Snow Biking - Is it cool or just cold?

Well, I bet you have seen all of the photos of your buddies buying up the snow bike kits and bolting them up to their moto bikes. A few weeks ago, I contacted fellow adventure-seeker and local rider Jake Metteer, and he offered me the opportunity to hit up the picturesque area around Mt. St. Helens and see for myself what the elusive snow bike was all about. Up for grabs was a 2017 Kawasaki KX450 with a Camso snow bike kit bolted up, courtesy of Bent Lever Motorsports, and you better believe I grabbed it! 

This year, we've received an incredible amount of snow and like many around our area, I found myself wishing for the weather to change to our wet northwest spring so I could get back outside on a bike. Instead, this was the year I gave snow biking a try.

On the day we headed to the mountain, the weather was a little warm. Rain down low was expected, but we pushed on in search of white.  As we parked on the side of the road I started to get my gear on and unload these contraptions. I've been around motorcycles my entire life, and I can say I have never felt so alien around a dirt bike.  I was standing there, wondering what in the heck I was doing. As I doubted myself, the little voice inside reminded me that it's just a dirt bike and I'd be just fine.

The rain was constant and soaking, as we took off and headed down the slushy, snow-packed road. My first impression was WTF? I was all over the road, fighting the bike like I had two flat tires.  I felt like I was in for a ride.  We had a ten-mile ride, just to get to the area we planned on riding and it was a fight most of those ten miles.  When we finally stopped, I said, "This is hard and I suck at this."  The other riders all laughed and told me that they had never ridden on these crappy of snow conditions. They assured me that it will feel effortless when we find good snow.

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Man, were they right! We found the snow. The bike started to float over it all and my face started cramping up from my smile smashed in my helmet. You could go wherever you wanted, not needing a track or a trail but only the snow. You could aim for a big pile of snow and send it. As my confidence grew, we started racing straight through the woods. We were making our own trail. We could go anywhere. As we popped out from under the tree branches, there was a hole over a creek that decided to grab one of the rider's bikes. This is where the serious part starts to set in.  Luckily, we were a group of seven, so dragging a bike out of a hole like that was easy.  But if it was just you or you and a buddy it can very quickly turn into a survival trip.  We were able to pull it out and were off again, shredding around the open meadows and jumping snow piles. It was crazy fun.

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In the end, I was freezing cold, hungry and soaking wet. Was it cool?  Hell yeah, it was cool.  Will I buy a snow bike kit soon? I will probably buy one if the winters are like this year every year, but as for now, I will be running it just like the way I look at having a new ski boat.

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Ski boats are cool. I don't own a ski boat. But, I have a buddy that owns a ski boat and he will let me use it.

The Ted Hoosk

Have you ever heard of Steve McQueen? I hope you have because he's a damn icon, and so is the bike he rode in the famous film, On Any Sunday.

Over the summer, Joey and I had planned on hitting Albany MX for a 125 Dream Race shoot, and by planned what I mean is he called me from the road the morning of and told me to meet him somewhere on the side of the road. If only we'd known the gem of a day we were about to have.

After rendezvousing at a nearby store, Joey began telling me about his latest idea. He has about 1,001 every day, I'm convinced. Although I don't remember that one, what I do remember is Joey telling me that an old fellow came into Apex Motorsports, and told him about an old Hoosk 400 Cross he was selling. When Joey clarified that is was a running Husqvarna 400 Cross, his eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store.  The man with the Hoosk for sale was named Ted, a genuine bad ass.  Apparently, Joey wrote his number on a napkin and said he would be in contact.

As we're driving through Salem on our way to Albany, Joey gave old Ted a call to make arrangements to check out this mystical motorcycle.  I was excited to see this thing after hearing how he came across such a deal. After all, Ted wanted all of $800 for his machine.

Once we got to the track it was all business, roost, and photos. Joey came to the conclusion that his 125 still ran, but needed a rebuild. We wondered if Ted had gotten back to us about the Hoosk, so we packed up and hit the road back toward Portland. Joey's phone rang with Ted on the other end and it was on! Joey needed to get the cash together and go scoop up this bike, but there was a problem.  It was a Sunday and Joey's bank was closed, with his ATM limits maxed out. So, he made me grab the other half of the cash we needed. Our hope was restored.

Upon arriving at Ted's home, we knew by looking at the old Chevy pickup in his driveway, that we were in for a treat.  He took us to the side of the house where this mystical 400 Cross sat, perched against the fence, still covered in mud from a recent trip to the Tillamook State Forest. 

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Ted shared some of his riding adventures with us (Ted is in his 70's, by the way, and finally thought it was time to give up riding off-road).  When you meet a guy like this, something hits you. For me, it was imagining myself when I'm this guy's age having to give up riding dirtbikes. It kind of sucked for a minute. Then I remembered. I've got years to go, and smiled. Ted started the stubborn old bike in his shoes, after mentioning he'd broken his foot once starting it cold.  Joey and I looked each other and chuckled.

Our story got even better as Ted left us alone for a minute, and ran into the garage. He popped back out with the original manual and tool kit, something we could have never expected. It was obvious Ted loved this bike, cared for it, and even though the scratches and dents told us it wasn't in perfect condition, it's the scratches and dents that give the bike its opportunity to tell its own story. And those are good stories.

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You know riding is important to someone when they tear up as their motorcycle gets loaded into someone else's rig, but Ted knew we would give the bike years of adventure, so we shook hands and we were off. 

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We got it home, took some photos, and then I got eager.  I had never started a cranky old big bore two stroke. Wearing Vans, I threw my left leg over the bike, got a compression crank and went for it. Joey about fell over laughing at me, as it kicked back and killed my foot and almost threw me off the bike! 

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I found my boots and eventually got it started (before Joey of course). We then proceeded to ride it up and down my neighborhood street, smiling from ear to ear like we were little kids. 

Joey calls this the Holy Grail of vintage bike finds. It's the bike that Steve McQueen and Malcom Smith rode in the classic On Any Sunday film. Sometimes, the motorcycle buying experience can be ruined by anti-personal, online transactions. These purchases are loveless. A big part of the love that we have for all motorcycles starts with the story. It starts at the beginning. If you're lucky to find one of the most classic, vintage motocross bikes, that's one thing. But if you're lucky to sit down with the original owner, learning the history and the adventures the bike has been through, you can commit to continuing the story while feeding the soul of the motorcycle. It will feed your soul too. Sometimes, bikes find you. This bike found Joey in the most old school, organic kind of way.

So, is it for sale? Never.

- Kit

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When track days aren't just about the racing.

Spring and summer are so busy.

Spring and summer are so busy when you have kids.

Spring and summer are so busy when you have kids and hobbies and you spend nearly every weekend at a motocross track. Before you know it, spring and summer are over, and hopefully, you're left with pictures to remind you that busy is good.

Busy is really, really good. Sharing weekends together at the track is even better, and it's not just about the racing.

Track days are about so much more. I'm a wife of an endless adventurer, one who has also dedicated days and months and years to racing motocross. My husband has celebrated huge wins and suffered big too, now donning an amount of internal hardware similar to the nuts and bolts section of the local Ace Hardware Store.

When we met, I thought the time at the track was about earning a coveted spot on the podium. We'd pack the moto van with the 2004 CRF 250, PB&J fixings, sleeping bags and a few post-race cold ones. At the time, I thought it was all about the racing. I thought that I was tagging along to watch him do his best to snag a win and help drive his tired and sore body home. But I look back, and for me, it was all about the adventure.

It was about spending time together, supporting each other and feeling supported. It was about creating some kickass memories while earning a few bucks if the day turned out as we hoped it would. I wasn't giving up my weekends after all. I was gaining so, so much.

Those few bucks piled up, and eventually bought me my engagement ring. I joke now that I'm ever indebted to the sport. Smart move, right?

Now we travel differently. We fill a ridiculously sized motorhome full of toddler gear, real meals, and endless snacks. We bring dirtbikes (plural) and strollers and bicycles. We pack so much that I'm in awe every time that I will, in fact, forget something important. I don't forget to pack pretty good wine and he still packs his PBR for post-race bench-racing. I still stand by the fence, my hands wrapped in the chain-link and my heart still drops when the gate does. I still cheer and I still hold my breath when he hits the triple. The big difference now is that my other hand is wrapped around our daughter's. We're raising a track kid, and we're working hard to be an example to her that track days aren't just about the racing. Sometimes, I still drive his tired and sore body home. But, we're doing more than just that.

We are celebrating each other and our hobbies. We are teaching our kids how much fun it is to turn off the television, get outside, run and jump and play, get dirty and sleep hard. We are making the kind of memories that will last a lifetime and we are loving our real and true life friendships that we've made over the years.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a top three finish. But I appreciate even more the weekends traveling together and waking up on Monday morning, knowing that my weekend was probably better than everyone else's at the office.