Blaze Of Glory Off Road and Outdoor Recreation

5-Mile Pass Trip Report, Nov 7-8

2009-11-08T19:52:00.001-08:00

What a fantastic weekend to get out! The weather forecast throughout the week was up and down, but it turned out great in the end. For a weekend in November, we couldn't have asked for any better. This was a relatively short trip heading out Saturday morning and returning Sunday evening, but we still managed to have a great time. Uncle Dan brought his mountain bike and rode a few trails, one of which is a race course loop for mountain bikes. The boys and I went on a couple of great trail rides as well. Most of the trails are a mix of rocks, dry silt and some hardpack. There are many trails in the Five Mile Pass Recreation Area with spurs that lead in every direction so picking one trail and sticking to it can be difficult, but it's hard to get lost and easy to find some great stuff to ride. We found a couple of really great trails for the skill level we needed and there are also many more difficult climbing trails. The boys also loved riding near camp and even got into riding some pretty impressive wheelies! I did some riding near camp as well, made a stupid mistake and got thrown off the bike..still feeling that one! We also had fun with RC trucks, paper rockets, and a potato cannon. The nights were cold, so the furnace was nice and the days warmed up to near 60. Here are a few pictures from the trip!

Ever Seen a Blaze Of Glory??

2009-10-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a literal "blaze of glory". These atv's are decked out in full blazing glory, ready to go blaze a trail and show their american pride. Not bad eh? I have yet to see any dirt bike graphics of this nature, although I'm sure these could be retro fitted. There were some called "stars and stripes"..some of these are kind of overkill depending on your personal style and/or needs, but I couldn't resist at least posting these up. American pride with a bit of attitude for your ride! These particular graphics are made by Invision Powersports.

DRZ-110, Yamha TTR 110 and Revo 3.3 in Caineville!

2009-10-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

NO FEAR! These kids continue to blow me away on their dirt bikes. Their skills are impressive as is this Traxxas Revo 3.3 RC nitro gas powered truck! The truck ran like a scalded dog down south climbing darn near everything. It's durable as heck too, kind of like these kids! This footage doesn't do either justice. Most of this footage was taken near our camp on the nearby hills and rocks. This slow motion footage really shows the capabilities of the suspension and 4 wheel drive etc. Check it out! It's just flat out fun!

Caineville / Swingarm City Video Footage!

2009-10-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

Check out this footage from our trip. You can really get creative in Caineville since it's all open riding. We rode canyons, ridges, hill climbs and jumps. It's a great place for the family to get out for some camping and fun. It was fun to see the boys conquer this wash trail. They helped each other out when the going got tough and worked together to make it to the end. Good times, good food, good riding, and great evenings around the camp fire!

Caineville / Swingarm City Oct 2009

2009-10-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

After a few days at White Wash Dunes, we headed over to Caineville for a couple days. It takes a little over an hour to make the trip after you reach the highway. The riding here is much different and it's really hard for us to say what we like most, but we wouldn't want to be without either one! The soil at Caineville consists mainly of clay. It can get close to the consistency of sand in some areas, but the clay like soil can get downright hard too. Even though there is this wide range, most of the riding is somewhere in the middle and allows you to hook up really well, but still give a little. There is anything from insane hill climbs to huge jumps, narrow ridge trails, to narrow canyon rides. It's a shame so much was closed down, it really limits the longer desert type rides that you might find in the Moab / Green River area. The scenery is breathtaking if your a dirt biker, but it doesn't change much and it takes a certain type to see the beauty here. When we left White Wash Dunes, there were probably close to 40 or 50 people, but at Caineville only a handful on part of the day Saturday, then we had the place to ourselves. There is just something special to us about this place since we have so many memories here, it's really where our boys learned to ride, and we had a blast again this time! Here's a little taste of some of the riding we did. I'll be posting up some video footage later. Enjoy!

Dirt Biking Ten Mile Canyon, Near Moab Utah

2009-10-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

Among the many trails near White Wash Sand Dunes, Ten Mile Canyon is the one that I hadn't done that I've wanted to do the most. We've started down this trail a couple times with the rock buggy, but it quickly narrows to the point where trail damage would occur in order for us to continue, making it impossible for a bigger rig to navigate. This trail starts at dripping spring and ends at the Green River. The green line on the map below is roughly how far you can get before it narrows. The trail consists of sand, slickrock, and wash bottom, but be prepared for a lot of sand! This time down the sand was very soft and deep. The sand really started to wear on us by the time we started to head back up the wash, but it was incredibly fun nonetheless. A 2 gallon tank is really pushing it to finish the trail from White Wash Dunes, and a 3 gallon is a safe bet. Earlier in the year, you'll tend to find more water in the wash and possibly better sand conditions. The trail starts with primarily soft sand and has a fun slickrock section towards the middle requiring some technical riding, then turns to a more solid greener wash bottom as it nears the river. Towards the end we had to pick our way through the brush in order to reach the river since the wash turned to thick mud. This map above and to the right shows the trail with gps points along the way. The map to the left is a more complete trail map of the area. It is an older map so pay attention to any recent closures as you ride and be sure to stay on designated trails. "The Luge", as our group was calling it, it another really fun trail in the area. I think it might be called dead cow wash on this trail map. Here's some video footage of the ten mile canyon trail along with a few pics!

Below are some pictures of the kids riding around near our camp at White Wash Dunes. The kids really had a great time riding together, and for our kids the track-like trail in the lower parking area made for hours of fun!

White Wash Sand Dunes, "The Luge"

2009-10-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had the opportunity to hook up with some friends for a trip down South to ride dirt bikes. The group we went with were very experienced with this area having been riding there many times before and it really showed. The riding was fast and furious and a real blast to try to keep up.White Wash Sand Dunes is located between Green River and Moab Utah and is part of a very large area containing some of the best off-roading and scenic terrain anywhere. We arrived at the parking area near the dunes Thursday morning to join a small group that arrived the night before and were later joined by more. We did a small ride to warm up and then rode South down the wash to the trail head of what is known in this group as "The Luge". The name comes from the rounded shape of a good portion of the trail. The trial is a flat out blast as you'll see from the video. We had a great time working down the trail that ended at the green river. The trail is an out and back type although you can work back to camp through a number of other roads and trails in the area. It's much more eventful to turn around and ride back up than to work back on the roads. On the way back we explored another spur that ended in a steep walled canyon with a pool of water. It was an awesome and beautiful ride that I hope to repeat. Here is some footage from the first day! Stay tuned for much more.

Taking The Traxxas Revo 3.3 to The Dirt

2009-10-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

More fun with our RC truck today. We discovered that the ride height could be adjusted much more effectively by moving the mounting location of the spring arms than by adjusting the pre-load of the springs. There are 3 positions to chose from and by choosing the mounting hole closest to the wheels with the long travel springs and rockers we dialed it in to suit our style. With the clutch and jetting dialed in, we were finally able to just let it rip out in the dirt. Still, we are so limited on this little hill as to what the potential is with this truck. We may get to know a little more what it can do next week, but this is a good start! We hope you enjoy these picks and the short video below.

Traxxas Revo 3.3 Initial Testing and Tuning

2009-10-01T21:11:00.000-07:00

After taking the time to properly break in the engine on our new little toy, we were able to have some fun with it and to start learning the different ways to tune it for optimum performance. The first thing we needed to do was to adjust the jetting screws. This truck comes with a high speed adjustment and a low speed or idle adjustment along with a idle speed adjustment. The directions say to tune the high speed first leaning the mixture until no more performance gain is seen, then backing the screw of 1/8 of a turn. After this is done the low speed mixture screw should be adjusted so that when the fuel is shut off to the engine it will take 2 to 3 seconds to die. We got the jetting close and began to play around on some jumps. It was a blast to hit some ramps and practice on the correct way to land. Hitting the brake in the air will pitch the truck forward while staying on the gas will pitch it back. We quickly found how tough this truck is! It can really take a beating.

The next thing we wanted to do was to play with the different suspension settings. We installed the long travel rockers and springs that came with the truck and set the preload about halfway. This made the truck sit much higher which made it better suited to take on our little rock garden, but the higher center of gravity made it a bit more tippy. We may stick with the long travel, but back the preload adjustment down a bit to get a lower ride height when it's not needed.

The clutch began to slip a little too much when playing around in the rocks, so we tweaked it a bit and found that this can easily and effectively alter the way the truck launches and hooks up. Below are some pics of how this adjustment is done. We started tightening the nut down a quarter turn and probably ended up about 3/4 tighter than it was. The parts on this truck are really top notch, even the clutch pads can be changed very easily along with being able to change the spur gear out for different gearing options. To adjust the clutch, use a small allen wrench or something similar to go through the hole on the backside of the shaft. This will hold the shaft as you use the supplied 8mm wrench to tighten or loosen the nut to achieve the amount of clutch lock-up you want. Don't go to far and risk breaking the pads. The clutch is designed to slip to lessen breakage as well, so keep it loose enough that it will still slip if it needs to.

Below are a couple pictures showing the difference in ride height between the stock setup and the long travel rockers and springs. The preload can be adjusted to make it much lower. Video footage I've seen of these racing have them way down to keep the center of gravity down. I'm sure we'll want to lower it when the situation calls for it.

Take a gander at this video footage. We've really been spending a lot of time(too much) playing with the truck, but it really is addicting. We've use about half of our $30/gallon nitro fuel, but $15 ain't too bad for the hours we've put into playing with it. When the gas runs low, just put more in. With an electric truck it's either buy a bunch of batteries to keep constantly charging or wait a couple hours between charges. There are pros and cons of each, I think the gas ones are just a blast and fun to work on too. This thing really rips when everything gets adjusted right. Enjoy the video!

Membership Has Its Privileges

2009-09-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" type of thing. As bloggers and/or website owners/administrators we, at the very least, want people to read and appreciate at least some of the content we create. Return traffic, comments, and other feedback from visitors are ways to know what content is being read and appreciated, and an effective way to let readers get involved and add a different perspective to the site.

Google friend connect has provided a few really cool ways to do this that I've tried to incorporate on this site. Most are probably aware of the "following" feature that allows visitors to publicly or privately "follow" a blogger blog. This allows people to stay updated on their favorite blogs very easily by placing a snippet of the post on their blogger dashboard. All followed blogs are also added to google reader, which is my preferred way to easily follow blogs and websites. It also lets everyone know that they are a fan if the owner decides to incorporate this into the site. This in itself is really cool, but there's a lot more little things to play with too. I found this top ten members widget that rates members by # of visits to the site. The only catch is, you have to be signed in to google friend connect for the visit to be counted. It lists each member and the # of visits to the site and links back to the members profile. This way the top ten members can be assured of more traffic to their own site. ALL current members can always be viewed by clicking the link at the bottom right corner of the page. This is another way to help build a community as well, letting bloggers link together and share traffic, ad clicks, comments, whatever.

Another really cool feature is the ability for members to "like" a post. Under each post is a box that asks the question "did you enjoy this post?". By clicking the "like" button, you essentially are recommending this post to other visitors. This is done by adding this recommendation to the sidebar under "popular posts". This benefits me by letting me know what people like to read most, and benefits you by putting your stamp on the post, again with a link back to your site, and gets the best content of the site within easy reach whenever you visit. You can see an example of either of these by searching through the site, or click on the pictures to zoom directly to each section.

These features are fairly new to this site, so many of you may not have seen them before. This may be a little bit of an incentive for you that read the blog through a reader to drop by and check us out! I gotta be honest, I'm not that into the facebooks, twitters, or the like. Facebook is a great way to connect, but beyond that, blooger seems as good or better at doing most other things. Having a blog or website seems much more fulfilling to me as well, especially when we get the ad revenue instead of facebook! Having the ability to "like" posts, and chat is something many people find appealing with facebook and something that I like as well. As I've already mentioned, most of this can be added to a blog or website by using google friend connect and/or feed readers. The final piece to this puzzle that I have used on this site is the "chat box". This is a way for members to post comments not related to a specific post, share a video, connect with other members, or just say hi. Of course this also leaves your mark with a link back to your site as well. Below is a preview of what this looks like. Click anywhere on the picture to see this in action on the site! I also find this helpful to post videos, notes, things that are going on etc. instead of having to do an entire post when an entire post may not be warranted, so check back often for new stuff. The "social bar" on along the bottom of the page alerts readers to new posts to this area and gives a "comments" link on the bar that pops up a window to view the content quickly when clicked. I think it's a good way to enhance the site and maybe the only way for members to post up something original or really connect with each other on the site. Another use of this is to ask a question that can be seen by everyone. That way, you can ask a question that may not be related to a specific post and/or poll everyone that visits. Of course the normal commenting is still the best way to converse about a post topic, and top commenters are listed in the sidebar. If you have a non-blogger blog or website, this is a perfect way to make your presence known and leave a link back to your site. There are many different options including adding a name and a direct link back to your site, and if you do it often enough you'll be listed as a top commenter with a direct link to your website.

So, if you haven't joined through google friend connect, be sure to do so! Click the "Sign in/Follow" link at the top of the site. This button sometimes says "join" or "follow" or something else, but they all do the same thing essentially. You can sign up with google, yahoo, or open ID. Every time you sign in to "like" a post, "chat", or just drop by you'll also automatically be ranked higher in the top members! Of course if you just want to "follow" then that's OK too, just don't sign in when you visit. Even if you don't have a blog or website of your own, you can still have a google account or sign in with another id, make comments receive updates in your reader, whatever. Ain't this stuff cool!

Are 60% of Utahns Really This Stupid?

2009-09-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

An environmental group is waving a new poll that shows a majority of Utahns support the so-called "Redrock Bill" in Congress that would place wilderness restrictions on more than 9 million acres in the state" says KSL. According to a poll conducted for SUWA(Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance), over 60 percent of "respondents" think these lands should be protected as wilderness! As KSL continues to say "The poll runs counter to sentiments of elected officials. Utah's entire congressional delegation is on record as opposing the bill." After reading through the comments in response to this article it's obvious that most Utahns really aren't this stupid. Most understand what SUWA's agenda is in designating more wilderness. Wilderness has it's place, and has had it's place in the past, but we do not need more, the concept doesn't apply to new closures. The content of this poll simply shows what lengths SUWA is willing to go to reach it's agenda of LOCKING UP UTAH LANDS. They sell this idea of protecting and preserving our lands, which the majority of Utahns obviously want to do, while hiding the fact that their absolute goal is to shut us out! They say they are "protecting it for our children"? Sounds like a great idea doesn't it? How are they protecting it from our children by making 9 million acres into wilderness area? How many of us hike our kids or grandkids more than a mile or so into the wilderness areas that now have restrictions on them? SUWA is a greedy special interest group that caters to the few. This poll was certainly limited to their interests and nothing more, and it also makes me wonder how this poll was worded?. A legitimate poll of Utahns asking them if they want to be shut out of our own lands might have produced different results..Do ya think?? They likely conducted this poll on their website, or to a select group in bigger, select cities with careful(deceitful!) wording. The fact is that the majority of Utah does not want to be locked out of PUBLIC lands. The state is going to continue to lose a lot of revenue if they keep allowing areas to be closed to atvs etc. Money to improve state parks and recreation areas comes from ohv licensing. Much of the clean-up is done by 4x4 clubs and organizations such as the Utah 4-Wheel Drive Association. I sure don't see registration fees for mountain bikes, or back packs currently. We need to be supporting organizations like the Blue Ribbon Coalition , who's goal is to "PRESERVE OUR NATURAL RESOURCES FOR THE PUBLIC, INSTEAD OF FROM THE PUBLIC". We should be supporting multiple, responsible use of our lands, not extreme special interest groups. Unfortunately organizations like SUWA have a lot of backing from people outside of our state(and a few idiots in the state) that don't understand the real issues, have never used the land, never plan to use the land, and have no idea how to protect the land. So, what do they do?, They blindly give funding and support to SUWA, and they are funded very well! Obviously this means that we have to double our efforts to educate people about how to really protect our lands, after all, if we close it off, then it may as well not exist at all. After the land is closed, it is very hard or impossible to EVER get it back! How much more of this crap are we going to take? This is OUR PUBLIC land, not the land of SUWA and their liberal democratic supporters. I would be very interested to see what percentage of Americans use the wilderness areas, and to what extent. It seems I read somewhere that it was less than 2% and even then most of the time less than 2 miles into the areas. This is the definition of "special interest" and "catering to the few". I don't think this bill is going to happen, but let's be on our toes and make sure it doesn't!

Our New Traxxas Revo 3.3

2009-09-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

RC vehicles are yet another way to simulate the thrill and adventure of the real thing at a safer level and lower cost. With much of the same features, but a smaller scale, these little rigs are really a thrill(on a smaller scale of course). They combine the sound and smell of a real gas engine with impressive speed and can travel across rough terrain that would be impossible to achieve when scaled up. A number of years ago a friend of mine had a T-Maxx that I thought had to be one of the coolest little machines on the planet. 4-wheel drive, gas powered, fast and strong. He was jumping off of the 4 foot loading dock without a worry and pulling wheelies when he accelerated. While the T-Maxx is still available, the Revo is the new bad boy on the block, and the 3.3 is yet another step up from the 2.5 Revo. We looked at some electric powered vehicles because of their simplicity, but finally decided that for what we wanted to use it for, the gas power and larger tires of the Revo 3.3 would suit us much better. The 3.3 produces %50 to %60 more horsepower than the 2.5 and reaches a top speed of 45mph. The suspension on this thing is a real thing of beauty though and is what really sets it apart from the older T-Maxx. It uses rocker arms and the springs are mounted horizontally allowing travel that is not limited by the length of the spring. The stance is wider and has a lower center of gravity as well. All the components are really top notch including a 2 speed forward and a reverse gear transmission, disc brake, sealed drivelines and much more. It is really impressive to hold and realize just how big it is too, the tires are tall and the suspension offers a full 120mm of travel! Unfortunately we have not been able to drive it much yet because of the break-in time needed and the charging time required on the batteries. The shop we bought it from stayed late and did the initial break-in for us which consisted basically of running one tank of gas through at no more that 1/4 throttle with varied rpm's. A full break in takes 5 tanks of gas increasing the throttle and speed each time. They claim a full break-in can be done between and hour and an hour and a half, so a tank of gas goes pretty quick. We'll run the final 3 tanks through tomorrow and then get some drive time somewhere before we take it down to Moab/Caineville in a week and a half and give it some real action. I have a feeling it will be a fun way to kill some time between rides. Here's a few pics we took while it was still fresh out of the box.

Jetting a Suzuki DR-Z / KLX 110

2009-09-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

re-jetting any dirt bike or any carbureted engine for that matter is critical to getting it to perform and it can be a very simple process if you know what you are looking for. All carburetors work on basically the same principles and once those are understood you can begin to understand the process of re-jetting. The purpose of the carburetor is to provide a satisfactory fuel/air mixture to the engine throughout a variety of changing conditions. This is done through a jet, or a precise opening that allows only a certain amount of fuel to pass through it. Most often a number of different jets, needles, passages etc. are used to accomplish this task. Jetting Basics is an article I put together when jetting my 2001 CR250 2-stroke and will explain this in more detail and describe the process of re-jetting a bigger / 2-stroke bike.
The bike we are working with here is a 2004 Suzuki DR-Z 110 with an aftermarket Leo Vince Exhaust. With the exception of the exhaust, everything is stock. The DR-Z is a KLX 110 with suzuki plastics on it, so everything here would apply to the KLX 110 as well. When re-jetting this bike there are basically 3 different things you can look at as outlined in red in the diagram. They are, the main jet, the pilot or slow jet, and the jet needle. If you are working with a stock or close to stock bike, these 3 items should be more than enough to get the bike to run very well at a variety of different elevations assuming everything else is set and working properly.

1- The Main Jet - provides proper fuel at high rpm, above 1/2 throttle

2- The Pilot/Slow Jet - provides proper fuel at idle to approx. 1/4 throttle

3- The Jet Needle - regulates the flow of the main jet as the throttle is opened, 1/4 to 3/4 throttle.(raise the needle/drop the clip to richen, drop the needle to lean)

The stock jet needle on these bikes are NOT adjustable so they will only have one groove for the clip to go into as opposed to the various groove options shown on this aftermarket jet needle on the left. For a stock bike, the stock needle should be sufficient, but an adjustable needle will give more tuneability and could produce more power where you need it, especially if a bigger bore etc. is being used. With 3 different adjustments to make, taking one out of the equation is not a bad thing, so unless you really feel the need just work with the stock needle. The purpose of the needle is to block or partially block the main until you roll on the throttle lifting the needle and allow the main to come on. Adjusting the needle can change the "hit" that a bike has as can the other components to some degree. Our bike was running fairly well at 4,000 feet in elevation with the stock setup (80 main, 38 pilot) When we took it up to 9,000 feet however, it started to exhibit more sputtering that before was only barely noticeable. The main thing that stood out was the sputtering from idle. The bike would sputter, but at full rev would clear up and run OK. It was also hard to keep the idle consistent. We only needed to come out about an eighth turn on the air screw and often the idle would not return to normal level immediately upon releasing the throttle. We had to set the idle high, then it would idle high and then very low and sometimes die. Jetting the main is usually done by plug chop, ride the bike at full revs loaded in say 4th gear,hit and hold the kill switch in till the bike rolls to a stop. Look for a milk coffee colour on the porcelain, use a used plug that has already colored up, Grey or white plugs are too lean, black coffee is too rich. Ours was definitely black and far too rich. To remedy the problem we simply went down from the stock 80 to a 78 on the main. This made the bike run perfectly at the 4,000 feet we normally ride the bike at. We've kept a 75 in the pack in case we need to reduce it again at the higher elevations. We found these jets for a few bucks at rocky mountain atv. To change the main jet, the fuel bowl will need to be removed. I decided that it was easiest to remove the entire carburetor to do this, but I'm not sure if it was necessary. The main just unscrews with a flat head screwdriver, then the new one can be screwed back in. I also cleaned the carburetor and all the ports to make sure everything was good.

We did not need to mess with the pilot jet at all, however just by changing the main, we were able to go out a little more on the air screw and the idle would return to normal very consistently, and the sputtering was gone. Sometimes problems that seem like idle, or the pilot jet are really to do with the main after it comes off the main and onto the idle. It also screws with your plug after a while making it run even worse after a while. Before doing a main jet change, however, it's important to make sure all the other stuff on the carburetor is adjusted correctly and in good working order including the floats, float level, fuel shut off needle, air screw etc. Start with the stock settings in good working order and fine tune from there. Look at your plug and be aware of what conditions make your bike run better or worse to know which way you need to go on the jetting. Use common sense too. If your bike is still running with stock jetting and your at 4,000 feet, chances are you'll need to at least go down a bit on the main. If it's not running perfect and the plug looks black it's confirmation that your not getting the best performance. Don't be afraid to experiment a bit, but keep an eye on your plug and make sure it doesn't get too hot(white). These bikes seem very forgiving, so a little rich is better than a little lean. It will run good not perfectly jetted and still keep you at a safe level.

Here are some good rules of thumb when jetting for different conditions.

Higher temps=lower air density=richer condition

Colder temps=higher air density=leaner condition

Moist air=lower air density=richer condition

Dry air=higher air density=leaner condition

Higher altitude=lower air density(less pressure)=richer condition

Lower altitude-higher air density(more pressure)=leaner condition

So...
Hot, Moist, and High would need leaner jetting
Cold, Dry, and Low would need richer jetting

Custom Vinyl Flaming Trailer Stickers

2009-09-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend my awesome wife surprised me with some custom vinyl stickers of our website address to go on the trailer. Take a close look and you can see the intricate flames cut into each letter. This flame pattern was one of many text styles available at the shop that made the stickers. A size of about 3 inches was chosen because the cost went up dramatically for the bigger text. The size fit perfectly on the front and back of the trailer. The red flames were tossed in for free with the purchase of the 2 bigger stickers. I think it adds a nice touch to our ever changing toy haulin' beast. As I've said before, one way that we have managed to keep the cost of our outings down quite a bit is by having a very functional trailer that may not look too fancy, but gets the job done. It allows us to spend more money on our toys and allows us to get out more often. Still, it's fun to spruce the thing up a little every now and then. Apparently we need a new cover for the spare tire sometime soon too...and we need a new fence, dang.

I Believe Golf Courses Should Be Motocross Tracks

2009-09-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hopefully this won't offend too many golfers out there, but when I first saw this saying on a t-shirt a few years back, I thought whoever came up with it really understood the addiction of riding dirt bikes, and maybe somehow even my personal dislike of the sport of golf. I think this extends beyond dirt bikes and into all types of off-roading as well, but those who ride will really know where I'm coming from when I say that wherever I go, often all I see are the possibilities of a perfect lip, or a nice gap to jump, or a killer climb. Until recently I thought that I was a little more over the edge than most, but I really think that if you love riding dirt bikes it gets into you in a way that's hard to describe. My son and I were recently looking at a painting on tv and he surprised me when he said, "dad, I like that painting". It wasn't anything great, it had a dead tree in the foreground and that was about all I saw, then he said "yea, look at all those hills(in the background) I could ride my dirt bike on!". It was a proud moment for a father, and a realization that maybe I'm not so crazy after all!
You would think that with this type of addiction I would be able to understand people's addiction to golf. I can't tell you how many times they show golf on tv instead of a supercross or motocross event, so I know there must be something to it for a lot of people, but this is an off-road site, not golf digest, so you're going to get my biased opinion. There are plenty of events that could and should take a front seat to all these golf games shown in luscious HD on Sunday! I get a little upset when I set my dvr to record the X-Fighters Moto-x freestlye competition while we are out riding only to come home and find that it has recorded golf instead! The channel that use to have this type of format was removed from my choices "for my convenience" so they could add even more useless HD programing. I have to laugh a little when some of my younger friends say they just had a killer game of golf..really? Come on man. The only thing killer about a game of golf is walking from hole to hole when there are no carts available. When they decide to get really crazy, they walk even when there are carts available! Honestly though, I suppose I should be glad that what we do is not so main stream. That's really part of what makes it so glorious. Even if golf courses were motocross tracks, they couldn't hold a candle to natural terrain and the feeling of freedom that comes from being overwhelmed by the landscape and the ability to at least partially conquer it, but at least now you have a little bit of an idea why I believe that golf courses should indeed be motocross tracks!!

Powder Mountain Motocross, Full Race Results

2009-09-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

Since we posted up our limited coverage from our attendance of the Powder Mountain Motocross event, I'm sure you've all been wondering what else went on here!? As I mentioned before, Jeremy Mcgrath took the win on Saturday in the 450 pro class. As it turns out, he also won on Sunday making a clean sweep for this event. This was the inaugural event at Powder Mountain, and was one of the largest motocross events ever held in Utah! Powder Mountain is planning a repeat performance for next year! We will definitely be keeping our eyes open for this event in the future. We all had a blast and the kids were talking about it for sometime after. It was a well attended event, so it was crowded and sitting was a bit limited without tackling the rough slopes as we did to get a better view. Below the video are the results from both days as posted on powdermountainmotocross.com. Tanner Krahenbuhl, was the young man killed when his motorhome rolled coming down the mountain on Sunday after the event. You can also view our coverage of the event via VIDEO or PICTURES that we took while attending the event.

Results:

Saturday
Open Amateur
1st Justin Vierra Millville, UT
2nd Tony Westbay Las Vegas, NV
3rd Justin Vierra Millville, UT
Amateur 25+
1st Gabe Birrer Lehi, UT
2nd Boe Krahenbuhl Henderson, NV
3rd Derek Voth Smithfield, UT
Supermini
1st Brandon Leith Eagle Mountain, UT
2nd Zane Johnson Etna, WY
3rd Amanda Maheu Cinton, UT
PRO 30+
1st Jeremy McGrath
2nd David Pingree Temecula, CA
3rd Ryan Rozinski Dillon, CO
450 Intermediate
1st Tanner Krahenbuhl Henderson, NV
2nd Dylan Bauer Spring Creek, NV
3rd Justin Vierra Millville, UT
250 PRO
1st Cole Siebler Eagle, ID
2nd Gray Davenport Lehi, UT
3rd Zach Ahleen St. George, UT
250 Novice
1st Justin English Riverton, UT
2nd Dusty Humphries St George, UT
3rd Gage Putnam Auburn, WY
Amateur +40
1st Eric Behrens Boise, ID
1st Erich Sagers Eagle Mountain, ID
1st Scott Bell Murietta, CA
2nd Shaun Freeman Idaho Falls, ID
2nd Robert Werschey Las Vegas, NV
2nd Mike Petersen Bluffdale,UT
3rd Justin Dattage Millville, UT
3rd Brett Satterthwaite Farr West, UT
3rd Rodney Kade Murray, UT
250 Intermediate
1st Tanner Krahenbuhl Henderson, NV
2nd Blake Savage Washington, UT
3rd Zachary Fussell Las Vegas, NV
85 CC 7 - 10 years
1st Mccoy Brough Kaysville, UT
2nd Henry Roten Park City, UT
3rd Ethan Lemmon Bluffdale, UT
85CC 11 - 12 years
1st Brandon Leith Eagle Mountain, UT
2nd Zane Johnson Etna, WY
3rd Tristen Maycock Rock Springs, UT
85CC 13 -14 years
1st Weston Daley Benjamin, UT
2nd Fischer Curry Pocatello, ID
3rd Seth Snyder Morgan, UT
Schoolboy
1st Zachary Fussell Las Vegas, NV
2nd Blake Savage Washington, UT
3rd Keaton Ward Bozeman, MT
Amatuer +30
1st Jason Zimmerman Moab, UT
2nd Jim Maxfield Washington, UT
3rd Keith Padgett Nipomo, CA
Women
1st Amanda Maheu Clinton, UT
2nd Jessica Goodman Salt Lake City, UT
3rd Cassie Webb Lehi, UT
450 PRO
1st Jeremy McGrath
2nd Cole Siebler Eagle, ID
3rd Mike Steeter Temecula, CA
450 Novice
1st Dusty Humphries St George, ID
2nd Ky Zundel Rigby, ID
3rd Casey Bronson Bluffdale, UT
PRO 40+
1st Victor Sheldon Vista, CA
2nd Brad Bolton Murray, UT
3rd Troy Johnson Alpine, WY
Open Amateur
1st Justin Vierra Millville, UT
2nd Tony Westbay Las Vegas, NV
3rd Justin Vierra Millville, UT
Amateur 25+
1st Gabe Birrer Lehi, UT
2nd Boe Krahenbuhl Henderson, NV
3rd Derek Voth Smithfield, UT
Supermini
1st Brandon Leith Eagle Mountain, UT
2nd Zane Johnson Etna, WY
3rd Amanda Maheu Clinton, UT

Sunday's Results
250 Novice
1st Wesley Parker S. Jordan, UT
2nd Dusty Humphries St. George, UT
3rd Justin English Riverton, UT
Amateur +40
1st Scott Bell Murietta, CA
2nd Tom Shivers Brigham, UT
3rd Stephen Olson Provo, UT
250 Intermediate
1st Blake Savage Washington, UT
2nd Zachary Fussell Las Vegas, NV
3rd Keaton Ward Bozeman, MT
85 CC 7 - 10
1st Austin Jorgensen Thayne, UT
2nd Brighton Parker Heber, UT
3rd McCoy Brough Kaysville, UT
85CC 11 - 12
1st Brandon Leith Eagle Mountain, UT
2nd Zane Johnson Etna, WY
3rd Josh Bisco Moab, UT
85CC 13 -14
1st Ty Christoffersen Ogden, UT
2nd Weston Daley Benjamin, UT
3rd Fischer Curry Pocatello, ID
Schoolboy
1st Zachary Fussell Las Vegas, NV
2nd Keaton Ward Bozeman, MT
3rd Dylan Bauer Spring Creek, NV
Amatuer +30
1st Keith Padgett Nipomo, CA
2nd Jason Zimmerman Moab, UT
3rd Brett Downey Payson, UT
Women
1st Amanda Maheu Clinton, UT
2nd Jessica Goodman Salt Lake City, UT
3rd Cassie Webb Lehi, UT
450 PRO
1st Jeremy McGrath
2nd Cole Siebler Eagle, ID
3rd Mike Steeter Temecula, CA
450 Novice
1st Dusty Humphries St. George, UT
2nd Nathan Hale Draper, UT
3rd Ky Zundel Rigby, ID
PRO 40+
1st Victor Sheldon Vista, CA
2nd Troy Johnson Alpine, WY
3rd Brad Bolton Murray, UT
Open Amateur
1st Ozzy Jamieson Roy, UT
2nd Gus Butters Pleasant View, UT
3rd Brett Buckland Shelley, ID
Amateur 25+
1st Patrick Davis Salt Lake City, UT
2nd Josh Clifton Roy, UT
3rd Travis Clifton N. Ogden, UT
Supermini
1st Brandon Leith Eagle Mountain, UT
2nd Kenneth Gustafson Loveland, CO
3rd Zane Johnson Etna, Wy
PRO 30+
1st Jeremy McGrath
2nd Victor Sheldon Vista, CA
3rd Ryan Rozinski Dillon, CO
450 Intermediate
1st Tanner Krahenbuhl Henderson, NV
2nd Dylan Bauer Spring Creek, NV
3rd Ryan Kester Bountiful, UT
250 PRO
1st Cole Siebler Eagle, ID
2nd Gray Davenport Lehi, UT
3rd Brandon Brower Sandy, UT

Clarke 3 Gallon Tank Install, Drawbacks And Benefits

2009-09-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

When you own a motocross bike, you tend to be a little limited on the range that the gas tank will provide. This is fine if you tend to do short rides, ride at a track, and/or something similar where a large supply of gas is not needed on the bike itself. If you do chose to do longer rides, there are a number of different options available. The option I decided on is the Clarke 3 gallon tank. This adds an additional 1 gallon over the stock 2 gallon tank, and is the same size as many off-road style 2-stroke bikes currently in production. This extra gallon of gas really goes a long way on a dirt bike. I have seen tanks as big as 3.7 gallons as with the IMS tank, but for me the extra .7 gallons was just not needed and to get the extra capacity I would have to deal with a giant top section that in my opinion really ruins the look and some of the functionality of the bike. The Clarke tank uses the extra space available, but doesn't do so at the cost of bulking up the narrow feel of the bike so much that it makes it much harder to move around on, and/or make the bike feel and act much less nimble.

You can really see the size difference of the two tanks and where the Clarke tank gets it's extra capacity. There are different color options available including a "natural" color that is slightly transparent. The natural color allows you to see the fuel level in the tank from the outside of the tank. This color will discolor over time. The white will tend to hold it's color better and look better over time. You can still open the cap to see the fuel in the tank which is something that was very hard to do on the stock black tank once the level got low. Since the shrouds cover most of the tank anyways, the natural color would kind of lose it's purpose in my opinion.

You must re-use many of the parts of the old tank including the screws, the petcock/filter, and the bushing that will go into the rubber grommet. The hole on my tank needed to be enlarged slightly with a round file before the petcock would fit. The o-ring will still make a seal, so don't worry if you have to enlarge the hole a bit. The less you have to remove the better, and take care to keep the hole round for the tightest fit possible however.

Since the tank does extend down further than the stock tank, the fuel line will most likely need to be shortened. I only needed to take off about a half inch from the top of the fuel line to get a good fit with no kinks.

The fit is very tight in some places! The fork actually hit the tank slightly on mine on the right side, but just barely, then it bottomed out on the stops once the tank deflected. The area over the radiator cap is much smaller too and the tank extends up about 2" or 3" above the stock tank in the gas cap area. It's also harder to get to the spark plug, but not much. These drawbacks are worth it for the extra capacity if you need it! The bike feels basically the same on the trail with the exception of the higher gas cap. The shrouds still feel narrow and allow for easy movement and control, and the extra weight of a full tank is barely noticeable. These side by side comparisons show the differences. I was afraid that the new tank would ruin the look of the bike, but it really didn't. I really like the way it turned out. The fit of the tank was great, everything lined up right and the install was very easy.

Arapeen OHV Trail Ride, Near Blue Lake

2009-09-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

One of the major draws for us in the Blue Lake area is the trail system. The Arapeen OHV trail system is over 350 miles of ATV and 4x4 routes. The loop that we rode last weekend is a very small part of a much larger trail system. This portion, marked in red on the zoomed version of the map shown here, is very family friendly. The trail was fairly easy to navigate for our 9 year old son on his DR-Z 110, and had it not been for jetting problems on our TTR 110, I'm confident that our 7 year old would have had little trouble as well. The trail is limited to vehicles with a 50" width, and is mostly smooth double track for the entire loop. There are a few rocks and climbs with roots etc. in them that make the trail more interesting, along with a few mini jumps. Blue Lake is not shown on very many maps that I have found, and is often referred to as "cove lake" I have added it's approximate location on this zoomed in map along with the location of the trail head on the South end of the lake. The road down to Blue lake is suitable for high clearance 2 wheel drive vehicles, but once past the lake, there is a sign that prohibits anything over 50" in width. Once the main road the duck fork res. is reached on the other side(to the South), it again opens up into a better road suitable to all vehicles. The trail system is generally open late May although high elevation areas may not be accessible until July 1st. Winter snows generally close most trails by early November. The lake is most easily reached by driving from the town of Ephraim, up the canyon and South along Skyline Drive turning left at Jet Fox Reservoir. Blue Lake is located at 39* 12.944N 111* 25.364W and 9,411 feet in elevation on the gps.
Here is a video taken along the loop we traveled a few times while we were there. There are more spurs in this area, but this is the one we enjoyed the most. Below the video is a full version of the same Zoomed-in version of the map above, or click here for a Full PDF Trail Map that shows more clearly the trail with width restrictions/designations etc.

Here's link to a Few Pics of the camping area and other activities etc. around blue lake itself.

Blue Lake Trip Report, September 2009

2009-09-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

We had some time off for the Labor Day holiday so we decided to head to a lake I grew up around in Sanpete County. Blue Lake is a fun place to do some primitive camping, and it really seems to be a hit with the kids. There is great fishing for small trout and some great trails for atv's. We woke up early Friday morning to get a good start on our 4 day weekend and arrived at the lake 3 or 4 hours later before anyone else was there. We set up camp in our favorite spot by the lake and immediately threw some poles in to see what we could catch. The fishing was very good this time and we had no problem catching more than we could eat. We all decided that it would be fun to build a raft, so we found remnants of a few rafts that were there and built a great raft for our family of five. We were able to go out onto the raft and anchor it with a long stick which seemed to make catching bigger fish much easier as we were able to get to the deeper parts of the lake. The lake only gets around 10 feet deep at the deepest point. Click here for more information on the area as well as information on the Arapeen ATV trail that runs right by the lake. We did get a bit of rain, but the weather was really nice. We ventured out on the trails often with the dirt bikes and buggy. The loop that runs to the South of the lake is great fun and can be done in about a half hour on a dirt bike. Below is a slide show of some pictures that we took while there, and below that is some fun footage we took with our GoPro action camera while out on the raft. Enjoy!

Powder Mountain MX, Video Footage From Day 1, Aug 29, 2009

2009-08-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

This was really a great event. The final, main heat of the 450 pro riders was a real highlight for us. The riders definitely turned it up a notch for the final and it turned out to be a pretty good race. McGrath pulled away at the end to the delight of the crowd. The smaller bikes were fun to watch too, especially the 85cc class. It was worth the time we took to attend the event, hopefully it's here to stay! Check out this video footage or click here for a photo gallery.

Powder Mountain Motocross Results, Aug 29, McGrath Takes Win

2009-08-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

The brand new track designed by Jeremy McGrath at Powder Mountain Ski Resort proved to be all it was hoped for. This was a great event at a great location high in the mountains of Ogden Utah. For a first time event of this kind, at this location, it seemed to be very well planned with adequate shuttle service and on site facilities. We arrived before the bleachers had filled up, but opted to pick a spot closer to the track by negotiating one of the steep slopes surrounding the track. The track was set up so that two large jumps were in view, one being the finish line. The trees within the course made it hard to see some portions of the track, but that's motocross! We really enjoyed the event and hope that it's here to stay!

We arrived in the early afternoon as some of the final heats were getting under way. It's too bad the step up jump was not more visible. You can see one rider above floating up the track amidst the trees. The pro riders got some serious elevation gain on this one! McGrath ran through the first heats with ease taking the win in each of the 2 qualifying heats.

It was a riot watching the 85cc class. These kids were flying! There was a pretty good wreck right in front of us when one of the riders over jumped this jump, landing too far back on his bike. He looked to be ok when the took him off on the stretcher.

The final heat of the 450 Pro Riders was a great race. McGrath got out first as can be seen by this photo of the riders off the first jump of the first lap, but only by a bit. By the time these two rounded a few more corners McGrath had been passed! The battle for the lead continued for about half the race until McGrath made the pass and began to pull away. Every lap after that he added to his lead and crossed the finish line first living up to his name "showtime" as he crossed the finish line. Our spot down next to the track gave us a great vantage point as he rolled by after the win. He stopped momentarily to give the crowd some love pointing and giving a thumbs up. Pretty cool stuff, even for an old guy. Our kids really had a great time too, watching one of the heroes of the sport as well as the many other great and talented riders.

See some Video Footage of the event!

Jeremy McGrath, Powder Mountain Motocross This Weekend!

2009-08-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

We kind of spaced off this event that is happening this weekend, Aug 29-30, 2009 at Powder Mountain Ski Resort! It looks like it's going to be a great event with an unbelievable track. The track was designed by supercross legend Jeremy McGrath. The track was cut right into the ski runs and takes advantage of the radical elevation changes of the mountain. The course is beautiful and should challenge pro riders, but still be makeable for the novice and intermediate racers as well. The track was designed in a "green" way, taking care to tread lightly with the machinery etc. Come first snowfall there should be no sign that a motocross was ran there. Open practice for the weekend’s races is Thursday and Friday, ten bucks per rider, with races running Saturday and Sunday. There is no admission for spectators for the practice sessions. Practice on Saturday and Sunday runs from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and racing runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. All races have qualifiers and there will be a heat race and LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) to cut the field to one 40-man/woman main (if necessary).
Anyone who brings a Monster Energy can will get in free at the gate thanks to Monster Energy’s “Go Green” recycling program. Racers will receive free product courtesy of Monster Energy.
Here's a picture preview of the course! It looks awesome, it would be great to make it up there this weekend for some of the event...it might even be worth fighting the crowds and traffic! Powder Mountain had a Video of the course as well, check it out! You can also check out the Race Schedule if your thinking of heading up.

Directions & Spectator Info:
LOCATION 19 miles northeast of Ogden, Utah 55 miles north of Salt Lake International Airport.

DIRECTIONS FROM SALT LAKE CITY Take I-15 north to Ogden’s 12th Street, turn east and follow the signs through Ogden Canyon.

DIRECTIONS FROM PARK CITY Take I-80 east to I-84 junction, then west on I-84 to exit 96 and follow the signs.

FREE PARKING: Parking will be very limited at Powder Mountain. Please park at the Wolf Creek Festival Field and catch the free shuttle. Shuttles run continuously starting at 9am on Thursday/Friday and 7am on Saturday/Sunday. If you proceed to the resort and parking is available, the cost will be $10.

Thursday and Friday open practice: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm ($10.00 per rider, spectators FREE)

Saturday and Sunday racing: Practice 7:00 – 8:00 Racing 9:00am -7:00 pm (spectators $5/day)

Children 4 and under are FREE

All races will have qualifiers: There will be a heat race and last chance qualifier to make it to the one moto 40 rider Main Event. Opening ceremonies will take place before the first Main Event each day: Approximately 2:00 pm.

Saturday Evening Live Music and Awards Ceremony 6:00 - 10:00 pm

Live Music and Awards Ceremony

6:00 - 10:00 pm

Fish Lake, Aug 2009

2009-08-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend we traveled South to meet family at Fish Lake for the weekend. The weather was fairly good all weekend with just a bit of wind and some lower than average temps. We had the opportunity of staying in one of the cabins in the area, so we opted to leave our trailer home this time. The cabins were really well kept and offered an amazing view with easy access to the lake,trails, lodge and whatever else is available in the area. We have fished the lake before with varied results, but since we didn't have a boat available this time we all ended up choosing not to. We did some hiking, water balloon volleyball, and even had a space derby competition on the deck of the cabin, but mostly we just got together to relax and have a good time. There are no atv's or motorized vehicles allowed within the boundaries of Fish Lake, but within 10 to 15 minutes there is access to a number of roads and trails. The lake itself is very large, six miles in length and about a mile wide. At about 9,000 feet the lake is usually too cold for swimming, but is excellent for fishing with the correct know how and equipment. It's also a great place to ice fish in the winter. Fish Lake is located along Highway 25, about 7 miles east of Highway 24. It is about 20 miles northwest of Loa and 34 miles southeast of Richfield at I-70. We didn't remember to take the camera out of the bag till we were on our way out, but here's a few pics taken near the cabins.

Hyde Park Fun With Spud Guns, Dirt Bikes...

2009-08-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

We spent some time this weekend with Family in and around Hyde Park in Cache Valley. We spent a lot of time shooting the spud gun and it worked flawlessly all weekend. We went through 2 bags of taters and shot all sorts of homemade rockets and other projectiles..it's always fun to blow shit up! We also spent some time at the fair in Logan, fishing at an awesome fish farm in Smithfield, and even got some dirt biking in. The fish our kids caught were very impressive and very tasty. All the kids got a chance to reel one in. We didn't remember to take the camera everywhere we went, but we did get some video of the potato cannon and some dirt biking in the hills near Hyde park. We had a great weekend despite a bit of rain. The only thing we had planned that we didn't get too was the target shooting, the rain kind of delayed some of the activities Saturday morning. Check out Owen shooting a tater through a 3/4" piece of laminated particle board!(we may have used an extra ration of mapp gas a few times.) The gun fired %100 of the time with no misfires! We were fed well with fresh corn on the cob from the garden, food from the grill, and some great insight from Grandpa. Please enjoy this short video of some of the fun!

The Honda 2009 CR250 2-Stroke?

2009-08-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

Has Honda gone mad and all of the sudden decided to start producing 250cc 2-stroke dirt bikes again? No, unfortunately that hasn't happened, but that's where Service Honda comes in! THIS is the 2-stroke 250cc dirt bike that Honda should be producing! Service Honda takes a modern Honda frame, suspension etc. found on Honda's 250 4-stroke machines and fits it with a 2001 CR250 2-stroke engine. Those who know me know that I am a little biased to the 2001 CR250, so when I saw this I definitely had to check it out! This Service Honda "250AF" 2-stroke machine is lighter, more nimble and more powerful than the competition. Not only does the 250AF perform better than the 4 stroke competition it is vastly cheaper to maintain, cutting the TOTAL operating budget for a national outdoor motocross team by nearly one third! The 250AF is legal for AMA amateur racing and most other organizations in the 250cc class. The initial price tag is not cheap however because it requires customization, starting at $10,599. There is also a "250AFX" available that is the off-road version of this bike. It maintains the X's battery and headlight and comes equipped with a kickstand again using the 2001 CR250 2-stroke engine as the powerplant. Reviews on the bikes have been good, but there is room for improvement with the lack of R&D that the 2-strokes have been receiving lately at Honda. If only Honda could see the error of it's ways and go back to producing the CR!, without the electronic powervalve of course. At least there are some out there that realize there is still a need for a basic, simple, effective off road/race bike! Some of us don't race, we don't need electric start or even a headlight and a battery. Don't let the simple 2-stroke do it all bike die! Yes, there are benefits to fuel injection, electric start, the added tractability of a heavier 4-stroke etc., but all of it comes at a cost. My old 2001 CR can be easily rebuilt in my garage, fires up with a single kick..abuse it, tip it over, beat it up and it still fires right up like and old friend should. It's nice to see Service Honda sticking to the principle of raw simple power in a lightweight easy to use and maintain package. Hopefully companies that still have 2-strokes in their line-up will continue to "keep it simple stupid", but also continue research and development with the idea to improve within the realm of that simplicity. What has happened to R&D that moves towards simplicity instead of away from it? Hopefully the consumer will continue to reward these companies with their wallets based on these benefits. Come on, I can't be the only one out there that still yearns for these basic, simple 2-stroke machines! Can I?