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By: Jason Giacchino
Email:
offthepegs@atvsource.com
November 2006
And So It Begins...
Considering that I’m typing this article in
mid-October, I fear the shift in weather is
already taking its toll. Each year around this
time I begin reporting on the fact that my New
York climate has begun to slip into a
riding-less limbo of slightly above freezing
temperatures, gray skies, and wind-driven rain;
Not exactly the definition of ideal riding
conditions. This year has been ever more
unforgiving than most as Western New York was
hit with a freak blizzard in the second week of
October which dumped two feet of snow
accumulation and left 400,000 people without
electricity for a week. Needless to say gas
generator sales went through the roof.
Considering this web site isn’t called Gas
Generator Source, allow me to tie this talk of
weather into the sport of ATV riding. Long time
readers (sufferers) of my column will surely
attest that the cooler weather begins to have an
affect on the minds of riders everywhere forced
to hang up their leathers and slap a trickle
charger onto their quad batteries. Never is
there a better time to begin considering next
year’s racing season and with that comes the
onset to several months of purchasing and
installing modifications. This process has
already taken hold of my riding circle. Need
further proof? Read on.
Two Weeks Ago:
 A chance scan of eBay revealed a 1986 Suzuki
Quadracer 250 that the seller was looking to
trade for a motorcycle, running or not. Turns
out I just so happen to have a 1981 Kawasaki
KZ750 Twin in need of a cam chain sitting in my
girlfriend’s mother’s garage. We discussed a
possible trade, but due to transportation issues
(getting the quad to NY or the bike to Michigan)
couldn’t come to terms. I wasn’t overly
disappointed; it was a long shot right from the
get-go.
Last Week:
While scanning the local classifieds for snow
removal gear, I happened across an ad for a 2005
TRX450R supposedly raced by the KIK Honda team
locally with nearly every modification known to
man already performed. Examples included a
recently installed HRC kit, carbon fiber
exhaust, rebuilt gear box, Elka suspension all
the way around, widened A-arms, wider rear axle,
new ITP Holeshots on Douglas Wheels, twist
throttle, nerfs, fresh plastic, graphics, seat
cover etc. The asking price for all of this
race-ready goodness? $2900! Suffice to say the
ads went flying in a swirl of excited air
current as I dashed to the phone. What followed
were a few days of phone tag before I had
finally connected with the seller. On account of
some choppy English, requests to wire the money,
and locate a shipping agent, things were
becoming more and more suspicious. Finally after
a week of communication my instincts
interference became too strong to ignore; this
was clearly a scam and a not a very well
disguised one at that. Goodbye dreams of picking
up a works machine for less than a stocker, it
was back to the ads for some fresh ideas,
proving once and for all the wisdom behind the
expression “if it sounds too good to be true, it
probably is.”
Yesterday:
My cousin and primary race-partner, Mike,
calls me on my cell phone at work requesting
that I meet him at the local dealership when I
got out at 5. Considering that fact that he just
purchased an 06 Suzuki LTR-450 and quickly got
to work on intake, exhaust, and fuel map mods, I
doubted he was planning on picking up another
race machine. We met up and I followed him as we
whisked us past the race-ready quads and toward
the trail units; A leftover 2004 Polaris
Predator Dale Earnhardt edition to be specific.
The sticker price had been reduced to $4400 on
account of the fact that the 2007 models are
beginning to trickle onto the sales floor.
Mike’s logic was clear: Now that he had his race
quad all set up and waiting patiently for
spring, this was a move toward the recreational
side of things. The trails are a blast even with
a coating of freshly gathering snow. “I wonder
if they’ll let it go for $4,000?” Mike whispered
while flashing his well used Visa card toward
the blood-thirsty sales associate. Only one way
to find out. Turned out that $4400 was as low as
they were willing to go and in an
uncharacteristic move by my generally impulsive
cousin, we walked. Maybe they’ll consider his
offer when the 2008 models hit the floors.
Five Minutes Ago:
 Picked up the paper and came across a 2000
Yamaha Warrior with fresh tires for $1,500. It
would be challenging, but a quick trip to the
Web revealed that hop up parts are still readily
available for this classic beast. I haven’t
called the phone number yet but the notion of a
race ready Warrior showing up to the track next
spring is pretty entertaining. Besides, we’re
starring down the barrel of many consecutive
months of dark days and long nights of nasty
bitter cold. What better to do to pass the time
then to spend the evenings in the work-shop on a
project quad?
In the mean time we’re getting an awful lot
of cheap entertainment in narrowing it down to
the right one.
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