Torque

Thursday, March 24, 2011 Miscellaneous , Sidekicks 0 Comments

"...Torque.That's it. Torque!"

My soon to be Kawasaki KLX250F. She's fiery and specially made for jumping. She's a bike meant only for motocrossing. As much as I hate to say, Athena has to 'retire' soon from the tracks. She can only go for Enduro - trail riding. :( I've already seen her at the shop. She's a 2nd hand and I'm like an anxious father waiting for the newborn baby. The only problem - she can't be registered as an on road vehicle. She's ONLY MEANT for racing. This means I can't ride her on the road. We'll have to load her in a truck and bring her to the track. That means I'll have to learn how to drive!

I have to change because Athena is an Enduro bike. Her suspension is not made for jumping high ramps. And I experienced that first hand. She landed with a "BOOM", literally and I could feel her suspension going to her maximum.

Why the name Torque? This name was inspired by my MX trainer. I actually wanted to use "Artemis" because Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the wild. Artemis is usually depicted as a huntress in the forest and is Athena's half sister. That's the main reason why I wanted to use 'Artemis'. I thought of this name because I wanted to name my future 'dream superbike', Kawasaki Ninja ZX10-R that. But now, I came to realize I like dirt bike more than superbike and I think this so-called 'dream superbike' of mine will never come to reality.

And yes, for all you Physics student. Torque is a part of Newton's 2nd law. My trainer started using the word "Torquey" very often last 3 weeks ago, during the late month of February. He was introducing and explaining to me the difference between an Enduro bike and a Cross bike. At that moment, I knew Athena had to 'retire' from the tracks sooner or later but I didn't know it only took me 3 times of practice to know that she'll have to bid goodbye to the track.

And so, I started looking for a nice name for my new bike. I wanted something catchy and short. I googled for dirt bike names. I wanted something nice. I wanted something like Turbo, a name Ashley Fiolek named her dog. But I couldn't use Turbo because it's her dog's name. Nope. Not original. Then I recalled the brand "Thor". It's nice! But I figured that I would sound un-original as "Thor" is a famous brand for motocross gears. Then I remembered "Torquey". "Torquey" sounded cheesy. And so, I took "Torque". Yes. That's it! Simple,nice,catchy and meaningful.

She's my first Cross bike and a cross bike is very Torquey. They power up fast. Unlike Enduro bikes, these bikes are able to do last minute jumps. Not surprising as they're meant for racing. Unfortunately, they heat up very fast and cannot go long distance. That's why they can't be granted licence plate for on road riding. They also start by 'kick starters'. They're not like Enduro bikes where the ignition is only a button away. Kick starters are harder to start, especially for beginners like me. But no fret. I'll get used to them soon. ;)

This is only the beginning of my motocrossing hobby. Will I be able to take my hobby to a whole new level? Only time will tell.

A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.
-Bo Bennett-