What direction

Today, my baby turned 5.  I am 42 and he is 5.  No, he was not planned.  He was a surprise.  A huge blessing, but a Major Surprise.  In fact, that is his name... Major Surprise.  Ok, not really.  His first name is Major.  Anyway, I have always felt like he was my last shot at getting it right.  That's not to say that my other two boys aren't fabulous.  The are wonderful works of God's love and grace.  I could not ask for two better young men to have the pleasure of raising and calling my sons.  But I am a different mom with Major than I was with the other two.

So, that got me to thinking, what direction will he go?  What sports will he prefer?  What subjects will he like or not like?  Will he prefer blondes or brunettes?  You know, all that stuff.  And it comes down to what direction am I going to lead him in?  With the other two I wanted a baseball player.  I love to watch the kids play baseball.  And what did I end up with?  I have a swimmer and a football playing motocrosser.  But I let them try EVERYTHING!  Baseball, Basketball, Flag Football, Swim Team, Karate, Golf, Archery, Guitar.  It seemed like every time the wind blew we were buying new something for this or for that.

But with Major, if I put him in Spring Baseball and Fall Baseball will I finally have my baseball player?  If I put him on a dirt bike every time his brother and dad get on one, will have a Trey Canard?  And at what point can I be sure he loves it and it's not just about me.  That is why we let the other two do whatever they wanted, so it could be about them and not us.  As kids, are they qualified, or even capable of making those decisions on their own?

This I do know, having a baby at 28 and having a baby at 37 make me a different mom for all of them.  But having that additional time of being a mom makes me no more wiser on which path to lead them.  However, I also know, that all that ultimately matters is that I have raised them all to walk with God and follow His direction for their lives.

Blessings

My First Solo Ride

On March 15th I turned 42.  I have done just about everything I've ever wanted to do.  Gone just about everywhere I've ever wanted to go.  I have had a good, blessed life.  But one thing I had not done was ride a dirt bike solo.  I've been on the back of my husband's bike with him driving, and I've spent a lot of time on quads.  But on a two wheel moto machine, I had not taken the leap.

We were spending Spring Break with my husband's family, who has property in North Louisiana.  We had taken all the bikes, and for my birthday, I wanted to ride a dirt bike by myself.  My son has an 85 and my husband has a 125, so I went with my son's.  They gave me enough direction to make me kind of scared, not that I wasn't already very scared on my own.  Then, my husband sat behind me and we rode about 50 feet and he jumped off.  And I went.  Not too far, but far enough for my first time.

I can't express to you the feelings of mixed emotions I had during that ride.  It was like "wow, I'm finally doing it."  With, "Oh Yeah!  I'm doing it" and some "What in the hell am I doing?" and finally,  "Woo Hoo!  I did it!"  When I got off the bike I cried.  Relieved I didn't break a hip.  Proud I had tried something new.

So, now I share my first EVER solo ride with you.  Please notice the posture as I ride by the camera.  And the three most wonderful little boys who run to me at the end.  It's ok to laugh, I still laugh every time I watch it.

Blessings.

Whats with all the numbers?

On my Facebook page, there are some really engaged users.  Not just moms, but dad's, kids and tracks.  So when I have a question, or anyone in our community for that matter, I try to put it out there for answers and ideas.  It has really become a place where we help each other.

A few months back I asked "Who buys the bikes in your house?"  while the answers ranged, I found that a LOT of moms do it all.  The research, the find, the negotiation, the purchase, the pickup, and often drive the trailer to the track when all is said and done.  (we really are amazing creatures).

Around that same time I was shopping for a bike for one of my boys and found one that I had started communicating with the lady on.  It was a listing on Craig's List, and I asked the lady what year is this bike?  And she didn't know.  That made me wonder, do you know how to find out what year a bike is?

Now, I am not a box beater about empowering women, but I am a strong believer in being as informed as I possibly can.  And I believe with knowledge comes power. So, if you don't know what year your bike is, this is your lucky day.    The year is located in the serial number, or VIN, on the bike.  Do you know where to find the serial number?  The serial number is located on the steering column, behind where the front number plate would usually be found.  You may have to turn the wheel some to find it, but this is what one looks like (this picture is sideways for reading purposes).

The 10th digit in the VIN indicates the year of your bike.  The above picture is from my youngest son's PW50.  It is a 2001.  The most in depth analysis of the VIN number I have ever read is HERE.   It is really quite amazing what those letters and numbers represent.  Anyway, with these numbers, you are able to find out a whole mess of information on the bike you are looking at.  I always first go to the NADA website to check pricing.  I am all for paying the value of the bike, but sometimes people have no idea what their bike is valued at.  They just know that they have had some real fun times and that's gotta be worth something, right?

So, if you are just getting into this sport, those are some of the first steps I advise when considering buying a used bike from an individual and not brand new from the dealer.  Hope that helps!

Blessings!

Another Texas Boy - Blake Wharton

Another Texas boy I'm kinda diggin' these days in Blake Wharton.  Not only is he from here, but that boy is a pretty darn good bike rider.  And not only that, but he can sing.  And on top of that, he is a Christian.

Now, I will concede, with that hair, in our house we refer to him as "Party Rock" and everyone knows who we are talking about. Visually, the similarities are shocking, but I think that is where the similarities end.

I do LOVE, however, these young athletes, like Blake and Trey Canard, who are not ashamed to confess that God is their Lord and Savior.  When they make the podium and give credit to Jesus for giving them the ability to get there, my heart swells with pride, just like they were my very own kids.

So, I encourage you to follow Blake and cheer him on in the 250's.  He is a young, talented rider, who I believe has a VERY bright future as a rider, a singer or a song writer.  Check out this video of him singing.  From what I understand he wrote this song too.  Very impressive! 
Blake Wharton Acoustic

Good Ol' Texas Boy - Will Hahn

If you follow me on Facebook (Dirt Bike Mom) you know that I am a big SX fan.  When the race was in Dallas there was no doubt that we would go.  We also went in 2011.  I don't remember why we skipped 2012, but we were back this year for sure. 

It is a lot of fun.  This year we jumped in with Texas FCA Motocross and got to tour the stadium while the riders were having their walk through and a short chapel service.  It was a great experience and I would highly recommend it!  If given the opportunity we will do it again. 

Anyway, the week leading up to Dallas Supercross, a local, and really national hero was buried, Chris Kyle.  He was a Navy SEAL and considered one of the most lethal snipers in US military history.  He was a pretty big deal in these parts.  His life was tragically cut short while he was helping a fellow solider try to get his head straight after coming home.  It was a huge loss in locally, but for our nation too.

When the riders were introduced that night, Will Hahn was wearing a jersey with Chris Kyle's name on it.  I found this to be most impressive.  Now, I knew Hahn was from this area.  What I didn't know was what a stand up kind of guy he was.  I mean really, these guys are busy.  They travel all week, all across the nation. The majority of them ride on a bus and don't make huge amounts of money.  They are on their bikes as much as possible, so even if he is from here, to still be in touch with local events is a big deal, at least to me. 

But, what impressed me the most, was Will Hahn's ability to be removed enough from himself to show compassion for the situation, the family and the region during that troubling time when so many people had broken hearts.  He proved that he was not so self absorbed that he still remembered there was a world outside of the area, and he even went as far as to acknowledge it.  Not many regular people know how to do that, and even far fewer athletes in the middle of their season. 

Will came in 3rd that night in the 250 Main Event.  On the podium he dedicated that ride to Chris Kyle, an American Hero.  For that, Will Hahn will always be a class act in my book.

Camper Coma

For those of you who don't know me, I am a bit of a free spirit. I am also a horse trader born 80 years too late. I am willing to give just about anything a shot, at least once. I do not know that there are any limits to my abilities. And when my parents told me I could do or be anything that I wanted, I did not understand that it didn't necessarily have to all be at the same time.

I am always coming up with a new idea or plan that is going to make our lives better then it already is. I pull "stunts" and make messes. And when they go good it is amazing. But when they go bad it is monumental.

So, that brings me to my latest "stunt." I decided to buy a travel trailer and refurbish it so we could travel as a family on the weekends to tracks for motocross races. About 2 weeks ago now, I bought a trailer. Well, where I went wrong was I bought it at an auction. Sight unseen. Bad idea. We had to travel from Dallas to Mississippi to pick it up. Bad idea. We brought if home and got 8 miles to the gallon in my rig. Bad idea. Are you seeing the trend?

We got it the beast home last Wednesday morning about 1:30 am. On the 12 hour trip back, we decide that we can rehab it, however, it is going to tie up some money for longer then we wanted, and of the dozen projects we have going, we really didn't want to add this one. So on Wednesday afternoon I listed it on Craig's List.  We also decided what we really need is a Toy Hauler, and this still won't fit our needs even after a total overhaul.

Now, I am not sure what kind of scam it is, but I am certain there is some type of Craig's List RV Scam going on. In the first two days I was contacted NO LESS than 100 times, and I am not exaggerating. Of those calls, texts and emails, 99% of them asked if I had a title right after they asked if I still had it. Of course, within an hour of this type of response I was suspicious and googling "Craig's List RV Scams" on the Internet. I never found anything, but I promise there is something up.

After several of them got my address and promised to be on their way, put my day on hold, only for them not to show up, we moved the beast to storage. During these 2 days it was parked on our street my head was spinning. My emotions were tripping over each other going from excitement to anticipation to disappointment to total frustration, and back again, over and over during these 2 short days. Everything in my home was neglected - kids, dishes, laundry, dinner. This beast totally turned our lives upside down. This has led to my hate of it.

We have had some "real" people come look at it. And when they are honest, and speak English, they tell me it is a bigger job then they want to take on. And I am honest right back and tell them I completely understand.

I am now preparing to go back into the camper coma as I am dropping the price to exactly what we have in it and posting it on Craig's List again. But this time, if one of the first two questions are about the title, I am hanging up. I don't need those losers wasting my time. Besides, the kids need clean underwear.

A kids gotta race

On our Facebook page I like to find out what the moms, and dads, want to know.  Tonight one of the answers was "Where to find races" and "national caliber" races specifically.  

We are in Texas, and I have just started traveling with Dirt Bike Mom and MX Outfitter to races, so I am constantly researching where to go. And I'll be honest, finding races is easy.  Finding races of national caliber, such as Loretta Lynn's, is not so easy.  Loretta's is kind of the pinnacle for the young racer, and from what I can tell (and I am certainly no expert) you kind of work your way back from there.

Let's took at it like this, AMA  is kind of like the NASCAR of the motocross racing community.  As far as I can tell, AMA is in every state sponsoring races.  Here we have other groups/series, but AMA is everywhere.  Loretta Lynn's is the National event.  To get to Tennessee, you need to win the Regional, to get to the Regional you need to win the Area.  To win the Area, you just need to be experienced enough at winning to win.  This is the  2013 LL Area Qualifier & Regional list.

AMA also sponsors State Championships.  To get to the State level, you go through your districts.  The districts are drawn by AMA.  And, again, to win the district, you just need to be experienced enough at winning to win.

I have found a great resource has been the track owners and/or managers.  They know all things racing if they have been around for a few years.  They want to get the big races at their tracks and they can give you some direction.  It is also a big feather in their cap to be able to say that " ___  is the home track of  ____ who won ____."  And lets be honest, we don't mind letting our kids train where champions also train!

Finally, there are the local races.  Again, Texas is really all I know, but we have a good community of tracks that, for example, are currently having an AMA Texas Winter Series that consists of 5 races at 4 different tracks.  This is great experience for your rider and is base level.  I have bookmarked a long list of tracks and sit down every month on a specific day and go to their calendars and make my list of who is doing what.  To make my list of tracks I used DirtWerkz state directory and went from there.  Once you get to looking at track schedules, you will find a series that will lead you to another track, and next thing you know, your calendar is full!

Blessings!




 

When in doubt

This week on our Facebook page the question was asked "how do you  responded when family does not agree with your decision to let your kids ride motorcycles?"

And the responses were all worded very differently, but were unanimously in agreement, that
1) this is valuable family time
2) this sport is dangerous, but so is anything else kids do
3) its better than too much TV time or getting in trouble time unsupervised
4) we give them all the safety equipment available and trust God to do the rest.

Personally, agree with all of these, but probably most with the last one.  I know firsthand how tragedy can strike.  I have also experienced extreme loss when everyone was doing everything right.  On the other side of that coin, I have seen miracles happen before my eyes.  Things, protection, that only a power greater than mere humans could provide.  Things that could have only come from God. 

So, if you are ever doubting your decision to let your kids ride, ask yourself if they do it for you or if they truly enjoy it.  If they are having fun, then put them in the best gear you can afford, say a prayer over them, and put 'em on a bike.  God has it planned out.  It doesn't matter what we do, what we say, where we live, or how much money we have.  God has a plan, and trusting him with our children is the best thing we can do.

Blessings!

A 2-stroke or a 4-stroke? That is the question...

One of my sons has a KX85.  He has been riding 2-strokes since he has been riding bikes.  But now, he has got a "bee in his bonnet" and wants a 4-stroke.  When I ask my husband, he says that on a 2-stroke, every second stroke is a power stroke, and on a 4-stroke, every fourth stroke is a power stroke...then he explained a lot of other stuff that makes my head spin.  This has led me to do some research on 2-strokes and 4-strokes.  I thought I would pass along what I have learned.

If you haven't heard, there is a debate over what is better, a 2-stroke or a 4-stroke, and what I have found is it all depends on who you talk to.  We shall discuss, but you may just need to jump in and ride both to decide for yourself. 

Basic 2-Stroke Info:  
In the 2-stroke engine, the spark plug fires once every revolution of the crankshaft.  It produces twice the power of a 4-stroke engine of the same size.  The 2-stroke engine is much simpler than 4-strokes, with lighter construction and fewer parts. You have to buy two-stroke engine oil, measure it, and mix it with your fuel.  They are believed to wear out faster because lubrication is not as efficient as in a 4-stroke engine with heavier oil.  They use more fuel because the unused fuel is exhausted with each cycle of the engine.  And they pollute the air more because the unused fuel is exhausted with each cycle of the engine. 

Basic 4-Stroke Info:
4-Strokes engines generally last longer than 2-stroke engines because of the more efficient lubrication of moving parts.  They use straight fuel, and less of it.  Their engines are believed to pollute the air less than 2-strokes.  Construction/assembly/operation of the engine is more complicated. More moving parts means more things that can go wrong.  And 4-strokes are half as powerful as two stroke engines.

There is a ton more info out there - articles, you tube videos, etc.    And just as many contradicting opinions as info. I say just take a chance.  Pick a bike you can afford, get to be friends with a rider that has something else and take his for a spin.  But most importantly, just have fun and enjoy your time on the bike.

Blessings! of the same size.  

Monster Energy Supercross 2013 Season

If any of you follow us on Facebook (@ Dirt Bike Mom) you know that we watched the Monster Energy Supercross season opener on Saturday night.  It is so much fun!  Fun for us because we watch it as a family.  Of course it comes on at 8:30 in Texas, so I try to have everyone showered before it comes on so we can make it to church the next morning...a girls gotta plan ahead.

The big bike Main Event is what we all stay up for, and on Saturday it was a nail biter!  The guy that has got to be my favorite racer, Trey Canard, was back.  Trey had an accident early in the 2012 season.  A really bad one, and was out the rest of the season.  He was amazing Saturday!  He held first place till the last lap until Davi Millsaps blasted by him and was gone. 

I have to tell you, these guys are making 20 laps around this crazy track.  Have to be EXHAUSTED! when they are done.  I had never thought about the strategy of winning a dirt bike race until last weekend.  It's just like anything else I guess.  Hang out close to the front till the end, and then, find it in you to blow past anyone between you and the finish line.  If the guy in front of you is more tired, not expecting it, whatever... you got yourself a win.  Congratulations Davi!  That was a really nice win!

Now my guy, Trey, was also really impressive.  To be honest, when I heard he would be back this year, I really just hoped he would be in the top 10.  That is a very respectable place to be.  Like I said, this kid was in a BAD accident last year.  (watch his journey back http://revival41.com/ )  To be back on a bike at all is a miracle in and of itself.   To be racing in front of millions of people on TV in a huge arena with the top guys in motocross is a pretty intimidating feat.  The combination and coming in second - HUGE! 

There were a few times he got tapped by other riders.  The first time, I really think it spooked him and he backed off.  You know how it is if you have ever been in a wreck.  The first few times back in the car on the open highway with all those other crazy drives is kind of creepy and takes some getting used to.  Trey did an great job!  Yea for Trey!  LOL!

So the next race is this Saturday on the Speed channel.  If you have a rider, want to be racer, or a racer you definitely need to be watching.  We are fortunate enough to live in Dallas, so we will get to go to the show in February.  Check out the Monster Supercross schedule.  You may get lucky as well.

My guys watching the race on Saturday.  Just like being there.

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year!  Can you believe it is 2013?  Have you written any checks yet or had to write the date on anything?  It always makes me laugh that I am still wanting to write the last year on things like in June!  LOL! Does anyone write checks anymore?

Well, we are believing that 2013 is going to be an incredible year!  We are believing God has great things in store for us and Dirt Bike Mom.  There are so many amazing things coming this year and we can't wait to share them with you!

First, I have to share with you how we finished 2012 out.  On the Saturday after my boys got out of school for winter break, we had a one.  My husband and middle son, Mavrick, were headed to the track that they ALWAYS go to on Saturdays, but it was late and they were only going to end up with about 30 minutes of ride time, so they turned around and came back.  While unloading the bikes, my son took a fall over a brick they use to stop the trailer and fell and broke his arm.   After a few days of wearing a splint, and having Christmas, we were finally able to get him in a cast.  He chose a black cast (it was up for debate for a while because he is a Kawasaki man and had to decide between black and green) and his ever so creative dad added some Monster swag to it.  I have to admit, it does look pretty cool.  He says that he doesn't want his friends to sign it and make it look all junky.  And he kind of wishes that he would still have it when the Monster Supercross is in Dallas in February, but that would be much too long to have to wear the thing!  We did all agree that a 30 minute ride would have been better then a broken arm.  :(

In other news, we are going to start 2013 off with a new look.  A design that we can all be happy with and that will visually make more sense.  We hope everyone loves it as much as we do, and we hope to see it a lot more as we are out and about!

Another really exciting thing happening in 2013 is Dirt Bike Mom will be coming to a track near you!  Well, depending on where you are of course.  We have started working with some tracks in the state and surrounding states (TX, LA, AR, OK) and will be track-side for many races this year!  We are very excited to get out and meet our people!  I personally can't wait to visit with the other Dirt Bike Mom's and hear what you ladies have to say!  So be sure to let us know where you are and where you think we should show up.

Well, that's all for now.  Blessings!