The WR450 is alive and well. The Carb has been cleaned.

So I finally got some time ot get to the bottom of the carburetor problems on my WR450. It had a stuck valve on the float bowl.to fix this I had to take the bottom of the carburetor off, meaning the float bowl. Once I had this off I took the float off. The little valve with a rubber tip was stuck up into the chamber that it slides in and controls the flow of gas into the float bowl. I wasn't sure this this valve works and it didn't seem to want to come out, so I gently tap on it with a little screw driver. It turn and freed up and gas went leaking out all over the place. Yup I found the fix. so I took that other parts around this off and made sure that the hole was clean. I also took off the brass fitting that holds the gas line hose from the tank. this is a direct line to the float bowl valve. Once this was all clear I put it back together and fire up the bike. Perfect it runs without fail.

Now I just need to adjust my Fuel Air mixture. I messed up my setting the last time I was trying to get the bike to run. I was silly and took out the screw without checking the setting. Once I realized what I had done, I thought man that was a mistake.

Well anyway now if it would stop snowing here in Utah I will pack it up and go for a ride.

My WR450F is dead, Here is what I have tried.

I am sorry to say that the winter storage of my WR450F this year lead to it being hard to start the first time I fired it up. It kicked right over and ran for a minute, sputtering and coughing. I took off down the road and around the corner, I was able to make it back to my driveway and it stopped. It hasn't started since. I am able to run it for a few seconds by spraying starter fluid in the air box. This means the bike is starving for gas. I took the bottom the the carburetor off and a few of the jets. I could not find a clog. What I think the issue is a plugged up something in the carburetor. I think I need to do a carburetor clean and rebuild. I think the passage way through the top of the carburetor into the lower bowl that is controlled by the float is plugged. I tested this by opening the drain valve and the gas tank petcock and gas did not flow all over the place. I think I will do a full carburetor removal and cleaning. I am also going to toss the old gas and clean out the filter in the bottom of the gas tank. I did test the flow of gas from the tank into the carburetor and this was OK, but this little bit of maintenance sounds like a good idea. I will keep you posted on my results once I get a chance to work on it.

Monster Motorcycle Videos to Check out.

A buddy hooked me up with the Fuel TV, "The Great Ride Open" on Hulu.com. These online TV shows are a bunch of X games riders who get together and hit some of the best and biggest Sand Dunes in the west. The group brings a big caravan of 3-4 motor homes, semis, bikes, helicopters and all the extras to really have a good time. The crew did get a chance to head to Little Sahara in Southern Utah. Which is way cool, as I have been there hundreds of times. Watching them at the Dunes in Southern Utah makes me really want to load up and go for some winter fun riding.

These guys know how to find the monster big jumps in the dunes. It's fun to see these guys out in the wild country hitting the jumps vs. just in a stadium hitting the same jump over and over. If you can ride out in the Sand Dunes and deal with everything the various terrain throws at you then you have my respect. These guys are not without fear, or fault, they are just like all the rest of us, they can crash and they can have close calls.

Beginner tips for Motocross Track riding.

This picture is of me doing a bit of warm up on the medium level track. I am trying to put the bike into a corner and make it stick. In the back ground you can see the pay station and class room at the Jordan River Motocross Track.

So now for a few beginner tips for Motocross Track riding. I was riding with some track pros yesterday. I learned a few things about the track I did not know, the first time I went out I was clueless but careful, now I know how to be careful and not so clueless.

Riding in Track Traffic. I am and was scared to death of the "Big Boys" on the track, I want to ride my own pace and let them go, I don't want to be in the way and I don't want anyone to get hurt. So how do you let someone pass you so that it's safe and you "Get out of the Way" It's different than you would first think. The first reaction is slow down move over, get outta the way and let em go buy.

This is not correct, it is almost correct, but the true answer is. "Hold your position" you can slow a bit if you want, but stay in your line. If you are running right smack in the middle of the track at medium speed, and two racer come up on your. They have a plan, you don't. You are in the middle, they will pass you on each side, or both on the left, or right. They are making the pass and the play happen. They are skilled and going faster than you. so stay in the middle and ride in control, then hold on as they wiz by. It's that easy. If you get outta the way, by going right or left, they may smack into you and run you over, they have the plan and appreciate you being predictable.

Jumping Jimminie, I had some fun today.

I skipped out of work for the last half of the day, or the afternoon, if I was trying to make sense. A group of my new best friends convinced me to hit the Jordan River Parkway Motocross Track in North Salt Lake again. SWEET JUMPING MULLET BATMAN I had fun. I am now very comfortable with the weight, power and feel of the WR-450F. Yamaha has done what they needed to getting the power up and weight down as much as possible for a big 4 stroke engine with a head light, tail light, battery, and electric start. I know this is a 2006 Yamaha and the 2008 WR-450s are probably even better but this is what I have and I do like it.

Well anyway, I got some serious fun riding time in. I was able to warm up on the medium track and take about 5 laps all by myself. Then when all the other jumpers showed up we played on the small track for a few laps, then we hit the big track big time. On the first lap I was getting a feel for things and trying to remember which jump was safe to case the up hill side if I didn't make the double and which one I needed to be careful of. Then I got to the very last big jump. I was confident I remember it from last time, I wrapped it up in 3rd maybe 4th and I was off, man I was flying, this was a big jump for me. Yippee, then, um, well, um, double flat tire landing on the uphill side, I missed clearing the monster double by about one bike length. I came down on the bike hard. I stayed on my wheels, which is good. But my face and helmet went into the handle bars with a thump. Ding Dong, Ring goes the bell in my head. So like every proud dork who just about crashed I rode over to my new best friends and said, "Did you see that?" Yup they all did, wow. As I collected myself my left ankle started to hurt a bit. Don't know maybe it will hurt in the morning.

This picture is me on the famous jump that eat my helmet. I lived to jump it again, and again. I like it, I think I need more. This pictures is on one of my more conservative attempts. I love Motorcycle, and love trail riding, camping getting dirt and the sand. The Track is new to me. I had a motto for a lot of years. If I don't jump I don't get hurt. This motto goes out the window when you hit the track. 1.7 miles of tight turns and 10+ jumps. These are also big jumps, not little sand dune bumps with a nice soft sandy landing if you crash.

Here are a few more Dunes Riding and Jumping Pictures.

Here are three more note worthy pictures of me jumping and zipping around on the Dunes. I am not a huge Jumper but I was sure having fun.


I am not sure what to say about the jumping stance and technique. I guess I am doing OK, the Bike is under me, I am still holding on the ahndle bars, I think my feet are still on the pegs, and the bike is up in the front a bit. This is all very good compared to being off the seat, flying W style, with the bike doing a major run away from me move. Don't get me wrong what I just described would be very cool if I am intending to do it. But I am not an X games jumper, I really need to stay on the bike and keep it under me.

Holy Expensive Oil Batman, and now it's all burned up.

Here is my best picture of a nice Sand Dune Jump, Here I get the WR in the air about 3 feet at the rear tire. I was jumping and traveling about 20 feet and hitting the jump at the top end of the speed revs in 3rd gear. The sand was soft and the landing was pretty good, a bit flat but it was also a small table top, build naturally by the sand and wind.

So my big fancy oil change I made in my WR450F last week, well I burned it all up at the Sand Dunes, I rode 180 kilometers, which turns into 120 American miles. This was equal to about 10 hours on my buddies hour meter on his YZ250F. We spent 4 days out at the Jericho Dunes and really burned it up. We rode and rode and rode and jumped and jumped and jumped. I started to really get a feel for the 450's power and weight. It definitely feels heaver than the YZ250F counterpart. I have not compared it to a YZ450F, but I am thinking the YZ450 must feel a lot lighter without the electric start, battery, and lights, and super hard seat. Oh ya did I mention the seat on the WR450 is way too hard for my soft and squishy bottom. I am still sore and it's been 4 days since I got off the bike and went back to captaining a office chair at work. AT least complaining about being sore and tired is better than complaining about not being able to go for a ride at all.