Packing & last minute bike prep

News about sidecars competing in the Dakar Rally and other enduro related items

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Scott
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Packing & last minute bike prep

Post by Scott »

In final checkout of the bike a week ago, we found the lower rear shock mount was bent. That's a 3/4 inch (19mm) chromoly steel shaft that the shock slides onto. The only thing I can think of that could have done that was when we hit a 10 ft (3m) wide washout on a road at 40 mph in Death Valley, and we had to jump it. We hit the other side really hard, and it seems the rear end didn't like that! Anyway, in a rush we had to fabricate a new set of parts. Two days ago we took the sidecar out for its final test ride. We had planned this last ride for the previous weekend, but the shock mount troubles delayed us a few days. We drove out to Gorman at 7:00pm Thursday night, rode in the dark, and got back in the morning at 3:00am. This crazy schedule is no fun. Fortunately the bike is working really well, so we're looking good for Dakar!

For the next three days before this all goes onto the boat to Portugal, we will be fabricating more spare parts, working out some of the instrument mountings and final bike prep, throwing in a few last things into the boxes, then driving it all from Los Angeles to San Francisco for shipment.

One of the last tasks is to load everything up on a pallet. It looks like it all fits! All on a 6'x9' Pallet (2m x 3m), 6' tall (2m), nearly 2000 pounds (900kg).

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Paul Janssen

Le Dakar

Post by Paul Janssen »

Hi Scott,
what a tremendous lot of work you have done last year! I think you must have spent all your free time for it. I hope it's worth doing this all and you will have a wonderfull Dakar. It must be a very special experience, according to the people who took past in the past.
We will follow you by television. Her in Europe the rally will be broadcasted every evening. How is this in the USA?
I read there was a story of you in the official Dakar press papers!
I wondered how your spare parts will be transported from one start to another.

For now, best regards,
Paul
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Scott
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Re: Le Dakar

Post by Scott »

Paul Janssen wrote:Hi Scott, what a tremendous lot of work you have done last year! I think you must have spent all your free time for it. I hope it's worth doing this all and you will have a wonderfull Dakar. It must be a very special experience, according to the people who took past in the past. We will follow you by television. Her in Europe the rally will be broadcasted every evening. How is this in the USA? I read there was a story of you in the official Dakar press papers! I wondered how your spare parts will be transported from one start to another. For now, best regards,Paul
Hi Paul,
I hope also that we can be successful. But the odds for a sidecar finishing are not good, so we try to plan for everything, and hope we have some good luck. If I knew how much work this was going to be, I think I would not have started this project. I have a LOT of respect for the Swiss team who are coming back for another try at Dakar. It’s a crazy amount of work to build your own machine for Dakar.

In USA there is TV coverage always one or two days late, and it’s not so good. The race is not well known in this country, so we have to explain to everyone what it is all about.

Yes, in a previous post you can see the official Dakar newsletter where they wrote a story about us. Of course they do the normal thing to sidecars by calling us “nutcasesâ€
Paul Janssen

Post by Paul Janssen »

Hi Scott,
most of the time I wil be at home when the race will be broadcasted. Then it's easy for me to record the tv coverage. Later on it must be possible to change the tape to dvd or so.
I'll buy some tapes and I'll record the tv coverages as much as possible. And if I can something on internet about the race I can save it of course. I'll see what I can do.
Best wishes to Adriana from me and Miranda,

Paul
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Post by chris long »

Hi scott i am sure i speak for all the british sidecar crews in saying best of luck to you both in the task ahead it can only be good for the sport on both sides of the pond i hope you do beter than you expect keep all three wheels on the ground and come home safe regards chris long
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Post by Scott »

chris long wrote:Hi scott i am sure i speak for all the british sidecar crews in saying best of luck to you both in the task ahead it can only be good for the sport on both sides of the pond i hope you do beter than you expect keep all three wheels on the ground and come home safe regards chris long
Thanks Chris! I think we are ready for this. But there are so many unknowns, it's hard to say what our chances of finishing are. Anything can happen out there, and everything probably will happen. I just hope we can get past all those things.
Scott
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chris m. johnson
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Post by chris m. johnson »

Best of Luck to yourself, Duane and the V-ROD, all three are going to need it.

This is the most awsome challenge ever attempted by any Americans in offroad Racing. There are so many variables with bike prep and reliability, weather and course conditions, personal fitness, focus and endurance and the largest and less looked at variable, sleep deprivation.
That is where Duane will shine and help carry you through with all of his Eco Challenge experience.

Good Luck to you guys and have the best of experience and score a finish for all other sidecar racers in the world to admire. Talk to you guys soon and take care.

Chris & Adrian Johnson
TEAM SOLTRON
Chris Johnson, Jack, Randy, Brian, Kylie, Paul (Califiornia GP, DESERT, MX - #Z1) Soltron, EventPhoto, Marks Performance Products.
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siepdewit
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Your dream

Post by siepdewit »

Scott,
I like to wish you all the best in your attempt to do the Dakar and cross my fingers for you that your big dream comes true after all your hard work over the past years in getting everything sorted out.

I will follow your results on the internet.

GOOD LUCK,
S.L. (Siep) de Wit
http://www.bsusidecars.com
chris bongers
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Good luck in this edition of the dakar

Post by chris bongers »

From the netherlands we wish the whole team the best of luck for the dakar off 2006, we hope you wil finisch that is someting what many sidecar team tries but only a few teams did sucseed in the previous editions.

With kindley regards,
Chris Bongers.
beter duur dan niet te koop
Erkki Saloniemi
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Post by Erkki Saloniemi »

Hi Scott!
We would like to wish all good to You and your team to Dakar. We have also one long distance enduro, Päijänne-enduro (3 days long, 1000km), here in Finland but it is nothing for Dakar. We are with You all the way! Good luck, and come home healthy!
Erkki Saloniemi/Sidecarcross Team Saloniemi
P.s. Do not Finnish! ;-)
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