We’ve all heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect.”.  I’ve watched numerous videos over the years “practicing” how to hop a log or how to rail a corner from the seat of my couch.  But low and behold, I manage to get distracted within 5 minutes of hitting the trails and rarely practice or fully apply many of those skills.  Recently, I took the DirtWise "In-Depth" two day class led by legendary off-road racer Shane Watts, in hopes of breaking through my somewhat plateaued skill level.  I’m a B class rider with 15 years of riding experience under my belt including track, trail, street, and ice riding.  Shane offers three classes in his DirtWise school: a one day “Fundamentals”, a two day “In-Depth”, and a two day “Hardcore” class. Our class consisted of about a dozen riders with a wide range of age and capability.  The small class size allowed for individual attention to be given to every rider.  Leave your ego at home, you will get called out on bad form and execution for the sake of improvement; the exact intent of this class.  One of my immediate realizations was that my body position was nowhere near what I perceived, and I think this was true for several riders in our group.  Even though you may feel like you are doing exactly as instructed, it really does take another set of eyes to point out what you are doing wrong.  This proved to be true multiple times over the duration of the class. Day one started out with a Slow Ride exercise where the goal is to ride as slowly as possible without dabbing a foot.  As basic as this sounds, it's a great way to improve balance, and most importantly, develop good form.  The simplicity of the exercise allows you to really focus on the key concepts.  Shane repeatedly called out our flaws, reinforcing good form, and execution in the process.  The rest of the day included exercises such as accelerating, braking, and flat turns. These are areas where a rider can always improve regardless of skill level.  Much like the Slow Ride exercise, I benefited from a coach providing immediate feedback on what I was doing wrong. The class layout allows for an incremental approach for building riding skills.  For example, we practiced stoppies and front wheel skids to get a better feel for front wheel traction in order to maximize our time later spent on the braking exercises.  Each lesson included a quick overview from Shane, followed by a demo on his bike.  He then let us try it out for awhile, giving us feedback as we went along.  We would then stop to regroup, where Shane would point out the issues he saw and how to correct those behaviors.  This approach allowed us to make mistakes and learn to self-correct, and it also kept from overwhelming the rider with too much information.  We could focus on the key concepts for the first attempt, then work on the finer details in the subsequent attempts at each exercise. Our location had a short (~2 minute) lap set-up in the woods that we rode multiple times throughout the two days, allowing us to directly apply what we were learning.  It was encouraging to see I was getting more comfortable with my corrected body position and was slowly starting to break some of my bad riding habits (such as riding on the balls of my feet).  Several of us adjusted the position of our bike controls to better fit the skills being taught.   Some of the drills helped to practice situations riders typically avoid, such as front wheel skids.  There is never a time on the trail where you should intentionally lock up your front wheel, but practicing that situation builds comfort and confidence, and teaches you how to correct it.  These drills not only make you a better, faster rider, but a safer rider as well.  All of the exercises covered in the course can be completed in a flat field, making it easy to recreate and practice at your own riding area or backyard.  I’d recommend taking this class with others you typically ride with if at all possible.  This allows you to further critique each other on your riding style in the future.   Day two involved some more technical drills like rear brake slides, log grinding, and rutted turns.  Because of the content in day two, I would not recommend this particular “In-Depth” course to a complete riding novice.  Basic clutch, brake, and throttle control is needed for day one, while day two adds a requirement for more aggressive riding in order to be successful.  Unfortunately, we had to skip a couple exercises because we did not have the right conditions.  Deep ruts didn’t form during the acceleration exercise, removing straight ruts from the curriculum, and the ground was not slick enough to practice power slides, otherwise we would have likely seen some spectacular high-side wrecks. A few of Shane’s lectures were on the long side, but a couple were compounded by what seemed like an endless barrage of questions from the riders… and yes, there are dumb questions.  Many were about particular areas on our short lap in the woods.  Numbered turns and obstacles would have helped the questions be more direct and allow more time for us to practice skills instead of clarifying questions from the riders.   Pros:  Individual attention Skills are applicable to both track and trail Long enough session for new skills to stick and old habits to break I definitely improved my riding skills Cons:  May be limited opportunities to take the course in your local area Course conditions may dictate what drills you are able to do Spud's Bottom-line I’ve ridden several times since taking this class and can definitely tell my riding has improved.  I find myself conscious of my body position and focused on applying the techniques I learned in the class.  It was somewhat awkward and slowed me down at first, but bad habits I’ve made over the years are starting to break.  I’ve seen big gains by using my body weight (all 160 lbs. of it) to my advantage and getting my weight transferred correctly for accelerating, braking, and cornering.  I feel the biggest take-away from the course is that I am now (partially) able to coach myself, as I can point out what I am doing wrong, and self-correct.  This is something I don’t think I could have ever gained by watching on-line tutorials. Details @ http://shanewatts.com/ Great bunch of guys in the class!

The 2016+ KTM 690 Enduro R and Husqvarna 701 Enduro both come from the factory with a pleated paper air filter. While that's great for posting max HP numbers to tout and helping to meet tight emission standards (no oil present), paper isn't necessarily the best filter media for those riding these bikes in dusty and/or wet conditions. While oiled foam doesn't flow as well as a relatively fresh paper air filter, they do a better job maintaining their efficiency as they become dirty. Also, where a paper air filter will fall flat on its face when wet, foam can be squeezed out to get you back on the trail and serviced when you get back. These are the main reasons why I swapped out the stock disposable paper air filter on my 690 Enduro R for a drop-in oiled foam unit from Twin Air. The plastic frame is reusable and it has an integrated rubber strip for a tight seal against the airbox. Installation is exactly like the stock paper filter (stupid simple) and the Twin Air Filter fit my airbox accurately. There are two pieces of reusable/serviceable filtering foam, the piece with the black layer being backfire resistant and both are pre-oiled from the factory with Twin Air Bio Filter Oil. From the folks at Twin Air regarding the foam pieces and layers: Despite oiled foam not foam not flowing as well as a relatively fresh paper air filter, my butt dyno can't feel it. Throttle response, overall power, and intake noise feels/sounds pretty much stock.  In terms of filtering abilities, the only real testing that I could do was to visually inspect the inside of the airbox after each ride. While I found an extremely tiny amount of even tinier dust particles in a couple of the low spots of the airbox, when rubbing them between your index finger and thumb, I couldn't even feel any grit to them. In fact, they were easier to see with a bright light against the contrasting black airbox than feel with your fingers. Considering that all my local off-road riding is fine sugar sand, I'm satisfied with how the Twin Air has been performing. Croom OHV, Brooksville, FL There is no such thing as the perfect air filter and they all have their pros & cons depending upon where you're riding. I'd run the stock paper air filter all day long if I was mostly a pavement pounder, but I get off-road as much as I can. Our winter riding conditions are very dry and dusty and our summer conditions are quite wet with plenty of water crossings on pretty much every ride. For the conditions I ride, oiled foam is the best option and this unit from Twin Air was a good choice. Installed on a 2017 KTM 690 Enduro R More @ https://www.twinair.com/news/news-item.php?itemdate=170217

The PulpMX show is arguably the best Podcast/Internet radio show for unfiltered Motocross and Supercross information.  Steve Matthes would like his listeners to believe his antics are part of a “janky” radio show where he exchanges quick witted banter with his friends and MX/SX royalty every Monday night.  The truth is, Matthes approaches each week with intensity and hard work as he grinds to uncover the endless information he delivers.  His light hearted delivery style invites listeners to feel like they too are in the room bench racing alongside the crew and MX/SX guests.  And if that isn’t good enough, you can actually be a part of the show as Matthes allows listeners to call in and ask questions of the guests. Steve’s show prep is minimal compared to what I consider the work involved in creating a weekly 4-5 hour show.  The reason is simple, the work is happening all week leading up to the Monday night show.  With the TV packages available many media outlets choose to purchase photos from freelance photographers and regurgitate other news source’s information (looking at you MXA).  Unlike other media outlets Steve is still pounding the pavement and networking at the races.  It’s no accident Steve breaks the most stories in the sport.  Matthes comes across as a funny carefree guy, but his dedication to his job is undeniable.  Looking at him from afar, in his cargo shorts, he doesn’t appear to be a guy who takes anything serious.  The reality is Steve probably spends more time texting, calling, e-mailing, writing and talking about the sport than anyone else.  There is no such thing as a 40 hour work week at Pulp, and while Steve likes to joke about getting out of this media gig there is zero chance of his retirement.  Nobody works this hard at a job unless they have a passion for what they do, plus he would be bored out of his mind after two weeks!   The show starts at 6pm Pacific time, I showed up at 5:45.  I checked out Steve’s Honda Ridgeline in the driveway, not my cup of tea but a nice vehicle nonetheless.  I knocked on the door only to hear a stampede of Basset Hounds barking to greet me.  Steve's wife Angie (aka. Pookie) opened the door, and yes she is one of the sweetest people ever.  I have only met her a handful of times, but she welcomed me with a hug and pointed me toward the kitchen where Co-Host David Pingree, Producer Travis Marx and Steve were enjoying some pre-show pizza.  I shook hands with Ping and he said, “Nice to meet you Cooksey, that name sounds familiar did we race together?” I remind him we’ve previously met and raced together.  Steve then asks Ping if he took me out and Ping did take me out!  At the 1990 World Mini, Pingree T-boned me so hard his radiator exploded like a volcano spewing scalding hot water all over me, so yes I remembered racing him. After some pizza and bench racing we headed upstairs to the studio for show time.  Steve likes to call his studio “janky” but in reality it is a shrine to Motocross and Supercross.  I have been in studio 5 times now and each time I am still impressed with his collection of memorabilia.  The studio is in the loft of his home leading me to question Angie’s opinion regarding her house doubling as the studio.  She said she was a fan of Supercross before meeting Steve, and supports him in all aspects of his job.  They truly are a team, while she rarely picks up a mic Angie clearly has a big influence on the creative angles for the PulpMX Show.  As big as the Pulp show has become, I asked her if she worried about safety or creepy stalker fans finding out where they live.  Angie reassured this wasn't a concern as Pulp fans are respectful for the most part, although there was a guy who posted a picture of their house on VitalMX and that made her a little uneasy.   The first segment Steve interviews his scheduled guests, usually in an order based on time zones.  The first segment is the most content filled segment, as they break down last weekend’s race.  The first break doesn’t happen till about 2 hours into the show.  The breaks are the most fun for me, the guys let completely unfiltered speculation fly.  Steve only shares information on air if he has a trustworthy source, but during the break he discusses rumors and some of the unfounded information he knows.  While this information isn't always trustworthy enough for air I have found it is usually accurate.  Ping and Steve discussed the rumors around Factory KTM and who they are planning to hire for 2018.   During the breaks one might expect Steve to turn off his character, but what he gives on air is his authentic personality.  The ball busting never stops, the Pulp studio isn't for overly sensitive personalities.  If somebody takes life too serious they would surely be offended in studio, the show sometimes vibes like a comedy roast.  This leads to the producer Travis Marx.  Steve has truly found a guy of many talents in “Marx Dog.”  Not only does Travis have a technical understanding of producing the show but he maintains his poise in an environment that could send others into years of therapy.  The ribbing he takes from Steve doesn't start and stop with the show, it is non-stop.  With that said Steve clearly values Marx and his talents.  Look for big things from Marx in the near future as he is partnering with Steve and show contributor Jason “JT$” on a project that we will all enjoy.  I would love to share their idea, but it is under Embargo…. In an industry that is behind the times and known as a “Bro Network” people have a habit of taking themselves too seriously.   The PulpMX show is a breath of fresh air.  If you take yourself too seriously you might leave their studio in tears, no fake façades allowed in studio.  With Steve’s perspective and insight, PulpMX is changing the way Motocross/Supercross is covered.   Steve explains what is really happening even if it makes him unpopular with the cool kids of the sport.  The authenticity of Pulp is what makes it great.  It is amazing that a guy from Manitoba in his loft has become ground zero for Motocross/Supercross media.   http://www.pulpmx.com/ http://pulpmxshow.com/ http://www.flyracing.com/ http://racerxonline.com/                                          (The backfliping producer Travis Marx)                               (Rocky was ready for bed during the last segment)                       (Pookie snacks!  Might as well be crystal meth... So good!)                                                 (Steve and Ping talking shop)                                                                                                                      (The famous Rigeline)

If you're a technical woods rider like me, big, clunky knee braces just don't work for you. Over the years I've worn a multitude of inexpensive plastic knee/shin protection and while most did the job, some had migration issues while others rubbed my skin raw. Now in my mid 30s, I'm even more concerned with protection and support, but I still didn't want to commit to a huge, clunky robo-guard. But, when I saw the sleek new EVS Sports T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pad, I had to try them. Designed for the lunatic himself (Travis Pastrana), the T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pad has been positioned as, "For those looking for complete support without the bulk of a traditional knee brace." That's me! Patella protection comes from a hard outer shell with Reactive Memory Foam (RMF) behind it. RMF is normally flexible, conforming to your knee for a comfortable fit, stiffens upon impact, and immediately returns to a flexible state. Cool stuff! The main carrier body is made from bio foam because it can be thinner and is more flexible than traditional foams, yet still offers good protection. Migration is controlled by silicone strips on the inner sleeve and the integrated internal floating knee sleeve offers continuous support, even when the carrier body moves around. The T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pad is secured to your leg by Velcro straps above and below the knee and is further held in place by your boot.  Here's an exploded view the nicely shows each component and it's orientation. Exploded View of the EVS TP199 Knee/Shin Pad Out-of-the box, the EVS Sports T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pads appear to be well constructed. The materials appear to be of good quality, the stitching looks top notch, and they're pleasing to the eye. I like em'! With a handful of good hard rides in, they're holding up extremely well with no visible signs of wear. Time will tell, but I expect them to last a good bit. When I first put them on, they reminded me of those simple compression knee braces. The inner sleeve really keeps them nice and snug. Once in place, they're super low profile. They're MUCH longer than I expected (18-ish inches), so if you don't wear over-the-boot pants like me, probably a good idea to put them off before your pants. However, I was able to pull my pant legs up just enough to still fasten the top Velcro strap. I put them on at home without my boots and walked around a bit to see how they felt. I got sucked into doing some work in the garage and pretty much forgot I was wearing them. With boots on, the feeling is the same. Unlike some of the cheapy units I've used, both on and off the bike, the T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pads stay right where I put them and any protective gear you can forget you're wearing is comfortable. On the bike, the T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pads don't restrict movement, but you do notice there is some added stiffness as part of the built-in support systems. However, I had no migration issues and they didn't interfere with my riding in any way. In terms of protection, thankfully I've not wadded it up while wearing them. About all I've noticed is that with cheapy pads, I can usually feel branches & other trail junk bouncing off my lower legs, something that was greatly reduced wearing the T.P. 199s. It would appear that the larger knee cap and RMF armor behind it do a lot better job absorbing impacts. About the only con that I can mention, is that they are a little on the warm side. It's summer time and there's a few more layers to these guards than the cheapies I've worn. However, given the increased protection, lack of migration, and comfort, an easy trade-off. Pros   Compression sleeve support. No pad migration. Low profile design. All day comfort. Good value. Cons  On the warm side for summer conditions. Russ's Bottom-line In my experience, the EVS Sports T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pad is an excellent piece of safety equipment. Without the bulk of traditional knee braces, EVS has found a way to utilize high tech foams to provide good protection & support in lightweight, compact design that I genuinely enjoy riding in. If you're looking to move up from standard plastic $25 guards and into the world of getting a little older and caring about your knees, the T.P. 199 Knee/Shin Pads are a great way to increase the longevity of your riding days. 

The 450 class was believed to be The Eli Tomac Show.  After Hangtown everybody was ready to crown him and move on to Monster Cup.  With Ryan Dungey unexpectedly retiring after a heated Supercross battle with Tomac, most expected a Tomac runaway this summer (if you say you didn't, you’re lying).  But Marvin Musquin, Jason Anderson and Blake Baggett all had other ideas.   Marvin showed everyone Eli was human during the first Moto in Glen Helen.  Eli had another front brake problem in the second Moto at Glen Helen.  Despite what Kawasaki says I believe it was the same issue as in Supercross.  Eli allowed these guys to gain confidence.  In Colorado Baggett did the unthinkable and ran down Eli for the win, and doubled down by making bold comments about how he “broke” Eli, even mentioning his famous father on the PulpMX show.  This didn't sit well with the competition, but Baggett backed his comment in High Point by going 1-2 for the overall.  The second Moto in High point Eli showed the rumors of his demise had been greatly exaggerated.    Eli has since corrected his mistakes and regained his early season form.  A knee injury has all but eliminated Musquin from the championship but he seems to have recovered his speed at Red Bud.  Marvin showed the speed that garnered him the overall win at round 2 in Glen Helen.  Baggett has appeared to crumble under the “red plate” pressure.   This season is proving that anything can happen.  Jason Anderson is hanging around positioning himself perfectly and waiting to see if anything happens to Eli or Baggett.   This season is anything but predictable and here are some of the ridiculous things to date: RCH has a pit fire, and 45 minutes later Justin Bogle (who has never been on a 450 podium) dominates the first Moto in Colorado.   Eli has another front brake problem in Glen Helen.   Roger DeCoster runs to the tower mid race at High Point to tell the announcers Marvin Musquin has a knee injury and nothing is wrong with his KTM.   Yamaha’s reason for getting a factory race team back together (Cooper Webb) quits the second Moto at Glen Helen because of a poor handling machine.   Justin Barcia riding the JGR Factory Suzuki, the bike he asked for looks worse than he did on the Yamaha he didn't like.  Rumor has it that he has been openly lobbying for a spot on Factory KTM for 2018, but he better show something or he might be completely out of a job in 2018.  He looked good for 15 minutes at Red Bud…. for 15 minutes.  He needs to get on the podium before KTM will take him seriously.   Dean Ferris showed up in a one off performance at High Point and got 2nd in the first Moto. This is more action than I can remember in any season and we are only halfway through.  Eli Tomac will have the Red Plate in Southwick next week, let's see if the “Red Plate” continues to curse whomever is running it. If Eli can go 1-1 at Southwick he could smash the confidence of the field, Baggett desperately needs to get some points back, but a thumb injury might be an issue.   Anderson needs to put it together for an overall and Marvin could play spoiler.  If this title comes down to Eli and one of the other three riders, will we see the team tactics play out like we did in Supercross?  Stay tuned! In the 250 class Zach Osborne is proving his program and confidence are exactly what he needed to become a contender.  He has been consistent while Jeremy Martin has been fast but plagued with mistakes and a bike failure.  This has put him 45 points behind Osborne.  Many have pointed to Jeremy's switch from Yamaha to Honda as the reason he is struggling.  I wouldn't count him out, he looks strong and could easily go on a run of 1-1 performances.  Also Zach Osborne seems to be “ill” quite often.  He was extremely congested in Colorado and said he battled an ear infection before Red Bud.  This is the time of year that riders in the Baker Factory have historically been run down and at risk for illness.  45 points could vanish quickly if Zach has a couple 4-5 finishes while Jeremy goes 1-1.  Don't crown Zach yet!  Alex Martin is fast but I don't see him winning the title, he doesn't have that little extra that Jeremy and Zach seem to find when needed.   The disappointing performance of the year goes to the entire Pro Circuit team.  From multiple bike failures and Justin Hill riding less than inspired, Mitch has to be losing his mind.  Going into the season all four of his riders could make a case for winning the title, but other than Savatgy’s win in Colorado they haven't had much success.  If Vegas gave odds on a Pro Circuit rider not being in the top 3 in the standings at the halfway point the odds would have been worse than Connor McGregor beating Floyd Mayweather.   Let's not forget 2017 has been a crazy year, so who knows how the season will end, but we can guarantee it won't go as expected!  Mitchell Harrison almost won the second Moto at Redbud…. What's next Nick Gaines winning Washougal? All I am sure of at the halfway point is I am getting my money's worth out of my NBC Sports Gold App purchase.  I also love the riders showing their personalities at the press conferences and on the podium.  I used to skip the redundant sponsor mumbling, but now I am watching to see who will say what and how the other guys will react.   (aftermath of the Anderson on Baggett block pass at RedBud) (Osborne has been flying) (Tomac has regained control of the 450 class)