Dreaming of Dakar

Sorry, been really bad about updating the blog over the last couple of weeks.  Been having a LOT of fun riding the IT on the ice!  It reall is amazing how well the bike grips on good clean ice.  Also kind of scary how quickly you can loose that traction when you hit a patch of snow.

Two weeks ago Jane went with me out to the Saratoga Springs, NY area for a ride and party with a bunch of other ADV guys.  That was my first time with the IT200 on the ice.  I got fairly comfortable but wasn't real fast.  Some of the problem was that the front tire wasn't gripping quite as well as the rear, but to be honest most of it was lack of riding technique.  Either way I had a lot of fun and did a ton of laps.  Only dropped the bike once when the front went out from under me.  Dropping the bike when riding on ice really isn't too bad.  I have plenty of protection on and you just slide.  I had several other times when I went into a corner too hard and had to just go wide, that's another advantage of riding on ice - there is basically unlimited runoff to the side of the track.

Before the next weekend I decided to try to do something about the front end grip.  Here is how I had the front tire set up orignally:

Since I had plenty of grip in straight line braking I left the center row the same but on most of the other lugs I moved the existing screw to a corner of the lug and added a second:

So, last weekend I went up to northernVT for some more riding.  I definitely felt an improvement with the front tire.  Also, I got some good riding tips from one of the guys (thanks Rob!) which made a big difference.  The biggest thing is I need to lean the bike more to get it to bite in the corners.

I did even more laps up in VT than I had the week before in NY and most certainly got faster.  Some of the other guys mentioned I was looking faster as well.  I really was feeling confident that I could push the limit and keep control when the bike looses grip.  Also, was not as sore after that ride as I had been the week before.

A couple of videos from over in NY.  Sorry for the low res, the camera was on the wrong setting.

Finally above freezing so I got the new DRZ400 registered and insured yesterday and took it out for the first time on the street today.  It is a FUN BIKE!  Amazing how much "snappier" that little 400 feels compared to my KLR650.  Most of that is it is geared for off-road but I think it actually does have about the same power (and less weight).

Tomorrow I am off to the Saratoga Springs, NY area for some ice riding!  This will be the first time I will get a chance to try out my new ice tires on the IT200.  Jane is coming along and I will get her to take pics and video which I will share here.

I made a big step toward the Dakar goal today.  I bought a proper dirt bike!  Now that I have invested actual money in the dream it is starting to seem just a little bit more real.

A couple weeks ago when I was picking up my new ice tires I had seen a Suzuki DRZ 400 in the shop and mentioned to the guy who runs the shop that I had been thinking a DRZ would be my next bike.  He mentioned he knew of a good one for sale.  I managed to hold off about a week before I asked for the guys contact info but after Jane warmed up to the idea I decided to look at the bike.

Of course I brought the truck and my tie downs when going to look at the bike "just in case".

The bike is a 2004 Suzuki DRZ400S.  It is completely street legal which really just means it has turn signals, high/low beam headlight, and street legal tires.  Yes, street legal but still really a dirt bike.  I looked at the bike and was happy with what I saw.  It is just what I was looking for and already has some extras on it I would have bought anyway (larger fuel tank, skid plate, engine case armor, hand guards).  It has a little over 6000 miles on it but it appears to have been well maintained.  He had it maintained by Chris at the local shop (Affordable Beemer Service, a small but highly recommended shop).

So, I loaded it up and brought it home.... in  heavy snow... good thing the truck is 4 wheel drive.  Needed it today.  When I got it home I could not resist.  The roads were pretty crappy but I figured with those knobby tires it would do good in the yard.  We have probaby 8" of really firm snow and about 2" of powder on top.  The bike did really well in the snow and was a blast.  I did a few laps around the yard.  I am REALLY looking forward to spring now.  As soon as the roads are clean I will have to try to de-ice a path from the garage to the street so I can see how it does on the streets.

My plan for the next year is to start doing some endro racing and hopefully at least 1 Rally Moto race.  I have a temptation to try to do the "Sandblast Rally" in South Carolina but that is in early Feb and I will have very little time on the bike before then.  But, it would be a good excuse to get the bike down to a warmer climate to try it out!

I made my goal of loosing 10 pounds in the last 10 weeks of the year.... again!  I had made it just before Christmas but of course the temptation was too strong and I ate a lot more than I should have.  I got really serious in the last couple days and did extra workouts and watched what I ate and this morning I was at 202.6.  Hopefully I can keep it off now.  It feels good to have achieved the first goal in my 5 year plan.  It isn't just weight loss, I really do feel like I am in better shape.

As far as fitness goes my next goal will be to be down to 185 or less by the time the state run motorcycle trails open up.  That doesn't happen until late May so I should have more than enough time for that.

I picked up a new pair of tires and a bunch of ice screws the other day to get my IT200 set up to run on the ice.  I have been busy with household projects but I finally managed to get the screws in and dropped the tires and wheels off at the shop to get them mounted.  Hopefully I will be able to get the bike out on the ice soon.  Possibly on new years day.

Here are some closeup shots of the special ice screws used for motorcycle ice racing.

It is actually the head of the screw that bites into the ice, not the point.  The heads have sharp edges on them to grip the ice.  I put in 5/8" screws in the back and 1/2" in the front.  The IT200 doesn't have a lot of power so those should hold in well.  These are short enough that they don't go all the way through the tire so I didn't need to worry about putting in a liner to protect the tube.  I have a little over 500 screws in the rear tire and 300 or so in the front.

Here they are all mounted up and ready to put back on the bike.