BAYOMOTO

FAUX-STROKE ERA

I can vividly recall the first AMA national event I attended that was primarily comprised of 4-stroke bikes. Back in 2005, on a sunny and disgustingly humid day in Southwick, Mass., the first 125cc class moto blasted off the starting gate with a noise that proved sound is actually vibrations. My chest rumbled, my ears shook, and the sound caught me so much by surprise and that it just plain scared me. As the riders rounded the first turn, the only 125cc motorcycle in the group could very well have been an electric bike, for that familiar whine of the small machine was completely drowned out by the thirty-nine thumpers.

Just the shock of that experience had me thinking the races were no longer enjoyable. Two-strokes were entertaining, exciting, and at their worst (silencers with worn out or no packing) tolerable. Conversely, 4-stroke machines would only attract core fans to the races and elderly enthusiasts who were already hard of hearing and can recall the first era of 4-stroke motocross machines. Of course, as a hardcore fan myself, I did not stay away from the races for long, and the new machinery has proven to be more popular than anyone predicted.

Nevertheless, I still occasionally lament the slow fading of two-strokes in professional racing. Premix, blinged out works pipes, those were the days, right? But when I truly think about it, I am barely old enough to complain. For me and most fans below 30 years old, the two-stroke era was really just a blip on the map in terms of how long we have been following the sport.

To be honest I have only attended one single AMA Professional Motocross or Supercross without a four-stroke in the main event. The 1997 St. Louis SX was the first pro race I ever saw, and try as he might Lance Smail just could not get that enormous KTM530 around the track very well. Thus both main events were 4-stroke free, McGrath proved he was still capable of winning (much to my delight), Roncada demonstrated how to lug around twenty extra pounds of In-N-Out Burgers on the track and win, and Carmichael showed glimpses of the GOAT he was to become (although he was still a lamb at the time).

When I attended the same event the following year, Yamaha had already proven their commitment to 4-stroke development with their production YZ400F that Doug Henry would utilize in capturing the outdoor National Championship later that year. After that it was a gradual turn over to thumpers that seemed to increase exponentially. In reality, there was a combination of factors that lead to the endangering of tiddlers and 250s (in the premier class). The manufacturers, the EPA, and consumers all had a hand in the process, and while many of us miss the buzz of the 2-stroke, we have long been rumbling along in the modern 4-stroke era.

To be continued....