Riding, Racing and Roundy Round?

Rehab....we don't need no stinkin rehab!

Well, here we go with another first! Riding and Racing in the Great state of Montana!  We are currently stopped off and visiting with a riding buddy, John Roberts (aka Montana John) as part of this thumb rehab tour. It seems since I broke the thumb it has transformed the trip into more rehab than racing as was originally planned.

I have ridden some new areas with John and a couple of new riding partners I met through him. Paul, who rides a KTM and Ken who is KX mounted both ride whenever the opportunity presents itself and I believe I became the excuse they used to go out riding one evening after work. I thought it was a bit strange that we were going out to ride at nearly 5pm, up into the hills and beneath the trees. I soon discovered that being this far north makes for very long days during the summer months. Pretty cool we could trail ride in the trees until almost 9 pm. The riding was a ton of fun and I got to see some of the seldom used trails that of course only the locals know. There was some great riding and some spectacular views. We came across some cool leftover mining equipment and even a sign warning of Wolves and Wolf traps! When was the last time you came across that on a ride? Definitely a first for me. The ride went well with no one getting lost, injured or breaking any bikes so it was a very good day of riding.  So that covers the riding part.

Next item on Montana John’s agenda was getting me to the local races that weekend. I was a bit worried about how the thumb would do on the mx track but agreed to give it a try. So out comes the KX 450 and I can’t believe my good luck. There is a practice on Saturday before the race on Sunday. Perfect, I will find out what I need to know about holding on to the big KX. It went well and I planned to give it a go the next day in the Geezer class (50+). Practice was pretty sloppy and the track worked in nicely during the first set of motos. The second moto was totally different as it dried out and reminded me more of our tracks back in California in the summer; Hard and slick. I was lucky to get two good starts and went 1-1 in the motos. Now we head on to part III of this tour.

So as I sit here watching hail the size of a quarter fall down around me I am mentally preparing for the final phase of this trilogy. I am also wondering what have I gotten myself into. You see the third part of this Montana John orchestrated plan revolves around me riding one of his FLAT TRACK bikes at a race. It seems Montana John is a long time flat tracker and has a whole garage full of flat trackers that obviously just need to be ridden!  I am beginning to think I got okey doked by agreeing to this escapade before I had even sat on or ridden even one of these bikes. I have never ridden a flat tracker before and he is already signing me up at a race.  So as the weekend approaches I am taking a look at the bikes and getting a few pointers. No practice, just pointers. I guess I will have to let you know how it goes when it is all over. Keep your fingers crossed, I am!

#33

“Never ride faster than your Guardian Angel can fly”

Ridin’ with Old Friends (Part 2)

Part 1 of this escapade had Ed preparing to buy a new/used Off Road bike. Jess was unaware of what was about to befall him as we, Cheryl and I, drove toward his place in Idaho for a visit and hopefully a bit of trail riding.

Having not ridden with my old riding partner, Jess, in more years than I care to remember I was pleasantly surprised that he had not sold every bike he and his wife Becky owned. Jess sold his stuff while he was busy relocating to Idaho and building a beautiful place, but left his wife’s stuff alone. Good man!

Upon arriving we set up camp and made my plan. We visited, played with the dogs, did some sightseeing and generally had a good time. Finally I got Jess to stop by the local bike shops to look at bikes and talk to a few riders we both knew from back in the day. Dan McConnell was also a rider we knew from days past in Nor Cal, but has relocated to Idaho and opened a shop in Orofino, Idaho called “Cycle Parts & Trading Post”.  After visiting with Danny for a bit and catching up on who was still riding and who wasn’t from the old days we agreed to meet up for a trail ride. I was very impressed that Danny was still riding due to the fact that he has gone through 2 hip replacements! The guy is hard core and loves to ride!  I want to be like him when I grow up. That was the answer to my dilemma of how I was going to get Jess out to show me trails he has not had time to explore. Danny was our trail guide for the day. When we met up for the ride there were 4 of us, Danny, Jess, Brian who we just met at the parking area and #33. You are not going to believe our good fortune, but it rained the night before!

Danny (KTM 150) took the lead since he knew the trails and I fell into second rider with Brian (KTM 300) falling in as third rider on the trail. Thanks Brian for keeping an eye on me and picking me up a couple of times. Then Jess (KDX 200) followed as the sweep rider. I think Jess was a bit concerned of holding someone up since he had not been on a bike in several years. We head out into some of the most fun and challenging single-track you could hope to find. It is not overridden and sometimes difficult to follow because the brush is beginning to grow back over the trail. I think they need more riders riding these trails and I am willing to go back to help brush out the trails with my bike! I am just that kind of guy.

As I ride along marveling at how great the riding is I realize just how fast Danny is making that little KTM go through the trees. He is going like stink and I start to get a bit warm because I have over dressed by wearing a jacket. He finally stops for a nature break and I have a chance to take off my jacket and let a bit of air out of the tires. We are riding in 1^st to 3^rd gears because the trails are so tight and I don’t have to worry too much about a pinch flat.  Perfect!

We have a great time for the next 40 miles or so with everyone taking their turn tipping over, stalling or missing the trail. Brian actually has to lift my bike off me one time when I fall down hill with the bike trapping my leg between it and a rather large stump while laying down hill. Sort of funny really because I must have looked like a turtle that couldn’t get up until he lifted the bike off the stump. Jess thought this was quite funny when he rolled up and saw me upside down pinned by my bike. I have to remind Jess that he is one of the characters in this rolling circus and I point out the cast to him at one of our rest stops.

Danny-the guy with artificial hips that should have a Blue Handicap placard on the back of his bike, but is riding better than the rest of us.

#33-the guy trying to rehab a broken thumb, that can’t keep his bike upright and needs a trail assistant.

Brian-the guy having to make sure everyone goes the right direction and cleans up the crashes as they happen. Thanks Brian.

Jess- my buddy that doesn’t even own a motorcycle and has to ask his WIFE if he can borrow her bike so he can go riding with the boys!

So at the end of our ride we say our good byes and head home to Jess’s. We put our bikes away and retire to a meal that his lovely bike loaning wife has prepared. We talked motorcycles for a while and as I listen to Jess talk about his ride I know that he still has a good time when he goes riding with the fellas.

A day later it is time to move on and we say our farewells. It doesn’t take long and I get an email from Becky (the bike loaning wife) saying that Jess is talking about a KTM 300.  Wow, I wonder how that happened. I think there were more grins under that helmet that day than I could see! 

Old friends, new acquaintances and riding, what could be better?

#33

“A man is usually more careful of his money, than he is of his principles.”

Ridin’ with Old Friends

Do you remember the guys you used to ride with years ago? I know I do and as I look back I quite often laugh remembering some of the great times we had.

Since I am freshly out of a cast from my thumb injury I am trying to ease back into riding shape by trail riding instead of heading straight to the tracks or the races. So I recently hooked up with two old friends that have not ridden in quite some time. Ed and Jess are their names. Ed sold his bike long ago and just owns a chopper now, I think it is a Harley. You have to know that since I am an off road guy, anything that is ridden on the street is a chopper to me! I know this irritates the street guys.

So I go to visit my buddy, Ed, and what do you know, I just happen to have two bikes! I get Ed on the KX 450 while I ride the Honda 450-X. Then part way through the day we switch bikes so he can compare them and he has the time of his life. We went out exploring the back country around his house and found our way into some great areas with some fantastic views he had never seen. We made it up to a Fire Look Out that he had always wanted to ride up to but never made the trip. I am having a great time because I am riding an area I have never set wheels on before.  There is not much I like better than riding an area I have never seen, just riding new trails is the most fun no matter what speed you ride.

So after a couple of days of exploring the area, Ed decides he just may need another dirt bike! The suspension and power has impressed him since he sold his last bike many years back. Another thing that he was amazed at is how easily the new bikes started. Ed is now in his early 60’s and was a bit fearful of wearing himself out kick starting the bikes. I guess these were a bit better than the Maico’s and early Hondas he remembered! He especially liked the electric start on my Honda 450-X. So Ed makes the mistake of telling me he would like to get a bike.

I immediately go to work scouring craigslist and find an inexpensive but solid bike. I gather the contact information and hand him a slip of paper the next day with all the info about the bike, price, and owner. Ed calls and finds out it is somebody I know in the motorcycle world, so he agrees to buy the bike. When I leave to continue my journey of rehab (thumb) and motorcycle infection of friends (Jess next) Ed is working out the details to pick up the bike. I just got a phone call from Ed telling me he was driving down to pick up the bike next week.

My job is done here! Time to move on and spread the word, Ride!!!

Part 2 will be about how it went visiting Jess, stay tuned.

#33

“It’s not about how long we live, but how we live.”

The Boys Win Baja Again!

2013 Baja 500x Team

Well, the current 50 class champions in Baja Off Road racing down in Mexico scored another victory at the 2013 Baja 500. The team of Marc Prince, Doug Smith, Dave Potts, Steve Williams and Bob Johnson rode a calculated race taking one step closer toward keeping their 500X (#1 in 50yr old class) plate for another year. Not only did they win the class but rode fast enough and made so few mistakes that they caught all of the 40 year old teams and most of the 30’s!    I was told Steve was about to overtake the 40 class winners when he came across a rider down and pinned under his bike so he stopped to make sure the guy was ok and get the bike off him. Says a lot about the people on this team doesn’t it?  

                    

I had to sit this one out with my thumb in a cast from a motocross mishap. So #33 had to watch from the sidelines as they commenced to whippin’ some butt without me!

They all did a great job!  I am proud of them and glad to have such a great bunch of guys to ride with. It is always a lot of fun because of the people on the team. The commitment and enthusiasm of all the riders and support crew is often hard to find when you put this many people together to work toward a common goal. This is one race in a series of 3 races and that is why I appreciate the time and effort everyone puts out to pull this off.

I am now out of my cast and working on rehabbing my thumb to get back on the bike in a couple of weeks. Maybe if I get myself back in riding shape they will let me come back and ride with them!

Fantastic job guys!   One more to go, Baja 1000 November 2013.

Lefty (at the moment)  aka #33

“It’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years!”

Garage Mechanic Extraordinaire

We all know professional mechanics that make a living working on bikes at the local shop. But what about the guys that do it in their garage for the love of wrenching?  They spend hours tearing things apart and rebuilding things, usually on friends’ bikes.

With the current swing toward 4-stroke engines a lot of people are left out in the dark when it comes time to rebuild a blown motor or just freshen up a tired one. This is when the local wrench that does it for the love of wrenching can end up being your savior. He more often than not does it for dinner, a pass to the local track or a new tire or two. When you compare this to the shop rates being charged these days it makes the garage mechanic look like a bargain. Another bonus is that you don’t usually have to drop your bike off and wait a week or two until they can “get to it” since he usually only works on things for people he knows.

There is just such a guy named “Alex” in the Sacramento area that likes to work on bikes I believe as much as he likes to ride them. Whenever I stop by his place he always has a couple of things he is working on. Unlike a Honda or Yamaha shop that only works on that brand Alex seems to tackle almost anything that is ridden off road. I have seen Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki’s in his garage. Alex has done top end rebuilds on a couple of bikes for me on different brands of bikes. He has done steering heads, linkages and fork seals on many of my friends’ bikes.  But I am always impressed at how well he does on graphics installing. That is something you either have the knack for or don’t. Unfortunately I don’t!  Alex usually gets the graphics on very nicely and rarely has any bulges or bubbles.  He seems to have that graphic install gene!

So if you have been around long enough to have wrenched on 2-strokes and find yourself a bit intimidated by the current onslaught of thumpers you may want to start searching for a local guy with a bit of experience that just loves to work on bikes. If you can’t find one then give me a holler and I will set you up with Alex/Garage Mechanic Extraordinaire.

Catch you later, I am off to change………….my spark plug,

#33

“Remember, fast is relative”