Every so often a beautiful bike will just fall into our lap. This is a 2025 GasGas ES500 dual-sport bike that was just built by the guys at the factory with virtually every accessory in the Hard Parts catalog. The thinking is that GasGas has a number of sales incentives right now, and if you want to roll that money back  into the bike, you can build something pretty special.

The standard GasGas MSRP is a little scary at $12,499 plus fees. Right now they say there are rebates that can be as high as $2000 and financing as low as 2.99 percent. There are also incentives for active-duty military and first-time buyers. We’re also guessing that dealers are more willing to deal than usual. So now isn’t a bad time to shop for a dual-sport. Or, if you are so inclined, to buy one that’s decked out with all kinds of stuff, like this one.

Our senior-most test rider Pete Murray is actually in the process of doing just that. He’s buying a 2025 KTM 350EXC through Langston Motorsports. He’s sworn not to reveal the price, but he was very interested in this GasGas project. The essential elements are WP Xact Cone Valve fork and an  XPLOR Pro 6746 Shock. It also got split triple clamps, a pro wheelset and an FMF Q4 muffler.

We have yet to complete a full build list with all the prices. That will come in the September, 2025 print edition of Dirt Bike.

DAY IN THE DIRT OUT EAST

RedBull Day In The Dirt Out East Registration is OPEN. August 29-31, 2025 at High Point MX.

First come, first on the starting line.
Classes WILL sell out. Click here for the info page at HighPoint MX.

AMA HALL OF FAME, CLASS OF 2025

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — After several weeks of voting, in which thousands of ballots were cast, the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame announces the six esteemed inductees to be honored at the 2025 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Oct. 23 in Pickerington, Ohio.

The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2025 includes Dana Bell, Chris Carter, Colin Edwards, Joe Kopp, Chad Reed and Ryan Young.

“This distinguished group of motorcyclists exemplifies the spirit, diversity, and dedication of the motorcycling community,” said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman. “Each has made a lasting impact on our sport and lifestyle — whether through competition, advocacy, innovation, or inspiration. Their contributions, from racetracks to legislative chambers to the open road, have shaped motorcycling as we know it, and we are proud to recognize them with this well-deserved honor.”

The AMA Induction Ceremony will kick off AMA Hall of Fame Days, set to run Oct. 23-26, which will include an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Bike Night and open house at the AMA Hall of Fame Museum on Saturday, Oct. 25. The AMA Induction Ceremony will be held at the Violet Township Event Center — less than a mile away from AMA headquarters — on Thursday, Oct. 23, and will be followed by a cocktail reception at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum.

Hall of Fame inductees are selected from eight areas of influence: Ambassadors & Industry, Design & Engineering, Dirt Track, Leadership & Motorcycle Rights, Motocross & Supercross, Off-Road, Road Racing and Specialty Competition.

Secure your seat at the 2025 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony by purchasing tickets at AmericanMotorcyclist.com/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-members/induction-ceremony/ .

For sponsorship opportunities, contact AMA Business Development Manager Michael Kula at (949) 466-7833 or [email protected].

DANA BELL — LEADERSHIP & RIGHTS

A decade after joining the motorcycling community, Dana Bell worked her way to being a nationally ranked enduro competitor.

From 1992 to 1999, Bell shifted her focus to rights issues, and worked as the Western States Representative for the AMA’s Government Relations Department. She also worked as a state partner for the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council (NOHVCC). For her role as a key voice for motorcyclists’ rights, the AMA Board of Directors presented Bell with the AMA Motorcycling Advocate Award, an honor recognizing those who have led the fight for the rights of motorcyclists. Bell was just the third person to receive the award.

CHRIS CARTER — AMBASSADORS & INDUSTRY

Chris Carter is the founder and president of Motion Pro Inc., a company on the leading edge of specialty-tool design, with 30-some patents to its credit.

Over the years, Carter has also served as an ambassador of the sport and industry, with Motion Pro holding more than 100 annual sponsorships of racers, teams, organizations, and events. Carter and Motion Pro also support many charitable and non-profit organizations, including motorcycle trail preservation and ensuring that access is available to all.

Carter is also a motorcycle historian and published author, and earned an International Six Day Trials gold medal for the U.S. in Austria in 1976.

COLIN EDWARDS — ROAD RACING

Colin Edwards, aka the “Texas Tornado,” is an American road racing icon celebrated for his technical prowess and versatility.

After dominating the club and WERA ranks, he turned pro in 1992 and captured that year’s AMA 250cc Grand Prix Championship. He went on to win the 2000 and 2002 World Superbike titles for Honda, notching a total of 31 victories in WSBK. Edwards also triumphed three times at the Suzuka 8-Hour Endurance Race, and garnered 12 podium finishes in MotoGP. Retiring from racing in 2014, he now runs the Texas Tornado Boot camp.

JOE KOPP — DIRT TRACK

Joe Kopp reached the pinnacle of Flat Track competition by winning the 2000 AMA Grand National Championship. He also dominated the AMA Supertracker National Championship, taking home the 1999 and 2000 titles.

His impressive record in AMA Grand National events includes 21 career wins, placing him 17^th among the all-time greats, and 81 career Grand National podium finishes, ninth all-time.

Kopp is also one of 15 riders to complete the prestigious Dirt Track Grand Slam, winning at least one race in each of the four dirt track disciplines: Short Track, TT, Half-Mile and Mile.

CHAD REED — MOTOCROSS & SUPERCROSS

Australian-born Chad Reed left a significant mark on the AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross scenes for nearly two decades beginning in the early 2000s.

Focusing on the U.S. scene starting in 2002, Reed began racking up wins, and by retirement had tallied 61 AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross victories on the way to capturing AMA 125SX East (’02), AMA Supercross (’04 and ’08) and 450 Pro Motocross championships.

In 2009, Reed was awarded AMA Athlete of the Year honors, and holds the record for most AMA Supercross Main Event starts (265) and podium finishes (132). In 2011, Reed was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, an honor awarded to Australians who have demonstrated exceptional achievement.

RYAN YOUNG — SPECIALTY COMPETITION

With a record-breaking six consecutive AMA/NATC Championships from 1988 to 1993, Ryan Young left an indelible stamp on the trials world.

Young won the top class for the first time at age 21, and his success earned him a spot on eight consecutive USA Trial des Nations teams.

Beyond competition, Young impacted the sport through his company Ryan Young Products, and by utilizing his knowledge to educate those learning the sport.

AMA VINTAGE DAYS

Permco AMA Vintage days will take place at the iconic Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on July 25-27. With near-endless racing in a variety of disciplines, the largest motorcycle swap meet in North America, bike shows, vendor displays and much more, VMD is a rider’s paradise.

Not to mention, VMD will be teeming with motorcycle legends, including Grand Marshal and AMA Hall of Famer Brad Lackey.

SADDLE THIS MONTH

By Ron Lawson

 

Originality is hard. Objectivity is boring. Change is painful. I know these things because I see the evidence on social media. There are around 7 billion people on earth with 7 billion brains thinking a few trillion thoughts every day. It’s inevitable that some of those thoughts are going to be identical. If you narrow the sample size to the millions who are drawn to motorcycles, you might think the likelihood of identical thoughts would be reduced. That doesn’t seem to be the case. There’s even more repetition among like-minded people. For proof, just look at Dirt Bike’s YouTube, Facebook or Instagram comments. We have over 1000 videos posted on various motorcycles. On every single one, you will find at least one of these comments:

“It’s not a two-stroke, so who cares?!”

“Chinese bikes are just copies of real motorcycles with a lower price.”

“Electric motors are for bilge pumps, not motorcycles!”

And so forth. Over and over.

I understand. To the authors of those comments, I’m with you. I’m grumpy, aging, angry and self-absorbed, just like you. I believe that the golden age of just about everything was when I discovered it. And, I’ve seen it before. Back in the ’70s I was on the other end of it all. That was a period of massive change in the dirt bike world, just like today. The letters in Dirt Bike, Cycle News and all the other publications were the same.

“Japanese bikes are just copies of real motorcycles with a lower price!”

“Water pumps and hoses are for bilge pumps, not dirt bikes!”

“It’s not a four-stroke, so who cares?!”

And so forth.

I was a kid, and I had never ridden any of the real motorcycles these guys were talking about. I had never ridden a dirt bike with two cylinders. I had never ridden anything with hardtail suspension. I had never ridden anything that shifted on the right. I had never even seen a four-stroke that didn’t have crash bars and a windshield. I had a stripped Suzuki TC90 with an expansion chamber and Green Weenie air filter.

The first race I ever entered was at Travis Air Force Base. The enlisted men had organized a motorcycle club that was mostly for Harley guys and Triumph riders. A few of them had older European dirt bikes, though, and those guys somehow talked the officers into letting them put a motocross track at the southwest end of the runway. There wasn’t much to it; a few turns, a jump or two and, as I recall, a man-made mud hole. But, in my dad’s eyes, it was an official endorsement of motocross from the U.S. Air Force. There was no way he would let me race otherwise. He was a major at the time, and if it was good enough for the Air Force, it was good enough for him.

I don’t think they liked me. I was an officer’s son, I was riding a Japanese bike that sounded like a chainsaw and, worst of all, I was 14 years old. If they talked to me at all, it was to painstakingly describe what real motorcycles were and how my bike wasn’t one. I would like to say that I beat them all on the track, but that wasn’t how it went. I think I only passed the guy with the Triumph who was stuck in the mud hole. A year later, though, I did win at that same track. By then I was on a Honda CR125 Elsinore. But, most of the guys in the race were other kids—dependents like me. They were mostly on Elsinores, too, plus a YZ or three, and I think there was one poor sucker on a TM125. None of the enlisted men from a year earlier were there. There were no Triumphs, no four-strokes and no one was making fun of Japanese bikes. Their time had passed. Sadly, I don’t think the Travis Air Force Base MX track lasted much longer. The founders complained that it had been taken over by kids. By then, my dad had surrendered and allowed me to race off-base.

It’s with that perspective that I view the kids with the Surrons today. They’ve taken over my secret dual-sport trails, and there’s no shortage of them in the pits. Electric bikes are showing up at the track, and so are Chinese bikes. Never mind the four-stroke takeover; that happened 15 years ago. So, it’s with great thoughtfulness that I address these topics today on social media:“Losers! Get a real bike!”

I’ve been waiting 50 years for this.

See you next time!