125-200cc My 125's Mud Baptism (Mudtism)

2009 Barbed Wire Enduro in Tassett, PA last weekend. Just short of an inch of rain the night before yielded seventy miles of this:



Needless to say, I was exhausted by the end, but I finished, dang it!

Bike got a little muddy.













This can't be good for the chain, can it??



The chain was acting like a mud pump, extruding mud through the holes in the guard, through the sprocket holes towards the case, and up and under and around the carb. I stalled a couple of times I think because my carb vent filter line got occluded by the play-doh mud factory.

Good times!

Sorry I missed this run and missed meeting you. I heard only the last section was muddy, but that was from a guy on Row 1. The guys I would have entered with were on 12 and 13, so maybe that was better than 35. Actually we are used to that mud, as that's what we ride in all the time! Try to make Speedsville.

I came out for this event to get some seat time before the PA National,since I havent had a race since early june due to THREE!!(3) postponed enduros around here!!! it was a great ride considering what we usually ride in,some fast stuff and a nice tough mud section at the end. I was on row 26,made a couple big mistakes timekeeping and it cost me plenty,ended up fifth in A-senior with a 34 for a score,I also have decided to remove my chain guard as well after the mud that was packed everywhere,I was surprised how well the trails tire hooked up everywhere,not so impresed with the IRC vulcanduro on the front front end just kept washing out

I've always pulled the plastic CS sprocket cover on past bikes, just leaving the metal case saver. I'd thought I'd be a good citizen and leave it on the '09. I'd ridden in some mud this spring and it didn't seem too bad, but when I was riding working my club's hare scramble in similar conditions to STER, it packed full. Off it came! On the vent tubes.... Run the top ones up to the airbox and use a filter on them to keep out dust and dirt. A Rx pill bottle with holes in it and filled with old air filter foam works well. Zip tie it to suframe. No stalling from deep water, mud or ice.

Well, the last eight miles FELT like 70 miles. That's what I meant to say. That's my new story, and I'll stick to it. But saying it was 70 miles of that makes it easier to justify my miserable showing in the event (worst-scoring finisher! Woo-hoo!). It was my first "rock run." I've only ridden a half dozen or so enduros, and they've all been sandy/whoopsy Jersey runs. Probably would've done much better without the mud greasing up all the rocks and roots.

Yeah, the plastic guard came off for cleaning and it hasn't gone back on.

I bought a plastic T to run another vent line up north somewheres, but I didn't have time to do it. This enduro was actually kind a last-minute thing.

Barb wire........rocks??? not that bad at all compared to other PA enduros.........try the national.......or broad mtn.......or moonshine.....now ther's some rocks. Barbed wire mud can be hell with alot of rain like weve been having. Finishing is sometimes a challenge. Have seen some North East Enduros where no B riders finish without houring out and about 1/2 of North East Enduros have all C riders hour out. Forces one to ride the truly unridable survivor run to get better.

Joe

Hey Norm..thanks for that tip !!! I'm going to try that

Crimony! No wonder then that when I watch the NASCAR race from the Infineon road course (the old Sears Point track) in Sonoma, everything always looks so brown! My wife asked "Don't they have grass out there?"

The last time I road the Barbed Wire it looked like that.

The power wash idea reminds me of an enduro I attended in 1990. I only remember the year because I remember the bike so well, a 1990 KTM 300. After the enduro the local fire department was there doing bikes washes with one of those smaller fire hoses for $1. As I was getting changed afterwords my Dad rolled the bike over for a wash. I remember when he rolled it back, it was so clean! So we loaded it up and went home. Later that week I pulled the seat off to clean the air filter only to find the airbox filled to the top with water! Mud had settled in the bottom from the wash and high pressure from the hose I guess. Anyway, that was one heck of a mess to clean up that I will never forget.

thats my bike after a normal day of riding.

isnt it funny how much weight they gain when its muddy like that though!

It makes me consider getting some upholstery foam (i.e., foam cushioning) to stuff in every nook and cranny to keep the mud from collecting. Especially in the skid plate. I blasted away with the pressure washer in the skid plate area for a full minute, and there's still mud in there...

yeah, i used to pack foam everywhere on my kx, i ran out of foam for my husky though and havent done it this year.

i need to find some more junk that paople are throwing away again.

time to go dumpster diving again!!!