LOCALNEWS
I have an off weekend for practice . So that ' ll be the only difference - a little harder suspension set-up , maybe a little faster gearing , but other than that , I ' ll probably keep them all the same .
Have you made any upgrades based on your past experience with aftermarket parts ?
We put some Bullet Proof Designs radiator guards on ; I think that ' s a must . I ' ve been running those on every bike since like 2014 . They make really good ride guards . Swingarm guard protects the tabs that hold the chain guide on , and a disc guard . All that stuff Bullet Proof Designs we put on there . SXS skid plate - they make a really good plastic skid plate that has the beaver tail on the end so it covers the linkage and allows you to slide over the obstacles . Again , I think this is another must-have .
We added some inner-cooler parts to keep the bike cooler , we added a fan . We put an S3 head on it to spice it up a little bit , spice the compression up . S3 footpegs , so an upgrade from the stock . Seat Concepts seat cover to give a little bit better grip when you have a muddy race . That really helped out for the SEER event last week . That ' s about it . These things are ready to go right out of the box ; I will also add Stillwell suspension , so they ' ll do my hard enduro suspension , get it softened up and feeling really plush .
Has Rieju made any changes to the production of the 2021 bikes , or are they still essentially a GasGas platform ?
For the most part , they are essentially a GasGas platform . I know they ' ve made some minor tweaks and changes and a few internal things to help out some of the performance issues . I think they ' re helping out with that aspect , but for the most part , it ' s based off the 2018 and 2019 GasGas for now at least .
It ' s definitely good for other brands to showcase what their bikes can do , too . Like you were saying , back in the day , all the top guys were on Shercos and Scorpas ; we all rode for the same team . It was the best team to be on , no doubt . The support was awesome with Brad and Ryan . Now , I think people are branching out and choosing different paths . It ' s good to see because other brands are plenty capable ; I think it ' s good to see top guys competing against each other on different brands for sure . It helps out the dealers and the local shops that take these brands on and I think the more options there are , the better .
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 46