2007 SMOG East Trail Ride (Part 3)

The best part about the SMOG ride is seeing all the old bikes that people have dumped a small fortune into. There were some absolutely beautiful bikes on display and a few of them were even ridden on the trail.


This sweet looking Bultaco Astro flat-tracker wasn't hitting the trails, but it was on display. It had a fantastic air-brushed mural on the back fender that reminded me of a custom van from the 70's. It was like a flashback to my Jr. High School days. I should've taken a photo of that mural, but I was having a mentally-challenged moment.


There was also this very clean and original-looking Ossa MAR (Mick Andrews Replica). It had also been signed by Mick himself. That alone probably doubles the value.


Fellow Stateline and SMOG member Mark B. rode his Bultaco Pursang. Later he hopped on his son's 300 Gasser and we did one hot-lap together. There must've been 20 riders stuck on one hill when we came blasting through. People scattered like teenagers from a keg party when the cops show up.

Of course meeting new Spanish motorcycle enthusiasts is also a highlight. Since most of us suffer from the same affliction (okay, we're nut-jobs) Once again I met a lot of nice people, some from as far away as Iowa, and bench-raced with old familiar faces. Lots of people complimented on how well-behaved my children were. They should've been around when we got home.


Capital Area Trail Riders Assn. (CATRA) showed up in force and we proudly displayed our banner. Left to right - Russ G., Sponge Bob, Dave G. and Trials Pete. Not pictured are Victor and Nina P. (they left early), Kenny (we couldn't find him) and the oaf behind the camera. My kids were tired of having their pictures taken by this point.


We found Kenny! He was about to collapse from trying to start his Ossa Super Pioneer. I don't think he'd started it since the ISDT Reunion Ride in 2003. I snapped this photo of Sponge Bob explaining to Kenny the technique of not kicking like a girl. Kenny was mumbling something about bad gas. Not sure if he was talking about gasoline or something the guy in the yellow Fox jersey was passing.

For me it was another successful SMOG Ride. All my bikes started and two of them were ridden on the trails as a prospective buyer took the 2001 Gasser for a test ride. Nothing was broken on either the bikes or my body. That's three for four.

2007 SMOG East Trail Ride (Part 2)

For October, the weather was unseasonably warm. Don't tell Al Gore, he'll want to make another mockumentary calling for an outright ban on Spanish motorcycles. Before the catch phrase Global Warming/Global Climate Change (or whatever they are calling it these days) people referred to this weather as Indian Summer. I guess that's not a PC term anymore. A couple of EZ-Ups provided shade and, at times, there was a slight breeze.


Here Lauren practices her "Thumbs Up" for the camera. Her favorite part of the day was the group photo. Perhaps she wants to be a model when she grows up?

The ride kicks off at 10:00 a.m. with a group photo. Well, it's supposed to be 10:00 a.m. Around 80 riders were in attendance for the 17th annual ride and the group photo was taken just before 11:00. Ken McGuire, who does a great job organizing the SMOG East Rides and running SMOG, takes the group photo and holds a brief riders meeting. We were told the loop was 10-miles in length. Ken is an attorney... the loop was just over five miles. Maybe it just seems a lot farther on a vintage bike.


I loaded Jacob, Lauren and Kyle onto my Bultaco and pushed them over to where the group photo was taken. None of them fell off and I didn't pull anything important in the process.


Sponge Bob on his 100% original, unrestored, Ossa Super Pioneer. You'd be hard-pressed to find another unrestored '75 enduro bike in this good of shape. However, riding a vintage enduro bike like this makes you glad to get back on a modern enduro bike.


CATRA VP and Sherco dealer, Trials Pete, showed up with this Bultaco model 199 Sherpa T. One of the last models to ever roll out of the original Bultaco factory in Barcelona. He also brought along a Bultaco Alpina and a Bultaco Frontera and not only rode, but completed loops on all three, despite some problems with the Alpina.

After the group photo, everyone hits the trails. Most don't make it around one lap. Lots of vintage bikes were broken down on the trails. Also a few riders were having trouble getting up some of the hills. This is the only time some of these guys ride all year. The trails were bone dry and quite dusty. Sponge Bob and Trials Pete helped keep an eye on my kids while I did two hot-laps on my '03 Gasser.


At the three previous SMOG rides I attended this was the bike I rode, back when it was in Alpina trim. I'm older and wiser now. This year I rode it around the field and had the kids sit on it during the group photo. Trailer Queen much?

Click here for part 3.

2007 SMOG East Trail Ride (Part 1)

Once a year SMOG, the Spanish Motorcycle Owners Group (you really didn't think I was talking about air pollution, did you?), holds a trail ride near the town of Ravena in Upstate NY. This years trail ride was Saturday October 6th, followed by a road ride on Sunday. I've been attending the SMOG Ride since 2004. Finally I brought a camera and, instead of using it to keep paper plates from blowing away, took some photos.


See, I told you SMOG doesn't stand for pollution. Next year is the SMOG 20-year anniversary. The SMOG World Rally is planned to take place in Jonesboro, IL. Wonder if the wife will let me go?


Friday night, after rebuilding the top-end in my 2003 Gas Gas EC300, I loaded my Spanish armada into the trailer. Imagine that, three Spanish motorcycles and all three run. Left to right - 2001 Gas Gas XC300 (For Sale), 1973 Bultaco "Sherpina" 250, 2003 Gas Gas EC300.


Actually it was more like wedging all three bikes into the trailer. That's a tight fit. I hope the trailer can handle the load.

Ravena is less than an hour from my house, depending on which road you take. You know you're getting close when you see pickups and trailers full of old dirt bikes. Most caravan over from the Ravena Diner, but being a thrifty individual, I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts, grabbed a dozen and some coffee before heading over to the ride. Occasionally you'll see someone driving around in circles because they are lost.


Our destination, once again, was Dave Flach's farm outside of Ravena. Fellow CATRA and SMOG member Sponge Bob was in attendance. He brought three Spanish motorcycles as well. A Bultaco Frontera, a Montesa Cota and an Ossa Super Pioneer (not pictured). He rode all three around.


For the second year in a row my wife had something planned for that weekend, so I brought along all three of our kids (three kids, three motorcycles, coincidence?). Here Jacob is demonstrating to Lauren and Kyle the proper way to do the "Thumbs Up" Bultaco trademark (shhh, don't tell Hugh). This was Jacob's fourth SMOG Ride.

Click here for part 2.

Gas Gas Maintenance - 2

There's nothing like a component failure to make one get off their butt and do some long overdue preventive maintenance. Such had been the case when my 2003 Gas Gas EC300 died at the Rocktoberfast Enduro.


New Wiseco forged piston, wrist pin and bearing installed on the connecting rod.


Once the piston was installed all I had to do was slip the jug (cylinder) over the piston. Even though it was stamped "A", the Nikasil plated cylinder does not require honing, but was worn enough, ~0.0005" to fit a "B" piston. Prior to installation I cleaned the cylinder and exhaust power valve assembly.


Here you can see the engine is all back together. All that's left is to install the expansion chamber, silencer, gas tank, seat and side panel.
But first...


I pulled the carburetor and reed block. Then installed new Boyesen Power Reed valves in the block.
And then...


I pulled apart the silencer and cleaned about 10 lbs. of carbon out of the screen, spark arrestor and end cap before repacking it. Note the budget packing. High temperature fiberglass insulation courtesy of Lowes. Sure you can buy fancy motorcycle silencer packing for $20, or spend $5 and repack your silencer 5 times. Hmmmm tough decision. Remember I'm a member of the Budget Racing Team.

Gas Gas Maintenance - 1

Piston from my 2003 Gas Gas EC300. Some carbon dragging, from the power valve, on the exhaust side of the skirt.

Buying a used bike is always a gamble unless you know the previous owner. Even then you might know them, chances are good you'll find a hidden surprise or two. The previous owner of my 2003 Gas Gas EC300 was one Doug S., whom I've known for a few years. In fact Doug was the original owner of my 2001 Gas Gas XC300 (I'm the third owner of that bike). I'd been warned that Doug's mechanical skills are on par with those of an 8th grader who sniffed too much gasket remover in shop class. While I have yet to confirm this warning, I will say that Doug never did any mechanical work to the engine in the four years he owned the '03 Gasser.

I should have listened to my inner voice when it told me to do a top-end. Actually I should've listened to a lot of things my inner voice was telling me. However, with limited time to perform preventive maintenance I ignored my inner voice. The result of this misfortune can be seen in these pictures.

Here you can see the main culprit. The compression rings are stuck in the ring grooves on the exhaust side of the piston.

I'm not going to make any excuses or blame the previous owner or the bike. This failure, and my subsequent DNF at the Rocktoberfast Enduro, was the result of my laziness. Prior to the Newark Enduro I should've changed the main jet from a 175 to a 178. While the 175 was fine for short full-throttle bursts, running WFO in top-gear through open fields and back roads was a big NO-NO. When the air filter became clogged with dust, this actually prevented air flow into the engine. Less air meant the engine ran hotter. The combination of all three caused the rings to stick in the grooves.

This week I'l be putting in a new piston, cleaning the exhaust power valve, installing new reed valves on the intake and repacking the silencer. In case you're thinking I'm forgetting something, I already installed a 178 main jet in the carburetor.

2007 Rocktoberfast Enduro

How's that old saying go?

"If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all."

Well that pretty much describes my 2007 Enduro season. Back in May, while playing soccer in the backyard with my oldest, something went "pop" in my knee. Previous experience told me this was a torn MCL. While not as severe as a torn ACL, a torn MCL will heal on its own, it was still very painful. So I refrained from Enduro competition until it healed. My first Enduro after the injury was the Mudslinger, Where I houred-out at check 6. I rode two more Enduros, Speedsville and Newark, since the Mudslinger and finished both of them. I even trophied at Newark, but everything comes at a price.

Towards the end of Newark, my bike was running horrible. I blamed this on a clogged air filter due to all the dust. Such was not the case. My bike nearly refused to start Saturday afternoon and when I did get it running, it sounded horrible. I hoped that I could nurse it through the Rocktoberfast Enduro, but such was not the case. Around mile 18.6 the engine died and refused to start. Luckily there was a checkpoint at this location.

This week I'll be replacing the top end (piston and rings). Hopefully I can get it running for the SMOG (Spanish Motorcycle Owners Group) Ride on Saturday.

There's still two more Enduros left in the NETRA season. The Gypsy Moth on 10/14 and the Black & Blue on 10/28.

C'est La Vie!

2007 Newark Enduro Report

My 2003 Gas Gas EC300 all prepped and ready for the start of the 2007 Newark Enduro. Too bad the rider wasn't as prepped as the bike was. Behind my bike is (Sponge) Bob's van. Note the "trick" bike stand courtesy of Rubbermaid and Walmart. That's budget racing at its best!

For the second year in a row I rode the Newark Enduro, hosted by the Wayne County Motorcycle Club. If you read my previous entry, you'll note that this is the longest consecutive running enduro in the U.S. Once again this enduro was co-sanctioned as part of both the NETRA and WNYOA Enduro Series'. The Newark Enduro uses AMA (timekeeping) Rules, which means you ride on the same minute all day. This is great for someone just getting into timekeeping enduros or for guys who want to ride with their buddies all day. I do have some reservations about AMA Rules, but I'll save that for a later post.

After waking up at 3:00 a.m. then driving for over 3-1/2 hours, (Sponge) Bob and I arrived at the start. This enduro starts from the Fairville, NY Volunteer Fire Station. After going through tech inspection, where they made sure our lights worked and we had a valid plate on the bike, we signed up and ended up on minute 29. Keytime for this enduro is 8:00 a.m., so we would be starting at 8:29 a.m.

From the start the course headed directly across a road onto a two-track trail. I was the last to leave the line, but one guy on a KTM pulled over and let me pass, so I ended up following Bob who was behind another guy on a Husky. Eventually we ended up on some trails where Bob got a bit ahead of me until he overshot a turn and was in process of turning around when I passed him and headed down the hill. This first section consisted of single-track woods trails and wide open grass-track. Eventually we popped out on a road and followed that for a bit before turning into a field with more grass-track. I was following some riders who left on earlier minutes when suddenly I saw a large group stopped in front of me. I glanced down at my Pacemaker and noticed it said 2.2 miles and I was running a minute hot. I didn’t expect the first check until 3 miles. From where the riders were queued up the course turned left, going down a hill. I moved to the front of the queue and was about to head down the hill when I spotted the next checkpoint, check two, at the bottom. Luckily I was able to hide behind some trees and bushes to the right of the trail while I checked my odometer and route sheet. Obviously I had missed about 3/4 of a mile of the course, probably just blindly following other riders. The queue was at the 2.9-mile marker. As I waited for my minute to come up Bob rode up and we discussed our situation. We saw the two minutes before ours head down the hill along with some, already, late riders. Eventually I figured it was safe to go down the hill and Bob took the lead. I followed and noticed the keytime for the check was facing us. We were going in a minute early. Bob slowed to a crawl, but ended up burning the check by a couple seconds. I did my best trials riding through the mud in front of the check and just made the flip scoring a zero.

After check two the course went up a steep hill and onto another grass-track. Following Bob into this section I found he was riding quite conservatively in this very fast section. He signaled for me to pass and I took the lead before the course headed into the woods. This test section was an 18 mph speed average. Between the single-track trails and open grass-track it was very easy to stay within my minute. At one point, in the woods, I heard a bike coming from behind. I was in a spot that had a couple lines, so I moved to the right and pointed to the left for them to pass. It was Bob. I took off behind him, but after 50 feet he bobbled then pulled over. I figured he wanted me in front, so I took off. I was doing pretty good in this section as it switched between open fast trails and tight slow single-track. Eventually the trail ran alongside a creek and I could see riders on earlier minutes going the opposite direction on the other side. Finally I crossed a bridge to the other side. There were makeshift bridges crossing various ditches on this side. Down in one ditch I spotted an old XR250 on its side and some EMT personnel helping an injured rider. Just beyond that point was check three, which I hit two minutes down. Past the checkpoint was a four-mile reset. Bob pulled into the reset about two minutes behind me. Evidently, when he bobbled in the woods, he pulled something in his shoulder and moving his right arm was nearly impossible. However he was determined to keep going.

Following the reset we had a short ride down the road before heading back into the woods. Once again this was a mix of fast two-track, open grass-track and tight single-track with some good hills mixed in. There was no check-in to this section. The WCMC must be short-handed when it comes to workers as they rarely have many checkpoints. At one point I hit some fast two-track and discovered riders from the minute ahead of mine coming towards me. They were turning around as I blew past them. Of course I missed the turn they had missed and spent a couple minutes wandering around, looking for the trail. I should’ve followed the guys on minute 28. Luckily I wasn’t the only one to blow the turn. Bob caught up to me, as did some other riders. One rider even crashed into another rider coming towards him. Luckily they were both hard on the brakes when they collided, so it wasn't a major wreck. It’s times like this when a lot of ribbon and wrong way markers are needed so riders go the correct direction. Eventually we found the trail and continued on. Check four was an Emergency Checkpoint, where minutes and seconds are recorded. I dropped five points in this section. Would’ve been a lot less had I not blown that turn and missed the trail. My friend Pete K. was working check four. He just looked at me and shook his head. I said something about missing a turn and he replied with something about following arrows. Way to be a smartarse Pete!

Not long after check four there was another reset and the first gas available location. At the gas available I spoke to a guy on minute 28 and recognized him from the Speedsville Enduro back in August. Eventually Bob showed up. He was, again, a couple minutes behind me, but still insisted he could ride.

From the gas available we headed down the road again for about a mile when the speed average jumped to 24 mph before turning back into the woods. This section was another mix of fast and open trails along with slow and tight trails. They even ran us down a couple short public road sections. Being AMA Rules, I’m sure most riders were hard on the gas going down the roads. This is probably the only criticism I have about this enduro and AMA Rules in general. In my experience a reset, even a short one, should preclude any road section. The last thing and enduro organizer wants is a “black eye” in the community for having quasi-street legal dirt bikes screaming down the road. This section contained one nasty hill where riders were queued up, waiting their turn, while one rider struggled with a stuck bike in the main line. Several riders attempted to find an alternate line up the hill only to become casualties to it themselves. I staged myself for an open line when a stuck rider rolled his bike right into my path. I attempted another line, but got hung up on a small tree. A spectator came over and bent the tree out of my way. I looked over and spotted Bob struggling to get up an alternate line. With time ticking away I gassed it and rode up the hill. Check five was towards the end of this section and I dropped another five points, but instead of a reset, we had 10+ more miles to go before the next gas available and reset, back at the start area. This last 10 miles had to be some of the toughest terrain all day with lots of single-track trails, many of which were off-camber. I recognized one of the ruts I got buried in at the 2006 Newark Enduro. This also meant I wasn’t far from the end of the first loop.

To my surprise there weren’t any more checkpoints on the first loop. I rode back to the start to fill up my gas tank. When I arrived there was another reset, but I only had 40-seconds to fill up my gas and switch out the bladder on the Camelbak. After filling up the tank I had to piss, so I hid behind the van. While reaching down to whip it out I noticed the fly on my riding pants was open and the zipper was stuck at the top. No worries. I could still whip it out and was in the middle of relieving myself when my new high fiber diet kicked in and started knocking at the back door. Talk about bad timing. I tucked things away and dashed for the can inside the fire station. I whipped off my bum bag and was heading for the door when a club member asked if I’d found that (meaning the bum bag) on the trail. I quickly explained my need to take a dump and he pointed me inside. Once in the stall I hopelessly struggled with the fly on my pants and eventually moved the zipper enough to slide my riding pants over my hips and drop a deuce and a half. No major accidents, but it was one of those “you’ll be wiping for an hour” dumps. All this time I still had my helmet and goggles on, so I flipped my goggles up onto my helmet and waited for everything to come out. Once finished I fixed the fly as best I could and headed back to my bike.

Bob was at the van when I returned and I gave him a quick rundown on my situation. His arm was still difficult to move, but he was determined to make it to check 7 before dropping out. That way he’d at least finish more than half the checks, if there were another seven checks. There weren’t.

We left the gas available around 20-minutes late. With a 24 mph speed average and only 22-minutes of resets on the second loop it was going to be tough to make up that time, especially since the second loop was the same as the first. Immediately I discovered my mistake on the first loop, a missed turn into a short woods section. Oh well. Then I had my first crash of the day. A guy riding an older Husky had dumped it in a turn. In his attempt to get the thing up he rolled into my line and I bounced the front tire off a tree, falling over on top of him. Some “not so kind” words were mumbled under my breath. Bob rode up and asked if we were having a party. I should have hit him in the shoulder. Most of this loop was a blur. Leaving 20-miutes late meant I just had to ride all out. I arrived at check six 17-minutes late. I’d made up some time in the fast stuff, but not enough. Check seven was another Emergency Check. In fact it was the same spot as check 3, the first Emergency Check. Pete was still there. This time his back was turned to me when I arrived. I was 22 minutes down by that point and was glad he wasn’t shaking his head. Also I didn't want to explain my excuse for being so late.

I should probably point out that this years Newark Enduro was dry and dusty. There were a couple small mud puddles in spots, but dust du jour was the menu for the day. Quite a change from the conditions we had at the ’06 Newark Enduro. Where, after two straight weeks of rain, the trails were muddy, sloppy and slippery. The one bright spot was somewhere between check seven and check eight. It was here the course deviated from the morning loop and we were treated to a freshly cut section of trail. The best part was the pages taken from nudies magazines and stapled to trees. There’s nothing like a snatch shot to motivate you when your tongue is hanging down to the pegs and you can’t lift your butt off the seat. Unfortunately this nice little section had no checks. In fact check 8 was right at the spot I had recognized on the first loop... that stupid rut I got stuck in last year. I was 28 points down at this point, but I knew it wasn’t much further. In fact there was another 2-mile reset coming up and I was going to be happy as a pig in slop when I could finally finish. My entire body was aching and my bike was beginning to run like crap, probably because the air filter was caked with dust. At least that’s what I was hoping. Worst case I sucked some dust past the filter while going WFO down the road sections. In fact my computer recorded a top speed of 73 mph. Yeah, I know it’s wrong, but I was just hoping to finish and not hour-out.

Eventually I hit check 9, some 32 minutes down. My bike died and the guy marking my scorecard told me it was the last check so I could take it easy on the road back to the fire station. This was great news because, after 90+ ground miles, I was about ready to fall over in one of those "help, I've fallen and can't get up" scenarios. I kicked my bike to life and rode back to the fire station where a club member took my scorecard. I asked them if they could return my balls should the sweep riders find them. Everyone standing around laughed. I'm sure it was mildly amusing, but I’ve been using that joke for years.

Bob was already back at the van, stretched out and napping in the back seat. He made it to check seven, his goal, and retired for the day. After getting out of my gear and cleaning off the dust caked to my face I got some lunch. I swear a burger and fries always tastes better, going down, after and enduro. I loaded up the van, as Bob was almost useless without his arm. Surprisingly the scores were posted quite early. I did a quick check of my scorecard. While I dropped a respectable 12 points on the first loop, my second loop was an awful 99 points, for a total of 111. However I figure starting the second loop 20-minutes down played a major role in this. If I hadn’t pinched a loaf my final score should’ve been in the mid-30s... yeah, right? Oh well, better to finish the event with clean underwear, I always say. The real shocker was that I had third place in B-Open. The two guys ahead of me literally smoked me. In fact one was in-line for Overall B, which would've bumped me up to 2nd place. He lost on tie-breakers (Emergency Points). The other two riders in the B-Open class DNF’d. At least I finished. I also discovered a problem with my score. The club had me down for 116 points. It didn’t change my finishing position, but the referee corrected my score. There was also a huge protest in the AA class regarding the actual mileage point of check three. Per the AMA rulebook, three bikes were used to check the mileage and it was found to be off. Check three was thrown out, netting me a total of 109 points. Why couldn’t it have been one of the checks on the second loop?

In the end I bagged some hardware for third in B-Open. My first enduro trophy this season and my best in-class finish to date. Now I’ve got to perform some much needed bike maintenance before the NETRA Rocktoberfast Enduro on Sept. 30th.

The trophy (plaque) I took home for third place in the B-Open Class ay the 2007 Newark Enduro. I was also the highest placing NETRA rider in that class. This year the enduro was in memory of Charlie Jensen, a 60+ year member of the WCMC. For such a small turnout (there were only 31 rows x 4 riders/row = 124 riders) the club handed out a large number of plaques. Very nice looking plaques as well.

2007 Newark Enduro

After floundering in the mud, eventually houring-out and still bagging some hardware at last years Newark (Fred Bourne Memorial) Enduro, I'm going to give it a go again this year.


2007 Newark Enduro Flyer. Says right there in black and white that it's "the longest consecutive running Enduro in the country." That's lawyer-ese for: "We think we're the oldest Enduro still running... maybe not."

I know this year it's been much drier in that area than it was last year. This was the only enduro I rode in 2006, except for the Snow Run, where a rear trials tire was a disadvantage. Even though conditions are much different I still think I'll run a knobby rear tire. Maybe I'll bring along a rear trials tire just in case. I seem to remember a lot of locals had inside knowledge about this enduro and remember passing one guy three or four times between checkpoints even though he never passed me.

Time to get me and the bike prepared.

Bultaco Maintenance - 1

1973 Bultaco Model 98 "Sherpina"

After my friend (Sponge) Bob suffered a DNF at the CATRA Vintage Trial, due to a faulty condenser, I decided it's time to move my condenser up to the frame. I should've done this back when I rebuilt the bike. Luckily my bike never suffered the same problem as (Sponge) Bob's borrowed Bultaco. The job wasn't that difficult and took less than an hour to complete.


The photo above shows the new location of the condenser, attached to the frame.

Tools Required: 13mm socket, 3/8" drive ratchet, 13mm wrench, T-handle allen key, 27mm impact socket, 1/2" impact driver, flywheel puller (and wrenches), flat-blade screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, 10mm wrench, center punch, ball-peen hammer, 3/8" drill, 1/8" drill bit, wire stripper/crimper, 8mm wrench.


Here you can see the Radio Shack electrical junction block installed in place of the stock junction block. I replaced this in 2004 when I restored my Bultaco. The stock junction block was badly corroded and some of the screws were stripped. While I do not like using butt-splice connections, this bike does not see much regular use. The yellow wire is attached to the lighting coil, in case I ever want to add lights.

Additional Parts Required: Butt-splice wire connector, screw and a nylock nut.

Process: Remove kick-start lever, ignition cover and ignition/lighting coil (hint: if your ignition timing is spot-on, punch mark the backing plate and side case to use as timing marks). Disconnect the condenser wire from the points and remove the condenser from the backing plate. Reinstall the ignition/lighting coil and slip the flywheel onto the shaft. Remove the tank and find a spot on the frame, near the coil, to install the condenser. Mark the spot, center punch and drill a 1/8" hole through the frame. Rub the paint to expose the bare metal where the condenser contacts the frame. Attach the condenser with the screw and nylock nut. I like to use nylock nuts because they have less chance of vibrating loose. The stock junction block accepted bare wire ends, which would only require removing the connector and stripping 1/4" of insulation from the wire. The Radio Shack junction block uses screws which are too large for the connector on the condenser. I removed the connector, stripped back 1/4" of insulation and installed a new butt-splice wire connector. Then I wired the condenser into the primary side of the ignition coil.


Above is the complete ignition system showing the junction block, relocated condenser and ignition coil.

After relocating the condenser I checked ignition timing and point gap. Sherpa T timing is supposed to be 2.5mm to 2.7mm BTDC. I don't remember what the Alpina timing is, but it is different. The point gap was within specification, but timing was around 3.5mm, so I retarded the timing to 2.7mm. Additionally I changed the sparkplug from an Autolite 64 to an Autolite 65. This is a one-step hotter plug which, hopefully, will prevent the plug fouling I experienced at the CATRA Vintage Trial. Finally I put everything back together... well, almost. It was time to clean and re-oil the air filter. Also noticed the rear brake was hanging up, so I'll need to pull the rear wheel and take a look at that.

Sept. 17, 2007 - Update: Over the weekend I cleaned and re-oiled the air filter. Also took the rear wheel off and fixed the back brake using a small amount of Lubriplate the grease the brake shoe cam. I was concerned that I might have difficulty starting the Bultaco after making multiple changes (condenser move, ignition timing and spark plug heat range) to the ignition system. To my surprise, after tickling the carburetor and giving two slow-speed priming kicks, it fired up on the first full kick. After adjusting the carburetor air screw and idle speed I warmed up the engine then took it for a few laps around my backyard practice trap. As I suspected the power is a bit sluggish compared to when the timing was set at 3.5mm. However the engine tends to rev out further and idles along nicely at crawling speed. First gear works really well in my practice trap. Before the motor would top out climbing the hills in first gear. I'm still thinking about installing a one-tooth smaller countershaft sprocket, but I really should ride it in a trial before making any more changes. Also considering replacing the primary and secondary silencers with a motocross silencer I have for my GasGas enduro bike. The Bultaco is not horribly loud, but I'd like to see if I can make this silencer work. It's aluminum and would reduce overall weight by replacing two heavy steel silencers. Additionally I could repack this silencer making the Bultaco, hopefully, quieter. Screw it! I don't have the time to do a one-off custom fabrication. I'll just braze up the hole in my primary (middle) silencer and use radiator hose over the joint between the header pipe and primary silencer.

2007 CATRA Vintage Trial - Part 2

After the first loop I had a solid lock on fourth place (out of four). Luckily some of my competition ran into problems. (Sponge) Bob, riding a borrowed Model 92 Bultaco Sherpa T, dropped out due to a bad condenser causing the bike to lose spark. Kevin, riding an Ossa, lost spark in Section 1 during the second loop. He was able to get his bike running again, but dropped out half-way through his second loop due to heat exhaustion. It was 90+ degrees with 90% humidity that day. Can you say hot and sticky? I kept my bike running, despite being jetted way too rich for the conditions. The cylinder loaded up a couple times and I had to change out the sparkplug twice, but I rode all three loops and wound up snagging some hardware for second place in Twin-Shock Intermediate. Another guy was shooting video and he followed me around on my last loop, when I crashed twice. I'm sure some of those clips will end up on youtube.

More phots from the CATRA Vintage Trial.


"Catching Z's."
Here's 1/4 of my pit crew hard at work. My youngest son had to take a nap due to all the excitement of watching daddy ride... yeah, right?


"Stay to the right, then go left, then right around the tree. Sounds easy, no?"
Entering Section 8. The guy on the left, in the yellow t-shirt, is the observer. He's holding up a clenched fist signalling that I haven't dabbed... yet. I think the other guy is holding onto the observer to keep him from falling over with laughter. He should've been helping me.


"Hey, I made that tricky turn. Don't dab now... of shhhiii!"
Riding through Section 8.


"Close the door fool. What's a girl gotta do to get any privacy?"
My daughter refused to use the portacans, so she had her own private bathroom in the back of the van. Spoiled much?

2007 CATRA Vintage Trial - Part 1

On August 25th 2007 I competed in the CATRA Vintage Trial. Originally I signed up for Twin-Shock Novice, but I was the only one in that class. So I ended up riding Twin-Shock Intermediate with three other riders. Rarely does anyone take many photos of me while I'm riding, but on this day my wife and kids were there to cheer me on. My wife isn't used to taking action photos, so they're not the greatest. At least she didn't take any photos of me laying on the ground.

The following photos were taken in Section 1.


"I sure hope my brakes are working!"
Getting ready to drop down the hill into Section 1.


"Okay, where's that line I picked out earlier?"
Riding through Section 1. The guy behind me is Paul. He snagged first place in Twin-Shock Intermediate. I dropped more points the first loop than he did all day.


"Weight the outside peg, lean, turn... I SAID TURN!"
Still riding through Section 1.


"Whoa, check it out, you can slip a dollar bill underneath my front tire!"
Catching "BIG AIR" on the exit of Section 1.


"Yummy!"
My daughter was more interested in her ham sammich than watching daddy ride. Can't say I blame her.

Enduro

My off-road racing career was never much of a career. I'm not some sort of a has-been. More like a never-was. Nonetheless I've always enjoyed racing and every once in a while I'll get lucky enough to bring home some hardware. I first started racing almost 20 years ago. Mostly Hare Scrambles where you ride a specified number of laps or time on a cross-country course. I was never much of a threat at winning anything. Even tried some motocross, but after I came up short on a double-jump and limped away I decided motocross wasn't for me.


On the starting line of the 2006 NETRA Rocky Mountain Enduro in New Hampshire. I'm second from the right, on my 2001 GasGas XC300. The guy on my right, in yellow, is (Major) Joe on his 125 Husky. He was injured earlier this year in Afghanistan when his Hum-Vee hit an IED. I don't know who the other two guys are.

I've always enjoyed trail riding and even did some dual-sport riding in the early-90's. Then in the mid-90's I went with some friends to my first enduro. To be quite honest I had no clue what I was doing and must've crashed 7,492,982,737 times. I beat the hell out of my bike and my body. Other riders passed me like I was dragging an anchor. The worst was this big fat guy on a Honda XR600. I was going through a section of sand whoops on my XR250. I was standing up on the pegs, not because that's the correct way to ride, but because my legs kept cramping up when I sat on the seat. Anyhoo I was rolling through the whoops when Shamu on the Sherman Tank goes blowing by me, butt on the seat, skimming the tops of the whoops like a pro. I felt so pathetic at that point. Luckily this was the last section of the day. I nearly fell over from sheer exhaustion when I reached the last checkpoint. As I'm riding around in the field where we parked, confused because I'm tired and haven't got a clue where my pickup is, I spot Shamu sitting on the tailgate of a pickup drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. As I putt by he looks at me and says:

"That last section was great! Man, what a blast! I could ride that stuff all day."

If I could've mustered up the energy I would've throttled his fat-arse right then and there. Sadly I was in such sorry shape all I could say was:

"Uhhhh... yeah."


The CATRA Enduro Team trophy haul following the 2006 NETRA Little Rhody Enduro in Rhode Island.
Left to Right: (Sponge) Bob, (KTM) Len, Myself and (Major) Joe.

Now I didn't win any trophies at my first enduro. Not even close, but a week later I'd mentally blocked out all the bad stuff that happened to me and I was ready to ride my next enduro. I've been riding them every year since. It took me two years to finally win my first trophy, but now I have a nice little hardware collection which also includes a class championship.

Out in front on my GasGas after the grass track and heading into the woods at the 2006 NETRA Rocky Mountain Enduro in New Hampshire. Bringing up the rear on his 125 Husky is (Major) Joe. I ended up snagging some hardware for second place in B-Open that day. (Major) Joe trophied as well with a third in C-Senior.

Trials

1973 Bultaco Model 98 "Sherpina" left side. Restored from the ground up now sporting a Sherpa T "slimline" tank and seat.

Around five years ago I acquired and old Bultaco Model 98 Alpina. It was complete, but in pretty rough shape. My original intention was to get it in running condition and ride it in the 2003 ISDT Reuinion Ride over in Massachussetts. Well it was in worse shape than I expected and ended up doing a complete frame-up restoration including a complete engine rebuild. I was unable to get it running in time for the ISDTRR. It took me another year to complete the restoration and cost me three times what I originally budgeted for the project. Many thanks goes out to Bob Hogan, of Hogan's Cycle Shop, whom I spoke to at the 2003 ISDTRR. It was through Bob that I found out my Alpina was not a 175cc as the Model 98 was originally built. It seems that back in '73 there wasn't a class for 175cc motorcycles, so most of them had a 250 cylinder and piston installed by the importer. The entire rebuild was a learning process. I also found out it is possible to install one gear backwards causing the bike to only have three gears; first, second and third. Almost every Bultaco "expert" on the internet swears this is not possible, but I know for a fact it is.

I finished the Alpina in time to participate in the 2004 Spanish Motorcycle Owners Group (SMOG) East Trail Ride. Then it sat in my garage, collecting dust. I pulled it out for two more SMOG Rides, but following the '06 SMOG Ride I decided to turn it into a vintage trials bike. Over the winter of '06/'07 I dumped a couple hundred more into it. You can see the end result in the photos. While I still haven't totalled all the receipts, I'd estimate I have around $1000 and countless hours of labor into this bike.


1973 Bultaco Model 98 "Sherpina" right side. A sharp eye will pick out the brake and shifter are on the "wrong" sides. It wasn't until 1975 when motorcycle controls were standardized world-wide to a left side-shift, right side brake.

The Bultaco Alpina was originally patterned after their Sherpa T trials bike. The Alpina and Sherpa T basically share the same components. There are, however, a few differences. Obviously the color is different as the early Sherpa T's were red and the Alpina was blue. The gas tank is different with the Sherpa T using a slimmer profile one-gallon (slimline) tank. The Sherpa T also uses a much smaller seat since trials riding is done from standing on the pegs. A friend of mine, Pete from Hilltop Trials, sold me an old slimline tank and seat. The tank was rough and needed some fiberglass work, sealing and painting. The fiberglass seat pan was broken, but another friend of mine, (Sponge) Bob from Burnt Hills Upholstery, made a new pan, using the seat pan from another Sherpa T as a mold, cut new foam and covered it. Internally the Sherpa T had different first and second gears inside the transmission. Since these are the gears most often used when riding trials I ended up changing the final drive sprockets from 11/42 to 11/50. In retrospect I could've used an even larger rear sprocket. In the future I may try a 1-tooth smaller front sprocket. Other than that I added a set of Renthal 6-inch rise trials bars and low front fender mounting brackets.


Here I am riding the Bultaco in my second trials event, the 2007 3D Trails Club Picnic Trial in Oneonta, NY. I ended up second place in the Rookie/Vintage class that day beating out a couple modern bikes. Those guys must really suck at trials.

Since then I've competed in three trials events. On my best day I'm a mediocre novice when it comes to trials, and my results show it. I've always heard how awful Bultacos are when it comes to reliability. Frankly, most of the stuff I've had to deal with is simple and not all that uncommon for a 34 year-old machine. At my first trial, a NETA event, I ended up with a DNF when the circlip that holds the kick-start pivot to the lever came off. Turns out this is a common problem, with a common solution. Tap the end of the kick-start lever and install a bolt and washer. My second outing, a 3D Trials Club event, the bike suffered from fuel delivery problems due to a clogged fuel tap. The new ethanol-blend fuel we get here in the U.S. isn't the greatest for fiberglass fuel tanks or carburetors. So I'll have to keep an eye on this problem and regularly clean out the fuel tap. At least I was able to finish my second event.

Introduction

Welcome to my little spot on the web where I post my reports and general blathering about my experience riding off-road (timekeeping) enduros and observed trials. Both types of competition are quite a bit different and have a unique set of rules. They require different types of motorcycles.

Enduros - An enduro is, basically, a race against the clock. The objective is to accumulate as few points as possible by maintaining a pre-set speed average. The rules are fairly complex, especially to a beginner. The promoter, usually a club, lays out a marked course over any combination of single and two-track trails, dirt and paved roads and grass or motocross tracks. A speed average, or multiple speed averages, are selected. The idea is to try and maintain the set speed average over the entire course. Groups of up to five riders are sent out on the course at one-minute intervals. Along the course there are checkpoints where your arrival time in minutes and, sometimes, seconds, is recorded. If you arrive at a checkpoint on your minute, your score is zero. For every minute late, you receive one penalty point for up to 60-minutes. Beyond 60-minutes late, you are disqualified. There are also resets where the course mileage, not ground mileage, is advanced. Therefore it is possible to get ahead of the clock. Arriving one minute early to a checkpoint results in two penalty points. For each minute early, beyond one minute, it's five penalty points up to a maximum of 15-mintes early. Beyond 15-minutes early, you are disqualified. Hence it is better to be late than early. Again this is just a brief summary of the rules.

Observed Trials - An observed trial is quite a bit different from an enduro. The object is to negotiate through a difficult section, known as a trap or observed section, without putting a foot down, called a dab. Just like an enduro, you want to accumulate as few penalty points as possible. Penalty points can only be accrued in the observed sections. One dab = one point. Two dabs = two points. Three or more dabs = three points. Falling, stalling, putting both feet on the same side of the bike = five points. The obstacles found in an observed section could be tight turns, trees, fallen logs, roots, rocks, mud, hills, or even some manmade obstacles. The important thing to remember is there are times you should take a dab in order to save yourself from getting a three or a five. Of course this is just another brief summary of the rules.