With a long, cold winter now upon northern Nevada, riders across the area are sitting in their garages and gazing longingly at their machinery. Being confined in a narrow space can do strange things to us. It can tempt us to think that perhaps a set of anodized triple clamps is just what we need to improve our bike’s performance come springtime. After all, the extra pinch bolts probably reduce fork flex, and the trick red coating must be worth something as an intimidation factor in the staging area, right?

Before anyone rushes to the dealer, let us consider an example that unfolded at round ten of our very own MX West Nevada State Championship Series this past fall. Bobby Garrison (928), one of the area’s finest professionals and an up-and-comer on the national scene, arrived with a pair of stock Honda CRFs, complete with the warning labels still affixed to the rear fender.

Garrison lined up for the pro races without the aid of any trick triple clamps, revalved suspension, or even an aftermarket exhaust. But when the gate dropped, he was more than ready to run with another of our area’s best, Jimmy Nelson, who was running a well-prepped set of YZFs. It should be noted that Nelson’s FMF-tuned Yamahas have been so nice in the past that they have been tested by Motocross Action.

Garrison and Nelson battled throughout a good part of each 125cc Pro moto, and though Nelson eventually took home the win, Garrison’s ability to run a national pace on a stock bike was admirable. But beyond that, Garrison’s ride called into question whether the mechanical upgrades that so many riders insist on are a product of necessity--or a product of wishful thinking.

I often have to wonder, when I hear a rider complaining of some alleged deficiency in their bike, to what degree their problem is really mechanical. (If you haven’t heard many riders complain of their bikes, listen to the riders exiting the track after a back-of-the-pack finish. They have some of the worst bikes in the world.) While a decent bike is necessary for success, I have seen many a rider aboard what I know to be very capable machinery speak of the bike as though he were riding his sister’s ten-speed.

It’s not just Garrison who shows us what stock bikes are capable of. Some of the best in the sport have noted that it is not the machine that matters most in motocross. Jeff Ward, the seven-time AMA national champ turned Indy car driver turned Supermoto champion, once said, “Machinery is not the most important thing in motocross. If you train, practice and race, you can rise to the top.”

Travis Pastrana, who, like Ward, has been aboard the finest machinery since the start of his career, noted in a recent Racer X column that he can take his stock Suzuki DR-Z400 and turn within three-and-a-half seconds of his best time on his factory RM250 on a three-minute-per-lap outdoor course. While three-and-half seconds is a lot of time in motocross, keep in mind that the DR-Z400 is not a lot of motorcycle--especially in relation to the no-expenses-spared Suzukis that Pastrana is comparing it to.

But I can hear you say, “I’m not Pastrana, Ward, or Garrison. I need all the help I can get.” Maybe so. But the point is not that well-prepped bikes aren’t important--they are--but rather that they are merely a tool for stretching your abilities on a motorcycle. And the hard truth is that unless you work to develop the abilities to begin with, even the most effective bike won’t have much to stretch. I'm not arguing against improving your bike, especially if you enjoy doing so. I'm only arguing against the delusion that riders need to clear the shelves at their dealer and mail their forks to Toledo before their bike is competitive.

So instead of working overtime this month to afford a titanium bolt kit or a third revalve on your forks, consider cutting back an hour or two from work to hit the track. If you’re going to thin your wallet for the sake of increasing your speed, that lack of overtime will go a lot further in lowering your times than even the coolest set of machined hubs.


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