|
Three Hour Tour (the hard
way)
By Dennis Robinson
So there I was, backing it into the turn on
the outside of a slower racer when he drifts wide and it becomes
apparent that I will intersect the three foot snow bank lining
the outside of the course. I really don't want to dig this
four-stroke out of the packed snow so I straighten it up and
give'r. The front is light when I hit the snow bank, there
is a huge explosion of snow, then I am blind and the throttle
is still pinned. Suddenly, I can see again but the 14 inches
of snow on the outside of the track is a little tricky. I
make a gentle arc with lots of throttle and try to reenter
near to where I was taken out. I hit the bank again but the
bike endos sending me into the snow with extreme prejudice.
If you have never tried dragging an upside-down heavy four-stroke
out of packed snow, you have no idea. After a little assistance
getting the bike out, it surprisingly fires on the second
kick.
The clutch master cylinder had failed in the
first 30 minutes of the 3 hour race so our team had not been
particularly fast as a result. I bring the rpms up, jam it
into gear and find an easier entry point. Before the off track
excursion I was getting comfortable with the technique of
letting both ends drift in the corner and should have been
a little more patient with the slower racer. We had lost many
laps in the pits trying to bleed the clutch so I guess we
were just having fun at this point.
Still weak from the exertion and trying to make
up time I am aggressive with the throttle pipe and taking
a few chances. On the back side of the course is a series
of corners that are more or less chicanes but as the race
nears the 3 hour mark the ruts get deep. If the outside of
the turn is not clean, I like to cross the rut going in and
again coming out. This gives a narrow band of nearly good
ice at the apex but because of the required snow bank/fork
leg clearance there is only about four inches +/- one inch.
You guessed it, I hooked the left fork leg in the snow getting
sideways, hit the rut and am ejected from the bike. Let go?
Hell no!
Alpinstars are good skis on the ice so I hang
on with the throttle pinned knowing if I chop it, bad thing
will happen. I'm on the right, the bike is leaned left and
my pants are being roasted on the pipe. Ok then, how do those
cowboys remount in the movies? Just then I hit the rut for
the next corner (right hander) and the bike stands up, the
tire bites and my arms are yanked hard. I am swung to the
opposite side of the bike like a tether ball on a pole and
nearly leave a couple of important pieces on the rear fender.
Bodie Miller has nothing on me as I am still skiing, now on
the left, with the throttle pinned. Drifting to the left I
think, "if I just snag the snow with my boots I'll be
catapulted back into the saddle". Boom!, another explosion
of snow and my arms are nearly jerked out of the sockets.
The next thing I know I'm on my chest and belly doing my best
Bonneville streamline impression on the seat. Pulling hard
to get in the proper seated location I roll out of the throttle
to set up for the next right hander. I look over at a few
spectators and yell whoo hoooo! They look at me slack jawed
and I know they are thinking "there's a genius".
I enter the corner too fast for comfort, feather in the throttle
to steer and then roll it on hard, banging gears. I concentrate
on the track because I know if I think about what just happened,
I'll be on the ground shortly.
A few laps later I make the mistake of passing a slower racer
on the outside again and let him take my line with the same
results. Only this time I keep the engine running, pick up
the bike and as the tire digs in I leap on the right foot
peg and swing aboard. I make the gentle turn back to the track
and I almost made it but the front tire packs with snow and
we are in a pile again. The second time is better and I reenter
the track pulling a giant wheelie through the ruts. Note to
self: enter corner at higher speed, pass the guy, trust the
tire, square off the corner and pin it! If the lapper decides
he wants to race, let him overshoot and tuck in behind.
The passing technique seems to be working then
the bike sputters. What the hell else can go wrong? Probably
out of fuel but the petcock is located differently on the
400 and I have trouble switching to reserve. The corner is
approaching fast, I lean in with the throttle open to get
more air velocity through the carb extracting the last fumes
from the float bowl. I roll it on even more exiting the corner
and look at the petcock as I stand the bike up. The engine
gains new life as it receives new dinosaur juice. Where is
that checkered flag anyway, my fingers are getting cold. Two
laps later the checkers wave but wait, I have more! I point
the KTM400 to the inside of the course (14" of snow)
and give'r. All kinds of sideways, I head for the pit lane
and do a face plant in front of all the spectators. Ice racers
really hate snow!
THE ROAD TO THE TRACK
I was fat, dumb and happy. For the first time ever the ice
bike was ready a week before the race. I had installed the
fresh engine (built by someone else), fabricated the safety
fenders, installed the heated grip and hand mitts. We took
the bike to Silver Lake and it ran pretty good, just needed
some jetting work. If you haven't experience working on a
bike while on the ice then you have no idea what you are missing.
Gasoline is super cold, the skin nicks easily but the bleeding
is limited and conditions are generally miserable. We changed
the main jet and took the KTM300 out again. The needle position
and pilot jet were needing changed but that means removing
the carburetor so Larry took the bike home to finish it up.
Yes, I knew it was too good to be true and it
was confirmed when Larry calls to inform me that the 300 blew
up on the lake behind his new house. Larry had purchased the
house a few months ago so he can barefoot in the summer and
practice ice racing in the winter. I'm sure that his neighbors
are drafting new covenants to rectify the obvious oversight.
Damn! I only had a couple of days to bring out
the moth balled 400 and find jets... Doesn't sound difficult,
however it seems the KTM400 uses an odd shaped pilot jet that
is unlike most other Keihin metered machines. I finally located
the jets in Madison and made the 3 hour round trip Saturday
morning to secure them. The trip was somewhat rewarding as
I talked them into a racer's discount and ordered the parts
to freshen my KTM250.
It is possible to change the KTM400 main jet
by turning the carb sideways but to change the pilot jet the
carburetor must be removed. God I hate working on four-strokes.
Remove the throttle cables(2), recirc tube, TPS, remove plastic,
muffler bolts and pull the subframe. I cleaned the carb, changed
the jets, raised the needle one clip position, preset the
fuel screw and reassembled. The bike ran good except for a
slight cough off idle when opening the throttle suddenly.
I had already adjusted the accelerator pump injection time
down to a one second so I set the idle a little higher as
a work around and to minimize the affects of engine braking
(two-stroke guys hate engine braking). Screw what my teammates
want, I was doing all the work so I set it up for my tastes.
Now the suspension, I find the 0.44kg/mm fork springs but
can't find the softer shock spring. I guess we are stuck with
the waaay too stiff 0.52kg/mm and PDS4 springs.
Not many people have ever seen me raise a blister
doing anything other than riding but tuning the ice studs
will and did do it. Using a 1/4" nut driver to adjust
the heads of 600 studs (one tire) is brutal on the hands.
If you are not familiar with ice screws, here's the deal.
They kinda look like a sheet metal screw but that is where
the similarities end. The heads are concave and sharpened
with a "vee" cut through the the middle. The orientation
of the screw head is important and varies with the location
on the tire. The screws sometimes turn and must be adjusted.
At $500.00 for a set of studded tires they are treated like
fine china anywhere other than the ice.
ICE RACERS HATE SNOW
You know it is ice racing season when you have to dig out
the two stage 18hp snow blower just to get to the race trailer.
We had gotten about a foot of fresh snow and it had drifted
to 24 inches or more in front of the garages and most of the
driveway. Two hours of relocating the snow and the Robinson
compound is relatively clear. I know that the snow will drift
again during the night but at least I can get the trailer
out.
I beat the frozen Reese hitch off of the old
truck and put it on the new truck. The hitch pin won't go
in so I persuade it with a hammer and roll around on the ground
howling when I smash my finger. Well, there for a minute I
didn't feel the cold.
After getting the race trailer out, I'm back
on the bike installing the hand mitts, rear fender and a few
last minute items. It is past mid-night, I'm tired, I have
a blister, grease under my nails, I smell bad, and I'm bleeding
from somewhere. And on top of that, I'm grouchy because this
is the second bike I have gotten ready to race in the last
week. I'm going to bed, after I load the race trailer of course.
Six hours later we are on the road.
CELEBRITIES
I had heard that Doug Henry was going to race and picked him
out of the guys at the rider's meeting. He was incognito with
the stocking hat pulled low, full wrap around shades and all
the winter gear. I talked to him a little after the rider's
meeting. I guess he took my wife's picture and she didn't
even recognize him. There were several other Celebes there,
"JR" Schnabel had a spectacular looking crash on
the first lap while leading.
THE TEAM
Wes Orloff from Harley was once again on the team and since
the clutch master cylinder went away while he was riding,
he gets the blame. We sent Wes out first again since he says
he is a road racer and not as comfortable in the rough stuff.
I saw him go down hard once and he said he went down one other
time also. Larry was up second and was the epitome of smooth
making it look so easy. A great time was had by all and once
again we did it for a good cause - the injured dirt trackers
benefit fund.
THE PIT CREW AND SPONSORS
We have to thank our pit crew and sponsors for being there
again this year. Thanks to Bruiser's Pizza in Burlington,
Wisconsin for the stainless steel grill, burgers, brats, beverages
and race entry fee. Thanks to Chief the "grill master"
and his wife for putting up with our kids getting in and out
of the heated vehicles. Wives, family and friends thanks for
supporting the team. Next year we will have fresh tires and
hopefully no mechanical issues.
Dennis Robinson
Fond du Lac, WI.
|
