There is a Hole...

 in my garage.
The Fourfiddy is sold and was collected today. Had the beast for 5 years... I was the second owner. She was a good 'un.

So many good memories with that bike... crossin' down the farm, Enduroland, harescrambles, green-laning and even Erzberg. A bit sad that I hadn't ridden it for 18 months -my friends had all sold their dirtbikes... not much fun on one's own.

Hope the new keeper in Poland gets as much awesome times out of that bike as I did. Look after her... she's a good 'un. I have a wee hole in my heart now.

Fourfiddy FOR SALE :-(

It was with a heavy heart that I spent today cleaning my KTM Fourfiddy and prepping her for sale. With new plastics and graphics she's lookin' real sweet. I hardly ride her now... just got too many other things going on... and got a wedding to pay for. She's a good one... will be sad to see her go.

Now advertised on fleaBay.

KTM Superlight

A real nice little KTM streettracker/caf racer on the Café Racer Culture blog...

MX Training

Managed to get down to my local MX practice track on Sunday morning. It was a clear, bright autumn day. But a weeks' worth of rain gave us a few sections of muddy slag... most of the track was ok though.

I'm starting to really dislike mud...

...scraped about 15kg of mud off at the track... then power-washed the other 15kg off at home... and then spent half an hour cleaning that up.

Managed to do 1 hour 45 mins with only 1 break... and put the bike down only once. The Northamptonshire mud has clay in it... so sticks like dog-shit. Took 2 hours to jet-wash that shit off the bike and kit.

I had to get out there and put the time in... body is still aching. It's my last chance to get some fitness in before I do an enduro out in South Africa in three weeks' time.

Enduroland

Got out to Enduroland on Sunday for my first dirtbike ride in more than a month...

First, the action pic... it all goes downhill and gets pretty boring after this...
(thanks Dave Burton Photography for the pic - but what's with the dreamy border?)

Gave the Fourfiddy some love a few weeks ago...

...some serious love!

Then I threw her in the mud...

...that horrible sticky, claggy, shitty, slick mud...

This rider's handicapped kid has an awesome time riding pillion.
(Does one 'ride' a quad? Doesn't sound right...)

After 2 hours of cleaning that crap off the Fourfiddy, it was back to the man-cave for to give some flattrack love... I think she's running better now. Still bogs down when throttle is cracked open. Any suggestions?

And then discoverin some wounds before bedtime.

It was an okay day. Conditions were muddy and tricky. Frustrating not to get out of third and just spinning up everywhere. I dug in and did 2 hours straight - just for fitness. I'm still hurtin.

Wasn't a huge amount of fun... I went down an ate mud a bit too. Bah! But at least ot wasn't bloody raining again. Gimme the sunshine, sand, rocks and company of California any day!

Enduroland Training

Got out to a local Enduroland event for a bit of training on Sunday. The course was short and slippy-slidey in places. We had great sunny weather - if it rained it would have been real tough going on the big ol' fourfiddy and not so much fun.

When there's grip, nothing can live with the fourfiddy!

Braaaap! Braaaap!

After two hours giving it big, I was knackered. The goal is to get fit enough to do a few hare-scrambles in the next months... without dying.

Crossin' Down the Field

After working on the flattracker and SV all day Saturday. I needed a break. I packed my shit, loaded the KTM and headed down to see Ant at the farm.

It was a glorious evening on the Planet of the Apes

We raced around the overgrown track in the warm evening light. I got knackered quick... the first time I've been on a bike since Erzberg - almost 2 months. "Man. I'm just about done...", "Nah... we just started" with which Ant fires up his CRF and hoons down the lane for some off-piste cross-country. I wasn't going to just sit on the log panting... I chase.

The fastest lines around Ant's 'home' track explained...

What awesome fun! All the paths are overgrown and we were riding blind most of the time. It was so dry and dusty too - brilliant!

By the time it was getting dark, I was truly cream-crackered!
A great few hours down the field getting fit for the Manx - thanks Ant!

Punishment

I did my first proper Enduro yesterday. I was punished.

Run by the Royal Air Force (Club: ARDUA) just a few miles from where I live in Bagshot. I entered the Sportsman class (8 laps), but I was put in the Clubman (9 laps). A couple of other experienced competitors thought it may be because I was on a 450... so I must be good... right?
;-) Yeah... right.

So... I get there in good time to find out how it all works. Not too complicated. Just do laps in a certain amount of time. The alloted time for each sucessive lap is reduced... so between the first few laps you have time for a wee break and to refuel. But the last few laps are flat-out... when you're knackered of course. Some 'special stages' too. Interesting format.

I make the beginner's error of not warming my bike up before getting it to parc ferme. I get to the start with 3 other competitors with the engine stone cold. There is a girl to my right who says "Don't worry guys... you go ahead... I'll still be here trying to start my bike.". Guy on my left chirps... "Yeah right.. and then you'll pass us and be gone." And that's exactly what happened!

The lap was almost 7 miles, up and down through forest. Tight, twisty and lots of roots, a few logs and some big climbs and descents thrown in. Not my favourite terrain... but the weather was dry and I'm thankful it wasn't going to be the muddy hell I went through at my last Hare-scramble (nearly 18 months ago in similar terrain just 2 miles away). I struggled up one of the climbs (thanks for the helps lads!) but got through the first lap ok with only 3 crashes and a few minutes to spare to grab some water. 40 miniutes. Second and third gear everywhere - no problemo.

Lap 2: Ok. Only 2 crashes. Lap 3: 1 crash. Getting the knack of it... but only I just make it in the alloted time after a rushed splash 'n dash for fuel. Lap 4... 2.5 hours in and I'm getting tired. I go down a few times, but nothing serious. I'm 4 minutes late to the start of lap 5. I pull away after getting my timecard done and the gear-shift feels funny. Less than a minute later and it doesn't work at all - I'm stuck in third gear. Bugger!

I have a rekluse clutch fitted. It's basically an automatic clutch... great for beginner numpties like me... you can't stall the bike. Well, that's the theory. I somehow stall the bike and then discover my battery is dead. So I gotta kick that big-bore bastird to life. Gawd! I'm already knackered! It all goes downhill from there.

But I dig in and keep plugging away. The more tired I get, the more I crash... the more I've got to pick that 120kg beast up and sometimes kick-start start it (the rekluse worked a treat most times!)... of course that knackers me even more.

The big climbs I would normally do in second. But stuck in third, I have to give it horns all the way up to keep the revs up so that the clutch doesn't engage or the bike stalls. I'm rocketing up most of them... my speed far exceeding my level of skill. A mile form the end of lap seven on one of the biggest climbs, I hit a rut wrong and lose control. Not to be beaten by the hill, I keep it pinned. But a huge tree gets in my way. "Thwack"!

When you hit a big tree... you stop. That's all... you just stop.

I cought the tree with the left bar of the bike, my shoulder and head. I stopped. The bike careened off into the heather about 25 feet above me, revving it's nuts off. Bejeesus! I'm seeing stars! Fookin'ell! I'm a bit dazed... and my shoulder hurts! But... more than anything, I was exhausted. I gather myself and haul the bike up... I'm right near the top of the climb, but just cannot hold the bike on the hill... let alone kick-start it. No more strength. So I free-wheel to the bottom of the steep climb. I rest a few minutes and eventually get the bike started up. I line up at the foot of the hill and fire the big four-fiddy up that steep son-of-a-bitch!

On the last mile of lap 7 I know I had pushed my luck far enough. Besides, the clutch was starting to slip because of the punishment it had taken on the last 3 laps. If it gave up, I couldn't get neutral (stuck in third) and the rekluse clutch drags when the engine is off - there was no way I would have been able to push the bike out of the forest in the physical state I was in.

I finish the lap. 7 out of 8 (or 9) laps in 4.5 hours... in an Enduro that counts for nothing... it's still a D.N.F. I get home exhausted, beat.

(pics to follow when I find some)

Down the field wit mah Brutha

Been a bit quiet on the old blog since returning from the Isle of Man. Got to get back into the habit...

(Down the field - Nic ginving the four-fiddy some welly)

Took a break for a week after the Manx GP then started a new contract ooop north in Chesterfield. It's only till mid-November, but I don't like being away from my garage for 5 days a week and makes travel difficult.

(Nic on the four-fiddy)

Went down the field with brother Nic a few weeks ago. Cracking weather - the field was as dry as I've ever seen it. Got to ride the little Beta trials bike for a few minutes.

(Nic trying out the Beta)

Also sold the Beemdawg (1989 BMW 325i Sport). Sad to see her go, never managed to learn to drift proper in her, take her on a track or to the 'Ring' as I had planned. But feels like a weight has been lifted... need to get rid of more stuff... it's cluttering up my life!