FMX
How to convert your standard motocross bike into an FMX beast
Learn how freestyle motocross stars like Travis Pastrana, Robbie Maddison and Tom Pagès modify their motocross bikes to make them FMX ready.
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Have you ever wondered what alterations FMX riders make to their dirt bikes in order to perform physics-defying tricks like Hart Attacks or Backflip Tsunamis? From Flip Levers to suspension set-up, there are a whole host of changes the top freestyle riders make to their bikes before hitting the ramps. In this article we’ll show you all the necessary modifications, after-market parts and tricks of the trade used by the pros to turn a stock motocross bike into a competition-ready FMX machine.
Bike Modifications
Suspension
Suspension
© Adam Simpson
Suspension is the most critical modification you will make to your dirt bike when converting it for FMX. The jumps are big, so the suspension has to be as stiff as possible to catch you as you drop from 40 feet in the air. If you over-jump or under-jump a big jump, good suspension will help keep your arms and feet from breaking. Properly set-up suspension also helps your bike to fly nice and level in the air, making it easier to do tricks.
Stiff suspension is achieved through a combination of using stiffer springs, heavier weight oil and cranking up the clickers in traditional spring forks or by increasing the air pressure in air forks. For this job, the best thing to do is to take your suspension to a professional suspension tuner and ask them to set it up for FMX.
Gearing
FMX gearing
© Adam Simpson
Some FMX riders use standard gearing on their bikes, but some like to go up a couple of teeth on the rear sprocket from standard. A rear sprocket with a couple more teeth gives the bike more aggressive acceleration and therefore more pop off the ramps.
Jetting (2-stroke)
Professional 2-Stroke FMX bikes are always jetted to run a little leaner than standard. This makes the bike run super crisp and clean, giving the rider maximum acceleration when gassing it on take-off and preventing the chance of any bogging or delay in power transfer when approaching the ramp.
Grab holes and plastics
You can cut grab holes into the plastics
© Adam Simpson
This is the fun part. Cutting grab holes in your plastics will allow you to do any seat grab tricks like Hart Attacks, Rock Solids and Holy Grabs and will instantly transform the look of your bike from a standard motocrosser to an FMX bike. It’s worth marking out where you are going to cut with a marker pen before you start cutting to make sure you get the perfect shape.
Seat
Seat cut down
© Adam Simpson
This is the not so fun part. Cutting down the seat foam is something all FMX riders do. Having a lower seat height gives riders more clearance over the bike when swinging their legs from side to side. A lower seat will also make it much easier to hold onto when you do a seat grab. There are a few different tools you can use for this job. Some riders use a power sander, whilst other might opt for something as simple as a bread knife. Either way it will get messy, so it’s a good idea to put something on the floor to collect all the foam before you start.
Control wiring
Control wiring
© Adam Simpson
In FMX, your feet and hands move around the handlebars a lot during certain tricks, so it’s a good idea to cable-tie up all your brake, clutch and starter cables etc. so they are nice and neat and there are no hanging wires that might snag on your boot in mid-air.
After-market parts and add ons:
Exhaust
Performance exhaust
© Adam Simpson
A performance exhaust system gives your bike a bit of extra power and grunt to help you clear big jumps and better acceleration for use on tight FMX courses that don’t have much run up space. They will also make your bike look and sound meaner, too.
Handlebars
Handlebars
© Adam Simpson
Due to the size of the jumps, FMX handlebars need to be as strong as possible, so stock ones won’t do. Most freestyle riders opt for a high-rise handlebar with no crossbar, like the Pro Taper Evo or the Tag T2, to give them more room to do tricks like Bar Hops or Dead Bodys. Freeriders, or FMX Riders who tend not to put their feet through the bars, might choose a strong, classic MX crossbar handlebar like the Renthal Twinwall. Shapes and bends vary so it can be a good idea to go into your local MX shop, compare the different brands and find the right set for you.
Steering Damper
Steering damper
© Adam Simpson
Essential for any pro FMX rider, a steering damper is a real trick of the FMX trade. These small yet life-saving devices can make a huge difference to your FMX set-up. Installed just under the handlebars, a steering damper works to keep your handlebars in place when you let go upside down in mid-air or find yourself holding on to the handlebars with your feet. GPR is the go-to damper for most FMX riders.
Flip Levers
Levi Sherwood’s flip levers
© schran.net
Another must-have for any serious FMX bike, flip levers are used by riders to keep them in contact with their bike for tricks like Kiss-Of-Death Backflips or 9’0 Clocks. There are a few small companies like Klayver and Iron Punk in Europe that hand-build FMX flip levers, so get in touch with them if you are planning on going up-side down and hang off your bike.
Foot Lever
Foot levers are not as commonly found on FMX bikes as flip levers, but they are used by more riders than you might think. A foot lever sits on the frame, just above the rider’s foot when stood on the pegs. It allows riders to safely let go of the bike with everything other than one foot when doing tricks like the Recliner AKA a Pastrana or a No Handed Backflip. Some riders use technical foot levers with flip-down mechanisms like the Klayver system, and some riders just weld a bar of metal onto the frame. Riders who don’t have a foot lever on their bike will often weld teeth to the bottom of their gear shifter and use that instead.
Foot Pegs
Foot peg
© Adam Simpson
Switching your stock footpegs for a set of lightweight, extra-wide pegs can be a great investment for beginner and pro FMX riders alike. A wide footpeg will help disperse the pressure around your feet on heavy landings as well increasing the surface area – decreasing your chances of missing the pegs when coming back from a trick like a Tsunami. Premium footpegs often offer superior grip as well.
Grip Tape
Grip tape on FMX bike
© Adam Simpson
Most FMX riders apply skateboard grip tape to their bikes in strategic places to increase traction and give them more grip and control on the bike. Common areas to install grip tape on an FMX bike include the frame, the top of the fork tubes, grab holes and sometimes even on the side-panels.
Seat Cover
When it comes to FMX, the grippier your seat cover, the better. There are lots of construction styles, shapes and colourways available. Custom seat covers from brands such as Thrillseekers are a must-have for most pros.
Graphics
Voilà! You have a freestyle-ready bike
© Adam Simpson
Once all these modifications have been made, you are ready to get creative. FMX is all about style, so having a cool, custom graphics kit will definitely help you stand out and up your street cred.
Leading FMX bike innovators
Two riders who have taken FMX bike development and customisation to the next level are Tom Pagès and Levi Sherwood. Both these riders have made major modifications to their FMX bikes to make them as light as possible. A lighter ride can make it easier rotate the bike in the air for tricks like the Double Backflip, Front Flips, Flairs or Whips. If you want to take FMX bike building to the next level, take a leaf out of these guys' book.
Tom Pagès built his ground-breaking FMX bike with help from DragonTek in France. Together they developed one of the lightest FMX bikes ever seen. By using a custom carbon tank and subframe, machine drilling components, adding titanium hardware and cutting plastics, they managed to shave 15Kg off the overall weight of Tom’s bike.
Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Red Bull/KTM rider Levi Sherwood has been busy covering his bike in custom built carbon fibre parts of his own. Under his own company, Shogun Carbon, Levi has managed to bring the overall weight of his KTM SX 250 down to 89Kg with fuel and oil – an amazing achievement and one that has allowed him to master tricks like the 75’ Double Backflip.
Find out more about Levi's FMX bike in the player below, when Rob Warner pays him a visit in New Zealand
26 min
Rob Meets Levi Sherwood
Rob Warner travels to Palmerston North, New Zealand, to meet with freestyle motocross rider Levi Sherwood.
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