Joe Henner from Kove USA was down in So Cal last week showing around a preproduction version of the company’s new 450 motocross bike. He was down here visiting dealers, but he decided to spin a few laps around Glen Helen Raceway and he called up to ask if we wanted to take it for a few laps. 

The Kove MX450 has a motor similar to the one in the competition version of the Rally 450, which has captured everyone’s attention with good finishes in the Dakar Rally. To make it into a motocross bike they built a new chassis which is similar to the one in a current KTM. This particular bike has already seen extensive use as a test mule. The gearbox is still the six-speed from the Rally and the mapping is a work in progress. The fork was brand-new for this ride; the  43mm KYB AOS was fresh out of the box. That will be the production fork. The final version will have Yuan shock, a titanium exhaust and multiple maps. The importer weighed it and came up with 220 pounds (no fuel) and then put it on the TacoMoto dyno in Las Vegas. They saw 54 horsepower.

We put four riders on the bike and everyone was impressed. They all said pretty much the same thing. Its strongest point is overall handling. It turns extremely well–pretty much like a KTM. It feels light and the ergos are comfortable. The Tiasko brakes were also excellent. Mid-range power was right in the hunt with anything in the 450 class. In fact, there were only two real complaints. First, the gearbox wasn’t right. First gear was too tall and the spacing was gappy for motocross. That’s not surprising considering that the transmission was made for a rally bike. The second issue was mapping. It was very rough below a quarter throttle, and that killed the low-end power. On the track, you could deal with it, but obviously this is an area that needs work.

Everything else was in the hunt. The new gearbox should be ready very soon and the mapping is still being sorted. They say the first production bikes will be in dealers this November with a price of $7699. We can’t wait!

REALLY BIG TEST IN PROGRESS

This week Pete Murray and I went on a short adventure ride in the mountains around Wrightwood. The main adjective was to shoot photos of the BMW R1300GS Adventure. This is the adventure version of the “standard” R1300GS. That means it has way more range (8 gallons of fuel capacity), and a number of more off-road oriented features.  It also had the premium package, which meant an automatic clutch and automatic shifting.

On the road the bike is absolutely wonderful. In the dirt, it’s intimidating simply because of the size. But you can take it off road. When you choose the Enduro Pro mode, it modifies the power output, traction control and ABS. You can also electronically adjust the suspension. Frankly, we’re a little lost with most of the features on this bike. We have a few weeks with it, though, and a feature will appear in print soon.

MSRP: $22,745

Premium Package $3,275 

• Headlight Pro • Riding Assistant 
• Automatic Shift Assistant +$850 
• Ride Modes Pro • Sports Brake 
• GPS Preparation • Chrome Exhaust Pipe 
• Electrically Adjustable Windshield 
• Center Stand 
• Aluminum Pannier Mounts

THE ROCK MAN AND THE LEGEND

I just uncovered some photos of a preposterously difficult Baja ride I did with Malcolm Smith, Tom Webb and Jim O’Neal about 25 years ago.  It made for an incredible story that Tom Webb wrote was we published in the May, 2000 issue of Dirt Bike. It’s on my list of stories to revisit. Stay tuned.

SADDLE, AUGUST 2025

I  used to think that 35 years was a long time. I no longer believe that. In the summer of 1990 I became the editor of Dirt Bike Magazine. The previous editor was Ed Arnet, who hit his head in a desert race and was in a coma for a week. He woke up, wrote lyrics from Dead Kennedys on his office wall and then vanished on a vision quest. I was hired away from my job as managing editor of Cycle World in somewhat of a panic. It might have been seen as a short-term solution. It might be still.

In truth, I don’t remember much about my 31-year-old self. I don’t know what I expected of my tenure at Dirt Bike. I don’t know if I was optimistic or scared, and I don’t know how I viewed the future in general. I can read what I wrote in old magazines, of course, but that’s a one-way communication. It would be much better if he could read what I’m writing now. Here’s what I might say:

Dear Ron, 

Greetings from 2025. Please don’t freak out. You probably won’t break any time-travel rules by reading this, but I’ll keep an eye on old photos to see if I fade out. If you’re freaking out about the new job, that’s justified. It’s going to be a wild ride. First, let me put you at ease about dirt bikes in 35 years. They still exist. There are still tracks to ride, there’s still open riding, and off-road racing is alive and well. It hasn’t been easy between environmental pressures and so forth. You know that big valley at the Nevada state line that you used to race through in Barstow to Vegas? First, they kicked us out because it was a habitat for the desert tortoise. Then they bulldozed it flat to create an early solar energy plant. They collected a few hundred tortoises in the construction process and kept them in a man-made enclosure while they tried to figure out what to do. Then the tortoises all got sick and had to be euthanized. So it goes.

Hey, motorcycles don’t fly yet. Surprise! They still get around by spinning a rear wheel with a knobby tire. They look pretty much the same. I know that if you look back 35 years earlier from where you are now, motorcycles were virtually made of stone, but progress has slowed. There have, however, been some changes in the motor department. Two-strokes gave way to four-strokes, and now it looks like electric bikes might take over next. The jury is still out on that. 

Nowadays you don’t tune your motor with jets or anything like that; you do it with your smartphone. Oh, right, you don’t know what that is. Imagine a little TV in your pocket—oh, never mind. Just invest in Apple stock.

On the same topic, magazines are almost gone. There are only a few left. Happily, Dirt Bike is one. Motorcycle shops are disappearing, too. Most of the ones that survived are really large, about the size of a Planet Fitness. Oh, right, let’s say a Sears store. By the way, sell your Sears stock. 

Motorcycle racing is bigger than ever. Deegan, Tomac and Plessinger are on top, but not the Deegan, Tomac or Plessinger you’re thinking of. Get this: the biggest race with the most lucrative bonuses is now a desert race! It’s the Paris to Dakar Rally. It’s not held anywhere near Paris or Dakar anymore, but that’s a long story.

As far as the new job goes, don’t stress too much. You’re going to have the privilege of working with some really great people; Rick Sieman, Roger DeCoster and Tom Webb to name a few. Really. You’re going to have some great highs and lows. Here are some facts you might find interesting:

Bikes tested: 1700+
Test bikes gone missing: 3 

Test bikes that burst into flames: 1
Major brush fires started: 1
Major lawsuits: 1
ISDEs ridden: 7
Gold medals earned: 0
Races attended: Like, a billion.
Like I said: wild ride. And it’s not done yet.

See you next time!