Speedy is so EXCITED about Saturday's ride that I can't SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!! So after ATTEMPTING to sleep & saying good-bye to the wife & receiving a few warm wet licks from my canine freinds , I head for Frackville, Pa. at 11:30pm Friday nite & motor north towards our next Great Adventure in the hills of Pa. Jim & Chad will be on hand to let us see for the first time HOW BAD these new 450R Honda's can be IF setup properly !!! Yamaha has been getting ALL the press coverage up to this point! YFZ this & YFZ that! These Honda boys are out to PROVE A POINT!!!!!!!!!!!
With only 1 hour sleep in two days I find the trip north a challenge at times . :( After a few pit stops for munchies & some carbonated beverages to juice me up , the trip goes by fast & before long I'm in Motel 6's parking lot & TRYING to sleep , but with NO LUCK!!! TOO EXCITED about today's ride! YEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Time drags by , but eventually I find a place to feed my face & by 8:00am the parking lot is bustling with Speedball's anxious to RIDE!!!!!!!! Mike Yucha , Chris , Tom , Brian , Joe, Chad & Jim( CRASH ) greet Speedy for today's ride . Jim on his new 520KTM dirt bike eventually joins the group for today's jaunt across the mountains!
Before too long with Speedy & his 400ex leading the way , we head out across the mountains towards Pottsville , Pa. & points beyond. The pace is decent at times , BUT with little rain & conditions somewhat dry, too much speed means the back of the pack would eat gobs of DUST if we go too fast. NOT GOOD! Hopefully we will find sections of trails that are damp enough to let the 450R's open the wick & see HOW FAST these new Honda's are????????
Up & over mountain after mountain we go with Chris & Mike banging bars at most every turn & swapping trail position with each new bend in the trail! LOL! I can also see the new Honda's are chomping at the bit , so at the first wide open straight stretch I drop the hammer on the 400ex & it's GOOOOOOOOOOOOO TIME!!!!! VAROOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
By the time I hit fifth gear Mike Yucha's Raptor is easing past me & THEN BOTH 450R Honda's come out of NO WHERE & BLAST past me & SHOWER me with TONS of stones of all sizes !!!!!!! The combination of all that POWER & the Mud Machine's mounted on the rear wheels of these Honda's is TOO MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only am I being pelted with a hail storm of rocks , I CAN'T see a DANGED THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I SLOWLY ease off the throttle & steer to the side of the road to collect my wits & NOT cause a major wreck in the midst of the THICK dust clouds that 450R Honda's have created! Tom , Brian & Joe on their 4x4 quads at the rear of the pack would be enveloped in a huge cloud of dust at this point & from time to time lose contact with the main pack & have to be found. So I did my best to keep the speed to a MODEST pace out of concern for my back markers & NOT because we couldn't go faster!
During the course of the day this would happen EVERY time the 450R's would drop the hammer & head to the front of the pack! BAD QUADS!!!! NOW it was time to see IF the FAST quads could conquer the coal banks of Pa. ???????
So off we headed towards Minersville, Pa. & some tune up hills before the REALLY BIG ONES!!!! HE! HE!
As we approached the first set of decent coal banks , Speedy & the 400ex is the first to try his luck at hill climbing. HE! HE! As I swerved around Jim ( CRASH) to approach the hill , I lose momentum , but press on & halfway up ,I realize I don't have enough speed to make it in second gear as usual & bang FIRST !!! With the modified CDI I find enough RPM's & wheel speed to head up the hill, BUT a big rock jams my right tire & makes the quad veer HARD to the left & STOPS!!!! At about the same time my A$$ slides off the seat & goes PLUNK against the ground! I gaze skyward & wait for the 400ex to tumble backwards & on top on me! UGLY!!!!! BUT fate is on my side & the BIG rock which caused this situation also SAVED the day! HE! HE! The 400ex teeters between flipping & NOT ?????? With the help of Chad it's not too long before Speedy & the 400ex are safely back on level ground! PHEWEEEEEEEEEEE! Close call!!!! LOL! I'm done hillclimbing for the day!!!!
The 450R's make a mockery of this coal bank & head out for MORE challenging hills. They find BIGGER & STEEPER coal banks during the course of the day , BUT conquer EVERYTHING they attempt with EASE!!!!! these Honda's are BADDDDDDDDDDDD!
Brian & Joe both suffer simultaneous breakdowns & need assistance from fellow Speedball's to make their 4x4 quads trail worthy once again. TEAMWORK prevails & as usual we find a way to get everyone back to Motel 6 in one peice & SAFE & SOUND!
Was a GREAT day with WONDERFUL people & looking forward to our NEXT Great Adventure with my fellow Speedball's in the mountains of Pa. ! BELOW are some photos to show you our triumphs & also our trials & tribulations that we experienced during the course of the day! HE! HE!Hope you enjoy! Your AARP atv buddy! GOOD-NITE!
SPEEDY RACER
