Riding Technique

On the subject of off-road riding, here are some videos a co-worker sent me detailing some of the skills needed. If you get past the dated styles (which for me really makes it better), the instruction is pretty good. I wish they had some sort of multi-cam approach where we can see what the rider is doing with the clutch, brakes, and throttle, but I guess the GoPro wasn't quite developed yet in 1986. On the upside, check out that first presenter's mullet. I'd give it at least an 8.5.

Part 1 (basics):


Part 2 (wheelies, powerslides, jumps, hill climbing):


Part 3 (hill climbing continued,hill descent):



Lessons learned:
1. Dirt bikes, while trickier to learn to ride, are way more maneuverable and far less likely to land on your head in an accident

2. Three-wheelers WILL kill you

3. Big Wheels are awesome

4. 80s hair might be poised to make a big comeback

I'll leave you with this, my homage to a lost era:


Yes, that's me, and yes, that picture was taken in 2012.

Four wheels good, two wheels better!

My apologies to Mr. Orwell for the blog title.

In mid-December, the toy collection grew by one to include a KTM 250 dirt bike. A couple guys at work have bikes, and after getting a tutorial from another friend (thanks Shane!), it was an easy step to get into one. I found a great deal that included safety gear and a bike with a freshly rebuilt motor. The only issues were leaking front fork seals and a gummed-up carburetor. Those were easy fixes over a couple evenings.

With the holidays and intermittent cold weather, I hadn't been able to ride the thing more than in the parking lot at work. Thanks to the crazy warm winter weather and a co-worker with a trailer (thanks, Billy!) I was able to take the bike out for about an hour at lunch. It was a great learning experience, and I finally started to feel comfortable toward the end. The 250cc two-stroke engine is pretty powerful, especially having no prior motorcycle experience. I kept it in the low revs in first, and occasionally second gear. Two-strokes aren't known for low-end torque, but this one has been tuned to be pretty docile. It refused to stall a couple times I was sure it would, so it makes a good beginners bike.

Final lap around the little track area near work:


Trail riding through the woods around the track area:

It's not THAT light

Thanks to some fancy camera work on behalf of my buddy Brent, it appears that Skip is single-handedly levitating the Miata. Turns out he is being conveniently assisted by a jackstand.

Brent and his wife Marta, and Skip and his girlfriend Ekin all came to visit this past weekend to experience the insanity that is Salem. Six people in our tiny apartment worked better than expected! Plus, we got to see the creepiest advertising sign ever (excluding those actually trying to be creepy):



All photo credit to Dr. Brent

Naranja

October ahoy! 'Tis the season of pumpkins,turkeys, and slutty [insert almost anything] college coed Halloween outfits. To celebrate the new season, the Miata got some new shoes. The wheels were purchased off a gentleman on the R3vlimited forums, who happened to work within miles of where I live. They are old 90s era rims, in the classic 5-spoke design I love so much. The tires are from an autocross buddy who bought new ones. Big props to Rob S. for hooking me up!

The plan is to run them solely for autocross, and in the spirit of race cars everywhere, I decided to make them as outlandish as possible. So, how's orange?



Let's compare the old tire/wheel combo to the new:


And on the car:


Combined food/beverage of the day: Bourbon Pumpkin Milkshakes. 1e6 calories of awesome! Also, now I'm a bit drunk. Verdict: delicious, but leave out the graham cracker crumbs and go a bit light on the pumpkin seasoning. And maybe don't do a shot of bourbon before making it. That last one's just a reminder for me though...

100K

September got away from me blog-wise! Here's a quick update, hopefully more interesting posts to follow...

There are certain car milestones that still stand out. 40 years ago, the average age of cars on the road (according to NPR) was 5 years. Now, it's 9. It used to be that cars with 100,000 miles were the exception, now it's the expectation. Heck, I just did the first brake job on the RAV and it has 78k.

While it's not the tremendous accomplishment it once was, 100k is still a milestone, and the Miata just surpassed it this morning. I was able to find a winding road and take it for a nice ride. At the rate things are going, it will see 200k in 2031. Here's to many more!

Hype-fest of Epic Proportions

Well, Hurricane Irene came and went without much fanfare in our neck of the woods. I got to pace around a bit at the indignity of being trapped inside all day. It was exciting to wander down to the harbor and watch the whitecaps roll in, though.

So far, the Oatmeal has provided the best commentary on the situation. His point that the worst disasters happen with little warning is well made. That's why I keep my windows boarded and a shotgun near the door. The Zombie Apocalypse is real, people.

And for our regularly-scheduled programming, here is a little early birthday present my buddy Adam sent over:

Mmmmm, orange long-nose Porsche...

Start Eating

In my search for new autocross tires, I have come across a few characters on craigslist. Here is the most memorable exchange (according to the wife, funnier when read out loud):

(Original ad: Wheels)

Me:
I'm interested in your wheels and tires, but I have a couple questions:
Wheel width/offset/hub diameter?
Tire brand/model/size?
Got better pics?

Him:
i dont kn ow any of that but if you want to come see them and try them on your car you can let me know 603 486 8154 thanks

Me:
If they're at least 7" wide wheels I'm interested. I'd probably be willing to pay $250 for them, in that case. If they're 7.5 inches wide, $300 if they're in good shape.

Him:
i dont know why you email me wasting your time saying what you will pay the ad does not say make offer it says 500$!!!!!!!!!

Me:
If you get that price I will eat my hair. Good Luck with sale!

Him:
start eating

*End of transcript*

In other news, we visited Cafe Polonia in Salem, MA while my mom was in town. Say what you will about the Poles and their ability to win a war, but holy crap is their food and beer delicious. I got the Zywiec raspberry beer and a kielbasa reuben. Basically what they're doing there is taking the best sandwich known to man and adding the fattiest pork sausage in existence. It may be the perfect food.