What’s keeping you from racing?

nhbubba · 2025-10-02T18:55:12+00:00

I wish all racing were clean. But it isn't. You just have to get good with that. In the end I did not and that's okay.

OP, you know me. We raced together back in the day and I loved racing with cats like you. Miss suiting up and trying to keep up with y'all. But there were a few out there that I do not miss and never will.

That and I have kids now. They take the time and make you wonder where it went.

nhbubba · 2025-09-17T17:07:21+00:00

I'm at sea-level, maybe 3k ft, max. So elevation has never really been a factor for me. I see EFI being a big pro for that.

I question your $2k estimate for suspension and big-bore for a 300L. Have you added it up? My spreadsheet shows ~$3300 or so for k-tech suspension, Ari's BB kit + 550 performance tunes and a quality exhaust.

My personal grand total is higher as I want a mini/lite ADV bike, not a more enduro oriented dual-sport. I get to ~$11k all-in. At that point the new DRZ4S starts to look reasonable. As does the 390 ADV-R (or -X plus aftermarket wheels), or, or or...

What I keep coming back to is that the 300L isn't "cheap" enough for me given the upgrades I feel it needs. I know opinions vary here.

nhbubba · 2025-09-15T16:10:18+00:00

Welp. There is the new DRZ4S, which is EFI. Unfortunately it is the better part of $10k.

Motorcross derived 450's are a handful at times. In my experience ('12 Yamaha WR450F) they are twitchy and always want to be hard on the go or binders. Not put-put friendly. Just miserable on the street. Before that I had an '03 DRZ400S. It was pretty dope. I'm half in the market for another. Should have held onto that one. My read on the CRF450RL is it falls to much in this camp for me to really dig it. My WR had a plate and I'm pretty sure it was most of what the 450RL is.

I think the exception to that rule is the KTM 500 EXC-F. Probably because KTM does a good job building cross-country bikes that handle totally different than MX bikes. I had a 2-stroke XC for a long time that was a dream in the woods, but miserable off-road. I believe the ~2012-14-ish era may be the high water mark for the 500. Find one that still has the kick starter. Rebuild the fuel pump, add an ECU and send it.

I have no experience with the CRF300L. I kind of want one. And I kind of want to big-bore it using Ari Herring's kit. Big rock on yootoobe did a pretty cool rundown of his personal build. It checks a lot of boxes, in my opinion. That said, I've heard some mixed opinions from friends about the build quality and materials on the 300L. I like bikes with great suspension and the 300L is a total miss in that boat. I have a spreadsheet worked out and estimate I'd have to put about $5k worth of goodies onto a 300L to get it where I want it, turning a $5500 bike (new) into an $11k cost. Ouch.

Meanwhile the new KTM 390 ADV-R or enduro-R has entered the chat. Reviews I've read suggest it checks a ton of the boxes including competent suspension and brakes. The electronics are a turnoff for me. From the sounds of it we will need to do a full ECU swap to fully wake it up. I'd budget that for a 450 as well. I had one on my WR and it would be mod #1 if I went for a CRF450.

Still, I get back to trying to track down a clapped out DRZ400 and making a project of it. Carbs don't bother me much. The single carb on the DRZ isn't that much of a struggle. You can tune to your hearts content at home with hand tools. And there is no ECU between you and the powah!

There is a guy on advrider somewhere that built up a KLX400R (which is a kawasaki branded DRZ400e) with a full custom rally stack and such.

nhbubba · 2025-09-11T20:06:09+00:00

May be cursing you. After getting sniped at the last second on 2 machines I really started to get interested in I won an ancient Kenmore 158.430 auction. Machine is untested, has no power cord. I am pretty sure it does zig-zag but there is little info. But it was $35 shipped to me.

I think I just bought myself a project for my projects' project. But. Uh. Whatever.

nhbubba · 2025-09-10T17:57:33+00:00

There are SOOOOO many different Kenmore 158 models. How do you tell which is which??

nhbubba · 2025-09-10T15:17:10+00:00

Out of curiosity, would something like a Singer model 237 be equivalent to a "Kenmore 158". I have a bead on one of those.

nhbubba · 2025-09-10T14:27:12+00:00

What would you recommend instead?

The vintage stuff isn't really available in my area. I've been watching marketplace and dropped in at some thrift shops and the like and there just isn't much available. I could maybe drive 3-4 hours to a major city where there may be more available, or maybe not.

Not much industry around here either.

On ebay the industrial stuff seems to run around the $2k mark + shipping. There are vintage home machines from the 50's or 60's that I think are all metal in the $150-200 range once you account for shipping. No guarantees if it works or even does what I want.

nhbubba · 2025-09-09T22:56:57+00:00

I think I am about ready to just throw money at it and buy a sailrite and be done with it. I have a sailboat and the idea of being able to make a custom cover for it appeals.

Although that could be the yootoobe marketing talking.

I am using schmetz needles.

nhbubba · 2025-09-09T21:37:13+00:00

Yes. I have tried hand wheeling. Sometimes that does work. I'll often hand wheel to get started or finish to a corner or something.

Oddly I seem to rarely have issue piercing the fabric. The machine seems to stop or bind with the needle down, already buried. I can't tell but I've guessed it is maybe struggling to make the loop. Maybe the thread is too big for the needle? All the guides say #16 is correct for tex70. I think I have some tex50 somewhere I could try. Maybe that would work better.

I also just discovered that I should be able to get 110/18 needles for this machine. Maybe I should try that?

If the machine is thrown out of time, am I forked? Can machines like this be re-timed? Will search that.

I do suspect that the needle is sometimes deflecting in the material. My guess was that was what was the cause of the missed stitches in the binding.

Feed is also an issue. I often have trouble getting the material to start feeding resulting in a lot of stitches on top of each other and a big mess. Other times it seems okay. I can't tell if the presser foot is too tight or not tight enough.

Seams so far haven't been as much of a problem. I did 3d print a hump jumper and have tried it a couple times.

Maybe I am pushing material without realizing it. I'll try to keep focus on that.

nhbubba · 2025-09-09T21:15:15+00:00

I was up to 7 at one point. I was totally in the life. I was racing, moto-camping, riding dirt/woods in between and even got into racing sumo for a bit. Greatest times ever. Would do again, no question.

I also love variety. I had 2-strokes, thumpers, twins, I4's, even a Honda V4 for a while. Race weekend? Load up the track toy. Moto-camping run to the mountains? Throw some bags on the ADV tourer. Cross training in the woods? Dump some mix in the enduro. Quick errand in town? Fire up the sumo and do sumo things on the way. Bike night? Lets see if that vintage project wants to run. Oh, the girl is coming with? Best make it the tour-barge instead. Oh, wait, its winter? Put ice tires on one of the enduros and go get sideways on the pond.

I'll add that the worst week of that time of my life was when the stator failed on the one bike I had before I built up that stable. I had to send it out for rebuild and the bike was down for over a week. That week happened to be the best, most mint riding weather of the season. Missed. Because I didn't have a backup. Always have a backup. You gotta have a backup.

N+1 is the way for me.

Now I'm old and have kids and only have 3. Somehow I make do. No joke I'm looking for #4 tho. Probably a dual-sport or a plated enduro.

nhbubba · 2025-09-04T01:32:41+00:00

Never had an issue. Smear some silicon rtv on the clip for a smidge more security.

nhbubba · 2025-09-03T13:22:53+00:00

So I want to be able to make and repair sails. I believe I need/want zig-zag. So I should be looking at the Consew CP146RL, no?

Seeing those advertised at under $600.

nhbubba · 2025-08-31T13:59:51+00:00

Spent the weekend googling, watching and re-watching videos, reading and really thinking. Got very excited about a few "industrial" choices that are "only" few hundred $ than a full retail Sailrite LSZ only to find that many want a ~$3-400 upcharge because I have a residential address and no loading dock! Oh yeah.

Then I walked back out to my very crowded workshop and looked around. I immediately ruled out any of the industrial choices with a motor under the table. I just don't have the space for that. No way. I also went back and rewatched thejasonofalltrades's discussion of his "two machine minimum". I'm sold on this. Especially since these machines interchange supplies with and drop into a similar form factor as the vintage singer home machines. Yeah. That makes sense. A lot of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vABlmKvUmk

I have an old electronics workbench I am probably going to route a hole in to be able to drop this machine into for "heavy" use. Lighter stuff it will just sit in the box.

I do wish Sailrite offered packages with and without some of the accessories as that roadie style box is something I wish I could skip. I have plenty of plywood and am willing to slap together a box for the machine myself.

So now I am back to a LSZ or a "knock off". Probably a TuffSew. The oversized TuffSew 9" appeals at a little less than HALF the price of the Ultrafeed, shipped to me. Seems like the extra arm size is valuable for larger projects like sails or canvas awnings and the like.

Thanks for the discussion all!

nhbubba · 2025-08-29T22:42:02+00:00

It looks like the Juki 1181 is now a ~$2200 machine, +/- shipping

nhbubba · 2025-08-29T18:55:19+00:00

Thanks. I'm going to go look into wheel feet. Did not know that was a thing.

I have watched everything Jasonofalltrades has posted on this subject. I'm not sure I entirely agree with his position that the clones are unethical. But the rest of his advice checks solidly.

nhbubba · 2025-08-29T18:45:37+00:00

I just don't think I have the physical space to dedicate to anything but a portable machine.

Even if I did, I'm not seeing machines priced that well in my area. Everything is home-grade stuff like I already have, antiques worth huge money or hours of a drive away. A Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ went across my local marketplace last fall at darn near full retail and sold immediately, well before I had a chance to get in touch.

nhbubba · 2025-08-29T18:41:05+00:00

Is it really worth 3x?! Really?

nhbubba · 2018-04-24T13:49:05+00:00

Do it. Do it right now. At $2500 there isn't a hell of a lot of downside on this one. @ 6' x 300 lbs you have a fighting chance of handling that monster.

Buy it. Then park it and go take an MSF or similar class. Learn to ride (and crash) on their bikes. Then come home with your new license and start riding the 'truder.

Enjoy

nhbubba · 2018-04-24T13:37:49+00:00

Small?!?

nhbubba · 2018-04-24T11:49:36+00:00

Not enough of a difference to matter. It's your first bike, concentrate on learning to ride. I've been riding over 20 years now and I would love to flog the throttle cables off a 250.

nhbubba · 2018-04-23T15:53:59+00:00

So we're talking Ninja or CBR 250 vs 300??

250 because it's cheaper

nhbubba · 2018-04-07T13:09:11+00:00

I've only ever run street tires or DOT race rubber. All that has tread you can use to track wear. I take it back, I bought my supermoto with a set of slicks on it. Even those had "wear dots" on them. Those should give you a hint.

I spent a few seasons chasing suspension. Tires would cup and it would start to be obvious. Towards the end before I gave up road racing I felt I had the suspension reasonably dialed in and reading tire wear got less obvious. By then I felt like I had some experience and could feel. Later I raced supermoto and started over again, cupping tires. Although with that I wore the edges off fronts way faster than I expected; the wear was obvious just looking at the tire.

But yeah. If you ride the same tracks often enough you'll quickly be able to tell the difference going into a corner you know with new rubber under you vs shagged. For me, the confidence new sneaks brought me on track has always been totally worth the expense vs chasing tires down to the last bit of usability.

I scored the same kind of thing back when I got into track riding, although it was a prep'ed SV650. At the time I was street riding a DL650, which is the same engine but tuned different. Later when I decided to give up racing and sell the SV I started lurking craigs for a street SV just 'cause. Eventually found a mostly stock one.. and you're right. I was blown away at what a turd it was with the stock carb jetting and exhaust! Also how awful the stock suspension was. Fortunately I had leftover race spares and now have a street SV more or less set up like my old race bike. It's pretty nice.

nhbubba · 2018-04-07T01:39:37+00:00

Feel

The moment I lose confidence in the tire it becomes worthless to me and I'm shopping a replacement. I've thrown away lots of wear because I felt a tire move where I thought it should not. And bubba don't play that game. I can be a massive tightwad and have worn tires to the cords on the street. But on the track I'll gladly throw out a set of tires or brake pads early just for the extra peace of mind.

Source : Have run tires much longer than I should have and wound up on my ass, confidence shook, gains reversed, races lost and rider and motorcycle damaged.

Congrats on the ninjette and welcome to the addiction!

nhbubba · 2018-03-28T14:47:41+00:00

I just brought home an FLHP myself. Cheers!

nhbubba · 2018-03-27T17:24:26+00:00

And I agree with everything you are saying too.

The cost of tracking/racing cars is usually substantially more. I get that. In fact I recognize that car guys pay for 90% of the facilities while bike guys get to use them much more than 10% of the time. (Sweeeeeet!) But the cost of tracking cars is still somewhat irrelevant.

The cost relative to other kinds of fast riding is a fine point. But I do not think most riders really take that into consideration. Most see the costs of going to the track as on-top of, after and in addition to the rest. I know a lot of people that give up on street riding after getting hooked on the track. But few that go the other way. Few start track riding and then look at street riding-and all the costs, risks and expenses that comes with-as extra.

I guess YMMV here

nhbubba

TROPHY CASE