Reality of Racing series (2006)

A while back (2006) fellow Team MGR Racing member Chris Flodine and I decided to ride a hare scramble series and film the reality of it from our average joe racer perspective.  Granted this is no TV worthy documentary as it was just us as producers, videographers, sound, writers, and the stars of the video.  Our purpose of the video series was just to show how “real” people take on a typical local race.  As I have always said (and you can see from the video) that I nor him are anywhere near pro racer status or ability.  The fact that we are not pro and out there having a great time riding our motorcycles and ATVs is the point.  Basically at the end of the season I found out that about 50 people who entered the Novice class were better, faster, more consistent than me, and that about 100 people were  worse, slower, and less consistent than me.  I would gage my performance on the basis of if I felt that I rode as hard as I could for the duration (leaving nothing out on the track) and finished the race that I accomplished my goal, to have fun.  I hope this shows that anybody can go out and enter a race, no matter what your ability, and have fun.

Click the video below to see me (#73 on the motorcycle) and Chris Flodine (#52 on the ATV) enter into Valley Dirt Riders hare scramble series.

 

Reality of Racing series (2006)

Back in the Saddle

So I’ve taken a little siesta but now I’m back and ready to bring you the ATV Lifestyle like never before.  To tell you the truth, I’m not sure anyone new I was gone.  I don’t really know how many people read this blog and judging by the number of comments I receive, I’m guessing only a handful of people manage to stumble across my articles.  No matter, I’m going to try my hand at this again in hopes of doing a much better job this time around.

[Read more]

Baja 1000: Matlock Racing Does it Again

The Matlock Racing Honda team consisting of Wayne Matlock, Josh Caster, Harold Goodman and Wes Miller successfully defended their number 1A plate at this years Score Tecate Baja 1000.  With almost an hour lead over 2nd place, Wayne Matlock cruised the teams Honda 700xx quad across the finish line in Ensenada Mexico, capturing the teams 2nd Baja 1000 victory and securing the overall Score Championship Series title. [Read more]

Work and Play – Covering The Market

Don’t forget about us!

It’s a cry we’ve heard for all of our 13 years here at ATV Magazine, from
various segments of the ATV-owning market. We’ve heard it from the
rock-crawlers and the mud runners, the desert rats and the trail riders.

“What about us?!”

More than anybody, however, we’ve heard it from folks who use their ATVs for
utility-based purposes. Sales statistics show that the majority of people who purchase ATVs are
buying them with some work purposes in mind – mowing, landscaping, plowing,
pulling trailers, working on hobby farms or ranches, hauling a deer out of
the woods, etc.

A lot of those people – maybe you and your friends and relatives – later
discover all of the recreational aspects of the sport, and end up becoming
the trail riders, desert rats, mud runners and rock crawlers mentioned
earlier. But the driveway still needs to be plowed, the back 40 still needs
to be mowed and hunters still need to get out to their tree stands every
fall and then haul back their harvest at the end of the day.

One of our primary missions at ATV Magazine is to encourage varied usage by
our readers, including recreation, of course. Our thought is, once you’ve
made the investment to buy a machine, we’re going to try to help you get the
most out of it – work and/or play related. That’s why you’ll find stories
about riding destinations (like Tom Kaiser’s Black Hills adventure on page
38 and the Rhino adventure story on page 30) and fun riding (like Jerrod
Kelley’s Sport Side article on page 46) in every issue.

Yet, unlike some other media, we’re never going to forget the other primary
purposes of an ATV – the task work that it makes so much easier, and at
times more fun. That’s why you’ll find reviews and tests on implements (like
Tim Erickson’s plow review on page 22) and tools (see the tow behind trailer
buyers guide on page 32) in every issue as well.

When we review new ATVs or decide on which products we’re going to evaluate,
we always remind ourselves of the various aspects of the market. Yes, we’ll
review performance parts and high-performance ATVs – for many folks, the
recreational side of the sport is the center of the action and, trust me,
our staff and contributors are all about having motorized fun.

But we’re also outdoors people like you, with real projects. Within the last
year, our staff has used our ATVs and UTVs to help us build retaining walls,
go hunting, plow snow, put in a small crop, smooth a gravel driveway, aerate
and dethach lawns, cut trees, mow grass, go ice fishing, haul wood, mark and
maintain trails, prepare deer stands, clean up storm damage, reach a remote
fishing destination, pull a drag, move rock and even pull a float in a local
parade.

Oh yeah, and we’ve also ridden on trails, crawled on rocks, challenged mud
pits, charged through deserts and participated in events in 16 U.S. states
and had freelancers in a half-dozen more, plus we’ve made some forays into
Canada and Mexico.

We like to think our ATVs and this magazine are reflections of our lives –
we work hard, we play hard, and always keep coming back for more. So don’t
worry, fellow ATV owners, we won’t forget about you, no matter how you use
your machine.

Don’t be stranded because of a broken clutch cable

For those of us that have machines with manual clutches operated by a cable you know that a broken cable on the trail can be the pits and in some cases leave you stranded.  This little tip can really get you out of a jamb.

Before your current clutch cable breaks, purchase a new clutch cable and install it next to the current.   Now you have a spare clutch cable at the ready if you need it.

Leave the spare clutch cable in place. Lightly lube the spare clutch cable. Seal the ends of the spare clutch cable with electrical tape, duct tape, or shrink tubing to keep water, mud and other debris out.

If you break a clutch cable while you are on the trail, just remove the broken one and install the new one.  Just remember to have the basic tools for the job.   This will keep you from terrorizing your transmission with clutch less shifts.

Polishing aluminum parts

Want all that aluminum on your ride to glisten in the sunshine?  Want to be the envy of all your ridding buddies?  Read on for a step by step process to shine up those aluminum parts to a mirror shine. 

A special thanks to the folks at Thumper Talk for this helpful information.

Here is a definitive guide on how to polish any aluminum surface to a mirror shine.

Items Needed:
- Oven Cleaner
- 200, 400, 600, 1000 and 2000 Grit Wet/Dry Sandpaper
- Polishing Cream
- Wax
- Clear Coat (Optional)

Step 1:
Clean the dirt off the part to be polished

Step 2:
Spray your part with oven cleaner to strip the corrosion off. (I use Easy Off)

Step 3:
Begin sanding with the 200 grit sandpaper across the grain. Do so until the grain is almost gone. (Make sure to keep the sandpaper wet). There will be a considerable amount of black stuff (oxidized aluminum).

Step 4:
Take the 400 grit and sand in the same direction until the grain is all gone
(still keeping it wet).

Step 5:
Take the 600 grit and sand this time in a swirling pattern until all you see is swirls (still wet).

Step 6:
Repeat step 5 but with the rest of the sand paper, using a higher grit each time.

Step 7:
By now your part will have a very shiny finish and you may be satisfied, but now take your polishing cream and buff your part until it is mirror shiny.

Step 8:
Wax your part just like you would a car.

Step 9 (Optional):
Apply a spray on clear coat to your part to help protect it.

To restore your shine:
Simply start at step 1 & 2 but then skip to step 7.

Watch as people stare at themselves in your shiny parts.

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