Q1 2012 - Merrimack Valley Trail Riders

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January to March 2012
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2012 MVTR Event Schedule
New England Classic
June 9-10
Trail Boss Saturday
JD Mott
[email protected]
603 765 8094
Trail Boss Sunday
Chip Fredette
[email protected]
(603) 848-1461
Chip Lamphere
[email protected]
919-279-7719
Rupert Dance
[email protected]
603-225-2779
Big Bike Rally
June 9-10
Dave Mott
[email protected]
603-3326039
Kid’s Classic
June 9-10
Matt Belanger
[email protected]
603-235-3315
Jay Lees
[email protected]
603-432-1600
Rocky Mountain H/S
July 30-31
Trail Boss Pee Wee Scramble
Jeff & Tami Preve
[email protected].
603-798-5052.
Trail Boss Jr. Enduro
Andy & Lynne Anthony [email protected]
603-887-3296
Trail Boss Hare Scramble
Shawn Levesque
[email protected],
603-339-1260
Family Day
Sarah Dynia
August 18
[email protected]
Jared using the Flying V technique conquers the
hill during the Fall Challenge.
Mountain View Turkey Run Oct. 7
Luis Colom
[email protected]
603-247-2711
Landry Fall Challenge
Nov.
Ice Box
Jan. 1
Club Ride Wednesday Night @
Hop/Ev Beginning in June
5 October 2011
MVTR October Meeting
Vice President Jon called the October meeting to order at 19:00.
With our Rocky Mountain Enduro literally just days away, it was the first topic for discussion. Rick first gave
us an update on Luis’ daughter, she is now home and making slow but steady progress in recovering from the
accident. They both were able to enjoy the Deerfield Fair but Luis stated that he was getting fatigued at the
end from pushing the still necessary wheelchair.
As of meeting time the trail work was about 95% done and they were closing in on having the logistics
under control as well. The course was being pre-ridden today and the route sheet would be “proofed” on
Friday. There would be a work party beginning at 09:00 on Saturday and any available bodies were desired
for help on event day (Sunday) starting at 0’dark thirty. Later in the evening, Alex got a phone call from Peter
confirming that he was now out of the woods (with the help of a headlamp), having completed arrowing and
recovering his drowned bike.
In associated “news”, the Sea Coast Trail Riders are looking for sweep riders to assist with the
upcoming Russ Henry Turkey Run (the current incarnation of Noble Woods). Let them know if you can be
there.
In recent events we had riders attending hare Scrambles at Remsen (a new course, fast with few
rocks but a 6 ½ hour ride to get there), Stateline (fast), and Richardson’s Farm (muddy, quite a few buried
bikes and fast – at least when the throttle was stuck open according to Andy). The Mudslinger enduro in the
Berkshires was held entirely on private land. It was reported to be somewhat milder than years past although
certainly no “cakewalk” with only two “C” reported to have finished before houring out. The Ammonoosuc
River turkey run was, as always interesting. Many riders found themselves having route sheet issues on
Saturday while Sunday got rave reviews for great weather and trails. There were some who wished for better
signage, had they known that a “beverage stop” was coming soon, they would have put off resting until they
got to it. The Hawk Ride managed to somehow elude almost all of the rain. 25 riders enjoyed what was
reported as, a great route sheet (there were no arrows), great trails and an “interesting” bridge. At the
Buckfield International Two Day ride, Steve, Tuck and others enjoyed riding with the ‘slow’, “C” group but
arrived close behind the very fast “A” riders. Neil reportedly did not break his wrist.
In Hop-Ev news, the mileage markers have been posted on all but the single-track trails so far. It is
hoped that this will simplify locating injured riders and also help pin down areas that are in need of some
maintenance attention. In a recent work detail the prison transitional work force moved several pallets of
concrete block out into the woods and “installed” it into a bridge to prevent it floating away again. There will be
a work party on 12 & 13 November to rework the suspension bridge out on the River Loop.
All available hands are requested in Jericho on 29 & 30 October for a work party consisting of bridge
building; trail cutting and some burning-in of the single track.
Tom was unable to be present at our meeting because he was attending a Comprehensive Land Use
meeting at UNH. I expect that we will hear a report about that next month.
The New England Classic Charity Trail Ride committee is already hard at work, preparing for the
2012 event to be held on 9 & 10 June. Looking for ways to make the event even better and involve more of
the club members, they are planning to split some of the “jobs” into more manageable proportions. They have
already recruited ‘some new guy’ (Jarrod) to oversee Tech Inspection, he will take the responsibility for
having the testing equipment and ‘technicians’ in place during all the hours that tech is supposed to be
available. There are more vacancies to be filled, ideally there will be:
A Logistics Coordinator to be on site Friday through Sunday. This job would entail getting people set up to
work or camp in the appropriate locations, signing and enforcing (with ‘deputies’?) the track’s speed a quiet
hour rules, having some workers and tools on hand to be dispatched to trail “issues” as found by the preriders.
A Raffle Coordinator, the event traditionally has two raffles, a CF raffle and the MVTR raffle, both happening
concurrently with the Banquet. Rumor has it that the club raffle might be changed to a “cup”(?) format where
you would buy your tickets and drop them in the ‘cup’ at the item you would like to win, then a winner would be
drawn from that cup for the item. In past years a ticket would be drawn and the chosen person would go
through what is available, while fun it can make for a long evening. An Information Booth, available
throughout the weekend, someone would be available to answer questions, give directions, provide spectator
maps(?), etc.
October Meeting
There also remains a vacancy to be filled as Big Bike Rally Trail Boss, someone to plan a route, write a
route sheet, figure out a lunch stop, recruit a sweep rider or two and generally ride herd over the group of Big
Bike Riders.
The NETRA Competition Committee will be meeting in early December. If you have an idea for a
rule change it needs to be submitted to a club Competition Committee Representative before 1 November
2011. The club will be voting on which events it would like to host for 2012 at the November meeting (2
November 2011), be there to support the events that you want to see happen next year.
Bruce
2 November 2011
MVTR November Meeting
The November meeting was called to order at 19:10. President Tom apologized for running late but
most of us were too busy with pizza and bench racing to have noticed the time.
First up was a review of what has been going on in the North Country on the conservation/recreation
front. Tom has recently attended several meetings to keep up with any changes and learn how we are to be
affected by them. In the northernmost region are some 13 million acres in the Connecticut Lakes Headwaters
area, pretty much everything north of Young’s Store for those familiar with Pittsburg. Within that area are
some 340 miles of “roads” which are under state control for recreational use. It is planned that some of those
“roads” will become designated trails for specific user groups, snowmobiles, not surprisingly are allowed pretty
much everywhere, trails specifically for equestrians and mountain bikes are on the list, anything open to
motorcycles is conspicuously absent. A number of grand fathered lease properties have been “swapped” so
that leaseholders still have use of a site but in a less environmentally sensitive spot. DRED is now closely
monitoring the gold mining there as it was progressing beyond the ‘pan in the stream’ point and damage was
occurring. On a more positive note, several of the northern counties are looking toward allowing roads to be
opened to OHRV use on a town by town basis as has already been done in Berlin. In the end, our access to
the North Country is dependant on the land owners, predominantly 5 large paper companies, as long as they
don’t want us, we are out. If we can become accepted as is slowly happening in the Berlin/Jericho Park area,
there is still hope.
There are currently two pieces of legislation up for consideration that would affect OHRVs. First is a
proposal to grant reciprocity with VT on acceptance of OHRV registrations. This could financially benefit some
North Country
businesses and save
money for some
residents. Currently, NH
does not have
reciprocity with anyone
and stands to lose some
registration fees if this
passes (editor’s note,
having watched the state
as it was dragged
kicking and screaming to
th
be 48 of the contiguous
states to accept the
federal boat registration
system – remember
having to put a license
plate on any powered
The rider, on his back in the bottom right of the picture rode the
boat used in state
Rocky Enduro on a trials bike.
waters? – I am not
holding my breath on this
one happening soon). Second is a proposal to change the wheeled OHRV registration to include a club
membership requirement. Currently there is an ‘extra fee’ to register a snowmobile if you are not a member of
a ‘listed’ NH club with that fee split among state agencies involved with snowmobiles. In theory this generates
a larger ‘pool’ of volunteers to maintain and groom the trails, in practice it probably generates another source
of income to state agencies, how well it would translate to the smaller number of wheeled vehicle clubs with
our much more limited trail systems is hard to project.
Riding
Don told us that the Russ Henry Memorial, hosted by the Sea Coast Trail Riders was “the best
Turkey Run ever”, with a good route sheet and very good arrowing, there were some big puddles and some
mud along the way. Also riding it were John, Dave, Ron, Sarah and Doug, not everyone agreed as to whose
odometer was correct at the end of the day but none were sorry about riding it.
The Tri-State Enduro at Hodges was reportedly more than a little wet.
Our own Rocky Mountain Enduro was held last month. Attendance was OK considering that it was
sharing the date with 4 other events. We had 62 signed up with 60 actually riding. Many appreciated the
format, which looped back to the start for gas (certainly the guy I ‘helped’ (I held the bike up while he worked)
change out his toothless countershaft sprocket did, probably the sweepers who did not have to tow him home
as well). The great turnout of our club members to make sure everything got done was really appreciated.
Since we generally host an enduro every other year Luis is looking at hosting a Turkey Run in 2012 at a new
location, stay tuned.
NETRA News
The sanctioning meeting will be coming up on 3 December 2011; anything to be included on the 2012
calendar needs to be submitted by that time. MVTR is looking to host the New England Classic Charity Trail
Ride on 8,9 & 10 June, the Rocky Mountain Weekend Hare Scramble, Jr. Enduro and Pee Wee should
happen on 28 & 29 July. The as yet unnamed Turkey Run to be co-hosted with (or we help them host, or they
help us host it …… to be decided) would presumably be held on ‘our’ enduro date of 7 October.
We may be looking at some rule changes as well as structure changes coming from NETRA. The current
method of funding event insurance is causing a substantial loss in funds. At present the insurance fees paid
out by NETRA are based on a flat ‘per event’ fee and have to be paid early in the season. Most HS events
have enough entrants to cover the insurance cost. Enduros, along with the Jr Enduro and Pee Wee events
held in conjunction with another event are riding close to the balance point of breaking even. Stand-alone Jr
Enduros and Pee Wee events are flat losing as far as insurance. The fact that the fees have to be submitted
early in the season, before most (sometimes any) events have been held, combined with a limited amount of
funds on hand has resulted in some individuals personally fronting the insurance money. Additionally, NETRA
has been covering the difference between the club paid ‘scoring fee’ and the actual cost of having the event
scored. The industry grants, which previously covered much of this, have evaporated. There has been great
reluctance to raise dues, particularly in the current economy. How this can be all or partially alleviated remains
to be seen.
Trail Projects
A few club members ignored the October blizzard and headed north to Jericho, where they
constructed several bridges and finished cutting the inaugural single-track section. Neal advises that a dozen
bikes riding a dozen laps each would be a
good start to having it burned in for next
season.
6 November (yep, right now as I type this,
sorry but 18 when I got up was too
depressing for me) is the date for the Rocky
Work Party. Luis’ plan is to join forces with
the local snowmobile club (sorry again, I
didn’t hear the name) and re-deck three
bridges that are getting ‘past due’ on the
Bergeron Property in Alton.
Veteran’s Weekend will be the date
for the final Hop-Ev Work Party. Brian plans
to coerce Mike to build yet another set of
th
forms on Saturday, the 12 and then on
th
Sunday the 13 , all hands will be mixing and
pouring concrete to create some permanent
abutments for the River Loop suspension
bridge.
All the usual cliché’s apply, time to ‘cowboy up, give
back to the trails or just plain come out and help.
It was a huge job just getting the material
to the site.
Bruce and Tuck bring the cement mixer to
the Bridge To Far.
Bruce, Aaron, Kevin, Boo and John pour the last
of the concrete into the form.
Upcoming
The 2011 Landry Ranch – MVTR Challenge is planned for 26 November. The trails were all cleared
th
prior to the October snowstorm; a crew should be on scene (today, the 6 ) trying to get it ready once again.
Jeff told us that ‘Mom’ had recently met with the local conservation commission who were impressed enough
with the trail loop to offer a grant to upgrade the bridge. The current loop is 6.2 miles of single-track, the plan is
to bring that up to 7 and ‘call it good’. Riders are encouraged to bring something to ‘throw on the grill’ and/or a
dish to share. As always, quiet bikes only.
Respectively Submitted Bruce
Bob shuttles bridge decking to
the job site
Jeff Carmel and crew remove
the decking from the first
Alton bridge.
Stuart Owen, Doug Chapmen
and Bob inspect the new deck
on the fourth bridge.
7 December 2011
MVTR December Meeting
VP Jon called the Pearl Harbor Day MVTR Meeting to order and introduced Jay McGrath,
representative for Western Powersports (and provider of some of the more popular trail on the Classic
Southern Loop). Jay brought along samples of the new 2012 Fly Gear. The new line-up includes a full
selection of jerseys and pants in a wide spectrum of colors and sizes; they also cover a wide variety of
features and price ranges. Among other highpoints were the new Leatt-Fly cooperative neck brace with a list
price of $359 and a feature laden enduro jacket (that might even run large enough to fit me) for only $99. He
brought along a new Acerbis ‘pressure suit’ style of armor that he has been personally testing as well.
With fall fast turning toward winter the only recent event to discuss was the Annual MVTR Fall
Challenge, held on 26 November. With great cooperation by the weather, this was described as being the
most organized and best-attended challenge to date. 45 riders and 25 spectators enjoyed some good food
and great trails. Dave C. set the fastest time of the day, riding the 6-mile lap in 21:18. When all was over and
done, a much appreciated donation of $430 was made to a local charity, The Shepherds Pantry.
With the Annual NETRA Sanctioning Meeting just completed we got a report on our events for
2012. The New England Classic Charity Trail Ride is on the schedule for 9 & 10 June 2012 and the Rocky
Mountain Weekend Hare Scramble; Jr. Enduro and PeeWee event will take place on 28 & 29 July 2012. For
several years we have hosted an enduro on alternate years. 2012 would have been an ‘off year’ had Luis not
volunteered (with anticipated additional help from Sea Coast Trail Riders) to Trail Boss the Mountain View
Turkey Run on 7 October 2012. This will take place on trails not recently used in the Wolfboro/Ossippee area.
Another new addition to the schedule will be Mike & Karen’s ‘Youth Ride/Family Ride’ on 22 July
2012. Described as a ‘glorified Nervous Novice’ day, the date was intentionally planned so that this noncompetitive ride would coincide with a Hare Scramble, giving the fast and furious an outlet to ‘get it on’ while
preserving this as a new/young rider friendly event, where parents can get some seat time with their not quite
ready to race offspring.
Building upon the success of this years “Ladies Day In The Dirt”, Sarah is planning to expand it into an
‘all invited’, “Family Day In The Dirt” for 2012. No date has been selected; the venue is anticipated to be
Alton.
It is looking as though 2012 will be another full year with 17 HS, 9 Enduros, 14 Jday’s and a plethora
of turkey runs, short courses, and etc. on the schedule so far.
Members relax after the Fall Challenge while Jeremy
Anthony squeezes in one more lap.
A report on the NETRA Comp Committee annual meeting showed that there were not too many rules
changes for 2012 but there will be some ‘tightening up’ in a few areas. Sound Test failures are to be reported
to try and limit the ‘it passed fine last week’ situations. Riders will have numbers on their bikes by their second
race and will be expected to ‘declare’ their club affiliation (and thereby, which event they will be working) at the
beginning of the season. There will be no ‘backdating’ of club memberships; riders will not accumulate any
seasonal point until they are listed on the club roster in the NETRA database. It remains the rider’s
responsibility to ensure that they have been entered. The 2012 scoring contract was awarded to Amanda.
The last of the mileage markers have been ‘installed’ in Hop-Ev. A sizable group of volunteers created
a nearly 4-ton block of concrete to stabilize the River Loop suspension bridge over the Veteran’s Weekend.
Word has it that Brian has gone back there alone to complete the project but as he always says ‘If there are
no pictures then it didn’t happen!’
John and JD have been out reconning some potential new trail to add to the Classic Northern Loop
for next year.
Chairman Don brought up “Ice Box 2012”. The date will be 1 January or the fist Sunday with
enough/adequate/safe ice. Since winter weather can change conditions rapidly, you really want to be on the
‘Winter Riding List’ to get notified as to when it actually happens. Several improvements have been made for
this event, a new floor is in place for the tent and a pig roast is planned. Don did mention that the number of
crock-pots present had been declining and that he would like to see that reversed. Snow removal equipment
would be an asset; a couple of 4 wheelers would be welcome – provided that they are equipped with plows.
Bruce
January Meeting
Tom opened the meeting on a sad note. He informed the membership that Bill Cannon had passed away. A
longtime member of MVTR, father, and avid off road rider, died last Thursday. While modifying an old minischool bus into a trailer, Billy was crushed under the vehicle when it fell off its supports. Billy was a single dad
raising two school aged children and one teenager. A staunch supporter
of The New England Classic Charity Trail Ride, he and the Clairmont
Posse were always seen enjoying the weekend. Always a smile and a
good word, he was fun to be around. John and Lisa went to pay their
respects. John stated there was a large turn out. It looked like the entire
town attended. We lost another member of the motorcycle community,
Pete Giammalvo age 52, suffered a stroke and passed away December
27. Despite being confined to wheelchair for 24 years Pete stayed active
in the sport as a flat track and ice race organizer. As an organ donor Pete
continues to help other people.
The Ice Box will be held on January 15. Mark said the ice is 6 inches thick
now and expects it to be 10 inches by the day of the event. This year the
Warner NH Rescue Squad will be the beneficiary of the fundraiser.
Crock-pot Alley was updated to handle 57 pots and will have plenty of
power to handle them. Bring your pot with your best recipe and try what
others bring. There will be a mini oval for the kid’s and a course for
adults.
Bill Cannon Jr.
October 6, 1971 - December 22, 2011
Clough Park is open until the wet season in the spring. Bear Brook and
Pawtuckaway State Park are closed to dirt bikes until they have suficent
snow cover. If you are riding at Clough the Fish and Game are patrolling the park. Keep in mind the parking
lot speed limit is 10 mph and 35 on the trails.
Sarah and Bruce are planning a mid August Family ride in Alton. In order to limit the ride to MVTR members
they will not sanction and insure the event through NETRA. MVTR will carry the insurance for the day. Karen
and Mike’s Family Day is a NETRA sanctioned event and will be open to all NETRA members.
There is a proposed bill in the New Hampshire legislature that would affect the Grant and Aid money collected
from off-road and snowmobile registrations. The bill would roll the Grant and Aid funds into the general fund
for 2013 thru 2015. Tom was not sure if the bill would further limit the money the clubs receive to maintain the
trail systems.
John Mesick and Kevin Boothroyd are almost done with the Hop/Ev Trail Map and expect to have it ready for
rd
the May 23 opening of the park. The map was originally intended for first responders but will now be
available to the public. It will also replace the map that Jim McCarthy did a couple of years ago. Jims map is
the one used by the NH Bureau of Trails on their web page. John also noted that mile markers have been
installed on most of the trails. River Loop is the only trail that still needs the signs installed. He is looking for
volunteers to hang the markers, please let John know if you can help.
Tom and Brian went to RPC grant writing seminar to learn the ins and outs of filing for federal money. The
state informed them that the formula used in determine how much money New Hampshire received from the
government was incorrect. This resulted in NH being overpaid and money had to be returned to the federal
government. Because of this money was not available for trail repair. Without federal funds MVTR will have a
difficult time maintaining the park it would also effect the development of single-track trails at Jericho Park.
At Jericho Park there are two miles of single tracks and more trails awaiting state approval. Kevin said more
could have been accomplished last year if more members helped. Glenn mentioned that at a Jericho weekend
work party and ride they were allowed to camp on the owner of Jericho Power Sports property. The State is
soliciting bids to build a campground in the park. Tom feels with more members committed to working and
riding at Jericho the club should give some financial support. Southern New Hampshire will not see any new
trails built if we want to see more state owned single track we will have to put the time and money into Jericho.
General
The law that protects landowners from law suet’s where tweaked recently. The original version of the law still
allowed for a landowner in Chichester to be sued by a hunter who was given permission to use the property
and injured himself. That law suet and the ramifications of it had the landowner were the Rocky is held
consider canceling our Race.
The NETRA Annual Meeting will be held February 11 in Albany NY. A number of MVTR members who placed
in the races will be making the trip. Troy Tucker will be making the trip to receive his jacket. Troy was leading
his division when he broke both arms and his neck while riding with his friends in September. Even after
missing the two months of the season he still placed, the championship Jacket will have to wait until next year.
Art wanted to remind the members that you need a valid club membership for the Freedom Cycle Discount
and NETRA races and events. If you are racing he needs your NETRA number on file.
Winter riding
There are about 20 members that are active winter riders. Many of them offered bike prep suggestions such
as; spray Pam anywhere ice can build up, Let the exhaust from your truck warm the bike motor before starting,
use Tucker Rocky street bike Gauntlet or Moose Elephant ears, do not use the type of snowmobile hand
guards that your hands fit into you may not get them out fast enough, tape your levers, If using electric hand
warmers use spray foam insulation in side the handlebars the foam will also cut down on vibration.
There were three new members at the meeting; Jeff Prindle of Litchfield, Jeff is looking for a 2 stroke bike for
the woods something that could be plated if you know of one for sale contact [email protected]. Stephen
Semuskie of Amhearst, Steve is the rider who’s Honda CR250 broke down at the Fall Challenge. He fixed
the 250 and picked up KX 500. A few people suggested that with the purchase of the 500 he make sure his
health insurance is up to date. I apologize for not getting the third name.
Ron
More Sad News
Rick Mannion, a well known MVTR member was found murdered in his home in
Sandown on January 14.
Richard A. Mannion, Jr., 43, of Sandown, NH, died January 14, 2012.
Mr. Mannion was born in Lowell, MA on December 11, 1968. He graduated from
Alvirne High School, Class of 1986. During the Gulf War, he served with the United
States Army. He was a project manager with CSI Corporation for ten years. He will
be remembered as a loving and devoted father and son. Mr. Mannion was a loyal
New England Patriots fan. He was an outdoorsman who especially enjoyed fly
fishing,was an avid motorcycle and dirt bike rider. He was fond of his two cats,
Bruschi and Zoey, as well as his dog, Paco.in
Rick Mannion 1968-2012
Rick was my buddy and a really great friend. I'm horrified at what has happened and I want justice for his
death. I'm hoping that the guys working the case, have evidence and catch the person soon. Rick was one of
the nicest guys I have ever known. I'm not just saying that because he is gone, he truely was an awesome
friend and a great guy. He lived his life day to day for his kids and to make them happy. I have known Rick for
a long time and met him on this website back in 2001. We have gone to races, arenacross, events, dinner,
drinks,,, just alot of good times together. His original name on the NEDB site was Pumkinhead, after the site
was done over he used the name PHinNH for a bit. He would often show up at my house with a 6 pack
completely unannounced. The last few years he got into street bikes and bought a Ducati. Each time he would
call me in the morning and ask me to go out on the streetbikes, I would say no and that I was too
tired from working all night. Then 20 minutes later I would hear a street bike in my drive way and a
knock at the door, then we would go out on the bikes and I was always glad he made me get out for
a ride.
I'm going to miss Rick alot, already do :-(
Tom Levesque
Please visit NEDB General; Pumpkinhead
A MVTR member and avid local rider........
The Heart of Hopkinton-Everett: the Trail Administrator
By Tom Levesque
Sunday, 2:30 PM
January 8, 2012
My younger grandson wanted to get out
and ride. Being the default 'go to guy' I
got the call.
Blowing off the dust from the "Billy Goat
Scramble" I loaded up the 200, picked up
a registered (Shawn, it is registered, isn't
it) bike for the older grandson who
decided riding on Sunday was better than
homework (Procrastinating never got my
home work done either). Then I got the
boys and the little guy's bike, and headed
for Hop-Ev.
The girls (my daughter and her
mother, my bride) brought their dogs for
a nice fall (January 8, where’s winter)
walk in the Multi-Use area. It was a dog's
day as 20 Sled dogs and their handlers
were howling up the quiet of the parking
area.
After getting dressed and making sure
Brian oversees construction of the new concrete
the boys would be warm enough, off we
anchors for A Bridge To Far
went. Less than a mile, the ol' KTM 200
quit. Sent the boys on their own. The older
one is responsible and the loop is one way. The KTM had a very weak spark, yellowish. (Any ideas?) Three laps later, the
little guy has a flat (he had installed the sheet metal screws himself. Sizing?). Back to the parking area. The girls and the
dogs had a nice walk, not much of a day for the boys and the bikes.
If you can’t ride and feed that hunger, you might as well feed your belly. Off to Pages Corner Country store for pizza
and wings. The fryeralator was inop, so just pizza.
All this gibberish was simply a lead-in to the heart and importance of this writing:
While dinning on the Meat Lovers pizza, Brian Harjula and friend walked in. They had just come from working on a
minor project at the Park. Not big enough to bring in help or send out a Call to Arms, but something that needed
attention. Brian's responsibility as Trail Master for Hop-Ev is not seasonal nor occasional in nature. It is demanding in
oversight, administration and coordination. He addresses Park problems (blowdowns, bridge failures, storm damage, etc),
State issues (RTP Funding, Grant In Aid, etc) and volunteer personnel and communications and scheduling. Not much is
said by him or for him. I am here to say;
"Thank you from MVTR and the entire user community".
Surprise: Two wheels safer than four off road
By Stephanie Desmon, Johns Hopkins Medicine
In research that may surprise off-road riding enthusiasts and safety experts, a Johns Hopkins team has found that crashes
involving four-wheeled all-terrain vehicles are significantly more dangerous than crashes involving two-wheeled off-road
motorcycles, such as those used in extreme sports such as Motocross.
The research, presented Oct. 6 at the American
College of Surgeons’ 2010 Clinical Congress
in Washington, D.C., found that victims of
ATV crashes were 50 percent more likely to
die of their injuries than similarly injured
victims of off-road motorcycle crashes. ATV
victims also were 55 percent more likely than
injured motorcyclists to be admitted to a
hospital’s intensive-care unit, and 42 percent
more likely to be placed on a ventilator.
“There’s a belief that four wheels must be
safer than two,” said Cassandra Villegas, a
research fellow at the Johns
Hopkins Center for Surgery Trials and
Outcomes, “but we found the opposite. People
involved in ATV crashes are more likely to die
or suffer serious trauma.”
The growing popularity of off-road vehicles in
More wheels does not equal more safety. Oh, a helmet
the United States has led to a steep rise in the
number of injuries resulting from their use. In
wouldn’t hurt either.
2000, Villegas said, there were 92,200 injuries
involving ATVs or off-road motorcycles; in 2007, the last year for which data is available, there were 150,900. But little
rigorous research has been done to determine which vehicles may be riskier than others.
ATVs and off-road motorcycles are designed for recreational use and typically are ridden on trails, sand dunes and other
rough terrain.
In the first study to compare the severity of injuries sustained by ATV versus off-road motorcycle riders, Villegas and
senior author Adil H. Haider, an assistant professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, reviewed data on nearly 60,000 patients
who suffered an injury after a crash involving one of the vehicles between 2002 and 2006.
The researchers say they don’t know why ATV crashes lead to greater injury and mortality, noting that they cannot trace
the differences solely to helmet use, even though 60 percent of motorcyclists were wearing helmets as compared to 30
percent of those in ATV crashes. Even when both types of riders had been wearing helmets, ATV riders experienced
worse injuries and outcomes than motorcyclists. Only a few states have laws requiring the use of a helmet when riding an
ATV, Villegas says, and while motorcycle helmet laws are also determined by states, many more have helmet-use laws
for motorcycles.
The researchers say it’s possible that ATV riders wear less-protective clothing than off-road motorcyclists, sometimes
little more than shorts and a T-shirt. Another contributing factor could be the significant weight of ATVs, which can
cause severe crush injuries when they land atop victims and lead to a greater likelihood of internal organ or extremity
damage, Villegas says.
Villegas says that these findings may allow parents, legislators, educators and those in the ATV industry to make better
decisions about the use of the off-road vehicles. She also says that studies such as these could help ATV manufacturers
design and implement increased safety technology in ATVs, similar to how automobile manufacturers have used research
to make safer cars and trucks.
Johns Hopkins researchers Stephen M. Bowman, Eric B. Schneider, Elliott R. Haut, Kent A. Stevens and David T. Efron
contributed to this study.
Submitted by John Mesick
2012 NETRA SCHEDULE
By Jim Nash
I have been asked to give a little synopsis of some things and people I have been associated with thru motorcycles
and the motorcycle industry starting in 1964 when I purchased my first motorcycle. It was a 250cc Ducati Diana
from Andrews Motorcycle Sales in Boston.
My first contact with motorcycles was in the fifties watching Scramble Races in Weymouth and Carver MA with
people like Dick Bettencourt, Bob Hicks, Joe Bolger and the likes.
Being stationed in California and Italy in the late fifties and early sixties seemed to cement my motorcycles liking
even more. Watching road races and timed hill climes up mountain passes sure got the old blood boiling.
In 1964 with my 250 Ducati now turned into a road racer I added a 200cc Moto Parilla Wildcat Scrambler to my
stable! I started road racing at Vineland NJ, Marlboro MD, Mosport Park Toronto Canada along with practice
tracks at Thompson and Lime Rock Park CT. 1964 was a
good year starting with winning the 200cc at Mosport
Canada and was a top 200 and 250cc road racer in the
AAMRR (AMA was taboo back then).
1965 was a big year for me. In February I was one of fifty
riders picked to put on a demonstration 100 miler the
day before the 12 Hours Of Sebring Florida. I was riding
my brothers 500 twin Triumph, so off we went. Bump
starting was FIM rules for road racing and I got a good
start. I led the first lap going into MG corner, a tight 90
degree but before Warehouse straight I hit an oil slick.
Damn cars! Down I went and there goes any hope of
victory. With a broken transmission mount I was able to
finish fifth. Down on my luck and broke in South Florida
I was called to the podium and received a check for $175
which was equal to $5,000 today. Typically 1st, 2nd and 3rd
were the only ones paid but the Europeans Alitalia
Tom Clark
Jim Nash
airlines were very generous. The rest of the 1965 season
was mediocre until October at Watkins Glenn were I hit
another oil slick at the 100 mph mark thus ending my race.
It was a big move from the Boston area to New Haven CT to work with my brother building racing engines for
sports car racing. The work was good until the money ran out and then I went back to the Boston area for a time.
We went back to New Haven to start our own business. If we were going to work for nothing it might as well have
been for ourselves ,at least we could keep what we made.
We kept on riding and racing while we grew the business and Jack was still on the Triumph he bought from Pete
Andrews in Boston.
One winter a well dressed man from Triumph Motorcycle walked into our shop and told us the Triumph shop in
New Hampshire burned down and asked if we would be interested in becoming the Triumph dealer. Dam right we
were! We jumped at the chance and upon hitting the ground we told him that we had very little money and to our
surprise he said “ No problem pay us back when you get it”. We gave an initial order of twelve bikes . Spring and
summer came and went and towards the end of September we finally got our shipment in. It was almost one year
later. We had taken deposits on most of the bikes and our customers really trusted us , thank God. By November of
66 all twelve bikes were sold. Dan Sollenberger, the Triumph rep, came into our shop and asked how many
motorcycles we wanted for 1967. When Jack and I told him 100 and he almost fell over! As 1967 was the start of a
strong era in motorcycles we were off and running and wound up selling 90 motorcycles.
1967 was also the start of my dirt riding era. I was going riding every Monday night with mandatory beer and
pizza and ending up grubby as could be after a night at the Milford Riders scrambles practice track. We had tried
to sell dirt bikes in 1967; Greeves, BSA, Sachs and Zundapp with just a spattering of sales but nothing to write
home about.
In November of 1967 Honda approached us via the local Honda dealers who recommended that the Nash Brothers
should be appointed as the new Honda dealer for motorcycles. All the dealers were into cars and did not want
motorcyclists mixing among prospective car buyers. We met certain demands put on us by Honda and after
pounding the streets for money we finally aquirred the Honda franchise.
So onward and upward, in 1968 we added Montesa and had as visitors such names as Pedro Pi World Champion
trials rider and John DeSoto (aka The Flying Hawaiian) visit us and give demonstrations.
We took John to the USA-Canada Challenge in Vermont and won 13 out of 14 Races. In December of 1968 we were
off to Las Vegas to attend the Honda convention and introduction of the 4 cylinder CB750, the bike that changed
everything in the motorcycle world. Meanwhile business kept on booming we added Ossa and had Mick Andrews,
former World Trials Champion and put on a demonstration for a weekend. Penton was also added and John
Penton was a constant visitor, he was there every two weeks.
While in Vegas for a Honda Convention we rode in a 100 mile desert race.
That was my first exposure to the 8 speed Husgvarna which placed 1st, 2nd
and 3rd . Fourth place was a BSA and 5th was me on a 360 Montesa Cappra.
The race sure was faster then being in New England.
Upon my return to Connecticut I was talking to my brother about how fast
the Huskies go could when John Penton pulled in with his truck. He opened
the door and said to me to come out and see what he had, I told him if it
wasn’t a load of Huskies I didn’t care. He had twelve on board, we unloaded
them all and so began my affiliation with Husqvarna. Starting with the
Berkshire International Trial 400 miler put on by Paul Eames Mr ISDT 6 Day
only to DNF with chain problems only two small years before the 520 O ring
chain came along. At Becket Ski on RT. 20 in Becket MA I first meet Arthur
Browing from Great Britain along with Sammy Miller, Leroy Winters from
Arkansas. In Pepperell MA I met Torsten Hallman and Edison Dye the USA
Husky importer.
Bringing Torsten Hallman to the US completely changed our racing from
Scrambles to Moto-Cross with lighter and faster bikes and 2 stroke verses 4
stroke.
In 1971-72 we did more two day events meeting and competing with
international riders Lars Larson, Bengt Aber, and Carl Bergren all Swedish 6
day riders and American riders Dave Mungenast, Dick Mann, John Penton,
Capt. Cznek Sepvina, CzechTrophy Team
Malcom Smith, Carl Cranke, Tom Clark, and Preston Petty. It was a real
honor riding and racing with them as well as the other riders from New
England and the rest of the country. I received a 1st place finish after two tries at the Berkshire, and a Silver Medal
dropping 12 points in 400+ miles on a 1972 360 eight speed Husky.
1973 was a very long year with a heavy schedule of nineteen New England Enduros.
In April at the Potosi Missouri ISDT Qualifier, which was 300 miles on Saturday and 260 on Sunday ,I managed a
Silver Medal dropping 2 points early in the race and lost 1 minute at the next to last check on Sunday in the
pouring rain. In June the second Qualifier, a 450 miler, was held in Chillicothie Ohio. There was lots of mud and it
was very wet but I finished with another Silver Medal dropping six points. Also in June I was one of 50 riders
invited to put on a 200 mile event to show Signor Bulto from Bultaco Motorcycles that America was capable and
able to put on a successful Al Eames promoted six day event. I was on minute 25 with Tom Clack and Captain
Zdnek Seplia, Captain of the Czechoslovakian Six day team on a Jawa motorcycle. Evidently he approved and Six
Days went off in September, with lots of Mass tree huggers complaining but we did it. I was an alternate for the
Husky team but no one got hurt prior to the running.
In October of 1973 as sales kept booming my brother and I outgrow our original 1500 sq. ft. shop and the 5,500sq.
ft. addition we added in 1969. We moved into a bigger and better 14,000 sq. ft. building in West Haven CT. In 1973,
1974 and 1975 we let the good times roll racing as much as possible in New England, New York, and New Jersey. I
rode as an A rider in the A Heavy class in N.E. and as a AMA Expert in N.Y. and N.J. I was still on Husqvarna 8 speed
360 and 400, placing in the Top 10 in all three years.
The big change in 1975 was that I sold my half of the business to my brother and moved from New Haven Ct. to
Henniker NH. I stopped ridding for fourteen years when my son Mike announced “ I want to learn how to ride
enduro’s.” We rode a pair of Honda XR500’s for a short time when KTM came out with a E300 Enduro, a great
bike. I entered my first event in fifteen years the 1990 New England Championship in Somers CT. Mike placed 3rd
in the 250 class and I won the Masters. I was re-bitten by the bug! Still riding now with a KTM 450 here and a Fuel
Injected TE 450 Husky I keep at Mike’s in Reno. I rode a couple of vintage events on my old factory bike the 1972
360 eight speed Husky with dual ignition, A very reliable bike. I rode the Husky in September 2003 at the 30th
Anniversary ISDT Reunion. I meet Bob Coy an old road racing buddy from Ma. He asked me to be his rookie for
the Colorado 500. I went in 2004 and have been going ever since, Beautiful scenery! Great Terrain!
Still Riding, Guess I’ll never get it out of my blood.
The Old Trail Boss
Shop Tips
Kirk Wilkinson
Working on bikes is as entertaining as riding them, because many of us of us actually like the problem solving
associated with motorcycle maintenance. Many of us also know that we can limit inevitable frustration with our
bike projects if we begin with an organized
work space that has adequate parts and
tool storage. We have all dreamed of
plastic storage bins cantilevered from
metal racks as seen in a various tool
catalogues, but when confronted with the
reality that their purchase usually implies
less money available to spend on the
actual motorcycle, we continue to live with
our mismatched storage ‘systems’.
Problems have a way of percolating in the
background of our minds as we go about
our daily routines. One day while
preparing an accumulation of cardboard
for recycling I came across a discarded
wine box. Now I hate to admit that I have
such pedestrian tastes in wine, but as I
handled the box, it seemed sturdy, the
size seemed somehow useful; could it be
that this volume had some shop storage
possibilities? It didn’t take long before the
realization that with a little cutting and
gluing, that wine box could be easily
transformed into very useful shop
containers and the best part was that I
seemed to have a continuing supply.
Armed with a utility knife and a hot glue
gun I came up with many useful
containers that required only simple
divisions and folds to reconfigure the basic wine box volume into something shop worthy. The most complex
operation will be to partially score the ‘fold lines’ at panel returns. The following descriptions and sketches are
of: (A) two shelf sized parts boxes from one wine container, (B) a two compartment carrier with an integral
handle useful for those remote tasks requiring a couple of tools and a few parts, ( C ) a ‘tool carrier’ with a
single tray compartment suitable for entire tool sets etc., and (D) a shelf sized vertical file holder for all those
shop manuals, product sheets and articles.
The April MVTR Newsletter will feature another chapter of our wine box drama, so as the saying goes "Stay
thirsty my friends" but remember the knife is sharp and the glue hot.
The Kid’s Classic Needs You!
This year we have the need for about 10 volunteers for the
kid’s classic.
I would like to see 5 leads and 5 sweeps not including Matt
and Myself. This sooner we get some fresh blood the sooner
we can start pre riding. I would like to spend a lot more time
pre riding Alton hopefully with a bunch of new faces and
maybe some old ones… Let’s Give The Kid’s A Weekend They
Will Remember!!
Jason Lees
[email protected]
603-432-1600
The New England Classic Committee
Has been meeting to prepare for the 2012 Classic. They
have developed a list of tasks. Each category will require a
coordinator and a team of workers to share the duties
throughout the weekend.
Tech Inspection
coordinator Jared Szurly
Information Booth
Raffle/ Auction
Chase Truck
Parking
Rider’s Meeting
Sweep Team – Northern Loop
Sweep Team – Southern Loop
Phone Bank
Let’s hope for a dry weekend this year!
Looks like there are still a few open spots. If there is a job that may interest you or you want to be put
on the volunteer list please contact Lisa O”Conner Executive Director Cystic Fibrosis Foundation @
[email protected].
Classic work parties will be starting before you know it. Most work parties will be posted on the New
England Dirt Bike Forum www.nedirtbikes.com or MVTR on Facebook. For smaller work groups the Trail
Boss may just go to their e-mail. Drop in e-mail to the boss’s to get on the worker list.
Hop/Ev trail maintenance work should begin late April they will also be posted on NEDB and Facebook.
The Spring Challenge along with the other events put on the Pilgrim Sands Trail Riders is not sanction with
NETRA this year therefore not listed on the schedule. You can visit the Pilgrim Sands web site for information
on the events they will be running this year.
For winter riding and the Windham ride and work list; contact Bob Landry to placed on the e-mal list
bobcre150
<[email protected]
More Help
Needed
Thanks to the members who contributed to the newsletter. I am looking forward to see what other members send in and
please don’t let facts get in the way of a good story. Any riding story, bike repair tale or hints, equipment review or
suggestion, whatever you can share will benefit all of the members. Please keep the stories coming. Mail or e-mail your
newsletter contribution to me:
Ron Sousa
[email protected]
14 Herrrick Circle
Pelham NH 03072
MVTR President:
Tom Levesque
[email protected]
Please Support Businesses Owned By MVTR Members
IT Salvation
Claxton Power Sports
142 Lafayette Road
Salisbury, MA 01952-1506
(978) 961-0475
Rick Claxton
Got backup?
Concord Car Care
Colin Dodd
Angelo Morrone
Backup Assurance, Business Continuity
Protection from Malware
888-519-5913 ITSalvation.com
Online Parts Ordering Available
236 N Main St
Concord, NH 03303
(603) 224-9631
The Merrimack Valley Trail Rider
“Dedicated to the Safe and Responsible Enjoyment of the Sport”
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