9/15 - This week at BBR

Hey guys - Duane here. We are going to do a weekly blog to keep everyone up to date on what’s happening at BBR and in the mini bike world. We will try to post it every Friday (if they can pry me away from the race shop or get me off the bikes long enough to write this). As always, if you have a question you would like to ask me, or my brothers (Brent and Chris), feel free to shoot us an E-mail at sales@bbrmotorsports.com. If it is a good question, we will use it here for all to see. If you need an immediate answer to a question, simply give us a ring anytime and our friendly staff will help you out. The other cool thing that we will add to this column is a “blast from the past” article. The media has been great to BBR over the years so we will dig up some of those great old tests and stories from Dirt Bike, Motocross Action, Dirt Rider, Motocross Journal, MX Racer, Transworld MX, Mini Moto, Pit-Racer, etc. and run them here. There have been some classics, like: “If NASA Made Dirt Bikes”, The “Worlds Best 4-stroke”, “Ready, Set, Drool”. We will post a new one every week.

Also, check out our Photo Gallery. It is a work in progress, but we are slowly adding all the photos from our old website plus lots of new stuff. We have about 1500 photos right now, but we're adding 50+ per day. Eventually, we hope to have our complete collection on-line. The coolest thing is that you can search the photos for common keywords. So, if you're a vintage XR75 guy, type XR75 in the search box and click on the Search button. You'll see all the photos that have "XR75" in the title or description. Go here to check it out: Photo Gallery

So what is going on at BBR right now? You name it. As always, we are running around like chickens with our heads cut off. That’s when everyone seems to be at their best around here! The big news is the release of the new V3 (version 3) 110 Aluminum Perimeter frame kit. It has been a ton of work, but it is our best frame yet. We are still trying to make as many BBR parts in house as we can. I am positive it has been the key to our success so far, especially with our frame kits. By making the parts in-house it allows us to make immediate changes during testing or even during a production run. The V3 frame was started about two years ago with the intent to fit both the 50 motor and the 110 motor. This was no easy feat with all the different versions of these two motors floating around, not to mention all the different carbs, manifolds, pegs, and exhaust. Of course, we’ve been building and racing 110 sized bikes with the 50 motor for over 5 years. Those frames were purpose built for the Honda motor. The new frame can switch motors just by swapping the motor mounts (and a new exhaust header). How cool is that?

The original 110 Perimeter Frame kit was designed when the biggest motor kits available were 130cc. Now there are 4-valve heads, stroker cranks, giant carbs, and good filters. All of this was taken into consideration when updating the frame. Also, the riding style has changed. The riders are going bigger, farther, and faster then ever before. Minor changes in tube sizes and material thickness allowed us to create the best handing frame we've ever produced.

The new frame was completely designed on the computer. I might even be ready to concede that the computer is smarter than me when it comes to stress testing and fitment issues. But until it can spin laps on the bike and give real world feed back, I won’t be completely converted (or out of a job!). Once the prototype was done the real fun began. We let the BBR crew pound out the laps, plus some of the fastest guys in the world, and made adjustments accordingly. Trying to get everyone to agree on the same settings is impossible when you are trying to build a bike that kids can ride, as well as vets and women, and of course still be able to win at the highest level.

I think we hit our goals from all the reaction and results so far. The V3 has led every lap of every pro race it has been in so far. Derek Costella pulled the holeshot and ran away at Vegas, with Ryan Abrigo in tow. Then Abrigo ran away at the Summer National with Costella in tow. We’re really happy with the results and we’re confident that you’ll love it too. We joke that the only person who won't appreciate this frame kit is a 9 year old girl with low self esteem. Hope you have as much fun and success with it as we have!

Blast from the Past

OK – This week’s blast from the past comes from Motocross Action Mag. and all of the guys over there. In the August 1998 issue, MXA tested the BBR perimeter framed YZ400. This was the pre CNC machine days at BBR so we basically took a band saw, a Bridgeport mill, lathe, and a huge pile of passion for MX and carved this bike out! This was pre CR450F, so we can safely say that this one came from our soul. The bike also used all YZ geometry, suspension, and components. Enjoy!


Alright – that’s it for this week. Thanks for helping us live the American dream!

Duane