Great weather makes for a relaxing two-wheeled weekend.

I know I have bragged on about Southern California in blog posts past. I don't want to seem like a broken record, but last weekend has my part of the Cali coast seeing temps in the mid-70's with clear skies over the mountains. There was a race to see and canyons to carve so I set out to have some two wheeled fun. Readers that are stuck in more ride limiting climates take heart, this isn't about rubbing it in your face. On the contrary this post is to help you live vicariously through those of us that are out there riding. Enjoy!

First off on Saturday the 3rd, there was a Speedway/Hooligan race out at Perris Raceway that I was eager to go see. I love watching the Hooligans out there on the short tracks banging bar-to-bar with those big heavy bikes. It is also really cool to watch the Speedway guys go sideways through most of the track. While being such similar motorsports, the ride style and general racing can be very different. One thing that gets a bit old is the way the Speedway guys take forever to get lined up to race. I guess if your race is only total of 4 laps, a good start is key. The guys tweak and adjust their starting position behind the gate for a good minute before they raise the tapes. Once the tapes go, they are off and any impatience I get from waiting for the start is quickly erased by the ultra quick action on the dirt. If you have a chance, get out and support your local Speedway track. It is worth a look.

I really came for the Hooligan racers. There is something really awesome about seeing these 'mostly' street bikes huck around the dirt oval. This bike was the only one in the pits when I did my pit walk to take some pictures. It is a good, clean example of a Hooligan bike. Most of them are Harley Davidson Sportsters. On some of the bigger races like the Roland Sands race I went to a few weeks back, the mix of bikes is bigger. This time around the bikes were all Sportys and one Indian Scout. This bike is pretty well prepared. You can see by the non-stock race wheels and the close up of the pull backs on the upper triple tree that this bike has been highly tuned for racing. More and more these guys are honing their Sportsters into really well prepared race machines. A lot of work goes into making these bikes better in the dirt. One of these days I'd like to get one and give it a go.

Different from the Speedway races that only have 4 bikes per race. The grid for the Hooligans bikes had 6 or 7 bikes per heat and 12 bikes in the main event. They raced for 6 laps as compared to the 4 of Speedway. The action was equally increased as you got more bikes on the line. The first entry into turn 1 is always a hairy one to see and be in. The race can be won or lost in that turn and that is where you usually see the accidents. The racing at this event was pretty clean. There were a few spills, but no one was hit and the EMTs spent most of the night watching the race from the infield. I didn't stay for the whole race as my wife was feeling under the weather and I had to scoot home before the main event. Good clean fun for a small price of entry. You got to love it!

The next morning I just had to get out and ride. I haven't been on the track in a month since taking the MotoAnatomy class with Johnny Lewis. My CRF450R has a bad water pump seal and I have it parked until I can rebuild the water pump. I could ride the bike, but from the amount of water I had to put into the radiator I am concerned that the seal could let go on me and overheat the bike. I am saving up some cash to do the repairs so the race bike is in the garage for the time being. The Yamaha FZ1 needed to be ridden and the weather in the hills near my house was perfect for some canyon carving fun. I took a road that I'd only ridden once before and found myself just enjoying the feeling of slicing up and down the mountain. It is like flying a low altitude airplane and I just love it. I ended up in San Ysabel and treated myself to some local apple pie.

The ride was great and I ended up doing about 150 miles in total. The FZ1 ran perfect and felt great. The weather was just right for a ride like this and there were plenty of other riders out there taking advantage of the day. Fueled up on pie and coffee I took my time getting home and explored the area a bit. Having the time to find new roads is a luxury I don't often have. It was nice to just point the bike in one direction and see what the day had to offer.

Well, while I am waiting to fix the flat tracker I will be doing more road rides. The race season is winding down, but before it does I will end up missing a few races. I hope to get the bike out on the Supermoto track soon too. I still have the sumo tires mounted on the bike and can't wait to see how they feel. If you are in a snow bound state, I feel for you. I hope this helps get you through the day. For those that are blessed with weather like I have, get out and ride!

Blue