Staff bikes
More models, more miles and more mods. • Husqvarna FC 350 • Honda CB1000R
After well and truly wobbling round during my first outing on the FC350, I decided that before I enter a race meeting I needed some more practice. So, for my second outing on the Husky, I headed over to Gale Common Motopark to get down and dirty. I wanted to take it seriously, so like the true professional that I am, I opted to stay in and have an early night, the night before I was due to ride. I didn’t think one glass of wine would hurt, but when one glass of wine turned into two bottles of Boothy’s special home-brewed power wine, it became a problem. Luckily the front door was unlocked when my mate arrived in the morning to pick me up (I was fast asleep on the kitchen floor), so after letting himself in, raiding my fridge and loading the husky into his van, he woke me up, bundled me into the motor and we were off.
My hangover was reasonably well cured by a bacon, sausage and egg McMuf fin, and after a few laps I was loving life on the 350.
I instantly felt better than last time I’d ridden it – it really did feel like such an easy bike to ride.
After a few sessions, I started to get the hang of how to ride an off-road bike again, and by lunchtime I was confident enough on the 350 to ask the mister in the office if I could be moved up to the fast group, to which he obliged.
As the day went on, the track got bumpier and bumpier and more difficult with every lap. The bumps were, in some sections of the track, bad enough to send the whole bike into an uncontrollable weave, especially when trying to keep up with the pace of the ‘fast group’ boys.
I had a go at softening the suspension to try and make the job a little easier, but in all fairness it didn’t really help over the bumps (it might have helped if I’d have known what I was doing). What it did cause, though, was the forks to bottom out when landing a little too hard on the jumps. I ended up putting it back to the original settings, as they were as good as anything I tried. Besides, I probably lack the finesse on an off-road bike to be able to set it up for those type of conditions… or any type of conditions, for that matter.
By the end of the day, I might not have been up to MX GP standard, but I reckon I got up to a pace that shouldn’t be too embarrassing, should I enter a race somewhere. I was absolutely pooped, however, and between you and me I missed the last session in favour of having a kip in the back of the van.
Once again, the Husky was an awesome bike to ride and, despite trying to ruin it with alcohol poisoning, I had a hell of a day getting dirty. If I’m going to race the thing, I’m going to have to get a bit fitter. I suppose its salad for dinner then… yuck.