Broome/Tioga ??

[thrownchain]

Anyone here coming up to Broome/Tioga for the racing on June 20 thru 22 ?? I know there were a few guys last year and with the price of gas what it is, there may be a smaller turn out. But I know the guys who made it last year had alot of fun. I'll be there on Friday, hope to see some Pentons there.

[dennis foley]

dan, i wont be there. 1st lap incident last weekend in lawton pa. has me laid up for the rest of summer. ia going to try mid ohio as a spectator but thats going to be a close call. i can do no weight bearing for six weeks, dennis

[thrownchain]

Alot of guys getting hurt, sorry to hear you're injured, hope for a speedy recovery.

[dennis brown]

i'm going up to ride the c.c.

dennis l.brown

[tooclose racing]

Is the cross country race on Friday?  Man..that will be tough to make, but things look good for Saturday's vintage racing.  I've just been 100% work-dedicated since I unloaded the trailer last Sunday night after Lawton, PA.  Flew to Wilmington, NC Tuesday morning and don't get home till tonight....dogs, cats, kids, house, LIFE.  I'm in the hotel lobby this morning doing NOTHING for the first time in seven days. It's glorious.

Anyway, wanna be there...and NOT on the freakin' national track. Looking forward to the  "grass" layout, whatever that look likes.

I'm picking up the phone and calling Al Buehner this morning.  I need brake shoes and a longer throttle cable to work with this 28mm Mikuni on my 125 6B motor - hopefully he has something that will work.  Understand he sells some cleated footpegs too.  I've got originals - they look the part, but combine them with smooth-sole boots and I'm cruisin' for a bruisin" some day soon.....

Dennis e-mailed me about his Allen's Farm disaster. I actually didn't get a chance to meet you face-to-face Dennis - you went down early and  I showed up late...I'm truly bummed for you and your situation.  It's Margaritaville for you, pal.  

By the way - talk about gas.  Three hours down to Lawton and back was good for about $100.00 worth.  Yeee-ouch.  I'm going to have to put coffee cans at the grocery store check-out with a picture of the Six Day on them. [:I]

[tooclose racing]

So..getting ready for Broome with bike clean-up, carb remount (NEW hose and clamps), a little emory cloth on the drum brake surfaces (still trying to get this CMF to stop []) and...CRAP!  The top of the airbox to carb airboot melted thru from being in contact with pipe. And it's Wednesday night. Two phone calls this morning and I'm all set - a POG member is overnight'ing an airboot from his next Six Day work-in-progress.

You know who you are.  Thank you, Sir.

[Ernie Phillips]

tooclose,  I do not want to hear anymore about your carb coming loose . You might want to try an ol' Maico trick[8D] – loop a small bungee or spring around the carb and hook to cooling fins.  If you need to lube the rubber hose to get it to fit over the spigot, try something like carb or brake cleaner - something that evaporates and does not leave any slick residue.  Wishing you good prep. & good luck!  -EP

Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN

[Lew Mayer]

TooClose,
 I missed you at the CC?

Dang Mikuni@#!!

Lew Mayer

[Glenn Berry]

Cross country track at broone/tioga was great, at least for the vintage race. At the start of post vintage there was a down pour. Thanks to everone that had a hand in putting it on. One of the most novice friendly events I have had a chance to run. If anyone is thinking of trying cross country this would be a excellent one to try.

Glenn Berry

[thrownchain]

Lew, Too Close had his share of problems in the MX race, but I'll let him tell the story on his own time. Only guy piloting a Six Day. Good guy, friendly. He should do ok once he gets the "bugs" out.  

[tooclose racing]

Lew Mayer - I missed YOU at the vintage MX races on Saturday...Friday CC race was just not meant to be in 2008...

Great day at the Broome National..even as I continued my learning curve with my RCM (Reliability-Centered Maintenance...its a nuke term) program on the Six Day! Met Mr. Teddy Landers, Dan Killian (thrownchain), and a gentlemen riding a Mint out of Utica that runs a KTM dealership and laughed when I mentioned Fred Desantis (a dealer that goes waaayyy back located in Syracuse).  BTW - Nice Rolling City, er..RV, Ted. []

The grass track lay-out was an absolute blast, but got slippery as the day wore on - I'm talking about a "dry" slippery on the off-cambers as more and more loose stuff piled up.  Also cool was use of the Broome National Track starting gate and a bit of the course to feed us up to the grass track on the hill.  Kudos to the Broome Tioga management for track prep and also to the AHRMA folks.  Heck..I had lost my temp AMA card at Allen's Farm and still don't have my AHRMA card after faxing that application 3 weeks ago...and the registration personnel (after that long, resigned stare across the counter) said "no problem".  Loved the schedule, and actually found myself relaxing and checking out the great hardware.  I'm only racing classic 125 for now  but I did watch the +50's for the first time with a lot of interest.  Bottom line in that class is a Maico and some big-bore CZs pretty much put a whooping on the small-bores....

So..my races..yea, once again some challenges..but I FINISHED BOTH MOTOS, ladies and gentlemen! Figured out that my rear brake absolutely disappeared during practice,which was a real disadvantage - this track  had several turns that were definitely stop, point, and go.  Figured out that the brake arm had rotated on the backing plate shaft/cam splines..which looked really "tired" and I found myself in a bit of a conundrum.  If I tightened up to much on the securing nut, the back of the brake arm was binding against the hub, and would not spring-return when brake was released.  But if I didn't tighten up enough, arm was rotating on shaft and...no brakes.  Pedal to the..dirt.  Into the first moto I went thinking "light foot" or you'll lose 'em.  Race 5 was two wave start - experts first (only 4 or 5 bikes), then intermediates...Sportman 125, Classic 125, and some very trick Suzuki and Hodaka 100s that were part this new 100 class - these guys were clearly point-chasers on the national schedule.  Out of about a dozen, maybe 15 bikes on our start I actually got up to the grass track in 4th overall, with someone checking out on a CZ up front, and two hot-rod 100s in front of me.  Passed one of the 100s on the second lap and I'm pulling in the Combat-Wombat (the whole orange and blue thing going BTW)100 when I realize I have absolutely no rear brake again.....and on the third lap the pivot bolt on my clutch lever has backed out and its hanging by its cable!! AHH!!! I was actually learning to do some clutch slip on several points in the track to stay in a higher gear around the turns and...now I am reduced to a stumbling, bumbling fool.  And of course, throw in some neutrals for good measure...(have I got all the excuses or what? [^]).  Bottom  line is first the tricked out Suzuki 100 comes by, then a Husky 125 and finally - adding insult to injury..ANOTHER Husky 125.  So fourth in the classic 125s first moto, fifth overall.

Between the moto's we stare long and hard at the rear backing plate brake shaft. My good friend Rick Ketcham simply takes off a very thick washer that was on the shaft - between the arm and the backing plate and Oila' - good splines revealed AND we are now able to cinch the arm up tight without it binding against the backing plate. BRAKES!!!! The clutch lever bolt was totally my fault.  Former Husky racer John Manly had helped me figure out how to remove my upper triple clamp and tighten my steering head nut on Friday night when we were bike-prepping and had pointed out that I needed a 10mm nut on the backside of the pivot bolt.  Yours truly muttered some kind of lip service answer...

Anyway...Moto 2 start and I really do a racer faux-pas and totally move over on one the Huskys in the run down the straight to the first turn.  He told me after the race he had to shut down completely and ended up last thru the first two turns.  I must have told this guy I was sorry ten times after the race.  Anyway...I found myself in third overall up on the grass course and then passed the Hodaka Hot Rod for second overall and then found a great turn exit to Become One with neutral between second and third. I'm so amped that I'm not helping matters much with the engine revs, but I finally settle down, watch Pabatsco, Inc. leave me, and realize the Suzuki is back and the Husky is with him.  By end of lap 2 they get by me and I realize that I WAS NOT USING my rear brake - how's that for some FAITH NO MORE reverse psychology?  Calmed down, started using rear brake, and really enjoyed myself for the next three laps.  I pulled the guys in front of me back a bit but by then it probably just came down to good old conditioning, or lack thereof.  End result - fourth overall, third in my class, third for the day in six or seven bike sign-up for classic intermediates.

28mm Mikuni carb update #2 - stayed on, worked great, still wants to pull away from the cylinder a bit, need to check hose clamp(s) tightness each moto, and..a bit of interference between carb cap and pipe that I need to address.

Just some more FYI trivia from this AHRMA vintage national (post vintage runs today - Sunday).  They had a 107 rider sign-up, vs. about 140 last year (if anyone else heard the stat and I got it wrong, please chime in) and the consensus was that it came down the price of a gallon of gas.  The race director got a lot of calls from guys saying they just couldn't justify coming.  Apparently we had a bigger turn-out than the previous AHRMA national just held in Casey, Il. though.  

So I'll go ahead and make the case for 2009 - I may be a new kid on the block, but this is a great National.  This little piece of southern tier New York real estate is just gorgeous.  I hope the numbers are up again next year.  And finally..anybody here on the east coast going to Log Road in Michigan in July?

[thrownchain]

I did notice that alot of the race transports were from the "NE". NY, Pa, Oh, Ct, Md and even some Canadians, but there was at least one guy from Louisiana and maybe some others I didn't see. But it was a decent turnout. One year I'll have to do all three days.

[Lew Mayer]

Glad to hear they had a better turn-out for the MX races. CC was a bit light but everybody including the track owners understands the current economic situation. Thanks to the track owners for having us.

Lew Mayer