From: bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us (bob pasker)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles.dirt
Subject: laurie, bob, bob, randy, and todd do hollister hills.
Date: 5 Sep 92 20:38:22 PDT
Organization: Disorganized Organization

we went riding at hollister today, as planned. attendees were ciotti,
ciotti's girlfriend (robyn), randy scofield, and randy's friend todd. 

i'll let laurie tell you about her day.  i spent most of the time
either eating the dust of the MX riders or feeding the dust to L. 

i took quite a spectacular spill coming down a hill.  i was going
somewhat slow, but the front end washed out and the bike went over on
its right side, spitting me off.  i executed a perfect roll and did
not injure myself besides a bit of "dirt" rash.  i was wearing jeans
and a sweatshirt, off-road gloves, knee/shin guards and road riding
boots (which have now been replaced with ciotti's old fox boots). the
right knee guard took quit a beating, and still i ripped my pants,
adding to the knee scars.  had i not been wearing it, my right knee
would be in much worse shape.  had i been wearing elbow guards, i
would not have the scratches on my elbows (which are not very bad at
all).  the bike is a bit scratched up and i gronked a turnsignal. [i
had put "removable" turnsignals on the 200, but not yet on the 350]. 

the second bit of report-worthy excitement was going around the TT
track.  i only got seriously sideways once; it was on a declining
radius turn. having been around it a dozen or so times, i finally said
"go for it!"; the mind was willing but the bike was weak.  notching
off the gas brought the back end in line.  there is also a HUGE berm
wall at one end of the track.  i got to the point where i could
actually ride it all the way to the top--it was a blast.  riding 
around and around the same piece of real estate helped me get 
progressively better, exploring the envelope.  [the bad part was
that the track was dusty.  i would have the track to myself for a few
laps, then someone would decide i looked like roost material and come
on to the track to see if i would dice with them.  i'd pull off to
watch them, they'd leave on the next lap, a minute later the dust
would settle, and i'd have the track to myself again.]

the third piece of worthy fun was riding randy's kdx250 around the TT
track.  it certainly had the suspension and power to kick butt.  i
also attempted a hill climb on his bike (not mine, you understand; 
it's conveniently underpowered).  there is a DEEP rut at the base of
it, which i got caught in before i even got going. i got it out,
restarted the bike and zoomed up the hill.  then i road down around
the back (too chicken to ride it back down), and did it all again,
remembering to get stuck in the same place. 

rather than eating too much dust, i stayed 1/4 mile behind the MXers.
coming around one corner, i see ciotti about 35 feet down an
embankment and todd about 5 feet over.  seems they were dicing it up
and decided that it would be more fun to fly off the edge of the trail
than stay in the turn.  neither were hurt.  way to go, bob & todd! 

another time, i came around a turn and i find bob with his bike laying
down in the dirt, wheel turned on the ground, and bob kicking his
handlebars back into place.  seems they had gotten a little bent when
he flew off the bike and mashed it into a hill (have i got this
right?) 

everyone had fun and bob kindly kept the metallica tapes in the truck.

-- 
-- bob pasker
-- bob@halfdome.sf.ca.us 
--