How often do you clean your air filter? What do you use when you clean it? Perhaps gasoline or WD40 or Dish Soap? Well, I just tried ProClean ProFilter air filter cleaner on one of my bikes that I had left the summer without cleaning (Yes, shame on me!).

I have to say I was pretty amazed that dirt just came right off without doing any work at all! Unlike gasoline which is toxic and hard to dispose of this is a biodegradable water based cleaner so it is easy to dispose.

With prestigious names such as Triumph and Norton still very much in existence the title of this editorial could easily be interpreted as a rhetorical question,...

However:

When I get done riding I'm pretty tired from the tight and technical to having to hold up the bike after failing a hill climb. Now The last thing I want to do when I get home is wash the bike however it is completely nessecary if I want my bike to last. A clean bike will prevent dirt and grime from getting into your business when you are working on the bike. Mud can also hide problems that need to be fixed from a visual inspection. The worst thing is to take your bike out only for it to break down after 10 minutes of riding.

The easiest thing to do is to use a power washer and wash the bike with an intense stream of water. There are problems with this approach because the high pressure can actually move a seal, force water and dirt through a seal, scratch up your plastics or rip off your graphics. I was power washing my bikes for a while and I learned that it's not the best approach to washing your bike. There is also dirt in the water so once your bike dries there will still be a layer of dirt covering a lot of the most hard to reach places.

Revealed to the world back in July the new 7071 billet ally clutch basket will be "spinning right round baby right round" with some new friends on the 2011 M.M.X.

Fitting into the anodised clutches of the basket will be a line up of plates specifically manufactured for the new bike in the U.K. providing a more durable service than the previous parts used.

With Maico Internationals Dunlop Maxima rider Neil Berry subjected to mid season surgery on his arm which effectively ruled out any serious challenge for silverware in any of the British two stroke Championships, the firm continue to build on their long term relationship with one of their main sponsors.

Working closely with fuel guru Anthony Webb at the newly re-branded U.K. distributors "W.P. Motorsport" the motor sports division of "The W.P. Group", Maico International is pleased to be approaching their third year in association with the leading American brand Maxima Racing Oils.2011 will see the relationship extended to include O.E.M. fit of Maxima gearbox oil to the entire range of production M.M.X. Maicos as standard.

Embracing the science of a wide and varied selection of technological advances, Maico International are pleased to release a glimpse into the specification of the optional factory engines which will be available for the 2011 M.M.X.

Providing the wow factor on the outside, billet ally casings will adorn the factory power-plant reducing the overall weight of the unit. Providing the same wow factor on the inside and using the same process that is used in many Formula One engines, the crankshaft and complete gearbox is coated in titanium nitride which drastically reduces the friction and increases durability and wear by up to three times and ultimately provides increased horsepower.

As the 700cc M.M.X. becomes the topic of many internet conversations regarding the senseless need for such a bike, and the insanity needed to ride one, there is one man that can see the reason..... and likes it.

"This bike is insane" commented Neil Berry after spending several days taming the 700 M.M.X. back in the summer "It rewrites the rule book on how to race a two stroke and for the first two hours I struggled to come to terms with the immense power this thing puts down, but the strange thing is that once you stop becoming frightened of the eighty plus horses under your right hand, (next years model should be near 100) you can't stop laughing.... The fun factor, the distant sound of a 450 behind you on the rev limiter...... and you?re only in second!..... This is what this bike is all about".

First time out riding in almost two months so I prepared the 1983 Maico 490 Spider turned Sand Spider and went through my gear. I changed the oil, installed a new clutch cable, put air in the tires and fired the beast up to make sure there were no problems. I went through my gear to make sure everything was complete and I added a new small vice grip to the Ogio Flight Vest. Everything was ready to ride the next morning.

I headed out around 7am to Diamond Mill OHV staging area first stopping at the Shell gas station to get fuel. The auxiliary 'number plate' gas tank which I had yet to use was already full but I needed to fill up the main tank. Three gallons of premium mixed at 32:1 ought to be enough and with some coffee I was on my way.

The motorized trail system in Idaho is a national treasure. There are approximately 9,000 miles of motorized trails in Idaho that possess unparalleled beauty and technical challenge. As riders, we need to take great care to preserve the unique characteristics of the Idaho trail system so that future generations can experience and enjoy this incredible asset. General Protocol

a. Tread Lightly

Treading lightly means to have as little impact as possible. Enjoy the Idaho experience but leave little evidence that you were here. This includes, but is not limited to, having a quiet muffler on your bike so as not to offend others, having the proper bike setup in order to minimize your impact on the trails, properly disposing of your trash, being respectful of the rights of others, and generally being a good ambassador for the sport of motorcycling.

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The MicroCamera is an interesting little camera for about ~$20 to $30 dollars. It looks like an automatic carlock and can fit on your keychain. The entire assembly is very light and contains two functional buttons and two fake buttons. The top of the camera has a small LED that tells you the current operation mode of the camera and on the front side oppsite the key ring attachment is the camera and microphone.

The camera lens is indented into the plastic so it will not be scratching up against anything. the Microphone is a pin sized hole right next to it. The left side contains a pin sized reset button, the USB Mini port and the insert for the Micro-SDHC card. The micro SDHC card must be purchased separately and can run from $25 to $50 dollars depending on the size, class and brand.

Weighing in at approximately one and a half kilo's less that the previous Reiger shock; the all new unit features a wealth of adjustment, with 50 click settings on the rebound, 45 clicks on the high speed compression, and 25 on the low speed compression as standard. With the top end of the shock beautifully manufactured from Billet and a coated rod, it is expected that the production models will come with an anodised reservoir and will be manufactured to suit the weight of each individual rider when the customer orders his or her bike.

Square barrels, radial fins, primary chains and Bing carburetors all come to mind when you think of the Maico Marque in the 1970s. This legacy continued into the early 1980s with the release of the 1981 Maico 490 which has become one of the most famous dirt bikes of all time. You may be surprised to know however that this engine has been evolving ever since and the grandchildren are still being manufactured today.

The 1981 490 engine is not so different than engines released by Maico in the years preceding. In fact the engine is almost part for part a late 1970s Maico 440 with a much bigger hole. Just like the 440, the cylinder utilizes a large radial fin design for air cooling which was patented by Maico in 1974 (US Patent #3,782,342). This design is definitely unique, eye catching and has never been duplicated.

As a new era dawns in the life of Maico, rigorous testing has been carried out on a wide selection of hand made products already hotly tipped to make it onto the spec sheet for the 2011 M.M.X.

The new frame has been kept at close quarters for some time and the results have proved to be better than initially expected with a superb balance which far exceeds its dated predecessor and provides a substantial weight saving.

Catching the imagination of the global motocross community earlier this year with the release of the 2010 Maico M.M.X., manufacturers, Maico International are believed to be on course to produce the first British made motocrosser for over a decade with the 2011 model, which features a new U.K manufactured engine and frame following a unique tie up with a leading engineering manufacturer for F.1.

Spending the last six months focussing on major development and working closely with the managing director of the Surrey based company who engineer and manufacture gears and various other exotic mechanical parts for many of the front running Formula One teams, Maico International will be unleashing a range of 5 new two stroke engines in, 250cc, 320cc, 380cc, 500cc and 700cc capacity, all manufactured to the highest standard along with an equally comprehensive range of high end optional upgrades which have been designed to outstrip the competition in terms of power, performance, durability and reliability.

Every year the Trailsmen Motorcycle Club in Oregon organize several 'Poker Runs' in Tillamook State Forest. A 'Poker Run' is race where at the end you draw from a bag of poker chips and if you pull a special colored chip you win a trophy. The entry fee is around $20 and everyone who finishes does recieve a finisher's plaque. The poker run is setup with two courses, the first of which was the easy course and about ~30 miles and the second is ~40 miles and is designated as the hard course.

I have been riding in TSF for several years now however had never participated in any events. The July 2010 Cow Country Poker run was to be my first event as well as one of my fellow rider's, Ankur. Ankur and I were joined by another rider, Howie, who drove down for the weekend from Seattle to ride in TSF. I brought my 1984 KTM 495MXC, Ankur rode his 1998 Kawasaki KX500 and Howie had a 2009 KTM 300. We met near Lydia camp early in the morning and rode to the starting point.