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91-484: The TRX250R was introduced for the 1986 model year to answer Suzuki ’s LT250R , released the year prior. Honda borrowed many parts from its three-wheel ATC250R for the Fourtrax’s design, including the engine and rear suspension. Although the latter was mechanically similar, Honda detuned its engine through reduced compression and less aggressive porting, to ensure that the added weight of the quad would not adversely affect

182-421: A 500 cc engine displacement formula. In 1957 it was upgraded to World Championship status. In 1962 a 250 cc world championship was established and, new rules were adopted dividing the races into two 45 minute heat races that were referred to as motos. In the smaller 250 cc category companies with two-stroke motorcycles came into their own. Companies such as Husqvarna from Sweden, CZ from

273-667: A GTi and GLX hatchback with a 4-door sedan following in 1990. A new small SUV called the Sidekick was also introduced in 1989. 1991 saw the introduction of the 4-door Suzuki Sidekick, the first 4-door mini-SUV in North America. The Swift and Sidekick were cousins to GM's Geo Metro and Geo Tracker and were mostly produced in Ingersoll , Ontario, Canada by Suzuki and GM's joint venture, CAMI. The Swift GT/GTi and 4-door models were imported from Japan. Negative evaluations from Consumer Reports of

364-712: A Super-Modified class which will allow any size ATV in competition. Sidecar racing, known as Sidecarcross has been around since the 1950s but has declined in popularity since the mid‑1980s. This variant is common in Europe, with a few followers in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia. The premier competition, the Sidecarcross World Championship , is contested on European tracks only and almost exclusively by Europeans. Motocross sidecars are purpose built frames that resemble an ordinary motocross-cycle with

455-623: A V6-cylinder engine and available 4-wheel ABS brakes. The XL-7 was introduced in 1998 as a stretched version of the Grand Vitara. The XL-7 had a larger 2.7 liter V6-cylinder engine and 3-row seating. This would be Suzuki's largest vehicle to date. The Swift was dropped from the model lineup in 2001 and the Esteem was replaced in 2002 by the new Aerio , which was offered as a 4-door sedan and 5-door crossover with 4-wheel drive as an option. In 2004, General Motors and Suzuki jointly purchased

546-612: A blend with "cross country". The first known scramble race in the Camberley , Surrey in 1924. The 100th anniversary of the very first Motocross race will be commemorated in March 2024. The same cub that ran the 1924 event will be running it again over the same land. The entry will be limited to 150 competitors – see https://www.camberleyanddistrictmotorclub.co.uk/ During the 1930s the sport grew in popularity, especially in Britain where teams from

637-503: A consignment of 571 cars to the same country, Maruti crossed the benchmark of 3,000,000 cars. Since its inception export was one of the aspects the government has been keen to encourage. American Suzuki headquarters is in Brea , California. The company announced in November 2012 that it would stop selling cars in the United States. Through an agreement with General Motors , Suzuki began selling

728-636: A deal where Suzuki purchased diesel engines from Fiat . An international arbitration court ordered Volkswagen to sell the stake back to Suzuki. Suzuki paid $ 3.8bn to complete the stock buy-back in September 2015. The company was founded by Michio Suzuki ; its current Chairman is Osamu Suzuki , the fourth adopted son-in-law in a row to run the company, Osamu Suzuki, the 91 year old Chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation, retired in June 2021, handing over to his son Toshihiro. The Suzuki Loom Company started in 1909 as

819-559: A difficult domestic US automarket, Suzuki kept pace with its 2007 sales numbers in 2008. In 2009 however, Suzuki sales dropped 48.5%, following a 17% sales drop in 2008. Suzuki did not import any 2010 model year street motorcycles into the US, with dealers instead relying on unsold stock from the 2009 model year. New street motorcycle models to the US resumed for the 2011 model year. In November 2012, Suzuki announced that its US division would file for bankruptcy and would stop selling automobiles in

910-417: A duration of 30 minutes plus two laps. The AMA Motocross Championship begins in mid May and continues until late August. The championship consists of eleven rounds at eleven major tracks all over the continental United States. There are three classes: the 250cc Motocross Class for 150–250 cc 4-stroke machines, the 450cc Motocross Class for 251–450 cc 4-stroke machines and a 250cc Women's Class, using

1001-419: A flat platform to stand on attached to either side and a handlebar at waist height to hold on to. The side of the "chair" (slang for the platform) usually follows the side of the road the nation in question drives upon, but not always. The passenger balances the bike by being a counterweight, especially in corners and on jumps. It is driven on ordinary crosstracks. It is very physically demanding, especially for

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1092-472: A group of judges. The riders are scored on style, level of trick difficulty, best use of the course, and frequently, crowd reactions. FMX was introduced to the X ;Games and mainstream audiences in 1999. Supermoto uses motocross bikes converted for racing on tracks consisting of three sections: flat dirt, dirt obstacles, and paved road. The bikes have special road-racing tires with grooved tread to grip both

1183-420: A manufacturer of looms for weaving silk and cotton. Michio Suzuki was intent on making better, more user-friendly looms and, for 30 years his focus was on the development of these machines. Michio's desire to diversify into automotive products was interrupted by World War II. Before it began building four-stroke engines , Suzuki Motor Corp. was known for its two-stroke engines (for motorcycles and autos). After

1274-419: A necessary addition, since the stock mini-bike suspension was designed for a small child. Wheel, brake, and tire upgrades are sometimes performed to improve handling. Pit bikes also have their own separate competitions held with classes generally corresponding to wheel size. This is a notable difference from Motocross and Supercross competition, where classes are separated by engine displacement. Pit bike racing

1365-551: A new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. The company's first 30 years focused on the development and production of these machines. Despite the success of his looms, Suzuki believed that his company would benefit from diversification and he began to look at other products. Based on consumer demand, he decided that building a small car would be the most practical new venture. The project began in 1937, and within two years Suzuki had completed several compact prototype cars. These first Suzuki motor vehicles were powered by

1456-565: A prototype 400cc four-stroke motorcycle, the YZM 400, which was debuted in the FIM Motocross World Championship . The motorcycle made its U.S. debut in 1997, where Yamaha Factory Racing rider Doug Henry led every lap of the main event at the 1997 AMA Supercross Finale and became the first person to win an AMA Supercross race on a four-stroke powered motorcycle. Following Yamaha's release of the production model YZ400F in 1998, Henry won

1547-546: A race to become the fastest rider to the finish, the activity became known as " hare scrambles ", said to have originated in the phrase, "a rare old scramble" describing one such early race. Though known as scrambles racing (or just scrambles ) in the United Kingdom, the sport grew in popularity and the competitions became known internationally as "motocross racing", by combining the French word for motorcycle, motocyclette , into

1638-442: A sub-discipline similar to supercross known as arenacross , which is held in small indoor arenas. Classes were also formed for all-terrain vehicles . Freestyle motocross (FMX) events where riders are judged on their jumping and aerial acrobatic skills have gained popularity, as has supermoto , where motocross machines race both on tarmac and off-road. Vintage motocross (VMX) events take place – usually for motorcycles predating

1729-454: A then-innovative, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. It had a cast aluminum crankcase and gearbox and generated 13 horsepower (9.7 kW) from a displacement of less than 800cc. With the onset of World War II, production plans for Suzuki's new vehicles were halted when the government declared civilian passenger cars a "non-essential commodity." At the conclusion of the war, Suzuki went back to producing looms. Loom production

1820-480: A turning point in motocross history as, it was the first win by a two-stroke powered motorcycle in the premier division of the Motocross World Championships. By the mid-1960s, advances in two-stroke engine technology meant that the heavier, four-stroke machines were relegated to niche competitions. Riders from Belgium and Sweden began to dominate the sport during this period. Motocross arrived in

1911-515: A version of their Suzuki Cultus in the United States as the Chevrolet Sprint in 1985. This model was initially sold as a 3-door hatchback and would be Chevrolet 's smallest model. The Samurai was also introduced in 1985 for the 1986 model year and was the first car introduced to the United States by the newly created American Suzuki Corp. No other Japanese company sold more cars in the United States in its first year than Suzuki. The Samurai

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2002-576: A wide audience came on the American television program ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1979. After 1985, the sport declined and received little exposure in the US, but in Europe, it started gaining popularity, and in 2003 it was revived in the US, when the name became Supermoto. Throughout the United States and the United Kingdom there are many quad racing clubs with enduro and quadcross sections. GNCC Racing began around 1980 and includes hare scramble and enduro type races. To date, events are mainly held in

2093-565: Is a Japanese multinational mobility manufacturer headquartered in Hamamatsu , Shizuoka . It manufactures automobiles , motorcycles , all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines , wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. In 2016, Suzuki was the eleventh biggest automaker by production worldwide. Suzuki has over 45,000 employees and has 35 production facilities in 23 countries, and 133 distributors in 192 countries. The worldwide sales volume of automobiles

2184-633: Is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom . Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competitions, such as the Auto-Cycle Clubs 's first quarterly trial in 1909 and the Scottish Six Days Trial that began in 1912. When organisers dispensed with delicate balancing and strict scoring of trials in favour of

2275-522: Is an Indian automobile manufacturer that is a subsidiary of Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation. Maruti Suzuki produced 1,133,695 units between 1 April 2011 and 30 March 2012. The Suzuki Motor Corporation owns 54.2% of Maruti Suzuki and the rest is owned by various Indian public and financial institutions. The company was incorporated in 1981 and is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India . Maruti Suzuki

2366-718: Is split into two series, east and west. The 450 cc class has one large series with events across the US and Canada. In 2022, the World Supercross Championship was demerged from the AMA Supercross Championship, to be held as a standalone series once more. The series previously ran from 2003 to 2008. Supercross events are also held in Australia , known as the Australian Supercross Championship promoted by Motorcycling Australia . Along with

2457-510: Is the wholly owned Indian subsidiary of Suzuki, Japan. The company has a manufacturing plant at Gurgaon, Haryana having the annual capacity of 5,40,000 units. On October 30, 2024, Suzuki Motor's Indian unit supplied its first electric vehicle to Toyota Motor, with production starting in spring 2025 at Suzuki's plant in Gujarat, India. Current facilities: Japan: India: Indonesia ( Suzuki Indomobil Motor ): Motocross Motocross

2548-516: Is the world's tenth largest, while domestic sales volume is the third largest in the country. Suzuki's domestic motorcycle sales volume is the third largest in Japan. In 1909, Michio Suzuki (1887–1982) founded the Suzuki Loom Works in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu , Japan. Business boomed as Suzuki built weaving looms for Japan's giant silk industry. In 1929, Michio Suzuki invented

2639-537: Is usually a small dirt bike, but it has become common to be able to buy pit bikes with street-style wheels and tires. Pit bikes with street tires, as opposed to knobby tires , are used in Mini Supermoto Racing. Pit bikes are frequently heavily customized with decorative add-ons and performance-enhancing parts. Many riders and mechanics bore-out or replace engines in order to increase displacement and therefore power output. Heavy duty suspension systems are often

2730-671: The 1970 250 cc crown. In 1972 , the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) inaugurated the AMA Motocross Championships and, held its first stadium race at the Los Angeles Coliseum , promoted by Mike Goodwin and Terry Tiernan, then-president of the AMA. The stadium event, won by 16-year-old Marty Tripes , paved the way for constructed, stadium-based motocross events known as supercross. In 1975 ,

2821-637: The AMA Supercross Championship in the United States , are held almost exclusively in professional baseball and football stadiums. The supercross season takes place during the winter and spring months, with races in a different city every weekend. There are 17 races in the AMA Supercross Championship schedule, normally beginning in Anaheim, California, and ending in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 250 cc class

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2912-662: The Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA), Norton , Matchless , Rudge , and AJS competed in the events. The first motocross race held on an artificial track inside a stadium took place on August 28, 1948, at Buffalo Stadium in the Paris suburb of Montrouge. The event was the forerunner to supercross competitions. Off-road motorcycles from that era differed little from those used on the street. The intense competition over rugged terrain led to technical improvements in motorcycles. Rigid frames gave way to suspensions by

3003-844: The Suzuki Motor Corporation operates as Suzuki Cars (Ireland) Limited in Ireland . PT Suzuki Indomobil Motor (formerly PT Indomobil Suzuki International until December 2008) is a joint venture between Suzuki Motor Corporation and the Indomobil Group . The company is located in Jakarta , Indonesia and specialized in manufacturing Suzuki vehicles for the domestic and international markets. A separate company, PT Suzuki Indomobil Sales (SIS) , previously PT Indomobil Niaga International , handled sales and marketing of Suzuki automobiles and motorcycles. Suzuki has done its first activities on

3094-553: The Vitara Brezza in the Indian Auto Expo 2016 as a contender in the subcompact SUV segment. Maruti Exports Limited is Maruti's exporting subsidiary and, as such, does not operate in the domestic Indian market except in its capacity as an exporter for Maruti Suzuki and for the international Suzuki Motor Corporation as well as their other affiliates. The first commercial consignment of 480 cars were sent to Hungary. By sending

3185-454: The 1955 Suzuki Suzulight . The Suzulight sold with front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering, which were not common on cars until three decades later. Volkswagen held a 19.9% non-controlling shareholding in Suzuki between 2009 and 2015. This situation did not last, as Suzuki accused Volkswagen of not sharing promised technology while Volkswagen objected to

3276-498: The 1975 model year. Many VMX races also include a "Post Vintage" portion, which usually includes bikes dating until 1983. The FIM Grand Prix Motocross World Championship is predominantly held in Europe, but also includes events in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Africa. It is the major Motocross series worldwide. There are three classes: MXGP for 450cc machines, MX2 for 250cc machines, and Women's MX. Competitions consist of two races which are called motos with

3367-402: The 1989 model year, stronger replacement frames for racing were soon needed. The first aftermarket frame for the 250R was made by dirt track motorcycle chassis builder, C&J in 1991 for CT Racing.[3] This frame was a direct replacement for the original, maintaining stock suspension geometry. The first altered geometry frame was introduced by JP Racing a short while later. [3] This design brought

3458-443: The 250 AMA Motocross Championship and became the first person to win a major AMA Motocross title on a four-stroke powered motorcycle. This success motivated the remaining major manufacturers, Honda , Kawasaki , and Suzuki , to develop their own four-stroke motocross race bikes. By 2006 , every manufacturer had begun competing with four-stroke machines in the AMA 125 (FIM MX2) and 250 (MX1) classes. The sport has further evolved into

3549-467: The ATV industry recognized a need for uniformity of classes and rules of various local mud bog events. Providing standardized rules created the need for a governing body that both racers and event promoters could turn to and CMR was born. Once unified, a true points series was established and lead to a national championship for what was once nothing more than a hobby for most. In 2007 the finalized board of directors

3640-754: The Alto. The Alto has reached the million units mark in just seven years and five months since its launch in September 2000. The last half of the million was achieved in 25 months. The Alto became the third car by Maruti Suzuki stable to cross the million units mark, following the Maruti 800 and the Omni. In January 2012 at the New Delhi Auto Expo , Maruti presented a new car called the Maruti Suzuki XA Alpha , to commence production in mid-late 2013. Maruti Suzuki unveiled

3731-936: The Elusive Fourtrax", 3Wheeling , 7 (5): 34–35, 105, 0196-5549 7. Beckman, Phil (February 1987), "Cross Country Championship", 3Wheeling , 8 (2): 36–38, 0196-5549 8. "Honda's All New TRX250R", Dirtwheels , 25 (6): 190–192, 194, 198, 202, 206, June 2005, 1060-4804 9. "Reader's Survey: Honda Fourtrax TRX250R", 4-Wheel ATV Action , 16 (11): 42, November 1999, 1098-0423 10. "Legendary Shootout!", 4-Wheel ATV Action , 17 (9): 56–61, September 2000 11. "Ultimate High Performance Shootout", 4-Wheel ATV Action , 17 (1): 16–22, 24, 26, January 2000 12. "Specifications", Honda Service Manual; Honda Motor CO., LTD. Service Publications Office : 1–3, September 1988 13. world.honda.com , 2006 Suzuki Suzuki Motor Corporation ( Japanese : スズキ株式会社 , Hepburn : Suzuki Kabushiki gaisha )

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3822-574: The Esteem was introduced in 1996. Worldwide Suzuki production reached more than 975,000 cars this year. Also in 1996, American Suzuki released the 2-door SUV X-90 and a revised Sidekick Sport model with dual airbags , a 95 hp (71 kW) 1.6 liter engine, 15 inch wheels. The Sidekick was replaced by the Vitara and the Grand Vitara for 1999. The Grand Vitara would be Suzuki's first model with

3913-478: The FIM introduced a 125 cc world championship. European riders continued to dominate international motocross competitions throughout the 1970s with Belgian or Swedish riders winning ten Motocross des Nations (MXDN) events between 1969 and 1980 but, by the 1980s, American riders had caught up with American teams winning a string of 13 consecutive MXDN victories between 1981 and 1993. In 1978 , Akira Watanabe became

4004-549: The Grand Vitara in 2006 as well as introduced the all-new SX4 and XL7 in 2007. The Suzuki SX4 is produced as a joint venture with Fiat and the XL7 (notice the shortening of the name from Grand Vitara XL-7) was produced as a joint venture with GM at CAMI Automotive Inc. in Ingersoll. Suzuki put XL7 production on indefinite hiatus in mid-2009 due to low demand and subsequently sold off its share of CAMI back to GM later that year. Despite

4095-626: The Indonesian market in 1970 about its import firm PT. Indohero Steel & Engineering Company. Six years later they were built the manufacturing facility in Jakarta which is the oldest part of the Indomobil Group. Their first product was the ST20 Carry (introduced in 1978), it saw extensive use as an Angkot . Nicknamed "Trungtung", it was built until at least 1983. This is an onomatopoetic word for

4186-552: The Pro-X cylinder, as well as others, also added an exhaust operated powervalve , a feature that was left off the 250R but used almost universally by the competition, as well as in Two-Stroke motocross bikes since the mid-eighties. Although great increases in displacement and power became possible, the TRX250R's transmission did have its limits, and gear strength became an issue. To allow for

4277-432: The R!", Sand Sports , 12 (2): 64–67, 114, 10961941 3. Lanphier, Bill (May–June 2006), "Two Decades of 250Rs", Sand Sports , 12 (3): 62–65, 116, 118–119, 10961941 4. Beckman, Phil (November 1987), "Hello and Goodbye", ATVSports , 8 (11): 32–33, 0196-5549 5. Beckman, Phil (July 1986), "Too Close for Comfort", 3Wheeling , 7 (7): 36–39, 0196-5549 6. Kirsten, Dean (May 1986), "Tracking

4368-683: The SX Open held in Auckland , New Zealand , the country's biggest event the Aus X-Open forms part of the Oceania Supercross Championship. Freestyle Motocross (FMX), a relatively new variation of supercross started by the South African champion, Marco Urzi, does not involve racing and instead it concentrates on performing acrobatic stunts while jumping motocross bikes. The winner is chosen by

4459-563: The Suzuki Samurai led to some temporary setbacks at American Suzuki as annual sales in the following years dropped to below 20,000 units. In 1995, American Suzuki introduced the Esteem and redesigned the Swift. The Swift GT was dropped and this version Swift was specific only to North America where it was built at CAMI. These models were the first Suzuki vehicles to be marketed in North America with dual front airbags . A station wagon version of

4550-552: The US division and stop selling automobiles in Canada after the 2014 model year. Suzuki Canada will continue to provide parts and services to vehicles through dealer network, as well as selling motorcycles, ATV and outboard motors. Suzuki GB PLC are the manufacturer's agent and distributor of automobiles, motorcycles, ATV's and Marine engines in the United Kingdom with a head office based in Milton Keynes . A wholly owned subsidiary of

4641-458: The US the late 1970s when TV journalist Gavin Trippe envisioned a racing event that would prove who the best motorcycle racer was. From 1980 to 1985, he organized a yearly event called "The Superbikers", which pitted the top riders from three disciplines, flat track , road racing , and motocross against one another on modified bikes raced on special tracks on the television show. Its first exposure to

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4732-530: The United States in 1966 when Swedish champion, Torsten Hallman rode an exhibition event against the top American TT riders at the Corriganville Movie Ranch also known as Hopetown in Simi Valley, California . The following year Hallman was joined by other motocross stars including Roger DeCoster , Joël Robert , and Dave Bickers . They dominated the event, placing their lightweight two-strokes into

4823-466: The United States. It plans to continue to sell motorcycles, ATVs, and marine products in the US. In ten months of 2012, Suzuki only sold 21,188 automobiles in the US. The combination of a strong yen and Suzuki's own limited offering of models has been blamed for the downturn. Following the terms of the joint-venture agreement between Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan (SMC) and Pakistan Automobile Corporation (PACO), Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited (PSMCL)

4914-415: The advancement of two-stroke engine technology was the primary focus of the major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers well into the mid 1990s, a rekindled interest in engineering a competitive, lightweight four-stroke motocross race bike was expressed among several brands, including Yamaha Motor Corporation and Husqvarna. Facing tightening federal emissions regulations in the United States, the AMA increased

5005-633: The allowable displacement capacity for four-stroke engines in 1997, in an effort to encourage manufacturers to develop environmentally friendlier four-stroke machines. Due to the low relative power output of a four-stroke engine compared to the then-dominating two-stroke design, the displacement limit of a four-stroke power motocross bike was raised to 250cc in the 125 class and 550cc in the 250 class. The new regulations resulted in competitors aboard four-strokes made by smaller European manufacturers, with Husqvarna, Husaberg , and KTM winning world championships on four-stroke machinery. In 1997, Yamaha unveiled

5096-568: The bankrupt Daewoo Motors renaming the venture GMDAT. American Suzuki rebadged the compact Daewoo Nubira / Daewoo Lacetti as the Forenza and the mid-size Daewoo Magnus as the Verona . The Forenza gained station wagon and hatchback body style in 2005, with the hatchback sold under the Reno name. 2006 was the first year American Suzuki sold more than 100,000 vehicles in the United States. Suzuki redesigned

5187-527: The early 1930s, and swinging fork rear suspension appeared by the early 1950s, several years before manufacturers incorporated it in the majority of production street bikes. The period after World War II was dominated by BSA , which had become the largest motorcycle company in the world. BSA riders dominated international competitions throughout the 1940s. In 1952 the FIM , motorcycling's international governing body, set up an individual European Championship using

5278-512: The eastern part of the United States. GNCC racing features many types of obstacles such as, hill climbing, creek and log crossings, dirt roads and wooded trails. The ATV National Motocross Championship was formed around 1985. ATVMX events are hosted at motocross racetracks throughout the United States. ATVMX consists of several groups, including the Pro (AMA Pro) and Amateur (ATVA) series. Championship mud racing (CMR) saw its infancy in 2006 as leaders of

5369-501: The event changes from year to year. The United States, Belgium and Great Britain have had the greatest success. Th British Motocross Championship is the main UK off-road competition and organised into classes of MX1 and MX2. MX1 is for 250  cc to 450 cc (fourstroke) and MX2 for 175 cc to 250 cc fourstroke motorcycles. In 2007 an additional youth class, the MXY2 class, was added to

5460-512: The first non-European competitor to win a motocross world championship and, in 1982 Brad Lackey became the first individual American motocross world champion. From the late 1970s to early 1990s, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers presided over a boom period in motocross technology. The typical air-cooled two-strokes with twin-shock rear suspension and telescopic front forks gave way to water-cooled engines and single-shock absorber rear suspension and "upside-down" (or inverted) front forks. Although

5551-400: The following excerpt taken from world.honda.com: "To achieve the cleaner emissions and higher fuel economy targets it announced for motorcycles in 1999, Honda began as early as 1997 to take measures to discontinue the use of 2-stroke engines by the end of fiscal 2002. These simply structured 2-stroke engines had been adopted mainly in small motorcycles because of their superior output. Our goal

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5642-452: The former Czechoslovakia, Bultaco from Spain and Greeves from England became popular due to their lightness and agility. A significant moment in motocross history occurred during the 1963 FIM Motocross World Championship when ČZ factory rider Vlastimil Valek rode a 263cc two-stroke motorcycle to win the first moto of the 500cc Czechoslovakian Motocross Grand Prix ahead of a field of top-class, four stroke motorcycles. The victory marked

5733-426: The front suspension mounts in one inch on each side, allowing the use of longer suspension arms in competition, which increased wheel travel and improved the ride qualities. By 2003, a myriad of aftermarket frames could be had from numerous manufacturers in both stock and altered geometry, made of steel and aluminum. Lone Star Racing produced a titanium frame, but AMA rules prevented its use in competition. Though Honda

5824-514: The larger engines a joint venture between Baldwin Motorsports and Timken Bearing, in the 90's, produced a set of stronger aftermarket gears. These gears permitted engines over 330cc's to be reliably raced. The TRX250R is the only quad for which such a product was made. A driving reason Honda chose to use a larger displacement four stroke engine instead of the traditional two stroke as part of their re-involvement in competition ATV's can be learned from

5915-410: The most dramatic changes to the TRX250R. The compression ratio of the engine was raised to generate more power, bringing it nearly on par with Kawasaki ’s powervalved Tecate-4 . It was the chassis, however, that received the greatest attention, shedding 25 pounds over the previous year’s model. Additionally a shorter aluminum swing arm was added, but the frame lengthened such that the overall wheelbase

6006-478: The necessary upgrades and modifications to build a competitive pit bike. Of course, a rider could also buy a used bike. Since 2004, manufacturers like Thumpstar have begun designing, manufacturing, importing, and selling already complete pit bikes. These bikes are less expensive, and require less time to complete. Pit bikes are powered by 4-stroke, horizontal, single-cylinder engines ranging anywhere in displacement from 49 cc to 195 cc. A typical pit bike

6097-669: The passenger. This is reflected in most in the Swedish term for passenger, burkslav , roughly translated as trunk/barrel-slave. This name comes from the early sidecars which resembled road motorcycle sidecars and not today's platform. The major frame builders today are VMC, BSU, AYR, EML and Woodenleg. Ordinary engines can be used, but size matters and two engines purpose built for sidecars exist, Zabel (Germany) and MTH (Austria) are most common. Four-strokes are becoming more common, usually KTM (Austria). Pit bikes are small motorbikes that participants in powersports events use to ride around

6188-492: The pavement and dirt. Some tracks for these race events have jumps, berms, and whoops like motocross tracks. For special events, the Supermoto track may incorporate metal ramps for jumps that can be disassembled and taken to other locations. Supermoto races may take place at modified go-kart tracks, road racing tracks, or even street racing tracks. There are also classes for children, such as the 85 cc class. Supermoto began in

6279-411: The pedals and run on engine power alone. The patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a financial subsidy to continue research in motorcycle engineering. By 1954, Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles per month and his company had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. Following the success of his first motorcycles, Suzuki created an even more successful automobile:

6370-407: The pits, which are the staging areas where team support vehicles are located. More recently, they have been used in races held on either supercross or motocross tracks. Numerous performance and aesthetic upgrades are often applied to pit bikes. Originally, there was only one way to acquire a pit bike. A rider would buy a child's minibike, usually a Honda CRF110 or Kawasaki KLX110, and apply all

6461-653: The programme at selected rounds. A "Veterans" series was introduced in 2009 with just two rounds but the demand for places was so high that from 2011 the Veterans series will have three rounds, held over six races. A number of other types of motorcycle sport have been derived from Motocross. Supercross is a cycle racing sport involving specialized high-performance off-road motorcycles on constructed dirt tracks with steep jumps and obstacles. Compared to regular motocross, supercross tracks generally have much shorter straights and tighter turns. Professional supercross races, held as

6552-409: The reliability of the engine. The 1987 model year, now absent the three-wheelers because of a CPSC safety ban, saw the engine receive a five-millimeter longer connecting rod, accompanied by a piston with a wrist pin bore raised five millimeters. Additionally, the cylinder was changed to include a bridged intake. Most of the chassis of the 1987 Fourtrax remained the same. The 1988 model year brought

6643-441: The same rules as men's 250cc. Race events take place over two motos of 30 minutes plus two laps each. The annual Motocross des Nations is held at the end of the year when National and World Championship series have ended. The competition involves teams of three riders representing their nations. Each rider competes in a different class (MX1, MX2, and "Open"). There are three motos with two classes competing per moto. The location of

6734-549: The sound made by the Carry's two-stroke engine. In 2011, the company invested $ 800 million for producing Low Cost Green Car (LCGC) in Indonesia. In 2013, Suzuki opened another plant in Cikarang with a total investment of $ 1 billion. The plant manufactured Ertiga MPV for both domestic and export markets and K10B engine for Karimun Wagon R. Suzuki Motorcycle India, Private Limited (SMIL)

6825-526: The top six finishing positions. A motorcycle sales boom in the United States fueled by the Baby Boomer generation, helped to spark a growth in the popularity of motocross among young Americans. Japanese motorcycle manufacturers began challenging the European factories for supremacy in the motocross world by the late 1960s. Suzuki claimed the first world championship for a Japanese factory when Joël Robert won

6916-399: The typical bicycle. Suzuki's first two-wheeled vehicle was a bicycle fitted with a motor called, the "Power Free." Designed to be inexpensive and simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free had a 36 cc, one horsepower, two-stroke engine. The new double-sprocket gear system enabled the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal without engine assist, or simply disconnect

7007-642: The war, Suzuki made a two-stroke motorized bicycle , but eventually the company would be known for Hayabusa and GSX-R motorcycles, for the QuadRunner , and for dominating racetracks around the world. Even after producing its first car in 1955 the company didn't have an automobile division until 1961. Today Suzuki is among the world's largest automakers, and a major brand name in important markets, including Japan and India, but no longer sells cars in North America. Based in Gurgaon , Haryana , Maruti Suzuki India Limited

7098-594: Was a machined steel piece campaigned by Gary Denton in 1989.[3] Wayne Hinson, who would later found worldwide clutch component manufacturer Hinson Racing, designed the clutch basket and later changed it to billet aluminum in 1991.[3] A regular trend that started on the Fourtrax that would not carry over to the four strokes was the use of aftermarket frames. Stock frames on most mass-produced quads are made of mild steel and, though suitable for recreational use, will quickly develop cracks when raced. Without new quads available after

7189-438: Was a necessary upgrade for the 1988 TRX250R, as well [3]. The color was returned to white for its final year. While raced in mostly stock form in its earliest years, by the time production rules were initiated only about six of the TRX250R's components had to be purchased from Honda [3]. According to CT Racing's Allen Knowles, “More aftermarket parts have been made for the 250R than any other ATV.” [3] “Sixty Percent of my business

7280-505: Was available as a convertible or hardtop and the company slogan was Never a Dull Moment . The Samurai was successful until Consumer Reports alleged the Samurai of being susceptible to roll over in a 1988 test. This led to a much publicized 1996 lawsuit , not settled until 2004. In 1989, American Suzuki introduced the Swift which was the 2nd generation Suzuki Cultus. The Swift was available as

7371-481: Was based on the R, compared to the next highest Banshee , at fifteen percent. With only the Banshee, I would have starved” said Wayne Hinson of Hinson Racing. [3] Initially, items that were subject to the most abuse from racing were the first to be remade. Originally made of die cast aluminum, the clutch basket was found to be weak when power was increased or subjected to race conditions. The first aftermarket clutch basket

7462-475: Was born as a Government of India -led company named Maruti Udyog Limited, with Suzuki as a minor partner, to make lower priced cars for middle class Indians. Over the years, the product range has widened and ownership has changed hands as the customer has evolved. Maruti Suzuki offers models ranging from the Maruti 800 to the premium sedan Maruti Suzuki Kizashi and luxury SUV Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Maruti 800

7553-811: Was completed in 1992, and Suzuki production was transferred to new plant – and three-box 1,300 cc Margalla car was also added to its range of production. In September 1992 the company was privatized and placed directly under the Japanese Management. At the time of privatization SMC increased its equity from 25% to 40% Subsequently, SMC progressively increased its equity to 73.09% by 31 December 2001. The Bin Qasim Plant further expanded its production capacity to 50,000 vehicles per year in July 1994 and 300,000 vehicles had been manufactured at this plant by December 2003. In 2013, Suzuki Canada announced that it would follow

7644-477: Was established and the first races were held in 2008. Currently, the CMR schedule includes eight competition dates spanning from March to November. Points are awarded throughout the season in several different competition classes of ATV and SxS Mud Racing. The 2008 year included Mud Bog and Mudda-Cross competitions, but the 2009 and future seasons will only have Mudda-Cross competitions. Classes range from 0 to 499 cc, to

7735-573: Was given a boost when the U.S. government approved the shipping of cotton to Japan. Suzuki's fortunes brightened as orders began to increase from domestic textile manufacturers. But the joy was short-lived as the cotton market collapsed in 1951. Faced with this colossal challenge, Suzuki returned to the production of motor vehicles. After the war, the Japanese had a great need for affordable, reliable personal transportation. A number of firms began offering "clip-on" gas-powered engines that could be attached to

7826-705: Was incorporated as a public limited company in August 1983. The new company assumed the assets including production facilities of Awami Autos Limited. PSMCL started commercial operations in January 1984 with the primary objective of passenger cars, pick ups, vans and 4x4 vehicles. The groundbreaking ceremony of the company's green field automobile plant at Bin Qasim was performed by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan in early 1989. On completion of first phase of this plant in early 1990, in-house assembly Suzuki engines started. The new plant

7917-512: Was initially concerned with reliability and detuned the original 250cc motor, with the release of the Pro-X (pro-cross) cylinder and head in 1994, the 250R's displacement could be increased well into the 300cc range by changing the cylinder alone. Additionally, this and other aftermarket cylinders offered advanced port layout for more tuning options. With modifications to the transmission cases, later aftermarket cylinders and crankshafts permitted engine displacements to reach 500cc's. The last version of

8008-493: Was later replaced by the Suzuki SX4. The SX4 further was replaced by Ciaz . In 2000, Maruti Alto was launched. The Maruti models include Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara , launched in 2003, Maruti Versa , launched in 2004, Maruti Suzuki Swift , launched in 2005, Maruti Zen Estilo and Maruti Suzuki SX4 , launched in 2007. On 14 February 2011, Maruti announced that it had achieved one million total accumulated production volume of

8099-428: Was slightly greater. This shifted the weight bias rearward, curing the Fourtrax’s “loop out” problem. Aesthetically, the Fourtrax's headlight was moved from the handlebars to a mount molded into the hood. This was also the only year to be available with red fenders. For 1989 the TRX250R received few changes. Most notable was the use of a needle bearing in the clutch pressure plate, for smoother action. This needle bearing

8190-546: Was the first model launched by the company in 1983 followed by mini-van Maruti Omni in 1984. Maruti Gypsy , launched in 1985, came into widespread use with the Indian Army and Indian Police Service becoming its primary customers. The short-lived Maruti 1000 was replaced by Maruti Esteem in 1994. Maruti Zen , launched in 1993, was the company's second compact car model. The company went on to launch another compact car Maruti Wagon-R followed by Maruti Baleno in 1999. It

8281-560: Was to replace them with more environment-friendly 4-stroke engine technology." Named “ATV of the Century” by “4-Wheel ATV Action” [9] 1. Ed Scott ; Randy Stephens, editor. (1990), Clymer Honda TRX250R/Fourtrax 250R & ATC250R 1985 - 1989 Service*Repair*Maintenance , Intertec Publishing, ISBN   0-89287-540-2 {{ citation }} : |author= has generic name ( help ) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link ) 2. Lanphier, Bill (March–April 2006), "Long Live

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