- Likes
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- Location
- Connecticut
Coming right off the North East 24 Hour Challenge, we dropped the bus and car trailer for the Dodge pickup and Airstream trailer to head to Maine for the weekend!
The bus is a blast to drive, but it's a four speed non-synchro transmission with a super stiff double disc clutch. It's awful in stop and go traffic, great for wide open roads! Every year for this event we sit in traffic for ages, so the Dodge (Cummins HO w/6spd and a new South Bend Clutch) is the right vehicle for this trip; AC, super smooth and light clutch, mega power (350hp and 850tq), makes easy work of crappy driving Boston weekenders all trying to get home at the same time Sunday night.
I've compete in several of the J Day GPs. The GP's are 30 minutes motos, as many laps as you can get in, usually 75% woods and 25% motocross track. Usually not technical with the exception of the optional (and shorter) Extreme section. The Extreme section can be a super steep hill, logs, tires, rock garden, etc. You can bypass the Extreme section but that usually adds 10-30 seconds per lap.
This weekend, in addition to the GP, J Day had a classic Hare Scramble. 90 minutes, 6 mile loop, mostly tight and technical, including the motocross track, a long-ish straight shot across a field (55mph on the Alta). Based on the observations from the previous weekend's NE 24hr Challenge, I figured I could get four laps in if I took it easy. The NE24hr was an 11 mile loop with lots of fast cart road sections where 45mph was keeping pace. Those short fast squirts really suck up the battery! This 6 mile loop only had one long fast smooth straight, uphill and across the top of large field.
I'm happy to say that I was able to get 4 laps in, 24 miles, at a moderate pace (not quite race pace). I didn't let the wheel spin up when accelerating, I used regen for braking as often as I could even if it meant getting off the throttle earlier than I would have normally. I used map 2 the entire lap with the exceptions of my third and fourth laps, on the long straight I used map 3 then map 4 for the last lap. When I finished the battery had several bars left and it was flashing. When I plugged it in to charge, the battery showed just one sliver of charge available. Despite taking it "easy" to conserve the battery, I placed BETTER than I ever have! 9th out of 20 starters in C Senior (which is FILLED with sandbaggers that were clearly A riders at one point). Many of the C Senior times beat the B Senior and B Vet times!
I feel I have the suspension and tires dialed in for these types of events. The bike soaks up the huge rocks and logs, the tires at 4.5 to 7.5psi with Tubliss have great traction. I think I'm ready to move up one notch on the front spring rate, but that will require a re-valve so I plan on finishing out this season as it is. At the end of the season I'll send the suspension to the local shop/event sponsor that rebuilt my rebuilt shock.
Not many pictures yet, but I wanted to report that a 90 minute hare scramble is possible!
The bus is a blast to drive, but it's a four speed non-synchro transmission with a super stiff double disc clutch. It's awful in stop and go traffic, great for wide open roads! Every year for this event we sit in traffic for ages, so the Dodge (Cummins HO w/6spd and a new South Bend Clutch) is the right vehicle for this trip; AC, super smooth and light clutch, mega power (350hp and 850tq), makes easy work of crappy driving Boston weekenders all trying to get home at the same time Sunday night.
I've compete in several of the J Day GPs. The GP's are 30 minutes motos, as many laps as you can get in, usually 75% woods and 25% motocross track. Usually not technical with the exception of the optional (and shorter) Extreme section. The Extreme section can be a super steep hill, logs, tires, rock garden, etc. You can bypass the Extreme section but that usually adds 10-30 seconds per lap.
This weekend, in addition to the GP, J Day had a classic Hare Scramble. 90 minutes, 6 mile loop, mostly tight and technical, including the motocross track, a long-ish straight shot across a field (55mph on the Alta). Based on the observations from the previous weekend's NE 24hr Challenge, I figured I could get four laps in if I took it easy. The NE24hr was an 11 mile loop with lots of fast cart road sections where 45mph was keeping pace. Those short fast squirts really suck up the battery! This 6 mile loop only had one long fast smooth straight, uphill and across the top of large field.
I'm happy to say that I was able to get 4 laps in, 24 miles, at a moderate pace (not quite race pace). I didn't let the wheel spin up when accelerating, I used regen for braking as often as I could even if it meant getting off the throttle earlier than I would have normally. I used map 2 the entire lap with the exceptions of my third and fourth laps, on the long straight I used map 3 then map 4 for the last lap. When I finished the battery had several bars left and it was flashing. When I plugged it in to charge, the battery showed just one sliver of charge available. Despite taking it "easy" to conserve the battery, I placed BETTER than I ever have! 9th out of 20 starters in C Senior (which is FILLED with sandbaggers that were clearly A riders at one point). Many of the C Senior times beat the B Senior and B Vet times!
I feel I have the suspension and tires dialed in for these types of events. The bike soaks up the huge rocks and logs, the tires at 4.5 to 7.5psi with Tubliss have great traction. I think I'm ready to move up one notch on the front spring rate, but that will require a re-valve so I plan on finishing out this season as it is. At the end of the season I'll send the suspension to the local shop/event sponsor that rebuilt my rebuilt shock.
Not many pictures yet, but I wanted to report that a 90 minute hare scramble is possible!
