IM: I had the pleasure to meet you guys in Las Vegas at The Monster Cup 2014. You were presenting a product called Slacker, a digital sag scale, can you explain how your digital sag scale can help to set up the most critical part of suspension?

JC: Yes, it was great meeting you and Jim (from Grindmx USA)! What a crazy fun day that was. Many people don't understand the importance of setting sag or they are not aware they need to make the adjustment. I also see a lot of people who measure it incorrectly. Slacker is a system that lets you easily take accurate, repeatable measurements on suspension to allow you to adjust the spring preload and air pressure to assure the bike handles correctly for a specific rider. Slacker has a universal magnetic axle mount as well as a universal clip that attaches to number plates or fenders so it can be used to setup both ends of the bike. It can be used to setup rear sag as well as sag on air forks and SFF forks and only requires the rider to get an accurate measurement. All measurements are displayed in real-time on the main unit and remote display for easy viewing. 

IM: Jimmy Decotis is a Motool Team Rider, what is he personnally saying about this product?

JC: Yeah, Jimmy Decotis is an extremely talented young rider and I am proud to have him on our team. We have been working together since early 2014 and he only uses Slacker to setup his bikes these days. It allows him to make sure his bike is on point at all times even if no one is around to help out when he is training. He says it is the coolest most innovative tool he has seen in motocross and every rider needs one. He regularly shows it to his students when he is teaching MX classes to emphasize the importance of proper bike setup. He loves it.

IM: What is the main difficulty when patenting a new product?

JC: Patenting a product is actually pretty technical. It is pretty involved and a good attorney costs an arm and a leg. Making sure your patent does not conflict with an existing product is the key and takes quite a bit of research. You also have to make sure to cover any methods of use in addition to the physical product you are trying to patent. The application must be incredibly detailed to make sure you have a solid patent that will hold up in court and protect your product. I feel like the process is too complicated and buried in bureaucracy honestly (at least here in the states). The biggest difficulty is the fact that it takes over a year to get a written opinion and typically you have to amend the original claims and re-submit them.  This is a very painful and slow process thanks to the overcomplicated and under resourced patent office here.

IM: What is your next (r)evolution in motocross?

JC: Honestly my next move is to adapt Slacker to street bikes which is pretty simple to do. Once that is completed I do have some crazy ideas about several suspension components but I can't really go into detail until I get my provisional patents in place.  I can say they all involve suspension tuning and performance enhancements and are worlds apart from any currently available products. We want to take bike setup to a new level and incorporate current technologies and materials we feel are being overlooked or underused.

IM: In your opinion what was the biggest evolution in motocross the last passed years?

JC: I grew up racing two-strokes in the early 80s so I would have to say that 4-stroke engines and fuel injection are the 2 biggest evolutions in motocross in the last 30 years. Back then the thumpers were just big pigs and you really only saw them in races like the Baja 500/1000. Now they are the standard in motocross and while the two-stroke is still a contender, the 4-stroke dominates at the track with it's amazing torque and power delivery. Fuel injection is also a major development. It allows you to easily tune fuel delivery and ignition timing for to adapt to different conditions and you don't have to make jetting adjustments every time you change elevation or the weather changes. Beyond that I think it has just been minor improvements every year on the same old technologies. I think there are many things that could be radically redesigned if we take the time to look at them in a different light. This industry seems to do the same thing over and over and never revisit the concepts. We hope to change this in the years to come.

IM: On which rider are you beting this year? Why?

JC: Good question! In the 450 class I would bet on either Trey Canard or one of the younger riders. I think Canard is really finding the flow lately and at the Cup he was just flat out faster than everyone all weekend. He is due for some success after all the injuries and setbacks he has had since stepping up to the 450 class a few years ago. If he can stay healthy he will be hard to beat. I could also wouldn't count out Ken Roczen or Eli Tomac. Both have shown amazing speed and consistency but lack the experience of the older riders. I am a big fan of James Stewart and Ryan Dungey but just don't see them getting the title this year. In the 250 East class I am betting on Jimmy Decotis to get his first career wins and to get in the top 5 for the series. For the title I would have to go with Adam Cianciarulo. That kid is just flat out fast so if he stays healthy he will get the tile with a commanding points lead. On the west coast I would go with Cooper Webb. He is a very talented rider and I just really like the guy. He just has a great style and unmatched enthusiasm for the sport.

IM: Your personal history in riding dirtbikes?

JC: I got my first bike in 1978. My dad got me a 1978 XR75 that I would ride in the woods behind our house. In late 1980 I saw the CR250R Elsinore which was one of the first mono shock, water cooled bikes to come out. It was a work of art and I freaked out and couldn't live without one. I drove my parents crazy for months and finally that spring I got one for my 13th birthday. From there I started racing motocross and off-road throughout junior high and high school. My younger  brother also started racing in 1982 and we were lucky enough to race at tracks like Saddleback and Indian Dunes in southern California and we raced at the Ponca City Nationals in 1985. We also attended the Gary Bailey Motocross School in 1984. We both managed to destroy Gary's bikes but we had an awesome time, learned a ton and actually got to ride with David which was an honor. After I graduated and started out on my own I found it impossible to afford a bike much less the cost of racing so I focused on freestyle BMX and racing mountain bikes. Though I always loved the sport I did not find myself back on a bike until the fall of 2011. I had been playing in punk and hardcore bands for about 20 years but when I finally decided to quit doing bands in 2011, I found myself bored and in serious need of some exercise. I bought a 2012 YZ450F and started riding some motocross at a track I first rode in 1981- Canyon Raceway in Peoria, Arizona. From that bloomed my new company Motool which I am hoping will make a big impact on the sport and allow me to support up coming riders.

IM: We wish you success in your revolution and hope to meet you in 2015 in Las Vegas again!