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Get your moto on

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Special to The Times

Since the X Games began a decade ago, the annual celebration of boards and bikes has moved from Generation X oddity to something far more mainstream. This year’s sports and entertainment events -- today through Sunday at Staples Center, the Home Depot Center, Huntington Beach Pier and Long Beach Marine Stadium -- are meant to appeal to granddaughters as well as grandfathers, regardless of whether they know the difference between a grind and a grinder. Here are some of the more intriguing attractions:

1 HELLO, SUPERMOTO: One of two new events this year, SuperMoto is an all-in-one race for motorcycles that features obstacles, open stretches for speed, distance jumps and hard-core inclines. Riders from a variety of genres, such as road racer Ben Bostrom and freestyle motocrossers Mike Metzger and Travis Pastrana, will compete. With the motorcycle competitions already among the most popular of the X Games, the addition of SuperMoto should provide a bruising, blistering twist. 1 p.m. Sunday. (Home Depot Center)

2 BIG AIR COUNTRY: This year’s other new event, the skateboard Big Air competition is also arguably the X Games’ most daring contest. Boarders skate down a nine-story ramp over a gulf, earning points based on the difficulty of the trick they land on the other side, which is essentially a dry-land ski ramp. Daily practice sessions leading to the finals should give masochists a heavy dose of wipeouts and provide plenty of fodder for blooper reels. 1 to 4 p.m. today, 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Sunday; finals, 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. (Staples)

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3 THE VENDORS: Sure, the X Games are hopelessly commercial. But there’s an upside to the sellout: Vendors desperate for attention are distributing free products and holding some potentially fun events. Fender will put on an air guitar contest at its booth; the TransWorld publishing company will distribute free copies of its BMX, motocross and skateboarding magazines; and Oakley sunglasses is setting up free blackjack and poker tables. And for window-shoppers, a pro shop will display the latest skate, surf and bike products from Darkstar, Tony Hawk, Element and more. All weekend. (Staples)

4 ONE FOR THE GIRLS: There’s a long-standing belief that action sports are men’s games, but a cadre of female athletes is out to prove that wrong. Some of them, including inline skater Fabiola Da Silva and teen skateboard phenom Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, will be on hand Sunday for an autograph session and free learn-to-ride clinics for girls 10 and older. No need to bring equipment -- it’ll be provided -- and ESPN reps are mum on an upper age limit, which means this may be the spot for grandmas looking to learn a kickflip. Skate clinics, 10 and 11 a.m. Sunday; bike stunt clinic, 2 p.m. Sunday. (Staples)

5 ROCKING OUT: The best addition to this year’s X Games is its concert lineup, which includes established bands such as L.A.’s cross-cultural hip-hop crew Ozomatli and blues rapper G-Love alongside upstart rockers including Juliette and the Licks. New Zealand’s Steriogram is clearly the band on the brink, though: The band’s single “Walkie Talkie Man” is a high-energy summertime novelty, and its yarn-laden video, directed by “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’s” Michel Gondry, was just nominated for four MTV video awards. 5 p.m. Friday. (Staples)

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For a full X Games schedule, visit www.expn.com.

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