it's good to hear that you had fun & accomplished your goals. great report.

 

go for it mannn!!!!!!

 

so you gonna race some more?[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Dirtgirl,
I'd definitely like to race some more. I really enjoyed the wide open spaces and nature of the race. I don't think I'd like going around in circles all the time. One concern I have is the commitment. I would always want to have fun doing it, but if the commitment to get better consumed me, I'd stick to trail riding my utility bike and enjoying the scenery. I'd guess you have to strike some kind of balance in your personal life. I can see where I would easily be obsessed by it. Are you?

I'm going to look at sport quads tomorrow. I'm thinking of the V-Force 700 or the Z-400 for this type of racing. Since the ATV class is so small, they lump all riders into the single class. If they had a utility class, I'd probably just keep riding my Vinson.

A couple of days ago, I bought a helmet that fit. And I've been looking at a chest protector. I think with my inexperience, I need all the protection I can get. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

If I do race again, I'm going to try and control the adrenaline rush a little better. I was very surprised by it at the start of the race. I just kept pushing until I was very tired and then reality set in. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I'd like to ideally approach each race as a learning experience where I get better each time. So I'd have to manage expectations about where I'd finish. I think it's as much a challenge of man vs. nature (course terrain) in this type of racing as competing against other riders. Any tips on how you prepare mentally?

Mark

 

Ok Mark now my wife hates you. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] Great report!! Reading your posts has made me want to give this a try. Actually I had been jealous of the folks on the eastern side because it looked like all of the GNCC and H&H races stayed in the East with nothing west of the Mississippi. I just found out yesterday that there is a new OHV park in Ignacio and I also saw on the local news where there is a desert racing park being opened in Albuquerque. Maybe there will be some sanctioned races here soon. Little Sahara is 432 miles from me so here's hoping for something closer.

 

Wolley,
Sorry about that. Buy her a bike too. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] My girlfriend likes to ride; she raced her Vinson last Sat. too....and rolled it. :0

She's telling me she wants a sport bike so she "can have an edge". I test rode a Z-400 and Predator. The dealer didn't have a V-Force, so I'm going to wait until he gets one in so I can test drive it before making a final decision. One thing I noticed on both the Z-400 and Predator, the suspension setup from the factory seemed pretty stiff for a beginner like me.

How do you like the IDS-X on your Prairie? I thought about putting one on my Vinson.

Mark

 

Mark,
I was warned away from the IDS-X by several people because of fit and finish issues. Mine fit perfectly and the quality seems good. Only issue I have with quality is the badge they put on the side off the muffler. It discolored fairly quickly and the paint bubbled. No biggie!.
For the Prairie it is a full system and for what I payed (258) it was worth the money. I don't think it would have been worth the 369 dollar MSRP though. I am running all twelve dics and the biggest power increase comes in the mid-range. No discernable effect on top end, good or bad. I may have to buy more discs and do some experimenting. It is not much louder than the stock system to my ears but my wife says she can hear me coming a lot further away now than before. Tone is better.
I think the NYROC muffler mod probably would have had about the same effect but since I ride in National forests I didn't want to go without the spark arrestor and as long as one runs the disc pak end cap the IDS-X is NFS approved.

 

Hey I just go out when I race with the intention of having fun on a 2 hour trail ride.. I don't try to let anything get too serious. I did that when I was running NHRA drag racing - you do that and you lose grasp of why you started racing in the first place. You stop having fun when you get too serious about it.

Hey wish me luck... May 31 I am running my first national meet.... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I doubt very seriously I can actually win this thing, but I am just running for the fun of it.

 

Hey dirtgirl,
Great attitude. I'm going to remember that if I can keep the adrenaline in check. Good luck on your national meet. Is it a hare scrambles? Mx? So how do you pace yourself? I've read somewhere that Mike Penland's advice is ride hard the first 10 min, then pace yourself, then ride hard last 10 min. Want to share any tricks?

I'm going to buy a sport quad soon. I went to my dealer last Sat. and test drove a Z-400 and a Predator. He didn't have a V-Force in stock so I'm waiting for a test ride on that before I make my decison. I'm kind of leaning toward the V-Force from what I've read and heard about it, the Z-400 is second. Since I'm just a beginner, the suspension seemed pretty stiff on both the Z and Predator.

I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas. I'm obsessing over it!!! Must be mid-life crisis. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] The next race out here is June 7. I may miss it if I don't have a sport bike.

Good luck again.
Mark

 

See I HAVE to pace myself because if I don't I have a hard time with my quad. I have nerve damage in my left shoulder from smacking a tree on my dirtbike and if I try to run all out and get arm pump I have a heck of a time steering or controlling my quad. Some of the muscles in my shoulder do not work at all now and some don't work like they should. When I start riding tight I get arm pump and then my fingers will go numb - not a good thing to have happen on your clutch hand.. I have never run one of these big races This is the closest GNCC race to where I live, so I thought I would give it a shot. I will be running the morning session and I will probably be on the track with Mike Penland since he runs the utility class because they also run the a.m. race.