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HacksawPete

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Posts posted by HacksawPete

  5. Posted

    I did the 2018 Desert M/C AMA National Hare and Hound (Round 1)   I got got 7th out of 16 in the novice Super Senior class.   I'm happy with that or at least I'm mostly happy with that.  Looking at the numbers, if I had just gone walking speed faster overall, I would have been a contender in this race.  And I missed 6th place by 10 seconds.    While working on the video, it is clear that I need to get a better start and work harder on the faster parts.     Anyway, it was a good race in an area that I have not ridden in before.  Good stuff.

    Comments on the video requested

     

  11. Posted

     

    I’ve been doing some volunteer pit crew work for an organization called Mag 7.   It’s a fun way to get involved with Baja racing and have a little adventure too.   Several times while wearing a Mag 7 tee shirt people have commented something along the lines of “we would not have finished … without your help”.   For me, it would really be satisfying to be the guy who was able to make the fix and get someone going again.  

     

    On Dec 2, 2017, I was at the Tecate enduro remote pit and someone pointed out Malcolm Smith is here.  Turns out he had used Mag 7 pit services before and was happy to sit under our shade.   After a while I got to sit next to him and make some small talk.  The only thing I could think of was that this guy got to ride with Steve McQueen.  I later read his bio and realized it was Steve McQueen that got to ride with Malcolm Smith.  Anyway, Malcolm is 76 years old and seemed friendly, happy, content and doing well for his age.   It was very cool that I got to talk to him.  

     

    Soon afterward a guy pulls into our pit with an exhaust pipe (expansion chamber) bent badly enough that it had pulled out of the head.  I start working with second Mag 7 team member to see if we can get this rider going again.  Not having done this before I think it would be fair to say we were struggling at the task.   Next thing I know, Malcolm Smith is kneeling down in the dirt taking on the job.  It was immediately obvious he knew what needed to be done and we starting helping him.   I was now working with a man that seemed twenty years younger than the guy I was just talking to.  I saw a look of drive and determination in him that I think is rare at any age.   Perhaps it’s no wonder that he is a racing legend.   We got the exhaust back on and our rider going again.  Actually, Malcolm Smith got our rider going again and I got to help him.   Made my day.  

    Malcolm_Smith_far_left.jpg

    Malcolm_Smith_fixing_bent_exhaust_pipe.jpg

    Malcolm_Smith_Getting_the_fix_done.jpg

    Malcolm_Smith_with_Pete_Molloy.jpg

  14. Posted

    My son and I went for a day of riding at Kennedy Meadows.  We camped at Troy Meadow which was really nice and I'd like to go back to that camp.  Our first loop of the day was really fun.  Lots of fun and easy single tracks with some challenging stuff on 34E01 and 34E07 (rattlesnake trail).    After lunch my son picked the ride and we probably should have done his choice first.  The interesting part of the ride started at Stoney Meadow where we ran into some USFS riders with chainsaws.  I didn't even know you could get a chainsaw attachment for your WR450!  Look closely at the back of their bikes and you can see the blade down by the swingarm.

    They told us the trail below has not been cleared and we should expect downed trees.   We were advised it should take us about 30 minutes to get down 33E26 (that drops 3000 feet in 3 or 4 miles).  Then 40 more minutes to get out to the road on the Rincon trail 33E23 ... " as long as you don't have any hiccups" .    Well, I don't think we had any "hiccups" but it took us longer than they thought it would.  I'd like to ride that trail again and make it the first loop, and maybe go up it.    Below I put a link to a video clip of part of the way down.

    The weather was great and the water crossing were easy.

     

     

     

     

    Rangers.jpg

  15. Posted

    I went to Tillamook Oregon to do the Rat Dog Dual sport ride on Aug 17.  It was a really long drive but the coastal mountains had awesome single tracks through some beautiful forests.  It was a two day ride but the A loop was only on Saturday.    The ride was well organized with lots of participation and fun.   For the level of difficulty, I would say it was like a typical hard loop with some steeper sections and obsticals (trees and stumps).   Part of what made it hard was that I had to keep looking at the scenery and not the trail.  Well, that's what I told my kid anyway when he asked why I was riding so slow.

    Here's a link to my video of the ride.

    Oh, the eclipse was very cool to see.

  17. Posted

    Has anybody done the Rat Dog Dual Sport ride?  It's in Oregon just north of the eclipse path.  Perfect!  Here's a link.

    http://www.blackdogdualsport.com/rd_events.htm

    I can't imagine that it's as difficult as the big bear hard loop but who knows.  There are YouTube videos of the A loop that show nice single tacks through trees.   Probably would have to head inland to get clear of the clouds to see the eclipse.

  19. Posted

    I did build it.  Cost about $100 dollars for material and it was great training aid.  At 12 feet long, it is about a half scale of the one you see in the Penguins dual sport ride.  From riding over this I gained confidence in the speed to ride, which is slow but not too slow.   Now I need to get rid of it because I have limited space to work with.  I can let it go to a good home for the basement bargain price of "FREE".   It seems pretty solid to ride over but I'm not sure how it would be after extended use.  Periodic inspections would be smart.  Here's a clip of it in action.  

     

     

    Pete

     

  20. Posted

    guys,

    I signed up for the High Mountain dual sport ride that has the teeter totter feature.  If you have not seen it check the link at the end.   It looks easy to ride over but it seems a fair number of riders go swimming with their bikes.  Anyway, I'm thinking of making a smaller teeter totter just to get the feel of the weight shift.  I'm thinking it would be about $50 to build a 12 foot ramp that pivots over a 3 foot fulcrum.    I would ride over it about 15 times and then want to get rid of it.   Does anybody know if I could put it at Corral canyon or someplace where it might be used?  Otherwise, I'm thinking it's firewood.   Maybe someone already made one?

    BTW, I sold the WR250R and got an orange 500.   Don't want that going under.

    Pete

     

     

     

  21. Posted

    Hello Dual sport riders!

    My son and I took a way too quick trip to Kennedy Meadows and I thought I'd share a little info on the trip.   Also, is anybody planning on doing the D38 Rattlesnake chase?

    Here's a link to my Kennedy Meadows write up.
    https://docs.google.com/document/d/17ZfNgM_mnlpRkFyX-Uf8iO0JIXlJ2UzAWD_hrCyiOO0/edit?usp=sharing


    I put a two minutes of video on Youtube and here's the link
    https://youtu.be/dulGdrGRkwE

    The Ranger at the Blackrock station really wanted me to have this trail description with the map.    Here's a link to the write up.

    https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ycjgOXfklotydKvzIps-Knr9iik0jPMPNQO-qDpnpUs/edit?usp=sharing

     

    I have two maps if someone wants one. 

     

     

    CD at Kennedy.jpg

  22. Posted

    Mine is basically stock and it ran fine.   Like all normally aspirated engines it put less power at altitude.   Here's what I've done.
    13/52 gearing
    Appropriate tires
    New pegs and grips
    Handlebar risers
    Double take mirror
    Fixed the airbox open
    Auxiliary power plug for GPS
    Bash plate
    Radiator guard

    I really want to do the fender eliminator but I'm waiting to break the turn signals off.  I thought that would happen the first time I dropped it but the are somehow still ok.  In late August, I'll head back to Big Bear and see if I can ride up 38 special.  That should take care of the turn signals.

  23. Posted

    I wimped out on the hard ride and did the easy loop.   It was a good ride but it took me six and a half hours (riding time) to do and it had no technical sections.   I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten a snow cone either.    My son broke a clutch lever and we had to go back to the start, from the gas stop, to scrounge for the part.   People at the start were very helpful and Glenn (don't recall his last name) gave us the lever.  I would have been happy to pay for it but he was happier to get us going.   The entire event was fun and my son really wants to the hard loop next year.

    My WR250R did really well.   My decision to do the easy loop was more due to lack of training than lack of an orange motorcycle (I also have a green sticker 525).   The 250 clearly has limitations but I like riding it.   

  24. Posted

    ok, no ride this week.   I went to Big Bear this weekend to ride the area and I was really surprised how extensive the off-road system is.  I rode on both sides of the lake on mostly nice fire roads with great views but I found a few challenging sections.  My GPS (Garmin 64s) didn't show all the roads so it looks like I need to update the map.  Does anyone have a recommendation for a map base that would be useful?

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