Insane verticross action at Hammond- Sandy Lyle’s wild ride in The “unofficial” off-road race of the year was the Haines City Hammers Off-Road Challenge. The event is in its 12th year, always held on the weekend of Memorial Day weekend. For 12 years they have been offering one of the best dirt jump lineups in the country. You don’t have to pay any entry fee and you can come and jump as many times as you can from your own rig. The obstacles are spread out in a 2.5 mile course through the woods with all kinds of features including table tops, steps, high speed jumps, and a really fun wall ride to start and finish off the course. The organizers put on an awesome event with great people and fun obstacles. It doesn’t hurt that there is food, drink, and all kinds of other things for sale, food was available at the start and finish area. Of course, there is some riding, both dirt and street, on the course. It was a great time to check out some of the latest gear, from the latest models of bikes, to new wheels, tires, helmets, and apparel. And of course, as usual, many of us brought bikes with no name decals on the forks and other places. Most of us brought our bikes just to ride them, but some of us also took them to show off in some of the “pro class” events. This is the second year that an “amateur supercross” class was on the agenda and the crowd was a little bigger for it. There were many times on the course that you could hear a group of riders yelling “I’m a pro! I’m a pro!” The weekend has been called the “unofficial off-road race of the year” because of its size and for being a fun event to watch and enjoy, not just a competitive race like supercross or motocross. But then, they don’t have an entry fee either! This post isn’t about an announcement, but I hope it makes you all stop and think about whether you are doing anything that needs the attention of the police. So often people don’t think about the consequences until they’re stopped by the police. Many riders thought they could get away with this. This is a reminder for all of us. This year we’ve had a number of incidents where people rode their street motorcycles to off-road events or events in off-road only locations, and had them seized. Dennis Schroeder: “A friend of mine and I ride our XR650’s to Talledega (races) and some of the OHM’s. This year our off-road bikes had to be put in storage in FL and they were impounded. Now I cannot bring them back in the state of Wisconsin. The ticket I got for riding my motorcycle to the ‘off-road’ event, told me I had to have a motorbike that was approved for street use only.” Sandy Lyle: “I was stopped several times at the off road in Haines City, FL this year. I had to park on the dirt strip by the gate because I have a street bike. I went through the gate on my factory XR750 (after I had called ahead to make sure it was okay) and was stopped on the gravel and told I couldn’t bring it in. He said that he couldn’t give me a ticket because he could make a big stink if I fought it, but that I had better get it out of the state or I would end up with the Sheriff’s Department taking care of it. I asked him why, since the park was not on road, if I was okay to drive in. He had no answer except that ‘it’s the law’.” Jared DeLay: “I was stopped for an open container last year while riding to one of the Talledega, Florida off-road races. It was my 1st time riding on the road. Needless to say, it was a little weird. Since I only get one chance at a first impression, I’d say that off-road biking is not the way to go if you want to avoid law enforcement. If you are caught, you will either get a ticket or be forced to have the authorities impound the bike. It’s probably best to just stick to motocross and desert races.” Greg Lehman: “Two days before a motocross event I was stopped at the top of a hill by an officer that said, ‘hey, this bike isn’t street legal. Do you have proof it’s street legal?’ Yes, I had proof. I’m a professional rider, with a professional bike, and the bike was never street legal. It had to do with the windshield frame. (Just in case anyone didn’t know, a motorcycle with a windshield frame is not street legal.) I got a ticket for that and had to take an off-road training class.” I do not see anything wrong with riding a street-legal bike to a race, but it’s best to get the bikes checked before they leave your home. If you do have an accident, and it gets reported, and your bike isn’t street-legal then you could have a lot of problems, especially if you don’t have insurance. This is an excellent video, and I love to see a group of riders on bikes they can actually afford buying it, using it, and racing it! It is just a blast to see people do this! The new 2011 FZ1 is in the hands of the fans at the 2011 AIM Expo and I must say, they seem to be very pleased with it. “The 2011 FZ1 is a bike that any serious grom can get their boots in, especially this year with that huge power increase. The new 2011 bikes are light and sporty for younger riders and for their parents. The 2011 FZ1 also has many other custom parts and features that make it unique. Some of the top features of this year’s bike are the new exhaust, that huge increase in power, the new fuel tank, the wide selection of accessories and parts, and the very powerful braking system. For the future, this bike will be the choice of a generation, and I’m glad I’m one of them.” The 2011 FZ1 is making a splash on the water, even in the boat scene! Check out these pics from the AIM Expo. The FZ1 has always been a great boat (Fusion Touring), but this year it’s a lot better. The seats, tank, pipes, exhaust, etc all work together for a killer appearance on the water. “When Yamaha introduced the 2011 model FZ1, it was time for a refresh. It has been some time since I have been able to get some time behind the wheel of this amazing bike. The 2011 FZ1 has had a huge face lift and has been reworked in more ways than one. The new frame has a deeper side cut that is a perfect match for the new wheels. The lower engine compartment has been made lower and has created more space and better clearance. A few tweaks have been done to the engine too to increase the performance and make the bike a perfect match for all its fans. This bike is going to be one of the fastest bikes for 2011.” As you know, we have been seeing this one, here in Florida, too! These guys have just been hanging out riding our great trails. I love this. The bikers in this video look like they were having fun, enjoying riding on one of the best courses in the southeast. All of the riders did great, and it is a great trail to ride. It’s probably better to have bikes of all kinds riding together, having fun, rather than riding alone because of course, that is the other fun part of riding… All of this is fun, but there are a lot of rules. I really like that they even ride safely and not in a way that threatens public safety. I always believe in the saying: safety first! There are so many great parts in this video, but I want to say a couple of things. First, riding around the parking lot at Walmart with 20′ long pipes is just insane! But, I wouldn’t do it on a public road because you can create some dangerous situations by sharing the road with other cars that may not see you or hear you coming. If you do this ride, get a helmet and use your bike at a high speed. Don’t do it if you don’t have your “A” license. Second, this really shows how good some of the riders have gotten on the newer bikes. The riders have to know how to get the bike to perform well in the dirt. It was also interesting to see some of the bike’s that were modified, because that’s how I got involved in off-road riding. Many of us modified our motorcycles, changed out pipes, tires, seats, etc, so this makes me wish I had a similar video of us. Maybe some of you will remember the good old days, the “old bikes,” and remember riding for “fun” in the woods. If so, go ahead and share a story about your old bikes and riders in the comments below. A few pics from the first event of the 2011 season