I have a stupid question. Why do all the participants in a Rally have a digital watch on the handle bars or the road book motor ? Is it just to know the time of the day ? Or some other purposes ? They can't be using it as count down or split/lap timer obviously....
I used it to make an approx. of my time in between waypoints or check points based on terrain and distances. For me, it helped me pace myself even though it might not make sense to some people. and it's not stupid... I am sure I am way off the mark. This is how I used it. MOST IMPORTANTLY, it was there to make sure I didn't miss the cut off time for dinner!!!
thx for the inputs. anybody else ? PS : bike is now registered on road so i'm gonna get the first ride this weekend, thankfully the desert is hardly any distance from home ... oops, i live in the desert....
The same here, I used it mostly in the last couple 24hrs endurance rallies. I know the total stage time with the average speed given by the organiser. Say that in our rally he gives 50km/hr average speed. I know that when the roadbook tulip hits 50.00 then I should be in the race for about an hour. More, it means I have to push, less it means I am ok. You can pace accordingly if you know what I mean. In order to remember the times, people also stick a paper with total kilometers and stage times on the roadbook cover. SS1-145-2:50 (Special stage 1, total 145 km, 2 hr and 50 minutes) . It is a personal preference I guess much like the roadbook marking... D.
So, its more of a TSD (Time Speed Distance - where you are given an average speed for the stage, lower you get a penalty, higher you get a penalty) event thing. For a FIM rally where the special/competitive stage is timed and not required to meet a given avg speed, i guess we dont need a digital clock, except to know the time you took to traverse the last xxkms or the time of the day. Right ?
Keeping in mind my limited experience in Rally/Nav events.....I have only done the Mexican 1000 and Baja Rally.....to double check the time card at the end of every special (in one case at the Mex1K I found a 1 hour discrepency after crossing time zones), and to judge how long before a start, restart or time remaining to finish a liason (AKA taco-time). It was not my idea to put a watch on either bike, nor was it neccesary, but I appreciated having it.
Vicks, your ICO will have a built in clock anyways. The pros want to see what times with seconds that they're running. Some have their watches on their wrists, some on their roadbook motors.
thx guys. In other news, i took the bike out on the first desert run and did a good 50kms. I learnt a lot. and realised there is a helluva lot more to learn details, impressions and some fun videos coming soon as i get my go pro vids sorted.
long due update... so the bike had a high fender when i bought it and i always liked the look of a low fender on a rally bike. I know it doesn't help much function-wise but i just like the looks of a low fender on a rally bike. This is probably the only thing i have ever done on a bike for its looks, otherwise i'm strictly a "function before form" person. I bought a used low fender from a 990Adv from one of the inmates and then got to work fitting it on the bike. I looked at the mounting kit from mecasystem and 1) wasn't sure if it would fit a 990Adv fender, 2) didn;t want to pay a ransom for something i could fab up myself with some sheet metal, an angle grinder and some hand tools. this is what came off... and the brackets were made out of pure sweat and blood (well, less than a drop..) and this is how she looks now with the low fender I know its kind of a mismatch having a white fender, mattblack fairing and an pumpkin of an orange tank, but it does it for me and i'm gonna run it like it is.... I also bought this DRC LED rally light and managed to mount it without much hassles. Partially because i didn't bother connecting it in a separate circuit but, simple paralleled it to the existing tail light harness under the seat. The LED light drawing so little amperage shouldn't really matter to the existing circuitry. Well i guess we'll find out soon.... meanwhile, i also "took care" of the f@@king piece of torture device that they put on this bike calling it a seat !! The last ride i did, i came back via tarmac (approx 70kms) and by the time i was home, my innards were hurting... deeply !! it was so bad that i swore i will never sit on this seat. So i hacked it up.. cut some foam i had left over from my previous seat project (on my 990adv) stuck it and shaped it there .. that looks more like a seat now... and gave it a new seat cover with some vinly material i had left over. Feels much better now and will test it out the coming weekend when i take her out for a ride in the desert again... untill then, happy F5ing !!
First ride in the desert... great!!! There's a lot to learn. is a very different ride compared with the 990, isn't it? Happy you have had your debut, and now you are improving sensitive parts as(s) always... Cheers, Vicks! .
Thanks for stopping by Alec. Yes its way different than the 990. Especially when it comes to pickup up the bike ... that's the part i love the most about this bike !! The ass torture device is now gone !! I did a ride today and this time, i realised i was spending quite a bit of time on the seat on the high speed sections and wasn't remotely as uncomfortable on the tarmac ride back home like it was last time. The home made seat is a huge improvement on the bike i must say. That Heavy duty stapler is definitely paid off after these two seat jobs.
Our rider asses are a very important part of our wellness I think they are underrated... Keep your news coming, my friend .
Thats an impressive seat build. Can you post a pic of what it looks like as a finished product on the bike?
I think after so many hours, we are looking to see sth like that Nice one Vicks ! Good to see the projsect is coming along and you are getting your hands dirty !
Matters of the arse is not funny guys !!! Was out today on a 2hr ride in the desert and although it is only the 3rd ride, this one was quite tough. I got stuck in the soft sand while cresting dunes atleast 3-4 time and digging the rear wheel out every time drained all my energy. There were moments when i thought if i really wanted to do it for 3-5days in a row, all day long. During one descent i dropped the bike and it fell on my right leg, pinning it down, in a down hill.. that took a few minutes for me to get out of. All well at the end of the day The return ride was another boring 70kms but this time it was much better and i was not in pain when i reached home, unlike the first time i rode the bike. Clearly, the home made seat works well for me. here's how it looks .... i've retained the shape and height (well maybe lowered by 2-3cm...) as the Sella Dalle Valle seat.
It's the story of my life... every sport I have done has had that special moment at which I have had wondered "what the hell I am doing here...???" bikes are no exception... but... you know, everything goes well after that and life's good again Good seat job, mate... may be you have to consider a profession change...? Cheers! .
I've registered to take part in the 5 remaining rounds of the 6 round Emirates Desert Championship series. Its a 2hr Baja style event with not much navigation to talk about but should be a good prmer for future events. Tomorrow is my first round (being round 2 - as i missed the first one) and fellow inmate CotaKid (sp?) is also a participant. I'll be entering in the Marathon class (no refuelling / pit stops allowed) and will update after the event. Should be fun ....
