About John Ethell & Jett Tuning

John Ethell inside his dyno room at JETT Tuning

JETT Tuning is a fast paced high performance motorcycle race shop in California that responds to everyday service and maintenance needs of both motocross and street bikes as well as the custom requirements of full AMA race bike prep and race engine building.

Here at JETT Tuning, we can also get just about any motorcycle race part you want or need. So if you have something special in mind, give us a call. With our years of extensive AMA racing and motorcycle experience, we can help you make an informed decision.

Enjoy John Ethell’s personal collection of AMA road race photos on this site.  Try to guess who the young guns are.


John Ethell learning from the master, late Merlyn Plumlee.

John Ethell started JETT Tuning to fill what he saw as a void in the retail industry. After listening to all the stories going around in town and at the local tracks John realized that with his 15+ years in the racing industry that he could provide a better service, better quality, and a path to educate and inform the consumer. The products that are available as well as some of the inside scoop on what the racers and the racing community are all about.


John Ethell has spent the last 6 years working for American Honda Racing Team in a variety of functions. Everything from Chassis prep, Engine Builder, Assistant Crew Chief, Crew Chief and lastly 4 stroke Engine Development Engineer. He has also worked on teams that raced various motorcycle brands including, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Aprilia.


John Ethell with a young Alex Gobert

John Ethell has had the privilege of working with some of the best racers around. The likes of Reg Pridmore, Jason Pridmore, Fritz Kling, Gerald Rothman, Jake Zemke, Nicky Hayden, Roger Lee Hayden, Miguel DuHamel, Alex Gobert, Aaron Gobert, Josh Hayes, Andrew Short, Davi Millsaps, Kevin Windham, Ernesto Fonseca, and Jeremy McGrath. Along with working for some of the best people in the industry John was also a racer himself. He raced motocross from the age of 5 on as well as racing watercraft. John has been at the forefront of technology and looks forward to sharing his knowledge and experience with his customers


John Ethell & Jake Zemke
Some of John’s current projects – I am building all the motors for Corona Honda for both Superbike and Supersport ridden by Gary Mason and James Ellison. I build the engines for Jeff Tigert who is the Honda R&D test rider as well as AMA and Local club racer. I am the crew chief for Jake Zemke on the Erion Honda Team. In addition I also work with rider coach Jeff Haney and several local riders including Dillon Alexander who races pro motocross lites. Lastly, I also help care for the CLASS motorcycle school bikes with Reg Pridmore.