Tag: ADVRider.com

Finally a ride on the new scoot

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Finally got a chance to take the new Husqvarna out for a test ride (video uploading shortly).  We had a good 3 mile loop to really push ourselves and our bikes.  There was a great mix of high speed open sections, mixed in with some plenty technical & extremely rough terrain.  Overall I felt really positive about the bike.  The ergonomics fit me really well.  The bike has plenty of power, though the jetting down low in the RPM’s is a little on the rich side.  Minor details, and really the jetting can be solved with me running a bit faster.

I had a lack of confidence in the front end of the bike, though I feel this will be solved with a fresh front tire & possibly some toying with the front forks a bit, get a bit more feeling out of things.  My only real gripe with the bike is the wonky kick start.  The lever is about 3″ further forward than any other bike I’ve ridden & it has a super short sweep.  Extremely annoying if I killed the engine in a rough spot and as I noted while washing my boots, it ripped apart the center of the sole on my Tech 8’s.

All in all, a very positive day riding.  Heck, I even got to test the 85′ XR350R & what a fun bike.  Great 6 speed gear box.  Just the right amount of power, super plush suspension, and my goodness a lazy-boy seat.  Great combo for a fun vintage machine.

-Andrew

The new trusty steed.

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As posted prior, I’ve decided to update my race bike.  I’ve gone simpler, cheaper, and hopefully faster.  Scratch that.  I KNOW I’ll be faster.  I can base that on the new bike being 20+ pounds lighter.  I’m stoked about what is to come in the upcoming weeks here.   First I’ll put the beast up on display here:

 

I’m excited with what I’ll be able to do on this thing.  In the little I’ve tested it so far, it just feels right.  Thursday I will be setting up a new grueling 3 mile test loop with full on practice Sunday.  I’m unfortunately missing a Harescramble to get this practice in, but I’m trying to keep my focus on the upcoming Enduro season (using Harescrambles to keep me in race form).  The weekend won’t be here soon enough.  I’ll have video up soon enough of what I can do on this bike.  I’m ready!

-Andrew

Sweet Relief!

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What a relief.  Last Saturday I got to put in some time on the 450.  Such an incredible feeling to get back on the bike after several months off.  Amusingly enough, I had pre-ride jitters.  My brain had me thinking I wasn’t going to know what to do on the dang thing.  As to be expected though, my brain hadn’t forgotten how to operate the thing and I was able to pick up basically right where I left off.  Things felt extremely good on the 450.  The suspension work I had done over the winter seems to have really paid off.  Bumps and ruts that in the past had felt fine in the past, I hadn’t realize how harsh they had been.  The bike just seems to track better than before, with much more confidence.  In the past I had concerns with front tire placement, and felt I had to be extremely cautious in pushing the front.  That was not an issue whatsoever.  I placed the tire where I wanted it, and the bike followed, going exactly where I wanted to go.

Unfortunately my buddy Jamo hadn’t gotten his bike back together, but he was kind enough to do some mild filming of the ride.  Nothing major, but was good to see the bike & me back in action.  Looking forward to plenty more of this riding in the near future here.  Here’s the clip.  Enjoy!

Andrew Gore….MOTOSTAR!!! from Jameson Bradford on Vimeo.

-Andrew

Getting antsy is quite the understatement.

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Just last week I posted up how I was feeling better, getting exercise, eating better.  Go figure that a couple days after that, I get taken down and out for almost a week with a cold\sinus situation.  Blame the weather, blame whatever, I dunno.  It’s only added to my growing desire to get back out on my bike and ride.

Typically during the spring\summer\fall I’m logging several hours every weekend.  I haven’t really ridden a bike since late November.  I realize that I’m not the only one in this predicament, and really it’s not a predicament per se.  It’s just annoying.  We’ve had one of the mildest winters that I can personally remember, and I have yet to log a single minute on a bike.  The more I contemplate that, the increasingly stupid it seems to be.  In all this time, the least I coulda done was gone to some empty field somewhere and worked on some basic techniques.

Thankfully the natural outdoor lighting has been staying on just a little longer each day.  The weather is steadily improving (for now?), and my bike is ready for action.  I’m just absolutely ready to get out and back on a bike.  I’m going to be at the equivalent of a rusty box of nails when I get back on the bike.  My only hope is that I have happen what I have had in the past.  Extended period off the bike has helped focus myself and I somehow return almost better at riding than where I was before I took the time off.

-Andrew

AMA D17 Enduro Season 4 Months Away

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     Just over 4 months away, the AMA District 17 Enduro Season will be underway. Last season I had the initial goal of competing in the complete D17 HareScramble series, though after the initial excitement, it seemed an unattainable goal due to the sheer number of events throughout the year. Along the way, I managed to sidetrack myself with a brief (yet exciting) stint in the world of supermoto. I continued on with a couple more HareScrambles with mediocre success (bike changes, failures, etc) , before finally giving in and going out to try racing in an Enduro. I quickly realized what I should have been doing all along.

So here we are, January of 2012 with just a few short months to be completely prepped for the upcoming season. I’ve decided to set some short(er) term goals in concrete here. Without a clear goal in mind, I’ll never formulate a clear plan of attack. I’ll never win anything, without a plan. So here is my simple 2012 goal:

Top 5 Overall B D17 Enduro

 

That’s it.  I KNOW I have what it takes to get myself there.  I’ll have to push myself & machine for sure, but I am confident in what I can do.  It’s time for me to attack.  I’m taking the year off from swapping bikes.  I’ll campaign the BMW G450X for 2012.  That is final.  I’m excited.  You should be too.

 

We’ll see you on the trails.

Andrew –