The year was 1984, and it was time to buy a new bike again. As I survey the past from my now lofty position, I can mark this as a turning point. Things certainly began to change. First the bike, there was a color change from yellow to white, from 500cc displacement to 250cc, which brought about all kinds of changes in riding stile and techniques.
There was a wide chasm between the Suzuki RM500 in the last post and this Husqvarna 250CR. The RM500 had marked the peak of my racing enjoyment thus far, but this was going to be different. The Husqvarna 250CR was a good bike, it was certainly capable of winning. It was a water cooled unit, but it was still thought by some to be a bit dated because it still hosted a duel shock design when most other manufactories had moved to a single shock design. However, this duel shock design as far as I could tell worked as well as the single shock designs on the market. So I can't fault the bike, it was just different. Because of the dual shocks and upswept pipe the bike felt wide, it had a tall seat height that gave the feeling you were sitting very much atop the bike, which in turn made it feel heavy. The engine was strong with good low end and mid-range power, but it was not a 500cc bike, and it had to be ridden differently. This all required adjustment and a learning curve to manage the new bike and the new class division.
Below is a 41-year-old 3-minute video clip from a race in Cedars of Lebanon that might demonstrate what we did to these bikes throughout the year.
The race above was a Hare Scramble, something else I started doing to keep riding. They were usually 60 to 100 mile cross-country through mostly woods and field crossings. They were extremely demanding on the bikes, but these winter series kept me racing year round. I would do these during the winter and motocross during the summer months. However, these races kept me away from home more, sometimes long travel distances were required, especially when I went to the National races. It is difficult to say, but this could be the beginning of the breakdown that started to occur on the home front. It was certainly a year of change and challenges.
1984 would come to an end, and with all the changes with the new bike I must say I lost some of the fun factor. The results were below par, which was an attributing factor for sure. I had thought moving to the 250 class would make me a better rider, and I did learn a lot that year, but I can't say I enjoyed it as previous years.
Before we bring this post to an end, let's move on to another year. 1985 would make its debut and with it another new motorcycle. That year was a monumental year for Husqvarna, their new 1985 CR line hosted a completely redesigned 250CR motocrosser. On paper and in picture, it looked like a winner. Everything was new to the bike, the single shock was just one of the major upgrades. New frame design as well as engine performance. It was truly a beautiful bike, but it also proved to be a terrible mistake for me. The changes that were accruing were degrading rapidly in multiple areas. Relationships were changing and attitudes developing that would prove to be harmful. The bike was a major disappointment. I don't want to trash the bike, it had potential to be a great bike, I simply did not have the experience to recognize what it needed and how to (as Captain Parcard would say) make it so. The engine seemed slightly underpowered, and the power it did produce was made largely in the top end of the RPM range. This made the bike explosive and hard for me to ride. It hosted an even taller seat height, and the new single shock design was nowhere near as good as the 84 duel shock set. It was not poor quality that was the problem, out of the crate it needed some fine-tuning to get the suspension to work properly. I did not have the experience to set it up properly, add to that the uncomfortable power delivery, and I was riding a disaster. I rode it for two years, never being able to get it where I could ride it and feel comfortable.
The ability to enjoy racing dropped another notch, and things were degrading at home still. It seemed knowing how to set up a motorcycle was not the only thing I was inexperienced at. Not knowing what to do was a real problem on multiple levels. When you are young you don't recognize your inexperience, it is easy to think you have a handle on life, when in reality you are just stumbling through. From this lofty position in life further down the road, I can see more clearly now. Had I been in church with my family hearing the Gospel, being strengthening in it. Having Godly men and women speaking guidance into our lives with an ear to hear, perhaps we would not have been so foolish. But that was then, and we were in a current of life that was sweeping us down a certain path. If life had peaked in 1983, it was now in serious decline. The year to follow will be even more difficult, we may explore that in the next post. We are most often tempted to blame our difficulties on others or circumstances. However, most often our problems are problems of our own making. Man is naturally selfish and without the regenerative principles of the Gospel, our happiness or pursuit of it is sought from this position as we reach for external things. We look to things that make us feel good without consideration of the cost to others. For the most part, we destroy the joy of life in the pursuit of trying to satisfy the cravings of life.
The pursuits of our youth many times bring the hurts that give birth to experience, which in turn are means to help us see more clearly. I will leave you with a few verses of scripture as we bring this post to an end. Whatever point of life you may be experiencing now, it is certain to change, our timelines are filled with heights and valleys, it is the human experience.
Romans 5:1 ¶ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2, By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3, And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4, And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5, And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. KJV.
Papa David
