Take a lap of the Brisbane Enduro Cross!

We would like to congratulate our own Mark Spencer for a fantastic 6th place finish at round 1 of the Australian endorsors series. Mark has been campaigning his GAS GAS 300 for quite some time now and really beginning to push towards the front of the pack. Since the last series, Mark has built his own training facility to further push his results and if the first round is any indication, it seems to be working well. Look out for Mark at the Sydney and Melbourne rounds of the series and check out his tricked out Gasser 300 with our red carbon protection.

Below are some pics of the racing and you can also jump aboard with Mark for a lap of the track during one of the heats.

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Heat one from my view. Ended up 6th by .085 secs...


Check out this TE250 with blue carbon package!

Nick Palmer of the UK sent us some pics of his awesome new Husky TE250 after he kitted it out with our blue carbon pipe guard and new to the market blue carbon frame guards. Nick is competing in some Extreme enduro competitions and wanted the best protection for his bike. Propower offers a complete solution to those wanting bullet proof type armour for their machines while keeping the weight down to top level racing specification. 

Your Expansion chamber is a "class 1" product, this means if it is broken, you cannot finish the race because the machine will not run. You can race with a broken lever, a torn seat, bent handle bars, but if you flatten or tear a hole in the pipe, you are in big trouble. In the event of extreme enduro, it is not always the fastest guys that win, sometimes it is the guys that can weather the storm, avoid damage and just finish.

As well as toughening up your machine, you also get to look like a factory rockstar with the wild carbon/kevlar colours our range comes in, yes it is possible to be tough, and look cool at the same time. Protect your investment.

International buyers take advantage of our FREE WORLD WIDE SHIPPING!!

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Endangered Species List - The weird and wonderful from the past.

Years ago, when we weren't treated to to the plethora of refinement and mind boggling technology we have available today, there were some trail blazers throughout the years that helped forge the path for the tech and evolution of the bikes we ride today. These guys were not content with making standard, tried and true equipment, they wanted to push the boundaries of what was possible. Many of these innovators became the backbone of the boutique race bike industry and have created many of the treasures sitting in garages today. 

In the year 1988 Husqvarna motorcycles was acquired by Cagiva, a large Italian manufacturer. This move disgruntled many of the Husqvarna faithful and began a non favourable era in the companies history. One of the major contributing forces behind the big H was a man named Thomas Gustavsson, Thomas and a few of his co workers decided they didn't want to make the move to Italy, instead electing to stay in Sweden and begin a new brand where their ideas and innovations could be un bridled. They created Husaberg, These guys wanted to build race bikes and didn't want to have to deal with the politics of doing it on a major scale. It meant that wild ideas could find there way onto production motorcycles. It also translated to the bikes being highly un reliable but magical when working right. There was two other engineers involved who felt even Husaberg was too tame for them, they left and began another brand to take things to an ever higher level. The Vertimatti brothers. 

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VOR, which actually stands for Vertemati Offroad Racing, is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, mostly based on off-road, enduro and cross bikes. The company was founded in 1998 and was headquartered in Ronco Briantino, Milan. Although VOR was mostly focused on off-road motorcycles, the company migrated to street bikes in 2002, the same year when it changed its name to Motorcycles VOR.


Getting back to the history of the company, VOR was founded by Alvaro and Guido, two brothers who mostly gained off-road experience by working for other companies. For instance, Vertemati previously worked with Husaberg, a Swedish manufacturer of off-road motorcycles. However, due to unknown reasons, the collaboration between Husaberg and Vertamati has been ended and the Italian company started to develop its own prototypes.

VOR didn't produce too many models, the most popular motorcycle being the MX 450 which was especially addressed to cross competitions. The bike came with a liquid cooled, single cylinder, 4-stroke engine with a Keihin FC 39 fuel system and electronic ignitions. Moreover, it was equipped with chain final drive and with kick starting system. 

What's interesting is that this motorcycle comes with a brand new Ohlin suspension system and with a completely redesigned aluminum swingarm that could represent important advantages for consumers looking for an off-road bike.

VOR was also exploring a lot of the same concepts as found on the radical Cannonale we covered in the last article. You can see in the photograph below, the use of a reverse facing cylinder and also a slanted back angle relationship between the cylinder and crankcase which is also identical to what the latest Yamahas have today.

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The Italian manufacturer recorded pretty important results in multiple competitions, including the Six-Day Enduro and even the Enduro World Championships.

The Vertimatti brothers are still involved in design on a small level and may re emerge after the collapse of the company in 2005. Below is a design concept of a new Vertimatti bike which may one day reach production. As you can see, they are still light years ahead of their time.

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Endangered Species List - The weird and wonderful from the past.

Throughout the history of dirtbikes there has been many weird and wonderful ideas and inventions, some groundbreaking, some misunderstood and some just down right terrible. Over the coming weeks we decided to cover some of the more interesting and obscure machines that have graced our tracks and loops over the years. This week we will start with the enigma that is the Cannondale E440.

In early 2001 the famed bicycle manufacturer Cannondale was primed to set the world on fire with the release of the ground breaking MX400. In a world where 2 strokes were still king of the hill and the best 4t on the paddock was the ill handling, over powering, hard to start YZ426 from the likes of Yamaha, the world waited with baited breath. 

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   The MX400 featured a 400cc DOHC 4 valve engine. The first radical change made to the motor was it's rear facing exhaust. From an engineering point of view this makes perfect sense. The bike moves forward, air is forced in the front, exits out the rear, creating a syphon like effect. It also created extremely hot exhaust header that was void of any cooling airflow due to its position, tucked under the seat. The next thing on the list was to do away with the traditional linkage style rear end hence eliminating additional parts and bearings, makes sense right? less parts, less weight, less maintenance? All of the above are correct but it came at the price of giving the bike a quirky rear end rendering most peoples suspension tuning knowledge back to square one again. So what else could have they done to rock the boat I hear you say. In a world of carburettors and jetting kits, the MX400 rolled out with fuel injection as standard. The fuel injection was however suspect to say the least. Floating idle speeds, running on after shut off were some problems to name a few. As 2002 rolled on a few of the injection issues had been addressed, displacement was increased to 432cc and enduro versions of the bike were released. Unfortunately for Cannondale, the bike was so badly received that the damage was done. No matter how well they developed it, the bad reputation could not be rectified. They continued till 2004 and folded the motorcycle division of the company. 

Looking back at the 440, it was really too far ahead of its time. What would it be like today if it had continual development? The link less rear end has become a trademark of KTM bikes and remains one of the dividing factors between them and other brands. The reverse facing cylinder was introduced on Yamaha's YZ models in 2010, some 9 years after the 440 was introduced with it. Electronic fuel injection has only crept into motorcycles in the past few years also. Its high mount un conventional air filter position near the fuel tank is also becoming more common. 

All this being said, the Cannondale was a glimpse into the future, and the community laughed at it for being different and trying new things. It may be the Cannondale that has the last laugh from its grave as the dirt bikes of today are built in its image.

TELL US WHAT YOU WANT!!

The team at Propower are currently reviewing future products for development and we want to ask you, the consumer, what you want. Reply to our link and let us know what you want us to make and you might just see your reality come to life! Pipeguards, Frame guards, Hand guards, or maybe something we have never heard of, let us know! 

Dream Big!

 

New Husqvarna Frame Guards in stock!

New Husky frame guards are in stock and ready to ship. Protect your frame against boot wear and the elements which destroy the vital surface coatings that prolong the life of your frame. The guards also make the coolest looking bike even cooler. Be sure to take advantage of our free shipping world wide!

New Husqvarna KTM Berg Guards in stock NOW! FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!!!

New Husky, KTM and Berg guards are now running off the production line. Get yours now to avoid disappointment as there will be a big rush when the 2015 models hit the showroom floors very soon. We also have added some great new colours to our range including midnight blue and competition yellow. We will be photographing these models shortly so stay tuned to see the amazing results. Take advantage of our free shipping worldwide!!!!

 

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4000 Likes!

Thanks to all that have supported us, we surpassed 4000 likes on the Propower Factory Hardware page today, we regard all of our supporters as not just part of our audience, but part of our team. We hope to turn your feedback and our ideas into innovative improvements in both design and function. It fills us with confidence that we are building an army of loyal Propower supporters and we will do our very best to continue to serve you with the best products we can.

INDIVIDUALLY WE ARE ONE DROP 

BUT TOGETHER, WE ARE AN OCEAN.

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Taming the Fink

The team at Propower would like to congratulate one of our toughest testers Mark Spencer on his outstanding effort at this years Fink desert race. The Fink is well known as Australia's toughest desert race bar none and has devoured many a confident dirt bike rider but Mark managed to tame the Fink and walk away, fist in the air. This was Marks first time at the Fink and he managed a very respectable 11th in class against some very experienced campaigners. It is great to see our products withstanding the rigours of off road racing, desert racing, and weekend competition without missing a beat, all this gives us further confidence that we are delivering the worlds best enduro protection and we can prove it, thanks to guys like Mark. Keep an eye out for Mark as he is now off to the 2014 Hattah hoping to achieve more success. Mark will be displaying one of our new blood red guards for the first time in public so be sure to check out his 300 Gasser if your at the event. We wish Mark all the very best as he contunues to produce great results for Propower.

   

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Marching On

Propower would like to congratulate our boy Dan March for fighting hard at the Vic off road championships this weekend at the Corner Inlet round. On the second day Dan had a breakout ride to achieve an 8th place finish and land himself firmly in the top 10. We have watched Dan's racing progress over the last few years and he is really starting to find the speed we knew he had. Finishing second in his final heat at the Australian enduro cross, his run in the final was hampered by engine problems late in the day. Nonetheless, the real racing grit that Dan has was on display. 

When Propower first began, Dan was the first one to throw a sticker on his bike and get behind us as a company. He did not come to us with the usual racer philosophy of "what are you gonna give me" Dan asked "Is there anything I can do to help" He threw a sticker on his bike, wore a Propower hat and made us proud to have him associated with our brand. 

A little about Dan, he is the kind of guy that will rip a part off his bike and give it to you so you can race - during a race. He is the last one at the end of the day, winding up the bunting, after everyone else has gone home. Winner of the presidents trophy at his local club, he represents everything that is great about racing and riding dirt bikes. If every club had a guy like Dan, the sport would be better for it.  

We are proud to have Dan on our team and look forward to watching his journey as he edges closer to the steps of the podium.   

2000 Likes and 4000 Thanks

On behalf of Propower International I would like to personally thank everyone who has liked our facebook page. This is a great achievement for us and has been invaluable in helping us spread our wings around the globe. You will notice the image accompanying this post is of a mother giving her son a good luck kiss before his race. When wondering what was the best way to thank  everyone who has helped us up to this point, the word family came to mind. There is a camaraderie and a sense of togetherness these machines create, that is unlike anything I have ever seen. Is it the mothers, that wash mud off your dirty gear when you have been thrashing around in the dirt all day? The fathers that work tirelessly throughout the year, just so they can wheel out a new bike for their child on Christmas day? Or the friends that pick you up from the wreckage, get your bike back to the car, and carry you to hospital because you didn't see that log on the trail. Whatever it may be, the kindness and enthusiasm of others has been overwhelming. Ever since the first moment we decided to take on the huge challenge to create something new, something different, the dirt bike community has welcomed us with open arms, when they had many opportunities to slam the door in our face. Many stores have been happy to hang our products on the shelf, even though we are not a major brand, we are no body. Thank you.

Many friends have ran around town beating the drum to our tune, trying to alert people that we are here and we are beginning. Thank you, you know who you are.

Others have even given us their time and their most valuable opinions to help us better create what you want. Thank you. 

We are working and will continue to work on becoming a brand that serves the rider and the athlete. Stay tuned for new products as we have many in development including our up and coming fitness line as requested my many racers and riders who wanted bike specific training and riding gear.

Thanking you all

Matt Rotin

Founder - Propower International        

Propower announces new partnership with Beta Australia

Propower International is proud to announce a new partnership with Beta Motor Australia which will see Propower products available at all Beta dealers Australia wide. The deal was made after the Beta race team tested our products and were so impressed with the performance and quality that they opted to discontinue with their existing supplier and stock Propower at all available outlets. Beta products will be available both in stores as well as on line at the Beta web store. This is a huge step for our company and we will continue working hard to further develop new and exciting products for the motorcycle industry. 

Gas Gas long term test results are in.

Top gun tester and all round nice guy Mark Spencer has been in charge of trying to break, burn, smash and otherwise destroy our new gas gas pipe guard. After 18 months of racing, riding, scratching, crashing and bashing the results are in. 

Mark removed the pipe and guard from his 300 gasser after deeming that it had been flogged to death and wanted to reveal how the pipe had held up under the carbon protector. Many other riders have complained of other manufacturers guards looking the goods on the outside only to reveal a golf ball finish on there expansion chamber after finding that all of the impacts have been transferred through the guard and onto the pipe making the guard almost pointless. 

Due to our superior layup design, and high grade fitment to the pipe, the exhaust was unmarked under the guard. Mark explained to us between races at the Melbourne enduro cross, that he has smashed the pipe into a rock so hard that it bent the exhaust back into the radiator. Fortunately it was able to be pulled back out again, as for the guard, a few light scratches and Mark was able to compete in the next race. If Mark was racing unprotected, his day would have been over. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark for his ongoing efforts with testing and product development, we are proud to have him in the Propower family. 

Production Gas Gas units will be available in approximately 4 weeks. 

The un dented surface after 18 months of hard riding.

The un dented surface after 18 months of hard riding.

Marks test unit as it was fitted to his bike.

Marks test unit as it was fitted to his bike.

Beta Chooses Propower

Great to see Gary Grealy and the Factory Beta team running a Propower guard on there 300 2t machine at the Melbourne Enduro cross.

 

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Melbourne Enduro Cross

Its was great to see the industry out at the second Melbourne Enduro Cross. Once again the Robbins boys did a great job in organising a wonderful day which saw both the greats and the not so greats do battle for the win. It was also good to see many of the industry leaders walking around the pits making themselves available for a chat and a laugh.

It was great to get some feedback from some of the racers using our products. I had quite a few of them come over and let me know how they landed on big rocks and smashed into things but nothing has been a match for the Propower pipe guard they had all installed. I found it funny, it was much like a spartan warrior coming back from a war raving to all of his friends about how well his sword and shield worked, whilst being completely un interested in the war he had just been in. It summed up in my mind that many of the racers that attended the race, went not to win it, but just to survive it. I think this is the greatest attribute of the enduro cross series and I hope it maintains this, it is built at a level where both pro and novice can still enter and the clubman racer can for once in there life know what it is like to be a hero for a day and race around a track, surrounded by fans cheering, and walk away with some great stories to tell there mates.


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