The West by Northwest Racing Thread

[Petrolburner]

Originally Posted by Kootenai Rider

For some of the big races like Desert 100, we ought to set up the ADV pits...

I like this idea a lot.

[oregoncoast]

Luke mentioned this, and I can't say enough about this. Having a race buddy, someone to practice with, share expenses with, and help wrench on bikes is a great way of making a racing season happen. I was not able to make as many races as Luke this year, due to my job, but when I did race, and we travelled together, it was a much better time

My race buddy, isn't he cute??


Racing Buddies also help to motivate each other to practice...because if you want to improve, you gotta practice. To prep for the Desert 100, Luke and I each went down to Sandlake and rode for 100 miles straight, stopping only for fuel, to prepare ourselves for that many miles non-stop. We spent countless hours practicing in the woods...even heading up in the evening to get in an hour or two before the sun set. Believe me, that kind of practice helped a lot.

Racing Buddies are also great for splitting hotel costs and fuel costs, and for lessoning the boredom of driving 4 hours each way just to race for 2 Those hours just flew by as Luke and I talked bikes the whole way there, then bench raced the whole way back.

Racing will make you a better rider and a better mechanic. You will grow in confidence in leaps and bounds in both of these areas. You will also learn just how far you can ride on a flat, ride with bad bearings or fork seals, ride with an injury or ride with no gas, or more precisely, how to whore around the race course scrounging for gas so you can finish your lap (just ask Luke about the D100)

Racing will make you quickly understand the important concept of ergonomics and suspension set-up and on a dirt bike. You will make changes here and there, and soon, you and your bike will fit like a glove and you'll be riding better, and more effortlessly than you have ever ridden prior. Unless you are in the top tier, power will not be an issue, so save your money there. Work on suspension and ergos and you will be faster. When it is dialed in, a heavy, 300-plus pound DRZ-S can actually be a pretty capable dirt bike.

From this CL ad:


To this, our first race at Eddyville:


And we all know what Luke's Franken-XR is capable of

Which brings me to another thought: If you want to try racing, just go do it. Ride what you brung, understanding its (and your) limitations. There are a million reasons why you shouldn't race a dual sport in a XC series...I just didn't pay any attention to any of them.

Next year, 2011, is a vintage year for me. I will be concentrating on my 1972 SL350 and the Mexican 1000 in May. I will probably race other races prior to that, just to get some time in the saddle. I will also be prepping my old 1987 Honda XR250 to do some battle in my favorite XC races; in particualar, the Devils Head, Funky Chicken, Cowbell and others that don't have 50 miles of whoops and don't require the latest in modern suspension. I will be signed up for a series, but my focus will not be on chasing points or doing every race. There are definitely pros and cons to chasing points though.

Pros: You are motivated to go to as many races as possible, to get your points. Because even if you are not a competitive person by nature, that will change

Cons: You are motivated to go to as many races as possible.....and this becomes very expensive and your wife and daughters will forget what you look like.

And don't have any misgivings about racing a series...it gets very expensive. After the AMA and OMRA membership, you have the cost for each event. And in our case, an often bigger expense was the costs associated with getting to and from a race.

Also, while racing a whole series, you will also be going through tires and consumables at an alarming rate.





Racing and practicing is tough on equipment. You will have to repair the damages from falls, replace wheel bearings, change tires often and will be upgrading the bike for better ergos.

That said, it is still a kick in the pants, and will change you as a rider

I recommend that anyone with even an inkling of an interest or curiosity about racing to go out and just do it. Ride the sportsman class if you want (as I will do on the SL350 in some races next year), and ride what you have...but just do it. BTW, I know of a slightly-raced, 2004 DRZ400S for sale...cheap

I will sign up again for the cross country series, and Luke and I will be moving up to the Amateur class, which as Luke puts it means; "We'll have to get used to being the slowest again, but at least there will be lots of competition to push us."

And as Luke said, leave your Ego in the garage...because that 14 year-old-girl who just started riding a motorcycle a month ago, is going to kick your ass sideways

See you at the races!

[Drtyfun]

Cool thread..... Maybe I can make it out to one of the events and cheer you both on. I will keep watching this one.

[Luke]

Great news! It turns out there's going to be a second event in the Tillamook burn this year, and possibly a third. The Lone Wolf ISDE will be July 10 and there may be another event sometime in October.

I updated the calender here. Note that the China Hat ISDE date changed, and the Fall Classic will be a two day race, just like this year. I also added the Desert 100 and the Oreana 100. I don't know much about the Oreana 100, other than its date and location. There's no flyer up yet that I can find. Last year Oregoncoast and I were considering racing it, but ended up doing a practice day at Eddieville instead.

There are a few practice days at Eddieville in February, and that's also the location of the first XC race and half of the GP races so it's worth going there to practice. If you've never raced on a track before I highly recommend it. It's quite different to trail or gravel road riding.

[Kootenai Rider]

Originally Posted by Luke

Great news! It turns out there's going to be a second event in the Tillamook burn this year, and possibly a third. The Lone Wolf ISDE will be July 10 and there may be another event sometime in October.

I updated the calender here. Note that the China Hat ISDE date changed, and the Fall Classic will be a two day race, just like this year. I also added the Desert 100 and the Oreana 100. I don't know much about the Oreana 100, other than its date and location. There's no flyer up yet that I can find. Last year Oregoncoast and I were considering racing it, but ended up doing a practice day at Eddieville instead.

There are a few practice days at Eddieville in February, and that's also the location of the first XC race and half of the GP races so it's worth going there to practice. If you've never raced on a track before I highly recommend it. It's quite different to trail or gravel road riding.

Good to hear about more races out by Tillamook. I like the area, plus it gives me an excuse to go home to visit my parents.

I'd like to try the Oreana 100, but I have a wedding in Seattle that day....so I'm out. Between traveling for work the first two weeks of Feb, and my friends wedding on the 19th, all of Feb is pretty much a waste for me.


For anyone considering racing, in addition to all of these great races that Luke has posted, don't forget about some of the smaller races in your local areas.

In Spokane/CdA for example we have our local ArenaX and EnduroX series put on by MRP/Motion Sports, plus a few other Hare Scrambles like the Spring Mudfling at Airway Heights out in Spokane's Extreme Motorsports Park. www.extmotorsports.com

[liv2rydktms]

Originally Posted by Luke

I also added the Desert 100 and the Oreana 100. I don't know much about the Oreana 100, other than its date and location. There's no flyer up yet that I can find.

When I rode the Oreanna 100 the terrain was different than the desert 100. There were lots of sand washes, and a couple killer rocky climbs. The bottlenecks were similar at the rocky climbs.

Fun race!! Neat people also!

[Remarksman]

In!

It should be a little beta than the DRZ

[Luke]

Ohhhhhhh Yeahhhhhh!





Have you gotten it muddy yet?

[Kootenai Rider]

So Luke, when are you going to post up some more of your stupid ideas about racing this year?

[Remarksman]

Originally Posted by Luke

Have you gotten it muddy yet?

So far I just gave it a good soaking bringing it back in the truck on Sunday.

This 250RR needs a little bit of "going through." Previous owner restored most of what the original owner tore off. Original owner sounds like it was a kid who wished he had bought a KTM race bike -- he tore off all the lights, painted it orange, and cut a notch in the front fender. It supposedly has very low hours, but I'm starting to suspect that might not be accurate.
At least the price was right

You have created a great thread here, Luke!

[mtbdemon]

This puts a lot of pressure on me to get a KTM 150 or 200!!! Dang it you guys....STOP IT!!!!

[Luke]

Originally Posted by Remarksman

So far I just gave it a good soaking bringing it back in the truck on Sunday.

This 250RR needs a little bit of "going through." Previous owner restored most of what the original owner tore off. Original owner sounds like it was a kid who wished he had bought a KTM race bike -- he tore off all the lights, painted it orange, and cut a notch in the front fender. It supposedly has very low hours, but I'm starting to suspect that might not be accurate.
At least the price was right

You have created a great thread here, Luke!

Danger Will Robinson! You might want to change the oil cold before you ever start it again. Then warm it up and do a proper oil change. Along with, you know, checking absolutely everything else on the bike.

I was going to ask if it was a 400 or 525, but a 250 is even better. And lights? Is it plated?

Originally Posted by mtbdemon

This puts a lot of pressure on me to get a KTM 150 or 200!!! Dang it you guys....STOP IT!!!!

You've already got one of the most popular bikes in the OMRA. I'm pretty sure it's popular for a good reason.

[mtbdemon]

You've already got one of the most popular bikes in the OMRA. I'm pretty sure it's popular for a good reason.[/QUOTE]

I love my little YZ, but I hate the idea of doing a rebuild which is why I have been thinking about going back to a smoker. So much cheaper to work on and MUCH easier too.

[sjm]

Its great to see a list of all the events and classes.

If you where to buy a new bike, what recommendation would you give concerning a 'one size fits all' cc size, what would you choose.

Note: Based on cc limits for entering the most amount of events, versus power, handling, etc, etc.

[Petrolburner]

Seems to me like a KTM 200 EXC would be the bee's knees, or is it the cat's ass?