Fun Run 2/22

[MacWildcat]

Sounds like a ball but I think I'll have to skip this time. We might have to coordinate a future ride when a few of us newcomers can try it together. I may swing by to observe.

[Harvey Mushman]

That's cool. Whatever you do, ride something somewhere this Sunday. It's supposed to be low 60's.

-Harvey

[Harvey Mushman]

Another perfect day in terms of weather and track conditions. Had a great first lap and came thru the scoring tent showing me in 1st place. Cool. Second lap everything going well, you can really let the 3-hunny eat on the long straights picking off slower riders. The creek crossings are starting to show significant wear at this point. Thru the scoring tent again, still in first. I'm telling myself, "soft and smooth" and I may see my first ever class win. Third lap, the fast line out of a creek is a mess but I took it the first two laps OK so I tried it again. BAD idea. I wiped out and slid all the way back down to the creek. Finally got it muscled back up and rode down the creek a bit and found a dry line I could climb out of. Three bikes passed me but none were 10's. Back on the bike, gassed, in survival mode for a couple minutes. My nemesis Jay S. catches and passes me. I stay on his azz like flypaper knowing I can't let him get away. I get around him in the trees and figure I'm back in 1st place. Thru the scoring tent and it says I'm in 2nd place 2 minutes behind the 1st place rider . WTH!!! I'm on it hard the 4th and last lap trying to catch him but to no avail. I finish 2.37 minute behind him for another 2nd place finish. Interesting thing is, when they posted the results, the 1st place guy cut 3 minutes off each of his last two laps compared to his first two laps. Something smells a bit fishy about that. Can you say "cut the course"? With the exception of the one crash I had probaly one of my best rides. Stu I didn't have a chance to track you down but I know you were there as I saw your name on the class standings list. I hope you had a good ride. Gotta take a break from racing for awhile, got too much work to do. Quenemo will be next but it's not until June I think. Hopefully everyone got out on two wheels yesterday, it was a beutiful day.

-Harvey

[Bumper]

COURSE CUTTING IS A WAY OF LIFE ANY MORE. I GOT SICK AND TIRED OF DEALING WITH IT AND QUIT RIDING FM EVENTS, ONLY TO FIND OUT IT IS A PROBLEM AT MOST EVENTS. IT IS SO EASY TO SPOT WITH THE TRANSPONDERS AND THE LAP TIMES. IF A TROPHY MEANS SO MUCH, TAKE THE ENTRY FEES AND GO BUY ONE.
JUST FELL OFF MY SOAPBOX SORRY!!!

[Stu]

Harvey,

I made Westmorland. You were right. It is fun. I did get tired on the last lap and lost time. However, I am giving away 19 years in the class (50+) so I guess that is not surprising. The guy parked next to me broke his ankle on one of the very slick river exits when his rear tire spun out sideways and his bike landed on him. You really had to stay focused and on the throttle with those inclines. Jumping the terraces was, as you noted, really cool. I did overshoot one woods entrance just being crazy jumping them. It took some extra fancy bike flinging to keep from hitting trees. One tree did take out my number plate. A good day! (Pretty sore today....)

Hank,

I just used electrical tape and made my numbers before I left since I had an established number at the beginning of the year. Since you will need a number (and a responder which you can rent for $5, $30 deposit which you get back at the end, and you can just nylon tie the responder to your chest protector finishing the job with duct tape to keep it in place) I would say take along some cut up contact paper (roughly 5" square) and a big marks a lot marker pen and make your own numbers for the front and sides. The track at Kingman is new. At the moment I do plan on going.

Stu

[Stu]

Bumper,

Course cutting is part of the racing scene, just as cheating in little and big ways is a part of life. People think they can get away with it and get something for nothing. Just ask Bernie Madoff. They have to live with that, not me. Being a cheater is not a reputation I would like to have. Even if it is something you get for nothing.

Stu

[Harvey Mushman]

Cheating happens at virtually every event to some degree. That's part of the game. On an unrelated note, I launched off one of those terraces at about 55 mph and the back of the bike dog-tracked out a bit. When I landed the bike went into a big tank slapper that scared the crap outta me. I didn't crash but I was it sobered me up. I made sure I hit it 100% square on the remaining laps. On the BIG open cornfield section I thought I'd sneak a drink. Right when I reached for the hose I hit something and the front end went into a real violent headshake. I said screw the water, I don't need a drink that bad. I've got a steering dampener that I got when I bought the 450. I HAVE to get that on the 300. I saw the EMT's tending to the guy with the broken ankle. I also heard Flipper broke his arm.

-Harvey

[Savage]

Thanks for the writeup guys! I'm glad I'm a tightass and don't want to pay to race. I couldn't afford a broken ankle or arm. Been there, done that, broke both legs, been in a wheelchair, doesn't pay.

Riding on 2 wheels -> Had a BLAST riding with Mac, KC, KC's friend and mine at Milford. Mac and I found Widowmaker. Uhh, no thanks, I'll pass and live to ride another day!

[Stu]

Harvey,

Was your first tank slapper just after the cattle gate (left thru the gate and right to a series of rutted chops and then onto a terrace that was about 15 degrees off of straight)? That one caught me off guard coming off of the chops crooked and then launching at an angle to the ground. I gassed it when I hit and then nearly hit the trees on the turn that came up right after the jump. Kept me focused....

Stu

[Harvey Mushman]

No Stu, my adventure happend on the longest of the straight sections that connected two sections of single track, no gates involved.

Regarding head shake/tank slappers. When it happend it remined me of back in 1980 I had just bought a brand new Yamaha XJ550 Seca, fun little bike. After I got it broke in, I took it out on I-70 to "run her thru the gears" some. While on the gas at about 70 mph it went into a serious a tank slapper. I remember reading about these in magazines and the writers said if you stay on the gas, (if you can) the bike will run thru it and become smooth again. I did so and the bike smoothed out at about 75 mph. The problem is, when you go to slow down and go thru that "mph window" again, it will most likely happen again. Knowing this, I held on for dear life and gradually let off the throttle and yep, it did it again. With soiled pants and all, I returned the bike to the dealer and they remounted the front tire and rebalanced it. That seemed to solve the problem as it never happened again.

If you've ever experienced this "joy of motorcycling", you won't soon forget it.

-Harvey