Here at DR, we’re always cooking up something. Be it a new bike test, hair-brained feature or just a few simple photos, it’s a fact that those on our staff are rarely bored. But out of everything we do here, the days of testing at the track are without a doubt some of the busiest—and most fun—parts of the week.
While I can’t spill the beans about everything we’re working on for upcoming issues, I can give you a few hints as to what we’re up to now. For example, a good bit of yesterday was spent at Riverside’s Milestone MX Park testing various bikes and products for our July (yes, already) issue. As you can see from the photos, there are some cool things in the works, as well as the usual amount of nonsense that is inevitably produced by a day at the local motocross track. Keep an eye on dirtrider.com—as well as upcoming issues of the magazine—for more!
The biggest order of the day was to begin testing on one of the Quantya electric bikes. Here, Pete Peterson does something funny with his hands in between photo shoots. The Quantya is one cool piece of machinery, and we had people asking all day long about the bike. But how good is it? Honestly, we’re still finding out!
One of the oddest things to get used to on an electric bike is the battery and subsequent lack of a fuel tank. This little meter on the Quantya sits right where a traditional gas cap would go. It tells the rider when the battery is dry, as indicated by the red light. Needless to say, we got more than a few strange looks while firing up a generator at the track and plugging in our bike…
As always, time at the track is spent working on a variety of product tests for our DR Tested section. I’m currently testing these Thor gloves, and recently found that although they aren’t as protective as some other gloves, blood does wash out of them quite well. Check out the upcoming test in print to hear the rest of the story.
The main track at Milestone MX can be pretty technical, and with hundreds of riders on it and plenty of ruts the course was in National track shape by the end of the day. Although we don’t know who he is, this local rider was burning some pretty good laps on his RM125 two-stroke. Is there a comeback in the works for these bikes? It’s hard to say, but we have seen a LOT more of them at the track lately!
DR’s Pete Peterson was on hand at Milestone to help test, drink coffee and also ride this Adventure bike for some photos. What are we planning with the little Yamaha? I’d hate to spoil the surprise, but I will say that dual-sport lovers won’t want to miss our July issue. As for this photo, I don’t think Pete could be doing any less. Still, I give him credit for having matching gear.
Remember what I said about drinking coffee? It’s true. Old Norman drinks over a pot of the devil’s nectar each day. I didn’t believe that he was drinking coffee at the track, so I checked his cup; yes, this weirdo really drinks his morning brew at the track around three in the afternoon. To each their own, I guess!
This is Ricky Yorks, AMA pro and one of our loyal test riders. Ricky went pretty big on the Quantya at Milestone, and had some interesting feedback on the bike at the end of the day. He also helped put some time on our Long Haul bikes, and was around all day to tell funny stories about mechanics that don’t speak English and getting physically assaulted by an angry little elf at Perris Raceway.