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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
catraprez's LiveJournal:
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| Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 | | 5:43 pm |
Duct tape and zip-ties accessorize!
So after writing about gadget-guy I started thinking af another guy I met at an enduro one time. I was on minute 30-something that day and, being that it was an AMA enduro, there was a AA rider on my minute. His mechanic, who was fast in his own right, was also on my minute. I didn't have a snowballs chance in hell of keeping up with these two guys. ( Yes, there's more! ) | | 1:51 am |
Gadget-Guy
A few years ago I went to one of the Western NY Enduros. Speedsville, Barbed Wire, one of them I forget now. I post-entered and wound up on a late minute which is usually where they stick all the newbies. Well I go and line up for the start and the only other guy on my minute has a brand spankin' new Suzuki DRZ 400, the street-legal model. This thing was clean, too clean in fact. It shined like a nickel in a turd. So I strike up a little conversation since I'm probably going to be seeing this guy for the next five hours. "New bike?" ( Click for the rest of the story ) | | Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 | | 5:15 pm |
| | Monday, May 18th, 2009 | | 4:15 pm |
He finished!
It was a tough mile and half of trail complete with mud, rocks, roots and trees. Jacob was in the Pee Wee V class along with 8 other racers. After the parade lap he was put into the third row. On the start Jacob grabbed the holeshot, putting him out front going into the first turn. But he quickly fell back to fourth place and four kids in the fourth row eventually passed him. Jacob was able to stay ahead of one boy, who was also racing in his first Pee Wee Scramble, and one boy broke down on his second lap and was unable to finish. During the race I rode along as a sweep rider, helping out other kids as well as Jacob. He took several soil samples during the race, but only needed help twice when the engine died and he had trouble restarting it. I was really impressed with how well some of the other kids were riding. Of course most of them were in the Pee Wee IV class riding liquid-cooled KTM 50cc 2-strokes. Jacob finished his third lap just before the 45-minute time limit and went out for a fourth, and final, lap. He was the last racer off the course and ended up in seventh place, one place out of a trophy position. He was still extremely happy with his results along with being very tired. He commented that he finished seventh, is seven years old and wears number seven on his baseball uniform. He also walked away with a finishers medal.  "Okay Dad, when's the next race?" | | Thursday, May 14th, 2009 | | 9:18 pm |
Let's see...
1. Wash bike.2. Clean and oil air filter.3. Change oil.4. Adjust and lube chain.5. Check/adjust tire pressure.6. Make sure all fasteners are tight.7. Fill tank with fresh fuel.( I think it's ready to go. ) | | Monday, May 4th, 2009 | | 6:06 pm |
Happiness is...
Spending a Sunday afternoon trailriding with your son. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming. | | Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 | | 9:34 am |
Just like Griffey... maybe?
For those of you who don't get the baseball reference, for 2009 Ken Griffey Jr. returned to the Seattle Mariners after nine seasons playing for the Cincy Reds. In much the same way I may be returning to Seattle going back to work for the company I left over 10 years ago. For those of you unaware, I was laid off. Actually 50% of the salaried staff and 20% of the hourly staff was laid off from the plant where I worked. To be quite honest I'm actually quite happy because I hated my job. I should've left a couple years ago when the economy was in better shape. Right now there's a lot of people looking for work. Fortunately I've developed a fairly good network of people in the industry and I've already had a couple of interviews. Unfortunately each one will require me to relocate and, right now, nobody is offering relocation packages for new-hires. Anyway, last week I was in Seattle visiting my parents. Before leaving I called a friend of mine, who still works for my former employer, to see if he wanted to meet for lunch one day. Less than five minutes on the phone I had an interview with the company President scheduled for the next day. The interview went well and we had a second interview last Thursday where I was offered a job. Of course there's no relocation package and, normally, I wouldn't even consider it, but this time it's not about my career. You see my parents are in their mid to late 80's. They still live in the house I grew up in and it's too much for them. Not only do they need to be in some sort of senior housing they also need family nearby and, being their only child, that burden falls on me. Of course my wife isn't exactly thrilled with the idea. All her family lives in the Houston area. This time it's not about advancing my career, it's about being close to my family (parents) when they need me most. So n matter how this shakes out there's bound to be some big changes coming about. | | Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 | | 9:11 am |
Stickin' it to "The Man"
If you've never seen the movie On Any Sunday then you probably have no idea who Malcolm Smith is. His name is synonymous with off-road racing. With his down to earth personality Malcolm has won everything from gold medals in Six-Days enduro (ISDT/ISDE) competition to the legendary Baja 1000. More than just a racer Malcolm also runs a dealership, Malcom Smith Motorsports, and founded one of the first aftermarket gear and accessory companies, Malcolm Smith Racing (MSR). His status is legendary in the off-road world. I've also had the pleasure of meeting Malcolm in person. At the 2003 ISDT Reunion Ride in North Adams, MA I was having dinner on Friday before the event when Malcolm sat down next to me. We talked at length about many of the issues, particularly land access, that currently threaten off-road motorized recreation. On Sunday, after the event, I got the chance to say goodbye to Malcolm. My son Jacob, who was 1-1/2 at the time, was with me riding in a backpack carrier. I couldn't see Jacob, but Malcolm grabbed a tissue from his car and wiped the snot running from his nose. How cool is that? Okay, probably not as cool as THIS!. "In defiance of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 which prohibits the sale of youth motorcycles and ATVs deemed unhealthy for children under 12 due to suspected high-levels of lead content, motorcycle dealer Malcolm Smith will sell these banned vehicles as a sign of protest. As a sign of support, a group of small business people and high-profile motorcycle industry celebrities, including racers Jeff Ward and Jeremy McGrath, Glen Helen Raceway owner Bud Feldkamp, and motorsport design guru Troy Lee have all agreed to be on hand to purchase banned units for use by their own children and grandchildren."Way to go Malcolm! If any of our *cough* esteemed lawmakers *cough* think Malcolm doesn't "care about the children", they need to do some research. | | Monday, March 16th, 2009 | | 9:15 am |
| | Friday, March 13th, 2009 | | 7:10 pm |
| | Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 | | 3:19 pm |
Epic Trail Riding Adventures
Back in June of ’02 a group of us, from an internet dirt bike forum, decided to get together for a weekend of trail riding at the now defunct Paragon Adventure Park in Pennsylvania. Years of off-road riding have taught me that the larger the group, the less fun you’re going to have. Such was the case with 20 guys showing up to ride. As usual in a large group, one guy tries to proclaim himself the leader. In this case two guys were vying for the “my dick is bigger” award by racing around on the open two-track trails. This was fine for them, but the 18 guys sucking dust behind them for four hours, it wasn’t much fun. So after lunch six of us decided to split off and find some technical single-track trails. ( Sounds like fun, no? ) | | Thursday, March 5th, 2009 | | 10:56 am |
Shameless
Here's some good moto humor from the glory-days of motocross. There's also some great photography as well.  | | Thursday, February 12th, 2009 | | 9:26 am |
Help Future Riders
On Tuesday February 10, 2009 the U.S. power sports industry was forced to stop selling small off-highway vehicles (mini-bikes and ATV’s) due to the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act. This legislation has banned all sales of consumer products intended for use by children 12 and under with a lead content of more than 600 parts per million. The CPSIA pertains to the sale of all new and used small off-highway vehicles, whether through a dealer or a private-party, as well as the sale of replacement parts. If any of you enjoyed riding a mini-bike or ATV as a child, or have children that ride, you know exactly what this smile is like.  Unfortunately the CPSIA will prevent future generations from enjoying an activity that families all over the U.S. have enjoyed together for many years. I am urging each of you to contact you senators and congressman and let them know how you feel about the CPSIA. You may use this ( form letter ) or you own words. Don't know who your Senators/Congressman are? Thanks to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) motomuffin just click here. Thank you for your support. | | Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 | | 2:43 pm |
Hello... automakers... are you listening?
Last night the news reported the January '09 U.S. sales figures for automobiles. Almost every one of them, domestic and foreign, were down except for two. Subaru reported an 8% increase in sales and Hyundai reported a 14% increase. How is this possible in this economy? ( Simple (cut for length) ) | | Friday, January 30th, 2009 | | 10:26 am |
| | Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 | | 10:49 am |
| | Monday, January 26th, 2009 | | 9:29 am |
Back on the ice!
Saturday evening I wrestled my ice tires onto my Bultaco Pursang and re-jetted the carburetor. Sunday morning I loaded my bike and gear into the truck, then drove over to a local pond where both an oval and TT track have been plowed. Surprisingly the bike fired right, so I warmed it up and did a couple high-speed runs to check the jetting. Carburetion seemed a little rich in the upper RPM range, but cleaned up at WOT. The plug had a nice cocoa-brown color telling me the main jet was spot-on. ( It's been a while... ) | | Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 | | 8:05 am |
| | Monday, January 19th, 2009 | | 2:32 pm |
| | Wednesday, January 7th, 2009 | | 10:17 am |
$10/hour minimum wage???
Since the broke-ass state of NY has our governor running to D.C. like a financial/auto exec begging for a handout, there have been some crazy proposals popping up in the news. Last night a group of "concerned citizens" voiced their support for raising the minimum wage in NY to $10/hour, which would "... benefit the Empire State by raising tax revenue." Oh really? ( Click here to read my rant. ) |
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