WE RIDE LUC SANTOS’ FACTORY MX VACATIONS FC250

Luc Santos’ Husqvarna FC250 started as a 2022-1/2 Rockstar Edition before he customized it for himself.

By Josh Mosiman

As a racer who grew up being homeschooled, I know how hard it is to think about “life after moto,” but I also know that there are only so many spots on the factory teams, and the odds are not in a local racer’s favor. My parents had me enrolled in public school until the end of the sixth grade when I was more or less forced into independent study. After our family got back from a two-week trip to Texas for the Spring Nationals, my parents received a letter from the school board stating that they were on the verge of being fined for keeping their kid out of school for too long. 

I’m sure if I had been gone playing football or golf, my teachers and principal would have understood, but because the administrators at my school in Northern California knew I was a motocross racer, a sport they associated with “harming the earth,” they weren’t so forgiving. My parents had already been thinking of switching my brother and me to independent study, but that letter sped up the process. 

This FC250 had simple but effective mods done to it. The FMF exhaust, Twisted Development-tuned Vortex ECU and Rekluse clutch are the only pony-producing updates.

Independent study was great, and it worked out in the long run, but I had lots of insecurities as a kid and as a young adult, wondering if I would turn out weird because I didn’t grow up with a normal life in high school. Fast-forward to now, and I’m thankful for Motocross Action Magazine, because after I was injured and out of action for a long time, they offered me a full-time job that consisted of riding, racing, testing, and talking about the latest and greatest bikes. It also required expertise in writing, spelling and typing, which I learned in independent study. Working at MXA has helped me put my “life after moto” worries aside, but I still see many of my fellow Pro racers, my age or older, struggling to find a career after they have dedicated so much time trying to make it as a Pro. 

The FMF exhaust gave this relatively stock Husqvarna a factory sound.

Why am I bringing up my childhood concerns? Because Luc Santos, the owner of this beautiful Husqvarna FC250 project bike, is just like me. Luc and I are both 26 years old. We both grew up racing in the same classes, both chasing the Amateur and Pro National scene all over the country. We were lucky enough to have parents who supported us, and we have both learned countless life lessons through the ups and downs of racing and from the people we met along the way.>

REP suspension re-valved the stock WP XACT air forks.

After making a run at racing Pro, Luc realized he wasn’t going to have a career racing Supercross and the AMA Nationals, so he took a hard look at his skills and found a way to make a living utilizing his talents while staying heavily involved in the industry he loves. Luc now runs Factory MX Vacations, and he’s using the experiences and connections that he’s gained through racing to give others a chance to experience life as a Southern California motocrosser. Obviously, Luc isn’t the only ex-Pro who has a vacation bike rental company in Southern California, but the demand for quality bikes and a nice place to stay is high. He has both, and his calendar is booked solid. 

The Husqvarna FC250 project bike we are testing was built as Luc’s personal bike, but after he puts a few hours on it, it’s going into his fleet of vacation rental bikes for his customers to enjoy. The timing of this test worked out great for MXA, because we got to spend some quality time on a semi-modified, new-generation 2023 FC250, and we didn’t have to spend any effort to modify one of our MXA test bikes. Luc’s bike started as a 2022-1/2 Husqvarna FC250 Rockstar Edition, which meant it came with the black frame and the KTM spec suspension and linkage (unlike the shortened WP forks and link that come on the stock 2023 Husqvarna model). Luc took the stock suspension to REP Suspension, which is partnered with AEO Powersports, a KTM/Husqvarna/GasGas dealer that has shops in California and Arizona. Mark Johnson, the owner of REP, has over 10 years of experience at KTM and WP building Supercross, motocross and off-road suspension for the factory teams, and now he’s doing his own thing. He re-valved Luc’s stock WP XACT air forks and shock, setting them up for an intermediate-level rider at 165 pounds (the black-anodized WP PowerParts split triple clamps came stock on the Rockstar Edition). 

The brakes are stock, but they were anodized to look SXS factory brakes by Sano Metal Finishing.

“INDEPENDENT STUDY WAS GREAT, AND IT WORKED OUT IN THE LONG RUN, BUT I HAD LOTS OF INSECURITIES AS A KID AND A YOUNG ADULT, WONDERING IF I WOULD TURN OUT WEIRD BECAUSE I DIDN’T GROW UP WITH A NORMAL LIFE IN HIGH SCHOOL.”

As for the engine, the internals were left stock, while Jamie Ellis of Twisted Development added a remapped Vortex ECU ignition and Luc installed a full FMF 4.1 titanium exhaust system. He also installed a Rekluse TorqDrive clutch and clutch cover. He used a ProX chain and sprockets and a Specbolt kit to freshen it up. To stop the bike, Luc kept the stock Brembo brakes, but had Sano Metal Finishing give the calipers an anodized coating that made them look like factory calipers. The stock wheels were replaced with Kite hubs and Excel A60 rims, mounted with Dunlop MX33 tires. Luc swapped out the stock footpegs for Fastway pegs. 

The Fastway footpegs were ultra sharp.

As for the rest of the shiny stuff, it was all done by Luc himself! He is starting another side gig called MX Refurb, where he polishes different parts as a side job. He polished the cast-aluminum throttle housing, the FMF head pipe, the radiators and the brake pedal all himself. He also added the plastic mesh screen over the radiators to keep mud out. On the controls, Luc used ODI’s Podium Flight CFT handlebars with ODI’s all-white V2 lock-on grips. Works Connection provided the Pro Launch starting device and the Elite Axle blocks, which converted the rear axle from the stock fixed position to the same floating design that the KTM factory team uses. Works Connection also provided the factory-looking clutch and front-brake reservoir caps. Decal Works supplied the sparkling graphics, and MotoSeat made the pleated gripper seat cover. 

The throttle housing was hand-polished by Luc and the white ODI lock-on grips looked trick.

“THE HUSQVARNA FC250 PROJECT BIKE WE ARE TESTING WAS BUILT AS LUC’S PERSONAL BIKE, BUT AFTER HE PUTS A FEW HOURS ON IT, IT’S GOING INTO HIS FLEET OF VACATION RENTAL BIKES FOR HIS CUSTOMERS TO ENJOY.”

Thanks to Luc putting some elbow grease into it, his FC250 looked pretty sweet, but the real question was, how did it run on the track? We were mightily impressed! The new 2023 engine is known for having more low-end grunt, and Jamie’s remapped Vortex ignition, along with the FMF exhaust system, made this engine feel like a true National race bike. The FMF muffler gave it that factory vibrato, and it pulled like there was no tomorrow. Each gear pulled longer than stock, allowing us to shift much less around the course. Overall, we were amazed at how well this bike ran with simple mods, such as a black box and an exhaust pipe. 

Works Connection’s Pro Launch starting device uses an ultra-strong magnet to snap back into place. We use it on all our test bikes and race bikes.

As for Luc’s suspension, it was plush and progressive, something all our test riders appreciated on Glen Helen’s big, long and rough National track. It was a little on the soft side for our Pro test riders, but Luc had it set up for the majority of his vacation customers, so we couldn’t be too critical. 

At the end of the day, it was fun to ride Luc Santos’ Husqvarna FC250 Factory Edition and feel the improvements that Twisted Development and FMF can make to an otherwise stock bike, but it was especially fun for me to see my world and Luc’s world come together. Much like the MXA wrecking crew, which consists of a small group of guys doing a lot of different tasks, Luc runs his business from front to back. He hosts customers at his house, takes them to the tracks, preps bikes each night (while his guests relax in his pool), and does these same tasks nearly every day of the week. My test days at MXA are very similar. The main difference between us is that Luc doesn’t have to do any typing. All in all, we had a blast on Luc Santos’ FC250, and we’re sure his customers will, too. You can learn more about Factory MX Vacations at www.factorymxvacations.com

 

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