KDX in National Enduro Series

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Glenn
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by Glenn »

Thanks for the response. Good luck with low back/sciatica problem
I can relate because although I don't suffer from said condition, I deal with that and more daily as I am a chiropractor myself.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by doakley »

Five days from race day and I'm as ready as I'm likely to get. Bike is ready anyway! Cargo trailer is mostly packed, just a few last minute things. Yeah, I'm a little excited to get going, but the truth is I'm expecting my work schedule and the weather to be challenging the middle part of this week and I didn't want to get caught at the last minute not being ready.

So, I pimped out my trailer a bit by adding the Kawasaki "Three Green Stripes" scheme on the sides. Just couldn't resist. I just got the trailer for this season courtesy of thirdgenlxi on these forums. He had been borrowing the trailer from a friend but wanted a larger camper. I jumped on the trailer when it became available and think it will suit my purposes well. Only a 5x8 but that makes it more economical to tow and I'll be towing it a lot this year.
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Here's a pic of the interior after I painted the floor. It was already wired for 110v electric, so I just added some battery powered LED lights and bought a "Buddy" propane heater. You can see the built in bed folded against the left wall. I already had a good foam mattress. It's going to be nice not sleeping in a tent or the back seat of my truck for a change!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

LOOKS GREAT!
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by DDR26 »

Wow, loved reading your story doakley. Hope your feeling better in time for the Sumter enduro. I'm 62, trail layout boss for the Alligator Enduro in March and riding a 2001 Kdx200. I don't race much anymore but I love laying trail for our races and just being in the woods on my KDX as much as I can. I would love to meet you at our event. Ask for me at the club signup tent.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by doakley »

DDR26, I'll be at Daytona for sure! I don't care what shape I'm in, Daytona has always been on my "bucket list". Really looking forward to riding it for the first time this year. Hope to meet you there although as layout boss I know you'll be busy.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by doakley »

And just like that, round one of the 2019 NEPG National Enduro series is history! WHEW!!
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This is a post race photo so let me back up a little and fill in. You can tell from the photo, I got row 80, which means 474 riders went off in front of me. Not my first choice of rows, but we take what we get. Registration for all NEPG events is online and within 10 minutes of registration opening the first 120 rows were sold out! Bad news the trails were beat up pretty good by the time my row got there. Good news is we didn't have any problems finding the trail (or the hot lines either!). We had light rain on and off during Saturday night and during the event on Sunday so the sandy soil was damp, dust free and almost perfect.

I arrived early enough on Saturday to claim a good camping spot and help some space for a couple of buddies who were tent camping.
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This also gave me time to wander around a bit, pick up my registration package and tee shirt, etc. No long lines at the registration trailer on Saturday. Just breeze right through, check your transponder is working correctly and you are finished with check-in.
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I came upon this older, air cooled, 1987 KDX200. It was entered on a row not too far behind mine was ridden by a young man from Knoxville, TN. He passed me during each test and was pretty darn fast on that old bike! Really glad to see it out there. I met him after the race. Turns out he will be heading off to the Navy in a few weeks so not likely to see him at future races. Meeting all the riders and support crews from around the country is something I really like about these events.
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KTM sponsored a spaghetti dinner Sat night for a $5 donation. Pretty good deal. We met the host club's president who explained the donations go to a local kid's charity, the Burt Gin Camp. Really nice when groups from our sport do things like this. It really helps the motorcycling image.

Not much to do after dinner except rest so closed up the trailer, except for the roof vent, turned the heater on low and crashed (bad word!) for the night. Snug as a bug!
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The next morning we go to the riders' meeting but their PA system isn't strong enough and you can barely hear. Not usually anything we really need to hear at the riders meetings anyway so what the hey!

Sorry I don't have a GoPro so no riding video. I managed to finish the enduro. considering I had been seeing a phusical therapist and a chiropractor for sciatica issues for the last four weeks, I was pretty pleased just ot finish. I was 12th in calss out of 13 so not too good. Sometimes just managing to finish is good enough though!

The next enduro on the National Enduro Promotions Group schedule is the Alligator National, near Daytona, FL. The "Gator" is one I've been looking forward to for a long time. In the meantime, I'll ride the SESTRA (Southeastern Enduro and Trail Riders Association) Eagles Nest enduro on 2/10 (Yikes! THIS Sunday!!) also in FL and the Sandlapper enduro (3/13) in SC to try and whip this old body into some kind of better riding condition.

See you there!

Old Guy
(Note: I have no idea why some of the pics are sideways and gave up trying to fix this. Also don't know why the site would only accept 5 pictures.)
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by bufftester »

Nice, start slow and build! Really, just finishing in your first national event is a major milestone, good job and good luck in the coming events.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDF200X »

How was your race?

Edit: missed the second page
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

Congratulations on your race! It's awesome that you are doing the series!

I don't know why the pictures are turned.

I think it is set to 5 pics per post. You can post twice for 10 pics, etc.
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by kawagumby »

What a great way to get back into it. I'm 71, and am well-versed in back issues and slow healing - but still ride a lot. It'll be fun to follow your adventures, just don't get discouraged while you build more endurance!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by doakley »

Well, SETRA had to reschedule the Eagles Nest enduro from this weekend due to the course being too wet. Concern is not so much for the riders as for the land. That many riders on wet land would have done a lot of damage and possibly impacted the ability to gain future permission to race there. IMO this was the right decision.
Actually good for me as my back hadn’t really recovered from Sumter last weekend and I could use the rest!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by kawagumby »

A few things that you might consider;

The 220's run hotter than the 200's. Radiator guards actually impede the air flow, worsening the situation... you might try opening the holes up a bit to help air flow or return to the stock louvers and just use radiator braces, if possible. You've probably already tried the aftermarket coolants.

My shoulders, hands, neck and upper back have thanked me many times for using Flexx Bars. They are expensive, but make such a difference on rougher terrain that I now have them on several of my bikes. You can ride longer and have less inflammation afterwards by using them. I use the softest cushions supplied, and don't even notice them while riding other than the fact that my hands don't tend to fall asleep, LOL. They come in several bends, and now also market narrower width, enduro style bars.

Ah, sciatica...my old friend. There's a product out there called the Back Bubble - available from amazon, its like an inner tube that you can hang from and unload the vertebrae. Better than an inversion table IMO, and a lot cheaper. However, if you can swing it, the best thing I ever did was buy a cheap treadmill, and walk only five to ten minutes a day while unloading the spine by pressing down on the handles. I haven't had a lower spine issue in two years since I started that routine.. and when I skipped a few days, the pain and problems began to come back...That system works because healing fluids are able to surround the disks while the vertebrae are unloaded and slightly moving during the walking motion. My spine was always crooked before I got the treadmill, it's been straight ever since.

Have fun!
1994 KDX200, Beta 200rr, yz125, yz250, kx100 modded for adult, gasgas contact 250.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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OKaaayyyy! Here we go again. Just completed online sign up for round 2 of the NEPG enduro series, the Alligator National Enduro on March 24th, held by the Daytona Dirt Riders. Big shout out for the DDR guys, at least ONE of which is a member here and he happens to be the trail boss for the enduro. It takes a huge effort to put on these events so I want to say here how much the competitors appreciate their hard work!
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Got a little luckier this round already. We requested row 1 again, just like Sumter. You may recall we got row 80 for Sumter! Of course Sumter sold out in 10 minutes online! We were assigned row 2 for the Alligator National and are quite pleased. Our strategy is: If it is wet (which it is right now I was told) we won't have as many deep rutted out mud holes to negotiate. Watching some old Alligator Youtube videos convinced me I definitely preferred the front if it is wet. If it is dry, at least the whoops won't be so big (maybe?). We have about a 15 minute head start on the pro women riders (not enough) and about 18 minutes on the NE2 pro men (definitely not enough) so I expect to be passed a lot. At least the pro riders just blow by you wherever they catch up and don't waste time following and yelling at you. Fun to watch how fast they disappear too!

Downside of being up front is unless they really cut the trail in well with pre-riders, you've really got to watch for the arrows. Also there are fewer people to knock down those stinking palmetto leaves. I'll be riding with my buddy Travis on his Honda 450 again. Actually Travis is quite a bit faster than I am so I only know I'll see him at the start of the first test. If I don't make any major mistakes and the resets between tests are long enough, hopefully we will start every test together on our minute. I only missed one in Sumter.

Already there are 14 in the 65+ "Geezer" class. Only 7 of those also rode in the Sumter event so there are 7 riders right now I don't know. Hopefully I can do better in FL and finisher a little higher than 12th this time. As always the first goal is to finish.

I've gotta' say again, I've wanted to ride the "Gator" since I was in my early 20's and I can barely remember that far back. I am really stoked for this one! I just finished switching the bike over to Evans Waterless Coolant in an effort to stop the boil overs. I'll ride it next week some for practice and then run the Sandlapper enduro in SC on 3/3 more as a true test than anything else. Wish me well; I need all the help I can get. And if you see a tired old guy poking down the trail on KDX #499, give him a shout!

Old Guy Racing!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

Congratulations again for your accomplishments and going racing at that level! Good luck!
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by Malibu406 »

This is a great thread looking forward to more. I love that as we age we maintain perfect bikes, paint the floor of our trailers, drive new trucks and put carpet down under our canopies! Me in the eighties....toss my yz490 in the bed of a rusted out chevy truck. Dont even binder it in, just flop it over and let the gas leak out. Put a tool box in the bed but loosely toss in all the tools i forgot to include. Head to the race!

Now i pack the damn truck the night before and go through a check list...OMG!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by DDR26 »

Congratulations on your first National Enduro experience! Sounds like you did ok to me. Like you said, sometimes just finishing is a win. I'm looking forward to meeting you at the Alligator. Row 2 is perfect for this one! See you there.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by doakley »

Well, I broke down and ordered a set of Flexx bars from Rocky Mtn ATV. If any of you aren't familiar with them, they are designed with little compression and rebound dampers so the bars actually flex in the same plane as your forks. The idea is to help absorb some of the vibrations but mostly shock transmitted thru the bars to your hands, arms and shoulders. Supposed to make a big difference in reducing arm pump. I don't normally have a lot of arm pump issues (I said normally) but after a race my thumbs are pretty sore and weak. They stay that way almost all the time so I'm wondering if I'm developing carpel tunnel or similar. Since I broke both shoulders a about 4 years ago, I've never developed the same shoulder strength as before. when riding I can get shoulder spasms and cramps across my shoulder blades. I'm hoping the Flexx bars will help with this and I'll give you a product report.
Speaking of product reports, or more accurately put, "idea" reports; I wanted to share with you a home remedy for cramps......pickle juice!
That's right, search it on the web, you'll find where people use a shot of dill pickle juice at first onset to ward off muscle cramps. There's even been university research into it which resulted in a commercial product and several pre-packages pickle juice "shots". I tried some pickle juice at an enduro last November and got almost instant relief from leg cramps (my big cramp problem). but I had to stop, open my back pack pocket and pull out the juice. Very inconvenient when racing.
So I came up with this idea:
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Still no idea why these photos are sideways!

This is a kids sippy cup, designed to be spill resistant. It has a regular camel back style hydration hose and mouthpiece pushed through to the bottom. the top is sealed with self-amalgmating tape (Tommy Tape). It will be mounted behind the front number plate with zip ties, I just pulled it up in this photo so you could see it. To use you just put the mouthpiece in and suck up the juice. Totally simple! This is actually the second version of this idea. Version 1.0 used a small plastic baby bottle with the hose run through the bottle nipple. Unfortunately it leaked all my juice out during the race. Looking forward to giving you guys a rider report after the Sandlapper enduro the first weekend in March on both this and the Flexx bars.

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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

Sweet idea. I mean SOUR! Let us know how it goes!
Thank you for participating on kdxrider.net. :bravo:
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Got a little downtime between National Enduro events so I decided to ride the Sandlapper enduro in South Carolina. Sandlapper lives up to its name fairly well...sand...so I thought it would be a good chance to check out the bike (and my back) before heading down to Florida for the next national event in a few weeks.
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Not much to do the night before the enduro so I decided to lend my advice to the BBQ cooks. Do you see ANYBODY in this photo paying me any attention at all? Seriously the BBQ was great, although maybe not the meal of choice before a race!
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Here is Team KDX Race Camp the morning of the race. That's Jared's new-to-him, 42 yr old camper. He is really doing a good job of bringing the old camper back. Jared cooked us breakfast on race day. (I'm going to like his having this camper!)
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Here's my KDX all trussed up and ready to race! If you look closely you'll note the red hose coming from behind the front number plate. That's my "anti-cramp" device, the pickle juice dispenser I wrote about earlier. Happy to say version 2.0 worked perfectly and YES, it does help me ward off those nasty cramps.
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Here is "Team Biscuit" before the race. Mine and Jared's KDX's joined by Travis' Honda 450F. All three of us are sporting suspension tuning by SR1 Suspension R&D out of Taylorsville, NC. We are all very pleased with what Jared Daniels has done to help our bikes! I still believe proper suspension is the best "speed mod" you can buy.

I'll move on to another post so I can include a few more pics.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Enduro report:
The "Sandlapper" lived up to its name, although with the rain they've had lately the conditions were nearly perfect. Just a little mud to keep you on your toes but I didn't see many stuck riders. These guys do an excellent job of laying out a course with tons of single track broken up by some more open, flowing, trails where you can cool off both rider and bike. Love this enduro and can highly recommend it to you. They also run a dual sport event on Saturday which I understand uses some of the enduro trails. I heard nothing but positive comments praising both the enduro and dual sport courses.

Bike report:
The Evans Waterless Coolant did its job, no boil overs for the first time since I've raced the auto-clutch. Unfortunately the clutch was slipping horribly during the entire event. I'd like to say it was only when hot, but truth is it started out slipping. By the gas stop, half way point, it was so bad I could hardly lift a wheel over the logs. I was feeling good but decided to stop punishing the bike lest I damage something. That slipping clutch was just getting worse and building up more and more heat. After all, this was supposed to be a practice race for me before the Alligator National. No use trashing the bike. A phone call to EFM concluded I had simply burned up the clutch and it was time for a new clutch pack. I'll be putting a Tusk pack in the bike this week and will report the outcome.

Fasst Flex handle bar report: I think I'm really going to like these. I only rode half the enduro but no issues with my shoulders. What little bit of arm pump I had was handled by the pickle juice! They came with the hard elastomers installed and I've swapped the compression dampers out to "soft" which I think will suit me even better. These are expensive no doubt and its too early for an accurate opinion, but I THINK I'm going to be glad I got them. Let you know later.

This is Jared (Thirdgenxli) early into test 4 after the gas stop. Everybody yell..."Stand up, Jared!!!" Sand riding is pretty new to Jared but he excells at rocky, mountain hill climbs with the "Green Tractor", his KDX 200.
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Here is Travis gently lifting a wheel with the awesome poser in his Honda 450. Tell you the truth, that thing scares me although he says it is easier to ride than his KTM 250 motocross bike. I think he must like the SR1 suspension mods as he finished 2nd in the 40+C class!
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As mentioned, the next national enduro is the Alligator, something I've wanted to ride since I first heard about it at age 19 (a lonnnnng time ago). I'm really stoked for this one. I'll have the bike ready with the new clutch pack and softer compression elastomers for the Flex bars. Based on weather and condition reports we got from Florida riders at the Sandlapper enduro, I think our row choice of #2 will be a good spot for us.
See y'all later!

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