First Enduro - OCCRA Round 6

[strider]

Hi Everyone,

While I've been a roadracer for ~20 years, I've only been riding dirt since September, 2018 (the Alta is my first dirt bike). I've enjoyed riding around but I really want to complete to give me something to practice towards. I don't think Motocross is for me. I found that we have a local Enduro racing group, OCCRA, and their next round this weekend is pretty close to my house. So I'm going to go out there and see how I do.

They are 90-minute enduros. You complete as many laps as you can in the allotted time. At my pace I'm not worried at all about running out of juice.

I've made some tweaks to the EXR to get it ready:
Tubliss front and rear
Beefier handguards (Cyrca Pro-bend)
Removed the rear light assembly, front turn signals, and mirrors
AltaVault to protect the display
SX Slide Plate

Here she is in racing trim:


Anything else I should do?

I've also watched the Shane Watts DVDs several times but haven't practiced as much as I should.

My question for the forum. What all should I have on my person when riding? I have a Camelback that has room for a few items. I don't have tear-offs for my goggles so I'm definitely thinking I should have a few rags and maybe a small spray bottle to clean my goggles. I don't plan to fix a flat on the trail. If I get a flat I'm hoping I can finish the lap on the Tubliss and depending on how late in the race it is, patch it at my trailer or just hang it up for the day.

Based on the weather forecast I'm expecting it to be muddy with some water crossings. Right now my tires are at 7psi front and rear and I'm running the stock Metzler 6 Days Extreme.

Appreciate any info/advice and I'll update the thread as I go!

 

[snydes]

Looks great! I’m not a seasoned competitor, so I can’t help with race advice but you certainly seem to be on the right track! @OneLapper does similar events so he might have some words of wisdom for you!

 

[OneLapper]

Yo! Here I am!

I just ran the muddiest event I've ever seen in person this past weekend. I switched to the Bridgestone M59 tire up front and Kenda Ibex 120 in the rear, 6.5 and 4.5psi respectively. I was very impressed with the tires and Tubliss. Good in the mud, excellent on roots and rocks. Looks like you have the Shinko Fatty, I ran that up till this season. The M59 stays in the ruts much better and the traction was superb!

You really can't know what to expect until to get the green flag at your first moto! I have years of sports car racing under my belt, and I was nervous as hell when I lined up for the first moto!

Pace yourself, keep the forward momentum going at all times, watch out for the women (they have a chip on their shoulder and can be a bit rough on the newbies). Keep a mental note of what the suspension is doing. I fought with my suspension all last season. Over the winter I upgraded and now I'm very happy with the setup.

Hill, rocks, mud, ruts, logs, etc., you don't know what to do with them till you tackle them. Like I said, the first event is a real eye opener.

Last year was a throw-away season for me. I spent the season learning how to ride the Alta, learning how to race, learning what the bike didn't do the way I liked it. Plan on learning a lot and let the killer competitor in you be prepared to be humbled!

 

[OneLapper]

Oh, I'll add this: The Alta is a heavy bike and it's difficult for me to get it unstuck when I need to dead lift the bike out of a rut or up from the side of a hill. I'm going to add some straps to the front and rear of the bike to help get a better hold on it when I need to muscle it around. I lost several minutes on the last moto on Sunday when the foot peg got stuck under a thick root. I had to find a helper to help me pull the bike out.

 

[strider]

Thanks for the posts and for the tire reco. I'll wear these out and then give yours a shot. Let us know what you end up doing for handles/straps.

What all do you carry with you when on a moto?

 

[OneLapper]

Maybe my Camelbak if it's hot out. No tools. There's always an ATV to drag you back to the pits if need be.

I'd love to do some NETRA events with the Alta, but they are too long, the Alta doesn't have the range. For those I would carry what I thought I needed because it's one giant loop, 50-80 miles. The JDay events are 6 mile loops, so help is always close.

 

[strider]

Thanks! What do you do for goggle maintenance? Tear offs?

 

[Philip]

watch out for the women (they have a chip on their shoulder and can be a bit rough on the newbies)

Did they hurt you? Do tell!

 

[OneLapper]

Hell yeah, physically and emotionally. One young girl brake checks me every chance she gets. They are way more rude than the rest of the riders!

 

[Rix]

Hi Everyone,

While I've been a roadracer for ~20 years, I've only been riding dirt since September, 2018 (the Alta is my first dirt bike). I've enjoyed riding around but I really want to complete to give me something to practice towards. I don't think Motocross is for me. I found that we have a local Enduro racing group, OCCRA, and their next round this weekend is pretty close to my house. So I'm going to go out there and see how I do.

They are 90-minute enduros. You complete as many laps as you can in the allotted time. At my pace I'm not worried at all about running out of juice.

I've made some tweaks to the EXR to get it ready:
Tubliss front and rear
Beefier handguards (Cyrca Pro-bend)
Removed the rear light assembly, front turn signals, and mirrors
AltaVault to protect the display
SX Slide Plate

Here she is in racing trim:
View attachment 3122

Anything else I should do?

I've also watched the Shane Watts DVDs several times but haven't practiced as much as I should.

My question for the forum. What all should I have on my person when riding? I have a Camelback that has room for a few items. I don't have tear-offs for my goggles so I'm definitely thinking I should have a few rags and maybe a small spray bottle to clean my goggles. I don't plan to fix a flat on the trail. If I get a flat I'm hoping I can finish the lap on the Tubliss and depending on how late in the race it is, patch it at my trailer or just hang it up for the day.

Based on the weather forecast I'm expecting it to be muddy with some water crossings. Right now my tires are at 7psi front and rear and I'm running the stock Metzler 6 Days Extreme.

Appreciate any info/advice and I'll update the thread as I go!

So going back to my enduro racing days, since you are running Tubliss, carry a few CO2 cartridges for tire inflation and a tire plug kit. An extra master link and chain breaker, and as previously mentioned, a camel back with a 70-100oz bladder, and enough room for some tools, mainly a chain breaker, short handle crescent wrench, and a multi tool . Also, take about 5 strips of duct tape say 10-12 inches long, and tape them on top of each other on the top of the front fender. Its amazing what you can fix with a little duct tape on hand. This is a basic minimum set up. I used to carry this and way more, spare tubes, tire wrenches, flash light, food for the check points, wire cutters, wire. You don't need all that crap.

 

[Crash217]

How has the racing gone STRider?

 

[strider]

Man, it was brutal. Practice was cancelled because one of the creek crossings had risen to waist deep and they were worried about people getting washed out. The water receded overnight but it was so muddy! And it was super slippery clay mud.

They opened super early on race day for practice. I got one lap in. I must have fallen over 50 times. I was so sore after picking the bike up so many times. I did the typical newbie thing of going too slow which resulted in a ton of low speed tip overs. The bike ran great and I tractored up a few hills that others really struggled on. My goggles fogged up like mad. I ended up taking them off and riding without - just had to duck my head through the trees and let the helmet take the branches. I ordered a pair of aer-flo goggles but haven't tried them yet.

Several people warned me that I picked a heck of an event to be my first one and they weren't kidding. I haven't been back out there since. I'm hoping to get another event in this Fall but have to see how my other commitments line up.

 

[Crash217]

Yeah, that was a nasty race! I sent you a PM for further discussion since you're in my area.