Old guy - first enduro - MC 250 musings

[rpduc]

Hi all,
I finally got out and did my first enduro (Mora, MN) after coming out of a looooooooong hiatus and I gotta say that the '05 MC was not setup at all well for that super tight bushwhacking event. It turned into a survival exercise at about 50 miles in. At least I didn't hour out...

Sooo, here are my noob assessments/questions. Geared too high. I think I have 13/51? on there. I was doing a LOT of 1st gear clutch work in the super tight stuff. Especially those places where my 30" bars did not fit between the trees. Most guys I talked to were running second, third and they were not THAT much faster. There were also a couple open stretches where I could crank it up and in those instances, even though I CAN count to six, I kept grabbing for another gear that wasn't there. So that has me thinking that maybe the MC has a close ratio tranny?

The "hit" even with a 12oz. flywheel weight was shall we say "exciting" for an old geezer like me in the really rocky, root strewn sections. I started running second gear to soften the hit but it just wouldn't pull it in many sections. Maybe the CCK needle I ordered will smooth that hit out a bit?

The 50mm Marzocchi forks were brutal. Les at LTR says he can fix that.

I do still have the '03 DE250 with WP forks that has become a sorta parts bike (long story) but I'm wondering now if I shouldn't stick it back together and see how it compares.

 

[GMP]

Ross,

A lot of it may be that you just need to get back into a groove, get a little faster, learn when to use and save energy, and things will fall into place. The first few enduros are always survival events. The 13/51 is not bad if the MC has good bottom. I ran that on my '00 XC250. I run 13/52 for the hills here and to avoid 1st, but then I clutch in 2nd in the tight. In the stick farms you will always have to clutch the bike, but it will get better as you get faster with more time there. The 6 speed is more like a CR than a WR, but the bike revs out well and I never had an issue with lack of top end. Try the 13/52 and ride 2nd in the tech stuff, maybe that will work for you. You can also retard the timing a degree and/or add a base gasket if jetting doesn't help. Also try the CDI from the '03, my '03 was a lot softer than my '00 or '07.

I'd stick with the '05 and sort it out.