Fat And Weak (it's The Bikes Fault)

[flapwick]

Hey!! I went riding yesterday with my new .46 fork springs,my 5.5 rear spring,35mm carb and FMF Torque pipe
(all attached to my KDX). My bike ran great! I found I can hit a corner a gear higher,and still power out beautifully.I'm a 99% track guy,and from waaaaay past experience(15 years ago) ,I'm used to wringing out a 2 stroke until it begs for mercy. This bike isn't like that,so I'm learning how to get the most out of it,using it's awesome low and mid-range. There is a guy at the track that I'm usually just a little faster than,but yesterday I was pulling away within a few corners. I think it must be the new,correctly sprung suspension as well as the pipe and carb that are giving me more confidence and also ALLOWING me to go faster by sucking up the rough stuff better. My problem is this......... I AM REALLY SORE TODAY!!!
I don't know if it's from going faster and harder,or maybe my suspension isn't adjusted properly. 7 clicks back on the forks,11 clicks back on rear compression,15 clicks back on rebound. Plus towards the end of the day yesterday,my hands were cramping into claws! I was getting really bad arm pump all day,starting almost immediately. I'm definitely fat and out of shape,and I havent ridden in 5 weeks(after riding for about 6 weeks straight),but this was the worst I've experienced. Other than cutting the pork fat and mayonaise sandwiches with the side of cheese fries out of my breakfast wake up pre-meal,anybody out there have any observations?

 

[Tom68]

.46 is a pretty stout set of front springs, won't ask what you weigh but is that what you've always run. Just asking for my own info.

 

[flapwick]

.46 is a pretty stout set of front springs, won't ask what you weigh but is that what you've always run. Just asking for my own info.

Thanks for the discretion Tom, but I'm not so sensitive....I weigh 250 without gear. I matched the fork spring tension with my age,which is 47,so I'm actually a little light on the springs........just kidding. But they are the correct weight (on the slightly lighter side)according to Racetech,where I got them. I ride Motocross as opposed to Woods. I had what I assume were the stock springs in there,and I was bottoming out everywhere. The bike is still pretty new to me and I dont know much about it's history,other than it seems to have been fairly well taken care of. I only started riding hard again about 6 months ago after a 15 year lay off,during which time I was a lazy,rock n rolling alcoholic. Many years ago(30) I was racing Pro 125's locally,so I still (amazingly) have a bit of skill in the memory banks,but a body that is lagging behind(or lagging a BIG behind).I know conditioning is obviously a big part of my problem,but I was wondering about the sort of,conflicting results of the suspension tuning,ie;Riding better and faster,but waaaay more beat up afterwards. I also adjusted the fork tubes to being level in the tripleclamps. They were about an inch above them(previous owner),and I believe leveling them also helped the steering and cornering geometery. Your thoughts.....? Thanks

 

[RM85rider123]

Hey!! I went riding yesterday with my new .46 fork springs,my 5.5 rear spring,35mm carb and FMF Torque pipe
(all attached to my KDX). My bike ran great! I found I can hit a corner a gear higher,and still power out beautifully.I'm a 99% track guy,and from waaaaay past experience(15 years ago) ,I'm used to wringing out a 2 stroke until it begs for mercy. This bike isn't like that,so I'm learning how to get the most out of it,using it's awesome low and mid-range. There is a guy at the track that I'm usually just a little faster than,but yesterday I was pulling away within a few corners. I think it must be the new,correctly sprung suspension as well as the pipe and carb that are giving me more confidence and also ALLOWING me to go faster by sucking up the rough stuff better. My problem is this......... I AM REALLY SORE TODAY!!!
I don't know if it's from going faster and harder,or maybe my suspension isn't adjusted properly. 7 clicks back on the forks,11 clicks back on rear compression,15 clicks back on rebound. Plus towards the end of the day yesterday,my hands were cramping into claws! I was getting really bad arm pump all day,starting almost immediately. I'm definitely fat and out of shape,and I havent ridden in 5 weeks(after riding for about 6 weeks straight),but this was the worst I've experienced. Other than cutting the pork fat and mayonaise sandwiches with the side of cheese fries out of my breakfast wake up pre-meal,anybody out there have any observations?

lol. I know how you feel I weigh 170-175, and i'm 5'5 and 15. But i'm built a lot for my age and size though.

 

[flapwick]

lol. I know how you feel I weigh 170-175, and i'm 5'5 and 15. But i'm built a lot for my age and size though.

Hey RM85! My son also has a 2006 RM85. He's 10 days from being 13 years old and just graduated from his XR100. He went riding on his RM for the first time Sunday and LOVED it!!!
He's still getting used to the massive difference in power and suspension,but he's doing great and is really fired up about riding. You've got an awesome machine,and good luck on getting that 125!

 

[mudpack]

Riding better and faster,but waaaay more beat up afterwards.

Well.....duh.

Any out-of-shape duffer can ride slow and not breathe hard.
(just ask me)
Takes conditioning to ride fast for a length of time. Even if your bike is set up perfectly. The faster you ride, the better shape you'd better be in.
You didn't know that, Mr. Pro Motocrosser?
(yankin' yer chain)

 

[flapwick]

Hey mud! I'm looking for a way to magnetize my gloves and handlebars,so no matter how weak my grip is,I'll still be attached to the bike. But that will make clutch usage impossible...hmmmm..so I better figure out a way to have one big,fat,long gear.....soooo...y'know what,I'm gonna need some ice cream and chocolate syrup while I play MX vs. ATV Unleashed on my PS2,and really think this thing through. My will to avoid all pain while regaining my status as Mr. Pro Motocrosser is strong. I WILL NOT FAIL!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tom68]

Thanks for the discretion Tom, but I'm not so sensitive....I weigh 250 without gear. I matched the fork spring tension with my age,which is 47,so I'm actually a little light on the springs........just kidding. But they are the correct weight (on the slightly lighter side)according to Racetech,where I got them. I ride Motocross as opposed to Woods. I had what I assume were the stock springs in there,and I was bottoming out everywhere. The bike is still pretty new to me and I dont know much about it's history,other than it seems to have been fairly well taken care of. I only started riding hard again about 6 months ago after a 15 year lay off,during which time I was a lazy,rock n rolling alcoholic. Many years ago(30) I was racing Pro 125's locally,so I still (amazingly) have a bit of skill in the memory banks,but a body that is lagging behind(or lagging a BIG behind).I know conditioning is obviously a big part of my problem,but I was wondering about the sort of,conflicting results of the suspension tuning,ie;Riding better and faster,but waaaay more beat up afterwards. I also adjusted the fork tubes to being level in the tripleclamps. They were about an inch above them(previous owner),and I believe leveling them also helped the steering and cornering geometery. Your thoughts.....? Thanks

Can't help much with your geometry I'm riding an old 250. I have ended up with the fork legs all the way down which from what I read isn't right but I'm happy with it, can't get springs that fit mine properly so been running 15psi until the weekend when I came up short on some jumps now running 20psi guess I better work harder on fitting some decent springs.Glad to hear your getting back into bikes, I had a 24 year break and am having an absolute ball, get on that bike and feel like I'm 17 again, at least till I crash.

 

[flapwick]

Can't help much with your geometry I'm riding an old 250. I have ended up with the fork legs all the way down which from what I read isn't right but I'm happy with it, can't get springs that fit mine properly so been running 15psi until the weekend when I came up short on some jumps now running 20psi guess I better work harder on fitting some decent springs.Glad to hear your getting back into bikes, I had a 24 year break and am having an absolute ball, get on that bike and feel like I'm 17 again, at least till I crash.

lol and Amen,Tom. It's the closest thing to a time machine I have experienced. In a way ,dirt bikes were the last,good,decent thing in my life,before a long drawn out slide into drugs and alcohol and hurting people that loved me. I'm now sober,have an awesome son that is so dear to me,and dirt bikes have become one more good,healthy thing that we can enjoy together. And we are having an absolute ball,as well! Isn't it just the coolest thing to hit a corner smoothly,roll on the gas,and catch some air on the next jump!? It's poetry and it's ugly.It's liquid and it's grungy.It's art and it's sweat. For me it's like regaining a part of who I am that was lost and forgotten for so long. I'm actually getting misty. Thank you,God! I'm just so grateful for so many things in my life. Dirt bikes are definitely one of them.

 

[RM85rider123]

Hey RM85! My son also has a 2006 RM85. He's 10 days from being 13 years old and just graduated from his XR100. He went riding on his RM for the first time Sunday and LOVED it!!!
He's still getting used to the massive difference in power and suspension,but he's doing great and is really fired up about riding. You've got an awesome machine,and good luck on getting that 125!

Thanks, they are real good bikes :nod:

 

[_JOE_]

lol and Amen,Tom. It's the closest thing to a time machine I have experienced. In a way ,dirt bikes were the last,good,decent thing in my life,before a long drawn out slide into drugs and alcohol and hurting people that loved me. I'm now sober,have an awesome son that is so dear to me,and dirt bikes have become one more good,healthy thing that we can enjoy together. And we are having an absolute ball,as well! Isn't it just the coolest thing to hit a corner smoothly,roll on the gas,and catch some air on the next jump!? It's poetry and it's ugly.It's liquid and it's grungy.It's art and it's sweat. For me it's like regaining a part of who I am that was lost and forgotten for so long. I'm actually getting misty. Thank you,God! I'm just so grateful for so many things in my life. Dirt bikes are definitely one of them.

:cool:



The stiffer you make the suspension the more your body will have to soak up the smaller stuff. That's why the kdx comes so soft, so you can ride it through the woods and not get beat up. When you take it to the track it falls way short though. So when you stiffen the springs enough to handle the track without harsh bottoming you end up making it ride harsher on the small stuff.

That being said, no matter what springs you run you will be sore as hell after riding hard for a day. Nothing but physical conditioning will change that. I choose to bear the pain and be lazy all week, lol. After you get some time on the bike your body will become less cranky about going riding.

 

[flapwick]

Thanks Joe,that makes alot of sense. I also had the shim modification done to my forks.You remove two of the ten shims and it's supposed to be much plusher over the smaller square edge chop.I can't,with any conviction,tell you that I can tell the difference. I'm just not that in touch with my bike yet.Plus I did the fork springs at the same time,so it's more like one big change to me.I do know that the overall feel of the bike just seems to be alot more "trustworthy" to me. It feels like it's tracking and sucking everything up better,and really feels like it's going where I want it to in the corners more than before. I don't know the right terms,but that's the best I can describe it.

 

[dansavage]

Flapwick, your commentary is hilarious!

All kidding aside, I'm glad that you've left the evils of your past behind. I find it an awesome way to clear my mind of work related stress and to pump a little bit of adrenaline through the blood! My son and I do a lot of riding (he is 6), he loves it as well.

Good luck with letting the bike whip you up a bit on the track! I pulled 4-5 long rides last year in the mountains (5 hrs each), and I felt like I'd just come home from a weeklong football camp, it can be brutal I tell ya...

 

[sr5bidder]

I like to take a few beers with me when I ride just to numb the pain and loosen up a bit and knock of some coution but I never get wasted and ride though
when riding it seems to hurt so good but all week after it hurts so bad!!!

 

[flapwick]

It's time to come clean. It's all a lie. The bike. The son. The history. The struggles. The victory. I'm really a 12 year old girl. Sorry

 

[glad2ride]

I think the conditioning will come around. Keep riding!

Thanks for the report on the spring(s).

 

[flapwick]

Hey glad! Thanks again for the spring. The back end seems great. I do need to learn more about suspension characteristics,track considerations,and how my bike is behaving. Takes time,I guess. My main concern here on this thread(apart from having some fun) was not "boy do I hurt after riding", but ,"why am I now getting arm pump inside of 10 - 15 minutes". I think it was Joe that made a comment about my body soaking up the smaller stuff with the stiffer springs in front.I did some more searching and figured that if I back out the compression screws a few clicks,it should help. At the track I turned them in a few clicks and on the next ride my hands actually wanted to cramp into claws. Wrong direction! My son and I are joining a local private(rider owned) Motocross club here(half price memberships!),that has a pro track,a novice track,a supercross track,and a challenging woods,trail loop that I hear is pretty awesome. It's open 4 days a week,and I should realistically be able to make it out there twice a week(only 25 minutes away)with my boy,so if I don't kill myself,it should really help my pork problem. Plus the fact that we can riiiiiiiiiiide!

 

[glad2ride]

Sounds great. Play with the clickers to see what works for YOU.

 

[flapwick]

Thanks,glad. Going riding tomorrow after school. How and what are you doing lately? Doing any riding? Or,as my son would say..." 'sup? ". He thinks he and his friends invented every abbreviated piece of language. He thinks he and his friends invented cleverness and cool.That is so typical of his generation.....pridefully taking credit for the things that those who went before him pioneered. He doesn't realize that WE invented cool and clever and ironic and every good thing. The nerve. I'm working myself up into givin' him a good whuppin' after school. Did I mention I invented "the good whuppin?"

 

[glad2ride]

No riding yet for me.

It is best to inform him of the nature of cool, so that he may pass it on to a grandchild one day. :-)

 

[flapwick]

Hey glad! Went riding last Tuesday at the new track. I turned back the front clickers to 7 clicks back and it seems much better.But it is sort of hard to say for sure as it is not the same track I was getting all the arm pump on. I'm considering getting a KX or YZ or something,as opposed to keep pouring money into making my beloved KDX a motocross bike.My picture framing shop is picking up a bit,but not enough to justify a new(as in used,but new to me)bike. But I am hopeful it will continue to pick up.Thanks again for the encouragement a while back.It was,and is,appreciated.I try to instill in my son that "cool" is not an aloof and uncaring attitude,but quite the opposite. "Cool" is about being concerned and trying to help people.It's about not getting sucked in to what everyone else thinks,but deciding on what matters and is important by weighing things out and looking at the results of actions,not just the "good intentions".And finally,it is about obeying,to the letter,every syllable that comes out of dad's mouth.Just kidding on that last one.I've said I'm sorry to him for my being an idiot more times than I can even remember. Rock on,glad.I hope all is well with you and yours. flap