In honor of Thanksgiving, and all the fat-bodies out there that ate way too much turkey yesterday, Ask Ping is offering up an extra helping this week: Four Q&A’s! Please remember this the next time there are only two. Happy Thanksgiving.
Hello David!
Just got done watching Motocross 101; really enjoyed it (as I do your "Ask Ping" column). Now, as a vertically challenged vet (with bad knee’s) I couldn’t help but notice you suffer from at least the height issue J Just curious how tall you are and what changes you normally make to your bikes to help account for this?
Sincerely,
Dave Hamblin
2006 YZ250
Dear Dave,
I’d like to tell you that I’m 5’8" but if my wife happens to read this she’ll call BS on me. So, let’s just say 5’7". And not only are we similar in our proximity to the ground but I’ve had three ACL reconstructions (twice in the right knee) and I gobble up glucosamine sulfate pills like Lindsay Lohan gobbles, well, all kinds of pills. There are a few things you can do to bring a little low-rider style to your bike. Some people suggest raising the footpegs but I’m not a fan of that. You are raising your center of gravity and in a sport that requires balance that is not awesome. However, you can take a turkey knife (not making this up just because it’s Thanksgiving) and cut an inch or so out of your seat foam. There are a lot of short pros that do this, including Ricky Carmichael. Though now he is probably stacking phone books up to see out the windshield of his race truck. You can also cut 5 to 10 mm out of the subframe where it bolts to the frame or have someone shorted your shock a couple mm’s. The latter is a bit more involved so try the others first. Thanks for the letter, short stack. Hope that helps.
PING
Dear Ping,
First of all I'm an Italian super fan of Racer X Online and Motocross/Supercross; now,I'm coming to California 2011 and as motocross fan I HAD TO SEE what is all about down there so my question is: What should I have to visit about motocross in Cali? Pro circuit, Troy Lee and what else?What tracks?I would love to ride in a USA style track so where can I find a track and rent a bike for a ride?Thank you for the answer and very compliments to you for what you'r doing and to all theRacer X Crew!
Sorry for my english.
Sebastiano.
Dear Sebastiano,
Thanks for reading, my enthusiastic Italian friend. We can’t touch Italy when it comes to wine, pasta dishes or zeal for motorsports but we make up for it in oversized meals and big cars. You will literally crap your pants when you hop in your rental over here. Our compact car is bigger than a full-size family truckster in Milan! Okay, you are definitely on the right track for destinations; Pro Circuit and TLD are must-see places. You could also check out Yoshimura, Oakley headquarters and Alpinestars. Wait, you can probably go down to the A-Stars manufacturing plant if you wanted to, right? Skip that one. You’ll need to hit In-N-Out Burger and Miguel’s Jr while you are in town because they are the best post-riding food joints. The tracks you need to hit are Pala, Milestone, Cahuilla Creek, Competitive Edge, The Ranch and Perris. I think you can rent a bike from Stefan at MX Heaven. If not, there is a company called MX Vacations that will probably rent you a bike. You have some serious riding to do, bro. Get those calluses dialed in and do some carb-loading before you get on the plane and fly over. See you at the tracks! Or, more likely, at In-N-Out.
Ciao!
PING
Ping,
I appreciate the fact that you are getting out of moto full time to pursue a new career, I'm sure your wife and pocket book will appreciate it. I just want to know if you're going to be like all the other fire fags I used to see in Temecula ( I moved to GA a couple years ago). Seems the trendy thing to do for said " fire fag" (some friends of mine included here) is to buy the biggest truck that they cannot afford and slap a fire hat sticker on the back. Am I going to see you sporting your neat sticker on that F-350 with 38's next time I'm in town checking on that rental I can't sell?
Regards,
Mick
Dear Mick,
I totally hear what you are saying and I’ll concur that there are some "fire fags" out there. For a job that is so hard to get it makes you wonder how some of them slipped through the cracks. Lets start with the helmets. First of all, every jackass that is related to, or even knows someone, who works for a fire department has one of those stickers on their vehicles. The popular opinion is that cops won’t give you a ticket if they think you work in the fire service. Wrong. And I won’t pull the cliché move and buy a massive bro-dozer in bright red with the custom license plate that says "Fitenfire" on it and finish it off with a giant Maltese cross as a trailer hitch cover. Those guys are trying just a little too hard, in my opinion. I work for the San Bernardino County Fire Department as a reserve right now so I could put one of those stickers on my truck and it would be legit. But for me it will mean a lot more when I have a full-time position with a department. And when I do slap one of those on it will be on the back of the same scratched-up, paid off truck I’m driving now. That’s just how I roll. Good luck with that rental…the way the Temecula market is moving you’ll own that bad boy until at least 2020.
PING
Dear Ping,
First of all I'd like to thank you for your kind words about me on the Monday night installment of the one and only PulpMX show. On another note.... Maybe not the kindest.....I'm trying to lose/get rid of this snack pack nickname that was originated by someone else but you made stick. So I guess what I'm asking is for your suggestion on a new nickname? And I don't want no bull crap answer like ZO338 or any of that crap. I want the real deal. You helped make it so come on man, help break it!
Yours truly, the real 338
P.S. If it weren't for Electronic Ping my Mom would never pick up an MX mag. Keep it up.
Dear Zach,
I didn’t realize that being called snack pack was such a bummer for you. I actually thought it was funny. Actually, it is funny… for me. But if you don’t like it then I will get to work on something else. It definitely makes it harder now that you’ve slimmed down though. If you were still chubby I could call you the "British Pound." You know, because you live in England now? Uh, oh… I hope that doesn’t stick over there. Nobody reads this from there, do they? Anyway, I want you to know that I am on this one. I won’t rest until I’ve come up with a perfectly suitable name for you. Well, I’m going to rest this weekend because it’s a holiday and whatnot. But as soon as next week starts I am on it. Seriously.
Good luck this year, bro. And tell your mom thanks for reading.
PING
