Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126673
SE&T RA end uros befo re th e N a tion als start and do wpatever ridin g I ca n do up here in Ohi o. " You won't find Mi ke boarding a p la ne a da y o r two befo re a n eve nt. In add i tio n to doi ng nea rly 100% o f h is o wn wren ching, yo u 'll find him cl icking off the mil es beh in d th e wh eel of th e Hu sky team tru ck en ro u te to th e N at ional , n orma ll y sharing dr iving d uties wit h Cunn ingh am o r Mark H yde, a nother me mber of th e team . " It h elps o u t a lot to kn o w your bi ke thi s well , es pecia lly since we' ll be havi ng th ree-day ISDE Qua lifi ers n ext yea r, a nd of co u rse a t th e ISD E itself. It migh t be n ice to have so meone to he l p yo u p rep yo ur bike o u t every w eek . You co u ld spe n d more ti me o n ge tt i ng yo u r bod y in shape-bu t I still lo ve it 50 ti m es bett er th a n th e way it wa s on m y o wn . It tak es a n aw fu l lo t of dr ivin g to ride th e Nat iona l ci rc u it, a nd we tr y to get back as soo n as poss ible. We' ll drive st ra ig h t through th e n ig ht a fter the event most o f th e tim e," As a ny end uro rider will tell yo u , the re is m o re to th e spo rt th an sim p ly goi ng flat o u t in th e wood s. You must a lso be a n expert clock a nd mi leage wat cher to lose th e abso lute minimum a mo u n t o f tim e a t each check p oin t - a few seco nd s ea rly o r late ca n eas ily spe ll th e differen ce between win nin g a n d losing , an d each ride r has a preferred meth od to get th e job do ne. "I h ave switche d fro m a digital clock to o ne of th e co m p u ter s. When yo u ge t to wh ere th ey are u sing speed (averag e)cha nges, th e co m p u ter really wo rks well si nce yo u ca n p rogram everyth i ng in , and th ey ca n show time or mileage. I' ll still carr y a no the r two or th ree wa tch es, or a digital clock o n th e bars for backu p . I tr y to check my ti me every 15 seco ndson ce yo u los e tra ck , th ing s get a li tt le tougher. " I use th e five-m inute segment method, along w it h a 24 mph pa cer. When your mi leage is an even nu mber p lus four-ten ths, the n th e needle o n the p acer shou ld be eith er on th e o ne or six m inute mark (rem em ber th a t yo u 're breaking up th e face of the pacer into im aginary five-minu te seg m en ts). When the mileage reads a n even n umber pl u s eigh t-ten th s, th en ' you should be on the tw o or seven mi n ut e mark. If. th e mi leage is odd p l u s two- tenths, th en th e ne ed le shou ld poin t to th ree or eigh t, a nd if it is odd p lu s six-tenths, th en yo u should have four o r n ine. Of co urse, even when you ha ve even m ileage a nd zero tenths, th en yo u have to be eit her on th e zero or five m i n u te m arks, and th e sequence starts all o ver again. O nce yo u learn it , it is so si m p le (bu t works o n ly fo r a 24 m p h average)." While Mike h as won h is sha re o f Natio nal Enduros, h e was for ced to wai t u ntil 1983 to co llect an o verall win in ISD E Q u al ifier co m peti tio n . That feat was acc o mplis he d a t th e Ben twheels Qual ifier in Michigan , under wet wea ther co nd itions . T o furthe r p rove his riding skills u nder inclement condi tio n s were second to none, Mel ton 's performance a t th e ISDE in Wales later in th e yea r netted Top Am erican honors, an even t where th e true m eaning of the wo rd " bog" ca me to li g h t. "After it 's all over, I guess th e whole time in Wa les seems easier than it ac tuall y was. They put us into so me bogs tha t were j u st impassable, and that's not really a co nt es t. I blew my gol d me da l a way in a da y four bog- l thi nk the 300 points that gettin g stuck cost me wou ld have put me back on gol d. If I had that o ne bog to do over, I' d hit it a different way. " T he Top Am erica n thing is j ust something th a t someone d rea me d up , but i r'made m e feel a bi t be tter to get ·....... . . .. . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . .. . . ... . . ... . ·.. . .................................................................. .................................... . .. . ·... . ··.. . . . ... .. . . . . ... ....... .. . .. . . .. . .. . . ........ . . . .. . .. . ................ . ·.. . .... ..' ... ·.. ·. ... ··.. .. . ·· . ... ·.. . .. . .. .. ·.. ... · .......•.••....... -.' . ... ··........... ..... . ·. . ... ··.. ..... ... ·........ .. .. ... ··...... ·.... ... . ··..... ... ··.. ... ·· .. . .. ... ·.. ....... . . . ·... . . ... ··.. ... .. .. ......... ,...... . . ··... .. · ·.. ··.......... . . ·. .. ··.. ..... ... ·... . ·... ··. . ·. ,. . ... 43 ··.. .. . .... . -.' ' ··................................................ ................. . .... ........................... . . . . ..... -. . . ...... .. ... . . . . . ... . ... ~ ~ (~ ; .~ . ~ ~ • • • .• _ • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •_ '_ ~ ••• • • • , • • , , • • • • • 1 ·.' • • • 1 • •