Headed to the OiLibya Rallye du Maroc

Yup, headed there in three weeks.  Will be covering the event for an online publication (I think?!?!) and trying to give readers a feel of what the event and major international Rally-Raid is like in person.

I will be getting schlepped from location to location by the organizers and also staying in a tent with the rest of the media during the desert bivouac that marks the highlight of the event.  The list of racers is not out yet but is expected to include all the best racers from the top flight teams including Nasser Al-Attiyah, Giniel de Villiers, Yazeed al-Rajhi, Stephane Peterhansel, etc.

Let me know if you have any questions or photos you'd like me to ask or take while on site.  I should have consistent internet access so I will be posting info on a daily basis.

OiLibya Rallye du Maroc

Removing Handlebar Endweights on Honda CB500X

Started my first modifications on the CB500X ADV bike this weekend.  As always its a learning experience.

In order to install a set of Barkbusters handguards the handlebar endweights have to come off so that the aluminum guards can be attached in a wraparound fashion, attaching where the weights once were.  Looking at the endweights you see the Phillps style screw holding them down.  The weights however just spin and spin so that won't work on its own.

Then you try and hold the weights while using the screwdriver...nope, you can't get a good enough hold on the smooth and round weights to exert enough torque on the screw.  The trick to getting them off?  Duck tape.

Taking duck tape you put down 3 or 4 layers with 1/2 the tape width on the weight and 1/2 on the grip  itself which does not spin at all.  Doing this nearly immobilizes the weight (it may move a cm or less but essentially freezes it in place).  Then get out your ratchet drive.  Nope, a simple Phillips cannot get enough torque on the screw even with it held still.  The ratchet wrench connected to a Phillips drive is enough to get the job done and with a little effort the screw will break free and as soon as it does it spins off by fingers with ease.

This trick should work on any Honda as it is apparently quite common for newbies with bikes (like me) to be stumped by this one looking to make some initial modifications.  My screws were not Loc-Tite'd in place (some have stated that their Honda's had Loc-Tite on their weight screws) but you can see in the photo that the screws are machined to have flat spots in them, locking them in place.

Caselli, a Porsche and a Cummins All Meet In the Desert...

 
With exactly 75 days to go before the start of the '14 Dakar rally major teams are getting in their last competitive events and testing before packing up their vehicles for the trip to South America.  The 2013 Rally du Maroc (Rally Morocco) saw at least three of these top teams show up for a run through the dunes, sand and rock that should reflect similar conditions to the more "desert" oriented stages of the Dakar.

KTM was present with their top riders--Marc Coma, Chaleco Lopez and American Kurt Caselli.  Caselli would suffer an early 20 minute penalty for missing a waypoint but would battle back to finish in 7th overall.  Without the penalty, Caselli would have finished 6th overall, some 44 minutes back.  The top 6 spots alternated Honda-KTM with Honda coming out on top and looking strong for Dakar.  Additional note here is that while there was only one American in the field, there was also an Australian, two Venezuelans, one Mexican (Carlos Gracida-Garza who finished 20th on a Honda), two Chileans, one South African, one Bolivian and one Brit.  Good to see a wide spread of entrants from across the globe.

Also showing up was a very cool Porsche from the Italian driver/codriving pair of Agostino Rizzardi and Loris Calubini.  They appear to have only made it through Stage 3 of 6.  Agostino has piloted a number of Porsches in various stage rally events around Europe and was using an 4WD Porsche 911 for Rally Morocco.  Great to see one of these back out in the African sand again.

Lastly we have the SMG buggie (a French builder headed by Philippe Gache) that is backed by Cummins of France which finished 2nd overall.  Piloted by Patrick Sireyjol with Francois Beguin as codriver, the Cummins France team finished nine minutes off the top step though this is a tad misleading as the event winner incurred 38 minutes of penalties.  Dropping all penalties the Cummins team would have finished some 44 minutes adrift and still in second place overall.  The Cummins vehicle prevented a clean sweep of the podium by the Rally-Raid dominant X-Raid Minis who finished first, third and fourth lead by top flight Dakar entrant Orlando Terranova.


Oh!!  and the top Nissan in the event?  It was the #342 of Michele Cinotto and Fulvio Zini who finished in 20th of 56 finishers with Nissan putting six finishing vehicles in the event behind only Toyota who saw 17 finishers carry their brand.
Rally Morocco Homepage..

.

Honda CB500F Review

I seem to be getting more and more interested in motorcycles.  Not pure street bikes necessarily, I don't want a crotch rocket but something of the two wheeled variety would be nice.  So I head over to the Ride Apart website frequently to see what new and interesting bikes they are reviewing as their writing and West Coast location for testing fits my interests to a T.

Here was an interesting one I ran across today that looks great for an entry level road bike for me.  The Honda CB500F.  For about $5500 this bike looks and sounds like a ton of fun for someone like me and without the poser day-glo paint or graphics and with a more upright stance.  It actually looks like an adult's motorcycle and not something you frequently see slid underneath a SUV with a local ambulance parked nearby.  One item I did not see covered in the article however was whether or not the $500 upgrade to ABS brakes is worth it.  I'm familiar with ABS in my cars and I hate it but I assume its a far different scenario on a bike and would be curious as to the difference.

That being said, if I was in the market for a road only bike right now, I would definitely be looking at one of these given my lack of experience and tastes.

Ride Apart Honda CB500F Review...

2013 NETRA Rocky Mountain Hare Scramble in Alton, NH

Taking place up near Lake Winnipesaukee in Alton, NH, the Rocky Mountain Hare Scramble put on by NETRA (New England Trail Rider Association) was the first one I'd been to since I was about 10 years old.  I still remember the motorcycles racing through the woods at the event I went to with my father some 30 years ago and hopefully my son will remember this day just as fondly.

The weather on 7/28/13 was wonderful.  Sunny for almost the whole day with a slight overcast at the later afternoon.  Everyone at the event was super friendly answering my son's many questions and directing us to the best locations for viewing.  You could get as close as you dare to the riders and yet no one was doing anything stupid and getting in harms way.  Perhaps this was because most of the spectators were relatives or crew members of the various riders but everyone seemed well behaved.

The track itself weaved its way through nine miles of typical New England forest with lots of rocks, roots, brush and mud to contend with.  Even the youngest and least experienced riders had a skill level far beyond my meager dirt skills however and I was super impressed by the number of female riders who were out there putting the hammer down.

All in all it was a great event to attend and inspires both myself and my son to get involved more actively in enduros and hare scrambles and the like.  A compilation of video clips taken with my camera are below.  Quality is low but you get the idea...

Great Review of the Honda NC700X

Since I'm always interested in motorcycles that can do more than just ride around on the pavement (any scooter can do that) this review came to my immediate attention.  While I don't think the bike is offroad oriented enough for my liking its cool to see the reviewer stretching the bike's limits and seeing how it fairs up against some world class bikes capable of Dakar style riding.

I still think I'd get a KLR 650 for near the same money...but this is an interesting option for a more road going bikes which is where I'd still spend most of my time.

Honda NC700X Review...