Rick Johnson’s Scrapbook P2 | Fox Feature

Credit: Racer X

Presented by Fox Racing

Seven-time Motocross and Supercross Champion Ricky Johnson is not only a legend in our sport, but he also remains one of the. coolest and most down-to-earth guys on two wheels. During RJ’s heyday in the 1980s, the internet, and social media were the stuff science fiction movies were made of, so behind-the-scenes stories were few and far between. Having had Johnson on the SML Show previously, we know that he’s got a virtually endless supply of memories from his racing days, so we asked him to share some insight with us about this photo of him on a Honda in 1986…

“I signed with Team Honda for 1986 and this photo was shot on the first bike I got from Honda; it was just a stock 1986 CR250R without numbers even. Similarly, I was wearing some plain Fox gear that only said Fox on it. This was the first time I had worn geart without Yamaha logos on it, and this stuff didn’t even say Honda on it. I believe I wore this kit at some off-season races like the Rodil Cup. This photo was shot out at my track at Lake Marina. I think Patrick from Moto Verte took that photo. I remember the day clearly.  It was a cool time because I really felt like I could go so fast. The bike was amazing and I trusted it completely. It was a cool time.

“The 1996 CR250R was so good. When they came out, the only thing I didn’t like was the right side of the frame, where my ankle ball would rub. It would just tear me up, man, because I squeezed the bike tighter than a lot of other guys. I had just just messed up my ankle and I had to do some modifications to my boots..Then that’s when I brought in Alpinestars to team up with Fox on a new boot, and that boot was the result.

“Alpinestars made it for Fox and that took them to the next level. The previous Fox boot was made by AXO and they were just too floppy in the ankles. As I said, they were tearing my ankles up. I really liked the new boot because they had a lace system inside that really allowed you to tailor the fit and support. The outer panel had big Velco straps to keep the boot shut. While this was good, there were times in muddy races that I would still tape them shut.

“This picture brings back some memories! That was still my Yamaha helmet and I had tape over the Yamaha logo on the chin bar. My dad actually designed and painted that helmet. I believe it was a Bell Moto 4. Dad painted it with the traditional Yamaha stripe with the boxes inside, and he added the Fox logos inside them to give them a little more branding.

“The last thing I notice about this photo is my kidney belt. These days no one wears them but I was actually a kidney belt guy. I liked the way it felt. It also kept my jersey in. I liked the feeling of having that down low around my hips and not so much on my kidneys. Your kidneys are a lot higher. I didn’t like them high. I liked them really low. It kept my pelvis in place.”