[Goose]

Well, so, I was on my way up to Denton for a TMGP race weekend and stopped by Houston Forward Air terminal to pick up my new mad dog class flat tracker, a Frank Nye built stroker 150cc XR100 with 16s front and rear and Lindeman suspension (imho, the best on little bikes). The rear shock set up by Lindeman is a Works Performance remote reservoir. Now, the suspension on this thing is $700 worth, a good used XR of this late 90s vintage would be over a thousand, and the motor work would take around $2200 and the motor is fresh, so I figured $1500 for the bike was decent! Here's a pic in front of my house in the drive way.

http://img54.exs.cx/img54/2414/Img_0137.jpg

So, I got it up to Denton an could hardly wait to fire it, dumped what was left of a can of VP C12 into it. The gas did look funny, tried to fire it, would start and die. I couldn't keep it running. Well, once home I checked and sure nuff it must've rained and leaked into this gas can on a trip home from the track I made not long ago cause it had water in it. After draining it, I thought I ought to check the pilot jet. It has a flat slide 28mm Keihin CR smooth bore racing carb on it. I pull the pilot and there's s friggin' chunk of safety wire in there! I'm thinking, "How the HELL did that get in there?" It looked like it might be intentional cause it was crimped over either end. I pulled it out, fired the bike, and it wouldn't run on any except the main jet, WFO. So, I stuck the wire back in and I'll be ****ed if it didin't run perfect! ROFLMAO Now, I'm thinking I really should buy some pilots and get the right pilot in there. The one that's in there is huge, looks more like a main, I guess the reason for the wire in it to restrict flow. But, hell, it runs great like that! I'm sorta thinkin' if it ain't broke, don't fix it, LOL! I'm taking it over to Waller, just north west of Houston, for a flat track Saturday night, hoping I can make enough money to at least pay my entries, LOL. This bike has a lot more power than my other more mildly tuned XR and has better dirt track tires on it. I coulda won the last race, finished in the money in fifth after getting a bad start and running with the leaders. The winner made some money. I didn't quite break even, but I did have to join the AMA for $39. Won't have to do that this time.

[Goose]

Big crowd for mad dog. I'm not real sure how many we had, but they split qualifying up into two groups and gave us an extra qualifyer round. I was running fourth at a red flag with a five bike pile up behind me. Flubbed the restart (I gotta work on that) and wound up fifth. Billy Wiese, runs WRW Racing, a performance motorcycle shop, and tunes for AMA teams when he can get a job doing that, decided to ride. John said he spent this week tuning on a TTR, putting in a cam and tweeking it. He even bought a Maley shoe! I got the impression it wasn't that ol' man's first rodeo cause I was battling him all night. He got me on the restart and finished fourth! Logan Young showed up. He said John Haner was going to try to make it out, but he never showed. I battled with Logan in the two qualifyers, but he got killer starts on me. I managed to pass him in one and win the qualifyer, drove around the outside. The second was red flagged for a crash while I was setting him up for the same move. Never quite got back to the point of making the move after the restart. Needed a couple of more laps. He was just sorta figuring it out, but it didn't take him long. Flat track ain't exactly rocket science. You just gotta drive in harder and get on the gas sooner, bout all there is to it. He got a good start and restart after the red flag and ran second in the race. Great job Logan! He had his 750 with him and headed out after the race, 1130pm, for Dallas and a Cresson track day! The kid is dedicated, I tell ya! He's going to run a FUSA race at Barber in a week or two and is prepping, taking the bike to a tuner up in Dallas that's helping him. The Horison award he just won in AMA will be a major boost to his resume for an AMA profressional career, but he knows he has to work for it, that wasn't the checkered flag. He's going to have to win more amateur races and perhaps get an invite for a team try out to get a seat on an AMA superbike or 600 or something. It won't be given to him just for a Horison award.

I never got all the water out of the gas tank from Denton when I first bought the new XR. It screwed me up in the 125 Amateur main when it quit on me from that. I drained the float bowl and some of the tank again and it ran fine in the mad dog main. I've gotta take the tank off it and turn it upside down in the yard for a while, maybe use a heat gun to dry it. I don't want any more water in there! Thought I had it all out, but I guess there was a little left in there. I made fifty bucks, paid me back most of my entries anyway. Can't do THAT at TMGP! Of course, the TMGP entries aren't as stiff, either. Promotor says they'll pay a 100% pay out if they keep getting good grids like this. He made money on the spectators again. Wasn't as good as last race, but they pretty much filled up the stands.

I've gotta start getting decent starts. That's all that seems to be keeping me off the top of the box. I get in behind the leaders and follow, sometimes can pull up and almost get a wheel on whomever's in front, just most times there's not enough room. If I could just get in front at the start, I could pull away! I'm working on it. And, I'm going to take the 80 for 125 Amateur next time. John Casley's 80 was rockin' out there. He didn't finish in the money in Mad Dog on the TTR, but won the 125 race by powering all the four strokes on his 80. He ran the 505 Amateur on it and didn't lose contact with the leaders in THAT race! The track is tight and the 80 has good corner speed on the heavier bikes. It looked like a lot of fun, so I figure it's time for the KX to get into flat track, too. Hell, I already grooved the slicks at Denton for the rain and I'm too cheap to buy new rubber before the end of the year anyway. (cheap and broke) On an up note, friend and machinist, Kelly Tompkins, is putting the final touches on a steel shoe for me. Billy paid $165 for that Maley shoe. Kelly's isn't as pretty, but will be just as effective. I'll finish it off by going down to the welding shop and buying some "hard coat" rods to surface it with, keep it from holing the bottom.