MOTOCROSS ACTION GIVES NEW PODIUM RC3 SHOCK 5 STARS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE MAN WHO INVENTED AIR

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MOTOCROSS ACTION GIVES NEW PODIUM RC3 SHOCK 5 STARS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE MAN WHO INVENTED AIR

By Jody Weisel

America, the beautiful, loves inventors. We wait breathlessly for the next gem to leap from a restless night of sleep, to scribbled notes on a cocktail napkin, to a big seller at Sharper Image.

America, the petulant, distrusts inventors, misunderstands them and loves to discredit them. People expect a constant flow of better products to the point where they can't help but be disappointed, especially since the current attention span for new ideas is brief (27 minutes by last count).

A recent issue of Esquire magazine declared the iPod to be the greatest invention of the last decade. This kind of pap is exactly what you would expect from a magazine that waxes poetically about the importance of a pointed-lapel tux versus a notch-lapel tux. No offense to male fashionistas (a term that churns the stomach of any red-blooded American), but the ability to hear Nickelback as often as you like pales in comparison to the discovery of plate tectonics.

What does Esquire think is the greatest social innovation of the last decade? Texting. Puhleeze, LOL. The telegraph, which was the texting of the 19th century, was used to announce that the golden spike had been driven on the last section of the transcontinental railroad, report the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, and to declare to the world the end of the First World War. Rarely, as innever, was it used by a 13-year-old girl to moan about how boring it is to spend the day with granny. As inventions go, the telegraph was important to society because it changed our view of the world. No device that we trust to someone with a poster of the Jonas Brothers on their bedroom wall is pertinent to the greater good of society.

Which leads us to the splitting of the atom, or, more precisely, the Manhattan Project. Although to most of you that may sound like a hip-hop group from the urban blight of Philly, it was, in fact, the greatest group of physicists, scientists and mathematicians ever gathered together in one place, at one time, to achieve one task. That task? To remove urban blight from downtown Hiroshima, Japan, with the atomic bomb. What Little Boy didn't do for urban renewal, Fat Man did a week later. The eggheads at Los Alamos, New Mexico, ended the Second World War...no ifs, ands or buts. They were heroes, and the names of Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence and Enrico Fermi stand next to those of Audie Murphy, Richard Bong and Pappy Boyington in the annals of WWII.

Surprisingly, these men are either forgotten or vilified today for their research. No one cares that they saved one million lives (at the expense of 140,000 in Hiroshima). Instead, they are blamed for unleashing the Cold War and the potential horror of nuclear winter.

And so it goes with our dyslexic view of inventors and their work. If you were alive in 1945, you owe a debt of gratitude to Albert Einstein (and even your own existence if your parents survived the war because of its abrupt end via mushroom cloud). Conversely, if you are alive today, you might not care about their theoretical approach to achieving world peace.

This is where Bob Fox enters the picture. Amazingly enough, Bob Fox was a physicist, an inventor and a motocross racer. Bob Fox changed the sport of motocross with his invention, but what exactly did Bob invent? Air.

Okay, perhaps Bob didn't invent air per se, but the motocross world of 1974 was neither creative nor revolutionary. Sounds harsh, but it is true. With the exception of increased travel of the suspension components, the bikes of 1974 remained the rickety, bicycle-style frames with air-cooled engines, rudimentary gas tanks and drum brakes that they were in 1968.

There was very little incentive to push the envelope at the factory level-since what was produced sold well (and that was good enough).

Voila! Bob Fox came along. Actually, the story of the invention of air begins with Bob's brother Geoff. Geoff, another egghead and motocross racer, had started developing motocross parts, including suspension rebuild kits for Koni shocks, at his Moto-X Fox company. Geoff even built his own emulsion shock to compete with the Marzocchis, Konis and Girlings of the era. Geoff's shock worked, but it wasn't innovative- something that Bob immediately recognized.

"In 1974," says Bob, "the long-travel suspension movement started. And the shocks that had been used on the old, short-travel bikes were getting way overworked. The longer travel put bigger forces into the shocks. They had to work more. They had to absorb more energy. And, they got a lot hotter. Basically, the shocks that had worked for so many years didn't work anymore. As an engineer, I thought I could do better."

As with Oppenheimer, Fermi and the sidelines. He got involved in the traditional way-he began doodling. Air shocks were not unknown at the time. Honda had built some works versions and CZ was gearing up to put air shocks on the 1975 Falta Replica, but as a rule, air shocks were ruled out as impractical. Bob didn't see it that way. He didn't think that air was the problem, but that design was the limiting factor. He decided that he could improve the shock his brother sold at Fox Racing and develop a better product.

And he did. In 1974 Bob built several air shock prototypes. They weren't a success, although they were an advancement over the Falta shock. Bob had a friend with a lathe in his garage, and by mid-1974 he had produced his first prototype Fox AirShox. He put them into production and sold them through Moto-X Fox. But they didn't sell well. Bob's first attempt at an air shock was a single-chamber design that had the unfortunate tendency to pump up during long motos. The longer the race, the higher the air pressure rose-until it became uncomfortable. Bob sold only 400 shocks.

Even though his first air shock was a failure, Bob didn't panic. He understood that his original thesis about the need for better suspension was correct, but realized he needed synthesis if he wanted to achieve the desired result. The answer, also scribbled out on a piece of paper, was a dual-chamber air shock. A low-pressure side to handle small bumps and a high-pressure side to control bottoming.

The Fox AirShox was an overnight success (if you don't count the first year's failure). Suddenly, everyone who was anyone wanted an AirShox. Not just customers with cash, but the factory teams. Team Honda, Team Kawasaki, Team Husqvarna and every privateer came knocking. Never in the history of works bikes has a single aftermarket product been so widely accepted into the rarified air of the works teams (and this was during the era of true works bikes).

The Fox AirShox was a success. After only selling 400 shocks the year before, Bob sold 20,000 AirShox in 1976. The business boomed, and soon it was impossible for Moto-X Fox to run its booming clothing business and Bob's shock manufacturing effort out of the same entity. So in 1977, Bob created a separate company, Fox Factory. It would focus only on the Fox AirShox and suspension-related products. The company's product line was expanded to swingarms (designed specifically for the new, 17-inch long version of the AirShox) and the 44mm Fox Factory Forx.

From 1976 until 1979, the Fox AirShox owned professional motocross. It also spurred Fox's competitors into action. Suddenly, the lowly oil-filled Girling was no longer the target of companies like Works Performance, Boge-Mulholland, Ohlins and Kayaba-Fox was the target. And, thanks to Bob Fox, the business of designing and selling better suspension components was a proven reality. Bob was the king of suspension, but he was about to suffer what is known as "the penalty of taking the lead."

Fox had become synonymous with air shocks, but the shortcomings of the air spring concept became increasingly evident as travel continued to grow. The heat buildup from more aggressive suspension designs resulted in the AirShox's spring rate increasing over the course of a race- dual-chamber or not. Nowhere was this more evident than on the Fox Airshox for the Yamaha monoshock (called the MonoShox). MonoShox riders had two choices: start with the correct air pressure and watch the suspension get stiffer as the moto progressed, or start with too low an air pressure and wait for the air pressure to build up to the proper level towards the end of the race. Fox Factory was boxed in by their own success, while their competitors were free to pursue the new deCarbon oil/gas separate systems.

In 1979, Bob Fox saw the writing on the wall and produced his own external coil spring deCarbon shock. It was an attempt to stay up with the times, but also an admission that the Fox AirShox's time had come and gone. Now instead of being the king of kings in the suspension business, Bob Fox was an also-ran. The final kiss of death came when the factory R&D departments came to the realization that the aftermarket shock companies were making them look bad. Suddenly, new suspension systems were devised like the Kawasaki Uni- Trak, Suzuki Full Floater and Honda Pro-Link. These single-shock designs redefined the role of the shock in the suspension's operation. It was no longer the sole harbinger of success, but one piece of a more complex package. The shock business, which had been defined by Bob Fox as an enterprise to build a totally new shock from the ground up, was dead, replaced by the servicing of existing OEM shocks. Even though Fox did manage to get an OEM contract to provide Fox Twin-Clickers for KTM, the glory days of Bob Fox were over in the motocross business.

"It wasn't my decision to leave the motocross market," says Bob. "The market left me, and pretty soon you're not making any money and you've got to find something else to do. We were no longer successful in the motocross market, so we had to look in other directions." Bob and his brother Geoff separated their two companies for good in 1980 and, to most in the motorcycle industry, it seemed like Geoff Fox got the better part of the deal. Moto- X Fox grew rapidly in the Ô80s and became the powerhouse apparel company that it is today...and Bob Fox disappeared.

In truth, Bob never disappeared; he just wasn't on the radar of motocross fans. Instead, Bob reinvented Fox Factory as a high-performance producer of shock absorbers for offroad trucks, Indy cars, quads, mountain bikes, Baja buggies, snowmobiles and, most incredibly, a new line of suspended watercraft. And the shop was abuzz with their new effort to build a motocross shock again for 2009.

And for those of us who wrung our hands and worried about "poor Bob Fox," you can stop the "woe is Bob" moaning. In a recent visit to Fox Factory, MXA discovered an 87,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with over 300 employees, working 24 hours a day. There were 40 CNC machines in operation, and the production line was so advanced that it was stunning, even to veteran factory tour observers.

In fact, just last year, the investment company Compass Diversified Holdings purchased a majority interest in Fox Racing Shox for $85 million. Bob Fox was the sole owner of Fox Factory. Poor Bob Fox indeed

INSIDE THE FOX FACTORY PODIUM SHOCK

MXA tests the shock the world has waited 25 years for

The Bottom Out Control (red dial) is incredibly creative and functional.

Fox's one-bolt preload adjuster is amazing in its simplicity. It makes preload adjustment a snap.
WHAT IS IT? The first motocross shock from Fox Factory in over 25 years (and perhaps the most innovative shock since the 1976 Fox AirShox). WHAT'S IT COST? $895.00 (with spring)--(800) 369-7469 or www.foxracingshox.com.

WHAT'S IT DO? There was a time when no one ran the stock shocks that came on a production motocross bike. When they bought a bike, they automatically switched to Girling, Arnaco, Curnutt, Koni, Hiiesalu, S&W, Boge, Ohlins, Marzocchi, White Power, Bilstein or the Fox AirShox. During those glory days of the '70s, racers would ditch the rudimentary stock suspension components in order to buy better suspension from any one of the aforementioned companies.

Not all suspension was created equal, though, and there were many different concepts on the market. Of all the aftermarket suspension companies, the Fox AirShox was the most successful. It dominated the sport of motocross in the late-'70s (and was used by Kent Howerton to win the 1976 500 National title and Marty Smith to win the 1977 500 National Championship).

Now, after a 20-year hiatus, Fox Factory is back in the motocross game. But don't confuse Fox Factory with Fox Racing. Although they were once the same company, the Fox brothers, Geoff and Bob, split the company into two divisions decades ago. Geoff took the clothing company and Bob took the development company.

Working with Gavin Gracyk, Mike Sleeter and the Star Yamaha team over the last couple AMA National and Supercross seasons, Fox has developed the Podium shock. After an almost two-year development cycle, Fox Factory is back in motocross and ready for you to see what they learned over the last 20 years in offroad trucks, Indy cars, mountain bikes, quads and snowmobiles.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here's a list of things that stand out with the Fox Podium RC3 shock.

(1) Adjustments. Talk about clicker options! The Podium comes with 24 adjustable clicks on high-speed compression, low-speed compression, rebound and the proprietary Bottom Out Control. Why is adjustability beneficial and more adjustability even better? The more options you have, the better chance of finding the perfect setting for your terrain, riding style, weight and speed.

The Bottom Out Control used the same technology as a bottoming cone on a fork, but with adjustable bleed.
(2) Bottom Out Control. What sets the Podium shock apart from every other shock on the planet (and cements the Fox shock as the most advanced shock ever produced) is the Bottom Out Control. It is essentially a third compression adjuster that is based on the bottoming cones used on front forks. Inside the shock a tapered cone is hydraulically slowed by entering a one-degree tapered chamber at the bottom of the shock's stroke. This close-tolerance taper fit is capable of hydraulically locking the shock to keep it from bottoming. Additionally, Fox included a needle-style bleed screw on the Bottom Out Control that allows the last 30mm of travel to be tuned. This is a great feature. It lets a rider set his suspension up perfectly for small and mid-size bumps and then use the Bottom Out Control to stop it from slamming through its stroke on jumps. There is no doubt that this single invention makes the Fox Podium shock worth the money. Imagine how many times you have gotten your shock to work perfectly on 99 percent of the track only to have it bottom over one jump or in a tricky G-out situation. On the Fox Shock, you can iron that out with a couple clicks. This is revolutionary.

There are miniature zerk fittings at the heim joints.
(3) Spring preload. Awesome. Fox went to school on KTM's single-ring preload adjuster and Enzo's Technica adjuster and built the ultimate one-bolt mousetrap. Here is how it works: (a) The shock spring and threaded adjuster ring are locked together with a drift pin. When you turn the spring, you turn the adjuster. (b) The preload ring is held in place by a non-turning lock ring. It looks like the KTM preload ring, but you don't have to turn it to adjust the preload. It is a lock-down device only, which means it is always positioned in the correct spot for easy access. (c) Ever wonder how many turns you have spun the shock's preload ring? The Fox Podium shock has an incremental scale that tells you how many millimeters you have turned the shock preload ring-one turn equals 3mm. (d) You don't have to hit the Podium's preload ring with a hammer and punch. The shock body has precision threads that are less likely to bind up, so the only thing required to change the spring preload is to loosen one Allen bolt and spin the shock spring by hand. It couldn't be easier.

(4) Clickers. Every dial on the Fox podium shock has click detents (including the high-speed compression and Bottom Out Control). No more having to count how many turns out you are on the high-speed compression. All you have to do is count the clicks. This is sweet.

(5) History. The MXA wrecking crew sat down with Bob Fox and asked him why he was returning to the motocross market, especially at a time when the economy is bad and racers have turned away from aftermarket shocks, and he had an interesting answer. "It's got nothing to do with business. It's about the challenge to create something superior. I just wanted to do it. To me, it is deja vu. It feels good, and it is cool to go back to motocross. This is where I started. If in three years it's one-tenth of our mountain bike business, that will be a good thing. We think that our technology can be applied to motocross."

(6) Performance. The MXA wrecking crew tested two different Fox Factory Podium shocks: one for a 2009 CRF450 and the other for a 2009 KX450F. Straight out of the box, the KX450F shock was a massive improvement with Fox's in-house settings. It gave us the tools to totally eliminate the wallowy feel of the KX450F's rear suspension. Plus, once we got the first half of the stroke working the way we wanted, we used the Bottom Out Control to make finite adjustments to the second part of the shock's travel. We heartily recommend the KX450F Podium shock.

On the 2009 Honda CRF450, we struggled with midstroke harshness (and in the end Fox revalved the shock to suit our tastes). We wanted a more fluid feel through the stroke and felt that Fox's box-stock setting was a little too far to the Pro side of the setup. Fox reacted quickly, set up a series of test sessions and changed the valve stack on the production run to be compliant. Fox was amazingly efficient when it cames to making changes.

(7) Tuning. Fox Factory will make all the parts available to every hop-up shop on the planet so that the Podium shock can be fine tuned for every speed, weight and riding style. You can still use Factory Connection, Pro Circuit, Race Tech or any other shock tuner to customize your valving.

WHAT'S THE SQUAWK? When Bob Fox invented the aftermarket shock business, he sold more than 20,000 shocks a year. That business model probably isn't realistic in today's marketplace (because of the total number of bikes sold and the improved quality of stock shock absorbers). The Fox Podium is on the right track, though, because they are offering technology that no one else has (and few have ever seen).

MXA RATING
★★★★★
Trust us, the Fox Podium shock is noticeably better than the stock unit. It has more adjustability, performs better and can cover a multitude of terrain. It is a breakthrough shock-almost as historically significant as the original Fox AirShox.