TRAC Club Bog

Ready to Race ? Not quite !

2008-01-08T19:50:00.000Z

The week inbetween Christmas and New Year saw the fitting of the new white plastics and graphics kit. The machined alloy Core side stand also went on. I also took the opportunity to grease all the suspension bolts and apply AC50 to all the fastners. Liberal amounts of gaffer tape were stuck onto the susceptable parts of the bike that are prone to wear from boots like the clutch and stator casings. I'm going to need to buy a set of frame guards to protect the frame as the gaffer tape lasted about an hour !

Not Project 153

2007-12-22T16:22:00.000Z

For those of you who read Trail Bike Magazine (TBM) on a regular basis, you will have seen that they are currently in the process of taking a 2005 YZ125 and making into a "153cc Enduro Weapon" (their words not mine !).

I liked the idea of this but not the expense of rebores etc etc and the unknown reliability of such a thing. Therefore wishing to step out of the world of Orange into something slightly different I have opted to part with my hard earned and a 2008 Alloy framed YZ125 now sits where the orange one used to.

The plan is to Enduro-ise the YZ over christmas and see what happens. I just like the idea of something slightly different and it also gives others an insight of what it takes to convert a bog-standard 'crosser into an enduro bike.

Various photos of how the bike looks out of the crate. A new set of white plastics are being adorned with wild and wonderful graphics ready to replace the standard ones. A CORE side stand also awaits fitment. Once the bike is run in a set of wheels from a WR enduro bike will be fitted to save the original wheels and also to make tyres easier to find for the 18" rear as a motocross bike comes with a 19" as standard. I will then look to fit a Pro-Racing lighting kit to make the bike road legal but this will wait till the new year.

Que pasa ?

2007-11-05T21:19:00.000Z

A good question ? You may well ask but after saying sianara to the trusty Austrian steed, my tastes turned spain. Not to paella, but tp the form of a 2002 GasGas 250 trials bike. So whats up? Well I have been known for my sweeping statements (normally causing much offence) but i think i've learnt my lesson not to trust spotty youths and their own self-confessed mechanical genius.

Buying second hand is - well a lottery to be honest and should always be treated with care. Some of the more fortunate motorcyclists with the larger wallet, always buy brand new as they know that theres no dodgy history with the orange money pit they've just slung in the back of their van. This is the best way to make sure you don't find any hidden nasties or bolts missing out of your front brake disc. For those on a tigher budget, or simply just tight, buying second hand is the only way. Personally I think it adds to the ownership experience and the best way to learn about your own limits and the machine that you decide to straddle.

So far I have found that the apparently fine, "no thats a feature mate" GasGas has been treated with the "that spanner nearly fits, it'll do" approach which is fine if you're simply going to pass on your mistakes to an overly keen monkey suchas myself. Luckily I now have many a favour that I now owe lots of other people in getting the bike to something like not slung together with a bunch of cable ties ! If I ever see him round a poker table I'm going to check-raise and come back over the top with an All-in and take him to the cleaners !

I have entered one "novice" trial so far and came a respectable third. All I can say is that if that was classed as novice, I'd hate to see what the higher classes are like cause I struggled like hell ! If you've never ridden a trials bike, I'd highly recommend it as it gives you confidence to try and ride up and over things you would never think it possible to get a bike over. Then you realise you CAN'T get a bike over, and decide to go around instead, saves you looking like a fool next time !

Kieron Sykes.

How time flies !

2007-09-18T20:56:00.000+01:00

The good intentions of keeping this blog upto date are really hard ! The last time I did an update was just before the Powys, we're now half way through September and near the end of the enduro season !

The Powys event, which is a taster I think for the Welsh being one big lap of approx 100miles, was the last dry event before the wettest summer I've known. The rain came on the way back from the Powys and seemed to continue until only a few weeks ago. The Powys was the best result for me coming 8th in the sportsman class. The 2 specials and the last check decided the event. Everyone in the classes were given 4 minutes to complete the last check which seemed like it was going to be a simple road section back, but it wasn't! It was the reverse of the first check with a few nasties thrown in for good measure. This took me 7 minutes to complete coming in 3 minutes late. The likes of Tom Sagar managed somehow to get through in the 4 minute allocation.

Next was the Welsh 2 day which we decided to go up into the Clubman class this year to try and mix it up a little. This was one of the wettest event's I've done. Day 1 caused many a casulaty and apparently over 200 of the 500 entry didn't start Day 2. It was all down to one monster check 3/4 of the way round. I think the clubman had 64 minutes to get through and I lost 24 minutes in this check alone.

It seemed to be endless deep slimey ruts which got harder and harder. All I could think of was that we had to ride back through this the other way round on Day 2! This event in the dry is relativley easy and I've heard it described as being a fast trail ride which isn't so far off being right. In the wet its a proper enduro according to the old timers ! I was glad to finish the second day but there was more than one occasion where i could of given up but kept on slogging.

There have been a few trail rides inbetween the Welsh and now, with a trip to the Lakes and getting to ride Gatesgarth pass thanks to Anton and Mark's organisation being the most memorable. This can only be done with a permit once a month but is well worth the effort.

The end of season (for me anyway) was the 2 day event at Rhayader a couple of weeks ago. This was probably the most physically challenging event I've done as the checks were tight on time and very technical. The most memorable part of the event was riding the motocross course at Cwmythig hill which is where the famous Rhayader Evening Motocross series takes place.

There are two huge jumps, one coming down the main hill, and the other is a big table top near the end of the track. The Championship lads were all hitting the jump down the hill on full chat and taking 75ft of air on the tabletop. Watching Paul Edmondson and the top guys round the motocross course was nothing short of spectacular. Where I was taking the whoops one at a time, Eddy was tripling them. I guess thats why he's 4 times world enduro champ and I'm just an enduro chump !

So what now ? Well I've decided to sell the 125 and concentrate on doing a few trials hopefully over the winter to improve my riding and gain some confidence on the tricker obstacles.

Maybe inbetween decorating over Winter I'll be able to keep this blog upto date more often!

Kieron Sykes.

Powys awaits

2007-05-16T22:18:00.000+01:00

It seems a while ago now that Graythwaite event took its toll on many a rider. I could come up with a list of excuses but it was a total lack of confidence in both being able to still hold onto the bike due to sheer amount of rain and the bike setup. Next time the forks WILL goto Sir Julian to be done !

Anyway the van now seems to be fully up and running (famous last words!) and the bike is back together again thanks to JT's excellent magnesium welding skills. I missed the 2nd round of the NEEC at Langdale due to other commitments and the thought of getting up at 5am to get there was just too much !

This years Powys event is now looming and its been nearly 6 weeks since I've coaxed the 125 over anything resembling dirt ! With 2 weeks until the Powys its time to get motivated and get some bike time in. Its been a while since I was down at Trax in Preston so I may get down there this weekend and play in the sand for a morning see what that does. Be good to get some bike setup done as I'm not happy with the front end and thats where all the feel comes from apparently.

Right I'm off to the big smoke to hopefully pick up some honours for the company and see how much they can charge for a bottle of wine down there !!

Snowrun 2007 Pics

2007-03-11T22:11:00.000Z

Didn't get round to writing up a report on this years Snowrun due to work commitments and it very much the same as last year i.e. tough, enjoyable and what is quite frankly a top event ! A couple of pictures below from Keith Bowen of www.mx247.com that I have finally decided to buy.

Events , Events and More events

2007-02-27T22:09:00.000Z

2007 is already becoming busy, with 2 events completed so far the regs keep on coming through for the rest of the year. Entries have been accepted for the Powys which I'm looking forward to and the 1st of March sees the first alternative competetion of who can get their regs in for the Welsh 2 day the fastest ! Hopefully JT wont wake me up again at 6:30 in the morning letting me know they were on the website , if you could leave it till 7 this year that would be great !!

The first round of the North of England Championship starts at the end of April with the Graythwaite Enduro setting the standard of difficulty for the rest of the year. The plan was to try and enter each round but with Stang Enduro being on the 24th of June its going to be difficult with the Welsh being on the 21st and 22nd of June. 1 day for the bike and body to recover maybe to much to ask and I may never hear the last of it from the girlfriend !

Although the snowrun was competed at Sportsman class earlier this year, the decision has been made to leap upto Clubman and try and attain the level of fitness required to get round that extra lap. This has been spurred on by being somehow being persuaded to enter the 4th round of the British Enduro Championship at Rhayader. Even some of the top riders who shall remain nameless said it was hard last year, eek ! I guess i will have to try and stick to the fitness regime although American Chopper is on telly at the moment.........

Kieron Sykes.

Bike Cleanup - Bike Finished !!

2007-01-06T22:52:00.000Z

Well its been a christmas break spent mainly in the comfort and confines of mans best shed ! The heater has worked overtime and the parts washer has been worth its weight in gold. Never before have I spent so much time cleaning and further cleaning bike parts till they look like new.

The last trip to D3 was mainly to pickup a new set of plastics and sticker kit which is a combined effort by Powersports Graphics and D3. This has resulted in what I personally think is a wicked looking set of decals.

Pictures below showing the bike going back together and the final result. I personally think it has been worth the effort, the wheels which I purchased of junior Midgley finish off the bike.

Engine back in the frame, forks and exhaust fitted (can anyone spot the error in refitted exhaust ?!)

The pictures below show the finished bike and Antons handy work on my patio !

Bike Cleanup - Frame Powder Coating

2006-12-26T21:44:00.000Z

Now and before shots of the frame. Looks a lot better now in black.

Bike Cleanup - Chroming

2006-12-16T19:09:00.000Z

For anyone out there with an SXS pipe, you will no-doubt be aware that these things rust up like no tomorrow and end up looking crap very quickly. Well with the nights drawing in I thought it time to give the KTM a good strip down, clean and fettle whilst I had the time. The first part off to be given the cleanup treatment was the SXS pipe. I decided to send this off to be chromed, I also stripped the silencer down and sent the steel parts off as well. See below for before and after pictures.

Before- nasty .

After - Looking alot better.

Silencer :

I'll keep nre posts coming with photos as I continue with the rebuild. Just have to decide whether or not to send the frame off to power coat or not at the moment.

Yours in a shed somewhere out there..

Kieron Sykes.

2007 North of England Championship Dates

2006-11-28T22:51:00.000Z

Dates for the 2007 North of England Enduro Chamionship have been published.

See http://www.northridingenduro.co.uk/events.html for more details. Is it time to go clubman in 2007 ? decisions, decisions.

Kieron Sykes.

Not long till christmas

2006-10-22T22:08:00.000+01:00

Its nearly the end of October and I can still remember travelling to Llandovery for the Snowrun in Feb like it was yesterday. There doesn't seem to be much happening in the world of enduro and trail riding at the moment. The weather is turning colder and wetter which some may argue gives the most enjoyable conditions for riding. This is undoubtley true. The last event in the NEEC rounds has been and gone now and I'm sure plenty of people will be eager to find out when the 1st round of the NEEC for 2007 is.

Trail riding in the Yorkshire Dales NP does seem to have been hit rather hard but a few more eager members have found alternative and enjoyable trails. Apparently Lady Annes highway is getting really cut and very hard work to get up. Wales has yet to be hit by the recent NERC bill but this is so I've heard, due to kick in in November. Information that has been read seems to say that Wales shouldn't be hit that hard as there are a very small amount of Dual Status routes.

It seems to me that with the end of the timecard enduro season and the colder weather due, its time stick on the heater and venture into the shed to give the machine a good healthy dose of maintenance ready for christmas and the snow. If you've never been trail riding in the snow and ice, its probably the most enjoyable riding ever. This years Lakes weekend in Feb was truly awesome.

Regs for the Snowrun 2007 are out now.

Kieron Sykes.

Maeshafn WOR Hare 'n' Hounds

2006-07-09T21:33:00.000+01:00

Did the 2 1/2 open Hare and Hounds with Wirral Off-Road today down in Maeshafn north wales. Quick hard track physically but with not much technical challenge. Was very dusty with a small amount of rain but not much to make things difficult. The biggest challenge was simply keeping going as the track was really rough with plenty of hidden rocks.

Today was the first event I rode as a clubman. Finished nearly last in class (but not last !!) but the sportsman class seems to be getting ridiculous at most clubs recently with sportsman doing the same amount of laps as clubman and some of the lesser experts !

Welsh two day results

2006-06-25T09:03:00.000+01:00

August Hare and Hounds

2006-06-15T19:27:00.000+01:00

Any more volanteers out there interested in helping run the annual TRAC hare and hounds at Grassington on Saturday 12th August? If so let me know on 07881 803197 I Understand that Dirtbike traxs are not running there event on Sunday 13th because of the clash with The BIG weekend ACU fundraise at Bala North Wales. They are intending to support our event on Saturday so lets continue to support them
Cheers

Powys Enduro

2006-06-13T21:50:00.000+01:00

Well it seems like we're spending quite a bit of time down in Wales recently. Did the Powys the other weekend and got a fairly good result (16th in sportsman). The going was fairly easy with only a couple of tight checks in the day. The last special was pretty hard and cramp had set in by then. The biggest problem of the day was the heat, man was it hot !

There were 8 checks in total and we set off just after half 8 in the morning. Our last time had us checking in at just after 3pm giving us a good 6-7 hours of riding.

Thanks to Marc Rainford and Anton Hopwood for giving up their weekend to come down to wales and follow us round in the van to keep us going with fuel and food. Also thanks to George once again for driving us both down and allowing us to use his van (oh yeah and for pulling me out of another big ditch !!)

Welsh two day in a weeks time ! Me, George, John Taylor, John Midgley & Stuart Bunton will all be down there battling against the forecast rain, waterproofs at the ready !

Round 1 NEEC - Graythwaite

2006-03-30T23:34:00.000+01:00

The regs have again be published on the North Riding Enduro website . The event is being held on May the 7th with Round 2 of the NEEC being held the weekend after at Langdale.

I guess that means a month to get fit !

Round 2 NEEC - Langdale

2006-03-11T10:52:00.000Z

Regs available online now

http://www.northridingenduro.co.uk/events.html

Did this event last year in the sportsman class and found it quite physical. Lighter bike and slightly fitter this year so in theory might be able to finish this time !!

Look out for those big water splashes/bogs !

Welsh Two Day

2006-03-11T10:46:00.000Z

Entries have been sent off last week for this years 2 day event in llandridrod. You'll have to be quick to get your entry in but it might be to late already.

Wirral Offroad GBHS

2006-02-19T19:08:00.000Z

Provisional Venue Listing
RND 1 MARCH 11/12TH @ MAESHAFN,MOLD,FLINTSHIRE
RND 2 APRIL 8/9TH @ NANTMAWR QUARRY,OSWESTRY,SHROPSHIRE.
RND 3 MAY 20/21ST @ MAERHILLS,NR NANTWICH,CHESHIRE.
RND 4 JUNE 3/4TH @ LONGFORD HALL,ASHBOURNE,DERBYSHIRE
RND 5 JULY 22/23RD @ TBA,DEVON…1 OF 3
RND 6 SEPT 2/3RD @ ROBINS MOUNTAIN,ABERGELE,CONWY.

Grathwaite Enduro

2006-02-18T08:42:00.000Z

Just seen that the regs are available for the Graythwaite Enduro in the Lakes.

From the description in the regs it doesn't sound like an easy event as there are no fireroads to relax on :-(

Printing out my entry now.

Entries available from http://www.northridingenduro.co.uk/events.html

Lakes Trip Weekend of the 4th and 5th.

2006-02-17T12:41:00.000Z

Just a quick note to say what a fantastic weekend last weekend was in the lakes. Yes it was freezing and everywhere was covered in ice and snow but thats what made it so awesome.

Great to see some excellent photos from the weekend published in the gallery. Big thanks to Vinne for driving the support van and for going to D3 to get me some more pads !

Think we're going to have to wait for a moth or so to pass before deciding on what the next event should be due to the impending NERC legislation.

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We're waiting for Anton to return off his holiday to confirm the routes. There will be two different routes on each day. Basically there will be two main routes, hard and medium. Both routes will be done by everyone. There will be two main groups which will then be split down into two further groups of six. Two groups of six will do the hard route on the Saturday and then the medium route on the Sunday. The other two groups will do the opposite but the hard route will be done in reverse to that which was done on the Saturday making it slightly easier.

There are quite a few more trails than the previous Lakes weekend so don't worry it won't be a repeat of the last trip.

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Yesterday (the 16th) was spent doing the recce for the Lakes trip. Weather was awful but we had an eventful day. The River crossing at Breasthigh was very deep and caught out Ed Knowles who went for a swim. His new KTM 200 was turned upside down and cleared of the river it had just taken in.

Hopefully the weather will improve soon.

11 spaces left on the trip at the moment.