Good by my fair Rappy:(

I listed my Rappy 660 yesterday and found him a home today.  No money made on this one, but it needed to happen if we want to work on the basement and get a room together for when the baby arrives.  I'll miss that bike tremendously.  I hope the 450R can fill the void (I think it can).  I think I will need to be heading down to the Dunes here soon.  I am aching to get around to the back side and ride some bowls for a few hours.  Dan, Jared, Don, Juston you guys up for a good Saturday ride?

Race Prep in Full Swing

All week I am coming home early to prep the two machines that will be making the trek to Wendover for our first ever competitive race.  Today I changed the oil and tranny fluid in the TRX and finished up some of the touch up that was sorely needed (it is a pretty screaming beast and looks way bigger than the Raptor). 

The Raptor got a bath,  chain cleaned off, as well as some touch up on the frame and A arms.  Last week it got a new air filter, batteries for the Trail Tech, and a new spark plug.  I also adjusted the front shocks to make them softer (all the way down).  For fun I painted the Super Trapp exhaust tip flat black (heat safe) as it was already on it's way to black.  I took both bikes up the road and they are pretty equal in noise but the TRX really pulls harder.

This is a picture of the spark arrestor that I bought for the very expensive DASA Exhaust system the TRX has.  Fortunately the Raptor has a spark arrestor already.  I ordered a new brake rotor for the TRX and a swing arm guard, since (just like with the Raptor) the first time I had the TRX out I hit a rock and bent it, I also bought my number plates and number.

So I have spent way too much in prep for this 126mile race, traded away my motorcycle, and will have taken off about 3 days of work.

I have a feeling it will all be worth it (even if I break down a mile into the race).   Oh, I have to let Dan know that the Raptors rear bearings feel like they are going (that will be next on the list to fix).

I can't wait!

Dunage!!!!

We got stuck here and there.

Way up on a berg.

D pooped out completely.

J cheesing it up with the 250R.

View from the top of the mountain!



Working out the kinks.

This is how happy you are when you are playing in the sand.

Pred and dead Raptor on the trailer.


Nice place to relax.





$10 bucks to mix up 4 gallons of 2 stroke full for the 250R, but still worth it.


There was literally only a few tablespoons of fuel left in D's bike by the time we got back to refuel.


Save the Bergs!!!


What a day! Started very early for me, 0330. Loaded up the Raptor and hitched up the trailer and off I went to pick up J in "Happy Valley." Everything went smoothly, and I arrived right on time. Ten minutes later the Predator was loaded and we headed off to D's house. Once there we ate some breakfast burritos and loaded up D's 250R (J2's Raptor was in the back of D's truck). We made good time down to the dunes and arrived just as the sun was breaking over the horizon. Took no time to unload, and just a little time to pump up tires (J2's tires were flat) and put on paddles. Then D took his first ride on the 250R (I've got vid of it). Eventually we saddled up and went out (D was on J2's Raptor). We made it up to the top of the mountain when D's chain came off and bound up, so back down the hill we went to fix the problem. At the base we learned that J2's bike wasn't registered and needed some serious repair that we couldn't do there. So, D, always the trooper, jumped on the 250R, which has no brakes! And we had some great riding.

Adventures:

How to get D over the hill without brakes?

How to not kill D on rides that you really should have brakes?

D's bike gets really bad gas mileage, where do we find more 2stroke oil?

All in all a great ride, I am sore from it.

Wonderful place to play!!!!!!!!

Just over 24 hours....

From our 1/2 day at the Dunes! Can't wait. We are going to take off really early in the AM and try to ride a full half day. D is working on his "beyond the thunderdome" 250R. Still not sure if he will have breaks, but at least it is registered (I think that is the first bike he has ever driven legally:).

It looks like it will just be me, D, and J on this ride (Raptor 660, Predator 500, and D's 250R which is actually a 300 two stroke) I think we will have a blast! On the last ride we three had a great time on the back side of the dunes going from bowl to bowl, probably the best riding I have ever done.

Can't wait!