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.

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.

Getting Fit

With the ManxGP only 3 weeks away, I've been trying to get fit through the last month... and lose a few extra kaygees I'm carrying around. I'm working away from home at the moment and the hotel doesn't have a gym, so have tried taking up running (the hotel food isn't helping the casue either!). I havn't run more than a few hundred yards to catch a train in the last 20 years so started from zero.

Dry and dusty... the way I love it!

I'm on a 10 week program from zero to doing a 5k run. Except I started late and only had 7 weeks till the ManxGP, and can only do 2 runs a week instead of the reccomended 3. No worries... a bit of determination and a lot of pain later and I should be able to do a 5k without walking next week (on week 5!). Never thought I'd ever run.

Running sucks

I don't really like the running... far rather be riding a petrol engined machine. Got out on the fourfiddy to my local practice track at Weedon on Sunday morning. I did 2 hours straight with only 1 break. I took the break 1 hour and 22 minutes in when I was feeling really knackered - I crashed through the track-marking ropes into a bed of thistles. My side was still burning on Sunday night and my body is still aching from the punishment. No pain... no gain...

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.

Down the field

Found this pic from last winter when the fourfiddy hub got smashed and wasn't going anywhere. It was a long way back so tried getting a push from Ant and Mike on either side. It ended in tears... of laughter!

Enduroland

The fourfiddy has been moulding away in the garage for the last few months.

Got it out on Sunday morning to the Enduroland practice/training ground which is just a few miles away from me. They have a few events there every year.

I chose all the 'hard' routes... 

...not so hard

It was sunny, dry, dusty and fast... the way I like it. Spent about an hour and forty-five shreddin'. I am soo unfit... it's hurtin today!

The technical forest section... not difficult when dry...

...but throw in some camoflage and a bit of rain and they'll have you!

Need to ride more and get fitter... fit enough for a 3 hour harescramble.

It was a great day on the dirt!

Plod Stop Play

Been nursing the HCL sprain decided to get out on the fourfiddy on Saturday past to test it out for flattrackin this weekend. They have erected a 9ft fence around the vacant lot I've used before so I went to an abandoned dry ski slope about 15 miles way. Some guys from the old vacant lot recommended it.

Esay up the front... a bit trickier at the back

When I got there there were no other bikes... just a 4x4 which left 5 mins after I arrived. I had a gentle pootle about. Knee is feckin sore when twisting inwards to change up the gears... but otherwise ok.

There are two challenging climbs at the back of the slope... both with the base obstructed by a mountain of dumped rubble and the one with a 4ft verticle in the middle of it. Both with loose sand.

View from the top

56 minutes into the ride and I was pulling the fourfiddy out of the bushes after failing at my third attempt to conquer the last climb... (After popping up the verticle, I just lose too much momentum and lose traction on the sand) ... and along came plod.

The copper on the DTX bike tells me that it's private property... blah... blah... confiscate bike... blah... owner not happy... blah... blah. He was alright about it. I packed up and headed home... on the way out... 2 patrol cars hurried onto the lot. They wouldn't have been alright about it. Two patrol cars and a bike to stop someone riding on a vacant lot that no-one cares about... this is why we pay taxes!  The cops are just doing their job... but those that called them are wankers.

So, another riding place closed down :-( It was a good ride out and the knee held out. Still a bit sore but getting better every day. :-)

Sorting the Fourfiddy

Finding myself out of work, I now have time to sort the bikes and mabe ride them a bit. A few months ago the rear sprocket came loose on the Fourfiddy while hacking down the farm with my mates. The chain junped off, snaked up and jammed, breaking the rear hub on the process.

Not nice

She was laying down a pool of oil on the garage floor - I feared the worst: cracked engine case.

After half an hour of prying, pulling, tugging and general man-handling I managed to get the chain loose without having to take off the swing-arm. Slowly, slowly catch the monkey...

There was very little damage... mullered chain guides, twisted chain and the oil leak was from the shaft seal.

A five second search on my fav off-road forum ThumperTalk turned up this link:

http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-803907.html

Basically... just give it a good ol' clean...

 Strip and clean!

There was a lot of crud in there... all shiny again!

Twenty quids worth of parts on next day delivery from the uber-helpful guys at Redline Motorcycles

Puncture fixed and spare wheel fitted. All back together and ready for a test down the field later today...

I straightened the chain using the workbench vise and a pair of water-pump pliers. The Wee Monsters chain is also twisted after the chain-shed at Mallory Park... if the vise and pliers work on the KTM, the Wee Monster will get the same treatment.

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!