For Off Road starts, first or second gear really depends upon your final drive ratio. Given that most folks racing off road gear for higher speed (as is the case on my 500), first gear is the best bet. When a race has a dead engine start, you have to remember that you are actually beginning to engage the clutch as the motor is starting, so starting in second gear will probably cause the motor to stall (again, depending upon your final ratio). Also dead engine starts are kind of complicated to master, but I will try and break it down below:
1. Don?t overheat the motor before you are ready to kill the bike for the start. I have sat beside folks that rev the motor for the last few minutes, only to have precious coolant drain onto the ground. Since the bike is not moving, no air is flowing through the radiators to cool the liquid, so be gentle. Just make sure that you clean out the motor with a few revs just before you shut down for the start.
2. As you kill the bike just before the start, there are several things to remember:
a. Put the bike in first gear BEFORE you shut off the motor, and hold in the clutch.
b. NEVER kill the motor with the clutch, use only the kill switch.
c. Once you kill the bike to wait for the start banner to drop, don?t let out the clutch until the banner drops and the race starts. When the engine is running with the clutch pulled in and the bike in gear, all of the plates are released. By letting out the clutch after you kill the bike, some of the plates will stick together, causing additional drag on the motor, and probably result in a multi-kick start.
d. Be one of the last ones to kill your bike. You?ll be surprised at the edge this brings in getting the motor to ignite.
e. Some folks will push the kill switch and open the throttle as the bike dies, thereby loading the cylinder with fuel. Using this method will depend upon the characteristics of each bike, so you will have to experiment with this and see if it helps get the motor started first kick for your bike. As a note, I never use this method of flooding the motor with fuel, as I never saw an improvement in starts on any of my bikes.
3. Most off road race starts involve holding the start banner up for 60 seconds. Here are some issues to remember:
a. Once the motor is killed, pull out the kick start lever, and make sure it is at top dead center without kicking through the stroke. Simply push down a little until the kick lever engages the piston at the top of the stroke. Let the lever lift back to the top, and then engage at the higher lever. This will give you a good full kick when the banner drops.
b. Your leg is going to get tired hovering over the kick starter. Inevitably, at every race, I hear folks getting weak legs, and the kick starter begins to move slowly down towards the peg. This is bad, as you lose your kick lever position, will probably result in a two kick start.
c. Find a spot on top of the tank on which you can rest your knee. This will keep you from having to ?hover? over your kick starter with your foot. This will also allow you to put a small amount of pressure on the lever to keep it engaged without getting leg fatigue.
4. When the banner drops:
a. When the banner drops, your leg will naturally drop, starting the bike.
b. At the same time the bike starts, begin to engage the clutch. It happens almost simultaneously.
c. As the bike starts, and the clutch engages, the down force of your right leg on the starter will release the pressure on your left leg, and you can lift it onto the peg. With practice, this will become subconscious.
d. Once your left leg hits the peg, the bike is moving forward, and the clutch is fully engaged, your right leg will naturally lift off of the kick lever and find its way to the peg. Viola, you are in the front of the pack for a dust free race.
5. Additional information:
a. Don?t get to close to the guy on your left, as you will need to lean a little to the left to get your knee on top of the tank while the banner is up.
b. Some guys like to use a box or bike stand to help their start. Since I am 6? 4?, I never needed one. My youngest son is much shorter, but I have never encouraged him to use a stand on the start, as I have seen the stands get hooked on the foot peg as the race starts. Not pretty.
c. If it?s a little cool out, don?t breath out of your nose on the start, as you will fog your lenses. Instead, protrude your upper lip over your bottom lip and blow down as you exhale. This will push the warm air out the bottom of your helmet and keep from fogging your lenses. Also, put your goggles on as late as possible before you shift into first gear and pull in the clutch.
d. Often, there are three people running the start banner, two holding each side of the banner, and one looking at his watch to track the 60 second banner time. If there are three people, keep your eye on the guy with the watch, and let your peripheral vision watch the banner. Almost 100% of the time, the guy with the watch will look up as he says ?Go?. Remember, he?s tracking seconds, so looking away from the watch is bad. He will stare at that watch until the 60 seconds are gone. When he hits 60 seconds he looks up to see the start of the race just like everyone else. When he looks up, you will also see the banner guys flinch as the banner begins to move down. By paying attention to the guy with the watch, you can anticipate the dropping of the banner, and will get about a ? second head start. Not a lot, but enough to edge out the guys next to you, and get the best line for the first 100 yards at least.
e. If you are not one of the top riders, DON?T start by any of those who are, as you are guaranteed to eat their dust. Start as far away as possible to get a dust free start. While you may beat Destry off the line for the first 15 feet, after than all you?ll see is his dust. I?ve been nervous a couple of times starting next to Ty Davis, but every time I was next to him, he had a multi-kick start. While he passed me later (and almost everyone else in the event), I didn?t eat his dust on the start. Multi-kick starts are the enemy.
f. If there is a breeze, you will almost always want to start upwind so you don?t eat the dust of all the other racers. The only time this will not be true is if there is moisture in the ground (no dust), or if the upwind start lines have too many danger spots to allow for good speed.
g. Don?t start with a sagebrush bush in front of you. Sounds like common sense? Don?t be too hasty. Lot?s of folks end up in a start position that distracts them from their objective, in essence, getting out in front fast. A bush, even a small one, can throw you off balance enough to kill a good start.
h. Put in a new spark plug for every race, no matter how good you think your plug is. It makes no sense to pay all the money for bike and gear, entry fees, travel fees, etc., just to have your start ruined by an old plug just to save spending a few dollars.
6. Finally, chew a piece of gum on the start. This will keep your mouth moist, and help keep you from getting too nervous. You can spit it out after the race starts if you want, but I keep chewing all through the race. I even have one person on gum assignment when I pit to insert a new piece. I don?t like having a dry mouth, and it really does help with the nerves.
7. More important than anything, HAVE FUN. You are racing for plastic and wood that will find its way into the attic in short order, so enjoy the experience whether you?re first, second, or the last guy to cross the finish line. Remember, even the last place guy (or gal) beats all those without the guts to get out there and race.
Good Luck
Rick
