How Things Work

The term “high performance” gets thrown around a lot when talking about engines and the vehicles they power, but real high performance requires high performance fuels. Real high performance engines are designed to create as much power as possible at the cost of longevity, and they can not achieve their full potential on pump gas… Unless you build engines like Koenigsegg, which you don’t.

Before we get into a discussion on using AvGas (aviation gas) in your dirt Bike, let’s take a minute to learn about its origins as the first high octane performance fuel! AvGas is the fuel that won World War 2 and pushed the limits of human flight. Without it, the P-51 Mustang would not have controlled the skies, nor commercial aviation be developed.

Understanding how your rear hub works will save you time and effort when you perform your routine maintenance. Unlike the front hub, the rear has 3 bearings instead of just 2, and a bearing retainer that screws into the brake side of the hub. There are 2 bearings on the sprocket side, and 1 bearing on the brake side. The double bearing on the sprocket side is needed to handle the torque from the engine.

How Your Front Wheel Hub Works - Your front hub components are: Axle, Spacers, Bearings, Beating Seals, Axle Nut, & Pinch Bolts. The wheel bearings are the most important part of the wheel hub. These are the only parts of the wheel hub that move. The inner bearing race rides on the axle, and the outer bearing race is a press fit to the bore of the hub. Axle In Front Bearings The inner and outer bearing race are connected...

Both natural and synthetic rubbers have their pros and cons, but that is a very in depth topic that I won't get into here. This article will focus on the benefits of using a natural rubber inner tube for dirt bikes. Natural rubber is made from the sap of the rubber tree. I know that sounds made up, but there are several varieties of these plants, and "rubber tree" is the generic term.

What Is A Rim Lock & What Does It Do? That bolt that is sticking out of your rim is the rim lock. In case you had that "why do I have two valve stems, wait, why is there a bolt coming out of my rim?" moment. Your rim lock is simply a clamp that holds your tire in place on the rim, and can be found on every dirt bike. It is designed to fit between the tire and the tube, with metal cleats on the bottom to grip the inside of the tire bead.

You Do NOT Need Rubber Grease To Install Tubes & Tires! Soapy water works just fine, and I use it all the time for project bikes. Now that that's out of the way... I started using rubber grease because when I was a kid I saw it used on rubber hoses and seals in classic cars, so I thought, why not use it on my dirt bike? As it turned out, I was a few decades to late with this idea. Rubber grease has been used in motorcycles for a very long time.

To put it simply, dry rot is when the rubber in your tires starts to decay. You probably don't need to worry about dry rot if you change your tires frequently, but for hobby riders, weekend warriors, vintage guys, or any rider on a budget, a rotted tire can ruin your weekend. How Can You Tell If The Tires On Your Dirt Bike Are Affected By Dry Rot? If your tire has tiny cracks between the knobs and on the sidewall, it’s already breaking down, and the worse it gets the easier it is to spot.

Back in the day, two stroke engines were very limited on what their power bands could do. One power band might be able to produce a rush of power in the low-to-mid rev ranges. Another power band may have produced a power rush in the mid-to-upper-high rev ranges. Still another might produce a lot of power only at the top-most range. There were no in-between, and there were no...

Ever since synthetic oil made its way into the automotive market, it has reigned supreme in two related, yet very distinct categories: performance and price. The former is why most professional dirt bike riders use synthetic. And the latter is why many aspiring dirt bike riders are still sticking with their petroleum-based oil. It's true that full synthetic oil is expensive, even more so when you compare...