[Stablefull]

My brother in law races motocross and has invited me to join him. It's an old timers circuit in western states...WA, OR, MT, ID, NV, CA, AZ and BC. I'm not sure if it will be my cup of tea or not but I decided to give it a shot. I'm not a very aggressive rider. I told him I will be the slowest guy on the track and have the most fun

Anyway, he gave me his spare bike, on the condition that I race. If I decide it isn't for me, I can either give it back to him or buy it from him. Seems like a safe bet to me. And I have been wanting to work on bikes and cars for quite some time now.

The bike is a 2003 Honda CRF450. It was built for a fast rider, but he wasn't as big as I am, so we think the suspension should be a decent fit for me. It's in really good shape, just needs some TLC. I have the owner's manual and have purchased a repair manual as well. Known issues are as follows:

- It has been sitting ~5 years and won't start. It isn't getting fuel. Carbs need to be taken apart and cleaned.
- Tires need to be changed (I have a set). It was ridden on a really rocky area and a bunch of the knobs are broken or missing.
- Fluids need changing
- New fork seals.
- Throttle cables stick and don't spring back

I want to give it a complete once over and bring everything up to snuff. Are there any other things I should pay particularly close attention to? Does anyone have a baseline checklist that they go through whenever they do this? Suggestions welcome, and thank you in advance.

 

[Stablefull]

Oops, didn't mean to post twice

 

[hogcowboy]

In the future if you accidentally make a double post, just make one of the moderators earn their keep by asking them to delete the second post. Mods have to read every single post anyway so they'll see it. If they don't earn their keep, when they ask for a raise the admins won't have anything to justify more than $00.00 as it is now.:grin:

 

[Critter]

Scott,
Krusty would be the guy to talk to find out if there is anything special you need to do to the bike to race it.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

The first thing that comes to mind is 2 rim locks for the rear tire. It probably has them. Check all the spokes front and rear.
The clutch and front brake lever, can be left a tad loose on the bars, so when you go extreme tippy, they twist rather than breaking. Knuckle guards and chest plate if riding on rocky terrain. For mud and slop we ran 15 psi rear, and 18 / 20 in front. Modern tires probably have different pressures. The bars will probably pound your thumbs at first, so a bit soft will help. You may also benefit from a kidney belt. Your lower back might hurt after the first few outings. Good MX leather pants and boots. I never wore any upper body protection, just a jersey. Others wear lots. Rubber pads on the front of your gloves. Rocks hitting the knuckles hurt.
If you go to the front and stay there, you will not get blasted. Was a dream for me too. Put in only the gas you need, rather than a full tank. Beer washes away grime and mud quite well. Air filters need cleaning and oiling often.
Eyeball the front forks from the side to make sure they are parallel. You can loosen all the clamps and twist things back in shape. Change all the wheel bearings sooner, and the steering head bearings some time. Check the front wheel for wobble.
Do all the things you listed.

Street and track riding, are modern creations and built to suit. The beauty of most off road and MX riding, is that it is a natural and differing terrain. Hope you have lots of fun.
I was running second once, for about 5 seconds, then I cartwheeled in to a tree. I still have a funny bump in my leg when I flex that muscle. Caused by a naughty piece of tree. Had to buy new leather pants as well.

Most now use full face helmets. I used an open face with goggles.

Bon chance. UK