On to the Rig

As people are starting their coundown for the 46th BAJA 1000 this November, I am getting more and more excited for an event that is more than a year away. The latest infusion of excitement comes in an unlikely form. A church bus.

My uncle owns a local service station - a cool neighborhood joint with full-service pumps and a 3-bay service station. He makes it possible for old ladies in vintage Cadillacs and Mercedes to never have to put gas in their cars, or air in their tires. It has a very nostalgic feel, and I really admire the business he has built.

Anyways, one of his relationships paid off for the BAJA effort. A local church had a shuttle bus sitting, taking up valuable lot-space. I have a feeling the "support crew" is going to grow since we have the room.

The more the merrier.

Buying Parts is Easy

So, the engine conversion isn't easy. A KX500AF is a pretty lofty goal, and progress has been slow, be we have much of the heavy lifting done.

Luckily, a good friend, and one of the riders is an award winning welder and fabricator. Here are some pics of the bike progress. Ray of Gold Medal Welding is the man.

the rolling chassis

stock cradle removed

new cradle tacked in - from jfab

weldy weld

weldy weld

custom headstays

custom headstays

What's this all about?

For me, the BAJA 1000 infected me the first time I watched On Any Sunday and was catalyzed with Dust to Glory. Bruce and Dana Brown have cost me many paychecks with the ideas their films have planted, and I thank them for it.

Magazines in the 70's, 80's and 90's built the 1000 up in my head to the point where it seemed unattainable. Something happened when I watched Dust to Glory... Maybe it's a mid-life crisis, maybe it's the urge to race with old friends, maybe it's the way everyone who has raced this event lights up when they talk about it. Any of those are great reasons in themselves. They compound to fuel a real passion to race again, and go big doing it. I want to be one of the people who truly understands why this race is so special.

I can't listen to anyone who tells me we can't do this.


Here goes:
 I'm sick of it... I'm calling bluffs. It's time to plan a BAJA 1000 run. 2014 it is.

The fact that we are a group of ex-motocross/supercross racers from the Midwest, and most of us were born in the 70's, prepares us in no way for this task. Somehow, I can't let the idea go and it quickly becomes obsession. Luckily, my obsession is infectious and I've got some old friends on board.

In my head, preparation and motivation starts with buying stuff.
A few hours on ebay and craigslist and a few clicks later... I'm off to Indiana and Ohio to pick the parts to build an awesome desert bike (I hope).

With a single 22 hour day of driving and a reasonable expense, I now own a grenaded 2010 KX 250F and a beat-up 1994 KX 500. I think you can see where this is going. We are going to be rookies making 2-stroke smoke across the desert. We will be doing it with the same power plant that the legendary Destry Abbott and Larry Roeseler piloted through the course so many times. Luckily, people have done this engine swap and mercinaries like kxriders.com help people share info.

Here are the bikes.

2010 KX250F from Ohio and 1994 KX500 from Indiana

yep .........it's on.