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By: Jason Giacchino
November 2009 - Off The Pegs
Getting to Know the
450s in the Rain
It troubles me to even consider how much
column space I devote to my ongoing
disappointment in the weather; and yet now that
summer has officially waved goodbye, I’m left
once again down in the dumps.
Sure I’m quick to resort to plans of deferred
ATV maintenance to get through the long winter
if anyone should ask, but in truth there are few
riders out there who can tell you straight faced
that working on their quad is as fun as riding
or racing it. Typically, summer is the time of
year we New Yorkers do just that, and a nice
long season of trail riding, weekend racing, and
late night group rides are just the ticket to
surviving the dreaded winters. Hey, a few good
memories can go a long way when it’s negative
ten degrees without the wind chill and getting
up to fetch a cup of coffee isn’t worth
unwrapping one’s self from the cocoon of
blankets on the couch.
I bring all of this up because as it turns out,
this summer was nearly the perfect opportunity
to build up a nice archive of riding memories
for which to draw from once the weather outside
turns frightful--emphasis on the word “nearly”
before “perfect” in describing this past season.
Don’t get me wrong, the ATV choices were
breathtaking, the manufacturers generous with
their timetables, and the moto-destinations all
carefully programmed into the GPS. The trouble,
as so often is the case in this part of the
world, was the weather! Spring came in wet and
wild; and I kid you not, never manifested itself
into the dry-spell that we typically associate
with summer. In fact by mid-July the area had
managed to break every conceivable record kept
on consecutive rainy days, measured rainfall,
and ongoing storm systems.
Things were so bad for a while that states of
emergency were declared due to flooding all
around the area. Homes were evacuated,
make-shift shelters erected, and so much
bacteria had rolled into Lake Erie that a
majority of the beaches were closed for the
entire summer.
To top off the endless wetness, 2009 will go on
record as having been the coolest in 88 years.
Apparently, dreary days and cold breezes go hand
and hand. In what should have been the dog days
of summer (which to my friends and me means long
afternoons spent on the trails or testing at the
track) were instead spent inside the shed
turning wrenches while waiting out the storm.
In a case of poor timing, it was within these
miserable conditions that the opportunity to log
some saddle time in on each of the new 450s kept
presenting itself. I finally got to gear up and
run a GNCC-style course in Ohio back in early
June (when there was still hope of things
improving) on Yamaha’s then-spanking new
YFZ450R. The mud and hill run-off was so severe
that what should have been seven-minute laps had
to be shortened down to two-minutes and some
change. The technical sections, log crossings,
and hills had to be detoured in favor of only
the highest ground (which was still pretty
slimy).
Hoping things would improve by August, several
planned rides had been cancelled before they
even got off the ground just because the trails
were too sloppy or the rain showed no sign of
abating.
Then, just as things appeared completely
hopeless, a small dry spell found its way
through the area in early September. We went 24
days without a drop of rain (even the farmers
weren’t complaining as their corn fields were
beginning to look like rice paddies). It was
during this period that I took delivery of a
2010 Polaris Outlaw 450 MXR (tested elsewhere
this month) with specific instructions to
thoroughly test it on both the trails and MX
track for purpose of review.
The first few rides went without hitch; and in
fact, the trails were a bit dusty for the first
time all year. Realizing the mini-drought
couldn’t last forever, I gathered up my riding
buddies for a prospective trip down to
Pennsylvania that same weekend to test at
Majestic Trails with a still camera, camcorder,
and two helmet cams (for in-the-saddle and chase
footage).
When Saturday arrived, the skies were dark and
threatening; but we pressed on. Sure enough we
were caught in two torrential downpours within
the hour and a half road trip there. The rain
paused just long enough for us to get unloaded
and geared up. With apprehension and a bit of
excitement, we blasted off onto the trails and
made our way up to the MX track just as the
skies decided they could hold back no longer.
Long story short: It rained and rained then
rained some more. The temp dropped into the 40s;
and by the time we made it back to the loading
area, we were covered in mud from head to toe.
Worse still was that my fiancé insisted we
change outside in the rain so as not to track
the layer of goo with us into her new truck.
Several pieces of gear had to be thrown away as
there was simply no salvaging them. Suffice to
say, not a single moment of footage had been
captured, as was the plan. We were able to carve
a few dozen hot laps around the track despite
the conditions and came away impressed with the
quad’s attributes. We were clearing everything
even when traction was “iffy” at best and the
Fox Podium X suspension was a lifesaver in those
rain & mud speckled-goggle moments when we came
up horribly short.
Polaris is waiting patiently for the return of
their ATV, and I keep stalling in the hope of
one more late-season break in the weather which
will allow for a video production of the machine
in action (for your enjoyment, of course). I’m
still hoping although it’s looking less and less
likely with each passing week where the only
change to report is shorter days, colder nights,
and rain turning to ice the moment it hits the
grass.
I wonder what Polaris would think of my testing
their 450’s abilities in three-feet of snow?
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