Since they reappeared at the dawn of the 21st century I have been against loud four strokes. Rock's Racing Services (RRS) is the result of a friend suggesting in the fall of 2006 instead of just complaining about noise to actually do something about it.
Shortly thereafter on www.motonews.com I learned about the db Dawg from Ignition Products (AKA Ignition Racing) in Canada and subsequently made contact via e mail with them. We kept in touch and in February of 2007 I met with Justin Moore and Colleen Porter at the Indy Dealer show and became the US representative for Ignition Products http://www.ignitionproducts.com/Ignition/main.html
After working with the db Dawg insert for a month I realized having fresh muffler packing goes hand in hand with using the db Dawg. I then purchased an inventory of packing material and muffler cartridges from www.bristolcore.com plus bought tools (cordless drill, rivet gun, etc.) so I am now also offering muffler repacking services. Additionally I offer these same cartridges for those who prefer to do the repacking themselves.
Over the course of 2007 I acquired some really great product lines like www.nuetech.com and www.mergeracing.com Nuetech has brought two very innovative products to the market by introducing the Tubliss rear tire system and the Arm Pump Eliminator kit. Merge Racing offers the Adjustable Leak Jet kit for FCR carburetors and Team KTM uses the ALJ. I am proud to report I was instrumental in getting Team Geico to use the ALJ and Kevin WIndham secured his 450 SX main wins in 2008 using the ALJ. Merge has expanded their product line substantially since the beginning of the year with the Hydraulic Preload for rear shocks and the Accelerator Pump Spring.
The last two companies I picked up in 2007 were DeCal Works and RXR. DeCal Works is widely known for their top quality custom graphics and number plate backings. RXR has a state of the art product taking safety to another level with their air bladder protection system. The RXR works with the Leatt neck brace without modifications and received a four star rating from Motocross Action Magazine. Some of my customers have already crash tested the RXR and will never ride again without the RXR after walking away from big crashes.
The last two companies I picked up in 2007 were DeCal Works and RXR. DeCal Works is widely known for their top quality custom graphics and number plate backings. RXR has a state of the art product taking safety to another level with their air bladder protection system. The RXR works with the Leatt neck brace without modifications and received a four star rating from Motocross Action Magazine. Some of my customers have already crash tested the RXR and will never ride again without the RXR after walking away from big crashes.
At this point in time I am very excited about a project I am working on with Morgan Curtice at Bristol Core (formerly Race Tools) for new muffler technology which should lower the decibel output without impacting performance. It is easy to make a bike quiet but very difficult to maintain optimum performance.
Speaking of sound levels, if you care about the sport I sincerely hope you will stop and consider how important to our sport's survival getting the noise monster back in the cage before it's too late.
If you can't remember when your muffler has been repacked or you have purchased a used bike give us a call or go to your local dealer but whatever you do PLEASE keep your muffler packing fresh. Your bike will be performing optimally plus it will be much quieter.
For a complete listing of Rock's Racing Services' products please click on the Product Line tab.
For a complete listing of Rock's Racing Services' products please click on the Product Line tab.
On Saturdays I can usually be found at the REM races at Glen Helen www.remsatmx.com .
Take care and ride safe!
Michael "The Rock" Rigdon
Take care and ride safe!
Michael "The Rock" Rigdon
10-17-2007 UPDATE-We've just received our second batch of Rock's Racing Services T shirts available in a variety of sizes for $17.95 including shipping anywhere in the US or fifteen dollars track side delivery. This shipment has the slogan LOUD BIKES SUCK across the front along with the our logo on the left front chest area and on the back of shirt.
For T shirt purchase please access the Contact Us tab and I will follow up with you promptly.
1-15-08 Rock's Racing Services T shirt is Motocross Action's T Shirt of the Month
1-25-08 I received an e mail today from one of the true heroes of American MX, Chuck Sun. I was on the distribution list of an e mail Chuck sent to a large cross section of industry folks and was deeply flattered to read:
1-15-08 Rock's Racing Services T shirt is Motocross Action's T Shirt of the Month
1-25-08 I received an e mail today from one of the true heroes of American MX, Chuck Sun. I was on the distribution list of an e mail Chuck sent to a large cross section of industry folks and was deeply flattered to read:
"By the way...if you're looking for someone to create awareness on your products in So. Cal, check out Michael Rigdon's www.rocksracingservices.com The Rock first put me in touch with the guys at Nuetech on the Tubliss and bar ends...Michael is at tracks on practice & race days showing riders first hand cool new products." Thanks Chuck for the compliment!
2-15-08 David Vuillemin posts on Motonews:
"Just want to thank The Rock for introducing me to the Ice Wave Pain Patches. I've used them on my thumb and my knee and got great pain relief and better range of motion from them. They are really easy to use too!" You're most welcome Cobra and thank you very much for this post.
Visit the Health Links tab for more information.
2-24-08 RRS takes delivery of our first Fox Racing Shox and our number one CRF150 rider Joey Johnstone will be racing with this shock this season. Best of luck Joey!
2-28-08 RRS gets mentioned in Cycle News #9 in the Kawasaki KX250F test and is referenced as a Quiet Exhaust specialist. Thank you to Jean Turner for this press!
4-18-08 Joey Johnstone's CRF150 receives the Fox Racing's fork cartridges. Now running Fox suspension front and rear Joey notices a big difference over the stock suspension. Joey is much more comfortable on the bike now especially in the whoops. Big thanks to Dan Geery at Fox for all of his support.
5-1-08 May issue of Dirt Wheels has an article on muffler repacking that I participated in. Thanks to the Editor of Dirt Wheels, Dennis Cox, for including me and a special thanks to Dennis McAdam with Max Power for the introduction to Dennis Cox.
Please use the Contact Us tab if you are interested in purchasing Bristol Core Spec 30 and I will follow up with ordering instructions. Don't forget to include the the type of muffler and preferably the dimensions. Most mufflers can be repacked with Spec 30 but some will require a muffler cartridge (resembles a roll of paper towels) instead of loose packing material.
5-8-08 Check out my Guest Column in issue 19 of Cycle News titled Sounding Off. I am calling for a much more aggressive sound policy for SX & MX professional events. Pick up a copy of Cycle News at your local dealer or e mail me at michael.rigdon@verizon.net for the article.
7-7-08 Be sure to visit www.canyonracers.com for information on a full service two and four stroke performance shop in the Inland Empire. Canyon Racers has their own in house dyno and offers contingencies for their sponsored riders. Thanks go out to Anthony Gould #25 for introducing me to Mike Painter and his crew.
8-15-08 Lo and behold 94 decibels has been approved as the sound level for AMA SX/MX for the 2009 season! Amateur level will remain at 99 decibels but come 2010 94 decibels will be in force for all AMA racing. A big thanks to Davey Coombs, Todd Jendro, and Ryan Holliday for doing something about sound.
This is a major step forward......next on the agenda is to change the way sound testing is performed to really get the sound down at racing RPMs.
9-20-08 November issue of MXA speaks to the shortcomings associated with the new sound level. The AMA did a good thing by lowering the sound level but they changed the sound testing to FIM standards which is performed at lower RPMs than the AMA had been using. As a result the new sound level won't really be a five decibel drop due to this lower RPM testing.
My prediction is we will eventually see ride by sound testing. At the French GP this summer 2nd gear rev limiter testing was conducted for the first time.
2-18-09 The Stealth YZ450F makes its appearance in the March issue of MXA! Many heartfelt thanks to Jody Weisel and John Basher for hanging in there with me over the long year it took me to finish this project.
Also a major shout out to Mike Painter with Canyon Racers for his efforts as this project simply would have not been possible without this help. If you are looking for a top notch shop with their own in house dyno Canyon Racers 909.825.7064 www.canyonracers.com is THE place to take your bike to.
There are a some issues I would like to address pertaining the Stealth bike review. From the onset I set out to build a bike for the non Pros specifically Vet and Senior riders. From the days of Kent Howerton on factory Suzuki they've been detuning open class machines so the Stealth bike was NEVER intended to be a fire breathing top horsepower maching.
MXA noted their non Pro test riders' finishes didn't change riding the "slower" Stealth bike while they noticed they didn't get as tired plus appreciated the lack of obnoxious noise while riding the bike. Music to my ears was reading MXA's comment "the absence of obnoxious sound was soothing to the test riders at speed."
At the moment the Stealth Pro bike is being finished. Like its Stealth brother this is a purpose built machine but this time the Pro rider is the target audience. This 2009 YZ250F has been provided my Tim Olson at Yamaha (thanks Tim!) and is running FMF exhaust (of course) Fox Racing Shox suspension, Hinson BTL slipper clutch, Renthal bars, chain and sprockets, DeCal Works graphics pre installed on UFO plastics, SDG seat, xTrig adjustable triple clamps, Boyesen water pump, Moto Master discs and drum roll please.........full race moto complements of Chad Sanner at Eleven 10 Mods 724.562.8877. To be clear this is a FULL race motor built to run on race gas using a 182 main and pump gas with a 178 main.
I am looking forward to handing over this bike to MXA....and not taking a year to do so. It is such a difference working on a brand new machine instead of the hammered 2007 Yamaha YZ450F that was the platform for the Stealth bike. The doggone thing nearly got the better of me on more than one occasion but the best thing was getting to know the Gould family who owned the bike. Anthony Gould is a 450 Intermediate and his father Rick had an extreme level of patience throughout the long arduous project. Thanks guys for hanging in there with me and I hope you enjoyed seeing your bike in the March issue of MXA as much as I did!
"Just want to thank The Rock for introducing me to the Ice Wave Pain Patches. I've used them on my thumb and my knee and got great pain relief and better range of motion from them. They are really easy to use too!" You're most welcome Cobra and thank you very much for this post.
Visit the Health Links tab for more information.
2-24-08 RRS takes delivery of our first Fox Racing Shox and our number one CRF150 rider Joey Johnstone will be racing with this shock this season. Best of luck Joey!
2-28-08 RRS gets mentioned in Cycle News #9 in the Kawasaki KX250F test and is referenced as a Quiet Exhaust specialist. Thank you to Jean Turner for this press!
4-18-08 Joey Johnstone's CRF150 receives the Fox Racing's fork cartridges. Now running Fox suspension front and rear Joey notices a big difference over the stock suspension. Joey is much more comfortable on the bike now especially in the whoops. Big thanks to Dan Geery at Fox for all of his support.
5-1-08 May issue of Dirt Wheels has an article on muffler repacking that I participated in. Thanks to the Editor of Dirt Wheels, Dennis Cox, for including me and a special thanks to Dennis McAdam with Max Power for the introduction to Dennis Cox.
Please use the Contact Us tab if you are interested in purchasing Bristol Core Spec 30 and I will follow up with ordering instructions. Don't forget to include the the type of muffler and preferably the dimensions. Most mufflers can be repacked with Spec 30 but some will require a muffler cartridge (resembles a roll of paper towels) instead of loose packing material.
5-8-08 Check out my Guest Column in issue 19 of Cycle News titled Sounding Off. I am calling for a much more aggressive sound policy for SX & MX professional events. Pick up a copy of Cycle News at your local dealer or e mail me at michael.rigdon@verizon.net for the article.
7-7-08 Be sure to visit www.canyonracers.com for information on a full service two and four stroke performance shop in the Inland Empire. Canyon Racers has their own in house dyno and offers contingencies for their sponsored riders. Thanks go out to Anthony Gould #25 for introducing me to Mike Painter and his crew.
8-15-08 Lo and behold 94 decibels has been approved as the sound level for AMA SX/MX for the 2009 season! Amateur level will remain at 99 decibels but come 2010 94 decibels will be in force for all AMA racing. A big thanks to Davey Coombs, Todd Jendro, and Ryan Holliday for doing something about sound.
This is a major step forward......next on the agenda is to change the way sound testing is performed to really get the sound down at racing RPMs.
9-20-08 November issue of MXA speaks to the shortcomings associated with the new sound level. The AMA did a good thing by lowering the sound level but they changed the sound testing to FIM standards which is performed at lower RPMs than the AMA had been using. As a result the new sound level won't really be a five decibel drop due to this lower RPM testing.
My prediction is we will eventually see ride by sound testing. At the French GP this summer 2nd gear rev limiter testing was conducted for the first time.
2-18-09 The Stealth YZ450F makes its appearance in the March issue of MXA! Many heartfelt thanks to Jody Weisel and John Basher for hanging in there with me over the long year it took me to finish this project.
Also a major shout out to Mike Painter with Canyon Racers for his efforts as this project simply would have not been possible without this help. If you are looking for a top notch shop with their own in house dyno Canyon Racers 909.825.7064 www.canyonracers.com is THE place to take your bike to.
There are a some issues I would like to address pertaining the Stealth bike review. From the onset I set out to build a bike for the non Pros specifically Vet and Senior riders. From the days of Kent Howerton on factory Suzuki they've been detuning open class machines so the Stealth bike was NEVER intended to be a fire breathing top horsepower maching.
MXA noted their non Pro test riders' finishes didn't change riding the "slower" Stealth bike while they noticed they didn't get as tired plus appreciated the lack of obnoxious noise while riding the bike. Music to my ears was reading MXA's comment "the absence of obnoxious sound was soothing to the test riders at speed."
At the moment the Stealth Pro bike is being finished. Like its Stealth brother this is a purpose built machine but this time the Pro rider is the target audience. This 2009 YZ250F has been provided my Tim Olson at Yamaha (thanks Tim!) and is running FMF exhaust (of course) Fox Racing Shox suspension, Hinson BTL slipper clutch, Renthal bars, chain and sprockets, DeCal Works graphics pre installed on UFO plastics, SDG seat, xTrig adjustable triple clamps, Boyesen water pump, Moto Master discs and drum roll please.........full race moto complements of Chad Sanner at Eleven 10 Mods 724.562.8877. To be clear this is a FULL race motor built to run on race gas using a 182 main and pump gas with a 178 main.
I am looking forward to handing over this bike to MXA....and not taking a year to do so. It is such a difference working on a brand new machine instead of the hammered 2007 Yamaha YZ450F that was the platform for the Stealth bike. The doggone thing nearly got the better of me on more than one occasion but the best thing was getting to know the Gould family who owned the bike. Anthony Gould is a 450 Intermediate and his father Rick had an extreme level of patience throughout the long arduous project. Thanks guys for hanging in there with me and I hope you enjoyed seeing your bike in the March issue of MXA as much as I did!
Rock's Racing Services
Company Background
