Practice ride at Pine Creek MX

[JoePA]

This past weekend I got talked into going to a practice ride at a track close to home. I called up the troops to see who all wanted to go and ended up with a pretty good group. The weather was OK but perfect for riding with a temp of 55* and overcast you couldn't ask for much more.

Before I get into the days activities let me back track a bit. A few months ago I got to talking with a friend about sponsorship but never got into details other than the fact that he said he would and it will be a decent amount. So this has been weighing on me as to what I should do for next year. To be honest I was really leaning towards getting a 4 stroke. Not that there is anythi wrong with the R but parts aren't getting any easier to find and beating on old girl every weekend isn't helping it either. this was one of the reasons I was eager to go ride this weekend as I wanted to look at an LTR and a 450R as a potiental future ride.

We arrive at the track about noon and the place is packed and the track looks like fun but a sloppy mess in areas from the previous nights rain. We sign in and go try to find a spot. After a few crazy moves with the trailer and a spotter we managed to squeeze into a spot and get unloaded. The first session out the R was running like a 125 low on compression. This old cylinder is tired and she is telling me every time I take her out. The engine has NO bottom end power and the mid to top isn't much better. I checked the plug and made a jet change and see if it helps but there is no bringing this tired mule back with just jetting.

Second session out decided to push the R a little more as I was warmed up and ready to ride. Cleared some bigger jumps and pushed it a little more through certain areas and even though the jetting helped some the engine just wasn't doing it for me. So now I'm eager to throw my leg over the LTR and see what it can do as well how I can do on a machine with some power.

For the third and final session of the night I hopped on the LTR with a grin as I was ready to see what the hype is all about. By this time they let the A, B and C riders run together and they let us run as long as we wanted so I'm ready to beat this machine. Now my brother is on my R and I'm following him and we are about 3 truns into the ride and I'm ready to pull this quad over and burn it to the ground. Any manufacture that builds a machine that you get arm pump a half a lap into a ride should be shot. The first jump was a step up and I hit it pretty good. For some reason this stupid boat anchor of a machine decided that it doesn't want to fly and wants to get back to earth as fast as possible and could care less where or what I'm doing! It dropped so fast I could have pulled a superman if I kicked my legs out! After that it was now me against the LTR and a battle of who will break first. I jumped it, pushed it, reved it, slid it and beat it but after only three laps I was done. The LTR has won and beat this rider to never want to put its leg over another LTR again. I pulled into the middle of the track and waited for my brother to come around as he was like a little kid on his first quad....just didnt want to stop. He finally sees me and pulls in as well as another friend and fellow racer to see if something was wrong. After explaining my dislike for this bulldozer with handle bars he talks me into riding his TRX450R. It can't be worse than the LTR right?! so we all swap quads. He's on my R, I'm on his TRX450R and my brother is back on his YFZ and he pawns the LTR off to another friend. First thing I notice is it's much easier on the thumb than the LTR and the shocks are amazing. the quad lands Well and handles pretty good and had narrow bars that I really didn't like but still very ridable. It still likes to nose dive like an rock but since I didn't need every once of energy to push the throttle I could keep the R's up so the quad would fly and land in a mannor I wanted. after a few laps I was done and plus I could see my friend on my R was having a hard time as the lack of power wasn't helping and the shocks were bottoming on every thing he hit. We pulled off the track again and swapped machines so everyone was back on their machines.
You know that part in the movies where the light gets brighter and the little boy that is sad cuz he yelled at his dog and it ran away then all of a sudden the dog is running back and the boy is running to the dog and you get that tear in your eye....That's how I felt when I was running back to the R! I couldn't hook my teather up fast enough and get out on the track. I couldn't believe how much I missed riding the R. It weighs SO much less than the other machines and the way it flies, handles it's just not even in the same league! Mind you I just put in three laps strapped to a pack mule hyped up on redbull then went to something a little better, the 450R for a few laps but once I was back in the saddle of my machine it sparked an energy that no 4 stroke can replace......I WAS HOME!

At the end of the day everyone that rode the R loved how light it was but didn't like the no bottom end power, neither did I so no biggie. The girlfriend asked "So are we getting a new quad?" With a grin on my face I replied NO WAY!! So no matter what the gearing comes out to be or what advantage those lawn tractors with shocks have they will never, ever be an R. These are just my thoughts and some may disagree but thats what makes the world going around and keeps the sport alive.

[rablack21]

BAHAHHAAHAHHA!  You got me fallin out of my chair, Joe! I love the ride report. I can understand your frustration with the lack of bottom and general all around power, but that can be fixed. Yes it does take some money, but there is more than enough power to be had to make you feel better. One of the pro guys that trains me gets on my R from time to time, and he always mentions it's power, and I only have a 310pv with race gas. The biggest I have ridden was a 363 stroker pv on race gas with smart carb, and dang was that thing powerful! Don't give up buddy. With the money it would cost you to swap to a 4stroke, you could get a few upgrades and get the shocks serviced and you would be good to go. The 4 stroke guys I race with have to buy new cranks, rods,pistons,valves, and springs every year. That gets expensive. I have gone a race season on mine now and even my rings and still holding great compression.

[jamieg45]

I can tell you I have rode many new complete 4 stroke race quad, the best of them all was the honda 450r, yamaha isn't bad and the can am is nice. The ktm is ok but I have never liked the ltr450 at all. Ok so I rode my buddies one open ride at a very nice and well knkwn mx track that I truly love for they are one of the only tracks that hasn't added sand and took out most of the jumps like all of the other tracks have. But ok the honda I rode was almost set up for me, my buddy is just a little lighter than me but same height. Well he is a a class rider so I went out with his spare set of riding gear and rode with the a class, I smoked them all in the whoops and slide/ block passed 3 of them in a corner and  licked a triple with ease. And led the a class guys who all thought it was a race and I was out in front for about 2 laps. I loved the ride but not the cost of the race bike and upkeep to race it, and if you break it it always seems to cost a grand plus. I love my R and the cost of how cheep it is for me to race every year compared to the 4pokes. All the guys followed me to the trailer to yell at my buddy but when they saw him standing there and me taking the helmet off they were like you need to buy and build a 4poke you are so much faster and I said no way it cost way tooo much money for me tou all have help from parents and I am all by myself.
   So what i am saying if you are just racing local mx and not  national events, you can build a nice led 350 or 363 spynx and spank the thumpers off the line and on the track. And have a lighter and faster quad and older and make them that much madder at you for it all. Build the motor and spank um man, you will be so much happier and more comfortable too.