Fun!

[x-bird]

One reason i'm going a little "overkill" with the yerf is that I'd like to be able to run in this .... think it would survive? Warning--helmet cam on a quad = neckache for the viewer ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaD8W...feature=colike

[GX150]

Those are the type of trails I ride but never for competition. Mine have bigger trees closer together and more elevation changes, but my Yerf with 22" tires did well on them. I now run a 250 Joyner with 25" tires on the same trails.

[metalstudman1]

Thanx for the warning!!! so true!! That is a great trail, are you going to race or just run the trail? It's definitely got some rough spots.

[x-bird]

I'd like to race it for kicks and giggles. It's really only open for that 3 times a year plus select practice weekends prior to the races. I went there for years with friends who raced everything from 3-wheelers/quads and jeeps, Also photog'd it for 4x4 perf. mag back in the mid 90s. I've mountain biked it and ridden my buddy's quad on it (i don't have the knees & back for those any longer--the guy in the video is really rocking it) it's pretty hard core. There used to be a really nice water hole and hill climb section, but they lost the rights to use that section. The organizers are willing to review the yerf when it's complete. The allow the Oddys. The Sunl with 1.5 tubing may actually be something i could enter in stock form (it already has 4 wheel disc brakes-- I have no time or $s for new front rims, tires, hubs and brakes for the yerf right now.

[ckau]

YEA the yerf can take it but be prepared to fix some stuff. I ran a rally style on some trails that looked almost identical in Pennsylvania a few years back. Won the 150 class and beat the 250 class times by almost a minute. only thing faster was a 650 roketa. I paid the price! numerous frame cracks, ball joints shot, one busted shock, and two dented wheels. but I'll do it again in a heartbeat.
One point a lot of folks don't figure on. Even though those machine have groups more power than you ,they still can"t travel that sort of terrain any faster than you. In fact you have an advantage over them by being securely buckled in while they gotta focus on not falling off for most of the ride. The quad riders will back off to keep from crashing while you can pedal to the metal and cruise through.

[x-bird]

If they allow the yerf in, i'd mostly be in with side by sides/utvs as they added a class for them sometime in the past 3-4 years. They may even toss me in with the full size buggies. The quads, trikes and bikes run first, buggies, trucks and jeeps start once the quads are 1/2 done with the 2nd lap so they don't encounter each other. Jeep passing quad while the quad rider loses it = splat would not be a good deal at all! SxSs and oddys are now sandwiched in between the two groups i'll bet. i'm not looking to win, just run this course as I've always loved it. you should see full sized buggies running it with missing front wheels, suspension and frame corner just utterly wiped off the thing and they don't quit. Some pretty hard core guys run some of the most god-awfully beat equipment through it year after year. One guy ran a pretty much stock mid 70s clapped out rust bucket wagoneer until the body finally fell just about completely off the frame one year. Another guy ran model A roadster (real Ford steel body) on god only knows what chassis. Granted this was back in the 80s/90s. Some of the vids show some pretty evil $$s equipment out there nowadays. I should post some of my pics of some of the stuff from there (I posted one in the photo contest)

I've been building on the yerf for the past 3 months to be pretty bulletproof as i've already got a tiny chunk of this same type of terrain in my back yard that busted her up pretty regularly. Remember, mine started life as a 3203 )))) . Bare frame weight is now up to 175 pounds without any suspension, swingarm or steering components on it. Stock I think was around 95 pounds.

[SYCARMS]

Parts of that trail remind me of St Joes in Missouri where the BuggyBash is held, but the one in the vid is tammer.

TOM

[EJ Mac]

Would be a fun race. Honestly if a yerf finishes that track I'd be surprised and amazed that kind of trail system in race format would hand my Joyner a serious beatdown.

[x-bird]

Just got an e-mail today from the race organizer ... the rockhound is IN if I want to run it in the UTV class ... this weekend! 2 laps of 3.5 miles of hell. the only worry i really have is the hillclimb section. Unlike the old section which included several rock ledges, from what i've seen, this one is just quite slick and pretty rutted up since this was shot 3 years ago. (youtube link to it below) I'm thinking it's time to throw some 10 g rollers and yellow clutch spring i have on the bench into her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66L4kMWptPA

[SYCARMS]

Looks like it would be a blast.

[x-bird]

there's a couple areas i'm "light" on the regs, but nothing's been set for utvs. It's about a 3 hour drive, and even though the e-mail came from the guy that founded the series I'd hate to get shot down during inspection. I'm going to add a quick roof, make some side nets and add a mirror. my brakes and low hanging axle housing are going to be the weak points. Hate to crack the housing on a rock.

[x-bird]

Well, she didn't survive the first lap. flatted my bad rear tire about 1/3rd to 1/2 way through and ended up busting out the bottom of the axle housing bottoming it out getting around the course to get to an access road at the first checkpoint. Not too long after the start i also "lost" the idler sprocket and chain tension because of overlooking the fact that its mount was only tacked in place after the last alignment session. that was a pretty fast 3 minute or so repair in the first 5-10 minutes into it, but then i lost another 15 minutes when it wouldn't start after the fix. finally found a loose wire on the starter solenoid. got going again but was also being lapped by the motorcycles/quads so i picked up the pace which likely helped lead to the flat. While i only ran about 1.5-2 miles of the course, it was well worth it to find out that a 150 can make it through this one and the rockhound as built looks like it can handle it without falling to pieces. the housing ... well, that's going to take some work. I'm either going to have someone weld some structural aluminum c-channel in as a repair--which would be much stronger than the casting, or build a metal housing. Video has all of the "downtime" cut out of it. shot on r4 on the gopro.

It's been about 10 years since i set foot on this course, came around that first turn and said "oooooh crap, look at the size of those rocks and ruts" lol Hard to see a lot of it because of the resolution, but the mud in the one section was nearly 2 feet deep of the thick, black gooey stuff. Will definitely do this again next year.

Ironically, the trailer drew more strange looks, headshakes and comments than the buggy did--but it got its fair share, especially from the oldtimers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx9ekQ6zj54&feature=plcp

[T3beatz]

Man that looked to be a pretty bumpy ride! that's kinda how St. Joe is here in MO, it's fun but if your buggy isn't up to snuff it will get bashed within minutes!

Hopefully next year you'll be ready!