| Author |
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Usroute66
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 02:23 pm: | 
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Al, Sorry to hear about your get off. Ebear has been on me to get a dirt bike and now I know why I don't need one. Hope U mend soon. |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 05:27 pm: |
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Scott,
Just like street bikes, they only hurt you to the extent you let them. You NEED a dirt bike, trust me. You'll become a better street rider. Just don't go climbing 50 foot steep berms and you won't fall 50 feet. I got a little careless, that's all. And I'll be fine in a few weeks.
Ferris,
I've thrown aerobee's. Like you said, set up right, you can play catch at 100 yards. Not set up right, and you spend a LOT of time fetching discs! I may be getting old and slow, but I've still got some pretty wicked throws so I tend to play handler a lot. I can pull field length with a forearm and can hammer to the back of the end zone from half field. Like you said, there's few things I do well, throwing disc is one of them. Did you play on club teams and such?
Al |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 07:30 pm: |
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Al, i've never played any team Frisbee. i was way more into high-performance catch with an equal partner, focusing on precise short- and long-range targeting, creative catches, and never, EVER, NEVER letting the Frisbee touch the ground, injury be damned.
i also dig playing "Guts", where you take the biggest disc you have (a 165 is perfect), stand about 20 feet apart, and hurl the thing at each other with everything you've got. doesn't count as a drop if the throw is bad, but at this range it's hard to miss (and easy to get hurt). oddly enough, this is one of those gross motor skills where consuming alcohol actually makes you better.
i have found few partners over the years that can "play" Frisbee at the level i like to play, but when i do, i'm like the Lab that keeps bringing back the stick - i don't know when to quit.
it's been a LONG time since i've thrown in anger (er, about 35 or 40 pounds ago) but i've got three weapons at the ready downstairs in the garage, including a nicely broken-in Aerobie, waiting for the right opportunity. (btw, Aerobie's do NOT float...)
Ultimate sounds like fun, altho i bet i'd way suck at it for awhile as i learned the ropes.
have ya ever got wacked on your favorite abusive substance and played at night with a glow-in-the-dark disc? lots of fun, but you're guaranteed to take a couple of painful hits off the nose in the process.  |
Reepicheep
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 28, 2004 - 10:10 pm: |
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I played a couple games with the Blue Meanies out of Ohio in high school, and played a few times on and off after that.
They actually have a group here at work that plays on thursdays out back, like Ferris, I am only about 35 pounds from joining them 
And I still want a dirt bike |
Reindog
| | Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 04:58 am: |
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Scott,
Gotta jump in here on this dirt bike thing. Snarfing dirt has some glorious moments but some ugly ones too if you let things wick out of control. Nonetheless, it is worth experiencing.
I took the sport up at Al's behest a couple of years ago. I purchased a 98 Honda XR400 and like my Buell, it is mostly stock. You can spank it, drop it, abuse the living hell out of it and it keeps on running. I am amazed at the reliability built into the machine. Being quasi-spazzamoto, I tend to biff a lot. Getting a good set of body armor is probably the best investment you'll ever make. I prefer carving up the desert like Ocotillo Wells over mountain terraforming as it is a lot more forgiving and has more options when the going gets weird. It is really fun to blast through the desert on a trail with no name. An added bonus is you get to fire marshal some excellent fires while consuming massive amounts of alcohol under the desert canopy of night. |
Usroute66
| | Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 01:10 pm: |
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Rdog writes..."An added bonus is you get to fire marshal some excellent fires while consuming massive amounts of alcohol under the desert canopy of night."
Well Rdog, now you have convinced me! However, it will have to wait a little...maybe in the summer. |
Reindog
| | Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 03:57 pm: |
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The SoCal Emergency Party Squad congratulates Al Lighton on his full recovery just in time for New Years last night at the Reindog compound.
 |
Jerry_haughton
| | Posted on Saturday, January 01, 2005 - 04:06 pm: |
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damn, that is a GOOD look! |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Sunday, January 02, 2005 - 01:32 pm: |
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Jerry, that would be an inaccurate statement
Thanks Tom for capturing me in on of my finer moments. If you guys thought Tom was a madman with a digital camera before, Santa brought him a high end SLR type digital camera and now he's over the top. The flash is going off continuously. You WILL be caught in some moment of embarassment if Tom is around these days, watch out!
Scott, summer is too late, riding season is over then. Mortgage the house, get one NOW while there's still plenty of good riding season left. XR400's and XR250's are plentiful and will do you right. Just do it! You'll thank me later, trust me on this.
My recovery is not complete, as I still can't sneeze without some level of excitement. However, I did play Ultimate on Thursday night, no layouts, and pretty much ran with one hand on my right chest to keep the jarring from hurting so much, but played nonetheless. I'll be out dirt biking in no time. Ebear, when's the next trip?
Al |
Ebear
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 04, 2005 - 04:11 pm: |
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Al...Great to here your up and around!!!By the way,not to make light of a painful situation but that crash of yours had a grace unmatched in the crashing world!!I had just completed my world winning pass ABOVE the ROCK for the first time(we'de been looking at this rock a few weeks before but weren't experienced(read nuts) enough to actually pass above it.
As you roll down to the basin we would turn around enough to site the heighth of the pass to aim a little higher next time and I saw Al aiming at the rock but he had a different arc going towards it...he was going to apex sooner which would take him closer to the rock...I then saw him go over the rock with the front wheel however the rear wheel hit the rock with the front wheel already coming down.This caused the rear end of the bike to buck which popped al over the bars allready being probably 15 feet above the landing spot.
He was over the bars and headed for the slope doing a right shoulder tuck so's not to land on his head.He then did a fetal tuck and rolled SIDEWAYS about 8 rolls down the hill.At the behest of this I had accelerated around the course and coming up on the hill pitched my bike to the ground.I was to him as he stopped rolling.Since he was gasping but moving I determined he was mobile but asked if his wind was knocked out of him...His grunt affirmed this and since I'm medically trained I knew to leave him to catch his breath and keep him from hurting himself on the surrou nding terrain.
He pretty much caught it immediately and asked Tom and I to save his bike...Ah there is a true dirtbike guy..."Hows my Bike!!"While he's practically knocked out!!....I'm ready Al and Tom!!!Hows about Camp Runamuck this time???
P.S....My point in this view of Al's tumble was that watching Al play Frisbee would be a real treat ,seeing how graceful he was at crashing!!
(Message edited by ebear on January 06, 2005) |
Ebear
| | Posted on Monday, February 28, 2005 - 07:50 pm: |
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News Flash!!!
Al remounts the Horse and whoops its •••!!
UP....
UUPP...
and OVER..!!
Who says the desert has no colour??
The Reinman in front of the "Bowl of Death"!
Looking north from Blowsand Hill
Al on "Siesta"...(hey,its a workout ridin' these things!!)
Ok....Cool looking valley....bike hangin' off the back of truck..Hmmm...should I try a "Great Escape" on the fence??? |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 12:40 am: |
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Yea, but notice I ain't going ABOVE the rock any more and am staying on the predefined loops on the wall. I was more than a bit tentative to boot. The mind remembers what hurt it and tries to keep you from doing it again.
You get a picture of the evil rock that bit me? It was quite exposed from all the recent rains, was a lot bigger than I knew before.
Did you get a closeup of the "bowl of death"?
Fun trip, glad to be out on the dirt bike again!
Al |
Firemanjim
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 02:49 am: |
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Somebody check to see if that poor man has a pulse----- |
Court
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 05:15 am: |
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Yeah...the guy doing the FMJH/JB2 imitation! |
Ebear
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 01, 2005 - 06:23 pm: |
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Some might wonder why I posted the picture of American Sport Bike AL napping..........somewhere out there are pics of Reindog and myself doing the same.....guess I needed to jump the gun!
Before the sparks started flying!
Theres the ROCK Al tried elevating over...
This planetary body was actually round...before my beer sodden eye got ahold of it!
One of the BEST campfires ever created!!
Is that DUFF BEER???
SEE YA..!!!! |
Usroute66
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 11:40 pm: |
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Reindog,
See ya soon...on my own bike! |
Usroute66
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 11:42 pm: |
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Oops! And Al L. too.
I took the plung! |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 09:55 am: |
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Ebear and I were chatting about this yesterday, we were gonna try tog et you out on our bikes before you took the plunge. You beat us to it, congrats!!!
But please tell me you didn't buy a brand new YZ450F as a first dirt bike, Scott.
Start citing this mantra: "Scratches on my dirt bike are cool. Scratches on my dirt bike are cool. Scratches on my dirt bike are cool". Keep saying it until you believe it. Biffing on a dirt bike goes with the territory, it's gonna get scratched and tweaked in a number of ways. Functionality is all you care about, save any anal concerns about cosmetics for your street ride. Trust me on this, it is a mindset that you need to adopt to enjoy the dirt. You NEED to be able to abandon your bike without concern for it to save your own butt.
I'm thinkin a desert trip on the weekend of April 1 is in order. You in?
Congratulations, you're gonna have a ball!
Al |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 10:00 am: |
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OH yea, get protection. Boots, gloves, helmet naturally, but also armor, dirt biking pants, and socks.
The EVS chest protector jerseys are the way to go, like the one I'm wearing in the pictures above. Much nicer for trail riding than the hard armor roost protectors. Highly recommended. |
Usroute66
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 11:25 am: |
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Al, Thanks!
April 1 is perfect. I will already be in the PS area and had planned on hauling the bike down there. No, I did not get the 450. After talking to Mark M. and the Yamaha salesman (who has been dirt biking since a kid, and whose kids dirt bike), we settled on the TT R250. I think it will be a great bike for me that I can use for many years. With a 6 speed tranny, air cooled, electric start, and easy maintenance, it should last me a long time. It is supposed to have a wide power band and lots of low end torque. Besides, it is cheap and they gave me a great OTD price that equaled most used bike prices I saw of the same vintage.
Thanks...I will check out the EVS chest protector. Yeah, now I need to invest in more clothes! Ugh.
You mean I don't need to pack the Protect All? LOL! At least Berts Mega Mall sells replacement aftermarket plastic in Yamaha colors, just in case.
So, I am up for the 1st!
Later, Scott |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 12:40 pm: |
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Scott,
Got mail from Ebear...TTR250 is an excellent choice. I personally would have gone Honda XR250, but the TTR250 is a great first bike for a guy your size. You'll love it. It's all you'll need for the desert and trail. You can get the Yz when you start going for big air
Joanne has a TTR125L, I prefer it to the XR100 (Zach's bike) in most ways, but it sure is a cold blooded thing. The Honda still uses a choke, the TTR has an enrichening circuit. Gimme a choke any day, the enrichening circuit is more finicky.
Ebear's mail said that you're going riding alone at Hungry Valley during the week. Be careful, and get a camel back thing. Riding alone can be dangerous any time, you can biff and get hurt and not be found for a while. The buddy system for trail riding in remote areas is always a good idea, so if you're out there alone, stay in the main areas. You're on a new bike, as a new rider, in a new area unfamiliar to you, with poor cell phone coverage. Be careful.
Al |
Usroute66
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 02:32 pm: |
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Thanks Al...I plan on just putting around really, getting used to the tranny, brakes, engine etc, and breaking her in for maybe April 1st. Long distances I will save for buddy riding, like you suggest. I picked Hungry Valley because it is closest to my house with the least amount of traffic to get there. When I get a new bike, I tend to be very careful, and respect it totally until I get used to it. That's why I don't like riding other peoples bikes at all (have only done it once, and did not feel comfortable at all).
I went with the Yamaha because the same dealer also services my Tuono, and they are cheaper than the Hondas, and Yamaha has a great finance program going right now. LA Yamaha is no nonsense. I got the bike OTD for only $4299, $100 less than list, including the green sticker. The Honda dealer next door didn't want to even talk to me until after they checked my credit, so I walked.
Thanks again for advice, which is well taken. I look forward to riding with U guys and gals soon.
Scott |
Usroute66
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 11:16 pm: |
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Al,
Picked up the bike this afternoon. Actually, it does have a choke. Maybe it was a change for '05. I got my helmet, gloves, goggles, and just need boots, armor, and pants. So, I am getting ready!
Scott |
Al_lighton
| | Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 05:14 pm: |
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The TTR125 had the enrichening circuit, I don't know what the TTR250 has. But do you know it to be a choke instead of an enrichening circuit? They usually still call it a choke, but a choke is a butterfly in the air path before the venturi, an enrichening circuit is a parallel path around the throttle plate that has and additional jet for allowing more fuel in. The thing about enrichening circuits is that they generally only work at very low throttle, because if you open the throttle, little air goes thru the parallel path to draw fuel from the enrichening jet. The advantage is that you don't choke power until warmed up like a choke will do. But I always believed in not demanding a lot of power from an engine until it IS warmed up, and chokes are usually easier to start and more foolproof than an enrichening circuit.
Congrats, can't wait to see you raging on it!
Al |
Reindog
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 04:11 pm: |
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Congratulations Scott!!!
You are about to find out why God invented beer. It is the tonic that will sooth your jangled nerves around the campfire after you first day of whoop-de-dos, front-end washouts, airborne launches, and general kidney bashing. Ocotillo Wells is a forgiving place and is a great place to start.
You're gonna love it. Just remember that in most impending situations, giving it gas is your friend and will make your frontend lighter to extricate you from the badness. Except of course, going up Ballbuster out of control. |
Ebear
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 04:54 pm: |
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And in that particular case our friend Reindog will show us the Proper Technique!!!!
YAAAHOOO!! |
Firemanjim
| | Posted on Thursday, March 17, 2005 - 07:02 pm: |
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Al,if you look at the carb and the lever/actuator is at engine side of the carb it's an enrichner,if the lever/actuator is on the aircleaner side it's a choke.One quick way to tell without removing aircleaner. |
Usroute66
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 02:01 pm: |
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Thanks Reindog...now, if the weather would just cooperate! Now I know what it is like to live back east with Winter, where U buy a bike in November and can't ride it until April. I bought this bike a week ago and still haven't ridden it! Oh well, I will get lots of riding time coming in two weeks.
Oh, I know all about the soothing qualities of beer...remember, I have a perfect attendance record for Oktoberfast  |
Reindog
| | Posted on Friday, March 18, 2005 - 06:33 pm: |
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And in that particular case our friend Reindog will show us the Proper Technique!!!!
I presume we are referring to beer drinking? A particular case sounds excellent.
If we are talking about Proper Dirt Biking Technique, I wrote the manual on what NOT to do. Ouch! |
Ebear
| | Posted on Monday, March 21, 2005 - 09:58 am: |
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Hey,Captain Tom.....I meant the Ballbuster,however if the case was those Guin ness Al gave us Saturday I'd be willing to try those out too!!
(Message edited by ebear on March 21, 2005) |
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