In my late teens and early twenties, I rode a bunch. Got married, had kids, sold bike. In my late thirties and early forties, I started riding again taking my sons with me. Sons go off to college, sold bikes. So the other day, my brother, (who races hare scrambles with his 2 youngest boys), finds a champagne deal on a Yamaha YZ250F. I bought it. Wife insists I'll kill myself because I'm now almost fifty-two, and my weight is well....about one pound/cc. So I bring this thing home and show my wife what a great deal it is. "Will it start?", Carol asks. "Sure" I kick down hard on the starter and twisted my right wrist somehow. I felt something snap or crack. Honest to God, I thought I broke it. I managed a feeble victorious smile, shut it off and put it in the garage. My wrist is almost healed, but I've had a hard time convincing her that the ACE bandage, and the scent of Ben-Gay has nothing to do with that bike.

Oh boy, that's going to be a tough sell Bill. I've seen lots of motorcycle injuries, but I don't know of anyone who has injured themselves while starting it (unless your foot slipped off of the kick start or something like that). Hmm.... So, what are you plans for this little monster?

I bought a KTM 300EXC last year, it's mostly a fall/winter/spring thing for me. Summer is too hot and usually I'm out autocrossing anyway. It's hard to find places to ride around here but we have a few spots where we can get away with it.

Congrat's just gear up and you'll be OK.

I mainly intend to trail ride. I may try some hare scrambles if I survive the trail riding part. We have some really good trails near here. I'm getting a little burned out on autocrossing, although I think I may be learning the car at last.

You know me...

It's a long story...

Honestly though, through the years I've owned an MT 125 Honda, a little 90 cc Kawasaki, an XT 350 Yamaha, a DRS 350 Suzuki, an XR 250 Honda, an IT 175 Yamaha, another DRS 350. I should have kept the Honda XR. Other than the XR, and the IT, (which my brother now owns, races, and wins with!), the others were all dual-sports. The DRS 350's were great bikes, but hell to start. Anyway, the wrist is healing, and I'll be getting my gear together soon. I'm looking forward to getting dirty!

Hey Bill,
So you bit the bullet on the Bike huh? Could have been worse, you could have hurt your arm starting the lawnmower or somethinig! Not to Hijack your post, but thanks again for working with me at the cone clinic last weekend, It payed off, I won my class yesterday at ODR SummerCross! Out ran that black vette that was in Richmond with us...
Mills

Wow! Good job. Put better tires on it, and you'll shock yourself. The autocross the next day was sort of screwed up. There was a lot of shuffling of numbers in the early heats and I ended up running after our obligatory "20 minute lunch break". It lasted over an hour because the OD's were trying to sign up people for "fun-runs" after the 3rd, (and final) heat. It started raining, and I only had 3 dry runs, with a timing error on one of them. I still managed to place 4th in PAX. Without that darn break, I would have had 6 in the dry. Remember the guy that "warned" you? That's the sort of crap that's burning me out, and why I need that bike. Maybe I can put an electric starter on it.....