132 www.motocrossactionmag.com
As you can see, this exotic mini bike has more than enough power to blow up berms and handle a full-size rider no problem.
BBR was building full-custom bikes with price tags that ranged from $10,000 to $25,000. It seemed as if the sport’s expansion would never stop. Then the economic downturn hit the country, and the Brown brothers’ adventure turned into a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs. When the economy hit bottom, BBR sales were down around 50 percent. The majority of pit bike riders got into the sport from their roots in riding motocross. When they couldn’t afford both hobbies anymore, most opted to stick to their roots in moto. This left the mini-moto market dead in the water. Amazingly, this business debacle didn’t faze the boys at BBR; instead, the BBR team focused on moving forward and have consistently refined their products to stay on top of the game. Surprise! The $25,000 pit bike is back. MXA’s test BBR bike was specifically built to fit the Las Vegas mini-moto rules, which are few and far between. Our test bike runs in the 12-inch rear-wheel class with only four major regulations: (1) It must have a 12-inch rear wheel. ( 2) The bike must be air-cooled. ( 3) It must have an open-cradle frame. ( 4) Engine development and size are unlimited. With no production rule in place, the price to build an exotic, racing mini bike can easily get out of hand. THE LONGER WE GAWKED AT THIS MINI MARVEL, THE MORE WE STARTED TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE $25,000 PRICE TAG CAME FROM.
All of this, and a love for two-wheeled things, is why the MXA wrecking crew wanted to ride the BBR bike. As Duane pulled this full-factory mini bike out for a close inspection, we found ourselves in awe of the workman- ship. Every part of this factory BBR bike is custom-made.
CRF190
It is crazy to think that having fun on pit bikes with your buddies in the backyard has turned into a full-blown motorsport. Going from backyard races to racing in front of a packed arena in Sin City was a big leap of faith. In 2004, riders from all over the world came to race at the first annual Mini Moto Supercross in Vegas. As the years went by, the race got so big that the promoters had to limit the entries to 700. From that point on, a small group of riders have been able to make a living racing mini moto bikes. BBR realized early on that the mini-bike craze was going to turn into something big, so they found their niche in the market and went to work. The three Brown brothers put sweat equity into the sport—not for the money but for the pure love of it. THEN THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN HIT THE COUNTRY, AND THE BROWN BROTHERS’ ADVENTURE TURNED INTO A ROLLER-COASTER RIDE OF UPS AND DOWNS.
BBR’s prodigy is 14-year-old Carson Brown, Duane’s son, who won his class at the Mini Moto Supercross Championship in Vegas just hours before MXA got to test his Works BBR CRF190 for ourselves. Ryan Abrigo, who raced a very similar BBR bike in Mini Moto Vegas, then won the Pro class, making BBR the standard for mini moto. Carson is BBR’s head test rider, and rightfully so. Carson got involved in the family business when he was still in diapers. He started testing products as soon as he could twist a throttle. Now, Carson is a better test rider than a lot of Pros. He is very in-tune with the bike, knowing what the bike needs and how to fine-tune it for optimum performance. In the mini-moto heyday, business was booming, and
