BE:Thanks for talking the time to do this interview for us and the members of ThumperTalk.com!
AS:No worries! ThumperTalker’s are the best! I’m on there all the time; I am the suspension expert on their panel.
BE:So tell us how you a little about Stillwell Performance… How did you get started in the Dirt bike suspension business?
AS:I got tired of doing all my buddies suspension for free! No, I have always played with suspension, and over the years have had most of the leading companies do a bike here and there. Honestly, I always felt I could make the bikes work better doing them myself than what I was buying. So, that thought process turned into some serious testing time and people really liked the settings. From there it just took off!
BE:Is it true, Stillwell Performance is the Largest RACETECH Suspension Center in the US?
AS:Yes! I’m really stoked about that. Our customers gave us that privilege; we have some of the most die-hard loyal customers anywhere. I always love it when a guy/gal will call us after riding our setup and just rave about how the suspension gives them more confidence and control. Next thing you know their buddy calls and says “I just rode Dave’s bike and it’s like cheating” then sends his stuff in! We use a combination of Race Tech parts and our own valving for off road. I test every setting before we finalize it; I just can’t go as fast as these young guys anymore!
BE:Stillwell Performance holds a strong reputation when it comes to off road racing… How did you get involved in racing?
AS:If you want your settings and products to be the best, then you have to compete and prove it. We started by sponsoring Shane Watts, ex World and GNCC Champ. He has been very helpful in both testing and giving real world feedback from a top level pro perspective. Shane has that uncanny ability to connect his throttle hand, his brain and the tires and that has helped us a bunch-not just for the Expert guys, his input has helped our setups for all riders from the Pro to the casual MX or trail rider.
We have since expanded the team and currently compete in GNCC, WORCS, National Enduro, EnduroCross and a number of regional MX and off road series across the US. Two of our sponsored riders will represent the United States at the 2010 ISDE in Mexico as well. Nicole Bradford is on the Women’s Cup Team and In Blythe is riding for the Junior Trophy Team. I’m really, really proud of our team!
BE:I heard a rumor that you might be bringing a couple of KTM350’s to the race… is this true?
AS:It is! A 2011 KTM 350SX-F and a 250SX-F, actually. KTM Racing and Fay Myers Motorcycle World in Denver really stepped their support to us this year and it has been a blast tuning on the new chassis. We have it working really well already-and we are just getting started. We have been testing every day at the MX track and racing the bike. Then, next week we will be taking the KTM’s to the Colorado High Country for 4 days working on settings for pure off road. Ian Blythe is our rider for EX and he will have his choice of bike to ride for the EX races.
BE:What bikes do you tend to do the most suspension for?
AS:We work on all brands. We started with tuning on KTM’s so I would say that represents the biggest percentage of our business. But we do a ton of Kawasaki/Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki bikes as well, for both MX and off road. We are also known as a Husaberg specialist.
BE:Obviously new bike sales are down in today’s economy. Do you guys offer suspension work for the common rider whose 5-year-old bike needs an affordable re-valve or custom set up?
AS:Yes, we really understand that. There are a lot of guys right now that are looking at that new bike price tag and really thinking “maybe I’ll keep my current scoot another year. We offer multiple options and price points for all our customers. If it’s 10 years old or a few years old we make them work great!
BEo you spend much time riding? If so what kind of riding do you enjoy? What bike do you ride?
AS:I do. If I get a spare moment we are loading up to go riding! Last year I rode over 2000 miles off road, mostly in the Colorado High Country. I ride everything; I love to tune suspension so it’s not hard to get me on most any bike. But a perfect riding weekend for me is the Colorado Rockies on the horizon, a crisp two stroke, 30 gallons of gas, a bunch of my longtime riding buddies and 100 miles of gnarly single track a day. Last year in August we rode 10 days straight and did almost 1000 miles of single track! It does not get any better than that!
BE:What’s your favorite thing about EnduroCross?
AS:3 things-first, it’s the great equalizer of all dirt bike racing. You have off road, trials, WORCS, GNCC, desert and MX guys lined up together. There’s no other series that does that. Second, it’s unpredictable. You just don’t know what is going to happen. Third, the racing ALWAYS seems to be good-the fans get a lot for their money. Fans can come early and see all of the daytime qualifiers, the fast lap competition, etc. It’s a great value. I hope they expand the series I think it can do very well.
BE:Who do you think is going to win tomorrow night?
AS:Wow, that’s tough. Taddy is always good, but Geoff Aaron and Mike Brown are two of my favorite riders. I have a ton of respect for all of them, coming from totally different disciplines. The skill these guys have on the bike just floors me!
BE:Alan thanks for your time! Have a great afternoon!
AS:Thanks Brian, and Keep It Pinned!