spinalguy
06-21-2002, 06:02 PM
MOTTO 2 and 3
Thursday has arrived and i have new weapons to add to the bike. i have gone out and purchased a longer jet needle. My bike has a dead zone in 1st gear and i think that the longer needle may be the edge i need to get out of the gate quicker. I’m through looking at the back of all the riders into that 1st corner. :mad:
I’ve been reading some Tony Robbins books over the last week and i am pumped. My other weapons include a set of bark busters, radiator skid plates and numbers, that’s right-i am going to race with numbers. Big Tonys’ books have taught me to psych out the opponent and with the black shiny numbers on my plates, the competition will see i am serious. i choose the number 13, yep, you read right 13, no superstitions for me. My hockey jerseys all flew with the number 13 and most importantly it took 13 years to move my life back to the Rocky Mountains.
i used to lead 4X4 runs and choose Channel 13 on the c.b. but quite a few of my wheelin’ buddies would start the adventure with pre-conceived doomsday thoughts of breakage and tippage. Inevitably someone would break or tip their rig. The blame was always on my choice of channel 13. Tony knows all about pre-destined visions and i NEVER broke or flipped. Well, with cousin black clouds along for the trailruns i now run channel 4 on all our wheelin adventures.:p
Anyway, where was i? Oh yeah, my bike looks pretty suav’e with those 13’s on it. i also successfully put the tree busters on, not for the track but for saving my levers and hands. Next is the rad skid plates. The directions talk about removing the cowlings, seat and gas tank to get this job done. i look at the bike and these pieces of protection and i think to myself, ‘nonsense, the gas tank does not have to come off’. One hour later i surrender and wrap my protection back in the package to do another day. :shaking: The jet needle is next. i have looked at the KTM manual and this task seems pretty straight forward... like even the blind squirrel finds the odd acorn :D . 10 minutes later, i am pulling up this thingamibob and it looks so clean whereas my hands look so dirty. The thingamibob keeps coming up and i get very nervous and intimidated. Big Tony may have great advice on life but when you are mechanically inept, you gotta know your limitations. i put it all back and say a quick prayer that i haven’t jeapordized my races tonight. The bike starts! Still got the dead zone but who cares, we’ll let Walt Healy Motorcycles deal with the needle when they’re done doing the rad protector. ;)
It is now 5:45p.m. and the warm-ups start at 6:30ish. i put my gear on and venture out in the city towards the glory that Tony has told me i am entitled to receive. i arrive at the track in time to find a “new” friend with a 14mm wrench. Off go the mirrors and i am ready. Some of the fellas are discussing the “new” layout of the track, so i take a peak over the fence and low and behold the spine kicking whoop-de-doos have been modified. They must have had a sale on dirt because there are now twice as many whoop- de- doos in the same amount of space :eek: . i carefully eavesdrop on the strategies being discussed. i feel good, i can do those whoopers. Noise fills the distance and the mini 80cc or less class is turning the corner for the whoop-de-doos. Not one of them makes it through without going down several times. Tony :confused:, help me on this one because i am losing confidence big time watching these kids eat dirt. Luckily so is every other beginner in the park. :emb:
They call us to the line to do our 3 lap warm up. i sit back and again watch the “good” riders charge out of the pile to study their lines. i think of myself as a student and as i turn the corner into the whoop- de- doos, i am greeted with a vision that usually is found at a demolition derby. Riderless bikes are everywhere, riders are eating dirt just like the kids. Reading Tony for a year won’t help this student, i bail off the track, actually beside the track and pass the stranded motorists caught in that horrific rush hour. :flipoff2:
The next lap around, there is no hesitation on my part or 10 other riders for that matter, we all bypass that twisted section of track. The same goes for the 3rd and final practice lap.
It’s race time and i get off my bike at the starting blocks letting it rest on the kickstand to count how many competitions there will be tonight. There are 21 of us and i am the only one able to walk around while my bike gracefully holds itself up. :zzz:
i got a few replys on my story last week and I now know what 30 means… about 10 seconds till they show the 5 which means about 3 seconds till the gates drop. It all makes perfect sense :confused: i have made a tactical decision to not be last into the first corner. The gate drops and corner 1 is upon me……i am last. Just like last week, the second corner provides me with good fortune, i pass 7 or 8 bikes. The whoop- de- doos ( who ever came up with that name?) are upon us and at the drivers meeting we agree that there is an option; do them or bypass them but…. the honor system is upon us and you cannot improve your position over riders that choose to kick the shit out of their bodies. 2 riders go down and maybe more as i see yellow flags up ahead. Yes!! i have passed 4 downed riders and I am riding well. The second lap comes and the honor system goes down the toilet, i tear by 3 hapless whoop-de-doo guys, ha ha ha. It unfortunately does not last long before the multiple whoopy guys pass me, i desperately try the turn signaling trick from last week, it doesn’t work…THEY KNOW. :smokin:
At one table top i do my imitation of the flying superman, nothing like I see those guys on ESPN doing and when i land the throttle is on full and off i soar over another jump. Thank gawd for the KTM’s suspension because i am so out of control that it’s the bike itself that saves me.
The checker flag is out, i race at it hard and look behind to see how much better i have done this week. There is a lone rider making their way to the finish and that’s it. i am second last. Mr. Robbins is going into the fire pit. Motivation….schmotivation. :mad3:
There is a second moto and i am so much more ready. i make a hole shot for the first corner and come out of it somewhere in the middle of the pack. I again skip the insanity bumps and regretfully the honor system i also skip. Riders down again, i love it, i am a racer and i no longer even glance at the fallen. ( i have consulted with my Hippocratic Oath, but as a doctor of chiropractic it turns out i never took that oath, so no stopping for the injured is allowed in my world.) The checker flag is in sight and i fly through the air to grab second last again. :barf:
The 14” wrench neatly puts my mirrors back in place and i venture home to await another week of anticipation of what will be next Thursday. i have a secret. Walt Healy has given me motocross gears and sprockets. Next Wednesday they will go on and now i will be able to utilize the strategies these fellas are talking about; 3rd gear here, second there, blah, blah, blah. You see folks, i have never been out of 1st gear yet on this track, my speedometer reads 55km/hr (30mph) and I still have first gear throttle left. He, he, he, …next week.
Till then, I’m outta here.
Thursday has arrived and i have new weapons to add to the bike. i have gone out and purchased a longer jet needle. My bike has a dead zone in 1st gear and i think that the longer needle may be the edge i need to get out of the gate quicker. I’m through looking at the back of all the riders into that 1st corner. :mad:
I’ve been reading some Tony Robbins books over the last week and i am pumped. My other weapons include a set of bark busters, radiator skid plates and numbers, that’s right-i am going to race with numbers. Big Tonys’ books have taught me to psych out the opponent and with the black shiny numbers on my plates, the competition will see i am serious. i choose the number 13, yep, you read right 13, no superstitions for me. My hockey jerseys all flew with the number 13 and most importantly it took 13 years to move my life back to the Rocky Mountains.
i used to lead 4X4 runs and choose Channel 13 on the c.b. but quite a few of my wheelin’ buddies would start the adventure with pre-conceived doomsday thoughts of breakage and tippage. Inevitably someone would break or tip their rig. The blame was always on my choice of channel 13. Tony knows all about pre-destined visions and i NEVER broke or flipped. Well, with cousin black clouds along for the trailruns i now run channel 4 on all our wheelin adventures.:p
Anyway, where was i? Oh yeah, my bike looks pretty suav’e with those 13’s on it. i also successfully put the tree busters on, not for the track but for saving my levers and hands. Next is the rad skid plates. The directions talk about removing the cowlings, seat and gas tank to get this job done. i look at the bike and these pieces of protection and i think to myself, ‘nonsense, the gas tank does not have to come off’. One hour later i surrender and wrap my protection back in the package to do another day. :shaking: The jet needle is next. i have looked at the KTM manual and this task seems pretty straight forward... like even the blind squirrel finds the odd acorn :D . 10 minutes later, i am pulling up this thingamibob and it looks so clean whereas my hands look so dirty. The thingamibob keeps coming up and i get very nervous and intimidated. Big Tony may have great advice on life but when you are mechanically inept, you gotta know your limitations. i put it all back and say a quick prayer that i haven’t jeapordized my races tonight. The bike starts! Still got the dead zone but who cares, we’ll let Walt Healy Motorcycles deal with the needle when they’re done doing the rad protector. ;)
It is now 5:45p.m. and the warm-ups start at 6:30ish. i put my gear on and venture out in the city towards the glory that Tony has told me i am entitled to receive. i arrive at the track in time to find a “new” friend with a 14mm wrench. Off go the mirrors and i am ready. Some of the fellas are discussing the “new” layout of the track, so i take a peak over the fence and low and behold the spine kicking whoop-de-doos have been modified. They must have had a sale on dirt because there are now twice as many whoop- de- doos in the same amount of space :eek: . i carefully eavesdrop on the strategies being discussed. i feel good, i can do those whoopers. Noise fills the distance and the mini 80cc or less class is turning the corner for the whoop-de-doos. Not one of them makes it through without going down several times. Tony :confused:, help me on this one because i am losing confidence big time watching these kids eat dirt. Luckily so is every other beginner in the park. :emb:
They call us to the line to do our 3 lap warm up. i sit back and again watch the “good” riders charge out of the pile to study their lines. i think of myself as a student and as i turn the corner into the whoop- de- doos, i am greeted with a vision that usually is found at a demolition derby. Riderless bikes are everywhere, riders are eating dirt just like the kids. Reading Tony for a year won’t help this student, i bail off the track, actually beside the track and pass the stranded motorists caught in that horrific rush hour. :flipoff2:
The next lap around, there is no hesitation on my part or 10 other riders for that matter, we all bypass that twisted section of track. The same goes for the 3rd and final practice lap.
It’s race time and i get off my bike at the starting blocks letting it rest on the kickstand to count how many competitions there will be tonight. There are 21 of us and i am the only one able to walk around while my bike gracefully holds itself up. :zzz:
i got a few replys on my story last week and I now know what 30 means… about 10 seconds till they show the 5 which means about 3 seconds till the gates drop. It all makes perfect sense :confused: i have made a tactical decision to not be last into the first corner. The gate drops and corner 1 is upon me……i am last. Just like last week, the second corner provides me with good fortune, i pass 7 or 8 bikes. The whoop- de- doos ( who ever came up with that name?) are upon us and at the drivers meeting we agree that there is an option; do them or bypass them but…. the honor system is upon us and you cannot improve your position over riders that choose to kick the shit out of their bodies. 2 riders go down and maybe more as i see yellow flags up ahead. Yes!! i have passed 4 downed riders and I am riding well. The second lap comes and the honor system goes down the toilet, i tear by 3 hapless whoop-de-doo guys, ha ha ha. It unfortunately does not last long before the multiple whoopy guys pass me, i desperately try the turn signaling trick from last week, it doesn’t work…THEY KNOW. :smokin:
At one table top i do my imitation of the flying superman, nothing like I see those guys on ESPN doing and when i land the throttle is on full and off i soar over another jump. Thank gawd for the KTM’s suspension because i am so out of control that it’s the bike itself that saves me.
The checker flag is out, i race at it hard and look behind to see how much better i have done this week. There is a lone rider making their way to the finish and that’s it. i am second last. Mr. Robbins is going into the fire pit. Motivation….schmotivation. :mad3:
There is a second moto and i am so much more ready. i make a hole shot for the first corner and come out of it somewhere in the middle of the pack. I again skip the insanity bumps and regretfully the honor system i also skip. Riders down again, i love it, i am a racer and i no longer even glance at the fallen. ( i have consulted with my Hippocratic Oath, but as a doctor of chiropractic it turns out i never took that oath, so no stopping for the injured is allowed in my world.) The checker flag is in sight and i fly through the air to grab second last again. :barf:
The 14” wrench neatly puts my mirrors back in place and i venture home to await another week of anticipation of what will be next Thursday. i have a secret. Walt Healy has given me motocross gears and sprockets. Next Wednesday they will go on and now i will be able to utilize the strategies these fellas are talking about; 3rd gear here, second there, blah, blah, blah. You see folks, i have never been out of 1st gear yet on this track, my speedometer reads 55km/hr (30mph) and I still have first gear throttle left. He, he, he, …next week.
Till then, I’m outta here.