I've been riding religiously for the last 18 years and have decided that it is about time to step it up! I'll be entering my first ever race this coming Sunday 5/19 on my trusty 2001 EC300. It is a time keeper with 3 loops totaling 100 miles, the format seems kind of difficult to follow but everyone I've talked to about it says it's like a trail ride with your friends with the occasional all-out "special test" section. Here is the ride flyer/ info on the D37 site:
http://www.district37ama.org/forums/...ad.php?t=57862
I bought my 300 about 1 year ago still on the original tires (with the nubs still on them at that!) with the goal of setting it up exclusively for rocks and tight single track. After adding fresh tires, a bunch of armor, and dropping to a 12 tooth CS sprocket I really didn't feel the need to mess with it any further. When it comes to high speed riding (think open desert) my big orange bike is my go-to, but with a critical rear suspension part in need of replacement and on backorder, it's time for the 300 to step in!
To say I'm on a tight budget is an understatement, but I knew I would have to do something to make the Gasser handle a bit better at speed. With less than $200 to go towards prep, I had to decide where my money would best be spent. Do I buy a mount kit so I can borrow the stabilizer off my other bike? Buy a set of proper knobby tires? (I'm running a trials tire on the rear) Nope, there is something much more important that I've been missing, it was time to finally buy the correct springs for my weight!
Without having a separate high speed adjuster on my rear shock, I've had to leave the low speed pretty loose to deal with trail trash at the expense of being able to tackle fast whoops and sailing off of fire breaks. I'm hoping that actually having proper springs will help to handle the bigger hits without giving up compliance on the little stuff (I know it will.)
I'm waiting on the springs still but I put a 13 tooth CS sprocket back on, slid my forks back down in the clamps, and bumped up my tire pressures a couple psi. I'll just have to deal with the trials tire on the mx track portion of the race and hone my drifting skills in the fast turns on the rest of the course.
At 29 years old racing in the C HWT class, I'm not expecting to be remotely competitive against the younger/fearless riders, but I'll be happy with a finish. Wish me luck, I'll update here with my outcome!