Vegas to Reno 2012 - The Miguez Rally Racing adventure

[miguez]

Originally Posted by Rasthomas

You are obviously a stickler for detail and that is going to be essential in becoming a successful rally raider. I help sponsor Jonah Street and if you come up with any kind of package I would be glad to sponsor you too.
Even just a t-shirt would be cool and a low investment for a start.

Jonah's jacket and shirt have his sponsors on them and his signature, among other things.

Just a thought.

Hey Tom, that's incredibly kind!!! I had dreams of one day having a package like that, maybe I need to accelerate those dreams! I have to say that just the fact that people like you would say that is amazing to me. Part of the fun is sharing it with all of you, thank you for being so supportive!

Originally Posted by chip

Sorry, stepped away. Ok, if you are going to be competitve, go all in. Don't ride a 450lb, 950cc bike. Get a 250lb bike. That is what i mean. If I read right the dude is racing a ktm 950 or something huge like that. He'll probably be the only one out there with one of those for a reason, it's not competitive with the smaller bikes. I'm betting he's going to get pretty smoked fighting that thing for 500 miles. That's my point.

Regardless, I hope you do great. By the way you are training and preparing you will be fine. I have a some things written on the insides of my handguards; on the left one: "patience and discipline"; and on the right one: "smooth and steady". These are 4 ingredients to staying safe and finishing long desert races.

I hope to see you there.

Hey chip, as I mentioned before, I have no illusions of winning this race for many reasons, but the bike is not one of them. Sure a heavier bike is tougher to handle, but it also has twice the power. Until 2010, all top Dakar racers were on 690s because the 450s were not powerful enough, and those bikes weighed 350 lbs dry. The only reason they ride 450s now is because the regulations mandate it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those pro riders, and I understand the 450s advantages, so I expect I will be smoked by pretty much anyone in this race. What I am aiming for is riding well, and if I pass anyone in the race, hey, great!

I hope to see you there too!

Originally Posted by Rasthomas

Miguel,
My friend Steve has contacted you regarding your Kawasaki for sale. I told him that we had ridden together and that you take care of your bikes.

He is an international pilot for Delta and I told him you were a pilot also.
He rode my DR650 the other day while I was on the Tiger XC and we had a great time. I think he will pull the trigger on your Kawasaki.

Good luck with the sale.
Tom

Tom, that's awesome! I think Steve emailed me (at least a Steve did), and I sent him some pictures, I am waiting to hear back. The KLX is in mint condition, and that will be more money for my project!!! Thank you!

[chip]

You will absolutely pass and get passed. Race the course and not the others out there and you'll have no problems. By the way, where are you training?

[ThomasVolomitz]

Miguel, Steve is on assignment in Detroit and I think he'll call upon his return.

[miguez]

Originally Posted by chip

You will absolutely pass and get passed. Race the course and not the others out there and you'll have no problems. By the way, where are you training?

That's my challenge, I live in Toledo, OH, not a lot of good terrain to practice on close to home, hence my trip to Utah in a couple of weeks. Then I have another week training ride in Marc or April, on the Vegas to Reno 2011 course, and whatever Enduros and Harescrambles I can find around here.

I might also attend the Sandblast Rally in February.

[miguez]

Originally Posted by Rasthomas

Miguel, Steve is on assignment in Detroit and I think he'll call upon his return.

That's great, thanks for the heads up Tom!

[miguez]

Thought I'd just add a post of what the 990 is looking like at the moment. This was right after the removal of the forks and shock, which left to get resprung and revalved by James Siddall at Super Plush Suspension in California. Note the high tech anchoring point on the rear, to keep the bike from nose diving into my garage floor

I take tons of pictures as I go along, and am just waiting for the Miguez Rally Racing website to go online to share those. One of the things the website will have is a step-by-step how-to of all the procedures I've done on the bike, as reference to anyone else who is interested in doing that same mod or maintenance.

[oregoncoast]

Good Luck! Sounds like you've done your homework...when it comes down to race day, just forget about all of that pre-planning and just ride!!

[Deadly99]

As a fellow lc8 rider the build updates will be appreciated.

[mgorman]

Everyone has their personal challenge and as a fellow Adventure owner I know that challenge 1st hand. I was never fast enough to race at the national or pro level so I made my challenge racing a XR250 in the open thumped class.

Remember, the race doesn't always go to the swiftest but to the one who endures


Let me know when you want to play in the sand

[ThomasVolomitz]

Where can we play in the sand around here?

[mgorman]

We have to go to him, he loves on the south side of Centrals largest kitty box, Michigan and has a state park full of sand close also

[ThomasVolomitz]

Let's go to him!!!!

[miguez]

Who They Are

James Siddall, owner of Super Plush Suspension, has worked in professional racing for the last twelve years, winning four AMA national road-racing championships. James has worked as a rider, mechanic, crew chief, manager, and team owner.

James currently works with M4 Monster Suzuki riders Martin Cardenas and Chris Ulrich in AMA Superbike, as well as Zanotti Racing rider Jake Johnson in the AMA Dirt Track Grand National Championship.

What They Do

Super Plush specializes in off-road motorcycles, and have developed a special knack for improving the 990 Adventure suspension, known as the go-to shop for that bike. They are very detailed, to the point of wanting to know the rider's weight for optimal setup and tuning.

What They Are Known For

James has worked as Data Acquisition and Engine Management Engineer to the Factory Honda Superbike pairing of Miguel DuHamel and Neil Hodgson. He also works as the suspension consultant for Rally Pan Am Dakar rider Jonah Street.

How They've Helped Me

James graciously discounted his labor to get my suspension done, as he was excited to see a 990 in the races I'm going to run.

Thank you James and Zoe, you're making the 990 a whole lot better as an off-road ride!

[MeefZah]

I like their logo. Has a very 70s blaxploitation feel to it.

[ThomasVolomitz]

Glad Steve is getting the KLX. I know he's getting a good bike and we are bringing my truck to pick it up next week.