Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 5:51PM How do you log 10,000+ off road miles every year? If you're #33 you head to Baja for some fast trail riding. Here's Eric doing some last minute adjustments as he waits for his riding buddies at the border.
Saturday, March 16, 2019 at 8:05PM WC ELITE CLUTCH
Here we go, motocross racing as opposed to field squid riding. I just completed my first MX race in OTMX after a five-year layoff from injury to the left hand. It was almost like starting over. I got a bit of help from my WORKS CONNECTION ELITE clutch lever perch combo. This setup made my return to racing much easier and gave me the help I needed as I now have limited use of the left hand as opposed to before the injury.
I had never had to change my riding style or bike set up before due to physical limitations. Ok wise guys, I said ‘physical’ not “mental limitations”. I can feel you all laughing! That’s ok because I chuckle myself every time I get on the bike, just because I can! Life is Good!
So at my first race back at The International Old Timers MX series I was on a new bike, YZ 450f, and I had my new WC Perch on to help with my diminished clutch capabilities from the left hand. It was an absolute necessary upgrade! Besides being beautifully sculpted, more durable that anything on the market, it probably intimidated a lot of those other guys on the line. You know the guys on Brand X with the hydraulic clutches. Lol.
The smoothness of the lever and the clean pull made any handicap I felt almost disappear. I was even able to fine tune it after the first moto to let me chose the point of engagement for the injured and shorter fingers using the reach adjustment. Perfect! I rode 5 motos, never stalled the bike and got the “Holeshot” award in the second moto! I have the “T-shirt” to prove it.
Even though I got the Holeshot in 3 out of 5 motos I ended up 2nd overall. One guy, Mark Kaestner, is just a bit too fast. I now have my work cut out for me. Maybe I should check with WORKS CONNECTION to see what other little trinkets they have that can make me FASTER!
#33
‘No person’s eyesight was ever injured by looking on the bright side of things’
Friday, February 22, 2019 at 4:56PM Best Week Ever!
I am just finishing up a week of riding and shooting with a couple of buddies, Recon and Jason, aka “J-Can”. Jason is a Canadian visitor and ended up with the J-Can handle so as to not be mixed in with regular ole’ American Jasons we know.
Recon and I did the Monday Taco ride the day after a rain and had the time of our lives! We were riding every trail we could find on the way to tacos and laughing like loons all day! Wheel to wheel without a hint of dust. There was even a dusting of snow on the mountains in the desert. We hardly stopped and when we did we were both laughing trying to catch breaths in between. We rode singletrack, blasted damp and sometimes muddy sand washes at speeds that just about got us into trouble a couple of times. Recon said he wasn’t ready for the ditch I lofted the front wheel over, so I didn’t tell him, neither was I. It kinda came out of the blue, I don’t remember a ditch there before. Oh yeah, it rained hard and there were a few new washouts. We survived and when we pulled into our next stop to climb a few big sand hills, Recon said, “Hey your nose is bleeding”. I looked and sure enough there was a pretty good gouge on the end of my nose from some of the bushy and barbed trees we blew by at about 50mph. So I borrowed a line from Jesse Ventura in the movie Predator and said, “I ain’t got time to bleed!” “Let’s Ride!!!”
We finished our ride and planned our assault on the next day’s activities. It was going to be a shooting day at the range with a bunch of geezers we know and our buddy J-Can. Now remember J-Can is the Canadian where it seems firearms are bordering taboo. So I ask if he was very well versed in firearms safety. He admitted he was a complete novice around firearms so we planned to go it alone away from the rest of the group until we got him up to speed on firearms safety with a few drills and some practice. So we used a range stall next to our regular shooting group for our orientation.
Having been a former firearms instructor for a large government agency, I found it very satisfying instructing someone that was willing to listen and eager to learn, as opposed to students that were required to be there due to work requirements.
J-Can was the ideal student and is a very intelligent guy so he learned things easily and quickly. He picked up the operation and especially the safety part of firearms very quickly and easily. Sharp, attentive student. In short order I was comfortable enough to let him operate on his own with me side by side on the firing line. Recon had already gotten bored and was over shooting with the regular crew, with an occasional jaunt back over to shoot with us for a minute.
We had set up a metal gong system about 10 yds. out to run some drills without having to stop every few minutes to repair targets. While Recon was there I took some practice shots at the gong system. Lo and behold I felt something hit me in the cheek just below my safety glasses. A ricochet had come directly back from my target. I ceased fire and let the fellas know something had hit me. I holstered my Glock and turned toward J-Can, he said, “There is something stuck in your cheek and its bleeding”. J-Can came over to look and said it was a piece of metal and asked if he should pull it out. I had him pull it out, it was deep enough to pull my skin out about a quarter inch before it came loose, according to Recon. Recon tossed me a rag to slow the slow trickle of blood and went back to shooting. You gotta love guys out doing guy things, sit down and be quiet until we get done. Awesome! Two days in a row and I end up being the one bleeding. I don’t think that has ever happened, so this is obviously the Best Week Ever!
J-Can now has first-hand knowledge of why we covered range safety and safety equipment before we ever began shooting.
By the the end of the day J-Can was almost a seasoned shooter, since his range day had been taken up with basic safety, safety equipment, shooting drills, malfunction clearing drills and a little first aid. I think he is looking forward to shooting next week. I am too but maybe I should take my full coverage helmet.
Ride safe, Shoot safe!
#33
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal”
Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at 12:26PM
Happy New Year!
As Pancho, the Cisco Kid’s sidekick used to say, Holy Schmokers!!! Here we are starting a brand new year in 2019. I am looking forward to it because I have decided it is time to get back to the moto tracks and do some OTMX racing.
I can’t believe I have not raced a motocross in 5 years! That was when I seriously injured my left hand at the Baja 1000. It also was the same day Kurt Caselli died as a result of a crash in that same race. Godspeed Kurt. It definitely puts things in perspective.
My left hand was injured very badly to the point it required a couple of surgeries and most of a year to get it working satisfactory enough to start riding again. The doctor was skeptical when he first spoke to me about the reparation, but I told him not to patch anything. Fix it correctly because I was going to ride and race again! He was a very good Orthopedic surgeon, Dr Schaub, and told me he was not a motorcycle fan because of all the injuries he has fixed over the years. He said that he understood and would do his best. That was all I could ask for.
So here we are 5 years later on New Year’s Day and I am spending the day wrenching on my motorcycle and mountain bike so I can bust out some track time when it warms up! Today was too cold for a cold weather sissy to get out and ride. 37* is just not cuttin’ it for this cold blooded geezer. It was 58* degrees in my garage with the little heater on. But I was able to re-lace a rear wheel on my KX 450. Turned a 19” rear into an 18” wheel for off road.
Then I moved on to my Cannondale mountain bike in an attempt to fix something I screwed up last week. While trying to locate a creaking noise I overtightened a crank bolt and broke the head off. Damn recycled aluminum beer can bicycle! I guess I need to get a torque wrench for working on aluminum bicycles. I did get the Cannondale patched and can now ride it until I order the clean new parts to fix it properly.
So I hope your New Year starts out as well as mine. I am looking forward to riding and racing this year. If you need a riding partner for either one, give me a holler!
#33
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the Life in your years!”
Monday, October 29, 2018 at 8:46AM 
Now I know you guys have all had more than one of those nights. You know when you go to bed but there is No Way you are going to sleep. Too many things on your mind, which tire am I going to run next, does my air filter need service since I rode last time, gotta get the bike out of the van so I can use it to haul body parts to the painter, will I have time to bust out a bicycle ride before I have to go out to dinner with friends and on and on. Well it is only 2 am so I guess I may as well change the oil in my primary ride. My 500 xcw.
I am so glad I am retired and don’t have to go to work tomorrow or I would be exhausted with no sleep and all these worries! So to help me relax and tire myself out I just went out to the garage to change the oil in my 500 xcw. Wow, that sucker has 24 hours on it since the last oil change, last week! Showing 16,010 miles and 652 hrs. Obviously I need a couple more bikes so I don’t put so much time on this one, lol.
Almost 3 am now so maybe a little tv will help put me to sleep………………..
#33
“How pleasant is the day when we give up striving to be young—or slender. Just Ride!”
