Gift of a Day
Posted: November 15, 2015 Filed under: Ride | Tags: 450, dirt, ride, Ride Organic, weekend Leave a commentToday’s weather was incredible – high sixties and breezy at the halfway point in November, with lots of moisture in the dirt from the previous week’s rains. I made the most of this gift by taking my Husqvarna to Ride Organic for a splendid afternoon of dirt riding.
The TC 449 is a GP machine
Bill relishes the perfect November weather
I got to rip around the GP track and relax in the November sunshine.
Gnarly
Posted: October 26, 2015 Filed under: Ride | Tags: 450, 50, bikes, dad, dirt, kids, Ride Organic, son Leave a commentHenry and I spent Saturday morning riding our dirt bikes. Henry brought both the 2-stroke PW50 (which he learned on, and loves) and the bigger 4-stroke TT-R 50 which he is learning to operate. Henry rode the PW50 for about 4 minutes before switching to the bigger bike. He stuck with it for the rest of the day and made big strides in in his shifting and braking on the more complicated machine.
I got to ride a little on my bike, but spent most of the day tagging along behind Henry. He’s really building his confidence, and his initial reaction to most tricky situations seems to usually be the right one.
Dirty Old Men
Posted: October 11, 2015 Filed under: Ride | Tags: 350, 450, bike, bikes, dirt, ride, woods Leave a commentI had a special treat this morning. I got to ride with Jo Wottowa, a friend and competitor from “back in the day” when supermoto was a thing. It’s been twelve years since I last rode with this guy. We met up at Ride Organic, Jo on his sharp and zippy KTM 350, me on my Be Em Husky-You.
Jo and his buddy JJ showed me the way around the Ride Organic GP track. JJ is fine throttle jockey, ripping through the woods like his hair is on fire. Jo and I agree that a more stately pace is the dignified way to go – we prefer to savor those fine moments on the trail when the temperature is a perfect 70 degrees. To keep things interesting, Jo devised a challenge for JJ – try to lap Jo and Bill more than once in 10 laps of the GP track. JJ was all over it, and ripped off into the woods in a cloud of dust and fine four stroke noise. In truth, when JJ passed me, I was pretty happy about it – my throttle arm had “pumped” to the point where I was accelerating unintendedly at unfortunate moments. JJ claimed he was experiencing the same thing, but I suspect he was just being a good boy and humoring an elder.
Older, grayer, and almost as fast as they used to be.
Before our morning was over, we made plans to ride together again. Reconnecting with an old friend and finding you still have all those things in common leaves you with a really happy feeling.
Team Hardcore has an *interesting* logo
Fifty degrees, fifty cc’s
Posted: October 3, 2015 Filed under: Ride | Tags: 450, 50, bikes, father, flat track, Kid, motocross, son Leave a commentSaturday morning, the first real fall weather and light – it’s 50 degrees and windy, but Henry and I are undaunted. We returned to Ride Organic for some more father/son dirt riding.
Henry and I took a helmeted selfie
Henry spent time on the Pee Wee track while I muddled around on the MX track.
Henry practicing on the Pee Wee track
Then Henry suggested we ride on the flat track. It was totally fun, and Henry picked up some speed.
Breaking out of (and into) a rut
Posted: September 27, 2015 Filed under: Ride | Tags: 450, bike, dirt, Husqvarna, ride, Ride Organic, woods Leave a commentThis makes two days in a row that I’ve taken my Husky to Ride Organic – beautiful weather, and another opportunity to reacquaint myself with dirt riding. I worked mostly on rutted corners, finding the right rolling speed at the beginning to motor out without standing the bike up and getting cross-rutted. I’m certainly not in riding shape – I got pretty tired pretty fast.
I’m hoping to do lots more riding, get those skills and stamina back…being off the bike for so long has been a bummer.
Dust em’ off
Posted: September 26, 2015 Filed under: Ride | Tags: 250, 450, dirt, ride, Ride Organic, vet, woods Leave a commentI went for a rare ride today, and spent the afternoon on Ride Organic’s excellent GP track. I met a fellow vet rider and we had a good time dusting off the cobwebs. Paul – glad to have met you, looking forward to riding with you again soon!
Roman Numerals
Posted: March 2, 2012 Filed under: Shop | Tags: 450, graphics, Husqvarna, motocross, motorcycle, mx, shop, stickers 3 CommentsI finally personalized my new Husqvarna TC 449 with some Decal Works custom backgrounds. I really like the way it turned out. Decal Works’ pre sales service was fantastic. They emailed me some images of what the bike would look like with various options. The stickers themselves were great, and fit perfectly, a nice achievement given that many of them wrapped over corners, or went on creased surfaces.
I chose one of their simpler options, the “Super” series graphics to show off the radical lines of the big Husky. I also went with a Italian “tricolore” scheme, which I have always liked on Italian exotic motorcycles. I was worried that it would come out looking like a pizza delivery scooter, but I think the green is subtle enough to not be too silly.
**UPDATE** for Gilles who commented below asking for a better view of the side number graphics:
Left side view of Decal Works decals for Husky TC 449
Decal Works for Husky TC 449 Right side view
Joy and Anguish
Posted: January 8, 2012 Filed under: Ride | Tags: 450, dirt, family, Husqvarna, motocross, mx, ride, weekend, Yamaha, YZ Leave a commentBrother John and I trailered the MX bikes to Lincoln Trail Motorsports in Casey IL on Sunday. The weather was to be great, and track prep was promised. I got up early to load the car and trailer. It’s a long drive for us – a little over two hours.
Husqvarna TC449 is fun at the MX park
I worried out loud, about 30 minutes from our destination that I grabbed a helmet when I was packing that I thought was mine, but I didn’t check it; I realized that Helen’s helmet is stored in an identical bag. “Wouldn’t that be awful if I brought Helen’s helmet instead of mine?” I said.
After paying gate fees at Lincoln Trail, we unpacked and quickly found my fear to be true! No helmet for me! Auuuughh! I was so angry at myself. My brother consoled me. We would take turns riding, and I could use his helmet and goggles. It wasn’t ideal, but it was at least a way for both of us to enjoy the day to some degree.
So we took turns. And we had a great time. I enjoyed watching John ride, and he was happy to watch me. Neither of us has any real endurance for motocross, so our riding time wasn’t diminished much.
Then the second bad thing happened.
The newly rebuilt motor on the YZ gave out.
I distinctly recall being alarmed at the sound the Yamaha was making as John went by on his last lap. It was wheezy, with a kind of dull clatter instead of the deep thump of a healthy MX motor. “Ugh” I thought. And as he came by, right in front of me, over a low tabletop jump, the motor seized in mid air. John saved it somehow, landing with the rear wheel locked, he was up over the bars, feet off the pegs, but he didn’t crash. Thank God, I thought. What a total disaster this day had become.
I probably messed up the wristpin clips or something during the piston installation. Only a teardown will reveal it. No sense speculating. The next step is to pull it all apart.
On the way home, I tried hard not to be morose. We had actually had a very good day. Lincoln Trail is an excellent facility. I wish I lived closer. If it was half an hour away, I’d be there twice a week, I’m pretty sure. The Husky was fabulous, easy to ride, confidence inspiring, and fun. John enjoyed his first taste of motocross immensely. It’s all overwhelmingly positive stuff.
Now if I could just remember my helmet, and not botch my bike builds, we’d be sitting pretty…
ride, cheese, click, repeat. 