SRT OFFROAD

A new U.S. based manufacturing company to the Dirt Bike world doesn't happen very often these days. I was recently contacted by one called SRT Offroad. This is a company that has over 20 years experience in the automotive industry providing high quality products at a low cost. SRT will now be bringing that experience, engineering, and business model to the Dirt Bike community. The one thing I like most about this company is their research department, test department, and engineering department all ride, and enjoy the sport. In 2012 SRT will hit the ground running by offering the following products for the big 4 dirt bike companies Brake Rotors, Sprockets, Chains, Hand Guards, Rims, Exhaust, Exhaust Guards, Skid-Plates, Radiator Guards, and Full Body Plastics.  The current in stock items are listed on their page, so check out those items that are red. It will be interesting to see how this company grows, and what new items they will offer in the future. I will keep everyone updated as I get the chance to try out some of these products, and see how they perform out on the trail.

Free Dirt Bike Prizes

In the short time U.S. Dirt Bike Rides has been on the web riders have supported the page in a way I never expected. The hits to the page have doubled every month, and visitors returning back are higher then ever. In an effort for us to say thank you we will be doing random drawings from our list of subscribers. If you are unsure if you are a subscriber, or want to know how to become one all you have to do is enter your email in the box on the top right corner of this page then press submit.

Once that is complete you confirm it in your email, and then you will be a subscriber to this page. As a subscriber you will receive updates on rides, product, and will be entered for all prize give aways. I know what your thinking don't worry there will be NO junk mail sent to you just information on what is new on this page, and this page only. If you haven't already make sure you book mark the page in your favorites. That way you will remember to check what prize is next, and if you won. Also don't forget to like us on Face Book because you never know when a winner might come from there also. Yes I said double your chances of winning. Does it get better then that?

Last but not least if you are a vendor that would like to get your company added to the prize list and show your support to the Dirt Bike community just shoot me a email at mark@usdualsports.com


Pros-Its Free
       -Easy To Submit
    
Cons-I Won't Install Free Items.

System Tech Racing Compression/Rebound Adjuster

On some Dual Sport rides you don't always know what type of terrain it will be, or if you like to make the front end softer or stiffer to adapt to the change of conditions an easy operate Compression/Rebound adjuster is needed.

System Tech Racing has a Compressions/Rebound adjuster that is made from metal which is an upgrade from the stock plastic adjuster. The 4 sides vs 3 makes gripping with gloves easier, and it has easy to see engraved +/- indicators.

The installation of the System Tech Racing Compression/Rebound adjuster takes about 10 minutes to install, and the orange really stands out on the suspension. Once again System Tech Racing has shown they know where to upgrade a bike to make on the fly adjustments easier. Don't forget System Tech Racing offers a 10% discount to the readers of 2012 U.S. Dual Sport Rides with the code 5511324.

Pros-Made from metal vs stock plastic

       -Easy to grip

       -Color matches your bike

Cons-None

Eye-View 720HD Sunglasses By Eye Of Mine Action Cameras

I came across a HD camera that offers a different camera angle then the normal helmet shot, and it is in a location that is safe from being knocked off .

The camera is called Eye-View 720HD sunglasses by Eye Of Mine Action Cameras. They offer a unique shot that is as if the viewer is looking out of the goggles. I also liked that you could use them even when you weren't on your bike. If you have been to a GNCC, or Hare Scramble race you know how close you can get to the action, but being that close makes it dangerous to have a camera in your hands. Eye-View 720HD sunglasses allow you to record the race, and even help a rider if you wanted. To get a better idea of what the Eye-View 720HD sunglasses offer I posted a video to see the picture quality, and the advantageous shot angle.

 Eye-View 720HD  sunglasses are a neat camera that give you a different camera angle, and can be used in more situations then as a helmet camera, but more testing will need to be done to determine the durability.

Pros-Could be used for more than a helmet camera
       -Unique camera angle
       -Excellent picture quality
       -Single-button operation
       -Easy-to-see indicator light when recording
       -Lightweight and compact design
       -Hands-free video recording

Cons-Snug fit in some helmets
        -Limited recording time due to built in battery
       

       

SKB GoPro Case

 When making the investment in a GoPro camera, protecting it and keeping all the components together is a must. I started off keeping everything in a small camera bag which held everything, but didn't do much for protection.

When looking for a case that would provide a little more protection I came across SKB Cases. They make many different types of cases from music to fishing. They also make a few different cases for GoPro cameras that are water proof, dust proof, and have foam cut outs to keep everything in place. I was surprised by how light, and well-made it was for the price.


If you want to protect your camera, and keep everything organized, then look into a SKB Case. They are good insurance for your investment when you are not out on the trail.

Pros-Very durable.
       -Custom fit foam for camera, and gear.
       -Water and dust proof.

Cons-Limited space for extra gear.
       

Blue Nook GoPro Battery Kit

If you use a GoPro camera to record your Dual Sport rides then you understand how many batteries you go through, and how you have to use the camera to charge the battery.


I did some research to solve this issue, and came across Blue Nook. They sell a GoPro kit thattwo batteries, and a charger that is AC/DC powered. That will give you almost 8 hours of record time counting the batter that comes with the camera. After your first day of riding you can put one battery in the charger, and one in the camera cutting your charging time in half.
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If you are like me, and want to record as much as you can on a Dual Sport. Then you have to get extra batteries, and Blue Nook's kit is around $25.

Pros-Cost of kit.

Cons-None

System Tech Racing Fuel Needle

Making adjustments to your bike while on a Dual Sport Ride sometimes is not easy. If your carburetor is like mine you need a very little screw driver to make fuel mixture adjustments, and it cannot be done with your gloves on.

Since I have had good luck with products from System Tech Racing I decided to use their fuel needle. It offers 4 flat sides that are easy to grip with your gloves. If you are riding in the mountains where you need to change your fuel mixture a lot then I would want to have an easy way of doing so. Here where I ride there isn't much altitude change, but I do like to adjust my mixture depending on how my spark plug looks.

If you are like me, and want to make as many adjustment to your bike at any given time check out System Tech Racing's fuel needle. Also save 10% with the code 5511324.

Pros-Easier to operate then stock.
       -Color choices.

Cons-None

MAGIX Movie Edit Pro

When you capture video with your HD camera the first thing you want to do when you get home is see what you recorded, and then edit it for a YouTube video. If you are like me, and have never made a movie in your life you need some software that is easy to use. 

I did some research and found software called MAGIX Movie Edit Pro. When you first open it up all the options are a little overwhelming. It took me about an hour of just pressing buttons, and starting over before I got the hang of it. The features that I liked the most were the slow motion video play, and the ability to stop right where you want to crop the video. Then all you have to do is hit one button on your keyboard to cut the video. If you like to add captions MAGIX makes it very easy. I could go on for hours on all the features that this program offers like slow motion, video stabilization, 3D, zoom, picture in picture, and adding music to your video. The one key feature that MAGIX offers is export straight to YouTube or Facebook, so there is no need to take up space on your computer.

The 5 minute video that I made took me about 1 hour to edit, but I'm still new with the MAGIX Movie Edit Pro software. If you are wanting to get a little more out of your videos then check out MAGIX's product.

MotoZ DOT Dual Sport Tires

When you go to a Dual Sport ride you see all kinds of bikes. Some of them are street legal, and some are not. If someone was to look at my bike like the local police there is one thing that they could find that is not legal, and that is my tires.

I have two choices that I can make with this issue. The first is stick with the tires that I always use, and know what I'm going to get with traction. The other option is find DOT tires that are aggressive enough to match the tires I use now.


With a lot of luck, and a little bit of research I came across a company called Pacific Power Sports that sells MotoZ tires.Their tires are very aggressive, and DOT. They are also made from natural rubber which means it should last longer. When it comes down to it I can guess all it want, but there is only one way to find out. That is try a tire on my bike, and see how it performs. I do know if it  performs like my current tires I will make the change to MotoZ tires to make sure I don't get a ticket, and if something would happen on the road my insurance company couldn't say "The tires on that bike were not suppose to be on the road, so we will not cover this claim." If you have the same concerns that I do then take a look at Pacific Power Sports page, and check out the MotoZ tires, and I will let everyone know how they preform.

Pros-More testing needed.
Cons-More testing needed.

Dirt Bike Foot Pegs

 It seems like every time I get done with a Dual Sport Ride I tell myself that I need to stand up more. There are situations where I know I should be standing, but I don't feel like my balance is correct. The result is I sit down, and that causes me to slow down.

The way that I will solve this issue is by putting Torc1 Racing foot pegs on my dirt bike. Their foot pegs are made from aluminum so that makes them lighter, and they are about 10mm wider. That doesn't sound like a lot, but it's almost 20% bigger. If you are looking for a foot peg that should last the life of the bike due to the replaceable teeth then check out Torc1 Racing.

Pros-Wider platform.

       -Replaceable teeth.

Cons-None