Dirt Products
Got something to help the off-road world go faster, keep their feet up longer or remain more on time in an enduro? Tell us, we could well put it in this bit.
1. Tooled up
What’s your on-bike toolkit like? Is it pristine with everything you need for those unplanned outdoor maintenance sessions – which can happen even to the best of us – or is it more like a selection of old tools, possibly rusty, maybe worn out and often just in that scabby bag because ‘…well, I always carry these…’?
None of us likes to break down but here in the dirt bike world where we take to the rougher path, a slight incident can cause major heartache, but if you know your toolkit includes not only the special 3/16ths metric gizmo for the waffle sprocket then the panic level goes way down. At the recent Motulbacked Dirt Bike Show at Stoneleigh, CDB spotted the latest tailored toolkit from Venhill and learnt it was for KTM models. Like all their ‘Cruz’ toolkits, the items inside are quality tools and being brand-new will work well.
WHAT IS IT? A KTM specific toolkit is what it is. WHAT’S IT DO? Saves anguish and tears by having all the right tools in the right place at the right time. WHERE D’YOU GET IT? It’s available from Venhill Engineering, www.venhill.co.uk 01306 885111 WHAT’S THE COST? It will set you back £80.03 including VAT but not postage and packing.
2. Keep it cool
In the cut and thrust of MX it’s easy for brakes to get overheated and lose efficiency but the problem is unlike that on a road bike where there’s a free flow of cooling air – a dirt bike doesn’t always have that advantage. No, it’s more likely that the brake caliper will be coated in mud and muck which bakes on and warms things up nicely.
One of the ways to increase cooling efficiency is to increase the area available to dissipate heat, ergo adding cooling fins and this is what M and H Laser’s brake cooler does. A simple bolt-on accessory which actually works and allows heat to be vented from hardworking brakes means they work better for longer and you can brake later, knowing you’ll stop. Surely that could be worth a place or two in the pack? Thing is it’s for disc brakes, you guys on drums will have to just accept heat is a thing you’re stuck with.
The brake cooler is only part of M and H Laser’s range, we’ve also featured their paddock stands in CDB and they also do the trophies for the Northern British Bike Championship, so check their website and see what they can do for you.
WHAT IS IT? It is a bolt-on heat dissipater for disc brakes. WHAT’S IT DO? It helps keep disc brakes cool. WHAT’S THE COST? Depending on the type and application, £40-£50 including VAT but not post and packing. WHERE D’YOU GET IT? M and H Laser www.mhlaser.co.uk 01822 617102
3. Arise Sir Handlebar
All competition bikes are built to certain standard dimensions, unfortunately people tend to come in different sizes which makes life a bit tricky for designers. It’s an obvious statement that a bike which suits someone medium height won’t always be right for someone taller.
Changing handlebars is an expensive task and if the bend you’re using suits you what happens if you can’t get that in a higher bar? This is where things like bar risers come in to play and offer an easy way to increase the handlebar height on bikes with flat yokes.
These ones are made by Audit CNC Ltd, one of our trials series sponsors. Well made and nicely polished, the alloy bar risers come with clamps and clamp Allen bolts but you’ll have to use the original mounting Allen bolt.
WHAT ARE THEY? Handlebar risers WHAT DO THEY DO? Allow a rider to finetune the height of their handlebars. WHERE D’YOU GET ‘EM? Audit CNC Ltd 0191 371 8888 ossy@auditcnc.com www.auditcnc.com
Do you make, import or otherwise supply bits and pieces, clothing or other stuff the world of off- road motorcycling needs to know about? If so, then your product could be on these pages. Contact Helen in advertising on 01507 529574 or Tim Britton on 07739 615605 / Cdbeditor@mortons.co.uk
4. In the bore
Arguably, the British motorcycle industry would have been much more compact without the Villiers engine. Imagine in the classic period how many makes relied on a version of the two-stroke engine produced by the Midlandsbased company.
Suffice to say the Villiers engine is still giving its all today, 50 years on from the end of production, thanks to the enthusiasts who use them and the people who supply parts for them.
Enthusiasts such as Steve Gollings at Villiers Services who has a pretty comprehensive stock of all sorts of bits and is also adding new bits to his stock list, bits such as this piston which we photographed at Stafford show in October. Known in Villiers circles as the Holy Grail of Pistons it is designed for the 225cc 1H engine but when fitted to the 197 8E, 9E etc makes them into a 250. There’s no great high performance benefit but a great increase in torque which has to be good.
Villiers services tell us it is made to high standards by a manufacturer noted for making modern MX pistons and it has been designed to use off the shelf piston rings so there will be no problem with keeping compression correct.
It is available in a full range of oversizes from the standard 63mm bore.
WHAT IS IT? It is a new piston made to high standards. WHAT’S IT FOR? Villiers 1H specifically but fits others such as 8E, 9E if the bore is increased. WHAT’S IT COST? It will set you back £85 plus VAT and comes with rings, gudgeon pin and circlips. There’ll be a bit extra for postage too. WHERE DO YOU GET IT? www. villiersservices.co.uk 01384 265797
5. Super fuel
No, not for the bike but for the rider. Motorcycle sport is a physically demanding one and it saps all sorts of vital liquids from a rider's body which leads to fatigue, arm pump and worse… slows you down. The art of nutrition for athletes is well known and the benefits too but something specific for MX riders is less common. On the MX Science stand at the Dirt Bike Show CDB learnt there is a way to combat the effects of a long race on the rider’s body using their Motox Nutrition.
The need for such a product came when the guys were casting about looking for energy drinks and found there were lots available but none were quite right. So they approached someone with more knowledge about these sorts of things and developed Motox Nutrition with the help of a qualified scientist in the nutrition field. The result is a slow-release delivery system which contains replacements for all the vital juices used up by a body under physical stress. There are three flavours available – lemon and lime, blueberry and orange.
WHAT IS IT? A nutritional performance drink WHAT’S IT DO? Combats arm pump, fatigue and lactic acid build up. WHAT’S IT COST? It’s £19.99 for a 20 serving pouch, and there are three flavours. WHERE D’YOU GET? it From MX Science www.mxscience.com tel 07494 332682 or email info@mxscience.com
6. On the turn
How many times have you had the bike up on a stand and needed to spin it round this way a little, or that way a little? This turntable will make that job a whole lot easier as it is quite capable of supporting a large road bike, so can happily take a stand which supports a dirt bike. Made from chequer plate aluminium sheet the top sits in a smooth alloy base and runs on a large 460mm diameter bearing.
The original was made to solve a problem in Motorworks’ BMW workshop and is 420mm in diameter and has replaceable feet, so, in about 20 years when they’re a bit shoogly, they can be replaced. In CDB’S workshop the turntable quite happily held a bike stand with a 340 Bultaco on it and, in an experiment with several chunks of larch quite happily did the same job a couple of feet in the air as it did on the ground. If you’ve limited space in your garage then this could be a sensible addition. It could also be used on a workbench to make working on an engine easier.
WHAT IS IT? It’s a basic turntable. WHAT’S IT DO? It allows a bike to be rotated in situ. WHAT’S THE COST? It’ll set you back £135 WHERE D’YOU GET IT? BMW specialist www.motorworks.co.uk 01484 353600