KDX in National Enduro Series

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rungrandpa
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by rungrandpa »

Thanks for posting your adventure. The 81 year old guy at the Cajun Classic gave me some hope.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Haha! It's a smallish, 5x8, cargo trailer. Simple and small and light enough to be an easy tow. The bunk folds down from the wall, couple of built in shelves, wired for elec so I can run a small heater or fan from a 2 kw generator. Only about 5'6" heardroom so I learned to duck. On long drives to races I can grab a few hours sleep inside even with the bike loaded at a truck stop, etc. That works unless my sponsor/wife wants to go.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

Oh no. Not yours, but the one with the bikes on the tongue. Yours looks great! No need for all the extra stuff. You are racing, not running away from home.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by doakley »

Ha! Should have caught that. I’ve actually seen a couple of these, factory built.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Soooo....registration for round 5 of the 2019 National Enduro series opened at 8PM June 19th and I was poised over my keyboard as the clock ticked down. Was able to secure Travis and myself our choice row, #3 this time. We've decided as much as we like the lower traffic density at the rear of the pack, the trail just gets too beat up by then. We just learn how to be passed without losing too much momentum and hopefully sometime learn to pass 'em back!
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Speaking of passing instead of being passed.....you'll recall I was less than happy with my lackluster performance at the Cherokee enduro earlier this month. I decided to try to do something about it. I'm not in adequate physical condition nor am I getting in enough riding outside of the enduros. SO;
I've embarked on an exercise routine and charting my progress to keep myself honest. I go to the gym 3-4x per week primarily to work out on a water rowing machine there that just kicks my a$$, along with some light free weight work. I also ride my bicycle 10 miles, 4-5x per week, sometimes to the gym for my workout, and add in some stretching and core exercises.

How to deal with the lack of seat time when the nearest place to ride is over a 2 hr drive? I dropped in at a recently reopened mx track only 30 min from home this week just to see what they have. Their mx track is excellent and they have a practice "turn track" as well. I had a great time and by going on a weekday morning, I basically had the track to myself so no "hotshot" mx racers flying off jumps.

I did meet this guy while there though, Jonathan Mayzak.
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Jonathan is a young (20) pro rider trying to break into the ranks of the elite US motocross riders. He is a privateer who spent 2018 racing in Canada and this year is riding as many east coast AMA 250 outdoor mx races as possible. He just made the qualifying cut last weekend in Jacksonville, FL for the first time and finished 34 of 40 among the top factory and private riders. He could be the real deal I think. By his own words he still makes too many mistakes but is learning the ropes. It was fun watching him on TV this past Saturday.

Jonathan also instructs to earn some expense money so I decided to book a 2 hr private session with him this coming Tuesday. I've always heard riding motocross will make you a better woods rider so what the heck? Besides, fundamentals are fundamentals. You don't get better in any sport without some coaching and help learning the fundamentals whether it is football, basketball, base ball, golf, tennis, whatever. Someone asked if I really expected to learn anything from a kid less than 1/3 my age. My response is, if I can only learn from people older than I am, I am quickly running out of "qualified" instructors at my age! I am excited about the opportunity to learn from a top level pro!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Braap on, people!

Old Guy Racin'
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

Way to go! Congratulations on stepping up the training and exercise. Most of us could benefit from it.

Congratulations also on meeting up with someone awesome enough to have been out in the Florida heat on Saturday!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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MX lesson report. This was an awesome experience! To have someone of this caliber rider (and instructor) watch you ride, stop you to give you a few instructions then repeat the process is really beneficial. We spent the entire hour on only a couple of corners, the first a 180* turn at the end of a straitaway and the second an "S" turn right before a small jump.
He changed my standing position some and the result was more comfortable and required less effort. We worked a lot on smooth throttle delivery. I also learned I was transitioning from standing to sitting in the corners way too soon. I can't say I mastered anything but by the end of the lesson I was riding through a corner in 4th that I was previously taking in 2nd. It felt slower but Jonathan told me I was actually much faster and smoother. Now to practice on my own and try to translate this new approach to actual racing.

Note I had to cut the lesson from 2 to 1 hr in order to get back to my surprise 67th birthday party with my grand kids. Actually it was so intense and hot, an hour was all I wanted!
I'll definitely go back for more in a couple of weeks when Jonathan's racing schedule breaks.

Braap on, people! I'm having a ball!

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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

Congratulations on the birthday, as well as the riding lesson. Good luck!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Followed up with some morning practice of what I had learned in Tuesday’s lesson. Instructor is off to Southwick for Saturday’s AMA motocross race. I’m hoping he can qualify again and get some more experience at that level.

As for me, whipped myself for 1 1/2 hrs on the MX track practicing. KDX isn’t exactly at home on a MX track (neither am I!) but I’m still benefitting from the seat time and the exercise.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

33-29 for 34th is damn good! He made the big show!

https://promotocross.com/2019/florida/results/250

Any riding is good riding! Enjoy the MX track. I love it!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by Vossman »

KDXGarage wrote: 07:09 pm Jun 28 2019
Any riding is good riding! Enjoy the MX track. I love it!
Truth.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Only a little over two weeks before the next enduro, round 5, the Rattlesnake National! I've been managing to stick with the exercise pretty well I think. Keeping a calendar on my chest of drawers in my bedroom helps keep me honest! Travis and I also txt each other frequently to report our efforts. Then of course there are you guys! Writing here helps keep me accountable so you are ALL part of the effort!

Put some new bark busters on the old girl this week. I chose the Enduro Engineering model made just for the Flexx bars. Had a little trouble getting everything rerouted and mounted up. This could be because I took this opportunity to cut my bars down. They now measure 30.5 inches including the bark busters.
New Busters.jpg
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OMG! They are white! About the first thing I've put on the bike that wasn't green or black. Old bars were 32" wide. I had to reroute both brake lines to clear. I need to ride some, in the woods not the MX track, to make sure everything is good. I'm pretty serious about that "Nothing new on race day" concept. I don't want to go to the line with anything on the bike that hasn't been thoroughly tested first. I've been dumped on by the "well...that looks like it will work" attitude. I'm thinking I'll go join my buddy thirdgenlxi on his KDX200 at the North Carolina Hare Scrambles Association race this Sunday. They typically have a good mix of fast flowy stuff and single track mixed into their courses so should be good practice for the upcoming enduro two weeks later. As I've mentioned before I believe, I don't want to race back-to-back weekends again. I've found I need more recovery time than one week. I'm not racing for points with the NCHSA guys, just practice, so no pressure.

Oh, yeah. I'll get around to painting that awful orange stand someday!

Ya'll keep brapping!

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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXDave »

Looking very sharp! How has the EMF auto clutch worked with the shims I sent? I sent two sets if it starts to slip....one set has worked for 4-5 years for me...It seems once it's set and working well it lasts a very long time.....KDXDave
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Dave, once I finally understood what the problem was I discovered I had not assembled the clutch properly. The outer pressure plate was not properly nested in the groves in the outer basket. Hard to explain but suffice it to say the plate was not seated fully in the clutch assembly. When that was realized, and corrected, the resulting gap was perfect, even a tad on the lower end of spec. So I've never used the shims and the clutch is now working perfectly. I can return the shims but if ok with you I would rather keep them for now in case it developed a problem. Even though I did not need the shims, I would not have figured out what the problem was without your input! Thank you! I was just about to go back to the manual clutch and I much prefer the autoclutch as you know.
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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The devils in the details! Glad to hear the autoclutch is working well! No problem with you keeping the sims; they may come in handy some day! Keep up telling us about your adventures.........KDXDave
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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Hey, everybody. Thought I would give you just a little update. I raced in a "local" hare scramble race with the people at NC Hare Scrambles Association, www.nchsa.org, The course is one noted for having a lot of single track included. It seems the guys who lay this out on their land also ride enduros so the single track was especially tight. It was my first race since I cut the bars down by 1.5 inches. Man, does that make a difference! Maybe it was all mental but I felt much more comfortable in the tight trees. I has also switched to Enduro Engineering's bark busters made especially to fit the Fasst Flexx bars. I really like those as well.

It was also my first race since I began working with Jonathan Mayzak, my young motocross pro rider and instructor. I have to say, the tips I had gotten and practiced from Jonathan really seemed to help. I was much more comfortable, able to stand longer and I think I was even doing a little better in the turns. I did good right up until my enduro riding buddy, Travis, passed me on his Honda 450. Travis is a pretty high level C rider and quite a bit faster than I am, also 26 years younger! I was determined to pass him back (see, I was feeling pretty hot-$$hit, wasn't I?). I had actually got him back barely in sight when I went down hard in a fast 4th gear right turn. Next thing I remember was 2 guys helping me up and dragging my bike out of the way. I didn't knock myself out cold but I was definitely a bit woozy. The bars were knocked all crooked as the washers below the rubber mounts bent again from the impact. I decided since this was a practice race, I had probably practiced enough, and found my way to the finish line by an alternate route.
The paramedics checked me out and pronounced me ok so maybe I over-reacted a tad. It did seem like the better decision at the moment; besides, I had a nasty headache by then.

This week I installed new rubber cones in the bar mounts and chose the "hard" option. They are much harder than stock so maybe this will help some with the twisted bars thing. Of course not falling down would have helped too. My sponsor (wife) asked if perhaps I was riding just a bit over my head given how excited I was with the results of my recent training and how much I wanted to catch Travis. "Nah" I lied! "Just another fall" I continued the lie. But I am glad my Sponsor saw fit to provide me with a new helmet at the beginning of the season!

So I'm back on my exercise schedule trying to alternate an easy day with a hard day either in the gym on that rowing machine or easy days a bike ride and swim some laps. tonight is a hard night. I think it's helping...If I can just quit falling down!

Racing in PA next weekend, July 28th at the Rattlesnake National Enduro. It's round 5 and the mid-season event. Half way there and still have a slim hold on 5th place in the points standings. I'll make sure I get some photos at the Rattlesnake!

Braappp on!

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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

I sensed this was a crash / bent bike post. I am glad you are OK. Check the helmet. It may have given its life to save yours.

Keep at it, and keep us informed along the way!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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"Live" report brought to you from the Rattlesnake National Enduro outside Cross Fork, PA. It is Friday before the enduros on Sunday.

Camp is set up and I'm just cooling my heels a bit. I had to be in Raleigh Friday morning so I packed up my race gear and trailer and just drove on up to PA from Raleigh instead of going back home. This way I get here early enough to relax and get on my "race face". (Assuming I have one!).

Here's a quick shot of KDX race central. I met another KDX rider earlier today. He is on row 65 and I am on row 3 so let's hope I don't see him in the woods Sunday!
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Travis decided to come up early too so he should be arriving in about an hour or two. Schedules just didn't mesh for us to drive together this time.

Tomorrow KTM is doing demo rides so I'm hoping to ride a 250f and maybe a 250XCW. Don't know why because buying either is out of the question unless I get a new sponsor and I'm not looking for one of those! Still, it will be fun to compare. I'll try to give you some pics and impressions afterwards.

Braappp on!

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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

Post by KDXGarage »

Thanks for the updates. Good luck this weekend!
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Re: KDX in National Enduro Series

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edited to avoid thread hi-jacking
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