Prepping Bike for Harescramble

[rm250_rider]

I'm prepping my bike to run my very first harescramble (still have a couple of months) and thought I'd get some input from ya'll.

I'm running an '01 RM250 with the following mods:
Narrowed bars with handguards
Skid plate
Eric Gorr lowend porting
Hydraulic clutch
10 oz flywheel
Spark Arrestor
Front disk guard
Brake snake
Stock gearing
Stock pipe
I use locktite on anything I think might vibrate off, and always use a cheap non-stick cooking spray under the fenders, on the swingarm, and anywhere I think mud will collect. So far it does a great job. I think I'll spray some on my helmet and chest protector too.

I plan on keeping the stock gas tank and using a couple of gas stops to allow goggle & glove changes if necessary, and a chance to down a meal replacement drink. I will be using tear offs too. I don't have a steering stabilizer but will get one in the near future.

My only real complaint is the buzz I get in my throttle hand, but not the clutch side. Would some gel grips help this? I thought about cutting a piece of inner tube to fit in the bar clamps to help dampen vibration. Dumb idea or would it help? Anything else I might want to do?

I'm happy with the bike in the woods. It handles nicely in tight single track, has a pretty good low end pull, and will flat haul butt when things open up. I may go for a suspension revalve in the future but have tweaked it as well as I can. If anything fails it would likely be the rider, not the bike. :)

 

[John Harris]

Water is usually involved in off road racing. I see you are mud preparing, but you need a plan to keep water out of everything. There is a big difference between rain and ground splash. Cut off your carb vent lines on a diagonal so they will not plug up. Silicone seal everywhere a line (electric or cable) goes into a housing. I am not familiar with your motorcycle, but examine the air intake and make it unlikely to take in water and then to drain it away if gets there. I am sure more experienced racers will share other and better tips, but these are often overlooked. Have fun John

 

[rm250_rider]

Good idea John, I haven't really considered water getting in anywhere. My airbox is solid plastic with the top, under the seat, being open if I remember correctly. If water does get in it would never get back out. Or is that my sons KDX? I'll give everything a look this afternoon and see what I can waterproof. Gracias!!

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Get some heavy duty tubes for the tires and slime them too. I usually throw in a new spark plug for a race and always make sure you have a clean air filter. Check out www.teamgrizzly.ca in the articles section.

 

[rm250_rider]

Get some heavy duty tubes for the tires and slime them too. I usually throw in a new spark plug for a race and always make sure you have a clean air filter. Check out

Wow what a great link Speedy! Thank you!

 

[SpeedyManiac]

You're welcome. One other thing, the most important piece of equipment to prep is YOU. Make sure you are well hydrated (I try to start a week or two in advance) and have plenty of time on the bike.

 

[rm250_rider]

I do have a tendancy to dehydrate so I'll have to watch that closely. I got a camelback & drained it on my longest ride so far. Now I'm thinking I'll need another one about mid-race. I'm undecided about filling them with water, Gatoraid, or something else. Maybe some creatine & water?

I'm riding once or twice a week now, and would like to add another day as the race gets closer. I have a circuit that I run in a national forest and it's a mix of tight single track and logging roads. I ride laps until near out of gas, briefly rest/gas up, & go again for about 3 sessions. Nearby is a large sand pit that I hit about every other ride. It's very tiring for me to ride the sand for long periods so I use it mostly for conditioning. I ride as hard & fast as I can for about 30 minutes at a time. When I go back to the logging roads and single track it seems much easier so I think I'm making progress.

No doubt I'll be the weak link. My plan is to ride as quickly as possible without falling too often or burning myself out before race end. I'm not going to worry about what everyone else is doing, I just want to finish. I can worry about doing well later on.

Thanks again Speedy

 

[mtk]

Fill your Camelbak with Gatorade, for sure. The electrolytes and carbs in it will definitely help. You might also find that you don't need the meal replacement bar because the Gatorade is giving your body some readily-absorbable carbs to run on. The electrolytes in it will also help prevent cramping.

I've ridden with both water and Gatorade in my Camelbak and without fail, I always felt better and lasted longer with a pack full of Gatorade than plain old water. It's more of a hassle to keep the Camelbak blatter clean with Gatorade, but the payoff is definitely worth it.

 

[SpDyKen]

Focus on survival & maintaining a steady pace during the first 3/4 of the race. It's better to conserve your energy by not making mistakes early on, especially until you develop a rythmn. Later in the race you'll really enjoy picking off people when you are still fresh and focused. It's a great feeling to be able to race with confidence to the very end! (Much safer that way, too.) But always remember, the big Mo' is your friend! No matter how cautious you are, some times you need to twist it up and go for it. Practice standing up most of the time; a hare scrambles track in Fla. is bound to get plenty whooped up. The better shape you are in the more fun you'll have, for sure. Good luck! :yeehaw:

 

[ZACH BALLARD]

Whats Up U Guys

 

[zero_it]

RM250_Rider - Don't think you should be putting any rubber under your bar mounts, you want those clamps to be getting a good bite on the bars so they don't roll. For the vibration try softer grips, different gloves, maybe even a different bend of bars so your wrists are at a slightly different angle. When I rode RM 125's and the vibration picked up in the bars that was always the first sign that I needed to replace the crank bearings. You might want to consider that possibility if it's a new development with your bike. Also, make sure all your motor mounts are tight, including the head stay.

At the race make sure you do a good job of looking ahead and picking good lines. In hare scrambles it's easy to just follow the well-worn and popular lines on the trail, but those are often the lines that lead you right into mudholes and bottlenecks. Ride smart, pick your own lines and stay out of the "gotchas".

Good luck!

 

[rm250_rider]

Gatoraid it is. Thanks MTK

SpDyKen- That sounds pretty good. If I can conserve myself and finish strong it would definately give my confidence a boost for future races.
I saw the Brad Lackey episode of Motocross Files and he was saying that their team coach took the seats off their bikes and sent them out to ride until their tanks ran dry, so I've been standing more when I ride, even if I don't really need to. My legs are getting in better shape for sure & I'm trying to get in better shape all the way around.
The area I ride is really sandy & whooped out so I'll have good experience in that regard. Much thanks for the advice!

Zero_it- I think you're right about the bars. I'll try some new grips & see how it goes. It's just my throttle hand that gets buzzed. I wonder if replacing the stock throttle tube would help.
The bike has very low hours for an '01 and has been well cared for so hopefully everything is good with the engine. I'll definately go over the motor mounts.

Thanks again for the advice. Ya'll have pointed out things that I hadn't thought about.

 

[mtk]

Pick up a second Camelbak too, so you can have it pre-filled in the pits when you come in.

I know you're just trying to finish right now, but it's better to instill good habits from the start. The less time you waste in the pits, the better off you'll be in the results. It's easier to not give away two minutes in the pits than it is to make it back up on the track.

 

[rm250_rider]

It's easier to not give away two minutes in the pits than it is to make it back up on the track.

Ah you know I hadn't looked at it that way. Damn I have a lot to learn. lol...thanks

 

[joey26]

I also plan on racing some harescrambles next year and I figure the more time I'm on the bike, and the more that I keep the shiny side up the better off I will be.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

The biggest thing to do in the actual race is ride smart. Pick energy conserving lines. Take a few seconds to scope a good line on a hill instead of following the always used line. Never give up. Don't ride over your head at the beginning and wear yourself out. Be aggressive when need be (this one takes some time to figure out, I find I need to up the pace and ride faster when I'm close to someone because I'm the type of person that needs to have someone within earshot, preferably eye sight to keep the motivation up). Most important rule is to HAVE FUN! None of us are out to make it big time (well, some are but if you're not intermediate or higher at a fairly young age it's probably time to face the facts), we're out there for the thrill of competition (and hopefully victory)!

 

[rm250_rider]

I'll have to work on the riding smart part. Didn't do too good of a job today. But dammit I did have fun! lol

 

[mtk]

I'll have to work on the riding smart part. Didn't do too good of a job today. But dammit I did have fun! lol

That's all that matters. The rest will come with time.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

The only way to learn to ride smart is experience. And the only way to get experience is to not ride smart. It's a vicious circle, I tell ya, but once you get the hang of it, it's so much fun. I've been racing since 2002 and I'm only now starting to learn to ride smart.

 

[mtk]

If you didn't crash, you rode smart enough to start.

Some folks don't get that one.

 

[rm250_rider]

This feels like deja vu all over again. I'm in my 3rd month back on dirtbikes after about a 30 year layoff so I'm in learning mode for sure. I'm finding my limits and then trying to push past them. Sometimes I succeed and feel real progress being made, sometimes I wonder if I should have taken up golf. :laugh: Not really! It's all good and I'm having a great time. As always, thanks for the input guys!