Ask Ping!
Friday, July 15, 2011 | 10:30 AM
ODI dates back to the 1980’s as the leader in grip manufacturing. Focusing primarily on the bmx and mountain bike industries through the 90’s and early 2000’s, ODI re-entered the motocross scene when they developed the patented lock-on grip system that eliminates wire and glue. Continuing to advance the way riders hold on to their bikes, ODI has worked closely with the teams they support such as Troy Lee Designs to create the product that is now being used by some of the top teams in the industry.
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Dear Ping,
1st I just want to say I've been reading your column for as long as I can remember and they just keep getting funnier. So I will quit rambling and get to my question. I always wonder how people would do crossing over into other things. So in your honest opinion which (active) motocross riders would be the best country music singer, MMA fighter, politician, stay at home dad, or actor. Oh and how do we do away with not only the tucking of the ears inside the hat but also the flat bill hat in general?
Sincerely,
Ben Dover
You betta lose ya self in the music, the moment, you own it..
Ryan Sipes would be the best country music singer. I haven’t stalked him in his shower to see if he can actually carry a tune but he has the drawl and the Kentucky twang to lay down vocals on the next hit song out of Nashville. Chris Blose could have a second career as a MMA fighter. Again, never seen him throw a punch but he is yoked out enough that he could choke himself out trying to scratch an itch on top of his head. Think Lou Ferrigno as The Hulk but with tats and earrings instead of green skin. Travis Pastrana for president [seriously, I’d vote for him]. Kevin Windham is your stay-at-home dad in a couple more years, literally. And Nick Wey can and should be cast as Rabbit in the sequel of the straight-to-DVD film 8 Mile.
The hats will go away, eventually. Just point and laugh every time you see someone wearing their hat like that… it will speed the process.
PING
Ping,
Recently my dad, who is in his late 40's, sent me a story of motocross folklore about "Mad" Mike Jones. Swain MX invited Mike to upstate NY last weekend and it started to rain bad for the second motos. They combined the Vet A class, Schoolboy, and Senior B for a stagger start and my dad was riding Senior B. He stalls the bike while leading, ends up last, and then is in the way of the Vet riders - mainly Mike Jones who was battling for the lead. Mike is in my dad's roost for a lap trying to find a way around in the mud because I guess my dad didn't know he was being lapped. Finally he gets around basically running him off the track. Afterwards my dad went and apologized for getting in the way and Mike was cool about it. Pretty cool story from my dad who has raced forever. The point being that it's cool to see the "old" timers return to racing at local events or even qualify and compete in the nationals. I know some want to see Mike Brown lose that coveted #3, but I think it's awesome to see him keep it. I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing John Dowd at Southwick. And who can forget, K-Dub flyingfor 4th places every week. But Ping, who else do you know of out there besides yourself, Ryno getting beat up by Lapaglia, McGrath, and a few others that are still showing up and ripping it with the young guys?
Carsten Camp
PS Love your answers each week!
Just buy one of these, Swap. Easier on the wrists
There are still a few guys that show up and race fun events like Mammoth, Day in the Dirt and a few other events throughout the year. RJ, Dogger, Mike Bell, Doug Dubach, Micky Dymond, Greg Albertyn and Phil Lawrence all ride regularly and can still run a good pace. But there are a lot of former pros that prefer not to ride at all if they can’t ride at the level that they once used to. Johnny O’ and Broc Glover are two guys that come to mind. Some guys just burned out on riding and they would rather golf or ride a bicycle if they have free time. If you really want a guy to cheer for this weekend at Millville look for Chad Pederson racing the 450 class. “Swap” is having some kind of mid-life crisis and qualifying for a national is his way of coping. He can still throw down a fast lap so it won’t surprise me at all to see him make the motos. Getting through two 35-minute motos without his hands falling off… that’s another story. Old guys rule. Go Swappy!
PING
Hey Ping
Just wondering, why don’t you race anymore? I mean Windham and Reed and Stewart are out there and you definitely got the speed. I think you could give those guys a real run for their money and be a title contender in Supercross and Motocross series. I know you had the bike break on you in 2002 but I really think you should get back into it.
Cheers from the UK
Da Bears
Terrific idea, man. Hey, why don’t I call Mike Ditka and see if I can get him back on the line of scrimmage for the Chicago Bears next year? And maybe Larry Bird can break out his old Chuck’s, grow a silly little white mustache and dunk on Shaq in the NBA finals in 2012. I’ll get Richard Petty to pull out his powder blue STP POS and kick ass in NASCAR again and if Darryl Strawberry can stop doing blow out of hooker’s belly buttons for a minute he can come hit a few homers in the world series too.
Those ships have sailed, big time. See you at the vet nationals.
PING
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One of the most successful—and controversial—team managers of all time, Larry Brooks is looking to return to the races. Page 146.
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Its no fun being slower than once was. It can sure take the fun out of it. My arm falls asleep when I ride due to an injury.
yo, Wey is my choice for Prez. "Those ships have sailed." Nice
how can you possibly keep that beautiful plastic with the 101 number on it, at the top of this ASK PING page, SO CLEAN! Being the high zoot capri dude that you are and only the shiny-est stuff will do -- please send me all that plastic with the RacerX logo's when it gets it first scratch! I'm serious!
email me funny man so that I can give you the shipping address..
it's a bad economy and we all need to help the poor...
obviously I'm poor cause I can't even afford to keep up my own website anymore!
oh yeah DC and I have boys that played together at the PHX sx a few years back so - at least i'm connected a little bit!
Ask DC!
Thanks man! Keep up the laughs! your the new old Mr. know it all from years gone by!
Dave
Ears in the hat i will never get!! Looks so dumb.
Good one Pinger! Swap? Qualify? O.K. Keep a camera on him...
Millville or Washougal would probably be his best chance. Although you might want to convince him to do Southwick or Dilla if he owes you money.
It is like the saying about money- better to have never been rich then to be rich and now poor. I'm not poor but I can say I can hardly even watch the nationals because I could (relatively) haul the mail at one point and i just can't ride like that anymore.
Sucks, I really miss it.
Great stuff Ping!
Look forward to it every week.
Yes I miss racing also my body just gave up too many injuries. Then had other health problems and now on dissabilty. I even went through the withdrwal crisis of not racing anymore afer 27 years of racing almost every week. Even though I got a couple of Harley's now it still is not the same been having this idea of getting a trials bike and making a trials couse in the backyard???? Cant do moto anymore so that my workk just gotta check with code enfocemen cause I live in town. Yard is big enough. At least we have Racer x to keep us going! It used to be Cycle News weekly and trying to catch the old supercross races at 2am in the morning.
I don't think my ship ever arrived at the dock, but I didn't ever get to the coast to check. However, being fat and slow has it's advantages. I am never dissapointed by my speed because I have none.
I got few laughs that time ping.........i had a hodaka................once at band camp...........my Tm400.....................
@doncassel you are a dbag. That is seriously not funny nor appropriate. I don't know what kind of sick sense of humor you have but keep it to yourself.
- Ping, another classic week of answers! Thanks for the good reading.
Travis Pastrana for President!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ joe mx never say TM400 again they were uh lest say I went one lap on one and never again......
I won a race on 1 at 13 yrs old :) (TM400) thats where i lernt throttle control from.
and a few things about religion
Hey Joe, now you are making sense.
means alot comming from you.
OK Joemotocross one more question did it have the 3 inch framdrop mod on it yet??? that is the big question but yeah no matte what riding one of those will help you see GOD Never rode one again did drop the frame and rode it around the dirt lot next to the shop on very flat ground lol
I have gotten better with time and age, I find it easier to hold a 35HP 250F wide open in the rough then it was to pin an 8HP Hodaka on pavement.
@welker yer a idiot.
yeah, it had the extra skinny powerband installed too,
LOL....... @joemotocrosss thanks for making my day I am pretty sure you ment Idiot in the right sense ??? lol they told me I was an Idiot when I launched my harly over this hill in the road iin northwest TX on a trip Yup.....
Hey- check your DVR's for Millville. I think FUEL TV named it something different again. Mine didn't pick up the 2:00 coverage
You guys had Hodaka's ? Wow !
The big mod on my dads Suzuki Hilbilly , after taking the lights, turn signals,mirrors and rear rack was
Taking out the silencer.
He's still pissed.
JD
I rode a TM 400.......................
Once
JimM
Pala374
Ping, how old is Windham? The guys you reference from stick and ball sports and King Richard are old enough to be a) Eligible for their Hall of Fame inductions or b)living in retirement homes zipping around in their custom golf cards; you are still young enough to party with Reed, K-dub, Tedesco and Wey.
Your paramedic fantasy is intriguing and all but what better than miling the bottomless energy drink marketing budget and riding it out for a few more years.
It's possible that your "how to" video has you carbon dated as a retiree but break the odds and jump back in the saddle!
We'd all love to see the 101 on the line outside of the 909.
Mad Props,
BB
all you guys who won't ride because your slower now,Boo Hoo.you are not true riders who ride for the love of the sport.did you never have fun riding?then why did you ride?
your slow- Part of the reason we fast guys rode was to lay clowns like you out. I miss that, I really miss it.
Yes trail riding is fun but trail riding turns into racing in about 5 minutes and then I'm back to being reminded that I'm not all that fast anymore.
big Bore.... I'm racing a Canadian national (provincial) in a couple weeks in Winnipeg. Come on up!
Ping needs to co-host with Neil Boortz!
@yourslow.....fused neck, fused back, rebuilt shoulder, 2 garbage ankles, and far too many lumps to the brain housing group. Now the pain to cow trrail is nearly the same as racing, it just isnt worth it to hurt like that for a few hrs of cow trailing,...now if I could get the old body to lead a moto ever again, I'd take the pain for that, but I can't , so .......I garden, and walk my dogs and be damned happy being a loudmouth and fan.
When you start taking the ambulance rides and hospital bills as tax writeoffs ....
When and the ER staff calls you by your first name but you misrember or deny you've been there.......
When you keep redefining your meaning of bad accidents ( I call them mishaps or incidents now) as your gauge to hang it up .......
When you quit going to the family doctor so you dont get the look you realize two things.........
When you take a dirt nap becuz they watered the track or I wasnt in shape or blah, blah blah.........
When you just know you shouldnt that 100' step up at Pala but you probably will
if someone paces it for you
Maybe you should stop ............................................... just not yet
JimM
Pala374
who said anything about trail riding. and if you want to lay people out we don't want you out there anyway.your the clown.
Hey Ping, how about coming out to the MTA VET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, again. You could ride the 30 pro class again. A vew of us went back to the 2 smoke's and are having a Blast!
Ah, this is where all the old farts hang out. Talking about the Hodakas, Bultacos, and Ossa's and such. Modifying a bike by removing its mirrors, lights, and luggage racks so you could throw them around. The Suzuki TM400 Cyclone was a bad ass bike. All those big bore open class bikes had a ton of power and lots of speed, just didn't handle for shit. Anyone here from So Cal that might have raced night motocross at Ascot? Ya, those were the days, we were young studs with are pistols full lead. Now its just 300 lb fat chicks who can't jobs at hooters anymore.
See ya at the track! lol
Ping do the right thing here man. Get on that KTM 150 or 250 two stroker and do some Supercross. You would have an instant fan following and every body (cool) with a key board would have your back on every message board. like bigbore said you cash. Somebody going to so it might as well be a guy who could right some good stories about it. (other than the risk of severe injury) Its win win. If you don't get results blame the bike. If you do than its your pure skill. As for all the guys who race or don't anymore I thinks it better to be a have been then a never been. DO IT PING for all the "old guys" just put a normal hat wareing only in your contract"
@joemotocross589, what's up bud! Hey, I met a guy out at Milestone awhile back who races vintage motocross, riding a Yamaha AT1 125 mx. He was 64 years old and still enjoying himself and his passion for bikes. I thought that was cool. Enjoy watching the races on the internet!
@Ping, not to late to get ready for Pala. You can rescue old naked ladies from the bathtub and give mouth to mouth later!
@cz mark, or whomever,,,,,heres wheres the Hodaka thing I use came from.yr 1978, I just got home from i dunno where (small race dist 14, michigan someplace}... not to brag but won another 250 b race at 15 yrs old.....So me and my buddy go to the local teen dance club that night. Talking a lil about the day, some kid, (anus} starts quizzin me on how far I can ride a wheelie and whatnot basiclly challange me and almost wants to fight about i dunno that he's better?. I think maybe he can ride, and invited him to local practice track.....He storms out the dance club all bent outta shape? Long story short, I meet him at the practice track the next day, w/ my new RM 250, Guess what he unloads out the back of his bent up ford....you got it a Hodaka super combat womabt....I dont need to tell ya how much fun that day was :}....that has stuck w/ me all my life. He wanted to fight about "i can ride a wheelie" and stuff.....:)
If he woulda HAD a visor on his helmet, I woulda made sure it got roosted off, but he didnt have one.
@joemotocross, better to argue over wheelies than over 300 lb fat chicks. Those are the memories we get to hang on forever. I guess by the end of that day you had some good laughs and some fun.