Well I just finished getting back from the Adelanto GP and all I can say is I’m one tired puppy. Even KTMBoy came out to root this old guy on with the new 4-smoke. Thank KTMBoy it was great to have a group rooting me on while I stalled and ate mud all morning. The first race was the unclassified race and all I can say is that was a stupid race to learn how to ride the new four stroke for the first time. Talk about being a complete spode, I flooded the bike on the starting line because I was still stuck in 2-stroke mode when it came to starting the bike. It’s amazing how adrenaline can make you forget simple things when you’re sitting on the starting line. To make matters worse I stalled the darn thing in the first turn. Talk about being a spectacle in front of a huge crowd.
Anyways, the course was tough to say the least. Mud, mud and more mud. The first race is always the worse after receiving that much rain. Of course I didn’t want to come back to the Grand Stand section too clean so I decided to roll in the mud out on the course a little. Between stalling the new bike several times and rolling in the mud as well, I’m still glad that I had the opportunity to get some practice before the Over 40 race.
The second race was a completely different outcome. This boy actually got the bike started on the line and didn’t stall it in the first turn. I was starting to have second thoughts about the four stroke in the first race but by the second race I was actually getting the hang of the power band not to mention the difference in handling and was really having a blast. Of course life wouldn’t be complete without taking at least one mud fall so I decided to do that on the second lap. The mud wasn’t 1/10 as bad as the first race and the traction was unbelievable but for some reason the arms just like to aim toward the deepest mud sections what can I say. The only drawback to the second race was the endless whoops out in the desert portion of the course. They aren’t bad until you’re on lap 4 and sucking wind. The biggest thing I learned was that the new 450 is light years ahead of the 2000 Kawi when it comes to suspension. Things that would make you pucker on the green bike were so much easier on the new ride. That isn’t saying that I didn’t have any handlebar stands while in the whoops but without a doubt I’m thinking I’m going to like the new ride. This was a tough way to learn how to handle the new ride but I really think the crash course in the different type of riding style did me a world of good. Now if I can only learn how to get a decent start I’m might be able to put all this together into a complete package.
Anyways, the course was tough to say the least. Mud, mud and more mud. The first race is always the worse after receiving that much rain. Of course I didn’t want to come back to the Grand Stand section too clean so I decided to roll in the mud out on the course a little. Between stalling the new bike several times and rolling in the mud as well, I’m still glad that I had the opportunity to get some practice before the Over 40 race.
The second race was a completely different outcome. This boy actually got the bike started on the line and didn’t stall it in the first turn. I was starting to have second thoughts about the four stroke in the first race but by the second race I was actually getting the hang of the power band not to mention the difference in handling and was really having a blast. Of course life wouldn’t be complete without taking at least one mud fall so I decided to do that on the second lap. The mud wasn’t 1/10 as bad as the first race and the traction was unbelievable but for some reason the arms just like to aim toward the deepest mud sections what can I say. The only drawback to the second race was the endless whoops out in the desert portion of the course. They aren’t bad until you’re on lap 4 and sucking wind. The biggest thing I learned was that the new 450 is light years ahead of the 2000 Kawi when it comes to suspension. Things that would make you pucker on the green bike were so much easier on the new ride. That isn’t saying that I didn’t have any handlebar stands while in the whoops but without a doubt I’m thinking I’m going to like the new ride. This was a tough way to learn how to handle the new ride but I really think the crash course in the different type of riding style did me a world of good. Now if I can only learn how to get a decent start I’m might be able to put all this together into a complete package.
