Trail Rider Magazine

TrailRiderBoss — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:07:50 +0000

Forty Years Ago
April, 1970: Following the success of Bob Hick’s Cycle Sport newspaper, the New England Trail Rider magazine is created and offered to readers everywhere in New England. In his first “Along My Way” editorial, a very youthful Bob Hicks, slim and obviously sporting the dirt biker’s “farmer’s tan” had this to say about his new magazine:
“Cycle Sport has reached a point of saturation, jammed monthly with news of competition. Precious little room exists now in that magazine for general interest news and reports on just trail riding. And trail riding is becoming a big thing, bigger than you may realize. Our own involvement in trail riding, for pleasure and for sport, is considerable. The amount of material that comes our way, which we feel would be of interest to most trail riders, is also considerable. So we’re starting this new magazine.”
Those were different days, dear readers. We were all riding a wave had begun in the late ‘40s, that we’d only become aware of in the mid ‘50s, and we only started learning how to take advantage of in the early ‘60s. Nearly everybody had a job, a good paying job. The country was in the black. Real estate was relatively cheap, everybody had gotten television and telephones and everyone had a paid vacation or two to look forward too. We were suddenly the richest nation in the world, and we were learning to play.
One of the things we turned into toys were motorcycles. Motorcycle gangs and the bad-boy image of The Wild One be damned; none of that culture was even remotely connected to the flood of cheap, new Japanese trail bikes streaming over the ocean; other than the obvious two-wheeled thing. Word got out that we could ride these new “dirt bikes” off the road in vacant lots and corn fields, and it sounded like a good idea to a relatively large segment of a fun-seeking population. Almost overnight, it seems now, the trail bike boom was born.
But that’s not to say that off-road riding and racing was suddenly born as well. Hey, we’ve got Hertfelder on the back page; he will remind you daily about the days of Harley Davidsons in enduros, and Indians and Triumphs and all those old road tanks converted into off road racers. But that was the hardcore. That was the group that was already being catered to in Cycle Sport, with its coverage of flattracking, enduros, “scrambles”—the origination of what we now call motocross—and every other form of competition dreamed up for any motorcycle you cared to race. Trail Rider was the advance guard of an off-road revolution made easily accessible by the onslaught of Japanese trailbikes in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
The Japanese did not start trail riding, make no mistake about that. You were already easily able to get your hands on an Ossa or Bultaco in New England in 1970, probably easier than a Yamaha DT-1 at first. You could also get a Greeves or a Triumph with knobby tires, or a Husqvarna; or one of the new bikes being made by John Penton, as long as you would be satisfied with only 100 or 125cc. Which was not seen as a bad thing back then. After years of playing in the woods with a huge Harley, plenty of guys were eager to try out a 100cc machine that weighed one-third as much as the tank they used to ride. And again, we all had the money to experiment with all these new toys, so why not?
True to his mission, Bob gave a lot of space in his first issue of Trail Rider to reading maps and figuring out where to ride. In the beginning of the magazine there is an index to Geological Survey maps for central New England, and where to buy them; plus there was a feature devoted to the official trail bike policy for the National Forests in New England. Talking about the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, and the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, this was said: “In both areas, motorcycles are permitted excepting certain well-defined trails and wilderness areas.” Times have changed, eh? A couple of pages also point out that motorcycles aren’t allowed on the Appalachian Trail, and the Long Trail system in Vermont. It’s funny to think of a time when the riding legality of these two world-famous trails would have to be pointed out!
A competition calendar was also printed in the first issue of Trail Rider, with 16 events on the schedule for 1970. Two events on the calendar ring a bell, the Somers enduro in Somers, CT, which still happens every year today, and the Salmon River Ramble, a name familiar up until a few years ago. Interesting to note that both events were put on by the Rams M.C., who were actually responsible for five enduros on the schedule, including the Monadnock International enduro out of Keene, NH, and the Headless Horseman enduro out of Northampton, Mass. Knowing these areas today, I wonder how difficult it would be to find terrain for an enduro in 2010?
On the other hand, I also wonder about two enduros in Bennington, Vermont, back then, the Bennington enduro and the Catamount enduro, put on by the Green Mountain Riders. That part of Vermont is still relatively quiet. I wonder if enough riding land remains there to resurrect an enduro, only waiting for the attention of a tireless new club?
We could speculate and argue on the ability to put on enduros anywhere today, so we’ll leave that be. What I do want to point out, is that in 1970, at the birth of the New England Trail Rider magazine, NETRA, the New England Trail Rider Association, still did not exist. It would be, soon enough, but not as of this first issue.
An article on setting up your trail bike advises, “If you like, fit an auxiliary ignition coil ready to swap over to should the regular unit give out. By all means use a compression release on a two-stroke, one with a filter to prevent taking in gritty outside air. Downhill braking in mud is best done with the compression release.”
Okay, show of hands: how many people remember what a two-stroke compression release was? It was (is, since you can still get them if you really hunt around the ratty old bike shops) a valve that screwed into the second spark plug hole in your cylinder head (you do have two spark plug holes, don’t you?) that was actuated by a cable and lever at the handlebars. With a compression release, you would pull the lever in and open the release, especially on a downhill, and with the bike in gear and the clutch out you could take advantage of a type of engine braking that wouldn’t immediately result in the rear wheel locking up and coming around on you. A compression release was especially handy, since the first mud puddle you rode through soaked your brakes and left them completely ineffective, and they won’t stop you anyhow.
This first issue of trail rider also mentioned Bud Peck, Al Eames, Piet Boonstra and Dave Latham, among others, all destined to become famous locally and nationally for their participation in this “new” sport of trail riding.
It was the beginning of the glory days, forty years ago. More next month.

ISDT Reunion Ride Success in Ohio

TrailRiderBoss — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:28:54 +0000

The Enduro Riders Association put on the annual ISDT Reunion Ride in McArthur, Ohio, this past October, adn the event was a huge success! Look for a story on the ISDTRR in the upcoming January ‘10 issue of Trail Rider.

Bud Green and John Penton

In the mean time, if you attended the event you might be interested in buying a picture or two of yourself. For the first time, we’ve actually posted all the pictures we took at the event on PhotoReflect, and made then available for anyone who might be interested. Since we had a grain of an idea that we might actually do this ahead of time, we actually made it a point to take a shot of everyone there. Well, everyone who made it past the first special test! There is a creek crossing photo from Saturday morning, and then there are photos of every race from the Sunday final motos. 587 photos in all were uploaded from the 2009 event, so there ought to be plenty to choose from.

As if that weren’t enough, we’ve also uploaded all our extras on file from the 2006 Reunion Ride in Park Hills, Missouri, and the 2004 Reunion Ride from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Why not? It takes very little thought after you’ve struggled through the process of getting signed up at PhotoReflect, so we figured if anyone was interested, there they’d be. Just go to PhotReflect.com and search for ISDT, and you’ll find them all.

We’re also going to try to put a direct link button at the bottom of this note. If it’s there, click on it, and if it works, great!

Anyhow, thanks to all who attended, and thanks for your interest in the photos. If this works out, and helps us cover a little bit of our expenses, we’ll be putting up more event photos in the future.

And of course, look for the story in the January Trail Rider!

Paul Clipper

Find Your Photos Here!

Cyclepedia Announces Suzuki DR200 Online Service Manual

admin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:38:35 +0000

Cyclepedia Press LLC (cyclepedia.com) is proud to announce their online Suzuki DR200 repair manual. The Cyclepedia.com Suzuki DR200 online service manual features detailed full-color photographs and color wiring diagrams, complete specifications with step-by-step procedures performed and written by a veteran factory trained technician.

The Cyclepedia Press LLC Suzuki DR200 SE online motorcycle service manual features detailed full-color photographs and color wiring diagrams, complete specifications with step-by-step procedures performed and written by a veteran Suzuki dealer trained motorcycle technician.

The Cyclepedia Press LLC Suzuki DR200SE online motorcycle manual will show you how to repair and maintain the following Suzuki Dual Sport motorcycles:

1996 Suzuki DR200 SET Dual Sport
1997 Suzuki DR200 SEV Dual Sport
1998 Suzuki DR200 SEW Dual Sport
1999 Suzuki DR200 SEX Dual Sport
2000 Suzuki DR200 SEY Dual Sport
2001 Suzuki DR200 SEK Dual Sport
2002 Suzuki DR200 SEK2 Dual Sport
2003 Suzuki DR200 SEK3 Dual Sport
2004 Suzuki DR200 SEK4 Dual Sport
2005 Suzuki DR200 SEK5 Dual Sport
2006 Suzuki DR200 SEK6 Dual Sport
2007 Suzuki DR200 SE K7 Dual Sport
2008 Suzuki DR200 SE K8 Dual Sport
2009 Suzuki DR200 SE K9 Dual Sport

When you subscribe to the Suzuki DR200SE online motorcycle manual you’ll get instant access to the following information:

Periodic Maintenance – Periodic Maintenance Chart, Clutch Cable Adjustment, Throttle Free Play, Brake Bleeding, Engine Idle Speed, Drive Chain Adjustment, Rear Brake Inspection, Front Brake Pads, Engine Oil, Spark Plug, Air Filter Servicing, Spark Arrestor, Tires, Valve Clearance, Compression Test

Quick Reference – DR200SE Specifications, VIN and Engine Number Location, Torque Specifications, General Torque Specifications

Fuel System – Carburetor Removal, Carburetor Installation, Carburetor Assembly, Carburetor Disassembly, Carburetor Specifications, Fuel Strainer, Airbox

External Components – Side Covers, Seat, Fuel Tank, Footpegs, Front Number Plate, Handlebar, Front Fender, Rear Fender, Exhaust System

Engine – Engine Specifications, Camshaft Removal, Camshaft Installation, Cylinder Head, Valves, Starter Motor, Cylinder and Piston, Clutch, Left Engine Components, Left Side Install, Right Engine Components, Oil Pump, Engine Removal, Engine Installation, Crankcase Splitting, Crankshaft, Crankcase Assembly, Transmission Removal, Transmission Assembly

Final Drive – Drive Chain, Engine Sprocket, Rear Wheel Sprocket

Front Brake – Brake Disc, Front Brake Specifications, Master Cylinder, Front Brake Caliper

Rear Brake – Rear Drum Brake, Brake Rod and Pedal

Wheels – Wheel and Axle Inspection, Front Wheel, Rear Wheel, Bearing Replacement

Steering – Removal, Bearing Replacement, Installation

Front Suspension – Fork Removal and Installation, Front Fork Assembly, Front Fork Disassembly

Rear Suspension – Shock Removal, Shock Installation, Specifications, Swing Arm

Electrical System – Electrical Specifications, Ignition System, Charging System, Starter System, Switches, Wiring Diagram, Lights

Online Suzuki DR200 SE Parts Diagrams

Suzuki DR200 SE Troubleshooting

For more information see: http://www.cyclepedia.com/suzuki-dr200se-online-service-manual/

ISDE Reunion is on the Horizon

wyatt — Sun, 31 May 2009 02:17:43 +0000

http://www.enduroriders.com/

Vintage Roscoe Stories

wyatt — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:30:38 +0000

The wheels of justice roll slowly and the alignment is off. Freak Show’s plea-bargaining abilities did not rise to my expectations. The jailhouse shrink report carried more weight than I anticipated. One condition to my release was to participate in a court-ordered observation period of 72 hours. Afterwards, I would spend a minimum of two weeks in group therapy at the city’s finest Nut-bin. I would find my inner feelings looking at inkblots and answering questions like “Aren’t you afraid to touch doorknobs?” I’d seen it before. In my family, interventions happen at Christmas when everybody gathers to tell you how you’re screwing up . . . Good times.

It is uncomfortable learning your “doctor” is straight out of school. Doc tripped over his feet fumbling with a clipboard. He described the battery of tests I would take in the next three days and quipped, “I hope you stick around. We hate to tell the court that you were not cooperative.” I replied that I was not Harvey Mushman and this was not “The Great Escape “. The young fellow scribbled notes and asked, “Who is Harvey Mushman?” Sensing this was test number one I told Doc that racing motorcycles was more than a gimmick to Steve McQueen. He was a serious motorcycle racer who often registered as Mushman because he did not want to draw attention to himself. With a bewildered look and a shoulder shrug, my newly graduated, smart as a whip, wet behind the ears Doctor asked, “Who is Steve McQueen?” . . . I was in trouble.

Things were not going well. The staff would congregate at my door and whisper. Internal resentment festered – that monkey put me here. One nurse understood my frustration and extended an understanding hand. Her advice . . .”Don’t fight the medication.” Then I remembered a quote by William Jefferson Clinton . . . “If you find yourself in a big hole, stop digging.” I had to agree with the hippie. I kept my stories quiet, took their tests, and told them what they wanted to hear. I had fun the next couple of days finger painting but I kind of missed Tater, Leelee and our adventures. Visiting day arrived. Freak and Tater showed, bringing gifts. Doc saw the bonafied monkey and released me to Gen-Pop, a whole new world and a whole bunch of new friends. With a bare-assed hospital gown and a restored sense of freedom, I was ready for Gen-Pop.

The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. . . In my case, twelve steps and a pair of pants. Twelve step programmers are natural moochers. Most anonymous support groups take the alcoholic steps, remove the word alcohol, and insert the habit necessary. Alcoholics, Sexaholics, Gamblers, Food Addicts, and Cocaine users jump in. There is a support group for you. In Gen-Pop, the first thing you do is sign up for the Substance Abusers Softball League. It is supposed to introduce you to the rest of the gang and their problems. No bats or ball, just a bunch of crazies standing in the yard screaming “Hey Batter, Swing!” Al Unser said Robert Downey was last year’s MVP. Not THE Al Unser, this Al was a 6 ft. Jamaican and his racecar was, in fact, an old office chair. Man, could he hot lap the bases.

Time flies when you are on behavioral modifiers. During my stay I wondered how to make twelve steps work. “1.We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.” Okay, I admit I am powerless over monkeys -that our lives had become unmanageable. “10.Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”. I have three motorcycles and a monkey. I was wrong about the monkey. The rest of the steps rely on God for help. While God might have made both man and monkey, history shows you don’t mix monkeys with religion. It didn’t work for Darwin.

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Brushy Mountain Motorsports Park

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:37:32 +0000

Finding a new place to ride can sometimes be challenging depending on where you live. If you reside anywhere in the South East you should reward yourself by making the trek to Brushy Mountain Motorsports Park located in Taylorsville, NC. I went this past Monday and the trails are better than ever. Check out the video that gives some idea of what the trails are like. There’s even a natural terrain MX track.

Here’s some more info from their website:

Established the Spring of 2002, Brushy Mountain Motor Sports Park designs, builds, and maintains trails specifically for the dirt bike and sport quad rider.

The park consists of over 1,700 acres with over 65 miles of trails nestled in the the beautiful Brushy Mountains of North Carolina.

Trails range from intermediate to expert with elevations ranging from 1300-2500° above sea level. All trails are heavily wooded and offer challenges for all levels of rider expertise. There’s also a youth trail. (Before coming to the park with children, we do ask that you read over all the legal information on our Rules & Regulations page concerning children and riding.)

NCHSA Championship SeriesBrushy Mountain was the winner of the 2002 and 2004 NC Hare Scrambles Association Track-of-the-Year and tied for 1st Place for the 2002 Mini Track-of-the-year.

Visit their website at: http://www.bmmspark.com\

In the event of bad weather call the Park at (828) 635-7766 to verify it’s open for riders.

Be sure to tell the owner, Richard Mull, that Trailrider magazine sent you!

We Have All Been There…

wyatt — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:27:11 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M1piWiuYcE

Why ride enduro? Well because its dog gone fun. Which happens at certain points on your enduro journey, your about as happy as if you lost your dog. Ride an enduro or two and you will find yourself laughing hard at this video. Why? Because for some reason we still keep pushing that boulder up the hill…Watch the entire video, good stuff.

Wicked Super Grand Opening!

wyatt — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:33:55 +0000

Join Wicked Motorsports www.wicked136.com Saturday April 25th for our Grand Opening Party. We’ll have trials demonstrations, food, giveaways and prizes all day long.

Check out our special grand opening prices on dozens of items and be sure to catch the Elastic Waste Band. We’re proud to serve the Indianapolis area and want to thank all of our past and future customers for their support.

The fun starts at 8am and lasts until 5pm or even later.

If you need a place to stay please feel free to pull up a cot.

For directions, call us at 317-290-0071. We look forward to seeing everybody.

Jumping Choya

Fugitive Dust

wyatt — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:43:50 +0000

Somewhere in this photo is a man on a machine working his way up a mountain. I have ridden many a foot trail in this part of Arizona and to tell you the truth never, once met a hiker, yet the town of nearly 45 miles away wants to ban these trails from off-road bikes because of the “fugitive dust”.

I suspect the founders of our great country did not suffer insomnia from the idea of fugitive dust. So it goes…get rid of the trails bring in the golf course’s. I ride mostly off-road and love meeting people of like mind, but for crying out loud we have the fugitive dust patrol on alert while the earthmovers make way for your next tax expenditure.

Trail Rider Staff Hires Valerie Bertinelli

wyatt — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:51:22 +0000

Trail Rider’s staff had allowed itself to go fallow over the long winter. The staff’s combined waist-line has topped one nautical mile. In order to qualify for group health insurance the boss man has hired Valerie Bertinelli to help whip them into shape. Mr. Clipper, the bossman, was heard to say, “If Val can be pushing 50 and look that good in a bikini, I see no reason why we can’t.”