Connect with us
       

Industry News

Talon Engineering – Mudd Life Crisis

Published

on

Here at MX Vice we love hearing from our readers, especially when they have an awesome story that involves some great products. Last month we caught up with Piers Hammond to talk about his story and how Talon Engineering was able to help a local customer fulfil a lifelong ambition to ride around the world.

Piers caught the two-wheeled bug early and, as his parents worked in the airline business in the 60s and 70s, the concept of travel was in his blood from a young age. Predominantly a road rider, it was a chance meeting with his friend Steve Hamilton in 2012 that would signal the beginning of Piers’s off-road adventure – a test ride on Steve’s new KTM led to Piers himself purchasing his very own 690 Enduro. Before long both Piers and Steve would set the wheels in motion for what would become the trip of a lifetime.

Both Piers and Steve are former RAF helicopter pilots who, after long careers and a somewhat disillusioned view of the world, set about planning a round the world trip that would take them on a ride lasting 561 days and covering some 40,000 miles, all whilst raising money for two amazing charities – John Egging Trust (JET) and Above and Beyond.

From the start Piers knew he didn’t want this to be just any RTW trip. “I wanted a technical bike, something that at a crossroads would allow me to take any route I wanted,” he said. He had already set his sights on some of the most challenging aspects of the route, and knew he needed the best parts for his bike.

Like most, Piers’s first foray into off-road riding was the green lane networks near to where he lived. Before long he had progressed onto some 24 hour non-stop enduro rides in France/ Italy, this intel gave him an insight into what he needed for the RTW trip. First up was the need to invest in strong wheels!

Piers initially spoke with Woody’s Wheelworks in Denver, Colorado, who advised him to use Talon wheels. It was only then that Piers, from Bristol, realised how close he lived to the Talon HQ! Cue a call to Cheryl who advised him on the best combination, the Talon Pro Billets coupled with the Excel A60 rims. The A60 is a heavier and thinner rim than stock but with that comes superior dent resistance and that was a must considering the terrain he would be up against.

Piers wrote a blog throughout this journey – aptly named ‘Mudd Life Crisis’ – that documented his stories. Setting off from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the UK in April 2016, Piers would be following the classic silk route to New Delhi before heading onward through Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Australia and the USA.

The original plan would have seen Piers and Steve arriving in Asia around mid-July, where they had hoped to take a couple of weeks off before setting out on the second leg down across the Far East, Australia, New Zealand and onto South America in time for Christmas.

What became clear very quickly was that they had been very optimistic with the route planning and to stay on course would have resulted in them racing through towns, villages and even countries with no time to explore the local culture. The decision was made to slow down and enjoy the ride and whilst this ultimately meant certain parts of the route had to be sacrificed (South America for example), Piers is in no doubt it was the best decision. “So many memories exist from the most remote parts of our route.”

Enlarge

Talon_004
The First year of travel - 2 continents, 28 countries, 26126 Miles and 692,000 metres of ascent and descent (up and down Everest 39 times)! 33 of 48 passport pages filled and 0 punctures (somehow!!)

The route through central Asia contained a few countries that the UK FCO (Foreign Commonwealth Office) still advised against all but essential travel and in certain areas their route took them through areas where they were advised against all travel. “We never felt safer! It was honestly the most enjoyable part of the trip for me, we encountered some incredible hospitality and generosity from complete strangers in Iran, Tajikistan and Pakistan,” Piers recalls.

Talking to Piers, it is clear to see the stories are still fresh in his mind some two years later.  Asked about some of the challenges he faced along the route his immediate response is, “The Simpson Desert!” It is clear to see why: The 550km, 1200 dunes, and an almost entirely sand route through the heart of Australia would place him in one of the most remote parts of the world renowned for having one of the harshest climates. To give you an idea of the challenge ahead, The Simpson Desert route is closed between November and April due to large sandstorms and temperatures that regularly exceed 40°C. Piers knew this would be a big challenge, both mentally and physically.

The KTM 690 was designed for the challenges The Simpson Desert would throw up, so Piers was excited to test out his KTM and his Talon wheels. He had had experience of similar terrain and remoteness by this point, having tackled similar terrain in the Sahara Desert a year  earlier. He did have to make some mods like installing 450-rally tanks both front and rear. He would be carrying 32 litres of fuel along with a 10-litre bladder and a 5l jerry can for the unsupported ride through the desert. Alongside this he had 15 litres of water for the three-day crossing!

Enlarge

Talon_006
Piers taking a break about 2/3rds of the way across the Simpson Desert at the end of the French Line. There is a big smile underneath that helmet!

Piers admits, even now, as an inexperienced off-road rider that it was his Everest!  His first attempt to cross the desert was aborted after the first day, resulting in them turning around and heading back west. It was this initial setback that resulted in a chance meeting with ex-MotoGP legend Daryl Beattie at a Roadhouse pub on the south-western tip of the desert. Daryl now runs an adventure tours business and before long Piers was making plans to cross the desert again with Daryl’s assistance. The next day they would plan their second attempt to cross the desert!

“I loved crossing the Simpson and bringing my sand riding to a level I thought I’d never achieve – feet up, stood up and roosting over the top of huge dunes. Awesome, just awesome!”

After Australia came the ride across North America, before arriving back on mainland Europe and heading back to the UK for a ceremonial crossing of the Clifton Suspension Bridge on the 12th October 2017, some 561 days after the adventure first started!

Piers admits he didn’t touch the bike for 18 months upon his return, the KTM providing some challenges to his journey along the way, but the lockdown has proven an opportune time to strip the bike and rebuild it.  The one thing that remained solid, however, were Piers’s Talon wheels. When returned to Talon HQ for a service, they simply required a new set of spoke nipples!

My Talon wheels, built up with Excel A60 rims, have done over 40,000 miles and remain in excellent condition. Pair the quality of the wheels with the sort of customer service you get from Kevin, Kelly and Cheryl and I cannot recommend them highly enough,” Piers proclaimed.

If you are interested in how Talon can improve your ride check out their website at www.talon-eng.co.uk. You can read more about Piers’ journey over on his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pg/muddlifecrisis/).

Continue Reading

Features

Ducati unlocks the Desmo450 MX

Published

on

Ducati unveiled their new Desmo450 MX to the press today with no expense spared. MX Vice was invited to the press event over a few days. All eyes were on the Desmo450 MX that Tony Carioli and Alessandro Lupino will ride this year in the Italian Championship. With so much doom and gloom in the industry, purse strings are being tightened, and budgets slashed, it’s great to see Ducati investing. MX Vice will be following Ducati’s developments throughout 2024 and 2025.

The official PR is below:

After Ducati announced last October 24 its entry into the world of motocross with a range of models that will be available on the market in the next few years, Ducati Corse Off-Road, the Ducati division in charge of racing activity in the world of knobby tyres, has now presented the two prototypes that will be used by Antonio Cairoli and Alessandro Lupino in 2024, in Madonna di Campiglio during the Campioni in Pista event.

The Desmo450 MX, this is the name of the new model, was presented on the PalaCampiglio stage in the racing livery that it will sport in competition this year – in the Italian Motocross Pro – Prestige MX1 Championship – by the Ducati Corse R&D – Factory MX Team managed by Corrado and Marco Maddii. The target of this first season of racing is mainly to acquire data and information in racing to contribute to the development of the Desmo450 MX that will go into production in the second half of 2025.

It will be Alessandro Lupino who will take part in all the rounds of the Italian Championship, as well as in an intense testing program, in which he will be joined by Antonio Cairoli.

The race debut of the Ducati Desmo450 MX is planned for March 16 and 17 in Mantua for the first round of the Italian Motocross Pro Prestige MX1 Championship.

Claudio Domenicali (CEO Ducati Motor Holding)

“It is a great pleasure to inaugurate another Ducati racing season in Madonna di Campiglio, a location that perfectly expresses the values of ‘Made in Italy’ of which we are proud ambassadors and which last year represented the starting point of an unforgettable season. The path that has led us to be the best in the world in racing is undoubtedly made up of the hard daily work of these years, but also of our ability to work as a team and have fun while putting our maximum effort into what we do. One of the strong elements of our brand is the ability to create a system and today we demonstrate this by jointly presenting the official teams for the 2024 racing season: the Ducati Lenovo Team, the Aruba.it – Racing Ducati Team and the novelty represented by the Ducati Corse R&D – Factory MX Team. Seeing the three bikes next to each other was a great emotion for me because, although different from each other, they are part of a single project. This belonging is underlined by the basic colour of the liveries, Ducati Red, the same for all, and also by a completely new graphic sign that recalls the curve present in the Ducati logo, inspired by the most exciting part of riding a motorbike: the bend. At the same time, these bikes are also an expression of the path that Ducati has taken in recent years, investing in its future. The entry into motocross is in fact the clear example that our will to improve and our desire to win have no limits. In these two days we will have the opportunity to give ourselves the right energy for a season that promises to be full of challenges, in which we will try to confirm our leadership in the main track racing world championships and demonstrate our capabilities in a new terrain such as specialist off-road. Challenges have always encouraged us to bring out the best and we feel absolutely ready.”

Continue Reading

Industry News

2024 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship to be held in Heerde!

Published

on

The 2024 FIM Junior Motocross World Championship will be held at the Circuit Kamperweg Heerde in The Netherlands, on 14th July 2024.

The venue is a superbly professional and permanent facility in the country’s centre, some 50km north of the MXGP circuit at Arnhem. In 2008 the Junior World Championship was held in Heerde, with Jeffrey Herlings crowned the 85cc World Champion. The race is a showcase for the future stars of Motocross, with past winners including Tim Gajser, Jorge Prado, Maxime Renaux, Pauls Jonass, and Jago Geerts.  It is a great stepping stone to make it into the professional world of Motocross and experience competition with a similar feel to an MXGP weekend.  You can be sure that there will be factory scouts watching the progress of the best riders as well!

After a massively popular event at the TCS Racing Park near Bucharest in Romania in July 2023, the move to the classic woodland sand circuit at Heerde should bring another massive entry of riders to compete in the biggest dedicated Junior racing event of the season.

The Romanian meeting saw the French flyer Mathis Valin crowned as Junior World Champion in the 125cc ranks, and Patricks Cirulis of Latvia won the 65cc World Cup.  Dutch rider Dani Heitink, who also won the Dutch Masters, was the Junior World Champion in the 85cc class, and he moved up to the 125cc class in 2024.

The home crowd will be looking to encourage their team to go one better than they did in Romania, when they finished a close second to the victorious Italian squad. Team France was 3rd ahead of the USA and Latvia in 2023, so there is a genuine international World Championship atmosphere at this incredible event, and with fervent local support, it promises to be a spine-tingling weekend of action!

Find last year’s results here: https://mxvice.com/results-2023-junior-world-championship/

Race track

Name Kamperweg Heerde
Address Kamperweg 78, Heerde
GPS coordinates 2.418262 N 6.014555 E
Phone  +31 620 403 934
Website www.nsv-nov.nl
Email [email protected]
Continue Reading

Industry News

The Triumph TF 250-X can be yours for £9,750

Published

on

Triumph Motorcycles has officially launched the new TF 250-X, revealing a class-leading power to weight ratio and the most complete specification package ever to launch into the ultra-competitive 250cc motocross market.

Developed entirely by Triumph in close collaboration with racing champions including Ricky Carmichael and Iván Cervantes, the new four stroke competition model is an all-new ground-up design. The performance racing powertrain and unique aluminium chassis are ultra compact and super light, with all the best components on the market, already fitted out of the crate.

With a focused, aggressive style, the TF 250-X is slim, yet bold and will be instantly recognisable on the track, with its minimal and lightweight presence and distinctive Triumph Racing Yellow and black graphics scheme.

A new Triumph network of specialist motocross dealers, will be offering sales, servicing, parts and a new dedicated range of apparel, backed by a mobile-optimised 24/7 online parts supply system, so customers can order for express delivery, straight from the track.

Triumph Motorcycles’ Chief Product Manager, Steve Sargent, said: “The launch of the TF 250-X is the culmination of a significant commitment and investment from Triumph, to not just bring a totally new bike to the motocross world, but to deliver a winning performance. To achieve this, we are focused on delivering the most complete package for any riding level, from champion to amateur.

“This bike is 100% Triumph, conceived, designed, developed and manufactured by our world leading chassis and engine teams, with expert support from our racing champions. We started with a blank sheet of paper and began an all-new ground-up design, including a new engine, new chassis and new electronics.”

Performance Racing Powertrain

Triumph has developed an all-new performance racing powertrain, a competition four stroke single, that is ultra compact and super light. With a forged aluminium piston and titanium valves, the engine also has diamond-like carbon low friction coatings, lightweight magnesium covers and an Exedy Belleville clutch.

Advanced engine management and tunability is complemented by the optional accessory MX Tune Pro app, enabling riders to use real-time user selectable mapping, a real-time engine sensor dashboard and live diagnostic functionality, through a controlled programmable engine management system.

Aluminium Chassis

The unique aluminium chassis has a high strength, lightweight spine frame with twin cradles, designed for the optimum balance of performance, mass and flexibility. The total weight of the bike will see the new TF 250-X set a new benchmark for the best ‘power-to-weight’ ratio in the category. It also delivers a high level of tunability to suit different riders and styles.

Top Tier Specification 

The TF 250-X features premium, top tier componentry throughout, adding up to an unrivalled specification for a production bike in this category. KYB suspension tops the list, with 48mm AOS coil forks, forged and machined 7075-T6 aluminium triple clamps and a three-way piggyback coil rear shock.

The premium Brembo braking system features twin 24mm piston floating front caliper, a single 26mm piston floating rear caliper and Galfer 260mm front and 220mm rear discs. DirtStar 7000 Series aluminium rims and machined aluminium hubs are fitted with Pirelli Scorpion MX32 mid-soft tyres. Pro-Taper ACF carbon core bars and ODI half-waffle lock on grips complete the set up.

Competition Accessories

In addition to the high level of specification already included as standard, Triumph has worked with the biggest, premium brands to create a dedicated range of competition accessories to further enhance performance and capability.

These accessories include:

  • Akrapovi? full titanium exhaust system
  • XTrig hole shot device
  • Athena LC-GPA launch control module with rider-selectable enhanced traction control and launch control settings and LED engine speed indicator
  • MX Tune Pro wi-fi module
  • Performance gripper seat and seat cover
  • Bodywork replacement kit

Triumph’s Motocross dealer centres will also be stocking a new clothing range, available side by side to the new TF 250-X. Launched by Triumph in partnership with Alpinestars, the range includes Motocross and Enduro boots and apparel.

Specialist Triumph MX Centres

From Spring 2024, new specialist Triumph Motocross and Enduro centres will be opening in Europe, Australia and USA, with 300 opening by the end of 2024. These are dedicated, fully trained, specialist off-road centres, providing sales, servicing, parts, clothing and race support.

This network is backed up with a unique 24/7 parts and accessories supply system. Available from the Triumph website, this new electronic parts and accessory catalogue is fully optimized for mobile, so riders can search for parts and place orders while out at the track. Riders can select what they need, check availability, and price, and place an order for express delivery, standard. Delivery, or click and collect from their local Triumph motocross dealer.

Within the UK there will be seven regional centres at time of launch. To find your local dealer be sure to visit the find a dealer page on the Motocross and Enduro page on the website.

Racing Pedigree

Triumph’s globally renowned engineering teams bring expertise in precision engineering, innovation and award-winning quality. These teams are behind Triumph’s greatest modern racing achievements, including the Moto2TM championship where Triumph’s engines have helped to transform the class, setting new Moto2 lap and speed records at tracks around the world. From factory World Supersport racing, to the Isle of Man TT, earning multiple Supersport wins, and even a win at Daytona 200, the teams are focused on success.

The team has been supported by some of the biggest names in motocross, including the greatest MX rider of all time, Ricky Carmichael. He has worked with Triumph’s chassis and engine teams across the journey of scoping, prototyping, testing and development.

Ricky Carmichael said: “The TF 250-X is an incredible bike. This is the bike that we set out to build. When you talk about the chassis, the powertrain, the components – it’s the best of everything you could ever want. And whether you’re a professional rider or an amateur rider, you will not be disappointed. I love this bike, it’s been such an honour to part of a project with such an iconic brand.”

Iván Cervantes, five times enduro world champion, five times Spanish MX champion and Dakar finisher has also worked across the project with Triumph’s in-house teams to bring his experience to the Triumph bike development and prototyping.

With a team like this and the TF 250-X on the start line, Triumph is well placed to begin its motocross racing programme in 2024. Entering the prestigious FIM Motocross World Championship for 2024, Triumph Racing will compete with a factory supported programme set-up in partnership with Thierry Chizat-Suzzoni, one of the sport’s most experienced and successful team owners, who will start his campaign with two of Triumph’s all-new 250cc 4-stroke MX bikes in the 2024 MX2 class, supported by new sponsor, Monster Energy.

Underpinning the commitment to win, Team Manager Vincent Bereni, is leading a crew of highly experienced technical staff all focused on bringing Triumph to the pinnacle of racing performance. Thierry and Vincent’s past racing record speaks for itself – with over 80 MXGP World Championship victories.

Clément Desalle, who joined the team as test rider, is a very experienced racer, competing at the highest level in the MXGP World Championship for 15 years. As one of the most consistent racers in the series, he claimed three Vice Champion finishes, was third in the World Championship three times and twice finished fourth. Finishing on the top step of the podium 23 times in his career, he was also crowned the Pro Open Belgian champion.

Triumph Racing’s US SuperMotocross World Championship Team is headed up by the highly talented Bobby Hewitt and team manager Steve ‘Scuba’ Westfall – this duo have proved over and over that they know how to win. They brought in a crack team including Dave Arnold, an industry AMA Hall of Fame legend for chassis development and Dudley Cramond, with over 25 years of experience of building race winning engines. The team will field the all-new TF 250-X’s in the 2024 World Championship.

On the dirt

The TF 250-X will start from £9,795 OTR and orders can be placed now at Triumph’s new motocross dealers, with bikes available for delivery from Spring 2024. Watch the launch film on YouTube. For more information or to find your local dealer visit the Triumph website.

Further information about the launch of a TF 450-X and the hotly anticipated Enduro range from Triumph Motorcycles will follow later in 2024.

Specifications

ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Type Single Cylinder 4-Stroke DOHC
Capacity 249.95 cc
Bore 78 mm
Stroke 52.3 mm
Compression 14.4
System Dell’Orto EFI
Exhaust Single Silencer
Final Drive 13/48
Clutch Wet Multi-Plate Belleville Spring
Gearbox 5 Speed
CHASSIS
Frame Aluminium, Spine
Swingarm Aluminium Fabrication
Front Wheel 21″ x 1.6″
Rear Wheel 19″ x 1.85″
Front Tyre 80/100 – 21
Rear Tyre 100/90 – 19
Front Suspension KYB 48mm Coil Spring Fork, Compression/Rebound Adjustment, 310mm Travel
Rear Suspension KYB Coil, Compression Adjustment (H and L Speed), Rebound Adjustment, 305mm Travel
Front Brakes Brembo Twin 24mm Piston, 260mm Disc
Rear Brakes Brembo Single 26mm Piston, 220mm Disc
Instrument Display and Functions Hour Meter, Multifunction Switch Cubes
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS
Width Handlebars 836mm
Height Without Mirror 1270mm
Seat Height 960mm
Wheelbase 1492mm
Rake 27.4º
Trail 116mm
Wet weight 104kg
Tank Capacity 7 L
Continue Reading

Latest