The Ultimate Guide to Dirt Bikes! | The A to Z of the BEST Sport on the Planet

For the uninitiated, the dirt bike world can often be a confusing and bewildering place. We as the Moto family most certainly speak our own language, one that outsiders might not necessarily understand. But let's try and help them. What's up guys, my name's Max and this is 999 Laser. In this video I'm going to give you guys an A-Z of dirt bikes that you can share with your friends and family to help them understand what the hell you are talking about and why the hell you love this sport so much. But if I miss something out or I get something wrong, make sure you let me know in the comments down below. But without further ado, let's get started. A is for A1. Not the steak sauce. In dirt bike terms, A1 means Anaheim 1. This is traditionally the first race of the AMA Supercross season and the first pro race of the dirt bike in year. Outside the motocross of nations, this is absolutely the most hyped race in the moto world. From late September through to January, A1 is the word on everyone's lips. It represents the unknown and new opportunities. Until the gates drop at Anaheim 1, anything is possible. This is a race that should be on every dirt bike lover's bucket list. Arena Cross is a scaled down version of Supercross held in, you guessed it, arenas. Because of the tighter, smaller track designs, Arena Cross tends to provide some of the closest, most hard fought racing in the game. Things can often get a little dramatic, let's say. Arm pump. The nemesis of riders fast and slow around the world. Arm pump sucks. In motocross, it typically occurs when you're gripping the bars too tight, affecting oxygen and blood flow to your forearms, leaving you with the feeling that you can't hold on any longer. This problem can affect riders of any ability or fitness, and has been blamed for many a bad race result. I'll say it again, arm pump sucks. B is for backmarker. A backmarker, also known as a lapper, is a slower rider being put a lap down by the race leaders. In professional races, marshals are given special flags to wave at backmarkers to let them know that leaders are inbound and they should get out of the way. In lower levels of racing though, we don't necessarily see this, so different methods have to be utilised to let lappers know to kindly move over. Beach racing is one of the most spectacular forms of motorcycle racing, and is a variant of enduro. The largest beach race in the UK is held at Western Supermare, and usually has 1000 competitors and crowds of up to 100,000 people. Other big time beach races include the Red Bull Knockout in the Netherlands and Le Touquet in France. Block pass. In the off-road world, rubbing is racing. Sometimes when you can't find any other way to make a pass on the guy in front of you, you just simply have to employ the block pass manoeuvre. This is when you deliberately cut off your opponent's line in order to kill their momentum and make a pass stick. Block passes can be gentlemanly, friendly and elegant overtaking moves, but a lot of the time they're just pretty damn dirty. Berm. We love berms. Mountain bikers will know where we're coming from, but if you've only ever ridden on the road, you'll have no idea. A berm is basically a banked corner, allowing a rider to carry more speed around the turn. In motocross there are many types of berm, sand, dust and bowl. If you can master them all, you'll be well on your way to conquering the competition. Blue groove. Blue groove occurs on hard-packed clay tracks. Hard-packed meaning the dirt is packed hard. Blue groove is a phenomenon in which the rubber from your tyres' knobblies is being laid down on the track, creating a noticeable blue line on the circuit. Riding blue groove is more like riding tarmac than dirt. Bumwhip. When you want to whip or scrub but lack the talent, this is what happens. Many riders have boasted about their sick whips, only to get back and look at the footage to realise that the bike was dead straight and the only movement was their backside. That's a bumwhip. C is for case. In motocross terms, a case is when you come up short on a jump. Sometimes it's not a big deal. If you come up short and case the landing of a tabletop, you'll often be okay. But if you come up short on a double or a triple, you better grit your teeth, hold on tight and pray to god that you can still have kids afterwards. Chainsaw. When combined with airhorns, this is when you know you're at a motocross grand prix. Carmichael. Ricky Carmichael is the winningest rider in motocross history. Categorically known as the greatest of all time, there's no argument, Carmichael maybe had one of the greatest careers in sports history. Woods, Jordan, Tyson, they've got nothing on this guy. Retiring at the grand old age of 26, Carmichael won 5 supercross titles, 10 motocross titles, he never lost one and completed two perfect seasons. Going unbeaten in the 2002 and 2004 AMA motocross championships. Carmichael changed the game in terms of intensity and physical preparation. He is now a co-host and commentator on NBC for the supercross broadcasts. D is for double. Simply two dirt obstacles with a gap in between that is to be jumped in one leap. Even the smallest jump can become a head screw if there's a gap in between. Many riders have frustratingly stated that they hit it if only it were a table top. Daytona. This ocean side city is known across the motorcycle world for the infamous bike week held there every single year. For us dirt bikers though, Daytona holds a special place in our hearts, as the first ever supercross race was held here back in 1974. The Daytona circuit is wildly different to anything else on the tour and is basically a sandy motocross track laid out on the infield of Daytona Super Speedway. Usually coming at about the midway stage of the season, they say that the championship fight truly starts at Daytona. E is for eating dirt. Also known as eating s***. Eating dirt is crashing, usually face first and getting a nice mouthful of mud for your troubles. Evo. Evo means evolution. And in dirt bike terms, in the UK anyway, it's used to describe a period of massive progression in the sport. During this time, bikes develop massively year on year. Generally, bikes released between 1983 and 1989 are considered Evo. Super Evo is also used to categorise bikes released between 1990 and 1999. Enduro. In the words of my old mate Uncle Rom. There's one or two sports that people get into if they can't make it in motocross or supercross where I'm at, the best in the world. They either go to one, freestyle motocross, which is for a bunch of sissies, or two, they go to enduro. Not my words, but it is. However, the official definition of this discipline is a motorcycle sport that is run over extended cross-country courses. There are also several subsections of the enduro niche, with extreme slash hard enduro, which is enduro on steroids, sprint enduro, which is enduro but faster, and enduro cross, which is enduro but indoors, making it quite a confusing game for outsiders. There's no denying though that enduro and off-road riding is massively popular and easily accessible to many people around the world. Energy drinks. They might not be that good for you, but you can't go too far in the dirt bike world without being bombarded by energy drink marketing. Whether it's riders on the podium, headline sponsorships, or world-class grid girls, energy drinks are everywhere. Much like the cigarette companies did back in the day, the energy drink giants help finance our sport in a massive way. Everts. Stefan Everts is the most successful Grand Prix racer of all time. The 10-time world champion from Belgium is the only man that comes close to Karl-Michael in the GOAT conversation, especially in terms of number of race wins and championship titles. He retired from racing in 2006 and has since worked at KTM and Suzuki. He now spends his time guiding his son Liam towards a Grand Prix career. F is for face. The take-off of a jump. Used in a sentence, the face of that tabletop was rutted to hell. Four-strokes. This is what people ride when they're not man enough to handle the power of a two-stroke. Four-strokes came into prominence in the late 90s with the release of Yamaha's YZF-400 in 1998. By 2006, the entire professional racing arm of the dirt bike industry had made the switch to four-stroke tech. They were dark days indeed for us two-stroke lovers. Flat track. Kind of like speedway, but more sensible and with brakes. Unlike speedway, the motorcycles used are often a modified version of road bikes, such as Indian's and Harley Davidson's. FMX. Born out of the 90s, freestyle motocross came out of the need for dirt bike racers to stick it to the man and show off their creativity. This quickly developed into the death-defying discipline that we know today. Events like the X-Game and Red Bull X-Fighter catapulted FMX into the mainstream, meaning that most people think that every dirt bike rider can do a backflip, but they can't. G is for goon. How do I explain goon? It's probably best to show you. A goon is a rider with little to no skill, with no style, but thinks he's the absolute dog's danglies. Usually these guys are endlessly entertaining to watch, and some guys have even been able to build careers from being the best goons going. Glen Helen. Glen Helen is arguably the most famous motocross track in the world. Located in San Bernardino, California, the track is revered for its massive hills and crazy elevation changes. The circuit has held AMA races and MXGP events since the 90s. Gnarly. A descriptive word used to explain something tough, technical, difficult or sketchy. H is for high side. Often a disastrous turn of events. High sides can often occur when fast spinning tyres on a slippery surface suddenly grab a load of traction, shifting the rider's weight in the opposite direction and injecting them from the seat. The next thing you know, you're eating a whole load of dirt, and we already know that sucks. Hole shot. We often talk about hole shots in motocross. Grabbing the hole shot means that you're the first rider to make it to and around the first turn. Hard enduro. Enduro, but harder. Also known as extreme enduro, this is a discipline for people that don't want to race motocross but are really good at enduro. Hill climbing. This is a simple yet spectacular dirt bike discipline. Riders and their machines have to race up extremely steep hills, with the victor being the man that made it the furthest or got there the fastest. Head shake. Scary times are in store when you encounter a head shake. This is when your front end starts shaking violently and you feel like your bars are going to be ripped from your hands. This can often be caused by short, sharp braking bumps and a grip that's not quite tight enough. Hang on for the ride and you'll be okay. I is for In Front. Previously known as Ustream, In Front is the organisation behind the MHGP World Championship. They are to MHGP what Dorner Sports are to MotoGP. Many people have many different things to say about In Front, good and bad. In my opinion, they have raised the professionalism of the sport, and during their tenure, MHGP riders have become the best in the world. J is for Jeremy McGrath. Carmichael may be the GOAT, but McGrath will always be king. MC dominated the American motocross and supercross scene during the 90s. He won a record-setting 7 supercross championships and one outdoor title between 1993 and 2000, racking up 72 main event wins on the way. A record that still stands to this day and is unlikely to ever be broken. MC was eventually dethroned by Carmichael, but during his time, McGrath took the sport to new rockstar heights. K is for Kicker. We refer to jump faces that give nasty or awkward take-offs as kickers. These little b******s can really ruin your day if you're not careful. Ken Roxson. German superstar Ken Roxson is a former MX2 World Champion, 250 Supercross Champion, 450 Motocross Champion and MX of Nation winner. He burst onto the scene as a 15-year-old wonderkid and changed the game. He now rides for American Honda and is arguably the biggest, most popular rider in the sport today. L is for LCQ. If you're a racing supercross, the last chance qualifier is not where you want to be. LCQs are a dangerous place to be. Riders will do anything in order to advance to the points-paying race. The Rocco's Leap. The Leap is the most infamous jump in motocross. The huge uphill triple is found at the awesome Red Bud in Michigan and is named after former champ Mike La Rocco. The jump was built over 20 years ago when La Rocco, who's local to the area, joined up with the track owner to build a replica of Kong, which was a massive uphill triple at La Rocco's home compound. To this day, the Leap strikes fear into the hearts of pro riders, both big and small. M is for Motocross. The sport that started it all for me. Motocross is a sport held on off-road circuits which can be natural terrain, man-made or a mixture of both. Up to 40 riders race against each other, and races tend to be around 20 minutes for amateurs and up to 40 minutes for pros. It is without doubt one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet. Moto. A cool American abbreviation for motocross, but it's also a label for individual races. For example, pro motocross events consist of two motos per day. MX of Nations. The Motocross of Nations is an annual team event held at the end of the MXGP season, in which nations put forward a team of three riders that compete for the esteemed Chamberlain trophy. This is our World Cup, and the atmosphere at this event is unlike anything else. This is another bucket list event. Monster Girls. The dirt bike scene still loves a grid girl, and these chicks are the best grid girls in the world. N is for knack knack. The knack knack was Jeremy McGrath's signature trick, and the move that kickstarted the FMX revolution. It's a simple yet stylish move that oozes cool and helped MC establish his superstar status. Memoire. The original cathedral of motocross. This Belgian circuit was just about as iconic as they came back in the day. Legendary Swedish rider Hakim Carlqvist immortalised himself as a hero of the people at this track by stopping for a beer mid-moto on his way to victory. Sadly, we lost this track back in 2007. O is for on the pipe. In dirt bike terms, on the pipe means keeping the throttle pinned and letting the bike sing. Mini O's. The Mini Olympics is one of the biggest amateur dirt bike events in the world. It's held every year during Thanksgiving week at Gatorback Cycle Park in Florida. P is for pastrana. Travis Pastrana is an action sports icon and the first man to double backflip a dirt bike. He's also a former AMA 125 MX and SX champion, the founder of the Nitro Circus, and an all-round badass. Powerband. Contrary to popular belief, they don't come in different colours, and they aren't actually a physical product. The powerband refers to where on the power curve the motor is performing most efficiently. Premix. The answer to everlasting happiness. Q is for quad jump. A rare sight on a supercross track, let alone a motocross track, it sees a rider leap four obstacles in one go. The take-off, two middle jumps, and the landing. It's always spectacular to see, and something we always get excited about when watching supercross. James Stewart was the master of the quad. To this day, riders size up a possible quad jump and say to themselves, yeah, that's Stewart-able. Quad bike. Something you ride when you're scared of two wheels. R is for railed. When you get a corner just right, you've railed it. Rhythm section. In supercross, this is a series of obstacles that have to be manoeuvred in the fastest way possible. Red Bull took the rhythm section and gave it steroids with their straight rhythm event. Which is one super long rhythm section with no turns. It's kind of like a drag race, but way cooler. Roost. The dirt, rocks and stones thrown up by the rear wheel of a dirt bike. When following a big 450, being pelted by roost does not feel good. It's like being bombarded by constant paintball pellets. Not fun at all. S is for sandbagging. I'll put my hands up, I've been guilty of this in the past. Sandbagging is the act of deliberately making sure you're in a class that you can easily win. This might be done by simply entering yourself into a lower level category. Or maybe it might be done by sabotaging your own qualifying lap. Everyone knows a sandbagger. Seat bounce. In order to get more height or length on a jump, a rider might deliberately preload or compress their suspension before takeoff. In some circumstances, often in slow speed situations, a rider will sit down on their seat to load the suspension with their full weight whilst on the takeoff of a jump. This is called seat bouncing. Scrub. A move invented by James Shewitt to keep the bike as low as possible over a jump, in order to maintain speed and get wheels back on the ground as soon as possible. Whereas a whip is all style, a scrub is both efficient and super cool. Speedway. Speedway is for nutters that don't use brakes. It usually involves 4-6 riders competing over 4 anti-clockwise laps of an oval, dirt or shale circuit. Did I mention they have no brakes? Supercross. Supercross is arguably the pinnacle of off-road motorsport. Held in large stadiums, supercross tracks are the most technically difficult and dangerous in the motocross world. With massive triple jumps, tricky whoops and insane rhythm sections, supercross is a spectacle unlike any other. The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship sees the biggest stars in the sport battling for the most prestigious and most financially rewarding title in the game. Supermoto. This is a form of motorcycle racing held on tracks that alternate between three kinds of track surfaces. The hard-packed dirt of flat track, the irregular jumps and obstacles of motocross and the paved tarmac of road racing. Stoat. British translation, really quite chuffed. T is for tacky. When a hard-packed track has just the right amount of moisture in it providing unlimited grip, that's tacky. Trials. This is a non-speed event on specialised motorcycles. Modern trials athletes are some of the most technically gifted dirt bike riders in the world. Even if their livery is a little bit dodgy. Tabletop. The most common jump found at the motocross track is a tabletop. Tabletops can range from 10 feet to 100 feet or more. The gap between the take-off and the landing is filled with dirt to form a flat tabletop, meaning that not clearing the jump is safe and easy. Two-stroke. Sorry, these are the answer to everlasting happiness. U is for Unadilla. Unadilla in New York state is one of the most historic tracks in American motocross, having held motocross Grand Prix's and AMA Nationals in its time. Uncle Ron, the world's premier goon rider. V is for VMX. Vintage motocross is a booming scene right now. Old bikes are in. The nostalgia for 70s and 80s motocross is massive, meaning that vintage bikes from the time are selling for big money. If you've got an old bike stashed away in your barn, I'd cash in soon if I were you. VMX, the end. The Vets Motocross Designations is a celebration of everything vintage motocross held at the historic Farley Castle in Somerset every September. The event sees stars of yesteryear reunited with their steeds from back in the day. Valves, something you find on a four-stroke, and bloody expensive if they go wrong. W is for Woops. A series of small, steep single jumps that are designed to be skimmed across. Woops are a staple of every motocross circuit, and are probably the hardest obstacle for any rider to master. Whiskey Throttle. The accidental twisting of the throttle that usually occurs due to lack of mental focus or serious arm pump or fatigue. It's not a fun time. Whip. Also known as a tail whip, this is when a rider carves the face of the jump in order to throw out their rear end sideways or upwards. This is a pure expression of style. Basketball has slam dunks, football has keepy-ups, cars have drifted. We have whips. X is for X Games. The Olympics for extreme sports. This event helped propel FMX and other dirt bike disciplines into the mainstream. Y is for Yard Sale. It's another name for a big ol' crash. YZ. Yamaha's kick-ass range of two-strokes. Z is for Zip Tie. An essential part of motorcycle sport. Zable. Zable produced monster 700cc two-stroke engines for sidecar cross machines. Sidecar cross is for people that enjoy dirt bikes so much, they have to bring a friend along to share in their excitement. Thanks for watching guys. I hope you enjoyed this fun little video here. If I missed something out or I got something wrong, make sure you let me know in the comments down below. And if you think one of your friends need to see this video, in particular a specific letter, make sure you tag them when you share it. As always guys, I've been Max, this has been 999 Laser. Thanks for watching. Remember to like, share and subscribe. Until next week, I'll see you at the track.