All things youth moto…

Missouri’s “Lightning” Lance Kobush and Austin Forkner, along with Illinois’ Chase Sexton, headline Cobra’s 2010 factory effort

HILLSDALE, Mich.– Cobra is pleased to introduce today the world’s fastest young dirt bike racers – the members of the 2010 Cobra Race Team.
A new chapter in the “Cobra Generation” story begins to play out in the coming weeks at the first ever Daytona Amateur Supercross, Texas’ Lake Whitney Spring Classic and Oak Hill’s GNC Final, then continues on through the summer and fall at hallowed amateur MX racing grounds such as Vegas, Ponca City, Loretta Lynn’s, Branson and Gatorback – with a trip overseas for America’s top racers to join up and compete with Cobra’s top European stars against the world’s best mini cycle racers at the MX Masters (aka the Mini Des Nations).

Named to this year’s premier Cobra Factory team are three outstanding racers that have been aboard the Cobra brand for a number of years, winning multiple national championships along the way. Missouri’s “Lightning” Lance Kobush will be mounted on his King 50 and CX65, while Austin Forkner (Missouri) and Chase Sexton (Illinois) will run the 65cc class on factory-backed Cobra CX65s.

“Lance, Austin and Chase make up the core of a Cobra race team that features championship-caliber racers from top to bottom,” explained Cobra President Sean Hilbert. “We look forward to the coming weeks in Texas not only to showcase our talented factory-backed racers, but also to witnessing the challenges our top guys face from privateer-mounted Cobra racers in their quest for podium spots at the major amateur MX nationals.”
Rounding out the Cobra Team program are a number of equally fast racers from all points of the U.S. map, including:

“We’ve got the Cobra support semi stocked with parts and are ready to hit the road for the Texas amateur national openers,” said Hilbert. “Everyone at Cobra R&D is looking forward to getting away from the computer monitors for a couple weeks and into the dirt for the opening races of the season.”

Cobra Moto is pleased to announce an exciting new partnership with the innovative Red Bull Elite Youth Cup motocross series.

This bold new partnership will see Cobra support a five man team over the course of the eight rounds as they battle it out with the best 65cc riders in the UK for the Elite 65cc crown. Bradley Malin, Ryan Vickers, Christopher Mills, Dee-Jay Walker and the 2009 Cobra Supercross 50cc Champion Dylan Woodcock will all be racing the ground breaking new 2010 CX 65 made in the USA. Additionally, this coming Spring, Cobra will offer a variety of support at all venues around the country to ensure on hand parts and service free of charge.

“We couldn’t be more excited to announce this new partnership with the Red Bull Elite Youth Cup Series” said a delighted Neil McClelland, General Manager of European Operations for Cobra Motorcycle Manufacturing Group. “We firmly believe that Cobra and the Red Bull Elite Youth Cup racers and enthusiasts share a common passion for the sport and are looking forward to seeing the youth racing moving forward to a new dimension in the UK. ”

“My first call was to MC Federation Chairman Matt Bates as they have a great thing going within the sport and have clear direction on how they see UK motocross progressing that we know will add to our promotional opportunities in the years ahead for our customers. We’re convinced this will be an outstanding partnership for years to come and we feel that working together with the MCF will give us and everyone in youth motocross an opportunity to take it to the next level in the UK. After talking to them it’s obvious that we share the same drive to see things improve.”

MCF’s Head of Communications Jeff Perrett couldn’t agree more. “Our principle aim is to lay on the best motocross series for the kids racing today but at the same time never losing site of trying to grow the sport and draw the attention of new kids and their families into the amazing values that motocross can bring. Having Cobra on board to help us bring that awareness forward in the youth market by offering up a great bike for the youngsters to start out their career is ideal. So many riders have started out at a young age and been blessed with a lifestyle that shapes your entire life and gives you something to shoot for. Riding motocross certainly kept me out of serious trouble anyway! The more new kids we can get into the sport the better. There’s definitely a value to us at the MCF in working with Cobra and credit to them for entering a full team of promising youngsters, we wish them well with that. I think it will be a good year for us all.”

Yamaha made quite an impression on me as a kid. Not only did they have some of the coolest technology on the track, but they made it available to the younger set as well. One of my most memorable bikes growing up was my 1978 YZ80 monoshock. It was a great handling and looking bike, and there were a ton of aftermarket parts out there to make it look and perform even better. Nothing was more intimidating than lining up next to one of these YZ80s decked out with a DG aluminum swingarm, porcupine head, Motoplat CDI ignition, and Curnutt shock. It just didn’t get any cooler than that regardless of the size of bike.

The other facet of late ‘70s Yamahas that made an impression on me was the fact that for some reason Yamaha decided to market their U.S. bikes in yellow and black trim while the rest of the world had white and red bodywork. For most U.S. kids, white Yamahas were relegated to the pages of Motocross Action when they did their twice-a-year feature on Mikkola vs. Hannah. For those of us growing up within a stones-throw of the Canadian boarder, however, the white and red Yami’s were a fairly common sight…and boy did they get the attention. Put one of those white and red steeds next to one of its Yank counterparts, and the U.S. spec bike looked drab and uninspiring.

Thus, the childhood memories of gleaming metal and plastic are transformed into our Cobra CX65 SuperMod concept bike that we will debut this week at the Indy Dealer Show. This bike features much more than just white plastic and retro graphics. If you’re at the show, come on by and check it out. If you can’t make it, stay tuned to right here, and we’ll be posting several highlights of the bike over the coming days.

See you at the show!

Sean @ Cobra

We’re excited to announce that our New and Improved Clutch Milk formulation is shipping! No snake oil here! Cobra works with some of the industry’s top tribologists (scientists that study the interaction of surfaces against each other) in formulating our oils. Our new Clutch Milk is designed specifically for the brutal operating environment of 50cc automatic engines. Some highlights:

• The New Clutch Milk stays stable at the interface between the clutch shoes and drum – a point that sees very high local temperatures. This prolongs the life of the shoes and drum and will save money in the long run.

• This new formulation has an even lower viscosity to minimize friction and windage drag on the engine. Using Clutch Milk over higher viscosity oils results in a measurable improvement in power at the output shaft. With any 50cc engine, friction reduction is a BIG DEAL.

• Clutch Milk contains a dispersant package (a set of chemicals) that allows clutch shoe particles to be drained out of the engine with each oil change. This is critical for reducing clutch maintenance and cleaning. It is wrong to think that during an oil change, the sight of clean or clear oil coming out of the engine is a good thing…Just the opposite is true. If you’re not draining out the worn-off clutch particles, then those particles are gathering in the clutch gumming things up.

• Clutch Milk DOES NOT contain added friction modifiers like all modern ATFs have…To enable modern automotive transmissions to work properly, anti-friction additives have been added into ATF, and these additives create a slippery barrier between the clutch shoes and the basket in an auto 50cc engine. Using modern ATF reduces clutch performance, and in the long run leads to shoes glazing quicker.

• Want to run cooler? Simply add an additional ounce of Clutch Milk to your transmission, and this will measurably reduce operating temperatures. This tip is especially helpful for hot days and/or long motos.

• BONUS! You asked for it, you got it…Clutch Milk now comes in 32oz bottles, and better yet, with more oil per bottle, we’re able to pass along the savings from reduced packaging expense. The new formula is now 7% less expensive than the old formula!

This is a place we have created to cover a diverse array of topics…everything from new product ideas, to updates on Government Action (like the Lead Law), to offering sneak peaks inside the Cobra Factory. Our goal is to offer a level of communication with the Factory that is unprecedented in this industry, and in turn that will hopefully allow you to enjoy a better overall ownership experience.  What do we mean by ‘better overall ownership experience’? Let me give you a couple of examples: you will be notified immediately when any new Tech Support Bulletins are posted and what they mean for you. You will see how different parts of your motorcycle are manufactured. You will have an opportunity to meet key people within and outside of Cobra and learn how they affect our sport. You will have a window on live events like the big races and trade shows, and finally, you will be able to get up front and center on new products, features, and benefits that make Cobra products the best in the world.

Stay tuned…!

Sean @ Cobra