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Well I’ll be damned, the old led sled actually made it. On the morning of the start I thought it was doomed for sure. I was tw0 hours late to the start because that is how long it took me to diagnose a fouled spark plug! And then 8 miles from the start I lost all power. Blown main fuse. Shorted regulator rectifier. So I walked across the crackhead strewn Palmdale street to a Chinese ATV/ dirtbike shop and bought a spare battery, strapped it to my chest and rode the entire 500 miles without charging system total loss. I love breaker points! Never even needed the spare battery. What a blast riding the big old girl through the desert is. The best part was the final hard section on the last day coming through Redrock Canyon into vegas. It was a pretty gnarly rock garden with modern bikes percolating coolant, smoking tires and clutches strewn everywhere, I zig zaged and rock hoped through the carnage while a crowd gawked. The heavy old air cooled boat anchor chugged right on through while somebody yelled “YEAH TRIALS GUY!”
Best part was van camping with the wife and pup. It was a bit cold it was easy to forget. Spent one night up Beaver Canyon (get your mind out of the gutter!) Lots of creek side spots to camp there if you ever need some solace from I-15 heading through Beaver just behind the big B on the hill side.
Two days before the wife, me, and Little Layla the pup get in the van and head to death valley for the annual Thanksgiving LA/Barstow to Vegas duel sport ride. I have no idea if my old heap frankenstien beast is actually going to be up for two days and 500 miles of desert sledding. If I were a betting man I sure would not bet on this old stead but maybe with converting back to duel shocks and the luck of little Layla… there will be glory.Oh hell yeah! LT500 two stroke power! I would love a dune trip. I have never had a proper sand dune trip. only racing WORCS at Pismo. I would live to get a paddle tire and let my honda eat!! But for thanksgiving weekend I am doing the LA to Barstow to Vegas on my not so trusty heavily heavy molested XS650. This will be my 4th attempt at the LA/Barstow to Vegas on this big ol sack of dog shit. The first year It grenaded the clutch but limped into vegas on the interstate with 3 of six clutch springs and a bunch of JB weld, Next year it broke the YZ mono shock and I rode it through on just the spring like a drunk kangaroo. The 3rd year the shock shit the bed on the first day so on the quick thinking of my wife I bought the cheapest closest thing on Craigslist; A 1974 Suzuki TL125 and that little rust buckit screamed all the way to victory lane at the Orleans casino. We partied hard that night! That was three years ago and I am ready to try again. The wife is going to drive chase and we plan on van camping it up. Maybe have a fried Spam thanksgiving feast. Maybe going back to twin rear shocks on the ol Beasty with my crude gorilla engineering will get my gut across Death Valley. And then I want to camp in the dunes with you fun timers!!!
With my race season all finished up I decided I better push this project back inside and get back to work on it! I don’t think I have touched it since June. Up first is finish the cheapo cage kit and reinforce it into the suspension. I am struggling with the cheapo body lift kit. I really like the lifted look but it fits about like a soup sandwich.
