joekarter

That's what I've noticed with the map switch as well. Something to keep in mind on long climbs. So far I like the extra bit of rev that it has over my Beta so that a turn in the middle of a slippery uphill isn't quite as dramatic.

I've got one installed and changed the gearing. Very much nicer than stock and far easier to ride.

Just for smoothing out the bottom. Many of our trials and my practice spot are round river rock. Anything that helps smooth out the power pulses is a good thing.

Looking for one, anyone got one sitting on the shelf?

Hey there. I'd like to upgrade the steel front axle in my 2020 to the aluminum one that's on the 21 and 22. Does anyone know if it's a direct fit? Thanks, Joe

About 18 years ago we had my grandson staying at the house with us. He was just learning to get around, and we had a glass patio door that had about an 8" step from inside the house to the back porch. Every day he'd just wander over and work at stepping inside and then back out....over and over again. The first bit he'd make it about one out of every ten times without wobbling around and falling on his butt, but by the end of the third week he had the thing mastered and moved on to bigger and crazier stuff around the house. What was funny, was how he'd be considerably better the next morning than he was just the evening before. It was almost as if his brain needed to think on it a bit before he could really process the necessary moter skills. It hit me that he was showing me something that we all pretty much forget as we grow older, and that's the way we learn how to do the most basic of tasks. While it may seem really simple, the best learning technique is just continual repetion until we master the skill. How does this apply to trials you ask? I'm not at all adverse to punching out of a section that I think is beyond my skill, but if I have to take the five out of fear of getting hurt I make a mental note of what the section looked like, and exactly what it was that had me scared to give it a go. Later while I'm out practicing, I try and find something similar that is just enough less intense that I feel comfortable and practice that until I'm confident I have the basic concept down. And then I go home and let my head process the technique. The next time I go out I try and use the same "section" but rework it to up the difficulty on the parts that gave me pause at the trials. Almost always, most of the fear is gone, and what seemed scary just a couple days before becomes managable. Hope this helps Joe

The museum at the Indianapolis speedway.....felt like I was in church

Husband’s Message (by mobile phone): Honey, a car hit me outside the office. Paula brought me to the Hospital. They have been doing tests and taking X-rays. The blow to my head doesn’t seem to have caused any serious injury, but I have three broken ribs, a compound fracture in my left leg, and they may have to amputate my right foot. Wife’s Response: Who's Paula?

The best Friday night video:

Here's another thing to consider. A lot of the aftermarket footpegs angle your body weight more toward the front of the bike. On many of them if you look at the surface where your foot rests you see that the back is higher in relation to the front. I had gone through several sets of pegs before I realized that for me, on a Beta, the best pegs are the ones that came with the bike. Yes, they're weaker than recycled soda cans, and yes they have um....marginal grip, but the angle and foot placement work better for me than anything else I've tried.

A man escapes from a prison where he’s been locked up for 15 years He breaks into a house and inside, he finds a young couple in bed. He ties him to a chair. While tying the wife to the bed, the convict gets on top of her, kisses her neck, then gets up and goes into the bathroom. While he’s in there, the husband whispers over to his wife, “Listen, this guy is an escaped convict. Look at his clothes! He’s probably spent a lot of time in jail and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, don’t resist, don’t complain. Do whatever he tells you. Satisfy him no matter how much he nauseates you. This guy is obviously very dangerous. If he gets angry, he’ll kill us both. Be strong, honey. I love you!” She responds: “He wasn't kissing my neck. He was whispering in my ear. He told me that he’s gay, thinks you’re cute, and asked if we had any Vaseline. I told him it was in the bathroom. Be strong honey. I love you, too.”

It helps me if I use something about a foot or two high to practice on, but pretend that it's much farther up. The technique is really the same it just takes the fear factor out of it. The move is really not so much more than a hop into space. A very small amount of gas and a bit of an unload at the same time. Be ready to absorb the landing with your legs and use a small amount of throttle when you land.

There is also a vintage club near you: http://www.newyorkaircooledtrials.com/ You might want to see if they seem like a good fit. If you start out on something like a Yamaha TY175, you can generally find one for less than $1000, ride it for two years and sell it for around........ oh say $1000. Vintage/twin shock stuff is a good way to get your feet wet, and my reasoning for recommending a Yamaha specifically is that they sold a million of the things and there's lottsa support and parts available.

A brilliant book on the subject of working in Formula 1 is: http://www.amazon.co...a/dp/0752827839 Very inspirational, well written, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the author gave you a thumbs up on the gearbox fix.

Really you had it nailed other than this.....We just learn to throw our bodies under the bike (don't want to muss the fine Italian craftsmanship)