Found this on the 'tube... Nothing much to it, just some guys messing around with old dirt bikes.
Showing posts with label VMX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label VMX. Show all posts
Friday, July 13, 2012
Monday, February 21, 2011
Victoria Vinduro Fun Day, Castella, Feb 13
This event was a kind of prelude to the 'real' vinduro season, and was intended as a testing/social occasion with the opportunity to get your bike registered under the 'red plate' scheme if so desired.
For me it was good opportunity to catch up with people, and best of all take the PE for a spin!
The last time we held this event was in November last year, and it poured rain all day, ensuring a muddy experience for those hardy enough to venture out. While we have had unseasonal rain this summer, yesterda was pretty much perfect with mostly clear skies and warm sunshine and not the excess mud and water that was present previously.
I was a bit put off when a mate did an early lap and reported to me that the track wasn't too good and he wouldn't be venturing out for a second one. I was quite apprehensive as I headed out, but I guess that's the difference between riding a big bike, and a little 175 - I found the loop really enjoyable. It was very tight, nearly all of it hand-cut single trail. There were some damp bits, and a few minor logs to hop over but nothing too hard. This is the sort of terrain where the PE175N really shines, and I ended up doing 13 laps of the 5km loop! It would've been hard work on a big bike.
One exposed tree root became a bit tricky by the end of the day, as the rear wheel would always skid off it into a deep rut. But once you were prepared for it, it was ok. Amazingly I have now fitted a decent rear tyre, finally getting rid of the ancient rock-hard retread that's been on the bike since I bought it, so this helped my forward progress on the day.
The 175 is in desperate need of new rings, possibly even piston, so the low compression is noticably affecting its performance, and making it almost impossible to kick start. It still roll starts easily enough though!
There was only about 20 or so bikes circulating, and I was the only PE rider. A guy was riding a really nice BSA, which made a glorious sound as he held the throttle open. There were a few Hondas, an Ossa, a Maico and a guy on a KDX200 who was very fast. All in all, I had a great day, and I can't wait for the first proper vinduro on March 20 at Three Bridges.
(Originally posted on PE Motorcycles Yahoo Group)
For me it was good opportunity to catch up with people, and best of all take the PE for a spin!
The last time we held this event was in November last year, and it poured rain all day, ensuring a muddy experience for those hardy enough to venture out. While we have had unseasonal rain this summer, yesterda was pretty much perfect with mostly clear skies and warm sunshine and not the excess mud and water that was present previously.
I was a bit put off when a mate did an early lap and reported to me that the track wasn't too good and he wouldn't be venturing out for a second one. I was quite apprehensive as I headed out, but I guess that's the difference between riding a big bike, and a little 175 - I found the loop really enjoyable. It was very tight, nearly all of it hand-cut single trail. There were some damp bits, and a few minor logs to hop over but nothing too hard. This is the sort of terrain where the PE175N really shines, and I ended up doing 13 laps of the 5km loop! It would've been hard work on a big bike.
One exposed tree root became a bit tricky by the end of the day, as the rear wheel would always skid off it into a deep rut. But once you were prepared for it, it was ok. Amazingly I have now fitted a decent rear tyre, finally getting rid of the ancient rock-hard retread that's been on the bike since I bought it, so this helped my forward progress on the day.
The 175 is in desperate need of new rings, possibly even piston, so the low compression is noticably affecting its performance, and making it almost impossible to kick start. It still roll starts easily enough though!
There was only about 20 or so bikes circulating, and I was the only PE rider. A guy was riding a really nice BSA, which made a glorious sound as he held the throttle open. There were a few Hondas, an Ossa, a Maico and a guy on a KDX200 who was very fast. All in all, I had a great day, and I can't wait for the first proper vinduro on March 20 at Three Bridges.
(Originally posted on PE Motorcycles Yahoo Group)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, September 17, 2010
VIPER - September 12, Monza Park
Last Sunday (Sep 12), saw round 6 of the VIPER series held at Monza Park (near Ballarat, in Victoria, Australia).
It was a great day's racing on an immaculately prepared track.
Check out some photos here:
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
It's been a while...
...but I'm back, with a Husqvarna in an orchard. This pic was taken at the recent Vinduro at Three Bridges in Victoria, Australia.Thursday, July 10, 2008
Australia's First Vinduro
The first time my dad took me to see an enduro, the thing that immediately struck me was that there wasn’t much to see. Unlike the motocross (or scrambles as my dad called them) and road racing events I’d already seen, there was no hotly contested wheel to wheel action being played out in a noisy, colourful spectacle.
Instead, the mostly bearded men on trail and enduro bikes disappeared at high speed into the bush. Racing against the clock. They emerged later; dirty, dishevelled. Engines ticking and hissing; as water from mudguards, and sweat from tired faces dripped onto hot engines.
The idea of man and machine against the clock was something I found compelling then, and still do. As a teenager I would complete in a handful of enduros myself before moving away to university, and onto road bikes.
A few years ago I began rediscovering the dirt bikes of my youth. This was mostly via the VMX scene, which has been well established here for some time now. Unlike our European and American counterparts though, we Aussies have been a bit slower to get on the Vintage Enduro (Vinduro) bandwagon. That all changed in September 2007, and when I heard about the first ever Aussie Vinduro event, I just had to be there...
The organisers had done a magnificent job in putting together this first event. Around 70 riders made their way to a property northeast of Melbourne. When I arrived light drizzle was falling, and continued periodically throughout the day, keeping the dust down on the trail, and the grass slippery in the paddock sections.
The Parc Ferme was alive with the sound of crackling exhausts, creaking suspension and groaning joints. From the immaculately restored, to slightly worn out versions with an authentic patina of dirt and oil - and that was just the owners. It was great to see so many pre-1985 trail and enduro bikes in one place.
Enthusiasts from as far away as Adelaide had turned up with rare marques like SWM, Matchless and BSA alongside the more prosaic Japanese models. My IT250 looked right at home, instead of being the odd bike out when riding with modern counterparts.
Instead of “bling” and modern, water-cooled four strokes; there were Belstaffs and open face helmets. There were no race-faces either, but a lot of smiles and bonhomie.
It wasn’t a race meeting after all, and there were no prizes for first place. (Mind you, that didn’t stop some of these middle aged guys riding very fast. Or maybe it just seemed that way because I’m so slow).
In a juxtaposition of old and new technology, I was able to meet people face to face whom I’d previously talked with via the internet about our 20+ year old bikes!
Before we could ride there was the usual paperwork to complete. Then, after the rider's briefing, the first bikes were away at 10am.The riding was organised in a realistic enduro style, with riders released at one minute intervals.
As my minute approached I was a little jittery, I don’t ride much these days, and had no idea of what to expect. Getting lost trying to find the property and almost running the car out of fuel hadn’t done anything for my nerves either.
I was on the same minute as a guy on a DR600. He blasted off down the track while I was still fumbling around with my timecard. Not the most auspicious of starts, lucky it was a non-competitive event.
Setting off from the starting gate, there was a short blast through a paddock and then into some gently undulating single track. A hard right turn and I was onto the first of several hills. I caught the Suzuki rider and passed him in a series of sandy corners at the top of the hill.
This was followed by some fairly technical single track, and then into an open paddock with the course marked out with tape before it snaked its way back into the bush for more tight single track. A few logs to get over, and some sharp corners to keep you on your toes. Man, some of those trees are close together too. No barkbusters for me, but I still counted ten fingers at the end of the day.
The country was quite hilly, but I didn't find any of the hills too hard, despite the fact that none of the climbs seem to have any run-up at all! For me, some of the hardest parts were along the sides of these slopes, where my dodgy rear tyre wanted to slip sideways and send me into the trees.
At one stage I did become a little complacent, and in one of the few open sections excessive speed mixed with over-confidence saw me spearing off into the scrub. I narrowly missed several nasty looking trees. “Take it easy, it’s not a race,” I reminded myself as I extricate the Yamaha and continued.
The course breaks back into open country for some time with a series of corners set on the side of the hill. On a subsequent lap I manage a low speed face-plant on an off camber corner, getting a helmet full of dust as a reward for my carelessness.
Back into the bush and a long downhill had me certain that I was going to see some water. At the bottom the ground was a little moist, but no real mud or slop to be seen (that’s the drought for you). The relative dryness didn’t stop me falling off here on one lap though!
Some more single track, a little more paddock time, then a short ride through the bush to get to the finish gate.
Overall I found the loop to be challenging without being overly difficult, though some entrants struggled a bit. Some parts left me panting for breath, but overall the feeling was one of tired elation. A tricky, ‘expert’ section added a bit more spice too.
An impromptu prize draw was held in the early afternoon, with prizes donated by local motorcycle businesses. Following the presentation, a few diehards (myself included) beg to be allowed out for one more lap, and the organisers acquiesce…
For this enthusiast it’s the perfect day. When’s the next one?
Instead, the mostly bearded men on trail and enduro bikes disappeared at high speed into the bush. Racing against the clock. They emerged later; dirty, dishevelled. Engines ticking and hissing; as water from mudguards, and sweat from tired faces dripped onto hot engines.
The idea of man and machine against the clock was something I found compelling then, and still do. As a teenager I would complete in a handful of enduros myself before moving away to university, and onto road bikes.
A few years ago I began rediscovering the dirt bikes of my youth. This was mostly via the VMX scene, which has been well established here for some time now. Unlike our European and American counterparts though, we Aussies have been a bit slower to get on the Vintage Enduro (Vinduro) bandwagon. That all changed in September 2007, and when I heard about the first ever Aussie Vinduro event, I just had to be there...
The organisers had done a magnificent job in putting together this first event. Around 70 riders made their way to a property northeast of Melbourne. When I arrived light drizzle was falling, and continued periodically throughout the day, keeping the dust down on the trail, and the grass slippery in the paddock sections.
The Parc Ferme was alive with the sound of crackling exhausts, creaking suspension and groaning joints. From the immaculately restored, to slightly worn out versions with an authentic patina of dirt and oil - and that was just the owners. It was great to see so many pre-1985 trail and enduro bikes in one place.
Enthusiasts from as far away as Adelaide had turned up with rare marques like SWM, Matchless and BSA alongside the more prosaic Japanese models. My IT250 looked right at home, instead of being the odd bike out when riding with modern counterparts.
Instead of “bling” and modern, water-cooled four strokes; there were Belstaffs and open face helmets. There were no race-faces either, but a lot of smiles and bonhomie.
It wasn’t a race meeting after all, and there were no prizes for first place. (Mind you, that didn’t stop some of these middle aged guys riding very fast. Or maybe it just seemed that way because I’m so slow).
In a juxtaposition of old and new technology, I was able to meet people face to face whom I’d previously talked with via the internet about our 20+ year old bikes!
Before we could ride there was the usual paperwork to complete. Then, after the rider's briefing, the first bikes were away at 10am.The riding was organised in a realistic enduro style, with riders released at one minute intervals.
As my minute approached I was a little jittery, I don’t ride much these days, and had no idea of what to expect. Getting lost trying to find the property and almost running the car out of fuel hadn’t done anything for my nerves either.
I was on the same minute as a guy on a DR600. He blasted off down the track while I was still fumbling around with my timecard. Not the most auspicious of starts, lucky it was a non-competitive event.
Setting off from the starting gate, there was a short blast through a paddock and then into some gently undulating single track. A hard right turn and I was onto the first of several hills. I caught the Suzuki rider and passed him in a series of sandy corners at the top of the hill.
This was followed by some fairly technical single track, and then into an open paddock with the course marked out with tape before it snaked its way back into the bush for more tight single track. A few logs to get over, and some sharp corners to keep you on your toes. Man, some of those trees are close together too. No barkbusters for me, but I still counted ten fingers at the end of the day.
The country was quite hilly, but I didn't find any of the hills too hard, despite the fact that none of the climbs seem to have any run-up at all! For me, some of the hardest parts were along the sides of these slopes, where my dodgy rear tyre wanted to slip sideways and send me into the trees.
At one stage I did become a little complacent, and in one of the few open sections excessive speed mixed with over-confidence saw me spearing off into the scrub. I narrowly missed several nasty looking trees. “Take it easy, it’s not a race,” I reminded myself as I extricate the Yamaha and continued.
The course breaks back into open country for some time with a series of corners set on the side of the hill. On a subsequent lap I manage a low speed face-plant on an off camber corner, getting a helmet full of dust as a reward for my carelessness.
Back into the bush and a long downhill had me certain that I was going to see some water. At the bottom the ground was a little moist, but no real mud or slop to be seen (that’s the drought for you). The relative dryness didn’t stop me falling off here on one lap though!
Some more single track, a little more paddock time, then a short ride through the bush to get to the finish gate.
Overall I found the loop to be challenging without being overly difficult, though some entrants struggled a bit. Some parts left me panting for breath, but overall the feeling was one of tired elation. A tricky, ‘expert’ section added a bit more spice too.
An impromptu prize draw was held in the early afternoon, with prizes donated by local motorcycle businesses. Following the presentation, a few diehards (myself included) beg to be allowed out for one more lap, and the organisers acquiesce…
For this enthusiast it’s the perfect day. When’s the next one?
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