Well I missed the DRN ride at Weimedog’s this past Sunday so I decided to head up there last night for a few hours of riding. We hit the 8 mile loop and after the second lap I had to stop and do something with my forks. They were set up for MX and I was getting the crap beat out of me in the rough single track. Walt suggested a few clicks here and there (Thanks Walt :)) and then it felt great.
There are a lot of off camber grass track turns in the loop (don’t worry, I’m getting the VOR part) and my bike was sliding out on me because of the midrange hit. It was turning good but I was too heavy on the gas and wasn’t going a fast around them as I would have like. The trails were just right for me with 2nd & 3rd gear parts and some wide open really fast stuff. It was a lot of fun and I was sad that I missed riding with everyone on Sunday.
We decided to switch bikes and I hopped on Walt’s VOR 450 EX (I think). We’ve ridden together before but this was the first chance we had to switch bikes The back tire was a bit bald and he warned me that it slides out easily. He also warned me that it weighed 30 or 40 pounds more than my RM. I took note and hit the “E” button (very nice) and was off. The first thing I noticed was how much it handled like my RM. I really didn’t even notice the extra weight. I was able to adapt to it very quickly. The next thing I noticed was how fast I could take the off camber corners. I expected it to slide out (with the bald tire) but it hooked right up. I just came into the turn and hit the gas. The bike did everything else.
Up on the fast straights in the field (WFO in top gear), it felt very stable. My RM twitches a little at high speeds and although do I open it up, it’s a bit scary at times. The VOR didn’t seem to have the acceleration that my RM has but it’s deceiving because it hooks up much better.
I’ve ridden YZF’s and the new CRF and I would prefer the VOR over either of them. Walt told me that the 2003 MX 450 has more of a hit and he thought I’d like that even more so I can’t wait to give it a try. If anyone gets a chance to ride a VOR, don’t pass it up. I think you’ll be surprised that the magazine test’s are off the mark. They are sweet bikes. I just wish I could have tried the 503.
When we stopped back at the house for a drink and gas Walt’s daughter comes out of the house as says that my wife call and she had a small kitchen fire. All kinds of things were going through my head, as you could imagine. A quick phone call confirmed that everything was OK. The cord of an electric water kettle had shorted out where it goes into the kettle. She said that flames shot out and it got very smoky. Luckily it wasn’t near anything flammable. Crises averted and we went out for one last loop before it got too dark. I never did fill up my tank so I had to cut the loop short and head home.
Thanks for the riding Walt. I hope to make it up again soon.:)
There are a lot of off camber grass track turns in the loop (don’t worry, I’m getting the VOR part) and my bike was sliding out on me because of the midrange hit. It was turning good but I was too heavy on the gas and wasn’t going a fast around them as I would have like. The trails were just right for me with 2nd & 3rd gear parts and some wide open really fast stuff. It was a lot of fun and I was sad that I missed riding with everyone on Sunday.
We decided to switch bikes and I hopped on Walt’s VOR 450 EX (I think). We’ve ridden together before but this was the first chance we had to switch bikes The back tire was a bit bald and he warned me that it slides out easily. He also warned me that it weighed 30 or 40 pounds more than my RM. I took note and hit the “E” button (very nice) and was off. The first thing I noticed was how much it handled like my RM. I really didn’t even notice the extra weight. I was able to adapt to it very quickly. The next thing I noticed was how fast I could take the off camber corners. I expected it to slide out (with the bald tire) but it hooked right up. I just came into the turn and hit the gas. The bike did everything else.
Up on the fast straights in the field (WFO in top gear), it felt very stable. My RM twitches a little at high speeds and although do I open it up, it’s a bit scary at times. The VOR didn’t seem to have the acceleration that my RM has but it’s deceiving because it hooks up much better.
I’ve ridden YZF’s and the new CRF and I would prefer the VOR over either of them. Walt told me that the 2003 MX 450 has more of a hit and he thought I’d like that even more so I can’t wait to give it a try. If anyone gets a chance to ride a VOR, don’t pass it up. I think you’ll be surprised that the magazine test’s are off the mark. They are sweet bikes. I just wish I could have tried the 503.
When we stopped back at the house for a drink and gas Walt’s daughter comes out of the house as says that my wife call and she had a small kitchen fire. All kinds of things were going through my head, as you could imagine. A quick phone call confirmed that everything was OK. The cord of an electric water kettle had shorted out where it goes into the kettle. She said that flames shot out and it got very smoky. Luckily it wasn’t near anything flammable. Crises averted and we went out for one last loop before it got too dark. I never did fill up my tank so I had to cut the loop short and head home.
Thanks for the riding Walt. I hope to make it up again soon.:)
