Posts
8758
Joined
3/21/2007
Location
HAIKU, HI, USA
Anyone on the fence about returning to racing MX?
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Looking forward to plenty of laughs.
1. Cost: 3k for a bike, £1000 a year approx for spares and parts and repairs and maintenance, £1000 a year approx for new helmet, boots etc.
2. Injury, i have had 2 ACL reconstructions on my left knee. The thought of having to go through a gruelling 8 month rehab again puts me off slightly. My knee doesn't feel like it'll ever be 100% again.
3. When we were in our mid to late teens, there was a group of 8 best buds who used to all ride together, now only 2 of them have bikes.
4. I work approx 60 hours a week and only get 5 hours off on a saturday and sunday off, which means every single minute of free time i have would be spent around the bike with no time to socialize or do anything else.
5. I hate having an awsome days riding, and then knowing i still have an hour of faffing round washing bikes, doing general maintenance and running 4 trips of 200m to the garage to put everything away, then all the air filter etc needs doing.
The annoying factor is that the session you have on your bike feels so good and is so addictive that it almost outweighs all the above.
However since starting downhill mountain biking i seem to have filled a void, as an overall sport it's brilliant. takes 5 mins to get ready and 10 mins to unpack when home, quick squirt of chain lube and your good to go, i'm lucky living in the Shropshire / North Wales border theres is an abundance of trials.
My favourite type of riding is uplifts as its most similar to mx, £25-30 get you uplifts to the top of the mountain all day and then gravity is your engine.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Motocross was my entire life from the early 70's, my family owned a Kawasaki dealership for a short period of time, then in the mid 80's I decided to become a rock star. That didn't work out so well so I decided to become a dad. That was the best, my boys had interests and hobbies that didn't involve motorcycles.
The friend I sold my last bike to still rides. He inspired me to think about it. I got prepared, saved enough money for a decent bike and gear, etc. I started working out. I changed my life so I could ride again.
I suppose there are other ways to have a mid life crisis...hookers, blow, hot tubs, Corvettes, etc. I am so alive right now. I have an expensive hobby that has gotten me hurt, drained my savings and strained my relationships.
Get physically fit first. Seat time will make all the difference but to recover from the inevitable boo boo you need to have your body ready first. MAKE time to ride. If you have too many other things in your life (hookers, blow, golf, etc) you need to moderate and adjust. Have fun. Driving to the track, cleaning the bike, talking to race track people, reading magazines, watching Supercross, explaining casts and scars, spending money on colored metal parts, etc.
Do it. Do it now! What are you waiting for?
Makes me think about the struggles I face racing as a 30 something guy with a family and what not. I consider quitting on a regular basis. I just can't bring myself to do it. It's a lifestyle.
I don't do stick and ball sports , cos that's just fake, its euphoria by association , you didn't win anything , some random guys did while you watched it on TV , or sat in the stands eating a hot dog.
Do Something.. and enjoy it for what it is , a chance to not be who you have to be every day , but the chance to be the same guy that everyone else is when they pull on a helmet... a racer... if you suck , it doesn't matter , as long as you can race with a guy who sucks the same amount.
Seriously though, I've had to come to the conclusion that my life is way too busy, and my responsibilities to my job & family have to take top priority, plus the injuries that forced me to stop racing at a younger age would still hold me back. I still love to ride when I can, but I know racing is not in the cards for me any more. I'll just love the sport from a distance.
My only concern with still racing at 57 is getting enough track time. Private tracks are currently all that we have in my area today and although I'm over travel I certainly will put some social and epic events on my calendar.
In august of this year some kid swapped out in front of me during one of those combined classes on race day. I had nowhere to go. I hit his bike and over the bars I went. I had two broken ribs (right under my arm pit) broken right arm (i'm right handed) and a small laceration of my spleen. I was out of work until Nov. 24th. No big deal, and I enjoyed the time off work. Well I go back to work and work almost a month. During this down time I totally rebuilt my 2007 CRF 250 (cylinder works 270cc) with brand new head and valve train.
So on December 21st I went riding for the first time since the August 10th wreck. My oldest son, my grandson and myself went. That's an awesome day for a dad/granddad. Anyway, other than a warm up in the yard my bike was cranked and ridden for the first time. I was able to put 1.5 hours of riding time on the bike that day. Toward the very end of the day there was only two people on the whole track (I'm not making this up to add to the story) I'm coming up on him and he's obviously slower. We are doing a series of three small doubles in a row. He's in the middle slightly to the right side of the jumps, I'm far left side. we had done the first two jumps, he's still slightly ahead. I planned on finishing that double and passing him in the turn right after the last double. Well I guess like some new riders do, he slams on brakes right before the jump take off on the third and final double and veers sharply to the left (into my line). Well I tried to stop but it was too late. I slam into him and veer into a dirt wall on the side of the track. The dude claims he was just trying to get out of my way. The old "hold your own line does not apply here.
This wreck was a lot worse. It shatter my pelvis on the left side, broke a right sided rib and ruptured my bladder and a foot peg impaled my left inner thigh. I was taken to a level 1 trauma center where I stayed from Dec 21st thru Dec. 28th. So now I'm basically stuck in a chair for 12 weeks (non weight bearing left side). But now I have developed nerve damage to my left foot that is slap driving me infuckingsane!! None of the damn meds are working. We're waiting on a call to try and have a nerve block done.
I know this is long but I wanted you to see why I am struggling with this decision so much. I bought my grandson a new dirt bike for Christmas (a cobra) and the poor fellow has yet to ride it due to paw paw being down and out. This past fall when my arm was broken my grandson and I went racing EVERY weekend. That was some of the best times I have ever had. He raced his CRF50 in the entry class. We rode a lot of sand tracks in our series and when my little fellow would fall I was able to run around all over the place and keep him going (I may be 43 but I could still outrun every dad in our little series and they were all younger) Now I'm left with a 50/50 chance that I will have a limp the rest of my life and he pretty much said I'll probably never run again (we shall see about that one). So you see the dilemma I'm left with. I love riding but I love helping my grandson more and watching him improve. So, if any of you guys are looking for an 07 CRF250 that's been totally redone with all kinds of extras(complete Barnett racing setup, fluidyne oversized radiators with oil cooler setup in radiators) and bunch more mods let me know!!! $2250 gets the bike.
I guess I really need to answer the question. My poor wife needs to have neck surgery and now she is getting injections in her neck so she can keep working cause I'm laid up in a recliner. My reasoning is the injuries and I think the love of helping my grandson outweighs my love of racing. I may try trails someday, who knows. lol
What I dislike is:
• The sudden stop when you make the inevitable error or two.
• 3 laps of insane practice
• 4 to 6 laps of racing then the fgrn wait for the next moto
• Cost per lap
Track days and free riding is more what I prefer, however places to free ride are getting harder to find.
Track days are great however my skills are way better than a beginner as good as an intermediate just not as fast or as ballsy and definitely not as good as a Pro – so what group to you go out with!!!
The one thing I know for sure is that I need my fix
I still compete in mountain bike racing (XC) from time-to-time, and I battle with the guys in my road bike club every week, so I guess you could say that I've found an outlet for my (very) competitive nature. I have found my happy place, and I've learned to simply enjoy riding again. I did a one-off race back in September, but it was on a "GP" sand track with no stupid jumps. I did the 40+ with some friends of mine and we had a ball. Can't wait to do it again this year. I won't lie, I missed being around it (the racing scene), but I don't miss enough to jump back into it full-bore. I'll do a couple of races a year, and they'll be of my choosing, on tracks that I feel comfortable riding. Bottom line: I'm riding in my comfort zone from here on out, and I'm 100% okay with that.
Pit Row
But I still like to make a half dozen events a year, only because I'm over dicing for the lead. I actually prefer being in the mix and chasing the leaders (other has-beens!) around in the best seat in the house.
I still watch the nationals and supercrosses religiously and of course Vital... but I would say I am over riding anymore.
Ive been goin nonstop since 21. 42 now and like camP says it keeps me sane. Heck now with the kid out on his own my racing budget tripled! Last weekend we went south to practice and he even left me in front for a bit but I know hes way faster now then I will ever be again. I think barring severe injury I will race till my body wont let me anymore. It truly is a lifestyle for me.
Racing is going to be tough with a new daughter, aging body, and many other financial commitments. I think I'll just focus on riding for fun like when I was 12 and that's all I cared about.
The goal last spring was to actually do a few races , but another injury took me out almost the entire summer....then the weather got bad....so basically 2014 was a total wash. This year though.....I'm coming in fit ( weight room fit ) which helps start the process of being " Rider / racer fit ".
Yep....I plan on doing some racing this year for sure.
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