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Chilly’s Blog – Off To The Races

Chilly — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:15:19 +0000

Race Weekend

Okay, well I am just getting ready to head out the door to go race. We have the District 37 VCMC enduro this weekend at Gorman. It is a two day qualifier style event, we have to impound and everything. So it looks like it will be a good time.

I have the 2012 Gas Gas 300 all ready to go. I put some mousses in and added my Flexx bars. Other than that it is just stock. I think I have the jetting sorted out. Oh, almost forgot, I put the Rekluse EXP auto clutch in it too. I have not even ridden with it yet, so I need to go break the clutch in today.

Here is a quick preview of next week.

We have behind the scenes look at the THR Motorsports KX450 build. I stopped by Precision Concepts last week to get a peek at it.

You will love this one. I have an advertiser coming on board who thought maybe they would like a bikini girl in their ad. So guess who’s job it is to handle the arrangements? Here is one model we tested with. Super nice girl. Have to look at some others next week.

Here is your gratuitous eye candy for the day. These things are a piece of art, way too nice for the bike project that we are going to use them on. We will look at that project next week also. I can also tell you that this project will include the following part number - SXS09300100KIT. Does that get anyone excited?

Photos from 2008 ISDE in Greece

Chilly — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:53:14 +0000

“Some days it is good to know you are not the only one who feels this way”

Here is one I ran across. Some days are easy and some are hard. Greece had temperatures that rose well over 100 degrees. It was rough. But there was some relief also, a couple of days we made a big run up a mountain to over 5,000 feet and it remained cool up there. But the finish to those days was down a long single track canyon that got no air flow. It was good in the sense that it was some of the coolest riding I have ever done in an ISDE. But the further down the canyon you descended, the warmer it got, to the point of almost feeling like an oven right at the bottom.

Still it was one of those things, where no matter how long or bad the day had been, you knew you could look forward to this fun piece of trail and then the day would be over.

Some days it is nice to know that you are not the only one who feels tired and worn out. Because I certainly did nearly every day. In this picture is Nolan Irwin on the right. If you have ever met him, he seems sort of like the Energizer Bunny, never out of batteries. I can’t remember the other rider right off, another District 36 guy a believe.

Check out this video from one of the special tests titled “Brutal Ruts”. In it you can see Nicole Bradord, right at start, Lars Valin at minute 5, Justin Lipana at minute 8 and me at 8:40. It is pretty entertaining.

Chilly’s Blog – Riding versus Testing

Chilly — Thu, 10 May 2012 01:04:52 +0000

Who Wants To Test Motorcycles?

Okay, I know everyone is going to think I am completely full of horse dung, so finish reading and then feel free to flame on.

Do you want to know when I have the most fun riding? Is it when I get to take out the newest bad ass bike in the shop? Is it when I get invited for the very first ride on the latest über cycle, the one that is going to change the world? Is it getting to try out that new super trick part that arrived in the mail? Well, it is none of the above.

I typically have the most fun when I am out riding the oldest, most worn out bike I can find. Now surely I jest, this must be crazy talk, insanity. I have three of the latest, greatest in the shop right now. But I want to go ride the dusty one that is tucked in the corner. Just recently spent a whole day getting the old 2003 450 out to go on a Baja trip. I had a great time on that ride.

Now this oldie works pretty good, I have gotten many good years of service out of it. But there is more to it than that. It is the bike that allows me to start a ride with absolutely no expectations. As long as it runs and doesn’t do anything bad, I am a happy guy. Getting home after a few days of riding with no mechanical problems is like a little victory on its own.

Now the difference with a new bike is that I do have expectations. There are lots of good motorcycles, but few great ones. That is to say the bar is set pretty high. Secondly, people are going to want me to be able to explain and quantify how it works. Is it really better than the Yamazuki? Now this part is starting to sound a little bit like work. I have to think and be responsible, almost like having to show up for a job everyday. Testing bikes is terrible for clearing the mind.

So if I don’t want to get fired, a day of riding turns into a day of testing. Testing can be fun, but it is also laborious. Think about it. I just made a jetting change; one lap out on the track tells me it is wrong. Now I have to sit back down, get all the tools out and do it over again. Or how about that suspension change. Maybe I should put the heavier spring on? Did I bring all the tools to change the spring? How do I get the shock out of this bike anyway?

It is pretty much a one man job. No one wants to waste their day of riding to watch you get the tools out again. Everyone wants to volunteer to help ride the new bikes. No one really wants to commit to spending a tedious day of testing.

Time is money. Both are my enemy. This is a business. I am still trying to figure out how to make it flow in the green and get out of the red. Testing motorcycles consumes far more resources than I can usually justify. When it costs $100 to drive anywhere, it adds up fast. But I love it, so I am stuck to it, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Many people ride motorcycles, few really test them. So when you read the latest test on DirtActionCycle.com, think about what you are reading. Did they really test the bike or just go out and ride it?

BSA “Catalina” Scrambler

Chilly — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:54:52 +0000

I was down at Skeeter’s Motorsports this weekend and look what I ran into. This beautiful 1962 BSA. This was Skeeter’s bike from back in the day. The original fuel tank had been stored away and the crew just recently ran across it. It is looking pretty good for being 50 years old.

They also happened to have this copy of Motorcyclist magazine that shows the roots of the Catalina model. Chuck “Feets” Minert won the 1956 race and that inspired the factory to produce the iconic model. Here are a few pictures of both the bike and magazine copy.

Link: AMA Hall of Fame, Chuck Minert Biography

Friday – Gone Riding Sneak Peak

Chilly — Fri, 04 May 2012 02:31:22 +0000

2012 Gas Gas EC300

Here it is, finally! We have the 2012 Gas Gas 300. So I am gone riding, hope I didn’t have anything else needing my attention today. The delivery of the new Gassers was delayed and I have been waiting anxiously. It sure looks good, lots of new stuff to see. It is a lot to take in at once. It even has a new brake pedal, a long time complaint of mine.

So look for a first ride report in a few days. For now you can just be happy for me that I get to ride new bike.

Who is Ready For Some Endurocross?

Chilly — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:08:29 +0000

Any Question Who Is Favored For Win?

Taddy Bazusiak ready for 2012 Endurocross

Here we are on the eve of the 2012 AMA Endurocross season, I should be perched on the edge of my seat anxiously waiting for it all to begin. Undoubtably this wild form of indoor dirt bike racing is some of the best action ever conceived for spectators. Yet, I sit here feeling mildly apathetic about the whole thing.

So what is my problem? Let’s face it, racing is only racing when the outcome is in dispute. I expect that tomorrow’s season opener will see some of the best bar to bar action of the year. 30 some riders will be “all in”, hoping to get a place in the main event. Once the main event starts, those dozen riders will all be frenzied, giving it their best to put on a show for the crowd. Too bad that all of them, except for one, will be racing for second place. As for who will actually win the race, do we have any doubt who that will be?

Over the last 12 months Taddy Blazusiak has put on a display of racing dominance that will be hard for anyone to repeat. Not only did he vanquish all comers in the US last year, but he then headed off to Europe where he put on a repeat performance in the World Super Enduro Championship. There is not one person in the world that can match Taddy indoors right now.

I have caught a couple of the 2011 races on the mid-week TV coverage recently. On TV it is a little easier to dissect the race break down. It really becomes clear just how fast Taddy is. It is almost as if he never slows down, regardless of the obstacle. There are a few riders that can match him for a couple of laps, but over the course of the entire event, nobody! Taddy is number one in skill, conditioning, team and motorcycle. Apparently my campaign to convince KTM to send Taddy to race in the desert and let Kurt Caselli ride in his spot did not gain much traction.

Honestly I wish we knew a little more about Taddy. He just shows up, wins and leaves again. As a personality, he really isn’t part of our off road community. One thing I do know, is that he has had to make a decision to race Endurocross over some other very prestigious events this year. Due to the schedule, he will have to miss Erzberg and probably Romaniacs.

Of course, Taddy can’t possibly win every race. Someone is going to get the door opened and sneak past. So to who has the next best chance for a win? Who is the best of the rest? That is a great question and I really don’t have an answer for it. Some of the very best talents are, how shall I say this, are riding on second tier motorcycles. I don’t mean to sound critical, but when you have to go up against a full factory effort like KTM, it takes big commitment. The suspension on the KTM’s probably costs more than most of the bikes they line up against.

So who else might get a shot at the top step? For the Americans I am going to go out on a limb and predict Taylor Robert. I think the Kawasaki’s are probably the next best EX bikes right now and Taylor has the conditioning and aggression needed to win. I am not sure who among the Euros that we might see ride in the series, but I think that both Graham Jarvis or Johnny Walker could make it to a win.

So there you have my 2 cents. I think the best racing of the night will probably be the LCQ, those are the hungry guys. I have not talked about many of the other top riders, so tell me who you like. Let’s hear from you. Leave your best comments below.

btw- Geoff Aaron will sit out the season opener due to a separated shoulder injury.

2012 Endurocross Pre Entry List

Taddy Balzusiak
Mike Brown
Justin Soule
Geoff Aaron
Cody Webb
Gary Sutherlin
Kyle Redmond
Taylor Robert
Bobby Prochnau
Colton Haaker
Kevin Rookstool
Keith Sweeten
Jacob Argubright
Cory Graffunder
Rory Sullivan
Eric Rhoten
Johnny Walker
Max Gerston
Jamie Lanza
Bobby Garrison
Josh Strang
Ivan Ramirez
Keith Wineland
Destry Abbott
Wally Palmer
Ryan Sandoval

Update – I Tell You About This Photo

Chilly — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:46:51 +0000

Update- I think I chose something a little too obscure here. So let me tell everyone about this day.

This is day one at the 2004 ISDE in Poland. Nate Kanney is riding in his first ISDE on the Trophy team. Yamaha shipped him a brand new, box stock WR450 for the event. Contrary to the decals, no suspension work, bone stock.

The first sections was tight woods with deep sand whoops. Down in the bottom of the whoops are all kinds of tree roots. Each day the whoops got deeper and harder to ride through. It looked a little like New Jersey conditions. Nate crashed just a little ways into the first section. Later in the week Alan Deyo would crash the same way, got out of hand in the whoops and clobbered a tree.

Nate damaged a radiator on the WR450. So he decided to ride back to the start to try to make repairs. Many riders had not even started the day yet, that is Jeff Fredette helping Nate. There was no spare radiator, so Jeff is explaining to Nate how to bypass it and run with just one radiator. JD Hammock is also in the photo.

This was not the damage that really mattered. Nate had also hurt himself in the crash. He was getting worse by the minute with internal injuries. Nate went on to complete the first loop of the day. When he came back to the pits mid day the crew could tell he was in really bad shape. His eyes and color were tell tale signs of internal injury.

I don’t remember the exact injury, I think it was a ruptured kidney or spleen. Anyway the crew got medical help for Nate. He was sent off to the Polish hospital where he underwent surgery. So Nate’s race was over. Not only that, he was travelling alone so he had no one to assist him. He spent the entire week in the hospital by himself. Everyone else was busy with the race, so did not really have any time to go visit him. Some of the guys working on the pit crew visited him during the week and helped him out.

Nate was released right at the end of the week. We saw him once when he got out. If I remember correct his hospital bill for surgery and week-long stay was about $500. One of the guys on the pit crew paid it for Nate. As you can imagine it was not really the way Nate planned to spend his week, all alone in a hospital half way around the world. I suspect it is a week he will never forget.

About Alan Deyo’s crash – ”Mr Tough Guy” Deyo was hurt pretty good in his crash also. He booked a flight home straight away. Beth Neff drove him to the airport and he flew home, in to Spokane. It was probably 20 hrs total travel time. He flew home with a punctured lung! When he landed he went straight to the hospital. I don’t imagine that flight was much fun.

Okay, here is one I came across while organizing some old files. Let’s see who can tell me a little about it. It is a very memorable scene for those who were there. It should not be too hard to name the faces. But who can tell me the where and what is going on?

Looking Back – 2002 Czech ISDE

Chilly — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:34:39 +0000

2002 ISDE Czech Republic

This photo is from day 4 of the 2002 ISDE in The Czech Republic. It was my first ISDE and all I could think about was that I had to finish. Taking a DNF was not an option. Right before we left for the event, I found out that the AMA had entered me in the wrong class. Long story short, I had to change bikes two days before the event started. Fortunately KTM had a 400exc available for me. I picked it up from KTM, rode it across the pits and spent one hour prepping it before it had to go into impound. I literally put the mousse tubes in it and checked all the bolts.

When the ISDE started, I rolled the 400 out of impound to start, the bike had exactly 1 kilometer showing on the odometer. Fortunately it was nearly identical to the 400 I already had at home, so I felt right at home on the bike. It ran great all week. Just last week I just pulled that out and spent 3 days riding it in Mexico.

The event was incredibly hard. It rained nearly every day. Only half of all the riders finished that year. This picture is from day 4. Ten American riders did not finish that single day.

This is a special test late in the day. I remember it being sort of eerie. So many riders had gone out on that day, that I found myself riding completely alone. You can see in the test that I am one of just a couple of riders in the whole place.

I dropped 45 minutes that day. It wasn’t much fun, but I finished. The little 400 was almost perfect for me, it got great traction and did not spin the wheel much. It did not need much help from the clutch, it would just chug along in the mud. It brought me home with a bronze medal from my first trip to the six days. Hard to believe that was ten years ago now.

Looks Safe to Me

Chilly — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:18:22 +0000

No related posts.

Steward Baylor vs. Enduro – What to Do?

Chilly — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:57:18 +0000

Should KTM Help Baylor Win?

Okay, here is the question for the day. Should KTM step up to help Steward Baylor win the National Enduro Championship?

Unless you have been inhaling premix in the garage all winter, you know by now that Steward Baylor is the hottest thing on two wheels at the moment. Coming off of the 2011 GNCC XC2 championship, Steward was looking strong. But his 2012 results have certainly surpassed everyone’s expectations. He has displayed utter dominance in the National Enduro series with 3 wins and a 2nd. He holds a 24 point lead in the standings, almost an entire race lead.

What may not be clear to everyone is that Steward is really a privateer, part of another family out to make it in off road racing. KTM chose to pass on giving him full support for the 2012 season, so no big budget, no factory parts. I suspect that the “back door” support has increased with his race wins, but that is not the same as getting a paycheck every week.

The word now is that the Baylor family is considering not contesting the entire enduro series, they are committed to GNCC first. But with Steward and younger brother Grant performing so well, it would be a shame to pass up a chance for such a prestigious national championship. It is starting to look like an apple that simply needs to be picked for Steward.

So should KTM step up to make this happen? For any other race team this would seem like a slam dunk. Of course you should help out the rider who is on his way to giving you a championship. But this is KTM. The problem is that Steward is giving a whooping to your own factory team. If he wins, he is just taking the win away from other KTM riders that are already paid for, so to speak.

Yesterday KTM/Husaberg took 7 of the 8 top overall positions in the Rad Dad National Enduro. There is no other manufacturer who has a shot at the championship anyway. Now the Baylor’s are facing a cross-country trip out to Wyoming to contest the June race. With fuel costs and such, it is an expensive trip and that means they have some decisions to make.

KTM is in a tough position. They have so many riders and are running so many series, that they are already spread very thin. They are short of mechanics and resources already. So what do you think? Should KTM step up or should they stay the course and support the riders they are already committed to?