Part 6 of the 2015 YZ250FX...As Ridden by 21J

Looks pretty good after all the different rides Doug put it thru!

Looks like Part 6 is going read like a diary I’m going to fill it in as the rides accumulate.

Since the big mud fest CC event I’ve ridden the bike a number of times, at Mammoth Bar again and for the first time I made no adjustments or changes, just rode it. After beating the crap out of myself there I went to Chalk bluff which is very tight single track trails at about 5000 foot altitude in the high Sierra mountains. Made no changes there either and for the first time rode the bike on those very tight back and forth trails, which this day was very wet, snotty, rocky and the trails were full of debris and downed trees as result of recent rain and wind storms. This made for some real technical riding and again the bike worked great. I had a few tip over’s as well and the side number plates now look like that of a year old bike.

The reworked suspension has taken all the twitchiness out of the chassis it’s now very stable and planted and worked very well in those conditions. I’m using the clutch a lot more now especially riding in this area, the bike pulls well even when it’s at lower RPMs but to get it going just fan the clutch a little and it comes to life. But it’s a very controlled coming to life, not a holy shit hang on kind of hit, just starts pulling stronger and since the motor revs to the moon you can leave it in second or third and ride at this place. And again the stock gearing seemed to work very well for these types of trails.

I am going to make one change to the bike before I ride it again. I’m going to move the foot pegs from the back and down position the stock position. Not sure if it’s the peg position or just a new, but I’ve noticed my shoulders are getting sore and I’m not sure what’s causing it. In some ways it feels like I have to reach farther out to pull myself forward or something.

Well I went a mile up the trail and a mile back with the foot pegs stock. It just didn’t work for me, I felt cramped. I put the back and down pegs back on and finished my ride.

Wayne and I went up to Georgetown (El Dorado National Forest OHV Trail System) and put in about forty miles. We thought we had gone a lot further than that, unfortunately Georgetown is now about as bad as Mammoth Bar is, in other words if you want to beat the crap out of yourself go there. Although today we came across a couple of guys who are working on the trails and the parts we rode where they had repaired were a huge improvement. We need to spend time looking for the seldom used trails up there and I know there are some.

The bike was once again great, rock solid did everything very, well the only problem I had was on some slow steep rocky, snotty up hills. I haven’t figured out how to modulate the power yet, I know the bike will lug up those getting the power to the ground without spinning the rear tire but I didn’t trust it (Or what I should say is me) and spun the rear tire loosing traction, thus coming to a complete stop.

I haven’t until today touched the compression settings, but I backed them out and the bike responded in a positive way. The bike feels light and is easy to change direction and flick around; it works very well in the rocks.

I haven’t had any drag races yet to see how it stacks up against other bikes but Wayne has a KTM 350 SX and said he couldn’t gain on me in any of the straight a ways where we could open it up a bit.

The only issue I’ve had mechanically with the bike so far is it’s started puking out coolant; it was good that it wasn’t that warm. I think it might be a faulty radiator cap, I’ll change it and we’ll see.

I went to Georgetown today for two reasons, one to have my first ride on the new bike on those trails, which are more open than Chalk Bluff (You can use all the gears) but also one of my former colleges’ brother-in-law passed away and he was an avid trail rider, the family asked if I would spread some of his ashes on the trails up there for them, which I was very honored to do. Some of the panoramic pictures are in the area where I spread his ashes.

The next day after the Georgetown ride I went to MMX (The sand MX track in Marysville) this weekend there will be a CC event held there. They combine the two MX tracks plus put you through some bushes, sand washes and rocks as the tracks are located right next to the Yuba River. The course will be a little over four miles, so there will be lots and lots of laps.

I installed a new radiator cap and that seemed to solve the coolant issue, but I bottomed the forks enough that I blew a fork seal. My fault, I stiffened up the compression damping but forgot to close off the Air Cells. Off with forks and over to Bucky at SBB to replace both seals before the weekends race.

My intention is to report on this weekend’s CC event and then go to Arizona the following weekend for the first Old Timer International MX race of 2015 and report on that one as well. After that I think you’ll probably have had about enough of me and my stories.

The fourth race in this year’s District 36 CC (Cross Country) series was held in Marysville at the MMX motocross facility. Two of the first four races this year have been held on courses that were a little over three and a little over four miles in length, very short by CC standards.

I had a command performance late Saturday afternoon and evening. My wife had passed her black belt test a few weeks ago and Saturday was the belt awarding ceremony. I dared not miss that if you know what I mean.

I had planned to race Saturday but by the time my race would have finished and I got home desert would be served after dinner at my house and that just wasn’t going to fly. So I raced on Sunday instead, I moved up one class from what I normally race giving away a few years in the process, five or six years at the very least. I did quite well I won by two and a half minutes over second place. My race was an hour and a half of mostly sand and I had enough gas to left to do a couple more laps. The longest trail ride I’ve done (Our trail rides aren’t leisure) was fifty miles and I’m not sure I would have wanted to see if I could make sixty. Hopefully someday someone will come out with a larger tank, 2.9 would be great but because of the electric start and the location of the battery and all I’m not sure if they’ll be able to get one that large.

 

The course lay out was very good and fun, but the back sections were very, very difficult, lots and lots of soft sand woops and river rocks as part of the course ran next to the river. My arms pumped up the first two laps and I felt like I had used all my energy, but by the third lap I started loosening up and by the end only my knees were getting tired. The bike just doesn’t pull on you and tire you out like a big bore does.

I didn’t change any settings on the bike other than close down the Air Cells and the bike once again ran great, handled great and except for the occasional short run up a soft whooped out sand hill had enough power for me. The rider who finished third overall in the AA class was riding a 250FX a testament to this new bike.

Off to Arizona for first round of the Old Timer International Moto Cross season, with a stop on the way in Havasu to see #33.

It’s a long way from Northern CA to Havasu and after a short visit with #33 it was off to the ACP (Arizona Cycle Park) which is between Buckeye and Gila Bend (Pronounced He-la Bend) and both of those places are about an hour outside Phoenix.

The track is located behind a Federal Prison in a big pit. The pit is big enough to put two motocross tracks and an Endurocross course in it. Since it was in a pit I assumed it would be a sand track but it wasn’t. It did have sand but mostly it was kind of hard packed. It had some nice short up and down hills and I really liked part of the track, but the rest wasn’t what I’d call Old Timer friendly. It was very jumpy and the faces were peaked and valleys between them meant if you didn’t do it right you could be in a world of hurt. (And there were more than a few who didn’t do it right)

One of the things I was curious about was how the 250 would fair against 450’s off the start. The start was a slightly up hill left hander and the first race I got a great jump and was second into the first turn. The second race I stood the bike straight up after the gate, the third race was a mid pack start and the fourth race I was dead last into the first turn. From great to lousy in four starts, that’s progress. Conclusion, I would have to do almost perfect starts every time in order to beat a 450 into the first corner. (Probably not going to happen) The other thing I noticed was in order for me to feel comfortable jumping the jumps I did jump I needed to carry a lot more speed through the corners to make sure I had enough momentum. With the 450 I don’t need to be as perfect through the corners because of the power. Not sure if this feeling was because of the faces on the jumps or if this is just the way it is. (Going to Prairie City and the Hangtown National Track in a couple of days, we’ll see if that feeling carries over) But the 250 definitely didn’t wear me out as much as the 450 and that’s a big plus.

Time to wrap this up, every part or accessory I put on the bike was to help me and they did. There isn’t anything I’d take off or exchange for something else, the goal was not to make the bike better but rather to make it better for me and that I accomplished. There are plenty of riders who could ride this bike totally stock much faster than me.

As I remember in Part 1 I wondered if this bike could give the KTM 250 XCF a run for its money, I still haven’t ridden a KTM 250 XCF but I believe the answer is yes and then some. Except for those occasions when pure horse power is called for this bike can hang with anything.

As I’m finishing up this six part series I now have 21 hours on the bike and Roseville Yamaha has checked the valve clearances and given the bike the once over for me and all is well. There’s really nothing more to say about it, it has far exceeded my expectations.

Once again thanks to everyone at Roseville Yamaha for their support and to Bucky at SBB suspension.

Maybe at some later date I’ll do an update, but until then, this is…. The End.

Doug 21J

Legends & Heroes Celebrates LaRocco at Indy

Courtesy of Legends and Heroes

Friday, March 13, 2015

The Legends and Heroes Tour is very proud to honor one of America's premier racing stars, Mike LaRocco.

In 1988 "The Rock" launched his professional racing career at age 17 and upon his retirement in 2006 this fan favorite was widely recognized as the elder statesman on the professional circuit with 228 Supercross starts to his credit. He collected championships in the 1993 AMA 500 National Motocross Series, the 1994 AMA 250 National Motocross Series as well as the Supercross World Championship title in 2000.

An Indiana native, LaRocco was a fixture on the elite teams including Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda, the latter as a factory-supported Factory Connection rider. Mike won Supercross races throughout three decades in both the 125cc and 250cc classes. His legendary 1994 AMA 250 Motocross National Championship run was perhaps his most memorable. Upon his retirement in 2006, LaRocco had logged a total of 53 podium appearances in the 450cc class and 16 in the 125cc class.

"Mike LaRocco was always a tough competitor who gave more than 100% in his training, his racing and to his many fans," says Alex Moroz, General Managing partner for the Legends and Heroes tour. "The Rock was always one of the most focused competitors throughout his 19-year professional career and we are very proud to pay tribute to him this weekend."
During Saturday evening's pre-race ceremony Mike LaRocco will be presented with the Legends and Heroes award on the Monster Podium and a personally monogrammed Rockwell timepiece watch.

For more information on the Legends & Heroes Tour, contact Alex Moroz at: alex@legendsandheroestour.org or visit www.LegendsAndHeroesTour.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LegendsAndHeroesTour.

About the Tour
The Legends and Heroes Moto Museum Tour is a professional historical display and time-line of America's greatest motorsport. The tour includes the machines and the champs of Motocross and Supercross. The project was conceived by a dedicated group of motocross enthusiasts who, over the years, have discovered the value of the rich 40+ years of Motocross legacy and its impact on the American motorsports history. The dedication and passion of the sport has brought the Legends and Heroes Motocross Tour to the next level of sharing this legacy, the history of the machines and the men and women who made it happen! The history of the Classic Iron and its' champions is an ever changing dynamic model. We see this rich history as a great learning lab for all ages.

Do you want to see what a $350,000 bridge looks like?

 21J wanders around the Sierras looking for well spent OHV funds.

During my ride with Wayne in Georgetown while doing the six part series on the 250FX we rode down to Rock Creek to take a break and enjoy the surroundings and the creek, which countless others have done over the years. We’ve (Motorcyclists) been crossing this creek for many, many decades. In the winter it can be impassible (Too deep) but the riding area is routinely closed when the forest service thinks the area has had too much rain anyway. Even in the summer if you don’t do it right you could tip over and drown your bike.

A couple of years ago now a bridge was built over Rock Creek which is in the El Dorado National forest and this particular bridge is in the OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) riding area above Georgetown, CA.

The local environmentalist group argued that if a motorcycle should tip over the pollutants could harm the creek and its inhabitants downstream. The solution build a $350,000 bridge with OHV money.

At one time many, many years ago there was a road (For vehicles) that came down the hill on both sides of the creek and there was a bridge that crossed the creek but had washed out decades before. Over the years the road coming down from one direction has deteriorate the point walking or riding a motorcycle is the only way down. The other side is still passable in a vehicle to within a ¼ of a mile or so from the creek.

Looking at the pictures of the bridge it doesn’t look like it should have cost that much, but it did.

Doug 21J 

PS Yes, that is a car in the picture behind Wayne. About twenty years ago some fool (fools) drove their car down the bad side of the hill and that’s where it ended up. I’m sure that was the last attempt by anyone.

Finally MX Track Approval in WA

Granite Falls motocross track gets council approval

By Kari Bray, Herald Writer

GRANITE FALLS — A long-debated motocross track here may be able to move forward after a 4-1 vote of the Snohomish County Council Monday.

The council chambers, packed with about 120 people, erupted into cheers when county leaders announced their decision. The council voted to uphold a Dec 23 decision by the county hearing examiner that approved plans for a motocross complex and camping area on a 437-acre property between Green Mountain Mine and the Sand Hill gravel pit. MXGP of Kirkland purchased the acreage in 2007, after an attempt to build near Maltby met opposition. They’ve been seeking permission to build the off-road tracks northeast of Granite Falls since. Three parties appealed the hearing examiner’s December approval of the track: Martin Robinette, Ginger Amundson and the nonprofit Mountain Loop Conservancy.

The council was tasked with reviewing county code and determining whether the examiner’s decision, and the process used to reach it, meets all legal requirements. The council postponed the decision twice, once on Feb. 11 and again on Feb. 18. They started Monday’s meeting with a 12-minute executive session before taking a vote. Chairman Dave Somers was the lone vote against the project. The final written decision is scheduled to come before the council on Wednesday. It includes an amendment that requires MXGP to build a berm around the property before they can begin operating. The condition is tacked onto a 14-page list included in the hearing examiner’s ruling.

“A lot of people worked really, really hard on this and put a lot into it,” MXGP co-owner Gary Strode said after the vote. “Our lives have been on hold for nine years.”

It could take years to build the berm to contain noise and manage runoff, as required in the council’s decision, he said. The track likely won’t be finished for at least 15 years. It’s not ideal, he said, but he still is excited and relieved by the vote.

“We just want to have a place to ride,” he said.

Amundson, one of the appellants who opposes the motocross track, plans to pursue an appeal in court. Amundson believes the county already had decided to support the project, and nothing would sway leaders away from that decision. She hopes a judge may see things differently.

“It’s about the laws and the county code,” she said.

Opponents’ concerns have included noise, pollution and safety along with more technical worries about the permitting process and timeframe.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439, kbray@heraldnet.com

MX Historical Mayhem... Caution This May Hurt

10 Most Brutal Motocross Crashes Of All Time

You wont be able to look away, as much as you might want to…

By:James Lycett

Crashes are an inevitable part of motocross. No matter how horrific an accident may be they are also some of the most exciting moments in a race.

Fans will watch on in shock and awe as riders defy the laws of physics, soaring high above the floors of huge sporting arena’s and historic rolling fields alike. The combination of excitement and danger is one that keeps the fans flocking to motocross events the world over. Without the huge risks that these athletes take motocross would not be the same.

This does mean that, from time to time, there are crashes that will make headlines of their own. The spectacular nature of some of the crashes in this list will mean you won’t be able to look away, as much as you may want to!

Some of the featured riders walked away unscathed from incidents that may look potentially career ending. Some of them were not so lucky…

All of the riders in this list are, or have been, at the top level of the sport. This just emphasises the risks that a rider takes every time they time they throw their leg over the bike.

Without further a do, here is a list of the 10 most brutal crashes in motocross history.

Do you agree? Check this site http://whatculture.com/sport/10-most-brutal-motocross-crashes-of-all-time.php

Snowbirds!

Snowbirds...that's those retired people that leave the snow behind every year and migrate to places like Yuma, AZ. Most spend their time lounging, playing cards, going to the movie or playing lots of golf. However, some actually find other things to do... like riding the thousands of open miles the desert provides. They explore old mines or downed planes. Sometimes they just get out and bother the Border Patrol. Here is a short video of a couple of northern California snowbirds exploring an AZ sandwash. No rain, no snow just blue sky and miles of open trail. Life is good!

Eddie Cole Sucessfully Launches Next Components

Matrix Concepts launched the Next Components brand in mid January 2015 and exceeded their first quarter sales target in just the first two weeks of the launch.
 
The Next Components brand was strategically developed over a two-year period. Eddie Cole stated, “We are thrilled with the initial response from our customers and we can’t wait to introduce phase 2 and 3 of the launch”.

Next Component’s launch video showcases key innovative products that are now available.

Uniquely innovative products that include the Smart Lever; lightweight-unbreakable composite clutch and brake levers as well as a complete clutch perch assembly that integrates the Smart Lever technology.  The product line is completed with a full line of single and duel compound grips, shifters, foot pegs, chain guides/sliders, hand guards, rotator clamps and skid plates.

About Matrix Concepts / Next Components / 1.7 Cleaning Solutions: Matrix / Next / 1.7 is based in Valencia, California. Our products are used and developed by the top MX/Off-Road/Cycling race teams in the world and include personalized off road Motorcycle and Bicycle Stands, Tie Downs, Tool Boxes, Utility Cans, Mats, Next Levers, Grips, Hand guards, Foot-pegs, shifters, chain guides, sliders and Skid Plates as well as 1.7 Cleaning Solutions.  For more information on Matrix Concepts products visit: www.matrixracingproducts.com

10 Most Successful Motocross Riders To Make The Trip Across The Atlantic

Only a handful of riders have had real success after crossing the pond…

Over the years many riders have made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean to face a fresh challenge.

However, many riders have struggled to make the transition with any great success. This had led to a constant comparison between American and World Championship competition, and one that can only be made at the Motocross des Nations, an annual one day event.

This has once again been highlighted by recent high profile moves, including Ryan Villopoto’s decision to contest the 2015 MXGP series. For the first time in years a top American rider is making the decision to pit himself against the world’s best GP riders.

We see riders move to the States regularly, looking to the more glamorous Supercross and Nationals series’, following childhood dreams of riding the tracks that legend’s such as Rick Johnson, David Bailey and Bob Hannah made their name on.

Over the years we have seen many riders struggle to have a successful career following such a move, and it has proved that only the most versatile and talented riders have been able to do so successfully.

Here is a list of 10 riders that have achieved what many dream of; successfully beating the sports best on both sides of the pond. Visit this site for this intersting list http://whatculture.com/sport/10-most-successful-motocross-riders-to-make-the-trip-across-the-atlantic.php

Supercross...how does that black flag look now?

Supercross

The 2015 season has been entertaining thru the first eight races. Five different winners in eigth races is unusal. Chad Reed love him or hate him...the guy is a stud. It is too bad the AMA/FIM made their hasty decision to throw the black flag on him at Anaheim II. Poorly thought out decisions are what we have come to expect from the AMA. I think the rest of the supercross season will be exciting but I also think the fat lady is warming up her voice on the sidelines.

2015 YZ250FX Story Part 5...Racing

Race Day

As I said at the end of part 4 one of the next rides was going to be a CC race. Well a couple of days after I rode Mammoth Bar, I went to a place called Oasis Race Way which is near Clear Lake, CA. The day before it had rained two and a half inches in the area, but race day was clear and warm. It was a mud fest, the course was only a little over three miles and our race was an hour and a half long, so we made many, many, many laps. The course marshals made lots of changes as the event went on, routing us around sections that had become virtually impossible to negotiate.

 

So how did the bike work? It got the hole shot in front of about twenty five other riders on my row. (In second gear and a dead engine start, just pulled in the clutch and hit the button) the bike worked amazing. It had all the power I needed when and where I needed it. Suspension wasn’t a big factor today, although it worked very well considering the bike probably gained fifty pounds of mud. I usually struggle big time in deep mud, slop and ruts, but I did extremely well and the bike didn’t tire me out. (Only when I had to pick it up, that was a real struggle)

I didn’t like the front tire the bike came with so I put on a Bridgestone M30 and all I can say was the front end was a non factor so it must have worked. Although after going through some of the deeper sticker mud bogs the tires would pack and it was like being on ice and difficult to get up enough speed to clean the tires off. The course continued to deteriorate each lap and after about three laps nobody had passed me, until the top three vintage bikes did. Dist 36 has a vintage bike class; most of the bikes are from the early eighties because one of the rules is no disk brakes. It’s amazing how fast those old bikes can be ridden. (Their usually ridden by a lot of the top A and AA riders)They started on row one and I was on row six and with thirty seconds between starts and a clear track they caught up to the back rows fairly quickly.

After a few more laps I actually started getting bored with it all, it wasn’t a whole lot of fun anymore and with my great start all my normal competitors were in back of me. Usually I’m in back racing forward. I actually pulled over for a few minutes and thought about going back to the pits, even asked a course worker, but I couldn’t get back there from where I was. Staying on the course was the best way to get back and when I went through the scoring chute again I could see there wasn’t that much time left. So my incentive was to finish and see if I could catch some of the riders who passed me while I was thinking about quitting.

A couple more laps one more tip over and after getting out of one last bog with the help of a course worker I finished and I’m glad I did. When I looked down at my odo and it read eighteen miles, I said are you kidding me an hour and a half and only eighteen miles, it felt like at least double that. That’s almost embarrassing except there were about a hundred other riders out there flopping around as well and all but two were considerably younger. Goes to show you how slow and muddy it was, at least for me anyway. My friend Pete who’s been the District 36 CC champion in the 60+ Master class five out the last six years, raced on Sunday in a down pour and average a little under ten MPH in winning his class. And I thought my sixteen MPH in the sunshine was slow.

The Yamaha looks so open and bare but I found out it just leaves lots and lots of places for mud to pack in. I initially took it to a car wash and spent a lot of money getting it to a point where I could take it home and then tear it down and really clean it. I spent untold hours cleaning everything, I spent more hours cleaning than I did driving to and from the race and the race itself.

Now I’m waiting for the rain to stop and for the ground to dry up a little so I can ride some trails in the woods.

Doug 21J