382: I've Got that Ol' Familiar Blue

Yes, folks, by blue, I mean another blue Yamaha dirt bike - the red CRF-450X9 has left the building.

Geez, just the second day this guy's had it and it's already going to pieces.

Big news with me and my Pachaug rock n' roll pile ride starting just yesterday.

No, actually, starting last November, truth be told.

See, that's when I bought the CRF-450X9 and started using that as my Pachaug loop bike, and then come February I sold the WR-250FY in order to recoup the money used to buy the CRF-450X9.

Ged'dit?

So, what I did was sell the CRF-450X9 yesterday (to a guy I work with, actually, and I'm sure he'll enjoy it) and bought a used 2002 Yamaha WR-250F, which from here on out shall be called by it's official Yamaha model designation:

WR-250FP.

Why?

Read and gain wisdom, Grasshopper.

I think I've written before on this bloggy blog that getting rid of the WR-250FY was a mistake because that 250cc bike was simply a better-balanced bike for me out on the Pachaug loop, Lenny.

Actually, I was telling people that before I even made the switch, so I'm not completely dumb.

What's a better-balanced bike mean?

The CRF-450X9 had power - and plenty of it - but, believe it or not, power is not the only thing you need to have an enjoyable dirt bike ride on the Pachaug loop.

The CRF-450X9 felt much heavier in the tighter and slower going, especially while negotiating the slow stuff and rocky ground at the same time.

Considerably heavier and even a bit ponderous in some cases.

OK, a lot ponderous in some cases.

This is because the heavier spinning parts of the 450cc engine act as a gyroscope and give resistance to turning the bike, and that feel is always there.

So, while the CRF-450X9 had big power and torque (a good thing), it felt much more ponderous to handle out on the Pachaug enduro loop (a bad thing).

The WR-250FY, on the other hand, had less power than the 450, of course, but still plenty.

In fact, I was often impressed at how much it did have and I was never at a shortage for it with that bike.

It also had a light and easy feel to it's handling, something that made riding the tighter sections much easier than on the CRF-450X9.

So, do you get the picture, here?

In other words, the smaller 250cc bike was the better bike for me.

Period.

While I had good rides on the CRF-450X9, the increased effort required to manhandle it out there finally caught up with me and I decided to get rid of it and go back to another 250cc bike.

Very nice.

So, what are the details with this new-to-me bike?

It is the previous version of the WR-250FY that I used to ride, basically.

Instead of a 2009 model, it is a 2002 model, and one that, according to the original owner, only has 275 miles on it.

I am a bit skeptical about the mileage shown on the odometer because, just as with my last two bikes, the odometer the bike comes equipped with is a resettable trip meter

Still, that's what the guy claims, and I can say the bike is in very good condition.

In fact, any parts I'm replacing before my first ride on it aren't due to being worn-out or from crash damage, but from the deterioration that comes with just sitting in some body's basement with gasoline in the carburetor.

Here are the main differences between the WR-250FY I used to have and this WR-250FP:

*No electric starting on the WR-250FP - it's kick start only, Bub.

That's just fine and dandy with me because I only used the electric start on the WR-250FY about once a year just to see if it was still there.  ;)

The added bonus is the bike weighs 10 pounds less with no electric start parts on it.

*The frame is made of steel tubing instead of aluminum beams, as all dirt bikes were back in the day.

While this does make the bike look more dated having a blue-painted steel frame, I couldn't care less, personally.

I never bought an aluminum-framed bike just because I had to have an aluminum frame, but because that's what was available at the time.

While the aluminum-framed WR-250FY handled well, I'm sure the WR-250FP will handle just fine and dandy, too.

In fact, there's every chance in the world that I'll actually prefer the feel of the steel frame.

I'll let you know after my first Pachaug ride, hopefully in a couple of weeks.

*The fuel tank holds 3 gallons of gasoline, just like off-road bikes all did when I was a teen.

That's a big deal to me because with the WR-250FY (and also the CRF-450X9), the 2.1 gallon tank (1.9 gallons on the CRF-450X9) was just big enough to do about 60 miles, period, and doing any more mileage without gassing-up would be a roll of the dice.

In fact, since adding the southern part of the Pachaug loop the past couple of weekends, I was stopping for gas at about the 45 mile mark to play it safe.

With the 3 gallon tank on the WR-250FP, I'm estimating around 80-90 miles fuel range, and that's a fair bit of a cushion in the peace-of-mind dept.

Now, I'll be able to ride without having to stop for gas, even with the added mileage of the southern part of the loop.

Nice, Bucky.

Those are the biggest differences.

There are others that aren't as noticeable to the eye, but I'll discuss them in the coming weeks as I see an opportunity to mention them.

It sounds like I'm trying to say that this 2002 model is just as good as or better than the 2009 model I used to ride, but not really.

I'm only being enthusiastic (and realistic) about the bike I now have, Buckwheat

So, don't you worry, son - if I have a beef with the WR-250FP, I'll be honest about it, as usual.

Actually, I'm not only enthusiastic about this WR-250FP.

This bike has a good look about it, and I mean more than just it's styling.

When I look at a bike that's sitting awaiting it's next (or the first for me) ride and I like what I see and have a good feeling about it, that is a VERY good thing and a feeling I had with the WR-250FY, too.

It must run in the family.  ;)

Am I sad to see the CRF-450X9 go?

No, other than not having a ridable dirt bike at the moment.

It was starting to make my old nagging injuries I've had for 15 years or more, like my right wrist, come back to haunt me with the pounding I was taking riding it, something that didn't happen on the 250cc bike.

I don't mean from crashing it, either - my old, weary joints simply complained more on that bike.

It was simply not the bike I should be riding every weekend, especially both days on the weekend.

Ouch.

Too bad I had to find that out the hard way, but, you know what they say about experience being a good teacher.

What I'm doing now is basically tearing the bike down and cleaning, greasing, ordering carburetor parts (since the bike sat for most of the 10 years since it was built, and the carburetor rubber parts need replacing), and once I have that operation done, I'll take it for it's maiden voyage.

After I'm satisfied that the bike is ready for prime time, I'll be going through yet another episode of modifying the bike with the parts needed to pass a CT. DMV inspection up at the Whethersfield office, getting it street registered, hanging yet another new license plate on the back of one of my dirt bikes, and using it on weekends out in Pachaug.

Hooray!, even though I'm never super-happy to have to go to the DMV for anything.

Stay tuned, people.

-John

I've Got a Temperature of 381

The 1986 Yamaha IT-200S, the S meaning a 1986 Yamaha motorcycle.
You should have know that part, Bucky.

To a lot of young whippersnappers out there reading this blog (assuming that youngsters still have brains in their heads instead of rocks), a 1986 model dirt bike is as old as the hills.
Yes, I consider that old, too, but it is a model of motorcycle that I personally have experience with, and I know how it works and feels.
Yamaha is no longer manufacturing 200cc 2-stroke off-road motorcycles (the 2-stroke YZ-125 and YZ-250 are classified as motocross by the way, not off-road), so if a rider wanted a 200cc off-road 2-stroke dirt bike, this is almost the latest model out there - somewhere.
If I'm lucky, I'll be able to pick up a Yamaha IT-200 that isn't beat to shit by some shitheads, get it registered, and ride it on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop.

Compared to the CRF-450X9 that I'm currently riding, it would feel like a flyweight in comparison.
Also, it would be interesting to see in the present just how much or how little my view on dirt bikes from days gone by, that I know worked well back then, are being viewed through rose tinted glasses.
That means to see whether the memory of the bike in my head will actually stand up to the test, Lenny, and come out favorably, or to come out not seeming as great as the memories of it were.
I'd also go for a 1982 or 1983 IT-175J or IT-175K, as I also had one of those and they were great, too.
Better in some ways that really count, like ergonomics, a word that means how the bike is shaped with the seat, fuel tank, footpeg and handlebar positioning, and how those aspects fit and feel to the rider.

I'm thinking about light-weight dirt bikes from my past this morning because I had a good ride out on the Pachaug loop yesterday (Saturday).
Where's the connection?
You shall read about it, Edwardo.

What I did yesterday was to add an approximately 10 mile section, known as the "southern loop" to other Pachaug loop riders, that I've ridden just one other time in the past 20 years, and that one other time was last August on my ol' trusty WR-250FY.
On that ride last August, I encountered a few deep muddy water ruts and holes that turned me off and took it's toll on my energy, but, I decided to give it another go yesterday on the CRF-450X9 because I had a bit of a hunch:
I thought that I may have gotten off the beaten path and took a wrong turn last August, and the trail that had the bummer mud holes wasn't even part of the real Pachaug loop, but just some other side trail to be avoided unless you like getting stuck, which some retards do.
Well, that was the case, and by paying close attention to my odometer and the official NETRA route sheet, I did not take that trail with the obstacles that I didn't like.
In fact, I think I know where the wrong turn was made last year.

The ride was pretty darn good, and the extra mileage from the southern part of the loop put my total for the day at 61 miles on the button.
Not to bad.
The trails on this southern part of the loop were pretty good.
Although they were quite rocky, they were still negotiable as long as you knew how to actually ride a dirt bike, and the revalved suspension of the CRF-450X9 felt good over them.
I good compromise, I must say, as while still not ultra-plush and still allowing for the rider (me) to feel the hits the suspension takes along the way, they are softened a bit so I'm not being beaten up and punished at the same time.
As said, a good compromise that seems to be working.
Thanks, Tom from Nasin Machine.

Anyway, the trails were featuring a number of spots that had uphill and downhill rock ledges, something that gives good traction in the dry, at least, allow you to keep some speed up, and I had fun riding them.
There were also numerous spots that had natural terrain jumps that give the chance to catch some air (get your wheels off the ground if you hit them fast enough), and once I take these trails often enough to memorize the lay of the land, that's a sure bet to happen whenever I ride over them.
The trails were also wide, wide enough for some kind of off-road 4X4 vehicle in most spots, and I have to imagine that's what goes out on those trails from time to time, as well as ATVs.

This southern loop section came into my usual loop at about the 25 mile mark and lasted for about 10 miles, and after that was done, it put me right into my favorite pine needled whoop section through the woods.
I felt good, had good energy, rode the bike in a decent manner, made some good moves, had no mishaps, no crashes, and had a good time out there.
Not a bad deal, Howard.

So, if yesterday's ride was good, why am I daydreaming about Yamaha IT-175s and IT-200s?
It's because of my feeling the effects of cold, hard physics.
That is:
A 450cc dirt bike, even a modern one with all of the technological bells and whistles, is, in my opinion and for this 46-year-old and 150 pound rider, really more than is needed, and when I say more than needed, it's not really the enormous power and torque the engine has at all engine speeds and in any transmission gear you choose that I'm referring to.
I mean the feeling of heavy mass that has to be steered in the intended direction, something you feel every time you want to slow for a corner while in the rocky bumps or negotiate a tight section, something I encounter a lot on each ride.
In other words, the CRF-450X9 is simply more heft than is ideal, and the large-displacement engine (the source of the hefty feel) with that great power and torque is overridden by that hefty feel.
Or, for the real dimwits out there:
It's more bike than is really necessary out on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop, and a smaller-displacing bike is really the better way for me to go, all-in-all.
I should know, as I'm the guy riding them, and I was thinking about this very thing at several points on yesterday's ride.

So, for now, I'll keep riding this bike until fate intervenes and I see something I would like to ride for sale.
Stay tuned.  ;)

Edit:
I went out on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop again today, Sunday, and it was a good one even though I ran off the trail and smacked a couple of fingers on my left hand into a tree.  :)
Details on that in a moment.

I rode basically the same route as yesterday except for skipping a 3 mile section that I don't take often on the big ol' CRF-450X9 for reasons mentioned above.
I rode the southern part again, intent on getting to know that part of the loop as I want to make that part of my usual route from here on out.

When I got up this morning, I felt a bit sore from yesterday's ride, my nagging right wrist was feeling sore, and to top that off, I felt a a little tired even though I got 8 hours of sleep, but, I still wanted to go and ride Pachaug.
Why?
Because I ride dirt bikes, dammit.
So, my plan was to ride the same route as yesterday but to use my head and not be a hero and slow down if I started to get tired and/or lose concentration because of feeling tired.

Well, I did slow it down in some sections on the second half of the ride, but it was due mainly to my pesky right wrist.
I tweaked it waaaaaay back in 1996, and although it never bothered my for most of those years, riding out on the Pachaug loop with that wonderful Connecticut rocky terrain, especially on the CRF-450X9 with it's strong acceleration AND uncanny ability to hit sharp bumps harder than a smaller bike while under that strong acceleration AND with the way it requires muscle to muscle through the tight sections, my wrist started to cry, "Uncle!"
So, I slowed down through the more intense sections requiring wrist power, patty-caking the throttle (not opening the throttle as aggressively as usual, especially when hitting bumps) to lessen the jolt, and, basically, wishing I didn't have a bum wrist.

However, it was while riding more gingerly with the throttle when I crashed.
While going through the last few tenths of a mile in my favorite pine-needled whoops section, I hit a good-sized tree root (that I've crossed many times before and I had it in plain view) that shot my rear wheel off to the right, pointing the bike toward the left, and into the woods I went.
I came to a stop when my front tire rolled up the sloped side of the trail and into a sturdy pine tree, but, since rolling up the incline toward the woods used some momentum, I wasn't going fast and I just jolted to a stop.
The bigger deal was my smacking my fingers against another tree, and then after I came to rest, I realized the floor of the trail was down about 18 inches since the trail was down at the bottom of a mini-valley with the sides of the trail raised above the part where my tires are supposed to roll.
That naturally meant the bike fell to the right side.
No harm came to the bike, luckily, and I was OK other than smacking my fingers, so, I carried on like a good soldier.
I think the reason I messed-up while crossing over that tree root was because I was too sloppy with the throttle that I was patty-caking and gassed it too late, causing the tire to just bounce off it instead of drive through it.
Geddit?

I was able to complete the last pesky hill climb, the rocky one (there aren't many that are not rocky out in Pachaug) just before finishing the ride that I sometime mess-up and have to stop.
However, by this point my wrist was saying, "Enough, already!", and I took that rocky uphill in 2nd gear instead of my usual 3rd gear on the CRF-450X9.
It's a bummer having to slow down like that, but, as I planned on doing, I needed to use my head and listen to my body, Lenny.

All-in-all, it was a few miles less than yesterday at 57.1 miles for a total.
The majority of the ride was good, I rode well, I enjoyed the newish southern sections (there was a cool rock sticking up about 2 feet off the ground at the top of a hill that lets you get some air), and basically survived another good weekend of dirt bike riding.
I'm already looking forward to next weekend, this time with a fully rested body.  ;)
-John

380 Degrees in a Circle

This isn't my bike, but is very much like it and represents the typical modern dirt bike rear shock absorber.
Shocking, isn't it?

This weekend's Pachaug enduro loop rides are in the history books (since it's 5:17 pm on Sunday afternoon) and I had a pair of good rides.
Allow me to tell you about them.
Hmmmmmmmmm?

Saturday was the first time out on the revalved front forks and rear shock with the ol' CRF-450X9, the revalve getting done during this past week by Tom at Nasin Machine, and the bike definitely felt different as compared to the stock valving.
I asked for a valving setup that would work better at the slower speeds and sharp, rocky and tree-rooty bumps of the tighter sections of the Pachaug loop while not going so far on the soft side of things that the feel would be too soft on the faster sections that I really enjoy.
I have to say that that's pretty much what Tom delivered with the new settings.

First of all, Tom told me that the original settings of the fork and shock valving was obviously meant for a heavier rider and/or for terrain where you can get some speed up and hammer through the bumps and rough terrain, like somewhere out west in the open spaces of Baja.
Well, it sure felt like it since the original settings felt better the faster I went but would feel stiff on the slower sections, and what makes these sections slow is all of the sharp bumps you have to slow down for.
Well, I slow down, anyway.

With these new valving settings, the suspension basically feels similar to the stock settings with softer damping.
It seems that this softer damping is more in tune with my body weight of 150 pounds where the stock settings are probably meant for a rider at least 30 pounds more than me.
A few extra cheeseburgers in my stomach might have done it, no?
So, where the stock settings felt good hammering through the pine-needled whoop section, it now actually feels even better on that part of the Pachaug loop because the stock settings provided damping that was simply more than required for me and my pace and weight.
This was a pleasant surprise because I found myself going a bit faster here - automatically - since the bike simply felt better and easier to ride a bit faster through this fun section of trail.
Very nice, Bucky.

How does it work on the slower and rockier sections?
It feels, again, similar to the stock settings but with a bit less damping, giving a bit softer ride over the rocky, rooty, choppy stuff.
I wouldn't call it the perfect setup for this type of terrain because it's still stiffer than is ideal for the rocky shit, but is a bit better, and that was the goal:
A bit softer without going all the way to sit-down-on-the-seat-through-the-rocks soft and cushy, and where if I had that done, I fear things would feel too soft on the faster sections.

So, all-in-all, the new suspension settings feel like it was worth the work and money for this to be done, and Saturday's loop was very much a get-used-to-the-new-settings acclamation ride for me.
I felt pretty good while doing it, too, although the rear tire was pretty much toasted before the ride started, and after, it was really time for a replacement to be mounted.

That rear tire replacement came that evening in the form of a new Bridgestone M604, size 110/100-18, and today's ride was started on a brandy-new rear meat (slang for tire).
At the same time, I replaced six spokes on the rear wheel, not because they were broken but because the spoke nipples had seized to the threaded end of the spoke, making it impossible to turn the nipple and tighten the spoke tension.
There are still three that need to be replaced (wish I had taken a detailed count instead of just winging it when I ordered the spokes), but I'll get those done at the next rear tire change.
I should have known!
Old-timer dirt bike riders out there have read that line somewhere before, haven't you?  ;)

With a fresh rear tire, the bike felt even better since rear traction allowed the kind of grip that allows proper weight transfer toward the rear of the bike under acceleration, something that not only feels good, but makes for a bike that handles as it is supposed to, Lenny.
With the new rear tire, the suspension felt even better on my second ride with it as I am starting to get a feel for how it works on the different sections of the Pachaug enduro loop.
Bump absorption on the sharp bumps is better, making not only for less jolts annoying me, but also for better front and rear traction.
The bike still feels best on sections where I can keep some speed up, but slower sections are at least better than before in most situations.
A good example of this is where there are burly-sized tree roots stretched across the trail from one side to the other with the trail on an incline and the dirt on the ground has been eroded (Egad! That bad word EROSION!) away after 40-ish years of riders enjoying themselves out there, exposing the roots and making for a kind of uphill staircase-type bump to contend with.
The suspension now gives less of a firm jolt and more of a cushion as the fork and shock can now move more when hitting these kinds of obstacles at speed, and the benefit is a better ride, more ease of keeping control of the bike, and better traction.
Sounds like a good thing, no?
Well, it is, Edwardo.

All-in-all, today's ride was very nice and quite enjoyable.
I felt a bit sore from the ride on Saturday, but that wasn't noticeable once on the go and I rode well, made some good moves, and had a heck of a time out there.
I blew the last rocky uphill climb while riding toward the finish of the loop (the same one that has proven more difficult on the CRF-450X9), but, that's what happens on that hill if I don't keep looking ahead and keep the throttle on, not stare at one part of the ground and roll the throttle off, loosing momentum.
That's called fucking it up.
Once I stopped, regrouped my thoughts, and got moving, I was able to continue in fine fashion.
The mileage was the same as yesterday's:
50 miles on the button.
Good stuff.

During this coming jerk week, I'm installing a new clutch cable since I realized on Saturday morning the original one is fraying down at the elbow where the cable turns a corner.
That's an easy fix and shows why eyeballing your bike while performing routine maintenance is a good thing, Zeek.

-John

I Just Sold my House for $379

No, not really.
If you did sell your house for $379, I'd guess that it was a bit of a fix'er-upper special, eh?

I felt a little bit like this on this past Saturday's Pachaug loop ride.
Without the red hood, of course.  ;)

I went on yet another Pachaug loop ride this weekend (Saturday only, and I'll tell you why there was no Sunday ride), and it was pretty good.
I felt good with no hints of feeling sick or tired or suffering from any pesky bug or illness that saps energy and concentration, so, things went well.
I rode a total of 50 miles and had a very good time, making some good moves on the bike and feeling as if I was riding as well as I typically can, and that's due to feeling in good shape in both body and mind, something you can't put a price on, folks.
If I feel that I'm riding well, that's a sure recipe for a good ride.
Period.

Why can't I just feel at or near 100% every  time I go out there?
Well, well, well, if only I had control over my body and mind on some kind of microscopic level, huh, Bucky?
Maybe it has something to do with me being 46 years old, and maybe it has to do with my working for a living where retail sales are made to people off the street, and who knows what kinds of sickly microbes they're carting around as they come into the store and breathe on other people.

The reason I didn't ride on Sunday was because I took the bike apart Sunday morning in order to bring the forks and rear shock absorber from the CRF-450X9 to my ol' friend Tom at Nasin Machine, just up the road from jerk.
If you remember, early this year I had Tom perform a couple of front fork modifications to the damping valving inside the fork (called a "revalve" by most riders) on the ol' sorely-missed-and-now-it-has-been-proven-that-I-shouldn't-have-sold-it WR-250FY.
Well, I'm dropping the suspension components off to Nasin Machine this (Monday) morning so that he can do a bit of a revalve on the forks and shock.
Why do I need that?
Simple, Simon.
The suspension on the CRF-450X9 is setup off the showroom floor for riding terrain where you can keep some speed up as opposed to 1st gear rock gardens like we have a lot of out here in Connecticut, and that includes the ol' Pachaug rock n' roll pile.
If you can get the bike into 3rd or 4th gear and sail along at a good clip, that means the terrain ain't slow and rock gardenish, but more like the kind of bumps you find on a motocross track, which, basically, means the ground probably isn't littered with pesky rocks sticking up out of the ground and forcing you to slow down.
So, since the suspension on the CRF-450X9 prefers higher speeds and the less rocky terrain that come with it, it doesn't work well in the slower rocky section because it has firm valving meant for higher speeds and it simply feels too stiff and unyielding over that slower stuff, bouncing me around and making an already heavy-feeling bike in the tight stuff even more so.
So, after seven months of riding this bike every weekend over the rocky sections and having the clear feeling the suspension set-up isn't intended for that rocky trash, I feel it's high time that it be modified with a valving setup that IS intended for that stuff.

I should have the bike put back together by Saturday afternoon, and I'll report back with how it feels after this coming weekend.

-John

My Blood Pressure Went Past 378

On the most recent Pachaug enduro loop ride, there was somebody who looked very much like this, but with probably a few more little black lines shooting away from his head.

I do believe the more black lines you have, the more excited you are.

He wasn't smiling at first, either.

As for the title of this post, I forgot what units of measure are used to measure some one's blood pressure, but, I'm just gonna' go with it, OK?

Well, today is July 5th, which means it is the day after the 4th of July, and I have two Pachaug rock pile rides to write about.

The ride on last weekend (Saturday) wasn't a very good one because, for some reason, I felt weak - both physically and mentally - from about the half-way point, onward.

It might be due to a couple of guys at jerk having some kind of 24-hour bug they told about, so, for all I know, I got it, too, but it didn't come to fruition until I was riding my CRF-450X9 on the Pachaug loop.

Hey, it could be for all I know, Dr. Spock.

I felt that I didn't have my typical concentration and riding ability from the start, and at about the 26 mile mark, I felt pretty lousy, and although I thought about cutting the ride short, I carried on and rode just about the whole thing, minus about 5 miles.

I didn't crash or get hurt, but not feeling well means it was a crummy ride, all-in-all, and I didn't ride on Sunday because I didn't feel any better.

On top of that, I didn't start feeling normal until about Wednesday morning, the morning of the the 4th.

Yesterday was the 4th, so that means no jerk and a ride on the Pachaug rock pile enduro loop during mid-week.

I felt mucho better than last weekend, thank God, and felt more like my normal self.

I had a  good energy level and I quickly saw I had a good level of concentration and felt I was riding the bike in a decent manner.

The bike felt good, too, and ran and performed just fine, although the rear tire is now mid-life as far as performance goes.

The humorous part of this ride happened during the middle of my favorite whoops-through-the-pine-needled-woods section, and this is what the pic at the top of this post is all about.

Half-way through this section, the trail goes down a hill and crosses a wooden bridge spanning a little pond dam at the bottom of the hill.

It looks so nice and natural and all woodsy and inviting to anybody looking to go to a peaceful and woodsy-looking place to relax with some minor league fishing, or to walk the dog, or to smoke a joint and drink some booze if you're a loser and believe that stuff is good for you in any way.

Well, the wooden bridge, while very much suitable for walking over and fishing off of by anybody, was actually built by Pachaug enduro loop trail riders for trail riders.

In other words, guys involved with the start-up of the actual Pachaug motorcycle trail loop (which came into being in 1974, I believe) also built this bridge so that trail riders could span the little pond without putting a tire track into the ground when entering and exiting the water, getting wacko environmental nuts all worked-up, and also so that (probably the real reason and without doubt the most important) the Pachaug loop riders would have a more enjoyable ride without having to slog through some deep water and steep pond banks to contend with.

So, to reiterate, the bridge was built by trail riders for trail riders, and those very words were actually spoken to me just a couple of weeks ago by the very man who was, as far as I know, one of the guys (if not THE guy) who got the ball rolling with getting the Pachaug enduro loop officially started and endorsed by the state of Connecticut back in 1974.

That's an interesting story in itself, told to me by this man, himself, and I should tell it here sometime soon.

As I crested the top of the hill and got on the brakes to slow for the bridge (I never go flying up to the bridge since I know people could very well be on it with their vehicles parked directly in line with the far side of the bridge), there was this guy with a fishing pole in his hand waving his arms, trying to get my attention.

I could tell he was trying to signal me to slow down, and as I slowed to a crawl and stopped directly in front of him, I could see the little black lines of excitement gradually diminishing from around his head as he realized I wasn't some brain-dead retard who was going to go flying across the bridge, and as i asked him how he was, he pointed to his woman and child standing on the bridge, the girl also holding a fishing pole and the telltale plastic floating bobber that floats the hook with the worm on it when in the water, making all of the local pumpkin seeds (a small, flat fish) come fishing around it.

I nodded to him and her and just putted across the wooden trail rider-built-for-trail-riders-to-use-as-the-priority bridge and carried on, getting a small chuckle at his earlier excited expression on his face.

I was feeling pretty good and riding decently well, which made that funny incident all the better.

The ride on the 4th of July (which was yesterday, by the way) was good all-in-all, although I did screw-up on two spots, both on rocky hill climbs that I usually make without screwing-up, but I at least didn't crash or fall.

I just got off my usual line, stopped, regrouped my thoughts, and got going again.

It is in this kind of situation (rough, rocky, and difficult to maneuver the bike and/or hold the line I intended to take) where the bigger CRF-450X9 starts to be more of a liability than an asset when compared to the smaller WR-250FY (remember that bike?).

Although the 450 has a truckload of power and torque that, in comparison to the 250, starts to just ooze out of the engine from the lowest RPM and just gets stronger from there (while still being very easy to modulate with your throttle grip), the heavier feel that goes along with the 450 is always there and actually comes back to haunt you in the tighter and trickier sections, and the more rocky and bouncy the terrain, the more of a truck the bike can feel like.

Period.

The CRF-450X9 is happy when it has a bit of room to keep some speed up, as around the pine-needed whooped section and places that allow a good pace, not the more trials bike terrain where you have to slow down yet you still can get bounced around and shot off your intended line if you happen to put a wheel wrong and hit something you didn't see coming.

By comparison, the WR-250FY was much less powerful, yet still powerful enough to get the ride done very effectively, and (this is a BIG plus out in Pachaug) the handling and feel of that bike were a pleasure in the slower, tighter, and rockier spots.

The fact is, on sections that I didn't love due to being tight and rocky and challenging to me, I still could and would routinely ride through these sections without incident time after time on the WR-250FY, yet with the CRF-450X9 in these sections, I need to be 100% on my game and riding and concentrating very well in order to make it through without screwing-up.

Like I did twice yesterday.

What does that mean?

Well, the writing on the wall tells me that someday soon, I'll have to buy another 250cc bike to ride out on the Pachaug enduro loop, as I am constantly reminding myself that, in all honesty, the WR-250FY really was the better bike for me out there most of the time, and the only place the CRF-450X9 is really better is in any place you have room to fly along (not many places to do that), and with the performance of the front fork, and with having all of that strong power and torque at your disposal.

Too bad the heavy feel of the bike in certain situations basically negated the positives.

Hmmmmmmm.  ;)

Off to jerk.

-John