Aussie now with an X3,........... and an Odes 800

[slim]

Hey there John, thanks for using my 'Introduce yourself' thread to vent. I do appreciate your feelings towards your local guys and gals but perhaps starting your own thread for this sort of thing might be more appropriate?

Sorry to hear of your(?) circumstances, I hope they Improve.



While Im here I may as well update. My "Chinese" Odes is still going. Shredded a belt a while ago and it has sat around for a while as spares here in Australia are not very plentiful. It is a fun machine, more for slower technical stuff, the faster you push it the more you realize the suspension just isn't up to it.

Stole then girlfriends Ducati mufflers and now I have a nice twin exhaust set up. Next up is removing the rear tray and fixing the cage to make it a bit safer. Last new years I had one of those 'hold my beer and watch this' moments and end up on the roof. It wasnt the smartest idea Ive ever had. The cage was tweaked a little so I had to pull it back into shape and weld in side intrusion bars for a start and will work on a proper cage soon.

Im coming over to race V2R on a bike this year the Baja Bound (Tim Morton). If you see a rider with #040 oh his back come over and say hi.

Cheers

 

[slim]

Some pics:

Ducati mufflers tucked up under the tray

Side intrusion bars welded in to help for now

And slightly off topic, I came over to the states last year and went down to baja with a mate and raced the B1K. Im the fella on the left.

 

[marcust90]

slim if i had to guess id say this is just spam from John

 

[slim]

Yeah, you are probably right.

I do sympathize with him though, the Odes dealer over here leave a lot to be desired as well. I will refuse to go back to our local dealer, would rather it rust in the shed than go back. They sell because they are cheap, not due to their reputation so I guess keeping the owners happy after the sale isnt a priority....................... yet.

 

[marcust90]

Yeah, you are probably right.

I do sympathize with him though, the Odes dealer over here leave a lot to be desired as well. I will refuse to go back to our local dealer, would rather it rust in the shed than go back. They sell because they are cheap, not due to their reputation so I guess keeping the owners happy after the sale isnt a priority....................... yet.

i understand that. that is the only good thing is the interweb hahaha u can always find something up there

 

[slim]

Hi all, its been a while so I thought I'd start at the beginning again.

Since last posting here things have changed a bit for me, July '16 I had a moto accident while doing a 12hr enduro in preparation for the 50th B1K. As a result I have permanently lost most of the use of my left arm due to severing 2 nerves from my spinal column and tearing 3 more in the shoulder. I still have issues with my back (broken in 5 places, broke all but 2 ribs on the LHS, left wrist is now fused, multiple nerve grafts from my legs to the shoulder etc.............)

I have had my bikes converted to centrifical clutches (1 Rekluse and 1 custom) enabling me to ride with 1 arm but I doubt I'll get back to any form of competition again.

I have been trying to figure out how best to get back to the desert scene and was looking into a quad with power steering or a proper SXS. Well 2 weeks ago my wife msged me while she was working (she is a posty on a motorbike) saying one of the houses she delivers to was selling 2 SXSs (2105 Mav & 2018 X3) and an 850 Can Am quad. After a lot of thinking I ended up buying the X3 with 11hrs on it, spare beadlock wheels and desert tyres, factory cage etc. I took it out for my first drive on Saturday just gone and wow! I never thought a factory machine would be this good.

Im now trying to figure out what it 'needs' to be competitive and whats 'nice to have'. I doubt I'll get to the pointy end of the field but I would like to be atleast mid-pack or better if my driving is good enough without flogging the arse out of the machine. Atm Im using bike logic where close to stock with tuned suspension is a good combination for desert. Too many 'exotic' bits look good but can put strain on other components, increased cost of spares etc. Any hints or tips would be appreciated.

 

[It'sYourLegacy]

I would go with any safety-related items first as this will form your budget for the balance of what is needed to keep a machine not built like (?) or who you are racing against...which often determines whether you will be mid pack in the first place (unfortunately). A budget after these expenditures is the best path in my opinion yet we aren't seeing race teams come out either here or elsewhere in media pushing the 'safety first' mantra.
A lot of anger out there towards anybody attempting to spread information locking down the true costs an/or DIY help needed to make these cars safe (first). A good share of the aftermarket doesn't handle this stuff in any comprehensive matter and would just as soon that everybody (first) invest in 'bling' commanding much larger margins and often risky inventory investments.

We didn't have near these initial investments required (in my opinion) with motorcycles/quads and we'll be paying for this culture until somebody with 'sway' comes around to correct it...which may never happen.

 

[slim]

Thanks for the reply mate. I fully agree, safety first, Im not in a position physically to leave things to chance anymore. I do accept the risk of injury again but if I have the ability to mitigate or minimize something occurring I will. I've been very lucky to retain my job after the accident but I know if I end up in a similar position again Id likely be looking for another job.

Im still looking into what race series we have over here in Aus but my goal is to do Finke again. Ive done it twice on a bike before and would like to do it again. CAMs is the governing safety body for Finke and part of their requirements is to have their spec cage installed. A 'CAMs spec package' offered by companies like Brown Davis are about $8k https://rollcage.com.au/products/side-by-side-racing-products/can-am-maverick-x3-racing-products/

I have heard there may be a couple of smaller race series that allow the factory cage, opening doors etc which is good from a budget perspective but I do need to do some research into how well the factory equipment holds up.

Are there any inherent weakness's in the X3 which 'need/should' be addressed asap?

 

[It'sYourLegacy]

It's been tough sledding, slim in terms of our discussing car or manufacturer weaknesses in general, especially any involving safety. I don't own a X3 yet am glad that you own anything but a Polaris for some hope of an answer. The first clues usually show up in what the aftermarket is offering in terms of parts that you shouldn't really need as a 'non' racer. Plenty of parts out there which fit this description so I'd compare those to what your X3 rolls off the line with.
Good luck with choosing your series.

 

[slim]

Thanks mate, I'll check out a couple of aftermarket suppliers and see what they have. Im thinking maybe an aftermarket performance belt, series spec cage & safety gear and possibly some race specific suspension tuning to get me started and then fix what breaks after that.

Appreciate your replies, cheers.