Im from just outside philly in bucks county pa. Im not a huge fan of rocks , i rode at the lost trails in pa and it just seemed like punishment to me and the bike. Rocks rocks and more rocks haha.
Yeh with a YZ, stuff like that will be brutal. I had initially intended on doing only the races somewhat near my home but started venturing out further to places like Sahara Sands and Blue Diamond hare scrambles. My forks were too soft for that stuff. I am pretty good in the rocks but sand was totally new to me. For my annual service on the forks, I had my suspension guy stiffen the valving just a bit more and raise the oil height as well, which helps with bottoming. I'm trying to find a happy medium for most of the ECEA "circuit". The funny thing with rocks is that you have to go faster thru them than most people are willing to do. It seems a little silly but it works.
I had the husky out at the lost trails, my cr125. Boy was i happy it has a super light clutch pull i was constantly feathering the clutch all day, i was not willing to go fast at all in that stuff, it wasnt even trail riding to me it was just rock riding. Never even touched or saw dirt really. How was blue diamonds hare scramble i ride there track quite a bit never did their hare scramble though dont even know what the loop would look like. Are the sand courses in jersey pretty brutal? Seems like they could be endless sand whoops and rutted stuff.
Blue Diamond was fun. Its an interesting mix of motocross, woods (mostly wooped out and wide trails, some parking lot stuff on asphalt, a set of steps, a little enduro-cross optional section... I unfortunately DNFd that race due to a stupid maintenance oversight. The nylock nuts on my silencer must have been worn out and they fell off...sometime/somewhere in the first lap, as did my silencer The bike suddenly got really loud on me. I was like "Oh man did I just explode my expansion chamber or what??" The woops werent bad tho. Not nearly as bad as Sahara Sands. That was nuts.
I'm doing as many as possible, got 4th in b vet last season. Hoping to improve on that, but, w k5pl5 out there i may have a little chalenge!! Ha
Just when I thought I would be the young gun in B Senior, they went and split it into B Sr. 40-44 and B Sr. 45-49. So now all those moldy oldy 49 year olds are out of my reach. Dang it! On second thought, now I won't have to be beaten regularly by the blazing fast 49-year-olds. Phew! The TXC is almost ready for its HS debut on March 2. I just need to get some grip donuts and a little grip glue for the left side, and I'm ready to rock and roll. Yee-haw!
The NJ runs are not brutal. They do have tons of sand whoops though. Coming from a moto background, I do also, you will be able to handle the whoops. A dual sport event would also be a great introduction to the woods for you. You see the same types of trails, but you can take them at whatever pace you'd like without other racers breathing down your neck.
+1 on the speed in the rocks. I learned this at old lost trails when my cousin, an A rider, hopped on my bone stock DRZ400 with blinkers and stock tires and lit up the trails. I figured if he can go fast on that beast, so can I. Only problem is that it hurts a bit more when you go down. The rocks also get a lot more bearable with a properly tuned suspension. After Drew at WER did mine it was night and day.
I had a blast at the Tri County hare scramble on Sunday. It seemed like it was 90% new single track. Of course, it wasn't exactly new by the third lap of the main event, but it was great stuff for the most part. There were a few wet spots, and by the last lap some light rain made for some slippery ruts. All in all, it was a fantastic run, and probably one of my best Tri County performances to date. I almost always suffer down there, especially when it's wet. But things were different this time, probably oweing to the fresh trail and the extremely awesome performance of my TXC 310R. This was my first ride on the bike, aside from putting around my yard this winter. I was nervous about the stiffer TXC suspension settings leading to a bunch of deflection on slimey roots, but 100mm rear sag with stock clickers and a few clicks out on the front made for great tracking. I really liked the stiffer setup as it allowed me to hammer through braking bumps and the occasional whoop without backing off. The motor performed almost flawlessly, too. I have the db killer intact (too loud without), and the full boat Rekluse, and it started in two kicks to start the morning in the pits. On the line, it started perfectly with the button in second gear. A less timid rider would have turned that into a better start, but I don't like risking a first turn wreck so I'm very conservative on my starts. The only criticisms I have with the motor are a single flame out stall on the first lap, and the throttle response is a little touchy in really choppy sections. I may consider a throttle tamer. All told, it was an awesome event. Who else was there? I kept catching up with someone on a WR 250/300 when he stalled, and he would always get restarted and moving as soon as I got beside him!
Freak problem - picked up a stick which must have worn a hole in my rear brake line. Not a good start to the season. DNF
I was there. Which class did you run? Were you on a 2014 310? There were 2 WR300s in B Vet. Me and Randy. My bike had no number plate. Got ripped off by a super big ladd on a KTM. He went over the bars and his tire or fender ripped my number plate off. I got stuck behind a couple slow guys and started following their lines which is not good! I dont get it . There are so many dudes out there who will not get out of your way! I ran with a flat most of the last lap. That explains why my front end got really squirelly haha.
Yes, I was on the '14 310, number 944, running B Sr. Now that I see your avatar, I remember seeing your bike on the trail. Sweet graphics!
Yeh good job out there, I see you placed 8th in your class. Very different and new terrain for me, however it was very fun! This was the first time Ive ridden the bike since the blind enduro! I got sloppy in the third lap and slowed down. Got taken out in the 2nd lap by someone. Lost my numberplate..that race was fun!
Tri County terrain is unlike any where else in the ECEA calendar, if you ask me. Greasy clay soil when it gets wet, lots of roots, and random short but STEEP hill climbs. NO fire cuts, and NO sand whoops. Not the typical Jersey run. Alright, I have to take back the no sand whoops thing. Their enduro (Greenbrier) has some pretty good sand whoops in a few spots, but not many.
I loved the little steep hills. That one hill was nothing and there were yard sales left and right on that hill on the first lap! It was like a mini-erzburg race. I was like "are you freakin kiddin me?!" One dude looped his bike out at the top and it did a full flip. I lost alot of time and places waitin to go up that hill. Silliness.
Where do u normally ride? I'm in Lancaster pa and I'm having trouble finding close spots. Evansville treverton coatesville is about closest but never went. Thanks andy
I ride near St Clair. There are miles and miles of trails in that area. Much like the RORR and OXBO hare scramble courses. You can join the Reading Anthracite riding area online and park on "the Burma road" in St Clair.
