This hare scramble is run both in the spring and the fall. Some of you may remember my write up up of the spring even last year, it was my first race.
I was looking forward to the fall event. I had a few races under my belt, I knew what to expect and my bike was far from stock like it was in the spring.
As with any big race I started completely behind the 8 ball as far as preparedness goes.
At the beginning of the week my engine was in PA being brought back to life by Jim and Scott at Champion motor sports. I cracked my sleeve at the dunes the month prior.
My entire front end was also being redone with a Herrmann Racing +3 setup with Ohlins LT shocks. I picked everything up from the powdercoater's on Monday and was able to get a rolling chassis by thursday when my motor showed up. I took friday off from work to prep the bike, get it broken in etc etc.
7:30am Friday Morning and I'm ready to begin
Horn Rapids Hare Scramble, November
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I got the motor in and all ready to go by about 3pm. Added my coolant, the break in oil, tranny fluid and connected the battery.
I went through everything to make sure all was good and then with a great deal of anticipation I turned the bike on.
The fuel pump cycled and I was ready to go! Now to break in the motor. I hit the Start button and prepared myself for the roar of 450cc's ... nothing happened.
What the?!
I mashed the button again using approximately 125 foot pounds of force... nothing.
******!
I started pulling stuff off the bike so I could inspect the wiring harness. After 2 hours of troubleshooting I was prepared to bag it and ride my wife's YFZ. I didnt have a volt meter (it's on my boat) and I really couldnt see anything wrong with the wiring. Kill switch ok, starter relay ok all plugs connected properly with dialectric grease etc.
My wife got home and I told her the bad news.
I suppose I should back up a bit and fill you in on our riding team because this is where they come into the story.
we took a team of 7 riders. 5 of them raced the event. One of our team members and a close friend, Pat Wynne, also happens to be a master mechanic for ford. Though my cannondale was not made by Ford, Kim called Pat anyway to see if he could assist. Pat said to load the bike up and bring it to his house.
15 minutes later I had the bike in his garage (he live pretty close) and with not a lot of hope I watched him go to work. He grabbed his voltmeter and turned the bike on and started taking readings like he knew what he was doing. It was encouraging.
He had me hit the start button a few times, a full 3 minutes (not even a 1/3 of my beer) he announces "there's your problem!"
I looked down at where he was pointing. My starter relay! the top two wires had been cut through on the back side. The insulation was still intact on the front. They were sheared right at the base of the relay and soldering them was going to be near impossible.
Pat got his stuff out, pulled the relay and went to work. An hour later the relay was back on the bike with soldered splices intact.
The bike started with no problems. Pat laughed and proclaimed that Cannondales are built just like fords! He sure made short work of my starting problem.
We loaded the bike back up and I was home by Midnight (there was more beer... and Pizza too!) But the bike was about 50% broke in. and we aligned the front end and bled the breaks. All I had to do was finish putting the bike together, body seat etc.
2am I'm in bed, alarm set for 6 so we can get on the road. I blame the beer on my poor time for getting everything back together at home.
Here's a picture of her completed
I went through everything to make sure all was good and then with a great deal of anticipation I turned the bike on.
The fuel pump cycled and I was ready to go! Now to break in the motor. I hit the Start button and prepared myself for the roar of 450cc's ... nothing happened.
What the?!
I mashed the button again using approximately 125 foot pounds of force... nothing.
******!
I started pulling stuff off the bike so I could inspect the wiring harness. After 2 hours of troubleshooting I was prepared to bag it and ride my wife's YFZ. I didnt have a volt meter (it's on my boat) and I really couldnt see anything wrong with the wiring. Kill switch ok, starter relay ok all plugs connected properly with dialectric grease etc.
My wife got home and I told her the bad news.
I suppose I should back up a bit and fill you in on our riding team because this is where they come into the story.
we took a team of 7 riders. 5 of them raced the event. One of our team members and a close friend, Pat Wynne, also happens to be a master mechanic for ford. Though my cannondale was not made by Ford, Kim called Pat anyway to see if he could assist. Pat said to load the bike up and bring it to his house.
15 minutes later I had the bike in his garage (he live pretty close) and with not a lot of hope I watched him go to work. He grabbed his voltmeter and turned the bike on and started taking readings like he knew what he was doing. It was encouraging.
He had me hit the start button a few times, a full 3 minutes (not even a 1/3 of my beer) he announces "there's your problem!"
I looked down at where he was pointing. My starter relay! the top two wires had been cut through on the back side. The insulation was still intact on the front. They were sheared right at the base of the relay and soldering them was going to be near impossible.
Pat got his stuff out, pulled the relay and went to work. An hour later the relay was back on the bike with soldered splices intact.
The bike started with no problems. Pat laughed and proclaimed that Cannondales are built just like fords! He sure made short work of my starting problem.
We loaded the bike back up and I was home by Midnight (there was more beer... and Pizza too!) But the bike was about 50% broke in. and we aligned the front end and bled the breaks. All I had to do was finish putting the bike together, body seat etc.
2am I'm in bed, alarm set for 6 so we can get on the road. I blame the beer on my poor time for getting everything back together at home.
Here's a picture of her completed
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Ive already intorduced Pat, I suppose I should introduce the rest of the team. It will make things go smoother.
This is Team Moneyshot
The name was put forth at the end of a party and seemed like a great idea at the time. Please dont ask me what it means
RIDE HARD! FINISH BIG!
From Left to Right
Dawn Wynne - Beautiful Stock 250r
Charlie Garvin - Flag Cannibal Houser Front end
Paul Pogue - 02 Cannibal, Lone Star Front end
Kim Rarey - 04 YFZ 450
Rennick Oxford - nicely set up Troy lee predator
Joe Rarey (ME) - 03 Cannibal LE - Nothing Stock
Pat Wynne - 250r Walsk / axis front end
This is Team Moneyshot
The name was put forth at the end of a party and seemed like a great idea at the time. Please dont ask me what it means
RIDE HARD! FINISH BIG!
From Left to Right
Dawn Wynne - Beautiful Stock 250r
Charlie Garvin - Flag Cannibal Houser Front end
Paul Pogue - 02 Cannibal, Lone Star Front end
Kim Rarey - 04 YFZ 450
Rennick Oxford - nicely set up Troy lee predator
Joe Rarey (ME) - 03 Cannibal LE - Nothing Stock
Pat Wynne - 250r Walsk / axis front end
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Now that I have the introductions out of the way I can continue. We got to Pat and Dawn's early the next morning and got them out of bed. Charlie showed up a few minutes later, we loaded up and left for the race with a 3 hour drive time in front of us. It was Saturday morning and the race wasnt until Sunday, we still had to break my motor in and we all wanted to get a ride in.
Paul and Rennick would not be in till sunday morning
We got to the ORV park without incident, set up camp, got the bikes ready and went of rour ride.
I was amazed at how my bike handled and though it was the break in the motor felt very strong.
It was brutally cold out though and we only rode for about an hour.
We came back in and Pat Charlie and I all went to work on our bikes while the women drank and offered us encouragement.
I changed my oil, Pat was working on his rear tires which were not holding air and charlie was trying to get some preload into his shocks.
Paul and Rennick would not be in till sunday morning
We got to the ORV park without incident, set up camp, got the bikes ready and went of rour ride.
I was amazed at how my bike handled and though it was the break in the motor felt very strong.
It was brutally cold out though and we only rode for about an hour.
We came back in and Pat Charlie and I all went to work on our bikes while the women drank and offered us encouragement.
I changed my oil, Pat was working on his rear tires which were not holding air and charlie was trying to get some preload into his shocks.
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I got my oil changed and was riding the bike around. I noticed that it had been making a rattling noise earlier in our ride but i could never pin point it.
As I was putting around camp, this time without a helmet on, it became very clear that I had a problem. With my helmet on the noise had been very muted. Now it was pronounced and quite alarming.
I putted around Charlie and pat and they tried to find where it was coming from. It only happened when the bike was rolling and with me sitting on it. When we put it on a jackstand the rattle went away. We eventually discovered that when I sat on the bike and compressed the shock the swingarm would rise relative to the bikes frame and the side of the chain would come in contact with the rear brake's master cylinder guard...
This was perplexing as it had never done that before. We looked at charlie's bike and saw that his had about a 1/16th of clearance and mine didnt.
I looked at the swing arm wondering how I could lose a 1/16th of cleareance and then noticed what my problem was. In assembling the bike a spacer had wound up on the outside of the frame instead of between the frame and swingarm!
All we had to do was disconnect the chain, the shock, pull the swing arm bolt reinsert the spacer and put everything back together... in the dark, without a flashlight!
A few hours later the Dale was truely ready to rip!
As I was putting around camp, this time without a helmet on, it became very clear that I had a problem. With my helmet on the noise had been very muted. Now it was pronounced and quite alarming.
I putted around Charlie and pat and they tried to find where it was coming from. It only happened when the bike was rolling and with me sitting on it. When we put it on a jackstand the rattle went away. We eventually discovered that when I sat on the bike and compressed the shock the swingarm would rise relative to the bikes frame and the side of the chain would come in contact with the rear brake's master cylinder guard...
This was perplexing as it had never done that before. We looked at charlie's bike and saw that his had about a 1/16th of clearance and mine didnt.
I looked at the swing arm wondering how I could lose a 1/16th of cleareance and then noticed what my problem was. In assembling the bike a spacer had wound up on the outside of the frame instead of between the frame and swingarm!
All we had to do was disconnect the chain, the shock, pull the swing arm bolt reinsert the spacer and put everything back together... in the dark, without a flashlight!
A few hours later the Dale was truely ready to rip!
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We finally went to bed, all of us confidant that it would be a 1,2,3 finish for us the next day.
We woke up in the morning to snow. Not a dumping, but a fine blowing powder and a light dusting on the ground. It was very cold out.
We got the bikes and ourselves ready and headed out toregister. Paul and Rennick showed up and time started clicking by. All too quickly we were at the riders meeting. the guy in charge was covering the details to a lot of amped up distracted riders.
4 laps for the iron man, 11 miles a lap. You MUST complete 2 laps in 45 minutes or you will be pulled from the race due to time, oh, and the race was delayed because the water truck was stuck on the course. Though it was snowing, this was still the desert and it was very dusty.
We all left and headed out to the line at the end of the sand drags.
Team Moneyshot's 5 riders are lined up at the far right of the field.
We woke up in the morning to snow. Not a dumping, but a fine blowing powder and a light dusting on the ground. It was very cold out.
We got the bikes and ourselves ready and headed out toregister. Paul and Rennick showed up and time started clicking by. All too quickly we were at the riders meeting. the guy in charge was covering the details to a lot of amped up distracted riders.
4 laps for the iron man, 11 miles a lap. You MUST complete 2 laps in 45 minutes or you will be pulled from the race due to time, oh, and the race was delayed because the water truck was stuck on the course. Though it was snowing, this was still the desert and it was very dusty.
We all left and headed out to the line at the end of the sand drags.
Team Moneyshot's 5 riders are lined up at the far right of the field.