When opportunity knocks…

Have dirt, will travel...

First of all… I’m back. Sorry for the longer-than-expected delay on writing. Such is the price for having an extremely different school schedule – and trying to get ahead now, so I have more time in the winter to ride (although I don’t see what’s wrong with that!).

Anyway, there’s no snow yet here. Which allows for fall projects – including dirtwork.  And when there’s dirt piled up in berms, there’s only one thing to do: build it up a little, and then jump it on dirtbike.  Sounds safe enough, right? Of course, there are always fun little variables. Like having a 7-foot deep trench you have to clear…

Until the dirt gets pushed back, it’s good fun. Once that does happen, it’s onward to find new terrain… And continue getting everything ready for winter. Which, oddly enough, never comes too early here!

A different perspective.

got my wheels back! (finally)

So between flat tires and self-destructing wheel bearings, i haven’t gotten to ride the KTM at all for the past 4 weeks or so… but i finally got it back together this week, and it’s going strong again. Good timing, considering we aren’t going to the ditch this week…. so hopefully we can get in some good big rides on two wheels.

I’m also breaking in a pair of motocross boots. they’re a far cry from the cowboy boots i had been riding dirtbikes in, but i feel quite a bit safer and more protected. Once I get a good amount of experience in them, i’ll let you all know how they work out…

breakdowns, summer edition…

It seems like I’ve said this before… I need more preventive maintenance in between riding seasons. This time, it was my dirtbike, rather then my sled, that broke down right into the riding season.

 

Going into the season, I knew I needed new tires. They weren’t that worn out, so I figured I could run them for a while. Not the case when the front went flat. No problem, I’ll get new tires. When I took the rear wheel off, I noticed the bearings were loose. Cool, just order a new set of bearings, and put them on when I get them. No hurry. That was the mistake. They went out on the second ride with the new tires. While they were at it, they tore up a couple more parts, too.

 

So that’s a quick update. I’ve been out of riding for a couple weeks now, and I’ve still got some “ride-less” time ahead….

more updates…

 

one of the jumps thru Brewster Park.

Since the past post, the roads and trails have dried out even more. No longer are there big snow banks in Brewster Park or on Lost Trail Creek. So far, we’ve made it to the top of Timber Hill, and to the forks of Lost Trail Creek…

 

Now, our problem isn’t snow banks… At least, not directly in our path. But the creeks still have their spring swell, and the larger creeks and river are nearly impossible to cross come afternoon (especially considering KTMs and Super Sherpa’s don’t swim!).

 

As far as sleds, they’re obviously parked in their places for the summer. Apart from repairs, hopefully I’ll be able to get more mods done….

Different bikes, different styles

As I mentioned in “Riding Brewster Park”, I ride a two-stroke KTM. Part of why I love it is because it’s got a snappy powerband – without being too uncontrollable.

 

Although it does get a little tiring on long days, I personally like a quick-moving bike for the trails and jeep roads. It may not get you there faster, but the ability to pop the front tire over obstacles is not only fun, but useful in some cases. (Ok, so maybe all fun…)

 

The two biggest downsides to riding a capable 2-stroke in the mountains, I feel, are having to premix gas for it, and having no engine braking capabilities. Although neither is a big problem, they both get tiresome – especially when you have to ride the brakes all the way down a mountain pass…

 

Then there’s my dad’s Kawasaki Super Sherpa. About the opposite of mine. Slow to rev up, mellow, and easy to ride (comparatively speaking). It gets around just as well as the KTM, just at a more even pace. That might have to do with the rider, though…