SCORRA WOMENS TRAINING DAY 2011
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IN THIS ISSUE STOCK
THE VIEW FROM HERE DIRT FROM THE PREZ BMA CLUB EVENTS OVER THE BARS DIRT & METTLE WHITE COAT, BLACK BOOTS RACING PERSONIFIED OO REPORT WEC EXPERIENCE OFTR NEWS STILL KICKIN’ EXHAUST NOTE THE FINISH LINE
3 4 5 6 8 10 16 34 40 52 57 60 62
BLING
CORD SHAPE 14 SCORRA WOMEN’S DAY 18 -KAVERI’S VERSION 20 -JEN’S VERSION 26 ERIC’S BIKE BUILD 44 MAPBOOK REVIEW 48 SOUNDTEST DEVICES 56
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OFF-ROAD RIDING FOR RIDERS BY RIDERS
AXE Dallas Shannon SLASH Kaveri Gupta PWETTY COLOURS The Stig CONTRIBUTORS Bill Watson Larry Murray Trevor Bylsma Eric Brackenbury Bryan “Flanny” Flannigan Glen Cooper Duncan Carpenter Dr. Dan Curran Ron Golden Rob “Creekside” Martin Kaveri Gupta Jennifer Boughner Ken Hoeverman PHOTOGRAPHERS Shari Martin Kaveri Gupta The Hospital Eric Brackenbury
Andrzej Jan Taramina @ Tarafrost Photography www.tarafrost.com We are always looking for story ideas, contributing writers & photographers. If you would like to have fun and participate in an off-road motorcycle rag just for the hell of it, please drop us a line. You don’t need to be a good writer to participate, just enthusiasm and a love of riding off-road. Reviews, interviews, mechanical questions & solutions, design, photography, ride reports and event coverage are just SOME of the things we are interested in. Anything outside these topics or a weird hybrid of these is welcome. We have NO rules and can do and say whatever we want! How’s that for freedom of expression! Send subscription requests and any questions or comments to: offroad.newsletter@gmail.com
AHH SHIT.
Last issue we gave credit for the DIY Kneeguard article to Duncan STEWART. Anyone who knows Mr. Stewart knows he’s a frugal character and DIY Kneeguards would be right up his alley. There is a new king of frugal – Duncan CARPENTER. Mr. Carpenter is the author of the DIY Kneeguard story and it was our error mixing up his creative genius with Mr. Stewart. We are idiots and we can’t believe this was the only error in the last issue. Woo Hoo! Mr. Carpenter received the official Ahh Shit Tugger strap – now he can stop using his own.
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Traction Disclamer: We in no way intend this to be a commercial publication. Views expressed here are our own and should be taken for what they are - valueless. A friend always says “Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story” and we do our best to honor that statement. If you are looking to challenge what you read here - don’t bother, just assume you are right and we are wrong. This rag exists because we LOVE riding motorcycles offroad and we love publishing. Everything is done by volunteers and no money is generated. If you are unhappy with that and feel the need to send us money - donations are accepted, PAYPAL preferred! If you think your product or service should appear in this rag, please let us know and we’ll see what we can do. Written permission must be obtained to reproduce, or reprint all or portions of the content contained herein.
© 2011 TRACTION
The view from here
BY DALLAS SHANNON
This year I have been exposed to a novel idea - cancer prevention. Our whole lives, we have been bombarded with messages to focus on “the cure”, but many researchers are starting to believe that a cure will never be found. Why? There is too much money being pumped into finding “the cure”. Imagine if you or I found the cure for cancer tomorrow. Hundreds of thousands of people would be out of work across the globe - the entire “cure” industry would end, along with all of the drug companies that supply all of the current cancer medications and an entire industry of people who raise money for “the cure”. Searching for the cure is much more profitable. What if prevention was the cure? Why accept that you or your family members are destined to get cancer? What if something could be done to lessen your risk? Studies show that there are many ways to reduce your risk: diet, exercise, and lessening your environmental exposure, just to name a few. In my opinion, the offroad crowd is the perfect group to embrace this notion. Just 5 years ago you rarely saw a neck brace, now I see them often, and not just kids wearing them. There are very few medical studies proving that a neck collar will prevent you from having catastrophic neck injury, but we wear them just the same. We do what we can to prevent injury in a sport where getting injured is a high
probability. Why not do something to prevent cancer? Three individuals from British Columbia, whose lives have been touched by cancer have decided to do something about it. They are riding North America spreading the notion that cancer prevention is the cure. Check them out, but most importantly, ride with them as they travel through Canada this summer. They are entering St. John, New Brunswick on July 18th, and after a whirlwind tour of the Atlantic Provinces, they will be heading west. They will be in Eastern Ontario on July 31st and heading across Canada from there. All you have to do to help is ride your motorcycle: www.answerforcancer.com
dirt from the prez
BY BMA PRESIDENT MIKE HILLIER
NO DIRT FROM THE VICE PRES BY TREVOR BYLSMA FOR MIKE HILLIER
The Prez is away on a well-deserved vacation so he’s delegated the ‘Dirt from the Pres’ duties to me. Unfortunately, I have no ‘dirt’ to give... You see, I’ve been off the dirt for over two months now. The 2011 season was full of promise. I started working out before spring arrived and I had the good fortune to have a buddy organize a week of riding near Vegas (thanks Chris et al.). I was feeling great and was hoping to place well in the Ontario enduro series (Vet class) this season. Then things changed. First, I received the email about the cancellation of the Beagle Bash Enduro due to a severe windstorm. Disappointing, but not enough to throw me into the depths of despair; after all, I could still go riding locally in Calabogie. So, that is exactly what three buddies and I did.
“I WAS FAIRLY CERTAIN THE LEFT ARM WAS BROKEN AND I HAD SUSPICIONS THAT SOME RIBS MIGHT HAVE THE SAME FATE” The ride was fantastic. Nice spring weather, awesome trails, great friends... The long winter was over and I was ‘out on the trails’ again. I was feeling great and even had a few of the “it doesn’t get any better than this” thoughts run through my head. And then it happened... I was cresting a logging road hill, saw a massive tree that had fallen across road, looked for a way around or over, hit brakes hard, hit tree, feel the full body pain. It happened fast and slow all at the same time. Luckily, it seems my riding buddies are more adept at riding than I and they all managed to stop without hitting the tree. For pride’s sake I’ll argue to the death that they were all going much slower than I was... after all, they must have been behind me for a reason, right? As riding buddies always do, they quickly dismounted and asked Traction
the question “Dude, are you OK?”. The typical response to such a question is usually a sheepish “Yeah, I’ll be OK”. But on this occasion, while still reeling in pain on my hands and knees, called for a different retort and I managed to grunt “F@*K NO”. This seemed to be an acceptable response, so then the cameras came out. After taking a few minutes to let the full body pain subside I got up and starting moving things around to try to determine the extent of the damage. I was fairly certain the left arm was broken and I had suspicions that some ribs might have the same fate. The x-rays confirmed the broken arm and I had the waffle pattern of the inside of my body armour on my left side for two and a half weeks after the crash. The story gets worse, but I’m out of space and like my mom says: “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all”. I hope to see you all out on the trails by mid July! I just might have my arm (and bike) in shape for the Soggy Boot ride. ∆
Trevor
B.M.A. 2011 Club Events
(See forum and website bulletins for directions and additional information as events approach) Steve Garnsey Trail Ride
June 5th
The club’s guided spring trail ride in Calabogie…now named in honour of our late friend. Lots of scenery, great trails and varied terrain, suitable for most skill levels. For information call Doug McNeil mcneild@rogers.com or Heather Seeler dualsport@bytown-motorcycle-assoc.ca (for the dualsport ride)
2 Hour Harescramble, Woody’s
June 19th
This year’s event is again part of the Off-Road Ontario crosscountry provincial championship, www.offroadontario.ca. For info call Carolin or Woody 613 267 6861 or director-atlarge@bytown-motorcycle-assoc.ca
Limerick Forest Kid’s Ride
July 10th
The Limerick Forest Family Ride near Roebuck Ontario is part of the Ontario Trail Ride Series, for kids of all ages, non- competitive, and focused on fun. Trails are always well marked for different riding levels. Bikes must be quiet, plated and legal. Sign in 9-10, start time 10:30. Contact Dave Phifer at volunteers@bytown-motorcycleassoc.ca
Corduroy Enduro Pre-Ride
Aug 13 -14th
An expert level ride covering the trails of the famous Corduroy Enduro (run in September) for those members interested in entering the fall classic. Rider limit. Contact Larry Murray treasurer@bytown-motorcycle-assoc.ca or 613926-2522
BMA Family Fun Day
Aug 21st
This is the BMA’s Family Fun day at Woody’s. Fun for all ages, with field games, prizes for kids. For info call Carolin or Woody 613 267 6861 or director-at-large@bytownmotorcycle-assoc.ca
Calabogie Boogie Trail Ride
Sept 10-11th
Part of the Ontario Trail Ride Series, this is our club’s premier
event of the year, with two days of prime off road riding and arrowed routes to suit everyone from newbie to pro. Trailheads are marked for mileage and difficulty. Dualsport route offered as well. One and two-day packages, pre-registration is advisable. See flyer at this website and watch for updates and info. Contact: Trevor Bylsma 613-271-6217 or vice-president@bytownmotorcycle-assoc.ca
CVMG Trials, Lanark
Sept 26th
Near Watson’s Corners, this is the fall round of the local CVMG series for vintage and other observed trials enthusiasts. Contact Doug Hunter (613) 826-3748 or website@bytownmotorcycle-assoc.ca for more information.
BMA Fall Trail Ride
Oct 23rd
The club’s fall trail ride in Calabogie for members is a great way to have fun and learn the trails. Contact Larry Murray treasurer@bytownmotorcycle-assoc. ca 613-926-2522 or Heather Seeler dualsport@bytownmotorcycle-assoc.ca
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over the bars PRÊT-À-PORTER The concept of a custom-tailored motorcycle business has always intrigued me. As a long time mountain bike cyclist, I¹ve been very well served by the common practice in that industry that allows a buyer to prettymuch specify any bits and pieces desired and swap them out from the stock bits when ordering the bike. You effectively never have to buy the stock piece that you¹ve replaced with the aftermarket one. You order, buy, and take home, the bike in ready-to-ride trim. In the fashion industry, this is called “prêt-à-porter”, which is seamstress-designer-talk for ready-to-wear. It¹s always shocking to me to know after all these years just how much stuff needs to be binned, fixed, replaced, tweaked or otherwise modified before a dirt-bike truly becomes a weapon. Let’s look at just a few of the things on a motorcycle that need to be addressed right off the shop floor before the bike is ever even ridden. My KTM 450 was literally un-rideable in box-stock trim. The jetting was incredible lean, the exhaust all bunged-up, and the gearing was almost taller than Dallas (our cranky editor). It was just a mess. Not to mention that all of that crazy smog-control stuff was really annoying me with all of it’s hoses, fittings and annoying coal-filled canisters everywhere. There are a few other things that should probably get looked at before heading out for a day on the trail. A skid plate is probably not a terrible idea (I’d hate to hole a case in the first ride). A set of bark-busters could prevent some trees or a kicked-up rock from becoming hand-busters. Not sure why no stock dirt bikes come with these items. Seems that everyone I know runs em’. Surely then, that must be all that’s required right? Not by a long shot. Motorcycles come off the assembly line all in one size. Ever order a new bike, and have the salesman pull out a measuring tape, size you up, and say “We’ll in Kawasaki, I’d put you in a 48, but for a KTM, I’d go up a size to 50”? More and more touring-type bikes are offering adjustable seat-height, windshield height and some Traction
BY BRYAN (FLANNY) FLANNIGAN
sport-bikes offer adjustable foot-peg height, but in the dirt, it’s one size-fits-all.
ERGONOMICS.
In ergonomics, the relationship between the handlebars, the seat and the foot-pegs forms a triangle that defines the bike’s fit to a rider. I’m relatively average height at 5’ 10”, but still find that my riding benefits from having lower foot pegs (about 3/8 of an inch is nice), and higher handle bars (about 3/4 of an inch is good for me). Dallas (who is 5’ 20” tall) has about a foot and a half of bar riser on his bike. He’s got ATV high-bend bars, and risers on his risers – I swear it - he really does!
SEAT.
Ever ride a KTM? Enough said. Ok, maybe not quite enough; I might also just add that aside from comfort, the right height of seat is critical to complete the relationship between the bars and foot pegs. I’ve seen lots of folks out there with bar-risers, but still having the stock seat height put’s people in the classic “sit-up-andbeg” position. I like to run a tall seat that adds about an inch to the height to get me back up to where the bars are.
SUSPENSION.
Professionally tuned suspension is probably one of the most beneficial treatments a motorcycle can have. Turns OEM into magic carpets. Your weight, how you ride, and where you ride allows a tuner to customize the ride to your needs. Suspension tuning is probably some of the best money that can be spent on a dirt bike for sure. If you are over 180lbs, you probably need stiffer springs right off the bat, and you’ll need to have the damping
set-up to deal with the new spring rates anyway....
Ram mounts are pretty inexpensive and very adjustable.
STEERING DAMPER.
Grip heaters? Yes please. They are a luxury I won’t do without anymore for those cold mornings, or superduper long rides.
Get one. Aside from suspension, the little gold box (I prefer the Scott’s) offers an unbelievable performance upgrade for riding in the rocks and the gnar-gnar.
REAR BRAKE.
That rear brake disk sure looks vulnerable to rocks doesn’t it? Cha-ching! A shark fin is a must.
WHAT ABOUT THE ENGINE?
Well, aside from jetting, most bikes could benefit from an aftermarket exhaust (chose the FMF quiet core please). They are much lighter than stock, and usually smooth out power while adding a pony or two to haul the load (and for some of you the load is heavier than for others. Put the beer and chips away, and get outside for a run or something!).
EVER RUN OUT OF GAS ON THE TRAIL?
It really sucks. Plus, being low on gas really messes with my riding mojo. It¹s hard to be like water flowing down the trail when all I can think about is how long I¹ve already been on reserve. Thank goodness that aftermarket fuel tanks abound from Clark, IMS and Acerbis. I like to have about 13 litres on board, but I also have a 24 litre tank for riding out west, or for long-distance events.
LIGHTING?
Fork gaiters. Check. Changing fork seals really sucks. Tugger straps are great for getting out of the mud, or over logs. My point and shoot method also works but that’s an entirely different article. It’s pretty clear that when you buy a bike, you’ll need to setaside a few loonies and toonies to make some changes that the manufacturers just don’t seem to understand are necessary. So, if the manufacturers won’t tailor bikes for you, then maybe I’ll just have to take matters into my own hands. Keep your eyes peeled for the world launch of “Prêt-à-Porter Cycleworks” for all of your custom-tailored motorcycle needs. Has a nice Givenchy, Channel or Lagerfeld kind-of ring to it, doesn’t it? ∆
SUSPENSION TUNING SERVICES MAKE YOUR SUSPENSION FEEL NEW AGAIN! • LOCAL, CERTIFIED TUNER • QUICK TURNAROUND • GREAT PRICES
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ALL MAKES ALL MODELS MAINTENTENCE RACING UPGRADES
Ha! The stock headlight on most dirt bikes is just brutal, and doesn’t actually offer any usable lighting if you get caught in the dark out on the trail. The trail-tech X2 is a really nice unit that turns night into day on the trail.
ODDS N’ ENDS
Aside from the above, there are a bunch of things that just make life on the trail better, easier and more fun.
PLEASE TEXT ANYTIME OR CALL AFTER 7PM
613-853-1183
A front and/or rear mounted tool bag is nice to carry your tools, tubes and spares. Where are you gonna put your GPS? It ain’t gonna help you in your pocket, so, yup, you guessed it - another add-on. GPS mounts come in all shapes and sizes but
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Dirt & Mettle BY RON GOLDEN
RACE THERAPY
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Who amongst us leads a perfect life? No stress, no worries, no sorrow, no pain? Eventually we all get to the point in our lives where these things no longer affect us; it’s called death. In the mean time, what do you do when all this stuff piles up and becomes overwhelming? Some people take drugs and alcohol to kill the pain. Some people unplug their phone, lock their doors and close the blinds, lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson did. Me? I go out for a ride. Apparently, a lot of you do the same. The new millennium didn’t exactly dawn brightly for me and it had nothing to do with the dire Y2K predictions of the time. Just before Christmas my mother passed away following a long battle with cancer. A few weeks after that, my father died, also from cancer. Pretty dark times and it sent me into a “life is short, enjoy it while you can” mode. I hadn’t ridden competitively for about 15 years, having previously ridden observed trials, mostly in the States. One thing that nagged at me was having never ridden an Enduro. To compensate, I set a goal to ride and finish the Corduroy, something I had actually wanted to do since I was a kid. I went out and bought a ten-year old, totally clapped-out KX250, which immediately occupied my time and mind, rebuilding and outfitting it for off-road over the next month. Showing up at the Vienna Hare Scrambles in June, with little time on the bike and not much more than an old helmet, gloves and boots for gear; it was time to start over.
“I FINALLY HAD TO STOP AND BORROW A COURSE WORKER’S SHOVEL TO BLUDGEON THE CLIPS OFF AND SET MY SOLES FREE” The course that day was not just muddy, it was flooded. Two hours of slogging through the muck and pumping out a watered bike left me as exhausted as it did humbled. About an hour into the race the soles on both of my water-logged 20-year-old boots had come unglued. Held only by the metal toe clips, they flopped around like a dog’s tongue in July. I finally had to stop and borrow a course worker’s shovel to bludgeon the clips off and set my soles free. For all I know one of them might still be hanging in the tree where I left it. I can guarantee you that during those two hours my mind was 100% focused on absolutely nothing but riding, or perhaps more aptly - survival.
accomplishment, looking forward to new events and adventures while enhancing my social life. Riding was like
September rolled around and so did the Cord. The bugs had been worked out of the old KX and I now had a complete set of modern riding gear. Saturday’s ride was challenging, but not terrible. After checking my bike into Park Ferme for the night, I was back at the truck downing a couple of pills when a guy parked beside me took the cigar out of his mouth long enough to ask, “Hey, is that Advil? Can you spare a couple?” Since that initial meeting, Dan and I have travelled and raced with and against each other in numerous competitions across 3 different continents. He was the first person to offer up a really concise explanation of what I’ll call “race therapy.”
While most of us don’t take the time to sit down and analyze such things, there is a significant body of medical and psychological evidence out there to quantify the therapeutic benefits of sports of all kinds. It releases endorphins in the brain, uses up stress hormones and can even promote
Dan once told me, “I have to race, it’s my therapy. Without it I’d go stark raving mad.” I’m sure the same concept applies in degrees to many who don’t race, but do ride casually as a mode of “self-medication.” Trail riding is to Advil as racing is to OxyContin. And by the way, the analogy is just as valid for addiction as it is for pain relief! I began to realize that what started out for me as a “life is short” exercise was actually something much more than scratching a mid-life crisis itch. I realized it really was therapeutic for me in several ways; stopping my mind from wandering off into dark places; occupying my time with something enjoyable and productive. It was providing a sense of
opening a door to another dimension that you step into leaving all your troubles behind (cue the Twilight Zone music.) I don’t think of it as purely “escapism”, because while it did provide temporary escape from other stress, I think it also allowed me to function and cope better with them once I stepped back into the “real world.” Over the past few years I’ve met a number of other riders who also, consciously or unconsciously, maintain their sense of well-being through the sport.
the growth of new brain cells in a part of the brain that atrophies under chronic stress. Vigorous exercise has shown itself to be even more potent than drugs like Prozac at spurring such beneficial changes. Some of this I still don’t profess to understand. It seems rather paradoxical that doing something that can be so stressful, like those tense, silent seconds before the flag drops on the crowded GNCC start line, or dodging trees at speed in the single track, can actually relieve a whole bunch of other stresses in your life. I guess in the end it doesn’t need to be so complicated or technical, we just know that it works. The best part about it is that the next time your significant other, boss, kids or life in general is on your case about something you can relax, take a deep breath and calmly tell them: “Yes, I know. It’s something I’m working on in my therapy sessions. As a matter of fact, I just happen to have another one scheduled for this weekend.” ∆
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white coat, black boots THE DARK ART OF TRAILSIDE MEDICINE - BY DR. DAN
SHAKING THE STEW
TRAILSIDE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES I recently had the unpleasant experience of watching a friend high-side a dirtbike at speed. Virtually all of the energy of that crash was absorbed directly by his helmet on the dirt road. He was knocked unconscious and unresponsive, and when he came around, he had a prolonged period of complete inability to remember anything at all beyond his name. I was the only other person on scene, and we were many miles away from help, with no cell phone service and no SPOT or PLB device. It was a frightening event that fortunately did not cause any significant long-term injury, but it definitely got me thinking again about concussions and brain trauma in off-road motorcycling. In my line of work, it’s always quite a while before an injured person arrives in the ER. By that time, there are a whole series of events that change my perception of the event. The paramedics have splinted broken bones, the patient is often on a backboard and neck collar, open wounds have been bandaged, and most importantly, a good bit of time has passed, allowing ones own physiology to recover from the stress of the initial injury. As a first responder on the trail, there is no such time. I’ve seen more injured people from car/ATV/motorcycle accidents than I can remember, but it is very unsettling to be the immediate responder to a significant head injury.
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IF YOU ARE NOT WEARING A HELMET ON YOUR DIRTBIKE, YOU NEED A PSYCHIATRIST, NOT AN ER DOCTOR. I don’t need to talk about helmets here. If you are not wearing a helmet on your dirtbike, you need a psychiatrist, not an ER doctor. Make sure it fits well, and buy a new one if it’s expired or after any accident with helmet impact. Helmets notwithstanding, we motorcyclists are still at significant risk of head injuries because of the sheer velocity and momentum of our bikes.
appears normal, as the problem is just not visible. The brain is a big mushy stew of chemicals, fluid, and electrical activity, and when it’s rattled hard, that stew gets mixed up and our brains will refuse to work properly, or even shut down for a while. The amount that your brain “shuts down” generally predicts the severity of the injury, which is common sense.
Our brains float around happily in about 200-250mL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which serves a number of functions. One of the most important being mechanical protection. The fluid allows our brains to be “buoyant”. Measured directly, the average brain weighs about 1500 grams (about 3.3 lbs), but it’s ‘effective’ weight when suspended in CSF is a mere 25 grams (just under 1 oz), incredibly just under 2% of the actual brain mass.
As we have seen lately in the media, there is more and more public awareness of concussions and their potential harms, which is obviously a good thing. The first concussion can seem minor – you might feel a bit headachy, nauseous, or just slightly “foggy”. However it’s critically important to recognize that this is a warning sign of a rattled brain, and just like a sprained ankle or tweaked knee, another injury before you’re recovered can be much more severe. Second-impact concussions, as we saw this year with Sidney Crosby, can be devastating and even potentially fatal. Most of us know what we should do with obvious, severe injuries, but it’s just as important to recognize how to treat potentially risky minor head trauma.
This ‘lightness of being’ is tremendously important for the brain, which is extremely sensitive to pressure or constriction. If we hit our heads gently, the suspended brain has space and cushion provided by the fluid, so it remains unharmed. However, helmet or not, if your head is moving at a great rate of speed and comes quickly to a stop on a tree/dirt road/windshield/etc., your floating brain, will absorb the direct impact and/or carry the momentum forward and slam against the inside of your skull, and often bounce back and impact on the opposite side as well (termed the “coup/contrecoup” injury). What happens afterwards is called a concussion or traumatic brain injury, and that can have a variety of symptoms including nausea, headache, vomiting, disorientation, dizziness, mental clouding, mood changes, and in more serious cases, amnesia, loss of consciousness, and even seizures. Those early symptoms (headache, nausea, etc.) are usually worse and more prolonged in injuries severe enough to knock you out. Even more serious again would include bleeding in or around the brain, but for now, I’ll stick to talking about concussions alone. If you sustain an injury serious enough to cause cerebral bleeding, you will be quite sick and on your way to a hospital. Nobody quite understands what happens to our brains in these kinds of concussion injuries. There are some MRI and animal studies that suggest that the neurons are sheared and torn due to the mechanical stress, but in practical terms, neuroimaging after a concussion
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white coat, black boots... The best current general traumatic brain injury advice is to treat even mild cases seriously. Here are the highlights: Any head injury complicated by loss of consciousness and/or prolonged amnesia needs an emergency room visit and additional precautions to prevent against possible neck injury. Ask for help and call the paramedics if you have any doubt or concerns. I’ll talk more in the future about how to approach a serious trailside accident where we need to be aware of life/limb/spinal cord-threatening injuries. Less severe concussions can probably be ridden out to the trailhead carefully after a period of rest , but be aware that any worsening of symptoms over the first hour or two might reflect a more serious underlying injury like an internal bleed, so be careful and keep checking on your friend. This sounds draconian, but it’s important - NO return to riding unless symptom free for at least one week. If you have had any kind of concussion, even if the symptoms go away while you’re resting by the trail, your riding day is done. As long as you have concussion symptoms, it’s absolutely critically important to give yourself both PHYSICAL and MENTAL rest to allow for recovery. Gradually return to physical activity, increasing the level of exercise each day for a week. If you are at your full level of activity at the end of the week and you stay symptom-free, you’re clear to go back to riding. If your post-concussion symptoms last more than a week, or if symptoms are worsening rather than stabilizing, check in with a doctor. Even after seeing lots of head injuries in the ER, I still get a sinking pit in my stomach when I remember seeing my friend unconscious on the trailside. He slowly woke up, but was completely Traction
unable to remember anything that had happened, or anything I had just said to him, over and over again. After twenty minutes, I decided that he was aware enough to heed my advice to lie still and relax, and I had to leave him alone while I rode to find help, despite his pleas for me to stay. It felt like an eternity, riding down country laneways and knocking on the doors of rural farmhouses trying to explain that we needed paramedics to come straight away. Finally the ambulance was en-route, and I headed back to the accident scene. Luckily, he continued to gradually improve, and about an hour later when the ambulance arrived, he was acting normally, which was very reassuring. However, he did endure a frustrating and difficult subsequent few weeks with mental sluggishness, fatigue, headaches, and so forth, although thankfully made a full recovery. We off-road motorcyclists are a headstrong and independent bunch. I’ve seen, directly and indirectly, too many of us shrug off a concussion and hop back on the bike either that same day or soon after. We are a rare breed as it is, and we can’t afford to lose anyone, so remember to take minor head injuries seriously. It helps to think of it as a “traumatic brain injury”, because even if you get better quickly, your brain has been rattled, and it needs time to heal. Severe injuries (loss of consciousness, prolonged amnesia, acutely worsening symptoms, significant nausea and vomiting) obviously need some help from paramedics and the ER, and we all know that. However, please treat the minor ones with just as much respect. Give yourself time and rest, and don’t hit the trails again until you’ve completely recovered. ∆ Dr. Dan Curran
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CORD SHAPE BYDALLASSHANNON
RIDING L A C O L EKEND, A S LEADING E W T S A L O ENJOY UNCED H W Y D D BU ES ANNO LONG D I R Y L R GNA WE WERE Y RIDE. T A H T E TO M A GNARL R O F E U OVERD ADCAST O R B E H BLY, E PREDICTA IONS TO A LARG ME T O HIS INTEN PING TO SNARE S O T GROUP, H TING SOULS OR A HE T C UNSUSPE KER IN SOME OF C LEAST SU D REGULARS. E DIM-WITT
The forcast was sunny with a nice breeze and not too hot. There was moisture on the ground so dust would not be a problem. Technically, a perfect riding day. Undoubtedly, and with good reason, many of the more experienced vets were reading between the lines. KTM Kevin, our ride leader, loves singletrack, the nastier the better. His rides are known to be gruling on body, bike and mind. With two days of rain just finishing up, there would be no dust, but the Calabogie Highlands would be snotty and treacherous. To my surprise only two dimwits showed up – Flanny, a regular eRag contributor (Over the Bars) and myself. Why would I care if anyone shows up for a gnarly ride you ask? This year a large group of the Bytown Motorcycle Association (BMA) have committed to running the Corduroy Enduro, which touts itself as “Canada’s Toughest Enduro”. This is a two day 300KM race which is a designed to eliminate the weak or unprepared. Traction
IF YOU COMMITTED TO THIS YEAR’S CORDUROY ENDURO, THE TERM “CORD SHAPE” SHOULD ACHE LIKE A SPLINTER IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. The organizers have been using Darwin’s Theory for 57 years and each year, many racers start and many don’t finish. If you are weak AND unprepared, you might as well not even show up. To complete this enduro I suspect you need a combination of mechanical and mental toughness, physical fitness, technical skills and plain old luck. Although there is not much you can do about luck, the other variables can be prepared for in advance. In the BMA’s case, KTM Kevin’s nastiness can be used to our advantage. When KTM Kevin says nasty, the BMA should scream “Get Nasty”! We should be using Calabogie terrain to whip the BMA into Cord Shape - mentally, mechanically and physically. For anyone who’s committed to this year’s Corduroy Enduro, the term “Cord Shape” should twinge like a splinter at the back of your mind. KTM Kevin’s trail selection during his nasty, gnarly trail day quickly spiraled into gory gruesomeness. BS, BS2, Log Ridge Run, and then straight into Black Bear (a personal favorite) insured that we were properly beaten up and pre-exhausted. A snotty Black Bear was difficult to deal with and the first half was relentless. The real joy started on Tantrum. Rumor has it, this trail was named Tantrum because somebody threw one when the trail got the best of them. On nasty Kevin day, there were more wet logs down on Tantrum (which is mostly offcamber) than any of the previous trails combined. BIG LOGS. Logs so high off the ground you need 3 guys to lift the bike over (or you can pull a famous Flanny “Watch This” move and THEN have
Did I mention we were dimwits? As if the name didn’t give it away, we had to “go and see it for ourselves”. One by one, Wrack Attack trounced us and it had KTM Kevin squealing like a frightened schoolgirl. Downed trees sucked the life out of us and pink elephants were roaming that trail in herds. The last half of Wrack Attack felt like the last hours of a Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds weekend. Our minds were officially mush and there was only one thing left to do. Head back to the truck and lick our wounds, preferably out of a beer can. The official stats? 53KM in 5.5 hours on the trail. If the above description didn’t paint the picture, the abysmal statistics should. It was exactly what a gnarly, nasty Calabogie single track day should be. Nobody got hurt, nobody broke down (mechanically) and everyone was beat to a pulp – machines included. These are the type of days the BMA should embrace in preparation for the cord. As soon as I can stand up and walk properly, I’ll see if KTM Kevin wants to organize another… any takers? ∆
MY HEAD WAS SWIMMING SO BADLY, I WAS SWERVING TO AVOID THE PINK ELEPHANTS ON THE ROAD everyone lift your bike over after they pick you up). Tantrum nearly did us in. It probably took 60 minutes to get through a trail that a fast rider should complete in less than 10. After dragging our sorry carcasses out of Tantrum, we ran the road back to Long Grass with the idea of running Blazing Saddles. By this time my head was swimming so badly, I was swerving to avoid the pink elephants on the road. We hit Blazing Saddles (which was opened up by the ATV’s like a can of Brunswick sardines) and slid through without too much drama. Once completed, KTM Kevin slyly coaxed us back into Blazing Saddles. He claimed we were looking for a new extension trail named “Wrack Attack”. Traction
racing personified BY DUNCAN CARPENTER
THE OO DIARIES
OFFROAD ONTARIO : HIGH OCT ANE SOC IAL NETW ORK Traction
“MY FRIEND IN THE NEXT SEAT WAS SWEATING BULLETS BECAUSE THE MAN DIRECTING TRAFFIC INFORMED US THAT WE NEEDED TO SOUND TEST BEFORE THE RACE” Pulling in the laneway of round two in Colborne, I already knew this weekend was going to be better than round one. We only used one set of directions this time (the ones found on the Offroad Ontario forum) and they were dead on. At round one we tried combining two sets of directions and a GPS, which didn’t work out so well. Even though I felt better about this weekend, my friend in the next seat was sweating bullets because the man directing traffic at the gate informed us that we needed to sound test before this race. Both bikes passed and we were ready to race. The track was mostly fast, flowing, single and double track with a little motocross to spice things up. There was also a barn to ride through and a road to cross. Anyone who rides public areas near roads can appreciate the joy involved in having someone stop traffic to let bikes cross the road. Despite the near-perfect conditions, I still managed to run into every tree with bark. Thank God for handguards. I say near-perfect conditions because it was incredibly humid. I’m sure hydration system sales increased the day after this race. Riding an Offroad Ontario Cross Country event is like a two-hour (or longer) workout and I’ve heard the enduro events are even longer. When you are using that much energy for that long, a hydration system is a must. No companies are paying me to say that - it’s just a tip and you’ll thank me for it later.
Round four was June 5th at RJ Motorsport Park just north of Barrie. I was able to avoid most of the trees this time, but they didn’t make it easy to do so. The single track was tight. There was also plenty of faster double track, a grass track section, and a pretty big motocross section that separated the men from the boys - I’m not telling which one I was. One major change since the last round is the addition of KTM as the series sponsor. I’m not sure exactly what that means right now, but I assume their involvement will only benefit the series. One of my favourite parts of the OO XC series is the atmosphere. Everyone likes bikes so there is always something to talk about, but you also meet people who may be in the same profession, live in the same area, or grew up in the same town as you. The races are only about two hours long, but there is plenty of down time to get to know others or help them work on their bikes (unless it’s a KTM). The rains have stopped and the tracks are beautiful so top off your fuel, fill up your hydration system, and I’ll see you at the races. P.S. For those of you keeping track, I did skip round three. I had a previous commitment, but saw the pictures on the OO forum and Mansfield will be a “must do” event next season. ∆
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SCORRA WOMen
’s day 2011
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Last month, I attended the second
You may remember my first experien start to the day ended with me havin
This time, I was not nearly as nervou to participate. The morning started girls milling around, nervously cha the “Gender Verification” check by the OFTR (maybe because I parti but I don’t know if other ladies
During the riders’ meeting, we w “beginners” and “intermediate/ad beginners group, but was nudge group by one of the instructors…
THIS WAS WHEN I FIRST EXPERIENC
Though I was clearly the worst the day with the advanced wom such as inducing a rear-wheel after inducing the skid and tur none of these by the end of t
Then, we went on a short sin I have very little experience being banged around inside made it through, and actua After lunch, the group wen kicked my ass, but still, it During it, we stopped to do wasn’t very big, and I was to be honest, the bike m
over because I was holdin
Continued...
y r o t s s ’ I R E V A K
SCORRA
011 2 Y A D S ’ WOMEN
GUPTA I R E V A K BY
d SCORRA’s Ladies Ride Day.
nce two years ago, when a terrifying ng a great time.
us, and was actually excited d out the same with all the atting. I was spared Ken Hoeverman of icipated last time), were subjected to this.
were asked to split ourselves up into dvanced”. I quickly walked over to the ed over to the “intermediate/advanced” …
NCED PURE FEAR KNOTTING MY STOMACH.
t rider of the group, I am happy I spent men. In the morning we worked on skills skid, “wiggling” the back end of the bike rning a corner at “high” speed. I mastered the morning, but had fun trying.
ngle-track ride. I was in way over my head. on single-track, and the ride felt like I was e a three-legged washing machine. But I ally felt proud of myself for completing it. nt for a longer single-track ride, which also felt really good to have tried and finished it. o some teaching on crossing a log. The log s determined to get over it gracefully. Well, made it over gracefully, and I only made it
ng on to the bike.
T ’ N O D S G N I H T , E F I L N . I . . S O A T , G M E H T T N IN RIDIN A W E W S A O G S Y A AW
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1 1 0 2 y a d s ’ n e M O SCORRA W
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! O D Y E H T S E M I T E M ...BUT SO
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I have to say though, the best part of the day came after the formal sessions were over. A friend I had met at the SCORRA event two years ago (Angel) asked if I wanted to join her for a relaxing ride around the trails. I was completely exhausted at this point, but she promised to take it easy on me. Soon, we had a small group of girls together, and took off behind Angel. It was so fun! Ang kept the ride on double-track (which I appreciated since I was so tired from picking up my bike) and we sped around the woods, standing up, finally catching a breeze. It was the first time I have felt truly confident on my bike, and started feeling the rush and happiness I have heard and read about so much from the other riders and writers. If you are a female rider and want to join some fun, easy-going women for a day of riding, please come out to the next SCORRA Women’s Ride day… you will not regret it. ∆
1 1 0 2 y a d s ’ n e M O W A R R O C S
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GHNER U O B R E F JENNI AGE 14 GRADE 8 ARIO T N O , O T TORON
y r o t s s ’ jenn
2011 Y A D S ’ N WOME A R R O C S
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BY
HNER G U O B R JENNIFE
D D I PULLE N A R E H FAT S’ WHEN MY 11 SCORRA LADIE 20 S. INTO THE WAS VERY NERVOU TI AW DAY EVEN AROUND AND S D ING I LOOKE N STAND E M O W OF ND ILERS A DOZENS A R T IR E THE THERE AR BESIDE T H G U O D TH E. BIKES AN RS LIKE M E N IN G E MYSELF N NO B E T T O VE I G DY, WHAT HA R GETTING REA O TE D ME INT INTO? AF A E L O T HAD IRL MY DAD LITTLE G A E IK L N UP ARTEN O THE GRO G R E D IN TO K .. GOING IN SCHOOL. F O Y A D T THE FIRS
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Soon, I became much less nervous as other girls like me started to arrive. There were some teens like me, mothers and wives all as nervous as I was. We were split up into two groups, beginner and advanced. I quickly ran over to the beginner group since I had not ridden in a year and I was more worried about remembering how to ride. I looked around and realized I was the only teen and the other teens were more advanced – how was I going to tough it out with all these moms’? I soon relaxed when I realized how similar I was to all the other riders. The instructors were very kind, support and forgiving. We started out reviewing the basics of how to work the bike because they could probably sense we were all shaking in our boots. We started off with simple drills and warm ups to get us feeling more comfortable on our bikes. Next we moved to drills to improve our skills and techniques. The instructors gave great advice and were very supportive and they had advice and coaching from a female perspective which was very useful. By the end of the morning we had all improved a lot and we had even tackled climbing big hills. After a lunch break, we were ready to hit the trails. We were going over logs and up and down hills with ease and gaining more and more confidence as the day went on. I recommend this day for any beginner female riders, including teenagers. I went from a nervous teen to a confident rider and I am ready to tackle the next challenge – wheelies! I will definitely be back next year! Thanks to everyone who organized this great day and thanks to all the instructors who came out to help us. ∆
1 1 0 2 y a d s ’ n e M O W A R SCOR
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The 00 report BY BILL WATSON
KTM / OFFROAD ONTARIO CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 4 HOSTED BY OCMC AT RJ’S MOTO PARK. Perfect weather and perfect track conditions came together this weekend at RJ’s - not everyone knows is that RJ’s has a lot of forest and tons of single track so the course was 12kms in length when combined with the Moto track. The morning got started with more great mini racing action; in Mini Jr. John Hruda’s winning streak came to end with a third place finish, Noah Beares finished first and Stuart Hill placed second. In Mini Sr., Ryder Heacock got back on the top step of the podium followed closely by Clark Roylance with Hunter Allison taking third. In Ladies B: 1st Elizabeth Holloway, 2nd Delaney Brogan and 3rd Brittany Misner.
Finaly in the afternoon race, Josh Long ran away with a long lead on Dustin Heacock, followed by Mike Jonker in 3rd. Mike Vandenhoek got off to a good start but took a hard crash in the moto section that ended his day. In Expert Class, the Jones’ did battle again for the top two spots, these boys are most entertaining to watch! Riley took the top spot and Braydon 2nd, Zach Lewis put on a charged to finish 3rd. In Intermediate Jacob Faber took 1st, Ian Otten 2nd and Jed Franko finished 3rd. In Vet Expert Andy Post took 1st, Randy Zuest 2nd and Jamie Jones 3rd. OO would like to thank our sponsors for helping to bring the riders this series, KTM for title sponsorship, Woody’s Cycle, Apex Cyclesport, Machine Racing, Ross Rocher Sales, Stadium Suspesnion, Lachapelle Racing Products, GP Bikes, Orange Motorsports and Hone Printing.
KTM / OFFROAD ONTARIO CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 5 WOODY’S KTM IN PERTH, ONTARIO. Sunday June 19th the KTM/ OO Cross Country Series came to Woody’s, the FMSQ riders from Quebec were invited and a good many showed up to give the OO race a try.
The morning race saw another exciting battle in the Super Vet class between John Nelson and Rick Hone. After making up the nearly two minutes he lost when he ran out of gas on the second last lap, Nelson pulled off a pass on a surprised Hone within site of the finish line. Lance Mathews battled his way up to third. A busy Vet class finished with Jeff Stephens 1st, Chris Zanelli 2nd and Jesse Gasteiger 3rd. The Novice class was huge but familiar faces were on the Podium when it was done, 1st Connor Brogan, 2nd Joshua Phillips and 3rd Mark Ego. In Beginner Class Devin Cooke took 1st, Willy Buiter 2nd and Jesse Johnson 3rd.
The many riders who made the trip to Perth were rewarded with a beautiful day was warm and sunny and perfect for riding the rocky course in Woody’s back yard. The day got off to what is turning out to be a familiar finish, Mini Jr. John Hruda taking the win followed closely by Keegan Frederikse with there lap times within 20 seconds each lap, local boy Barret Walker took third. In Mini Sr. Series leader and No. Plate holder Ryder Heacock came up short in an all race battle with Brett Cambell for the lead, Charles Trombley took 3rd.
The Head Sisters took the tops two steps on the ladies A podium again this week, Emily 1st Mellissa 2nd, Mom was absent so third this week was taken by Kirsten Smith.
Ladies B Class was a see saw battle between Kristel Robichaud who came across the line 1st and Nicky Cormier in 2nd though the swapped the lead every lap. Katelyn Marsiske took 3rd place. The afternoon Ladies A class was huge but FMSQ rider Felicia Robichaud smoked the competition putting over 5 minutes between
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MENTAL
AT WORK L L I K S L CHNICA
ND TE A S S E N TOUGH
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The 00 report
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THE OO A IN’T MOT O RED BUL L GIVES Y CROSS BUT OU WING S... Traction
The 00 report herself and 2nd place Karine Gendron, Emilie Lacroix came home 3rd. In the Novice Class Conner Brogan continued his victory streak winning over Jake Tustin in 2nd who had a good battle with Andrew Trembley in 3rd until the final lap. In the Super Vet class the top four positions were covered in about two minutes after two hours of racing, these oldsters are serious competitors who race hard right to the wire. Elmo Rutnik took the win followed by Lance Matthews in 2nd and Claude Leonard in 3rd. The Vet Class saw the rock specialist lay down fast laps to show the southern boys how its done, Steve Coverly took 1st handily over Luc Forget and Andrei Ferraton. Ted Dirstein cruised to a loney but fast victory in Masters and in Beginner Oliver Quevillon took the win over Ben Lalonde in 2nd and Wilson Bowes in 3rd. Finally in the afternoon races Pro Race saw the closest finish of the year with series leader Josh
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Long battling hard with Scott Bowes only to give up the win by 13 seconds on the last lap, and right in their dust was Loic Leonard just another 10 seconds back in 3rd. In the Expert Class, Mike McCaw is growing to hate the number two, after Sam Rouseau squeeked out 1st place by 30 seconds and Patrick Trombley took 3rd. Honourable mention to Theirry Lacombe who, despite a few grey hairs, duked it out for a very close fourth with the young lads. In the Vet Expert class Denis Libersan took the victory followed by Robin Hunzinger in 2nd and Jean Pierre Favreau in 3rd. It was another great day of racing in the KTM / OO Cross Country Series, again we’d like to thank our sponsors who make the whole thing happen, KTM Canada, Stadium Suspension, Woody’s Cycle, Hone Printing, Machine Racing, Orange Motorsports, Apex Cycle, GP Cycles, Ross Rocher Sales and Lachapelle Racing Products.
KTM / OFFROAD ONTARIO CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 6, BURNT RIVER OFFROAD PARK. Sunday June 26th the wild ride which is the KTM Cross Country series arrived in Burnt River, it was soggy, more rain through the week made conditions extra damp which apparently makes it even more fun according to the riders! Things got off to a great start with John Hruda getting back on the top step of the podium in Mini Jr. with a couple of familiar faces of 2nd Noah Bearss and 3rd Keegan Frederikse in hot pursuit. Ryder Heacock did Pontypool proud again with a win in Mini Sr, followed by Michael Fischer in 2nd and Tyler Greenlaw in third on his home turf. The Ladies B race was fast and close with Elizabeth Holloway taking the win followed by Porsche Reynolds in 2nd and Rachel Nelson in 3rd. The rest of the Morning program had some great battles, in the Vet Class “Wyldman” Chris Barrett crashed out of a hard fought 1st place on the last lap giving the win Steve Coverley and a good spectating opportunity to Cam Lowe who finished 3rd. In Super Vet Elmo Rutnick was back on his game taking the win from Wayne Brogan in 2nd and Quinn Alphonso in 3rd. In Masters Ted Durstein
put the moves on Rick Day to take the win with Malcolm Hayes settling for 3rd. A busy Novice class saw Jake Tustin run away with the win followed by Mackenzie Holloway in 2nd and Phil Kloetstra in 3rd. In Beginner Scott Myers took the win followed by Adam Goodale with Dale Labarie hot on his heels in 3rd. Sherrie McWilliams took the Ladies A victory followed by Brooke Kares in second. In the afternoon the Pro class saw young Josh Long continue to make his mark on the championship run squeaking one out on Mike Vandenhoek in 2nd and Mike Jonker in 3rd. In Expert Scott Hoare put in his best performance of the year taking the win over Kevin Burley in 2nd and Riley Jones in 3rd. In Vet Expert Jamie Jones took the win from Darren Marsiske in 2nd. In Intermediate Jon Hudson held off a charging Jed Franko by 20 seconds for the win with Ian Otten taking 3rd place. Round 7 of the KTM Offroad Ontario series takes place on July 24th at Conestoga conservation area hosted by the K-W Cycle Sport Association. See www. offroadontario.ca for more information. We would like to thank the series sponsors for their continued support in bringing this great racing series to the riders: Woody’s Cycle, Apex Cycle, GP Bikes, Stadium Suspension, Hone Printing, Lachapelle Racing Products, Ross Rocher Sales, Machine Racing, Orange Motorsports and especially KTM Canada our title sponsor. ∆
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the wec experience
BY ROB “CREEKSIDE” MARTIN
So much racing has taken place since the last issue I don’t know where to start. After a rainy start to the season, the World Enduro Canada crew moved on to Walton Raceway for Round 2 of the spring series. Apex Cycle Sports KTM is the sponsor for this venue so I had additional duties to attend to this weekend – thanks to my wife for her help with it all! My weekend started on Thursday, as I had to swing by the store to pick up parts. Other racers had ordered parts that they were picking up at the track as well as tires, clothing, and a few bikes (all with special pricing for the Walton event). We arrived in Walton on Friday night and the ATV crowd was setting up for their race on Saturday and some very impressive rigs were on hand. There were some interesting features to this racecourse. We had an MX start gate so the decision to use it and have a live engine start was really cool, I managed to get some logs set up in the paintball area so we had some neat extreme sections, plus the natural double was being discussed quite a bit. I had been debating certain parts of the track both in my head and with fellow racers. Pro racer Kev Cockayne and I decided to walk the course. When we arrived at the natural double, the morning class had already run a few laps. There were a bunch of riders standing there watching as some of the mx guys were showing us how its done. It’s a big jump and is very intimidating to off-road guys. After
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checking out the double, I shared my concerns with my wife. Of course, she is the soft sensitive type that would understand. No way! As soon as she spotted me she yelled across the track “There’s a girl doing it, you better do it!” Then she ran over and showed us the picture of 221 Whitney Locken flying high over the double in style. As a friend of mine put it, “I could have gone my whole life with out seeing that picture”. All kidding aside, she is a great young rider and all of the MX riders who came out quickly earned everyone’s respect. Race time came quickly for me and before I knew it I was on the starting line, staring down at a gate while waiting for it to drop. If only I could bottle and sell the adrenaline pumping though my system at this moment. What a rush! My KTM 250 XC held off the big-dog 450’s and I narrowly grabbed the holeshot once again. I led the first lap for 3/4 of the way around, but it’s intimidating when you know that the guys behind you are faster than you. Hopefully, in a few more races, I’ll feel like I belong up front and I can push to maintain the lead. I picked up a 2nd place finish, thanks to a mechanical issue with Dave Nelson’s Husaberg. Parry Sound was next on the XC schedule and was sponsored by Parker Bros. KTM. I was really looking forward to the Dirtybikes Xsprint on Sunday, it’s got a really unique format, but I had to get through the XC on Saturday first. I’ve been very lucky with holeshots this
“THERE’S A GIRL DOING IT, YOU BETTER DO IT!” season, and WEC put up a holeshot award for the Vet Master class so the pressure was on. I’d love to be able to say what happened but I have no idea other than my foot must have slipped off the kickstart. After a dismal 6th or 7th place start I had to work up through the pack. It was a very dusty course in the open sections and very gnarly in the single track so it was difficult to make up lost time. I’m starting to think I’m jinxed on lap 10’s, in three races this year lap 10 has been the lap where I have had a real tough time. This race was no differnet and while running in 4th I crashed 3 times on the same lap. I was banged up physically and mentally and was forced to retire. After a few hours spent recovering, I focused my attention on redemption in Sunday’s race. The Xsprint format allows me to ride 100% for approx 20 minutes then regroup in the pit and go again for a total of 5 laps or 100-ish minutes. The course was awesome, the set up crew know exactly how much flow and how much “extreme” to put in to allow everyone to play hard. I had a few small mishaps during the last 2 laps, but I was very happy with my ride. The racer turn out is not that large right now, but the small group allows for a bond between riders. This series is all about developing skills - you race the clock not each other so whether you’re a beginner or pro everyone helps each other. Next, we’re off to RPM MX park in Sauble Beach for the last round of the WEC spring series. ∆
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D ONVERTE C S 0 0 4 ELF DRZ CHINE. H A S M E IL H A T R AN OFF ABOGIE T L A C A O T
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s S 0 0 4 z r d i k u suz
ION S R E V N O BURY BRACKEN TRAIL C BY ERIC
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s S 0 0 4 z r suzuki d
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NVERSIO TRAIL CO
DRZ 400SS MODS MEIR HANDGUARDS I had them on the KLR and I really like them. I think they give the most protection of all the handguards I have seen so far. BAR RISERS Nice height for me when I need to be up on the pegs, at 5ft 10inches with fairly log arms I like to have comfortable shoulder height so these achieved that with another three centimeters over stock height, at the moment I have not rotated the bars back as I do not feel the need for any setback. With the risers I have about one centimeter and that should be plenty for me. TINY TACH TACHOMETER & HOUR METER It will fit a wide range of engine types. The DRZ does not come with a tach and the hour meter is a real bonus. The screen is easy to read at a glance. If you are not handy with metal work then I think a mount for it could be purchased or if you have a dashboard then a hole can be cut for it, I made my mount in out of stainless steel. IMS GAS TANK At 15 liters it should give me approximately 380 kilometers range. A tricky job to install but in my opinion it is worth the grief, best choice for this bike according to all the pundits out there.
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PETCOCK A Yamaha 2GU-24500-02 without the vacuum, from Wheelsport. I do not like to be without an OFF on my gas tap. It works well with no leaks, a nice gas proof gasket is in place with the purchase. PIVOTPEGS FOOTPEGS What’s not to like - they are my third set and I find them very versatile, not that hard to install either, about 10 minutes at most. MSR SHIFTER Purchased from cheapcycleparts. com. It’s not possible to adjust the stock shifter high enough without hitting the chain. I may end up cutting and welding this so I can get my boots under it easily but this seems to be a common issue on many bikes when reading on the subject. ZETA DRIVE COVER For final drive sprocket, it allows better access for cleaning chain. It is metal not plastic, which makes it durable. This piece is very nicely made and was a two minute install. SKID PLATE & ENGINE GUARDS Purchased from TCI Product Inc. in Orange California. The three part guard set gives very good protection. This needed some improvements to satisfy my style, and it involved cutting and welding the left guard to allow for the MSR shifter to function correctly when shifting up. Also, the skid plate itself has the correct mounts and holes but the stock skid plate is curved at the front to allow oil to drain properly. The plan is to machine a section in the front lip of the new one.
NEW PLASTIC The plastic has no decals and I put the original factory ones in storage in case I want to sell the bike later. As with all plastics, be careful when installing the first time, they will eventually mold to the proper shape. PROTECTOR FOR BATTERY I made this myself from a $5 stair tread to keep mud and dirt away from main electrical connections and fuse. After accessing the battery for winter maintenance I noticed that after only 700 kilometers there was a lot of dirt around the main fuse and terminals. REAR LIGHT Edge tail light with aluminum tail light holder. The wiring is plenty long enough but rather than cutting the original wires I got the correct connectors from Ottawa Fasteners in Bells Corners, ON and sealed them with waterproof caulking. ∆ For the continuing saga on this bike got to:
www.therecycledteenager.blogspot.com
erag
REVIEW BY DALLAS SHANNON
BACKROADS MAPBOOKS
Last year I attended the Ontario Federation of Trail Riders (OFTR) President’s Council meeting held in the Ganaraska Forest. It was a great insight into the world of off-road motorcycling and I met plenty of interesting characters while there. The OFTR provided many trinkets and freebies for the participants – almost like attending a small trade or bike show. We each received a bag which was filled with keychains, caps, shirts, etc. all supplied from their various partners and sponsors. One of the more interesting trinkets was from Backroad Mapbooks. As described, it’s a bound set of backroad maps containing Ontario’s cottage country – roughly northwest of Bellville and Bancroft and northeast of Toronto and Barrie. It encapsulates the Algonquin area all the way north to Lake Nipissing and the Ottawa River. There are many versions of these maps produced by Backroads Mapbook, each one representing a different area of Canada, but the Cottage Country version was available from the OFTR, most likely because their offices are smack dab in the middle of this region. I was interested in this map as I haven’t touched a real map in years. Being from the Internet generation, Google Maps and my GPS have gotten me from Point A to Point B. My memories of traditional maps are clumsy, accordion-fold contraptions that rip when you open them and are impossible to close. Refreshingly, the Backroads Mapbook is coil bound and book is only 8.5” X 11” in size. The paper stock used is robust and thicker than average - this is a book that feels good in your hand. The cover is made out of a very heavy, glossy stock. No doubt it will repel water or coffee, and I’m sure that this was the idea when the mapbook was being designed. For a few months, I left this book in my favorite room of the house and looked at it for about 10 minutes a day. It was interesting to get a close up view of the many sections of Ontario that we don’t realize are there. Undiscovered country. Chains of lakes. Twisty backroads. It’s fascinating to piece together areas that you’ve heard of but now, thanks to the map, realize how they connect to each other – Paris to Dacre is a good example. Traction
BY THE GUY THAT WROTE IT
The maps are easy to search and provide great detail about snowmobile trails, dirt roads, and road allowances. There is also information on fishing, paddling, parks, trails and wildlife. This mapbook is a dual sport/backroad bomber riders dream planner. Your next 3 summers of riding could be planned out using only this book. The Backroad Mapbooks retail for approximately $25 and it’s a set of maps that you can leave in your house, truck or car and use for years. Good value considering the quality and long life of this book. Probably the best (and the worst) things I liked about the Mapbook? Best: Everytime I looked at it I was inspired to visit another area of Ontario on a capable dual sport bike. Ontario really has a lot of undiscovered country, and until someone complies a detailed map, it’s hard to comprehend how much unspoiled wilderness there is in Ontario. The Worst: Everytime I looked at it I found ANOTHER place that I would want to visit on a dual sport bike. After a while, I became frustrated with not having enough time to visit all of the amazing backcountry of Ontario. Not the maps fault but it’s like looking through a glass case of sweets and only being allowed to have one or two. The Backroad Mapbook company was good enough to send me the Eastern Ontario version of the book and now that’s on my coffee table in the living room. Ontario really has a lot to offer and the Backroad Mapbook guys have done a great job putting it all together in an easy to use, durable package. A friend once told me he needs two lives to do everything he wants to do in this life. After spending time with this book, I understand what he means. ∆
I FIND T I T A K I LOO E M I T Y VISIT. R O E T V E T ? N T A S AT I W H T THE WOR E C A L P ANOTHER Traction
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OFTR NEWS
KEN HOEVERMAN
SOGGY BOOT TRAIL RIDE Part of the Ontario Trail Ride Series
START: Gooderham Recreation Centre (Hwy #503 & #507 then follow the arrows) Home of the OFTR !! Gooderham is 15 minutes south of Haliburton. Need a place to stay 2 minutes from the start? GO TO Mountainview Cottages. www.themountainviewcottages.com
RIDE LEVEL: Suitable for experienced riders with
options for a less challenging route. There are water holes and we do our best to guide you through them and around them.
ENTRY FEES:
$45 Adult ($40 pre-entry by July 14th) $25 Kids ($20 pre-entry)
SIGN IN: Opens at 7:30am RIDERS MEETING: 9:30am RIDE DURATION: Approx. 120-160 kms of trail (There is a short loop of about 66K)
NOTES: • Bikes must be plated, insured and quiet, NO EXCUSES! A J1287 sound test at 94 decibels will be administered and enforced. • Off road (green) plated bikes will be accommodated with strict speed limits of 20 kph for 5 kms. We have special permission from the municipality for this event. • Trail ride will leave Gooderham and Traction
arrive at Crystal Lake. Bring your swimsuit for a nice swim at lunch on our private beach! BBQ Lunch Included Support the local community: there is a grocery store, 2 restaurants and a gas station right here in Gooderham! Gas truck provided
UT O E R U G I F O T Y R T E S V B L O A O V N R ADE R THREE H C S A RK O W O T HOW Traction
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SCORRA WOMen
’s day 2011
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SOUND TESTING DEVICES by Terry Young
I bought one of these devices for the BMA a few years back. It works well but some bikes are easier than others to test because of differing vibration levels and the resonant frequencies of the bike parts. These secondary vibrations can add to or subtract from the vibration representing the engine RPM being measured. This makes reading the peak resonance of the wire difficult. The resonant frequency of a length of wire is a function of it’s length ,so to use this tool it is preset to the desired RPM by rotating a dial that winds a length of wire out from the internal spool. A logarithmic RPM scale and pointer allow direct reading of the RPM that will excite the extended length of wire. In use, the device is placed anywhere on the bike or equipment being tested and when the RPM corresponding to the number on the dial is reached, the wire will resonate or dance wildly indicating that the desired RPM has been reached. It is at this point that a sound tester would take a reading on the sound meter. This device is much easier to use than the inductive type electronic tachometer in a sound testing environment but with some bikes it can be hard to determine if the wire is at its peak amplitude of oscillation or not. All in all, it’s a handy device for setting the idle RPM of small engines or indicating the RPM of a sound check. As I recall it cost about $35.
STILL KICKIN’ BY GLEN (COOP) COOPER
CHANGE OF MIND! I have been out on my dirt bike two weekends in a row. If you have been following my column, you know that may be a new record for me in the past few years. My now lowered bike has instilled a new confidence in these old legs. Both weekend rides were in different parts of the Ontario. Our Spring BMA Club ride was in the Calabogie area and my Semi-Annual Biking Weekend Group (in its 41st year) was in the Maynooth area. Most of the Calabogie trails were in surprisingly good shape considering the wet spring we had in the area. But, there are a few trails that we have lost our riding privileges on. Trails that I have been riding for the past 40 years with permission for the property owners. They are now closed to everyone. The trails in the Maynooth area, on the other hand, were terrible. The trails that were lost and the Maynooth trails were in such poor shape because of Mud Runs in the early Spring. When you ride an off road vehicle before the frost is out of the ground you are going to create a situation where by spinning your tires you scrub off the top layer of soil and create a small hole. Now follow that by 680 off road vehicles as there were in one Spring Mud run. Here is a little sample of what some of the trails look like now, I am not picking on the rider or video provider just using it as an example: http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=-W4xnz5Qu5E . That trail will never heal up! Now I don’t believe for a minute that any normal person would intentionally go out to destroy trails that some good intentional club member, whether it be from an ATV or off-road motorcycle club, has put a lot of work into. But the fact is there are organizers that put these events on and riders who pay to ride them. I would never poo poo anyones sport or their right to enjoy there kind of fun. But when it starts to affect other users, I have a problem. For years we have had a discussion in the BMA about mapping our trails and publishing them. I have been in favour of this and have banged heads with a few other members on this topic. I want to publicly apologize to those club members. I was wrong! If there are people out there that are going to destroy land and opportunities for us to use trail systems that we have been developing for years, then go develop your own trail systems! Go spend the countless years, dollars and miles (old school measurement) that club members have spent to develop for everyone can enjoy. I am not normally grumpy, just old (as you have seen in this picture that our editor seems to enjoy publishing). Thanks D Man. Surely you can find a few more flattering pics than the one you keep putting in this publication. It probably has caused a few readers to stop reading our great eRag after viewing it and even I don’t recognise me. EDITOR: Believe me readers, this is the best photo I can find. Bottom line, if you’re not going to be part of the solution, then don’t be part of the problem. Ride Safe, Ride Smart! Coop out.
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exhaust note BY LARRY MURRAY
Do we know how lucky we are? Most BMA members live in the center of some of the best riding in North America and maybe the world. It’s at your back door! Are we protecting it?
more then 4 hours from home and take weeks to do the trip! Many BMA members have rode in all these areas over the years. The trails are still there and being used - more trail then you could ever ride and very little road running. As for the road, you will need it to catch your breath; there are thousands of kilometers of trail. I can tell you from personal experience that we have great riding and should be the envy of the world. If they only knew! I always wonder whether or not to promote our riding areas? After much consideration, I think that we should but at the same time we need to promote our clubs, it’s important that all riders are members, and follow the simple rules. Off-road riders seem to have trouble with rules - quiet bikes, proper plates, insurance, staying on trail and only riding areas when they are open. It sounds simple and you would think that we could do this but many still refuse to comply and most say that they didn’t know. They think that a stock exhaust is ok (but it’s an MX bike). Most people don’t want to confront this group but maybe we should stop inviting them along for our rides. Stop sending the message that a loud, unlicensed, MX bike is ok to be in the woods. Many of us say “It’s his ass on the line if we get stopped”, but that’s not true. The majority of the damage is done when other forest users hear the loud pipe and lump all of us together. I was in Limerick Forest this spring asking (and telling) riders that the forest was closed and calling Police on the ones that would not leave (after pleading with them). I’m getting sick of explaining that the sign that says “Trail Closed” means that the trails are closed. It’s not ok to ride by a trail closed sign!
Within a one to four hour drive we can ride rock that will make you cry for your mommy and sandy plantations that will make you beg for rocks, open fire roads and tight single track made up of roots, rock, sand, and mud. You could jump on your bike at Limerick and ride to Bancroft and back to Limerick. You could never be Traction
What gives Larry or anyone else the right to tell me when I can and can’t ride? What gives him the right to call police! If we want to protect our riding areas there are some very basic thing we need to do, as a group: We need to band together, we need to get riders to join the BMA/ OFTR and we need to enforce or communicate the rules that we do know about. Stop supporting non members and ask them to join. Follow our code of conduct and all laws, we all need to be responsible riders. Allowing disrespectful users to control our future in the forest must stop. Stand up for your rights. We should force out the riders that don’t follow or care about the rules. Let’s take back our forest, and be good stewards of our riding areas. If you knowing take or ride with users braking the law you should consider what it means to you, it’s not ok! Please don’t promote this behavior! No red necks! No living in the past, it’s 2011 and we all need to comply with the rules! Rant complete. Larry
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A GIRL E IK L E L B AMS TROU N ATTITUDE. E R C S G A NOTHIN AT IKE AND B T IR D POTTED S S A WITH A W G IDE DAY E KONIN R D Y A IL X M E A L F A ’S IMERICK L A GRAPHER M O B T O H P THE R NFIDENT TURED OU O P C A C D R E N A . WITH H N AL GEAR IO N T N IO E S S E ATT F AND PRO E A RACE FACE R E G G A W S LL HAV A N A C E MAYBE W EDAY... M O S IS H LIKE T
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