Wiles win streak, Jared Mees now has seven second-place finishes to Wiles during his streak. Including the last four in a row. Sammy Halbert had a run-in with Jake Shoemaker that left Halbert s Yamaha without a shift lever. Halbert was stuck in second gear the rest of the race. Whether it was due to the beautiful weather, the fact the AFT Championship is now on TV or that the race now features twin cylinder motorcycles, reportedly the largest crowd in the last 10 years covered the hillsides. Bryan Smith posted his best Peoria finish, but he still lost ground in the points race to Mees. While Smith is having a good year, defending his GNC title, Mees is, unfortunately for Smith, having a year dreams are made of. Every time somebody talks about my year, the Lima thing pops right into my mind. [The one race Mees failed to qualify for]. Obviously we rebounded really well from that, said Mees. We ve got four races to go. We ve just got to stay consistent and keep charging. Briar Bauman (14) chases Mees en route to a third-place finish. Mees points lead has grown to 41 with just four races remaining. The year is far from over, but it is a very steep hill for Smith to climb. It s a much different story in the AFT Singles class. Shayna Texter (Richie Morris Racing/ McElroy Packaging Honda) remains in the lead, despite not qualifying for the main at Peoria. Kolby Carlile has now moved up to second, just two points behind Texter. Wherever we are in the points is fine, but what I m most happy about is that we ve got the Estenson Racing Yamaha really going now, said Carlile. Brandon Price slipped to third, but is still only 10 points off the lead. Ben Lowe is in fourth and still mathematically in the hunt 40 points behind Texter.

9 ROUND 14 / AUGUST 13, 2017 PEORIA RACE PARK / PEORIA, ILLINOIS FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P94 Brad Baker rounded out the top five. My Own Race: 9 JARED MEES 2ND AFT TWINS Jared Mees was fast all day, but was racing big picture too. Briar was right on me for about five or six laps. It made me tense for a while, then I kind of relaxed and opened up a little bit of a gap, said Mees. Henry just kept kind of marching forward. I m like, man, to go to that pace I ve got to go so much over my head. Where I m at right now, I just don t need to. Hats off to Henry, he had it dialed in. He had a really good motorcycle today. I just did what I could. I ve got a fabulous year going. 14 BRIAR BAUMAN 3RD AFT TWINS The lapped traffic was pretty bad unfortunately. I know it s a tough race track, but the lappers were not really concerned today, said Bauman. A shout out to Sammy Halbert. I came around him and I guess because he s been in that position before, he knew to look back when he saw the blue flag and he gave me plenty of room. It was a little difficult to swallow because I was close to Jared. It s my fault for putting myself in that position. Going into turn one, Jared was going on the inside of a guy and I was going to the outside. I shifted between gears and that thing went zinging off into turn one. Luckily I was able to get it back into gear and not go through the fence. We all want to beat Henry, but you have to be realistic. He s incredible here.

10 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P95 This incident cost Sammy Halbert his shift lever. Look closely, and you can see it departing Halbert s Yamaha. 1 BRYAN SMITH 4TH AFT TWINS It was a pretty good day for me here. My best finish here has been fifth a couple times, so fourth was better. Definitely better than last year when I didn t know my name at this point, said Smith. I would have liked to get on the box. I was kind of reeling Bauman in the last part getting through the lappers. It would have been cool to get up there. It would have been a better day if I got fourth and Jared got eighteenth. I felt comfortable here for a change. When I hit the lapped traffic there were four or five guys racing together. The flagman would give the blue flag to the leader and then we just had to deal with them. I was waving my hand to tell the flagman to wave the blue flag one more time. It s almost like on a track like this, they need a blue flag guy off of each corner. That way the guys can make a move to get out of the way. I passed a guy on the outside on the right-hander and I just about crashed because I clipped him and just about ran into the creek. That would have ruined my day in a heartbeat. 6 BRAD BAKER 5TH AFT TWINS Considering breaking in the heat race and having to start in the back in the main event, getting a top five was good, said Baker. I was pretty fast early on, I caught up to Bryan and he was in fourth. Jared and Briar weren t too far in front of him. As soon as we got into lapped traffic, I broke my toe piece off the brake lever on the right and that s when both Bryan and I kind of lost Jared and Briar. They both got through the lappers a little cleaner than we did. I just got mentally fatigued as we went on, trying to work the brake and going over the jump. I would get a run up on Bryan, but to be able to pass somebody over the jump was kind of ballsy. The last ten laps I just kind of hung in there in fifth. Hats off to Henry to win his thirteenth consecutive here. That s pretty amazing. We all just have to keep working hard. Eventually one of us is going to get him, we have to.

11 ROUND 14 / AUGUST 13, 2017 PEORIA RACE PARK / PEORIA, ILLINOIS FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P96 Jesse Janisch came away with the Singles main win. Points leader Shayna Texter did not qualify for the main but still leads the championship. AFT SINGLES The 15-lap AFT Singles main belonged to Jesse Janisch (West Bend Harley-Davidson Rock River Yamaha) after he disposed of the pesky Kolby Carlile (Estenson Racing Yamaha). Carlile was able to make a couple of passes, but never able to hold on to the lead at the finish line. As the laps went by Janisch was able to stretch his lead to over four seconds. It s great to get it done here, Janisch said. This is one of my favorite tracks, and the new layout is great, but the old Peoria fits me better. When Janisch got away, Carlile fell into a battle with Kyle Johnson (Parkinson Brothers Racing Honda) and Ben Lowe (Bruce Lowe Excavating Low- Life Performance Honda). Lowe was able to take the last podium spot from Johnson with just two laps remaining. Back through the field the racing seemed to split into pairs. Cole Frederickson and Dan Bromley had a great race for fifth that went to Frederickson. Wyatt Anderson and Jacob Lehmann were the next duo, while Kevin Stollings and Tristan Avery rounded out the top 10. Points leader Shayna Texter failed to qualify for the main but still holds the points lead, though it has now shrunk significantly. CN AFT TWINS 1. Henry Wiles (Kaw) 2. Jared Mees (Ind) 3. Briar Bauman (Kaw) 4. Bryan Smith (Ind) 5. Brad Baker (Ind) AFT SINGLES 1. Jesse Janisch (Yam) 2. Colby Carlile (Yam) 3. Ben Lowe (Hon) 4. Kyle Johnson (Hon) 5. Cole Fredrickson

12 ROUND 13 / AUGUST 8, 2017 BLACK HILLS SPEEDWAY / RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P98 STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE HOENIG / FLAT TRAK FOTOS The American Flat Track Championship held its second race as part of the 77th Annual Sturgis Rally at the Black Hills Speedway, located in Rapid City, S.D. The banked clay half-mile oval has been very kind to current AFT Twins points leader, Jared Mees. Previously Mees had recorded a first and a second, he easily added to that by running away MEES BLACK HIL JARED MEES RUNS AWA

13 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P99 PANS LS GOLD Y WITH RAPID CITY WIN from the field Tuesday night on his Indian Motorcycle/ Rogers Racing-backed Indian Scout FTR750. Despite a sluggish start in the 25-lap National, Mees took the lead on lap two and was never seriously challenged. The wide, smooth track offered many lines that were used in the heats and semis. Come main event time, the fast way around was at the very top of the racetrack. Briar Bauman, the only rider to stop the Indian

14 ROUND 13 / AUGUST 8, 2017 BLACK HILLS SPEEDWAY / RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P100 dominance (twice), led the first lap before being swallowed up by the Indian Wrecking Crew. Indian Motorcycle/Allstate Motorcycle Insurance teammates Brad Baker and Bryan Smith were locked into a terrific race for second, but this benefited Mees as he pulled to a two-second lead. A short distance back Briar Bauman (Zanotti Racing/Rod Lake racing, Kawasaki) and Jeffrey Carver (Ben Evans Racing/ (Right) Mees extended his points lead with five races to go. (Below) Defending champ Bryan Smith (1) and Brad Baker (6) fought over second place, with Smith getting the upper hand.

15 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P101 Briefly... Just after the first round of qualifying a brief rain squall moved across the speedway. Following a short delay, the second round of timed qualifying resumed with virtually everyone turning faster times in round two. Jared Mees posted the fast time with a second lap, over half a second faster than his first session time. Jeffrey Carver was second quickest at , over a second faster than his first round. Kevin Stollings was the quickest single at , the only single in the 22-second range. During opening ceremonies, a Strider Bike race was held for youngsters aged three to five years old. The 15 little Striders had their race cheered on by the large crowd and many of the night s competitors and teams. Danny Eslick, Chad Cose, Charlie Roberts-Class of 79 among others contributed prizes for the youngsters to go with the medals all the participants won. Bryan Smith had his best result in a few races, but still lost ground in the Grand National points race. It s nice to know you can get second or are as fast as the leader, but I ve got to beat Jared, said Smith. I ve got to beat Jared in the championship and he s getting further away. Mees lead has now grown to 36 with just five races left in the 2017 AFT Championship. Baker is now third, 40 points behind Smith and eight ahead of Halbert. The AFT Singles points race is a little more unsettled. Shayna Texter continues to be on top. Brandon Price is just 16 points back with Kolby Carlile another six back. So far this year, Texter has failed to earn points in any of the TT races and the fabled Peoria TT is next on the schedule. The AFT Singles finish the year with a short track and three half miles so it is still anyone s title to win. During the second AFT Singles semi, Cody Kent spun down exiting turn two. He was hit by a following rider in a nasty looking crash. Kent suffered a broken leg and following surgery is home in Illinois healing up. Even though the fastest way around the Black Hills Speedway was at the very top, there were multiple lines used all night long. Last year this was our best prepped race track. This year it s up there too, said Mees. I m going to be biased and say Lima was really good, but this was another good race track for us. The only rider to break the Indian stranglehold all year, Briar Bauman, has to be considered a dark horse going into the Peoria TT. We re trying, we re right there, said Bauman. We re knocking at the door. We don t want to get beat by anyone. The Indians are incredible; the guys riding them are incredible. We re trying different things to try and get ahead of them like we did at Sturgis.

16 ROUND 13 / AUGUST 8, 2017 BLACK HILLS SPEEDWAY / RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P102 Carver s BBQ, Kawasaki) were having their own battle over fourth. As the race hit the halfway mark, Mikey Rush s Yamaha blew up, spewing oil all through turn one, bringing out the red flag. Mees lined up for the restart with his Indian teammates right behind, but that was as close as they would get. Mees didn t make any mistakes, regained his rhythm and, while he never got as big a lead after the restart, no one got close. We had a good roll, a good pace. It was one of those nights where I wanted to start out front, said Mees. I didn t want to battle with anybody. I ran my own race and stayed consistent and clean. I had a good set-up motorcycle. I was able to put in hard laps early. On the restart I was able to put in hard laps and get the gap back. Baker and Smith also re- sumed their battle and Smith was able to take second for the last three laps. Unfortunately it took like four or five laps to get in a groove, whether it was the bike or me. It was the same thing on the restart, said Smith. I thought, Alright I can run with Jared now. He could just get going real quickly on the first two laps and it took me five laps to get going. He gained like ten bike lengths ahead of us. Carver got a great restart and

17 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P103 (Left) Even a restart couldn t stop Mees. (Below) Jeffrey Carver Jr. (23) just missed out making the podium. jumped in between Smith and Baker, but that only lasted a lap. Carver slipped to fourth, but stayed close finishing just oneand-a-half seconds behind Baker. JR Addison was having a great race in fifth until his Kawasaki quit on lap 22 dropping him to a 16th-place finish. Even though Mees was well out front, there was position swapping going on all down the field. Another great race was going on between Bauman, Henry Wiles and Harley- Davidson Motor Company/Vance & Hines teammates Brandon Robinson and Kenny Coolbeth on their Harley-Davidson XG750Rs. They finished fifth through eighth in that order. Jarod Vanderkooi and Davis Fisher finished ninth and 10th on their Kawasakis, just a tenth of a second apart. Sammy Halbert and his Yamaha FZ-07

18 ROUND 13 / AUGUST 8, 2017 BLACK HILLS SPEEDWAY / RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P104 It was another all-indian podium. have been a thorn in the side of the Indians lately, but tonight he was off the pace and finished 11th just ahead of Rob Pearson and Cory Texter. AFT SINGLES The AFT Singles main event was intense to say the least. Kolby Carlile (Estenson Racing, Yamaha) and Brandon Price (Parkinson Brothers Racing/ DPC Racing, Honda) led the 15- lap race into the first turn. Price was able to maintain the lead at the end of lap one, but was under extreme pressure from AFT Singles points leader Shayna Texter. Texter s night had not gone well to this point, but she had her Richie Morris Racing/McElroy Packaging-backed Honda right in the mix. It was a miserable day, quite honestly. Our main bike wasn t running right all day in qualifying, said Texter. I finally made the gamble to switch to my back-up bike for the heat race. It was such a long, frustrating day. At the Buffalo Chip, I knew I wasn t a TT rider, but at these half-miles, I feel like we can contend each and every weekend. But if there s anyone out there I don t mind losing to, it s Brandon Price. He s one of the nicest kids in the pits, and this is a great win for him. While Price and Texter fought over the lead, they were not alone. Cameron Smith (Carroll Motor Fuels/Basciani Mushroom Farms, Honda), Dan Bromley (Momma & Daddy Deep Pockets

19 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P105 My Own Race: 1 BRYAN SMITH 2ND AFT TWINS It was a good fun race between me and Brad. We made some changes today and made the bike better. I had to hit a specific mark and when I was that close to Brad I couldn t really do what I wanted, said Bryan Smith of his second-place finish. I would kind of wait on him to go and then you go. It didn t cost me the win, but it didn t help by any means. Jeffrey [Carver] kind of had more drastically different lines than me and Brad. It was hard to fight over the same real estate. We went to the top and we were running out of room. All three of us were bouncing off the wall at one time or another. You re right on the verge of traction and marbles and then the wall jumped up on you. I swear to God...off of turn two, it felt like the wall jumped out at us a couple times. It is what it is. 6 BRAD BAKER 3RD AFT TWINS It was a fun race. It would have been a little more fun if we were battling for the lead, said Brad Baker. I didn t get the greatest start. I got hung up on the outside of Jeff [Carver]. Sammy [Halbert] came up the inside and clipped my clutch lever actually. Luckily I had a breakaway clutch lever. I looked down and I could see the thing was extended all the way out. I was up by the wall and that was pretty hairy. I shuffled all the way back on the wall and there were dirt clogs hitting my helmet. It was like déjà vu came into my head to when a rock smacked my shin and broke my leg back in The first lap was hairy; I made all sorts of moves on the first two laps. I worked myself into second and I matched Jared s pace for probably seven or eight laps. I was making mistakes in the middle of three and four. I didn t get through there as well. I searched around for lines; that was probably actually the wrong thing to do. I just kind of kept on losing time there. I could feel Bryan getting close to me then he dive bombed me going into turn three and got by. 23 JEFFREY CARVER 4TH AFT TWINS There was about 10 feet that you could ride up top. For me, my line with the Kawi motor, you had to get in a little bit higher and try to drive it off, said Jeffrey Carver. It would kind of fall off through the apex. I m pretty happy with it, to be the first guy running behind the Indians. I won my heat and we were battling with Bryan in the semi. I felt we had it, but the track just lost a little bit of grip in the main. That is what was really holding me up there with them, because I could drive that thing really well. It seemed like I was spinning just a little bit, nothing really to complain about. We ll just try to tune it just a little better and try to beat those guys. 14 BRIAR BAUMAN 5TH AFT TWINS I kind of had a rough main event, said Sturgis TT winner Briar Bauman. We were fast early on when the track was hooked up. As the groove came in, I kind of faded. We tried all 25 laps and did everything we possibly could. I was right up there with Bryan and Brad for the first eight or nine laps, but I was fading pretty quickly before the red. The red flag came out around lap 12, Jeffrey had already gotten to me. On the restart, Brad heated up pretty big off the start and I kind of got caught up with him. Jeffrey just motor-boated on the outside of both of us. I was never really with him too much. He s an incredible rider. Unfortunately we weren t with him tonight. He was a lot quicker than I was. It s a good sign when a fifth is something you are a little down on.

20 ROUND 13 / AUGUST 8, 2017 BLACK HILLS SPEEDWAY / RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA FLAT TRACK AMERICAN FLAT TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP P106 Racing, KTM), Carlile and Ben Lowe (Bruce Lowe Excavating/ Low-Life Performance, Honda) were all bunched closely behind. Kevin Stollings (Ben Evans Racing/Dave s Cycle, Honda) was slicing his way to the front and temporarily took the lead on lap 13, but that would be his only lap to lead. When the checkered flag did fall, it was Price coming out on top with Texter just.049 of a second behind. The top seven all finished within one second of the lead. Stollings, Bromley, Smith, Carlile and Morgen Mis- chler filled out the horde at the front. Ben Lowe, Oliver Brindley) and Parker Norris filled out the top 10 with their own tight race. CN AFT TWINS 1. Jared Mees (Ind) 2. Bryan Smith (Ind) 3. Brad Baker (Ind) 4. Jeffrey Carver Jr. (Kaw) 5. Briar Bauman (Kaw) 6. Henry Wiles (Kaw) 7. Brandon Robinson (H-D) 8. Kenny Coolbeth Jr. (H-D) 9. Jarod Vanderkooi (Kaw) 10. Davis Fisher (Kaw) Singles winner Brandon Price (92) chases down points leader Shayna Texter (52). Price got around Texter and went on to win. AFT SINGLES 1. Brandon Price (Hon) 2. Shayna Texter (Hon) 3. Kevin Stollings (Hon) 4. Dan Bromley (KTM) 5. Cameron Smith (Hon) 6. Kolby Carlile (Yam) 7. Morgen Mischier (Hon) 8. Ben Lowe (Hon) 9. Oliver Brindley (Kaw) 10. Parker Norris (Hon)

21 PROJECT 2017 KTM 300 XC/XC-W P126 PROJECT TRAIL WEAPON Here s what you can do to make the 2017 KTM 300 XC even better. And, yes, believe it or not, it can be made better STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM BOOTH Yes, it s possible to make a great bike better, even the KTM 300 XC.

22 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P127 It s 2017 and the year is only half over and we ve already had a taste of the revolutionary 2018 KTM 250 TPI fuelinjected two-stroke and like everyone else, we can t wait for them to land on U.S. soil. But for those who want a traditional carbureted two-stroke, and not ready to make the transition from carb to FI, KTM is still selling the 250 and 300 in its carbureted form for Notorious bike builder Jay Clark didn t want to wait for a fuel-injection model, so he set out to build the best KTM two-stroke trail bike possible, starting off with a 2017 KTM 300 XC. A MIX OF GOODNESS While this might be a 2017 KTM 300 XC, it looks like a 300 XC-W thanks to the headlight from an XC-W. It bolts up easily and the plugs are already on the XC and waiting for a light. Completing the XC-W look is the rear fender and brake light off a KTM XC-W. Again, it bolts up easily with the wiring and plugs right in to the XC wiring harness. The reason Jay didn t just buy a 300 XC-W is simple: he likes the transmission from the XC more than the wider ratio XC-W. He also prefers to have linkage rather than PDS and wanted the WP AER fork over the Xplor fork. While the stock XC suspension works decent for trail riding, for this particular project Race Tech revalved both ends to still absorb small hits while eating up bigger bumps at aggressive trail riding speeds.

23 PROJECT 2017 KTM 300 XC/XC-W P128 To help protect the shock linkage from trail damage, a Pro Moto Billet guard replaces the stock unprotected link. The Pro Moto Billet guard is also adjustable for those looking for different handling traits. On this bike it was used in the stock position. A lot of KTM lovers weren t exactly happy on KTM s decision to ditch the Keihin carb for the Mikuni, and we weren t either. The Mikuni is much more finicky to set up and more sensitive to altitude change. The main focus of this project was to improve the performance of the carb. Clark completely changes the jetting and also performs a slide modification, which helps to rid a rich spot at about quarter-throttle that is really hard to eliminate. A triangle file is used to cut a notch in the slide. On top of the slide modification, the jetting is as follows: 420 main, 35 pilot, needle in position two. The air screw is turns out. A V-Force reedcage replaces the stock reeds. To up the compression, was cut off the head, providing a bit more bottomto-mid power without hurting the top end. This amount keeps the engine safe for pump gas. Other cool additions to the XC/XC-W include a fresh coat of orange powder coating, an FMF pipe and Powercore non-sparky muffler. For riding in areas that require a sparky, Clark swaps the muffler for an FMF Q. Protection for the pipe comes from a P3 carbon guard. Full Cycra orange plastic, covered in Decal Works graphics and a MotoSeat cover completes the cool look of this KTM two-stroke. (Above) Our biggest gripe with the XC is its finicky Mikuni carburetor it s hard to jet compared to the previous Keihin. But we found a way to fix it. + (Below) Priority number one with off-road bike builders is protection, keeping the bike intact during a ride or race. We trust P3 Carbon with our FMF exhaust pipe.

24 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P (Left) Our 300 XC got the full bling treatment whether it needed it or not. (Below) You really can t have too much fuel. IMS makes a great highercapacity tank for the 300 XC. (Bottom) We love Scar s titanium footpegs for the XC. TWO-STROKE TRAIL BLISS The 2017 KTM two-stroke engines now have a counter-balancer, taking the typical vibration associated with two-strokes and turning it into a faint memory. The trade-off to a new engine without vibration is change from a proven Keihin carburetor to a more finicky Mikuni. A large chunk of our curiosity to ride Clark s KTM was to see if his claims of better jetting from the Mikuni carburetor were true. We took his unscathed and beautiful bike straight to the technical trails, knowing the rear trials tire would provide excellent traction while testing the jetting and the suspension. Response throughout the rpm range was crisp and predictable. We spent a lot of time lugging and crawling up rocky canyons, many that were used during the Last Dog Standing race at Glen Helen Raceway and the jetting was consistent without any rich areas in the

25 PROJECT 2017 KTM 300 XC/XC-W P130 rpm range. With a properly jetted engine and a sticky trials tire, there isn t a lot that can stop a 300 two-stroke when the terrain is technical and nasty. Clarks s carb set up was noticeably better than stock, making the 300 even easier to ride. The Trail Tech fan kit and IMS overflow catch-can provided overheating protection, even in the 90-degree heat we rode in at slow speeds. The slight engine and carb mods didn t hurt the midrange or the top, letting us ride aggressively in the more open trails and even roost around the motocross track a bit. Crawling up and over rocky trails abuses the clutch on any bike, Clark chose to install a Hinson inner hub and pressure plate kit, which includes fibers, steel springs and outer cover kit. Pull at the lever was smooth and we didn t experience any fade or have any issues on this day. Suspension is a very personal preference and Clark s setup does a good job of providing decent comfort at slow speeds while holding up nicely at higher speeds. The trials tire does a great job of soaking up little trail hack, but it also gives the bike more of a springy feel due to the tall and soft sidewall. If ultra rough trail at slow speeds was the only riding this bike was going to see then we d go softer on the suspension, but Clark s setup allows a good balance for all types of riding and doesn t pigeonhole it into strictly a trail bike. Typical of a Jay Clark bike build, there is a lot of cool stuff adorning this machine, some parts critical and some just downright bitchin for the sake of being bitchin, like the razor sharp Scar footpegs. Because true trail rides often turn into very long hours away from civilization, the IMS 3.5-gallon tank is a necessity and provides over 80 miles worth of fun. Bashing through the bush is the norm on a trail ride and the Cycra wrap-around Ultra Pro-Bend hand guards did a good job protecting our fingers and the levers when we dropped Clark s pretty bike. A Motion Pro Titan throttle tube with the end cut allowed the handguards to mount to the handlebars. We had a good time putting a few scratches and shaving off the front edge of the tacky trials tire on this looker of a 2017 KTM 300 XC/XC-W. For riders who don t want a wide ratio transmission and prefer linkage in the suspension, here is what you can turn your XC into! CN Taylor Robert would be proud. Want mega traction? You got it with a rear trials tire.

26 VOL. 54 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 15, 2017 P131

27 PROJECT 2017 KTM 300 XC/XC-W P132 SHOPPING LIST Vertex Pistons Pro Replica Piston kit Metaltek Head machining MotoTassinari V-Force reed cage FMF Racing Gnarly Pipe/Powercore 2 Silencer & Sparky Legal Turbine Core 2 P3 Carbon Carbon pipe guard Supersprox Rear Stealth sprocket 51T (one larger than stock) IMS Overflow bottle in the frame & oversized fuel tank Cycra Racing Ultra Pro-Bend Full Wrap Around hand guards, Full Plastic kit & Full Armor Skid Plate Uni Filter Two-stage air filter CV4 High pressure radiator cap Renthal 604 Fat Bars & Tacky grips Dunlop Tire AT81 front 90/90-21 & D803GP trials rear 120/ Moto Seat Custom Cool seat cover Works Connection Bike stand, brake caps & fork air filler (EZ Fill) Hinson Clutch Components Fibers, steels, springs and outer cover kit & full inner hub pressure plate kit Tusk Off-Road Oversized rotor, adaptor bracket, rear disc, complete wheel set, brake bolt kit, sprocket bolt kit, lightweight lithium battery, rear brake rotor guard, O-ring chain Race Tech 4.6 rear spring (one stiffer than stock), fresh fluids and seals & revalve setup Pro Moto Billet Linkage/guard and lowering optional Scar Titanium footpegs Trail Tech Radiator fan Bullet Proof designs Rear swingarm guard & radiator braces DeCal Works Semi-custom graphics kit & pre-printed number plates backgrounds Klotz Synthetic Lubricants R-50 two-stroke premix Motion Pro Grip glue & titan throttle tube TM Designs Slide and guide kit Acerbis Frame guards San Diego Powder Coating Sandblasting, powder coating and race prep masking