Tag: KTM

YZ144 Ramblings (some continuations from ThumperTalk)

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What you’ll see here are some postings I’ve made up on the site ThumperTalk.  You can see the full thread HERE Here is some of the latest:

Well the issue proned YZ has to a degree been maintaining it’s evil ways. I was spending some time bleeding another bikes brakes, so figured I’d re-bleed the YZ rear brake as it was getting spongy the last time I rode it. Power bleed, all clear, no bubbles. Thought I was golden. About 30-45 minutes into my last ride, I got no rear brake  So I sat there in the parking lot, bleeding away. I could see no bubbles, and fresh fluid was pouring out, but alas, no pressure. I noticed that each time I’d add fluid to the “reservoir” that there would be an odd swirl of colors in there, so it dawned on me. Clean that out, and re-fill completely fresh. 2 minutes later and I’m working with a whole new brake. 

I didn’t realize how much I had altered my riding to compensate for a rear brake that had always been a bit on the squishy side. I chocked it up to old lines, and slightly worn components. After having properly bled brake, I really had to work on my braking points, as my rear was locking up much quicker\easier than I had been accustomed to. Couple laps around a track and I was back in action. How sweet it was!

I have been really enjoying my woods suspension, other than for the fact that every time I have ridden the dang thing, it has been on tracks instead of trails, but what can you do. I haven’t really even bothered touching the clickers, as I feel they are so far pretty solid; although I feel I may end up clicking them a bit more stiff in the future.

I am finding that the ATV High bars are….well, too high. It’s not terrible, but really I need to switch to a CR-Hi bend, with 0.5″ cut off each end. That will be the best setup.

I also had the joy of a friend hooking me up with a spare Michelin MS3 110/100-19 rear tire. I know, it’s a bit larger than normally on a 125, but I tell yah what. The larger profile gives that much more grip & also acts as if I am rocking an 18″ rear tire. I’m hooked. I will be switching from the Shinko 520 tires (thought I thought they performed quite well for as long as they did).

That’s about it for now. Was supposed to race a GP with it last Sunday, but the club wussed out because of some light rain in the AM (oddball MX guys ). I’m taking the 450 out for an Enduro this Sunday, and then the following weekend, there is another GP race that the YZ144 will be back at.

Some parting pics from the riding we did since the GP was canceled:
Been “attempting” to scrub a bit on the jumps. They’re so short that I flat land if I gas too much:

Scootin away from my buddy on his ktm:

Enjoying some small air:

Explaining to MR. KTM how to stay up front 

Happy Thursday!

Andrew

Club57MX GP Race…….Epic BUST

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John T & I arrived at Byron Motorsports Park promptly at 7:30am Sunday for registration.  Both of us quite excited despite the somewhat dreary skies.  As we pulled into the facilities, we were both a bit confused at the lack of gate attendant collecting gate fee, and the apparent lack of additional vehicles in the pits.  This was to be a race at a MotoCross facility, surely they would not cancel due to a few light showers in the AM.  We rolled on over towards the bathrooms and struck up conversation with another racer.  Oddly enough, our fears were confirmed.  the Club57MX GP Race had been canceled.

Weather forecast showed light rain until 830-9am.  Not bad, considering racing was to start at 9am (practice).  But alas, we were screwed.  We drove our hour and a half to be informed that MX has gone full NASCAR and was afraid of some rain.  So onto Plan B, or so we thought.  KI Tracks was just a few miles away and surely they would be open.  A handful of other riders discussed heading out there as well to get some riding in.  After doing some quick driving & quick Facebook investigation, we found that KI Tracks too was afraid of the rain and would not be open.

So what to do.  We all knew that Rocky Glen was just up the road, despite not really wanting to ride there.  It was the last and final option for us, so we figured what the heck.  They had just finished the week before, their “new” B Track.  It’s short, it was a bit sloppy, and had not been maintained one bit since the week before.  On the upside, Rocky Glen is open rain or shine and so off to riding there it was.

Like I said, Rocky Glen had done basically 0 maintenance on the track they had just finished creating.  The park manager (from all the times I’ve been there) doesn’t usually show up until sometime around noon, at which point, it’s unclear of what he is actually accomplishing.  The park seems to have a lack of ability in keeping riders informed.  It’s a heavy dose of “sign this, give us your money, peace out” sort of deal.  I’ve yet to hear any riders told that certain areas are one way, UTV’s are NOT supposed to be on the track (are they supposed to even be there in the first place?), Utility ATV’s are NOT meant for the main “MX” tracks.  Just a general lack of common sense things being relayed to the riders.

Yes, it’s easy for me as a paying customer to find things like that to complain about.  I’ve no idea what the operation actually runs like, I’ve no idea who actually owns the place, and how they feel things are operating there.  I do know though that as a rider on the tracks, it is annoying dealing with riders who apparently have no clue as to how anything works.  In the rare occasion  that someone is doing maintenance (I’m using this term loosely here) on a given track, people feel the need to continue riding while there is a big machine in the way.  Not only does this make things a royal PITA for the individual working on the track, but the safety issue is just huge.  On top of that, you have riders that feel the need to ride on\off the track at whatever area they see fit.  Now that is not really an issue, until you have riders that feel as though they can cut across a track at any point in time.  I can’t even count the number of times on my hands that I have had riders cut in front of me, or worse being going the opposite direction as I come around a turn, or landing from a jump.  Completely unacceptable actions that unfortunately can be tied to riders having NO clue about anything, and the staff not even remotely saying anything to them.

But hey, this wasn’t meant to be a rant on things I feel are wrong with Rocky Glen (though I feel they need some SERIOUS improvement).  The 5 of us got to put in a good amount of laps, and by noon, the track was getting plenty tacky and allowed for some good riding fun between Jam0 and I.  I got to roost Jameson plenty good, so that was a nice positive end to the day.  My bike felt great, and it has left me for wanting to push myself more and get even faster.  Can’t really complain about that.

-Andrew

ps – I failed at tossing the gopro on my helmet Sunday.  Jam0 has some pictures, so I’ll relay those when I can.

1995 Suzuki RM125 Supermoto – w/Dirt Setup – Ohlins

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1995 Suzuki RM125 Motocross Bike

Full Supermoto setup.

Tubeless 17″ wheelset w/125GP Slick on Rear

Recent complete engine overhaul.  Full top-end, bottom end, etc.

Ahead of it’s time Dual Chamber fork with fresh bushings\seals\wipers

Ohlins Rear shock BEAUTIFUL!

Bike includes full set of dirt wheels\tires\rotors\etc

Spare parts, manual, plastics, etc.

Frame recently repainted as well.  Very clean bike!

Very competitive in Supermoto – Lightweight class.

I absolutely love this bike, but it’s time for me to move on.  Any questions, feel free to ask!

For more pictures, please check here: IMAGES

Price: $1500obo

Location: Spring Grove, IL 60081

Questions, and want to check it out call me:

Andrew

815-669-0529

Am I anxious, or bored of non-competition?

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I feel each time I come on here and write something, that I’m opening some sort of floodgates to my inner racing confessional (does such a thing exist?).  There seems to be this constant feeling of “not enough” when it comes to me and riding (motor) bikes.  It appears that despite getting a lot of seat time on my bikes, it still doesn’t seem to mean much.  Don’t get me wrong in what I’m saying.  I enjoy all the time on the bike; this is true.  It’s evident in how my demeanor improves after riding (I’m sure someone out there could elaborate on the chemicals in my brain doing their thing).  My body feels better, my psyche seems to be improved.  Unfortunately it seems that “just riding” is lacking.  I need some Competition.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/competition Defines Competition as such:

com·pe·ti·tion

[kom-pi-tish-uhn]  Show IPA

1.  The act of competing;  rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc.:The competition between the two teams was bitter.

I’m not particularly looking for supremacy here*, nor could I care about prizes.  And in all honesty I know in woods racing, my greatest competitor is my brain.  The thing is, there is something downright intoxicating about being a winner.  Sorting out a line to get around a slower racer, managing to hold onto the bike up after an hour and a half of bouncing off trees, logs, rocks, and random obstacles.  It’s a feeling that is just not had while in a play ride\practice.  The intensity isn’t as high.  The focus isn’t as sharp.

All this to say that I am getting bored of “just riding”.  Sounds terrible when I love riding as a whole, but dang.  I need some competition.  Two weeks tops and I’m at a race.  It couldn’t be here any sooner.

-Andrew

*Ok, I would gladly take being known as one of the best. 😉

New Mechanic

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A rather successful “practice” day at Rocky Glen OHV was had this past Sunday.  Saturday night I tossed the YZ back together, installed the oversized Acerbis tank, and crossed my fingers that my jetting for 30-40 Degrees F would work in the 80+ Degrees we were due to get.  Much to my surprise, the bike went together as easy as expected.  I had confidence in the little 144 and opted to not start the bike (nor wake my wife) at 11pm.

Loaded up and ready to roll Sunday AM, John & I took off for Rocky Glen.  Clear skies, warm temperatures, and most importantly: fresh grippy track awaited us at Rocky Glen.  The YZ as expected fired up immediately.  Unfortunately the CR belonging to John decided to foul a plug 30 seconds after starting up.  Fresh spark and we were both off riding.  As the day progressed and the sun shone down upon us a few things became clear.

1. The Shinko 520 tires were hooking up like mad.  I’ve noticed them to be the slightest bit slippery on harder pack surfaces, but anything remotely soft and they just dig in and grip.

2. I’m still having minor confidence issues on longer higher speed turns.  My ability to keep the bike pinned through these sections needs to be improved.  This is especially highlighted when the section is followed by a jump.  Which leads me to revelation 3.

3. I need to learn more bike control in the air.  I understand that bike movement in the air is also started by bike manipulation while on the jump take-off, but I need to sort out mid air corrections\movements a bit better.  I believe this also ties in a bit with my suspension, which is the final 4.

4. Suspension setup is slowly becoming a stumbling block in my overall speed improvement.

Now, allow me to elaborate mildly on the suspension setup.  I have almost always been a rider who has believed that I should be able to ride around most suspension\bike setup issues.  I most always keep my suspension clickers at stock settings, and usually don’t even bother with tire pressure (ok, I’ll usually set tire pressure once, and then leave it there).  I’ve tended to just roll with how the bike feels, and have gone back to the mindset that I can improve my riding if I can find ways to work around my bike setup.  Up until now, I’ve known that YES, I could improve the bike setup, but felt that I haven’t been at that speed yet.  I’ve known that I’m fast, but have felt that personal improvements can be made before changing\improving my machine.

Things were different this Sunday.  John was at the track with me, and was able to offer up critical input on how  my bike and I looked while on the track.  Things I normally can’t see on my own.  I know a lot can be seen through a GoPro, unfortunately I’d need about 10 of them setup all over me and the bike just to provide the input that one persons set of eyes could.  John put things quite bluntly for me, which is what I need while riding.  John explained that when comparing my bikes suspension to the other faster guys on the track, that mine appeared to be in the bottom end of it’s stroke throughout most of the track and also appeared to be bottoming out on the face of most jumps, on the landings, and even on bumpy sections of track.

In all honesty, I knew that the suspension would bottom out if I overshot some of the landings, but to me the bike felt just fine throughout the rest of the track.  My stubbornness & laziness led me to explaining to John that while I completely agree with his statements about my suspension, that the reality is, that I while out riding won’t mess with my bike setup.  It sounds completely stupid I know, but it’s just how I am.  I’m usually either focused on a competition, or just having fun messing around on the bike that I don’t mess with the bike.  Up until now it hasn’t been an issue.

John wasn’t satisfied with my laxidasical feelings towards my suspension and promptly grabbed a screwdriver from his tool bag.  He spun a few clickers and said ride and come back, then tell him how things felt.  I found the front end to become more and more planted through turns, which felt good.  Jumps were less draining (this was also in lieu of John saying that I wasn’t completely gapping all the jumps, but coming up just shy of landing on the downside).

In light of these rather simple and obvious changes, I found it easier and less draining to press harder and ride faster.  With properly gapping jumps, I had less overall body fatigue, and was able to push through rutted up high speed sections easier.  With the suspension feeling more planted, I was able to worry less about tires washing out on me.  It all made me feel good.  Unfortunately shortly thereafter, my body was feeling the drain of 4 hours at the track under the mid 80’s sun beaming down on us.  On top of that, it was becoming sadly apparent that my fork seals are blown causing my fork oil to seep out.

And so it is.  John has graciously offered himself up as official “Track Mechanic”.  I will be putting my bike in his hands while we’re out riding.  This should help me boost not only my confidence in my bike, but in my overall riding.  I’m excited for things to come here.  Now if only it were the weekend!

-Andrew

PS. If anyone out there would like to teach me how to do whips\scrubs on jumps, I honestly feel it’d be a good skill to have in my pocket. 🙂