Baja Party!

The 2010 Baja 1000 has come and gone. But the Party just got started!

It was arranged and put on by Jim Dizney and Doug Smith, the two main instigators of this team who also rode on the winning 50+ team, who by the way finished an incredible 7^th overall.

The celebration party was held in Monrovia, Calif at a place called “Area 51”.  No it is not the Area 51 of desert and alien fame. It is a secluded warehouse turned into a banquet facility with more racing nostalgia that you could ever imagine in one place.

When I walked in and glanced around it was so packed with cool stuff that it overwhelmed me at first. From perfectly restored classic cars to classic motorcycles, autographed photos, trophies, and all things pertaining to racing.  There were posters of races long gone, from Lions drag strip and Ascot raceway to Hopetown GP. Some of you younger guys are thinking, “huh?”, while the older guys are thinking and reminiscing about what they read or even time they may have spent at any of these venues.

Left to right, Doug, Dave, Paul, Jimmy, Steve, Eric, Jim.

Steve McQueen’s helmet was even on display! But there was so much racing history I knew I wouldn’t remember a fraction of it so I included some photos to share with my riding/racing friends.  There was even a men’s room in a metal hazardous materials cabinet for the guys, Really!

We had a great evening bench racing (aka exaggerating), visiting and having a catered dinner at this wonderful site. I hope you enjoy the pictures, I also snuck in a photo of the riders that rode on the team.

We had a great time!

#33

How would you like to make your bike last longer for free?

 The other day I was following up my air filter cleaning with the last step before I re-oil them.  A friend of mine was visiting and watched me perform my last step then asked me if I had ever shared this with anyone. I said No, I had never thought about it. So here we go and I hope you get the same benefits I have for the past several years.

Try this with your air filters next time you are ready to reinstall them on the bike. Take a sheet of paper, any kind of paper you would write on and lay it on the workbench or any flat surface. Run your hand over the paper before you begin to feel what it feels like when it is clean. Now take your CLEANED and completely dry air filter and bang it against one hand while holding it with the other hand. Do this over the clean sheet of paper you just laid down on the workbench. Bang  it for about 10 to 15 seconds and then check to see what fell out of your supposedly clean filter by running your clean hand over the paper.

 I think you will be surprised!  It will probably feel like you shook out a beach towel the first time.  I usually have to do this 6 to 10 times to get the results I am looking for. Wipe the paper clean and do it a second, third or however many times it takes for you to get the results that make you happy. This seems to dislodge the leftover hard particles that remained in the filter before it is used again. We all know that dirt is the worst thing we can do to our most prized possession (well mine anyway) in terms of engine life. Pistons, rings, valves, bearings will all go much longer without this little bit of dirt/grit being overlooked.

As a testimonial to this being worth the extra couple of minutes it will take you to do this, I had a KTM with a factory speedometer and hour meter. This extra step was done on this bike throughout the 2 years I rode it. The motor never was never taken apart (except for clutch plates) until the speedometer showed 7,000 miles and 220 hours on it. Then it got rings!

This bike was ridden on a motocross track, at cross country races, used as a pre runner in Mexico for Baja races and trail ridden. So it was not gently used!

Hope this works for you! Now go out and ride!

#33

Life Can Be Full of Surprise!

A couple of weeks ago I was scheduled to go for a ride with a group of Geezers I ride with regularly. Well it turned out to be one of those days when everyone has something come up and can’t make the ride. So I was left at the last minute with doing something else or going for a ride by myself.

If you have read any of these #33 blog site articles in the past year you have probably figured out that I rarely pass up the opportunity to go for a ride! Off road, street bike, dual sport, mx, it doesn’t matter, I love to ride!

So today was going to be a ride alone day. Or so I thought.

I headed out into the desert as planned, alone. As I headed out to explore an area I hadn’t ridden for a while I thought I should stop and use my cell phone to let someone know I would be in a completely different area than originally planned, Just in case anyone had to come looking for me.

Just as I stopped and started to remove my helmet a rider on a WR 450 Yamaha was coming in my direction and stopped to talk. His name was Thomas and he was also riding alone so I asked him if he wanted to go with me to look around an area that was about 25 miles away.

He did and off we went. We made a large loop and stopped at a remote cabin I know of and had not seen for a while. This cabin is incredible and is hidden away in a canyon, maintained by an individual that calls himself the “Founder”. It is a perfect setting for taking a break and the founder does an unbelievable job of maintaining the place and leaving it open for all to use with the understanding that no one abuses or trashes the place. I hope people respect his effort so we can continue to enjoy this spectacular secret Oasis as a place to stop and take a break.

So Thomas and I take a mid ride break at the cabin and this is when I get the chance to find out a little about this young man. He is 23 years old, single, working 2 jobs and seems to enjoy life. I find this all very interesting as I learn the rest of this story as Thomas begins to  tell me a bit more about his life. Some personal things I would not share without his consent, but the most shocking thing is that almost one year ago Thomas lost his father on a motorcycle ride. It was during an event that both he and his father entered together in the Parker, Arizona area. It seems during the event that Thomas’s father, Steve, crashed and lost his life. He was incredibly calm as he told me the story of how he came upon the crash and stopped to find it was his father. I almost couldn’t believe the composure of this young man as he told me the story. Yet here he was out on the same WR 450 that belonged to his father and had no intention of quitting riding. We all know people who ask us every time we are injured if we are going to stop riding motorcycles now. I know I get that question after a simple injury. This young man has heart!

In fact he has plans to do the same event 1 year later by himself and I can only assume it will be in memory of his dad. From the things he told me of his dad, he sounded like a good man and father.

So after our visit we continued on our way and finished up with about 80 miles of riding for the day. Oh by the way, Thomas bailed ME out when my KTM gas guzzler ran dry of fuel at 70 miles and he had to  ride in, get me some fuel and bring it back. Right about now I am thinking I sure am glad I met Thomas today!

When we finished the ride I made sure I had his phone number and told him I would give him a call.  During our ride I had been formulating a plan to see if it would be possible to put together a Memorial ride sponsorship to make sure Thomas rides this event in January of 2011. These events can be very expensive and remember Thomas is working 2 jobs!

I am almost positive that we can secure entry fees and pit support for Thomas to do this event. I am working on it and keeping my fingers crossed.

Stay tuned and I will let you know,

Cherish life and enjoy your next ride!

#33

Baja 1000 - Plus 50 Team in the Top Ten!!!

We Win!!!

After a disappointing loss of the Baja 500 by a mere 39 seconds, our team was able to put together an effort that surpassed our expectations.

For openers, we won the 50+ class and finished an incredible 7^th overall in all the motorcycle classes.

This was especially satisfying considering that this was a point to point race down the Peninsula from Ensenada to La Paz. The norm has been to do loops out from Ensenada, then returning after making the required mileage. Somehow that never seemed to be the legendary Baja 1000 I read about as a small boy and thought, “someday I am going to race that.”  This makes it all the more satisfying to complete the race while being on such a good team that everyone involved put out  great efforts and their commitment showed.

A rider named Steve Williams and I did the first 235 miles divided between us. It  didn’t start out that way, but I will get to that.

Steve started for us at around 6:45 am in Ensenada and rode through a gang of riders and even more dust. I have done the start on one of these before and it is the absolute worst time of the race because you are constantly catching people and eating their dust.
Since a rider takes off every 30 seconds  there is a never ending string of riders making dust that lingers on the course. Steve did a great job and handed the bike off to me at around mile marker 78. I later found out he missed a turn and lost about a minute before he got back on track. Still he had put us in about 17^th place overall and we were leading the 50+ class. He said other than that one mistake he had a really good ride. He also said he was taking some video and will try to get it to me to post here so the mx43.com readers can take a ride on the course!

It was my turn, with a bit of a twist. I was originally supposed to get on the bike at mile marker 128. Unfortunately one of our riders got sick and was not able to ride the section between Steve and myself, so  I inherited that section the morning of the race!  Fortunately since it was the section between us I didn’t have to try to get somewhere else and risk missing the bike and screwing up the whole team. But unfortunately that meant I would be riding this section for the first time during the race. I was a little nervous since I didn’t know any danger spots, potential booby trap spots or even which direction I would go as I headed out.

The section turned out to be some of the most fun riding I would do that day, tight by Baja standards, 2^nd and 3^rd gears.  It was not your typical 75 mph average. It was like a fire road motocross for the first 6 miles. Then it opened up into sand washes that increased the speeds and I spent most of that time in 4^th and 5^th gears. After that the course crossed a lot of open area where you were riding on the roads the local farmers use to get to their fields. Those roads were pretty much 5^th gear tapped out at 95mph until you came to a gate to change direction. It was interesting and fun. I  passed 2 riders in this section. The bike worked amazingly well in this section with the Precision Concepts suspension working so well it never so much as even took a bad hop. It was impressive.

I reached mile marker 128 and it was a gas stop for us. After pitting for fuel it was time to ride my assigned section. I was a bit more comfortable because I had done my homework and ridden this area several times in preparation. I knew most of the danger zones and areas for potential  problems, aka booby traps.

This would be approximately 105 miles that would include sand washes meandering through the hills, high speed whoop sections, a dry lake bed that went for miles, fire roads and more whoops that deteriorated into whoops made up completely of ROCKS!

The dry lake bed had me holding the bike wide open for what seemed like 15 minutes at 95 mph! Incredible if you have never done that, I hadn’t  since it was not really necessary during pre running. The bike owner Jim Dizney did a fantastic job on the motor he put together. That thing never missed a beat at redline the whole way across the lake bed.

In the lake bed I passed a sign that read, “Jose’s  Beer & Soda” and even though I was a bit thirsty I resisted the urge to stop for a beverage, but had to laugh as I went by thinking what would the guys think if I did stop!

The next gas stop was just before we went down a whooped out road that led to a dump! I mean that literally, a DUMP with  garbage, tires, etc. I took a few pictures during pre running because I didn’t think anyone would believe me.

From there it went to San Felipe, turned and headed toward the town of Puertocitos on an old whooped out road. Since we were near San Felipe and that means more spectators, guess what happens……..

More vehicles on the course and one jump built up on the course for the local’s entertainment. I have to give these guys credit though, they at least knew how to build a jump and not just put in a kicker that can send you over the bars. These guys did a good job and made a ramp leading up the face that gave you quite a bit of air if you were carrying any speed. I have to admit I backed off a little from 5^th gear and dropped to 4^th until I could see that it was a decent take off and appeared to be ok on the other side.  I hit it and sailed quite a distance much to the approval of the spectators judging by the cheers that erupted as I took off. Since they did such a good job and didn’t make it dangerous I backed off when I landed and gave them the thumbs up for their thoughtful  participation.

In this same area I passed 5 cars/trucks, 2 quads and 2 motorcycles not always going in the same direction and I don’t remember seeing a helmet on any of them.  They probably just forgot them at home.  Yee Haw, more Cerveza!

So another 25 miles of whoops, rocks and road wash outs I arrive at the next gas stop to hand off to Jim Dizney at mile marker 235.

Jim is suited up and ready to go, we exchange information and away he goes. The rest of the race I have to get second hand knowledge since it continues south and out of range of cell phone service.

The rest of our team did a great job keeping the bike moving toward the top ten places. They encountered a lighting problem during the night that was fixed at the next pit. The rider, Jimmy Sones had  to ride for about 20 miles with just his helmet light! Good Job!!!

Then someone took a trip over the bars, he probably doesn’t want his name in print though………….but recovered to keep it going toward our 7^th overall finish!

Adios, mi Amigos!

#33

Ride for 24 hours.....at night! Are You Crazy?

How would you like to ride the 24hrs of Glen Helen?

That was the question I was asked about a week before the race, but before the sentence was finished I had already opened my mouth and said “Yes”.

So now I was committed and didn’t even know who I was riding with or what kind of bike we would be riding. It sounded like a good idea at the time! Especially when I get to ride someone else’s bike, use up their tires, spare parts and they have all the equipment/logistics prearranged. Or so it seemed………

I was glad to find out we were going to ride a CRF 450X with Precision Concepts suspension, Yoshimura motor work and exhaust. I have never used any Yoshimura products before but they worked perfectly. I have had the opportunity to use Precision Concepts suspension before and was very impressed with their work on more than one brand of bike. It was every bit as good as I expected and kept us from being pummeled for 24 hrs.

When It got to be the day before the event I found out that 3 of the 6 riders scheduled to ride this 24 hr marathon wouldn’t be able to make it. One was out with an injury from riding the day before, the second one was out due to a son being seriously injured 2 days prior and the third I think was smarter than me and said he couldn’t make it either, I think he found out about the other two. Hmmmm, I wonder if he was scared or just smart. Oh well, I was not going to waste a perfectly good ride!

So when I found out we are down to 50% strength I start to think maybe we should look for some help. We got very lucky and recruited a young man named Connor. He is the son of former world champion speedway rider Bruce Penhall. Bruce called me and said he heard we were in need of help for our team and offered to have his son come ride for us to help out. It turned out to be the answer to the prayer (cussing, bitching, swearing) I had been saying the night before the event.

You see Connor races on teams in Baja Mexico and was looking to get some night practice in for his upcoming night ride in the Baja 1000. Connor was going to get his share of night riding, as we were down to 5 riders and most of us are hovering around the +50 yr old mark.

Connor is 20 yrs old and rides a lot by what I observed during his rides, he is a very fast, strong rider. As an added bonus he is a very nice young man and very polite, which was a pleasant surprise from the average 20 something kids we see today.

I was personally thrilled to have him as a team mate and he lived up to his promise to ride as much as we needed, especially at night.

Riding or racing at night puts a whole new perspective on your skills as a rider.

The funny thing about a 24 hr race is that in the middle of the night people sometimes seem to disappear!  One guy rode a total of 4 laps having to go help out in a couple of reroutes of the track.  Another told us he was not much of a night rider and if we could do a few extra laps at night he would really appreciate it. At around 11pm he got in his van, closed the door and got a good night’s sleep. We banged on the door at around 6am and told him to get up because Connor and I were really starting to get tired. At around midnight everyone disappeared so Connor and I passed the bike back and forth a couple of times, riding about 1 ½ hrs each time. So we made it until 6am and then we got a little help and made it to the finish at 10am. Thanks Connor.

It was a good time even though we had to scramble to fill the roster and had to clean and reinstall the air filter in the middle of the night, but that is another story……

We broke spokes in the rear wheel and had to replace the wheel. I happened to be on the bike when it broke, but I think Connor really broke it and gave it to me that way! Smart kid.

After all a 140 lb kid going fast is more likely to break it than a 200 lb old guy, right? Ok, so I owe the team some spokes.

When it was all said and done it was a fun ride. I would recommend you give it a try if you ever get the chance, it is quite an experience and a much bigger undertaking than most people imagine. Calculating lap times for each rider, amount of gas, having food to keep riders going, putting the lighting system for the bike on and off, sleeping arrangements, extra riding gear (it gets nasty and sweaty), pit lighting to fuel and work on the bike at night. Plus all the spares needed from simple things like shifters and brake levers to extra wheels/tires and tubes. Even if everything works out you will learn things you will do differently or better the next time.

I got to meet some great people and be part of a last minute team that did a good job of making it to the finish while finishing a respectable 2^nd in class.

Thanks to everyone on the team, my wife Cheryl for keeping track of everything and everyone, and a big Thanks to Connor for helping us out and doing such a great job. I never heard him complain even though he had to ride with a bunch of “old guys” that had to take naps!

Start thinking about a 24 hr/night ride. Give it a try and you will have a good time!

#33