My buddies and I have commited to race the Vegas to Reno this year. Our plan is to race my buddies XR 650R. I'm not to stoked to ride the XR 650. I know there good bikes for the desert but have never ridden one. I recently bought a nice low hour 08 TXC 250/300 as a spare/play bike to give my WR 300 a break. I was thinking it might be able to do the race if geared right. My race partner has an 09 TXC 300 that we could use the wheels as spares and anything else we might need. What do ya think, crazy?
I've never did a race like that but sitting on that seat for that distance would scare me the most ... Probably need 14\47 gearing?
I have done that race 13 times If you like to go fast then use the biggest bike you can get BUT if the course is not fast then it has silt beds with stuff under the dirt you can not see and at speed on a big heavy bike well you get my point .I have had more friends hurt or killed in that race then any other race i know of .The course is just to fast but if you ride it within your meens you will have fun, a race worth doing if you use your head .Also unless you are super fast you will get passed by the trophy trucks in the dark i have only beat the trucks a few times
I guess what I'm worried about is revving the little motor for 500 miles. I know the bottom end is built for a 450 and will hold up. Were not out for a win just want to finish and be safe. We've got 1 A rider and 2 high B riders. I'll see if the other guys are ok with the 300 and go from there. Later
I've raced Vegas to Reno four times and finished it 3 times. The three times we finished we stayed well ahead of the cars and trucks. Racing a race like V to R you need lots of support and if you out run your support crew it's easy to get gas from other crews. In more than one pit I've riden up pit row looking for my crew and was given gas by someone I didn't know. A twenty, well maybe a fifty now given fuel prices, will buy you a full tank. Two stroke fuel is a little harder to find, ie. a lot harder. The silt and dust are the real danger in the fact that they hide the rocks. Just keep in mind that all slit ruts end at something hard. The trick is to not give up time to the trucks in the pit, you do not have time to chance tires half way, and expect to do well, so choose your tires with care. Conserve your body bike and tires in the early going, a lot of the people you see won't make to the halfway point so why spend your tires and effort trying. Have your pit crew keep the time on the other bikes in your class stay with in stricking distance then turn it up at the end. Because its a timed event you can beat the bike in front of you with out passing it, so why take the chance if you have them on time. Also, I always tried to pull the last starting spot in my class. By starting last I knew that I had made up enough time to be ahead of every bike I passed in my class. Good luck, it is a fun race you will remember for ever. Folks does a good job keeping the race as safe as possible.
