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-

My first ever high ramp jump

Thursday, March 24, 2011 Day Trip , Dirt Biking , Food & Nutrition , Outdoor & Adventures 0 Comments

The date is 20th March 2011. This very day marks the 3rd time I'm in the Tanjung Bestari track. It was a great feeling to be back after 2 whole week not practicing on the track!
Anyway, the track wasn't that great this week. It was wet from the heavy pouring rain the day before. Puddles of waters were everywhere...! Doc (my awesome MX trainer) and the boys were there too and a couple more people that I have not seen before.


I went on to the track and made my way through with Athena. Boy! slippery track! I started falling and kept going for a 'swim' (as my trainer calls it). Our definition of "swim" means ending up in a big puddle of water. Many many falls this time at the track. Those 'new people' that I saw were also falling everywhere! I overshot the corner twice, got a swim thrice, and made a bad entry (during the jump) which resulted in a crash when I landed. I could feel the 'thud' at the left side of my helmet.That's when I really appreciate the helmet and safety gears because without them, I would have already suffered broken limbs and etc.


So, this week I was a bit 'adventurous' so to say, and decided to go for the other half of the track. I usually exit after the corner, avoiding the more advanced track, but this week, I decided to try them out with Athena, my KLX150S. She wasn't that bad on the 2nd half of the track. Unfortunately, I realize I needed to upgrade to a more powerful dirt bike after I cleared the high jump. Why? Athena isn't powerful enough and she's an Enduro bike. She's not a Cross bike. Her suspension is much softer and hence the reason why I landed so hard. Her suspension couldn't take the high jumps.Thankfully, I didn't fall but manage to continue on. I thought I was going to fall but no, I didn't. And for 'goodness-me' (replacement for 'God') knows what reason, I did the high jump twice with Athena and nearly falled twice. It's actually dangerous but say..I got adrenaline rush at that moment. I was having this moment of : "HECK CARES!"


Then, they decided to let me go on a cross bike. A Kawasaki KX250F which belonged to Doc's son, Aqlaine. I was having a hard time trying to kick start the bike because I wasn't used to it. Athena ain't a kick start, she starts by ignition. I only need to push a button to start her up. It was much easier than the kick-start.

And so, I warmed up with the KX250F by making some round before going in for the high ramp. I accelerated at the 4th gear.My heart went 'tha-thump-tha-thump' when I landed because it was REALLY HIGH! I could felt that it's so high and I really really freaked out. But, thankfully, I manage to cleared it! I was 8 feet in the air for a split second before comming down. And it was my best jump EVER! It was my personal best. I know there are other people probably going much much higher than that, but as for me, this is my very very personal best.

I was really excited when they told me I jumped so high. And I asked my MX trainer with excitement : "Does this means it's time for me to change a more powerful bike?! SAY YES!". He nodded. I was literally jumping for joy and couldn't want to tell this to both my mom and dad about it. Then, I decided to jump again so that they could take a video of me at the high jump but unfortunately, it wasn't as good nor was it as high as the first one I did. It was only about 5 feet (the video in this blog) I was pretty dissapointed. I decided to do another high jump but it still wasn't good and I dipped. Doc said that I probably turn off the throttle at the very very last second before the jump. That's the only reason why I dipped. What a bummer......! :(



Then, it started raining. A few of them started going in to the track to play in the rain! They say it's 'lagi-shoik!'. I tried too but I realized I had no more energy left or the 'oomph' to continue on. Doc said I looked like a 'sotong' (squid). Don't know why but probably meant that I looked really worn out. For me, it ended like that. For them, they continued on in the rain until the rain stopped. And so, that's about it! ;)

Lots of love,