357: Skier's Heaven

Since we are now officially in mid-winter (and I couldn't ride the WR-250FY right now if I wanted to, which I'll explain in a minute), I used this as the perfect excuse to check the valve clearances, Clarence.

Right now, we've got this white shit on the ground that people call snow.
Skiers and snowmobile riders (AKA: alcoholics) like the stuff, and I did, too, when I was a kid in school.
I no longer like it, though, because I dislike the cold weather that brings it, and now that I'm approaching the big five-oh on age, I'd rather not have the terrain I ride my dirt bikes on covered in snow, a thing that hides any trouble spots on the ground with a blanket of white cold.
You see, if you are in your teens or early 20s, you probably laugh at reading that comment.
I know how it is to be in that age group, and when you're young, you won't be thinking like I do about these things.
But, just you wait, sonny boy. ;)

So, that also means I did not ride my CRF-450X9 this past weekend, although the thought of getting it out there and at least riding the dirt roads in the ol' Pachaug state forest did seem doable for a moment or two.
I decided against it, though, because I wasn't really convinced the semi-fun of staying on the snow-covered dirt roads would be worth loading the bike up and getting it out there to begin with.
Too bad I don't live just a hop, skip, and a jump away, eh?
That probably would have made the choice to go much easier.
Hopefully, the weather forecast for this work week will melt this stuff.
We will see.

About the WR-250FY:
I haven't ridden the bike since shortly after buying the CRF-450X9 (in mid-November, and I'm guesstimating my last ride on it for the season was around the last week of November or the first week of December).
The remainder of the time has been spent riding the CRF-450X9, something which ain't too surprising since it's the newest bike to me and I already have a couple of seasons on the WR-250FY.
What I am doing with the WR-250FY right now, though, is the usual wintertime maintenance I do every off-season to my dirt bikes, things like having the rear shock serviced (check!), greasing the suspension bearings (check!), and checking the valve clearances (check-check!).
The above pic was taken while doing this, and I am happy to say that not only were all five valves in spec., but I don't even think they moved at all.
That's just fine and dandy with me. :)

The reason I say that I couldn't ride the WR-250FY if I wanted to is not because of the snow on the ground, but because I'm in the middle of phase two of the suspension servicing.
While I recently had the rear shock oil changed, I'm now in the process of having the front fork oil changed, and at the same time, ol' Tom from Nasin Machine (who serviced the rear shock) is going to make some changes to the valving shim stacks inside the forks in an effort to improve the performance.
Specifically, we're going to see if I can get the forks to use full travel at least once per ride while out on the ol' Pachaug rock n' roll pile loop (and maybe have a fork that will absorb the sharp bumps better), yet still have the feeling that the front of the bike is not riding too low, something that I don't like because it affects stability and the balance of the bike.
In other words, I'm going to see if I can have my cake and eat it, too.
No telling how it will feel unless it gets done and test ride it, so, I am anxious to try it out.

Another reason I'd like to ride the WR-250FY sometime in the near future is because I simply haven't done so but one time since buying the CRF-450X9 over two months ago.
I'll let you know how it feels once I do so.

Off to jerk,
-John

Shocker: 356 Frozen Knobbies All in a Row

The rear shock absorber from the ol' Pachaug rock pile veteran WR-250FY.
Once a year, during the winter, I'll have the front fork and rear shock oil changed.
I can do the fork myself, but I don't have the tools and high-pressure nitrogen gas needed to do the rear shock.
So, a couple days ago, I went to the place where I actually bought the WR-250FY back in November of 2009, Nasin Machine, and had my ol' buddy Tom service the shock.
I was able to watch him do the work as we talked bikes and suspension, and I now have a refreshed and ready-to-go WR-250FY Kayaba rear shock.
I also have one of Nasin Machine's stickers on the reservoir, too. :)


Like, duh.
Why do you think they call it a dirt bike?

I've had people over the years (mainly when I was just getting into riding dirt bikes years ago) ask me why I bothered to wash my dirt bikes when they're only going to get dirty next time.
Maybe these same characters should be asked why they bother to wipe their ass if it's only going to get all shitted-up next time, eh? ;)

I rode out on some of the ol' Pachaug enduro loop trails today, although I did something different.
Since it reached a high of only about 32 degrees F, I decided to concentrate my riding on a loop of a certain section that I really like (the pine-needled whooped section), a section that has a minimum of water and mud, or more like ice and frozen mud.
The loop is 2.8 miles each time around, is quite fun, and gives you a good workout at the same time.

I rode the loop 10 times, so math geniuses will know that I rode 28 miles today.
That's only half of my usual mileage, but since I didn't start riding until about 3:00pm and stopped at 4:00pm, that's not too bad for an hour's worth of riding.
I felt good on the bike and had a good time.

The second Supercross race of the 2012 season is on TV tonight from Phoenix, AZ.
I sure as fuck hope this race is not a snoozer like last week's was where no battling for the top spots took place.

-John

355 Degrees Above Normal

The CRF-450X9 after a recent Pachaug rockpile ride.
Changing the engine oil is not hard, but I read stuff written by other riders that make it sound like you're donating your liver, or some shit like that.
Ridiculous.
For me, doing this every few off-road rides has ALWAYS been the case, so I really don't know what those retards' problems are. ;)

It's Sunday morning, and I am not sure as of yet whether or not I'll be going for a Pachaug enduro loop ride today.
That's because I already went yesterday, and the weather we had yesterday was very warm for January 7th, indeed - a high of 60 degrees F.
Today's weather forecast is for nice conditions, but with a high of around 42.
That's still doable, but I'll have to see how long it takes for the mercury to start breaking the freezing point before I can make a final decision.

Yesterday's ride was a good one, with 55 miles all together.
It had been cold for a few days before, so the morning started out with frozen ground that was in the process of thawing out, something that always makes for damp patches that won't take much force from a front or rear tire to break free and result in a loss of traction.
In other words:
It can be dang slippery, so you best be keeping your eyes peeled and your head on straight.

I kept that in mind the whole ride, but I'm happy to say no mishaps occurred, I puttered slowly past the questionable sections (there were a few places where water was still frozen), and I was still able to ride at pretty much my normal pace through most of my favorite parts.
So, all-in-all, not a bad ride at all, and the warm weather made it all the more enjoyable.
Now, where is that long lost rich uncle who wants to present me with that multi-million dollar trust fund which would allow me to do this stuff 24/7 without having to go to jerk? ;)

This was my firt ride on the bike since the American Honda Product Improvement Campaign was performed, which is a more nicey-nice way of saying the bike needed to have some recall-esque work done to replace some parts having to do with the automatic decompressor.
The bike worked just fine and dandy, ran like a top, and the automatic decompressor is working as it should, allowing either the electric starter motor to easily turn the engine over, or allowing use of the kick starter if you prefer.
So, I'm glad that's out of the way.

Speaking of kickstarting the CRF-450X9:
While it can be done, it sure as heck ain't as easy and enjoyable as the ol' WR-250FY, something that shouldn't be too surprising since the engine displacement is almost twice the size.
The WR-250FY also has both electric and kick starting, but kick starting that bike is so easy, I rarely use the electric starter.
The CRF-450X9 is the opposite of that - kickstarting it takes enough muscle that using the electric starter makes much more sense.
Because of this, the automatic decompressor really needs to be working properly.

Speaking of the ol' Pachaug veteran WR-250FY, it sits here behind me in it's winterized state, and winterizing that bike means putting the battery on an automatic battery charger, changing the oil and oil filter, and running the engine for a few minutes on some Stabil-treated gasoline and then draining that gasoline out of the fuel tank and carburetor.
So, when the time comes to start it, it will start just as easily as if it sat for a couple of days, not a couple of months.
I imagine some time in March will be it's first ride of the season, and between now and then, I plan on the usual chassis lube and having the suspension oil changed in order to start the new season fresh.
Well worth the effort, Lenny.

Last night was the first race of the 2012 AMA Supercross season, and I still haven't watched the race.
It will be repeated on Speed TV this afternoon at 3:30pm, so you can guess what I'll be watching. ;)

-John

354 Icicles Hanging Off my Nose

Not really fond of these.
We're having a bout of winter weather right now (it's about 10 degrees F outside this morning), although, thank God, it is supposed to get back up into the 40s starting tomorrow.
All-in-all, so far, our weather this winter ain't been as cold as it was this time last year, so that is a good thing.

I rode the CRF-450X9 this past Sunday and also Monday after jerk, and what made riding on Monday possible was that I had a short day since there was no UPS deliveries running because of their long New Year's holiday weekend.
Must be nice. ;)

Sunday was a good ride, doing about 55 miles all together.
The weather was calm, mostly sunny, and around 50 degrees - not too bad for January.
There was less water standing on the trails than I expected, so that was an added plus.
I felt good, made some decent moves on the bike, the bike worked well, and although I was cautious much of the time from expecting less-than-perfect ground conditions, it felt like a good ride.

Being New Year's Day and on the warmish side, I saw a few groups of people out there walking little Fido, or just taking a nature stroll, or picking their nose, of just looking for a place to be alone so they can take a piss in the woods.
I tend to see folks walking their dogs off any leash, and I can only hope these mutts don't run away from the pinhead owner and go bite somebody approaching.
Those forest dirt roads they're on are still public roads, after all.

Monday was a bit shorter at 47 miles all together.
I cut out about 8 miles because it was colder (around 42 degrees) and didn't feel like having to negotiate the wettest section of the loop, a section of about a mile where it is wet most of the year, only drying out in mid-summer for a couple of months.
Other than that, it was another good-feeling ride out on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop.

I'm bringing the CRF-450X9 into jerk today to have the Product Improvement Campaign (oooooooohh, sounds pretty fancy, eh?) performed to the automatic decompressor.
That is supposed to restore my fair share of legendary Honda reliability, godammit. :)

-John

353: Happy New Year to Me

Oh-oh.
Looks like we just entered the year 2012, the year that all of these new ager (I refuse to capitalize that) con artists claim we're going to enter some period of "enlightened consciousness", or some other snake oil salesman-esque term like that.
Complete bullshit.
I believe there are only two truths attached to any talk of this new age crap:
1) You are being led down the garden path, which is a way of saying you're being lied to.
2) Somebody intends on making money off lying to you.

Yessirree, here we are in the year 2012.
A few years ago, I listened to some supposed new age gurus out of curiosity, wondering what this talk of new agers was about.
Well, listening to guys like David Ike, Michael Tsarion, Jordan Maxwell (Tsarion's mentor), and some others I can't recall made me want to throw up.
These guys would sound exactly like snake oil salesmen pitching some product they were selling, and they could never manage to get anything to come out of their mouths that ever hit upon why this supposed new age stuff was supposedly so great.
All I ever heard them say, over and over, was that 2012 marked the beginning of a "new age of enlightened consciousness".
Folks, I don't know about you, but for me, that is waaaaaaaaaaay too vague an explanation of just what it is they're supposed to be pitching.
In other words, they would spend hours talking into the camera at me, but still couldn't manage to say anything to convince me they had anything important to say, other than repeating over and over that they knew everything and that old-school Christianity was bad, that Jesus Christ was a myth, and any thing associated with that stuff had to go.

Needless to say, I decided to stay far away from any of the things these guys had to say, as it only came across to me as a big lie, and they were trying to get people interested in this stupid religion, and trying to destroy the old orthodox religions of Christianity, Judaism (being an old-school Jew), and the religion of those Buddhist dudes, what ever they call that stuff.
In other words, to break down and destroy the old-school religions and to get you to follow their new age bullshit, which is just a disguised way to get people to be willing to give-up their basic human rights given to them by the God of the Bible, something these new age con men want to get rid of.
You see, if you are willing to forget about things like being responsible for your actions, that killing somebody or stealing from somebody should be a punishable crime, that abortion is still a killing of somebody, and that having some world government provide you with the basic necessities comes at a price of having that government dictate what you can and can't do, then you can join these crooks and their new age religion.
After all, they preach that man, himself, can become a god if he tries.
Notice I used a lower case g. ;)

At the tippity-top of the new ager food chain are characters that believe in the Luciferian philosophy.
What's that?
It's basically the opposite belief that Christians are taught in the Bible.
A Roman Catholic is taught from day 1 the ol' classic story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden:

God created everything.
God created mankind (Adam and Eve), put them in the lush Garden of Eden, and told them that they would remain there in paradise for eternity, just as long as you obeyed the one catch to the whole deal:
Do Not Eat From The Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil.
If they did, God told them that they'd surely die.

Lucifer, a former angel who was kicked out of Heaven because he wanted God's throne, was cast down to Earth (the Garden of Eden), and became the master of the material world (Earth).
Since he was basically shaking his fist up at God in Heaven for being kicked out of there, he swore to try and get as many people on Earth as possible to go against the wishes of God and lead these people not to Heaven with God, but into Hell with him.

Lucifer, through his right-hand man Satan, told Eve that she should, indeed, eat from the Tree.
Eve said that God had told her not to do that, lest she and Adam surely die.
Satan told her that God was lying to them, didn't want them to eat from the Tree because He knew they'd then become as God, themselves, and convinced her that she and Adam should pick the fruit and dig in.

Eve went ahead and did that, got Adam to do the same, and when God saw that they'd gone against his rules by eating the fruit from that Tree, all bets in the Garden of Eden were, from that point onward, off.
They then had to fend for themselves out in the big, bad world, they'd get sick with the flu, they'd have to put up with being cold, and hunger, and having to work in order to survive, and, most of all, they'd have to prove that they were worthy of getting to Heaven by living a just and righteous life in the eyes of God, something that takes some doing.
This is where we are, today.

The above is what you believe if you are a practicing member of one of the old-school religions like Christianity.
Here is what the believers of the Luciferian philosophy believe:

Adam and Eve were being held prisoner in the Garden of Eden in the bonds of ignorance by a cruel and unjust god, and he did not want them to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Lucifer, through his buddy Satan, told Adam and Eve the reason God did not want them eating from the Tree was because God knew that they could become gods, themselves, and God knew this - he was keeping them down in this ignorance by not telling them that.

Lucifer, through Satan, gave man the gift of intellect (the fruit of the Tree), and with this gift of intellect, man, himself, shall become god.
Lower case g.
Man was set free from his ignorance, and through the use of superior intellect, science, and technology, man shall conquer nature, conquer all on Earth, and surpass God and become as gods, themselves.
All of this was because Lucifer took pity upon mankind, didn't agree with what God was doing to mankind in the Garden of Eden, and Lucifer then took action to help mankind out by giving him the gift of intellect, allowing him to eventually surpass god.
This is where we are today:
We're in the process of using the brains of the most intelligent minds on Earth (down through thousands of years), to perfect mankind and make things better than the way God created it, to perfect all that is upon the Earth, and to allow the most elite people on the planet to become the supreme gods of everything and everyone.

Now, just as where the elite (meaning the most powerful people on Earth) believers of the Luciferian philosophy say that God wasn't being straight with Adam and Eve and keeping them down by not telling them everything, these very same guys are doing the same with their new age bullshit:
They are not telling you that only they, themselves, are to be able to reach this supposed godhood, and once they have the whole Earth "perfected" to their godly liking, you and I are going to be under their ruling whims.
A one-world socialist government, in other words, where things are slanted in their favor.
At this point in time, we are being steered in that direction, bit by bit, and these new ager con men are trying to convince you to drop any old-fashioned beliefs you have, and to allow yourself to believe that all of mankind joining-in on this new age stuff is just so fabulous and correct.
In other words:
Forget about any rights to freedoms that may have been promised to you in the past.
All of that stuff is just too old-fashioned and doesn't fit into our new age way of thinking.
It's time for a change, and it's going to be done our way.

So, what does 2012 mean to you?

-John

352 and Feeling Blue

Here's what is probably the main attraction of the CRF-450X9:
The big (for a bike that's made for some real off-road use, not mainly street use with a dabble of off-road use) engine, and the power that comes with it.
Just behind the CRF-450X9, you can see the WR-250FY, awaiting springtime.

I'm feeling blue because I'm sick today, and I first felt it coming on Saturday morning when I could feel a sore throat festering itself when I woke up.
Sometime, I get lucky and nothing more comes of it and the sore throat goes away.
Not this time, as I now have a typical cold, and that means a couple of days of sniffling nose and sore throat and less-easy sleeping.
I wonder who breathed on me. ;)

I went riding yesterday out on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop, but it wasn't a normal day of riding out there.
This is mainly because the weather didn't turn out as predicted, and it seemed to take forever for the temperature to get above freezing.
I waited until the last possible minute, and didn't get to the usual unloading spot until 3:45pm.
That gave me about 45 minutes of riding before dusk, and since I also felt sick, I stayed away from any water on the ground, not wanting to get my feet wet.
This also allowed the bike to stay very clean, and because of that, I didn't have to wash it when I got home after sunset, and this also kept me from getting wet.
That's something to consider when it's in the upper 30s for a temperature and you're already feeling sick at the time. ;)

The trade-off with this riding strategy is that the route I rode was on the short and boring side since I stayed mainly on the street (which bypassed the wet portions), the dirt roads within the state forest (that are tame enough to drive a car down), and just one actual trail which I knew would be dry.
It was a 20-mile ride all told, so that's a fair bit shorter than the typical 55-or-so miles.
In all honesty, it was just barely worth it, but, I did get to do some nice-feeling wheelies and power slides while on the bike. :)

Also, I got to get more familiar with the new-to-me CRF-450X9, and honestly, not every feeling I get is good or positive.
A nagging problem I've been having since nearly day one is that the electric starter does not want to crank the engine over at certain times, and it is usually when I'm starting the engine for the first time that day.
Yesterday when I got the bike unloaded, got all suited-up, plopped myself on the seat, and hit the starter button, the engine barely moved before the starter motor refused to turn the crankshaft any further.
I then used the kickstart lever to turn the engine over a couple of times, hit the starter button again, and this time the engine cranked over and started running.
I've load tested the battery (which tested 100% A-OK), tried a second battery, cleaned where the main ground wire attaches to the engine crankcase, and the problem still persists.

I have read about other CRF-450X riders on message boards having trouble with similar problems.
That is:
The electric starter not starting the bike every time you ask it too.
Hopefully, I'll someday discover the reason for this and correct it.
The only things I can think of right now are that maybe the starter motor, itself, needs to be repaired (maybe worn or cooked brushes), or that the automatic decompressor built into the camshaft is leaving too much compression pressure in the combustion chamber while starting the bike (which seems unlikely to me, in all honesty).

All I can say right now is thank God the engine has always started once I get it running and warmed-up.
Looks like my share of legendary Honda reliability needs a bit of an adjustment. ;)
Hope nobody takes offense to that statement because, after all, I did buy it with my own hard-earned and feel I have a right to write what's going on with the bike.

At least it's fun to ride once running. ;)

Off to jerk,
-John

Edit:

Seems that the bike could be suffering from too much compression pressure while starting, after all.
While surfing message boards about Honda CRF-450Xs that act like mine does, I found out that American Honda actually had issued a recall and matching Service Bulletin a couple of years ago which were used to repair 2008 and 2009 CRF-450X models that were having this problem.
What takes place while performing this recall repair is that stronger parts are installed into the camshaft, parts that actuate the automatic decompressor feature while starting the engine.
If this automatic decompressor isn't working properly due to bent parts, the starter motor will have a tough time getting the engine turned over.
These new, stronger parts are supposed to resist bending and end any hard-to-crank-over issues.

Hmmm.
Ain't the Internet neat-o?

Looks like my local Honda motorcycle dealer, the very place I work for a living, may be performing the recall on my CRF-450X9 in the near future.
Either that, or I'll just get the parts and special tools needed and do it myself.
With any luck, this will return my fair share of legendary Honda reliability. :)

351 Rhymes with Fun

The CRF-450X9 after washing following yesterday's Pachaug rock pile ride.
I don't know how many more weekends we'll get where at least one day has a daytime high in the 40s with still unfrozen ground, but I'll take them as long as they keep coming. ;)

I rode out on the ol' Pachaug enduro loop yesterday, and it was a good ride.
Since my last ride before that (which was last Saturday), I installed a little kit that allows removal of that useless collection of environmentalist propaganda parts that everyone calls the smog pump.
This smog pump is not an actual pump, but is a valve that allows a stream of clean, filtered air from the airbox to be piped into the exhaust pipe, supposedly reducing the severity of the harmful-to-the-environment noxious gasses coming out of the muffler.
All of the tweeting little birds I scared away forever along my trail route seemed to be smiling at me in an approving manner as they fled for their little feathered lives, suitcases under wing, never to return to their natural habitat because the mean old dirt bike rider (me) was so selfish, self-centered and self-serving and gets off on causing so much damage to the Earth's fragile environment, that scarcely a single living creature should remain alive once I pass through.

The sad part is that there are people in high places (as well as low places) that act as if the part I just wrote above is some kind of truth.
These people are either brainwashed, liars with only their own pocketbooks on their minds, or both.
I'll bet you anything that some businessman (or group of them) won't bat an eye at bulldozing my entire 55-mile trail loop completely flat (if he were allowed to) if it would result in that land to be changed into some mall or living quarters or whatever, just as long as he got a big fat wad in his bank account.
This especially goes for guys like Al Gore or Mr. Microsoft Bill Gates, guys who, on one hand, make themselves out to be so concerned with how everyone (except them) needs to do what they say in order to save the planet, but also have a strong liking for money and living a luxurious lifestyle.
Of course, this would be looked upon by all of those brainwashed environmental idiots who actually hug the trees as a sad thing because they would lose yet another place to go out into the woods and make love to trees and fantasize about how great life must have been back in 1799 before we got all industrialized, but yet, they'd also approve of seeing all of that nice-looking fresh asphalt laid down and how well-designed the perfectly manicured lawns of all of those new carbon-copy houses look and how well they made the move from the designer's laptop into $$reality$$.
Or, reality, as in real estate $$$sales$$$.
Sales, sales, sales.
Now, that's a word that lots of people will snuggle up to.

Well, now that I've stated my feelings on environmental impact (or the severe lack of it) from me riding my dirt bike down a trail, I'll tell you that the ride yesterday was a darn good one.
I rode in a decent manner, and while I was a bit cautious on certain parts due to seeing several groups of hunters out by the paved roads congregating near their parked trucks and also because the ground was damp in spots, I had a good feeling over much of it.
The CRF-450X9 worked well, and with another 55 miles on the bike under my belt, I know the bike that much better.
The strong suit of the bike is using the throttle and immense torque of the engine to loft the front wheel over all manner of rough terrain and riding right through these rough sections with the bike feeling very stable and sure-footed all the time.
The overall feel of the bike is powerful, stable in a straight line, and very solid and secure.
It is, I'm glad to say, a good combination out on rough terrain.

Speaking of lofting the front wheel, doing wheelies on this bike is second nature.
I always felt the WR-250FY wheelied easily, but with more power and torque at your control, the CRF-450X9 takes the ease of wheelies to a new level.
While negotiating any trail, dirt road, or whatever you may be on, it literally requires just a mere sudden opening of the throttle to get the front wheel off the ground.
Sure, you can open the throttle without doing a wheelie if you need to, and in that case you just open the throttle slowly and/or a small amount.
That's called throttle control.
It is fun and very useful, though, to be able to dial-a-wheelie as you ride the bike over rough terrain, actually making your passage through the rough stuff safer and more fun at the same time.
A very good feeling, this is.

Today is colder than yesterday, so I'm glad I went yesterday.
Today seems like an easy day around the house doing a little bit of bike maintenance and maybe some laundry.

-John