A California City RoostFest!
01/10/04 - California City
Photos
courtesy of Tom Paris
Report by Hench
Ahhh, the high desert. In the summer, it's 100 degrees, with a howling 40 mph Sirocco that sucks the moisture out of you by the gallon. In the winter, it's 40 degrees with a howling 40 mph hawk that sucks the feeling from your fingers and toes. So when you go out in mid-January, you better bring every piece of clothing you own, right? WRONG! Hench, TP 4&5, Mike and Kodi went out to California City on a day that turned out perfect - sunny, highs in the mid 60's, and NO WIND! Yee-HAA!
After a full break in and brief shakedown run, this was the new and improved Super Mini's first full-blown outing. How new and improved would it be? What would work, what would fail, and what would need adjusting/tuning, etc?
After the brief shakedown run, the pilot was dropped to a 45. Rick Peterson and the guys at RPMs did a great job on the jetting, that was the only change needed from their recommended settings.
OK, get unloaded, get the gear on, start the bike.....start the bike.....START THE BIKE....What the????
Make sure we have spark - check. Fuel in tank - check. Fuel in carb - buzz! Somehow the floats got hung up in the bowl. Bike fires right up.
After a quick warm-up ride and check to make sure nothing is falling off, it's time for some serious testing. On the first sixth gear run through the whoopdies, several things are apparent.
First, this thing is freakin' fast! The whole powerband feels like it's on steroids. Where the 83cc motor bogged down low, and forced you to downshift TWICE if you fell off the powerband, the 112cc motor pulls right from the bottom without bogging, converts into a healthy mid-range, and then hits HARD up top. It's still very pipey by most standards, but the bottom and mid are now usable, and the hit up top isn't just getting you moving, it's getting you haulin' @$$! The gears rev out so quick now, that it's a major shifter dance to keep from over-reving the motor. It also pulls sixth gear everywhere now, and winds out quick! It could easily handle an extra tooth on the counter, which would help put the power down in first, and make sixth a real Baja gear.
The second thing is the suspension is still way too soft. The rear is softer than the front, and while the increased front end rake that produces helps high speed stability, the front end pushes in tight turns. On big jumps, I can easily bottom both ends. It's going to need some stiffer springs and oil, and maybe some valving, to get it right. I probably scared the guys at ProValve when I told them I didn't want it Supercross stiff, plus, I'm about 10 lbs heavier than I told them. Anyway, it was better too soft than too stiff for most of the riding, and I may be able to dial it in with some preload, oil and clickers.
Third, the brake upgrade was not only necessary, but highly effective. The front is very smooth, not grabby, and two fingers will lock the wheel at any speed if you just pull. The rear, while nowhere near as loaded, is equally good.
OK, enough talk, let's see some proof!
Hench takes off for a fast run through the whoopdies....
....and actually comes back without crashing.
Here's a nice table top jump we found. Hench shows you that ancient geezers on minis DO fly.
What goes up, must come down. The rear tire gets squished both top and bottom as Hench's lard-@$$ bottoms the rear suspension.
Either TP4 isn't panning the camera, or maybe Hench is jumping further than he thought possible? It's only a little over 30 feet, but it looks bigger on a mini!
Look really close, there's gotta be some wires holding Hench up.
"OK, that's it. Get me Fonzi's jacket, I'm ready to jump the shark!"
Last jump. Why? Because Hench's old bones and muscles are already sore.
Hench exits a berm. That means we exit the photo section.
So, how did the new and improved Super Mini perform? Well, flawlessly. Nothing came loose, broke, fell off, cracked, or got bent. Of course, it helps when you don't crash. Full report and product/service evaluation coming right here, as soon as Hench can tear the bike down and re-prep it. Stay tuned!
Check out the photos of TP4&5, Mike and Kodi HERE