Riding in rocks

[Joe Chod]

Lots of times trying to go to the edges of the rocks will get you in trouble. (I know easier said than done).

I guess that is why non desert riders deal with the rocks a little easier because there are always lots of these big green things called trees that form impenetrable walls along the course forcing you to go down the trail no matter what is on or in it. And no.......this is not a slam on desert riders.......just saying the terrain you ride builds habits, (i.e. even though you are fast and if you never practice in the rain and it is a rainy day on race day, you will be in for a surprise)
Remember what David Bailey said, "if you are not training, someone else is". To which I add, "And its even worse if they race in your class!"

Joe

 

[HuskyT]

Here are the rocks that I was referring to on the Vikings Race course. My mechanic after the raced asked me what in the world I had done to my bike. I had dented my skid plate in many places, bent my chain guide, and cracked the frame by a foot peg. I told him it was just a D-37 desert race!

I have to admit that it was really tiring though.

A Scotts Damper with the big knob for quick adjust works well here as well... after a while the rocks will completely wear you down arms/legs/core body.... it just kills you..... props for you YellowJacket!

Rajo - you have been riding long enough to know that you just have to get in there and conquer those thoughts that race in your head while you dial in the rocks! It is the same for me with every double that I face on a track....

T

 

[SwitchThrottle]

Funny. Rocks don't bother me as much as water crossings. I can ride the rocks no problem. But every time I see a water crossing (muddy), my mind stops working, and no matter what I do or tell myself, I am not going to go in on two wheels, and exit on two wheels, unless I lay it down somewhere in the middle. Funny thing is, the only crossings I can handle are the blind rocky ones.....go figure?

That being said...momentum and body position are key to my success. If I lose either, I'm going down or getting stopped. 10mph is fine as long as your in a gear that isn't lugging or revving.

 

[rajobigguy]

A Scotts Damper with the big knob for quick adjust works well here as well... after a while the rocks will completely wear you down arms/legs/core body.... it just kills you..... props for you YellowJacket!

Rajo - you have been riding long enough to know that you just have to get in there and conquer those thoughts that race in your head while you dial in the rocks! It is the same for me with every double that I face on a track....

T

Tim:
I've got the motosportz damper and love it. It helped alot so far as not getting the bars jerked out of my hands and makes the tight stuff a lot less tireing.

Of course you are right that the only real way to get better at it is to spend more time facing the demons. I know that there is no magic bullet and that no matter what people might tell me about tecnique, suspension setting, riding position ect. that until I get out and practice I wont get more comfortable with it. But getting all the input I can and talking about it makes me feel better about facing the fears.

On a side note and this is something that only Tim may appreciate. The other day I took the bike down to the local hamburger stand for lunch and there were two very attractive (and young) girls setting out front. When I got off the bike one of them asked if that was a dirt bike I was riding. I said, "Yeah pretty much, it is legal but just barely". Her reply was "What a coincidence, so am I".

 

[Joe Chod]

there were two very attractive (and young) girls setting out front. When I got off the bike one of them asked if that was a dirt bike I was riding. I said, "Yeah pretty much, it is legal but just barely". Her reply was "What a coincidence, so am I".

And I thought you could only get arrested on a Husky riding like a hooligan!

 

[Low Down]

RBG,

So what happened next? Did you ask to see some identification? Did you wet yourself? Did you give her a ride around the block?

Sorry for the hijack, but you can't do a side note like that and leave out details!! Maybe start a 'Husky questions and comments' thread. By the way, the headlight mod is still flawless!

 

[SwitchThrottle]

On a side note and this is something that only Tim may appreciate. The other day I took the bike down to the local hamburger stand for lunch and there were two very attractive (and young) girls setting out front. When I got off the bike one of them asked if that was a dirt bike I was riding. I said, "Yeah pretty much, it is legal but just barely". Her reply was "What a coincidence, so am I".

Did you tell her that she wasn't Husky enough for you?

I rode a 75 mile DS loop today on my XR400. Tons and tons of rocks. Nice slippery wet New England rocks. What a blast. Get out and ride.

And yes.....I fell in the first water crossing

 

[Poopy]

The other day I took the bike down to the local hamburger stand for lunch and there were two very attractive (and young) girls setting out front. When I got off the bike one of them asked if that was a dirt bike I was riding. I said, "Yeah pretty much, it is legal but just barely". Her reply was "What a coincidence, so am I".

Thats it im putting turn signals on my TC250.....

 

[Yellowjacket]

A Scotts Damper with the big knob for quick adjust works well here as well... after a while the rocks will completely wear you down arms/legs/core body.... it just kills you..... props for you Yellowjacket!

I've never had a damper, not for the TTR250 and not for the RT180. The TTR250 tractors its way through rocks pretty well, and sand too. It's not skittery like a KTM is.

I'll never forget the time that a smart-mouth kid said that he couldn't finish a race because his steering damper broke. Another girl and I both answered with similar posts: "Gee, I finished the race and I don't even have a damper on my bike. In fact, I haven't had a damper for any of the races. I wonder how I finished at all." Not to mention how I put over 10,000 miles on the RT180 and am getting close to that on the TTR250. Without a damper! Wow!

It's fun to tease people sometimes. I think he was a little embarrassed.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get used to a certain bike and the way it works.

 

[HuskyT]

RBG,

but you can't do a side note like that and leave out details!! flawless!

Low Down..... Not to leave you out of the side note (this goes all the way back to TT when I first met Rajo on line......) no joke but Rajo has been pulling Hot Husky Chicks for quite sometime now......they like his smile and the way he rides ...... the smooth Barry White of Husky Riders .... ever since he got that 610 he has had to beat them off.... he doesn't ride that Husky.... he does some serious trolling with it****************************************

Rajo.... we are riding Perris MX tommorrow ( monday) night ..... come out / hang out........bring the 18 year old hotties****************************************!!

T

 

[HuskyT]

I've never had a damper, not for the TTR250 and not for the RT180. The TTR250 tractors its way through rocks pretty well, and sand too. It's not skittery like a KTM is.

I'll never forget the time that a smart-mouth kid said that he couldn't finish a race because his steering damper broke. Another girl and I both answered with similar posts: "Gee, I finished the race and I don't even have a damper on my bike. In fact, I haven't had a damper for any of the races. I wonder how I finished at all." Not to mention how I put over 10,000 miles on the RT180 and am getting close to that on the TTR250. Without a damper! Wow!

It's fun to tease people sometimes. I think he was a little embarrassed.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you get used to a certain bike and the way it works.

Again YellowJacket props to you.... you must have great upper body strength/great conditioning.....

 

[Yellowjacket]

Again YellowJacket props to you.... you must have great upper body strength/great conditioning.....

I had to go to physical therapy because I pulled a ligament in my back picking up my bike. Yeah, I know. Most people crash and hurt themselves. For me, my bike seems to just tip over between my legs while I'm still standing. Anyway, I hurt my back picking up my bike on a hill.

My physical therapist said until I actually took in my bike so she and her boss could show me how to properly pick it up while it was over on its side, she had no idea about the kind of weight I had to balance while riding. She said she was wondering why I was so developed in my upper body (which I never noticed).

It's called riding a heavy four stroke, ha ha.

By the way, she hurt HER back trying to show me how to pick up MY bike. Now that's not funny, but it is. I think her boss got a little mad at her for attempting to pick it up.

So while riding in rocks or anywhere else, it's just best to not let the thing hit the ground. Back pain is the result.

 

[ajaxauto]

I had to go to physical therapy because I pulled a ligament in my back picking up my bike. Yeah, I know. Most people crash and hurt themselves. For me, my bike seems to just tip over between my legs while I'm still standing. Anyway, I hurt my back picking up my bike on a hill.

My physical therapist said until I actually took in my bike so she and her boss could show me how to properly pick it up while it was over on its side, she had no idea about the kind of weight I had to balance while riding. She said she was wondering why I was so developed in my upper body (which I never noticed).

It's called riding a heavy four stroke, ha ha.

By the way, she hurt HER back trying to show me how to pick up MY bike. Now that's not funny, but it is. I think her boss got a little mad at her for attempting to pick it up.

So while riding in rocks or anywhere else, it's just best to not let the thing hit the ground. Back pain is the result.

Julie HUSKY 125 weight 209 yes 209 and you said your bike was like almost or over 300 .Come on girl do the math then come try my 125

 

[Yellowjacket]

Julie HUSKY 125 weight 209 yes 209 and you said your bike was like almost or over 300 .Come on girl do the math then come try my 125

But I'd lose all my upper body muscles, ha ha.

Yesterday at Invaders it was the two strokes that were littered all over the hill climbs. Is that from inexperienced riders or because two strokes gotta attack hill climbs? I can put slowly up the hills with the TTR250. And you know that attack mode isn't really the way I ride. Maybe if we added 25 pounds to the front of your bike it wouldn't pop a wheelie.

And my RT180. When I hit a rock on a hill on that two stroke it would bounce off it and I'd fall. Maybe it was the bike, maybe me?

 

[ajaxauto]

But I'd lose all my upper body muscles, ha ha.

Yesterday at Invaders it was the two strokes that were littered all over the hill climbs. Is that from inexperienced riders or because two strokes gotta attack hill climbs? I can put slowly up the hills with the TTR250. And you know that attack mode isn't really the way I ride. Maybe if we added 25 pounds to the front of your bike it wouldn't pop a wheelie.

And my RT180. When I hit a rock on a hill on that two stroke it would bounce off it and I'd fall. Maybe it was the bike, maybe me?

When it comes to hill climb i will would rather climb any hill except a sand dune on my 125 then my 510 what does that tell you i can lug it and creep up or gas it and fly.As for a wheelie it wiil not do that my 125 just will not wheelie end of storie ride it and then tell me what you think

 

[gandalf]

By the way, how do I load the pictures so they are full size? Not just thumb nails.

Upload the pics as an attachment either here or a photo hosting site. Then, in a post, surround the image url in [ I M G ] [ / I M G ](remove spaces) tags.

[ I M G ]http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=55&d=1219472715[ / I M G ]

Note: you can also do this by clicking the 'Insert Image' button in the advanced reply and entering the image url in the popup.

And it will show up like this:

 

[gandalf]

I did my first rocky ride this weekend around Tower City/Rausch Creek in central PA. Me being a Pine Barrens rider, I'm used to lots of extremely small rocks, loosely packed together in dune-like formations, so riding in PA was a bit of a wake up call. But you talk about fun! Yowsa!

Anyhoo, I didn't have too much trouble with the rocks--I think a lot of mountain bike experience from my youth in Wissahickon park near Philly helped. But I did manage to severely pinch flat my back tire.

What pressures do you rock riders run? What precautions do you make to prevent flats?

You are not kidding about Wissahickon! I've ridden my mountain bike there many times and it builds rock skills. It made rock gardens at diablo creek freeride park a breeze. Also, it helped me at the Moonshine Enduro last year even on my DRZ400s.

I'm still scared of them but have a hard time resisting them. Right now, I just don't want to damage my new bike.

 

[Yellowjacket]

When it comes to hill climb i will would rather climb any hill except a sand dune on my 125 then my 510 what does that tell you i can lug it and creep up or gas it and fly.As for a wheelie it wiil not do that my 125 just will not wheelie end of storie ride it and then tell me what you think

So let me guess what happens on the two stroke Husky while going up a sandy hill, like the one on the 100s race on Loop One last year. The bike sounds like this: weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Right?

 

[robertaccio]

Upload the pics as an attachment either here or a photo hosting site. Then, in a post, surround the image url in [ I M G ] [ / I M G ](remove spaces) tags.

[ I M G ]http://www.cafehusky.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=55&d=1219472715[ / I M G ]

Note: you can also do this by clicking the 'Insert Image' button in the advanced reply and entering the image url in the popup.

And it will show up like this:

question where is the trail???? to the left to the right??? straight through??? cool place.

 

[gandalf]

question where is the trail???? to the left to the right??? straight through??? cool place.

You'll have to ask North. It was his pic, I was just answering how to make it show up in the post and not as a thumbnail. It does look cool though!