Cedar-Saturday

[woodsy]

Mark - you really looked "up to par" out there buddy - VERY impressive for having surgery not long ago!!! Also, excellent ride report!! Now here are those pics you called me out on..
First set here will be Mark and his son and 70Marlin with his son!! Hey Marlin - I knew you couldnt stay away :)

 

[woodsy]

Here is a shot of our East side friends who drove all that way just to ride with us...
Napper and V-Man in the first pic with their friend Derrik in the second pic..

 

[woodsy]

1st pic is Tall1, he came ALL the way up from St Joe to run with us yahoos today. He and I had a BALL chasing Mweissen on the South Loop riding our GREEN MACHINES - what a gorgeous bike he has!!!! The second one is of Factory on his BRAND NEW (no joke - 10 miles on it!!!) CRF250X! DID WE HAVE FUN CHASING THIS THING IN THE STICKS - AWESOME BIKE!!!!

 

[woodsy]

This is my friend Chris. He is a great friend and an awesome rider! He and Don (Mark called him Thumpertalk) just happened to be at the trail head breaking in Dons new CRF250X and rode with us - sheesh, us west siders are good people :). I dont know why but I dont have a pic of Don - and he even let me ride his new bike!! The second pic is of Bret (or is it Brent) and Marks son Andrew - also both VERY good riders!!!

 

[woodsy]

I hope I didnt forget anybody - if so, let me know and I will make it up to you on the next pic set. If you didnt ride today YOU MISSED IT - it dont get no better!!!
Woodsy

 

[Factory]

Great report Mark and good looking out on those pics Woodsy!! :thumb:

Holy Wah!! WHAT A DAY!! The weather couldn't have started out much uglier this morning with thunderstorms and lots of rain, but it was truly a blessing in disguise. The trails were PRIMO!!! And with the warm weather and bright sunny skies, well.....like Woodsy said - it don't get much better!

It sure was good to see everyone again and to finally put a face with some names!!

Mark - :worship: You are da' man!! I'm glad I finally got to ride with you again and it was great to see you out there doin' what we love!! Glad to hear you liked the R, we'll see what you think of the X next time. After my ride today, I am gonna go way out on a limb and guess you'll love it!

Aaron - Thanks for kickin' out the south loop with me the second time. I think we made pretty good time, especially with you manhandling that beast through the trails! :laugh: Next time I see you, I expect you to have squatted 600# all right?! I'm holding you to it!!!

Although I had to make a bee line for home from the trails, I did say goodbye to the '02 CRF450. The guy I sold it to was really a nice guy! She couldn't have gone to a better home!! That was just the icing on the day!

Nothing to look forward to now but a long season of riding with great friends!! Until next time..........


Factory

Oh yeah, one more thing.....Woodsy, Aaron and my other Kawi friends, sorry about the sticker! :p

 

[woodsy]

Here is a pic of the sticker Factory is talking about. If you cant read it, it says something like "DANGER: If you have heart problems, back problems, think you may be pregnant. Or if you are a whimp, you may want to ride a Kawasaki!"
Pretty cocky for a guy who is getting ready to ride into the woods where there are sharp corners with sharp objects pointed at you :)
This pic of a clean shaven face of this KTM rider expresses my true feelings about your sticker Factory....

 

[Smit-Dog]

Sounds like you guys had a great time and perfect weather, with Woodsy being the un-official MTR photo-journalist. I like the father & son shots.

And that last picture, next to the van.... I thought Napper was letting his hair grow out??? Looks like he just had a hot wax treatment.

So Factory... how'd you like that new X?

 

[Factory]

Ahhhhhhh-hahahahaha!! Woodsy, you crack me up!!

Smitty - Oh man!!! I could go on and on about how happy I am with this bike! Of course it's a relatively light bike as it is, but it feels thirty pounds lighter than that when actually riding it. The best analogy I can give you is that it feels about as light as a 125 MX'er on the trails, only much more compliant. I could TELL it where I wanted it to go and it OBEYED without hesitation! At the same time I could just sit down and take it easy and it required almost zero effort to keep a good pace. It was content with a modest pace, but really showed it's colors when I would push it. It sure made me feel like I was flying through those trees anyway!:cool: It was stable at speed with no tendency to headshake and the suspension was just awesome. Now mind you, this was the first time I rode it on the trails and I had made ZERO adjustments to the suspension settings. Even so, it was very plush and soaked up both roots and big whoops with confidence. One of the biggest things I noticed was the very neutral balance of the bike. It felt like I could two-stroke it or four-stroke it, riding either the front wheel or the rear wheel in any given situation.

Okay, okay, so I was obviously elated with the bike, but before I keep going on and on, sounding like some marketing exec at Honda :laugh: I WILL say that the bike did not seem like it wanted to be lugged. I think it is characteristic of this kind of motor, but some riders may not like that. Compared to the 400EXC I used to have or even the CRF450R, it definitely didn't pull a higher gear like those bikes. For example, when approaching some hills today, I would try staying in third and slowing down, then just chug it up the hill - un-uh! Not what the bike wants to do and it will let you know it. The only thing I can add on that note is that I was still breaking it in and didn't want to chug it too hard. So it's possible that more right hand in that situation would have produced better results?!

I hope that provides a little perspective on the bike. I'm definitely happy with it and CANNOT WAIT to ride it again! :thumb:

 

[MWEISSEN]

Woodsy, the glare on that "face" of Michman's really showed how sunny (mooney) the day was! :moon:

Sorry I didn't get the names of your friends right. I've always been "name deficient" for some reason. However, I can always remember someone's phone number!

 

[woodsy]

Smitty is correct Factory, that is Napper who is "cracking you up". I am just an innocent bystander with a digital camera :) I rode Dons new 250X and couldnt agree with your summation more (I did notice that his didnt come with that funny little sticker yours did - must have got missed in production somehow).
So, Mighty Ride Planmeister Mwessien, when is our next outing? I am going to check the MCCCT North out of White Cloud this week, shall we consider another redo of the January ride we had last year?? That creepy, loamy, muddy, deep holed section of the MCCCT about 4 miles in would be a good place for Factory to decide how permanent that sticker should be :)
Woodsy

 

[MWEISSEN]

Woodsy, good minds think alike Man!! I was just thinking the same thing about White Cloud!! I love the smell of White Cloud Mud in the springtime. :aj:

Thanks for offering a snow report for that area. Maybe we should shoot for the Sunday after the Pontiac SX for those that get the riding bug after watching the races. We'll call it "Chad and Bubba Celebration Ride". :laugh:

 

[fender92883]

"Chad and Bubba Celebration Ride". :laugh:

...I hope it's a "Kevin and Bubba Celebration Ride" or a "Travis and Bubba Celebration Ride"... :yeehaw:

 

[woodsy]

Either way Fender, YOU ARE INVITED!

 

[MWEISSEN]

...I hope it's a "Kevin and Bubba Celebration Ride" or a "Travis and Bubba Celebration Ride"... :yeehaw:

I'd like the Kevin part, or even better Mike Larocco! :worship:

 

[fender92883]

I'd like the Kevin part, or even better Mike Larocco! :worship:

I couldn't agree more about the ROCK! :worship:

 

[70 marlin]

The group consisted of Woodsy, Thumpertalk and his friend, V-Man, Napper and friend, 70 Marlin and Aaron, Tall1, Factory, my son and his friend, and yours' truly.

Aaron's bike took a turn for the worse with a blown head gasket. His Dad saved the day by letting him ride his Husaberg!

Who could resist? What a beautiful day for a ride. Woodsy what did you think of the Berg? The 99 kdx is all apart, looks like only a head gasket. "Some Dumb bunny didn’t re-torque the head bolts after the rebuild last spring. Duh!" Factory thanks for taking Aaron on that last loop. You really made his day. Aaron likes the berg but he really wants one of those new woods weapon 250F four strokes. He really liked the feel of your bike, said it was just the right height and sprung just right for him. Tall 1 good to see you again. You never did give me your mailing address? Mark you looked great, I wished that I had rode with you but with the bike thing it just didn’t happen. You would had just kicked my butt all over the trail with the way you looked :thumb: Woodsy you must of been reading my mind "white cloud in the spring” let me know? :aj:

 

[team-green32]

super fun ride with a double dupper

The ride was pretty fun.

Factory~ I found out the reason why the Husaberg was a little jerky and explosive. Turns out I was riding it in high range. Thank you very much woodsy for being a better rider and putting it in high range. :moon: I have no idea how some mortal could ride it that way. :worship:

 

[tall1]

More pics...

Had fun getting out and ridding for my first time this year. I definitely need to get in better shape to stay up with you guys!!!! I managed to get two pics before my batteries went dead...

 

[MWEISSEN]

Had fun getting out and ridding for my first time this year.

It was good to see you again Tall1! Why don't you plan on a ride for April 4th at White Cloud? Hope to see you there!

 

[Factory]

"That creepy, loamy, muddy, deep holed section of the MCCCT about 4 miles in...."

You mean that section with the inch deep sand and the widdle-bitty mud puddles?! Bring it on!! :laugh: Seriously though, White Cloud on the 4th sounds like a plan!

70Marlin - Don't mention it! TG32 and I had a blast kickin' out that loop. Thanks for the directions on the "best route"!

TG32 - High range, huh?! Well then you really kicked some tail then!! See! Throwin' all those weights around is already payin' off! :thumb: Next time we'll get you on the X where you can twist-n-shout with no worries!!

 

[70 marlin]

The Husaberg has a High/low ignition curves. Low is great for the woods, It's very electric feeling. The high performance curve, which has an explosive feeling on the bottom end, is much better for the wide open type riding.

 

[team-green32]

Factory~ I would like that very much. The next ride I will be at will be rites of spring.
also today my lift partner put up 635# in squats.

 

[woodsy]

Marlin - THANK YOU for letting me spend a little time on that GORGEOUS Husey! What a bike!! I had a 2000 VOR 400MX that was my main ride for a year. The VOR had an AWESOME motor but TERRIBLE ergo's (especially for woods rippen). I compare the motor on your Husey to my VOR in many ways. REAL STRONG EVERY WHERE! VERY strong right off the bottom and excellent mid range torque. I found that I REALLY liked the High Speed curve on it, the bike was VERY responsive in torque in this mode with NO need to rev at anytime! GOBS of power! The HUGE difference between the VOR and your bike was in ride! I believe I could ride that Husey at speed all day and not get tired. It tracked like it was on rails and was very comfortable in peg to bar height. And does it TURN!!!!!
I can see why MANY people say that Husaberg was WAY ahead of their time/the leader in technology who brought about alot of the advances we have seen in the fourstroke dirtbike world - that scoot is AWESOME Marlin!!!
Factory, yea thats the spot I was refering to. THe one that is an inch deep on your boots if your standing on your seat :)
Woodsy

 

[tall1]

Maybe....

It was good to see you again Tall1! Why don't you plan on a ride for April 4th at White Cloud? Hope to see you there!

I'm always looking for a new off road adventure. What is White Cloud like? I found a map of it on the DNR site. Looks like only a small part of it is for ORV's. I might duel sport my bike some day, but it won't happen that soon.