Classic Road Racer

Sometimes we get so focused on motocross racing we overlook other aspects of motorcycling. #33 does a good job of showing us all things dirt but there is even more forms of riding. I recently ran into my old racing buddy Mike Bungay and he brought me up to speed on his new project. Mike and I have raced against each other many times but I have to concede victory to him when it comes to Vintage Road Racing. Listen to what he has to say……

Sierra Dual Sport Ride

2012 RUTS Dual Sport ride

In my last article on the WR450 I mentioned I was going to ride in the upcoming RUTS (Racers Under The Sun) fundraiser Dual Sport ride, well I did.  At last year’s ride it was the three Amigos (Eric #33, Dale and me) this year we were a six pack. (Eric #33, Dale, Cration, Kerry, me and another Eric who asked at the start if he could tag along) We again started at Sopiago Springs Resort off Hwy 88 but ended up in Minden NV this year.

The start was very dusty, we tried to space ourselves out to keep the dust down but there were a lot of riders who treated this like a race not a dual sport event. They would fly past creating huge dust clouds only to be stopped a few miles down the road no doubt trying to figure out where they were, and then pass us again, that went on for most of the first day and was very annoying.

As I did last year I just followed, otherwise I’d have to pull out my glasses every few mile to read the roll chart or GPS. It’s good to have younger eyes on these rides. Fortunately I’m far sighted and have been lucky enough in my life to see some of the world but you’d be hard pressed to find more beautiful country than the high Sierras. Saturdays ride was a mixture of dirt roads trails and highway. The most difficult section of the day was a 4X4 trail with 4X4’s scattered here and there, I left some skin behind on that section. Oh wait, then there was Poison Creek a very tight technical section that ran up along the side of the creek, oh and then there was another creek (Don’t know the name of it) we rode down and then in and out of what seemed like twenty or thirty times. Kerry and I took a bath in that (no name) creek that also helped wash some of the dust off our bikes. (We used a hair dryer in the hotel room that night to dry out our boots) After the creek we wound our way down to the Carson Valley and finished the day riding through some of the Pine Nuts OHV area. I think we started around 8:30AM and pulled into the Carson Valley Inn some 163 miles later around 5:30PM.

 Our bags just like last year were waiting for us at the hotel and after cleaning up we had dinner together. Six guys with six different personalities and one common bond, we started out the day not all knowing each other but by the end of the day and dinner we had good feel for each other’s sense of humor. I don’t know about your rides but mine always seem to be filled with a lot of good natured joking around, if you can’t take it I guess you’d end up riding alone.

Sunday morning each guy checked out his bike and had his own version of breakfast, Kerry and I went back to the restaurant and had a repeat of dinner which was two eggs, hash browns and a slab of ham the diameter of a soccer ball all for $5.99. 

We left around 8:30AM again winding our way up and out of the valley hitting some nice trails on the way we eventually ended up riding through state line in South Lake Tahoe. After more beautiful roads and some more neat trails we ended up in Markleyville for gas. There’s literally only one gas pump in town it’s alongside the road, a large white storage tank with one pump and hose. Its 87 octane takes debit/credit cards only and was I think $4.99 a gallon. I say I think it was $4.99 a gallon because I talked Kerry into using his card to fill up all our bikes with the promise we’d all pay him back of course.

After gas we ended up again riding through spectacular country. I don’t know why but it seems sometimes I have to remind myself how privileged and lucky I am just to be riding through this beautiful country, maybe we all do it at times. We had a nice lunch again this year along side Silver Lake provided by the club and my odometer showed we’d traveled a total of 250 miles. After lunch we rode a little more highway but spent most of it ridding on some great trails ending at Sopaigo Springs and 293 total miles.

Sunday’s ride was much more enjoyable, don’t know if most of the riders left way before us or most took the bailouts instead of the more challenging trails, but the dust created was of our own making. Dale had led most of the time on Saturday and Sunday but after lunch Eric #33 took off ahead of us to take some dust free video for Dirt Bike Magazine’s web site. By the time we caught up with Eric about an hour or so later Dale had bitten it on a third gear trail and had detuned himself to the point he was now more willing to follow. Eric now took the lead and I jumped in behind him, he got out in front me far enough I now had a sweet dust free ride. 

A quick report on the 2012 Yamaha WR450, the bike handled and ran great riding a FI bike especially at altitude is a wonderful thing. Kerry and I had a couple of drag races and the WR dusted his carburetor equipped KTM in the thin air. Starting was still an inconsistent issue and was a pain, so we still have work to do in that area. I’m still confident we’ll figure it out. I like the stock suspension and don’t feel the need to have it revalved. I do have Air Cells on the forks and those help a lot in dampening the first part of the travel and really help keep the bike stable in rocks. The stock seat for long rides was too short and stiff for me, Guts doesn’t have the tall soft foam for the new WR yet so I had to create my own taller softer seat.

Ending our ride around 4:30PM we checked in, picked up our bags, loaded up and left. Seemed anticlimactic somehow, we spend two great days together and in the end just pack up and leave. But we left with a pocket full of memories and we’ll no doubt re live those memories numerous times in the future.

Thanks to all the members and family of the RUTS for your efforts they were greatly appreciated.

Doug 21J

All Purpose Yamaha

2012 Yamaha WR450F Conversion

When I was invited to ride on the Class 60 Pro team for the first Baja race of the year the San Felipe 250 I didn’t want to ride my KTM 350 as a pre runner bike, quite frankly I didn’t think it had enough power for the sand. So I bought a “08” Yamaha WR450F that was all set up for desert riding. My thought was to use it to pre ride on then sell it when I got back. But after three days of pre running I really liked the bike and decided to sell my licensed Suzuki DRZ 400E and try to Dual Sport the WR.

Well I had no problem selling the Suzuki and was getting ready to order a Dual Sport kit for the WR when the new 2012 Yamaha WR 450F’s showed up at my local dealer. I shouldn’t have looked at one but did and I promised myself I wouldn’t buy the 2012 bike until I sold the “08” WR, well that didn’t take long either. Interesting to note the WR is going to be shipped to Mongolia in China.

As you probably already know the new WR is made of a mixture of Yamaha products. A 2012 YZ250F frame, a WR swing arm, YZ 450 suspension internal components, and the motor is as I understand it basically a “09” YZ 450F with wide ratio gearing,  is fuel injected and been used in their ATV’s for a few years now. Another interesting thing is the motor is tilted back, no it’s not the backwards YZ motor but the motor is mounted in the YZ frame so that it is actually tilted back a little. Something to do with positioning the cams more centrally, I’m sure it also has something to with weight distribution and handling as well. It’s interesting to note the bikes handling is very sensitive to the fork tube height small changes make a difference.

One of the main reasons I bought the bike (Besides the fact it was new and fuel injected) was to try and Dual Sport it and to use it for desert riding.(One of my latest new passions) But my first ride on it was on the MX sand track at E street, and the second on the sand track at MMX. The bike worked so well in that environment I decided to ride it at an upcoming Old Timer International MX event, which I did. I had a couple friends ride the bike on the MX track to see what they thought of it, all were impressed, including Eric #33. (Eric had ridden one in So Cal as part of a team of test riders who had ridden the new 450 off road models from KTM, Beta, Husky, TM, and Yamaha for an upcoming magazine article) All the riders who rode it are capable of clearing the biggest jumps on those two tracks and did so with no problems, even with stock suspension set up for me. The bike is stable and doesn’t doing anything scary, accept for being a little twitchy. This WR does do something WR’s aren’t really noted for; it turns very well.

I put a GYTR/FMF muffler spark arrestor on it, changed the ECU and had the mapping set to FMF’s specs. Put a Scotts Steering Stabilizer on it because it turns so well it’s a little twitchy, and changed the gearing slightly from 13/50 to 13/51 but also purchased a 14 tooth counter shaft sprocket for desert and dual Sport riding.

I’ve ridden two motocross events, actually seven motos on it so far and would say without a doubt the bike works very well on sand tracks. Only in the last two motos of the last race I could say the bikes weight started to bother me and that’s because I’m old and the track had gotten extremely rough.

The next thing on my list is to install a Rekluse and go trail riding. As you know I’m old, lazy and a big Rekluse fan. I’m not a big Core EXP fan, and don’t mind the soft feel of the clutch lever and just prefer the Z-Pro Start. The Dual Sport kit from Baja Designs is now available so I’ve ordered one and IMS has just made available a 3.0 gallon fuel tank.

A couple of issues have shown up on the new WR, one is starting, cold or hot. It’s not consistent, sometimes it starts right up and sometimes it doesn’t. Roseville Yamaha has been able to help if not almost cure the starting issues by using a diagnostic tool to change the initial fuel delivery.  Another minor issue is the clutch cable on mine at least appears to be a tad short after I installed taller bars, so that when you turn the bars all the way to the right it pulls on the clutch cable I was able to lengthen it with adjustments, but when I installed the Rekluse you need a lot of slack and I couldn’t get enough adjustment, so I ended up rerouting the cable and using a Works Connection clutch lever assembly.  I installed the Baja Kit without any big issues; it just takes a lot of time, but everything worked the first time. After a few trials and a few errors I now have a CA licensed 2012 WR450f Dual Sport bike. I’m thinking about creating a list of what I had to do in order to license it in CA and make it available to anyone would wants it through this website. 

I’ve now put a few hundred miles of Dual Sport and trail riding on the bike and can say the bike works very well in that environment as well, as of this date I still haven’t ridden it in the desert, but I’m confident it will work well.

I’m going to ride the annual RUTS (Racers Under The Sun), fund raising Dual Sport Ride the middle of August on that ride I will get to test the bike on all manner of trails. The “A” loops on this ride are usually very technical and challenging. I’ll know doubt write an article about this ride and will give you my impressions of the bike in that environment.

Incidentally Roseville Yamaha has taken a new WR450 and basically set it up as a motocross bike, it works extremely well although it is still a tad heavier than a YZ the only time you really notice it is when you half to pick it up or put it on a stand. (You can actually remove the starter and battery to save weight if you want to Roseville shaved 13.5 lbs off the bike.) The handling and power are a little friendlier to us mortals.

Doug 21J

Vernon A Wood ...RIP

Backpacker, Runner, USMC fighter pilot, Husband, Father, Airline pilot, Dirtbike rider, Activist, Grandfather...Vernon lived life to it's fullest. His vitality will be missed by all who knew him.

More pictures of Vernon can be found in the gallery.

In Remembrance of Vernon Albert Wood

Vernon Albert Wood was born in Seattle, Washington on November 19, 1928. Vernon passed away on July 22, 2012, due to injuries sustained in a automobile accident on July 11, 2012. Vernon's family moved to Los Angeles, Ca soon after his birth. The family lived in Kingman, Az for a short period during his youth. He participated in Track and Field, at Belmont High School and was part of the team that won the All City Track and Field championship. Vernon had many odd jobs as a boy mowing lawns, shoe shining... Vernon attended LA City College. Before joining the Marine Corps he worked for California State Parks, at Redwood State Park.  Vernon served in the USMC as a fighter pilot  in Korea in 1955. When he returned home Vernon worked at Big Basin Redwoods State park. Then he spent a summer working a Fire Lookout in Washington State, Siouxon Peak. Vernon attended forestry school at UC Berkeley and the UC Berkeley Field training camp near Quincy, Ca. Vernon's Navy flight training instructor told him American Airlines was hiring pilots. He applied and was hired in 1958. Then he was laid-off for nearly a year before being recalled, Vernon worked as a ticket agent, for American Airlines, in the interim. He flew out of LAX until 1970 when he transferred to San Francisco (SFO).

Vernon married Lucile Martin on May 17, 1958. Vernon's son, David, was born on February 25, 1959, followed by his daughter, Susan on January 23, 1960. The family lived in Lynwood, Ca. in 1960 the family moved to Granada Hills, Ca. before moving to Thousand Oaks, Ca. In 1964 the family built a vacation cabin at the Ponderosa, Sequoia NF. December 1970 the family moved to Vacaville, CA. Vernon and Lucile moved to El Dorado Hills, Ca. in 1989, following his retirement with American Airlines. Vernon's wife began to show signs of Alzheimer’s at this time. Vernon moved to Chicago Park in 1999 to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. 

Vernon retired from american Airlines in 1988. He enjoyed fishing, backpacking, snow skiing, dirt biking, running, water skiing, jet skiing, mountain biking and maintaining his property. He participated in the Old Timers National MX series as an Intermediate rider. He was a member of the Sacramento Jammers MC in the 70's, the Sierra Old Timers MC in the 80's and a life member of AMA/D36. When Vernon turned fifty, he finished the Hawaiian Marathon in under four hours.

Vernon and his wife Lucile enjoyed traveling before her illness. They had trips to Hawaii, Boston, New York, Fiji, Lucile’s Family home in Jamesville, NC. Costa Rica, New Zealand, Yugoslavia. Took the Motorhome to Idaho, Yellowstone, Banff and Vancouver, Canada. Cruises to Alaska, the Caribbean , Hawaii and many Off Road motorcycle races.

The funeral will be on August 4, 2012, at 10:00 am. The location is the Colfax Cemetery, I-80, at N. Canyon and Cemetery Road, Colfax, Ca 95713. Followed by a reception at the family's home.

In lieu of Flowers, a donation to the Pacific Legal Foundation, in memory of Vernon Wood.  

AMA Hall of Fame Controversy

Kenny Roberts returns his Medal;

Jack Mangus quits committee;

Dean Adams explains
(7/13/2012)

The latest development in reaction to the withdrawal of Nobby Clark from the 2012 Motorcycle Hall of fame induction list is the decision by Kenny Roberts to return his medal.  This was reported mid-day in Cycle News. 

In addition, long-time Cycle News Editor-In-Chief Jack Mangus, retired, has resigned his seat on the Hall of Fame Dirt Track Committee.  He writes,

Gentlemen: Please accept this email as my resignation from the Dirt Track Committee of the AMA Museum Hall of Fame. I no longer want to be associated with the AMA as it is presently staffed and managed. I believe that included in the shortcomings is the manner in which inductees are selected each year, a method that now makes individual committee's time and efforts all but useless. The recent snafu over Nobby Clark is the last straw and I hereby pull the curtain down on the association.

Sincerely,
Jack Mangus
Ocala, Florida

While word is not yet forthcoming from the AMA, Dean Adams, a member of the Hall of Fame Road Racing Committee, offers his own explanation of the Nobby Clark reversal on his Superbike Planet web site.

Dick Mann returns
his Hall of Fame medal
(7/13/2012)

Editor's Note: Overnight, we received the following letter to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame from Dick and Kay Mann.

July 12, 2012 

Motorcycle Hall of Fame

13515 Yarmouth Dr.

Pickerington, OH 43147

Enclosed is the medal I received when I was inducted in the AMA Hall Of Fame in 1998. This is in response to the mismanagement of the HOF Directors of the induction/non-induction of Nobby Clark.

I was one of the original committee members involved in organizing the current Hall of Fame. Lately, I have watched this organization slide into mediocrity, apparently from the lack leadership and knowledge of the history of our sport.

Due to Nobby Clark’s contributions to the sport of motorcycles, it is my   opinion there is no one more deserving of being inducted in the HOF.  Since that is not going to happen, I no longer want to be considered a part of the Hall of Fame.

Sincerely,  

Dick Mann

AMA #59858

Dave Despain returns
Hall of Fame medal in protest
(7/12/2012)

Editor's Note: The following letter was transmitted by motojournalist, television commentator, and Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Dave Despain at 5:54 EDT this afternoon.

July 12, 2012

Motorcycle Hall of Fame

13515 Yarmouth Dr.

Pickerington, OH  43147

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter and the enclosed medal commemorating my induction comprise my immediate resignation from the Motorcycle Hall of Fame.  I expect my name and picture to be removed without delay from all Hall of Fame materials and representations.

I take this action in response to the Hall of Fame’s unconscionable rescinding of the nomination of Nobby Clark, a motorcycling legend more than worthy of Hall of Fame membership.  I believe we Hall of Famers have a special stake in the integrity of the institution and its nominating process.  I have lost all faith in that process and, more importantly, in the individuals who apparently now control it. 

I am deeply suspicious of media speculation that Clark’s “criminal record” is somehow grounds for the withdrawal of his nomination but given the absence of any clear and official explanation from Hall of Fame officials, that apparently is the brush with which Nobby is to be tarred.  This raises a couple obvious questions:  What changed in the short time between the announcement and the rescinding of Clark's nomination and why would Clark's "criminal record" be grounds for a blackball when that clearly was not an issue for a number of previous inductees who also have criminal records. 

I suspect the answers to these questions, if they were truly known, would do nothing to restore my faith in the integrity of the institution but in the end my resignation does not turn on those answers.  Instead it is based on a simple and inescapable conclusion; given everything Nobby Clark has accomplished in this sport, if he doesn’t belong in the Motorcycle Hall of Fame then I sure as hell shouldn’t be in there.

Sincerely,  

Dave Despain

Geezer Roost!

Many of us cut our teeth on two strokes. I still consider the 81 Maico 490 the best race bike I ever owned. Perhaps because I was younger and soooo much faster then, at least in my mind. Whether it's the cost, complexity, weight or some other obscure reason there seems to be renewed interest in two strokes. This picture appears in the July issue of Dirt Bike magazine. The accompaning article details how to update an old, well used 2006 YZ250 without having to take out a second mortgage. Look closely behind those goggles and you will find our own #33 throwing up an impressive roost.

Photo ID Contest!

Rumor has it that these three scoundrels were seen cruising on their Harleys. They showed up at a Superbike National threatening to give riding lessons.

The first person to correctly identify all three of these misfits wins a Team Alzheimers T Shirt. Submit your entries by posting a comment here.

36th Annual Sierra OT International MX

Sierra Old Timer event is a Home Run!

The Sierra Chapter of the IOTMX series had a great event in Marysville, Calif at the MMX facility the weekend of May 5 & 6.  The weather was the only thing that was not perfect, the wind blew terribly over the two days of racing and gave the track crew a difficult time. However the track promoter Jerrad Fisher and his crew did an outstanding job of laying out a new track for this event and maintaining it through the difficult weather conditions. The track stayed in good shape with occasional touch ups and watering that made for a fun course despite the wind. A big Thank You to the MMX facility and its people, you guys went all out to provide an excellent race course.

The turnout was up from the events held so far this year at other venues with a few extra classes added on Sunday’s program to further bolster the attendance. Everyone had a great time with only a couple of mishaps on the track. The racing was close with only a couple of dominant riders for the weekend while most classes had some intense racing both days.

The 60 Master class was the one to watch if you went to the Tulare race. This time Terry Sage seemed to have things in control with the exception of one Bob Hershey that made Mr. Sage uncomfortable by riding his wheel all day on Saturday.

The 50 Master class seemed to be the class for entertainment if you wanted your money’s worth.  There were several guys on that gate that thought they deserved the winner’s trophy and were willing to bump and bang along the way to get it! The cast of characters included Ed Marchini, Mark Kaestner, Doug Goodman, Mike Harper, Alex Jorgensen and John Volk. Ed Marchini was the fastest, smartest or luckiest depending on whom you talk to! He came away with the win when the dust settled.

Ed had to work for it though because Mark took a couple of motos away to make sure Ed didn’t have the perfect weekend. He (Mark) also stalled and crashed a couple of times just to keep things interesting. I heard his wife, June, was on the side of the track calling him bad names when he had a couple of those mishaps.  Mike Harper was primed to put a whoopin’ on the boyz but his YZ 250 with the big bore kit wasn’t! He made about two turns and pushed the bike back to the pits with a broken motor. His weekend was over.  Doug was in the hunt but didn’t seem to come to terms with the sand track since he is from Arizona, most of his riding is on much harder ground where he is extremely fast. Alex was making his return to racing after a few years away from OTMX racing and had a new RMZ 450. He always rides well but without any racing under his belt tired quicker than normal and had a nagging shoulder problem surface. Did I mention Alex has won National events in years gone by and has been inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of fame? Kind of gives you an idea of the caliber of riders that some of these Geezers have to ride against if they want to win!

Overall the event was superb with a raffle that Works Connection alone would have made worth the trip. The items they supported the OTMX with were nothing short of amazing. Along with Vice’s Collision repair, Halls Furniture, MX1, Titan Container, Roseville Yamaha, Autowest Honda of Roseville, Gold Country Copier along with Jorgy’s Suzuki of Stockton. Thank You to all of the OTMX supporters.

Our 50 Master hero Ed Marchini brought his mobile ghetto that is actually a 40’ top of the line motor home. He allowed the club to hook up a large television screen outside that showed the Las Vegas supercross via his motor home satellite. Anyone that was interested was invited to come watch the supercross live!  Good times!  

A huge Thank You to Carmen and his wife, Renee for all the effort they put out. Carmen was relegated to running things like sign up, raffle and serving the evening meal since he was on the side lines with an injury and unable to compete.

If you missed this one you missed a top notch event. Don’t let the next one pass you by, I won’t!

#33

What Other Sport?

John Volk leads AMA Hall Of Famer Alex Jorgenson into a turn at the recent Sierra IOTMX at the MMX track in Marysville, CA. Where else can you go to compete with the best of the best on equal terms? The International Old Timer Moto Cross Series is unique in that respect. Veteran racers from all over come together to compete, reminisce, swap tall tales and have fun. One thing always stands out at these events "age is just a number". If you have never ridden moto or you have just been away for awhile, it's never too late to start. Find a track near you and get your moto on!

Can a 70 Year Old be a Newbie?

Sierra Old Timers 36th Annual International Motocross

If you remember about a month ago I rode my first MX in thirty plus years at the So Cal Old Timers chapter round in Hesperia CA where in the second moto I knocked my friend down and thought I had just lost my invite to his house for a BBQ that night. Then I weenie’d out on Sunday’s race because it was really cold and windy. Well the weather was a bit better at the Marysville CA round. Friday’s practice weather was good, but Saturday’s race was cool and windy. The afternoon wind really picked up but Sunday’s weather was less windy and warmer.

After attending two rounds of Old Timer MX put on by two different clubs the one thing I’m most impressed by is their efforts to have a fun safe track and how efficiently they run the motos, as I said before they don’t mess around, they line’em up and go. The Marysville course held at the MMX track where they used the 8/10 mile sand track and actually crossed over a paved road twice where they added about 3/10’s of a mile of a slower more technical mixture of sand and loam. All in all I liked it.

Everybody hopes to have their own fifteen minutes of fame at some point in their life, well I had mine this past weekend. By Old Timer rules I was required to sign up within a certain rider classification then depending on how you scored they would either move you up or down in classification.

Well as it turned out I was in the wrong classification I think the closest anyone was to me was about thirty seconds in the first moto. On Sunday a friend of mine timed me and I was fifty seconds ahead after three laps in the first moto. Needless to say I’ve been moved up to the next classification. You know what though it felt good to be out front stylin. A legend in my own mind, basking in my own glory. Everybody should get to experience that at least once…. right?  My wife and friends thought it was great, Eric #33 thought I was a sand bagger.

As it turns out there was some pit falls to being so far out front. I had no one to dice with. During my last moto on Sunday it dawned on me that I had not used this time to continue practicing on some of the areas of the course where I was struggling. I just safely rode around those spots not trying to get better. On the flip side of that another friend of mine rode his first Old Timer event and even though he ended up first in each moto he had to work for it and his lap times improved throughout the weekend. I’d say we were very close in lap times when we were practicing Friday but I’ll bet he was three or four seconds a lap faster than me by Sunday afternoon.

The question now is do I want to retire a legend in my own mind or go to the event in Fernley, NV in the fall and take my chances on getting spanked in the new class. Well….I do have a few months to think about it.

Doug 21J

PS I rode my new 2012 Yamaha WR450F this past weekend and no I didn’t race with the lights on I unplugged them. I’m going to do a little write up on my impressions of the new fuel injected bike soon.