A n00b Goes Flat Tracking. TEAM NO BUDGET

and no not in the good way of limitless money but in the way of flat broke.

a few years back when i was running Speedway a buddy of mine and i where racing at a track when a lady in the pits says to my brother " man those guys are like real low budget" he laughed and said " Ha more like no budget"

sometimes you just got to ride by what ever means necessary. try to make the best with what you got. thats what brings me here.I thought I hung up my Speedway/Dirt Track racing days back in '08 when i ended with a broken shoulder some swelling on the brain and a stay in the most horrible hospital ever.

About a week ago a friend of mine who promotes Speedway racing told me he is also trying to get some flat track races going but rider turn out has been terrible. so he asked me to bring something out and race i scratched me head for a minute and said "yes".

I went out to my garage to see what i had that may be appropriate to ride..my big 650 wasnt gonna do it..to big/tall/heavy.....then i started looking at the little '79 KLX 250 and thought "perfect"

well my brother came over and in one afternoon we brought back Team No Budget by basically building a ubber low budget " Flat Tracker"( i use this term loosely)


here she is

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lowered in the back with some earlier model KX125 shocks i had sitting around and the fork tubes slid up a bit. about a 2" shorter shock on back and a 2 3/4" drop on the fork tube. close to a 3" drop in seat height now at 33" and lower frame rail on 9" off ground as apposed to 12"+

now i still have the 21" front wheel..my research in finding a KE100 front to swap on was WRONG..i wanted a 19" front that could keep the brake for trail riding and so i could run old school dunlop K70's on it 3.50X19 front and 4.00X18 rear..cause they are about $50 a piece compared to todays 150+ race tires

so instead i wound up with super cheap $20 shinko trail bike trials universal style tires .


oh and i made my new skid shoe on a 1hr lunch brake at work..hard faced it and all

So 6/18/11 rolls around and it is raceday up in victorville. i get up bright and early and pick up my brother up in running springs and we head for the track.

we got to the track and scrambled to make practice and found out quickly the lower rear shocks where way to soft and totally bottoming out..and it was running a tad fat. then i remembered that the track had no noise restrictions and mufflers where not required on the speedway bikes so i pulled the muffler off and it ran a lot better

Bike sitting in the pits still with low shocks and muffler

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we lined up for Heat 1 (note the REAL race bikes)




I got the outside back row..the old side shift Indian to my left and I would tangle pretty good out of the gate but we would keep em up and going

Having not raced for 3 years i decided to just cruz the first heat and get use to track and bike..we would all make the main so no need to push it . I got dead last

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Bike was running ok..my gearing is a little off 2nd over revs and 3rd wont spin up enough out the corners unless you stay really on it and barely rolloff into the corner..the solution STAY ON THE THROTTLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE in 3rd

we lined up for heat two and i got the outside back again

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this race was a mess I got a REALLY good start even though the bike in front of me stalled at the start. I was actually ahead of 3 bikes . But a red came out do to a nasty wreck so they lined us back up. On the restart the bike bogged BIG time and every body pulled away ( i think it loaded up coasting around on the caution laps)

everybody pulled away but i ran down the KX250F and the old Indian

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and made my pass



I was getting on it pretty good in this race using about all the motor could give..it dont have enough power to " back it in" using the throttle but it gets a little skid going threw the middle

for the main i was on the front row outside....and man these real race bikes are FAST and a lot of em



i was out ahead the old indian from the get go and a 4 stroke YZ and was on the rear tire of the kx250f the whole race. the YZ would get around us but i would eventually get around the KX on the last lap. i really could have earlier but man its been awhile since i have been racing. and really didnt want to risk it. so when all was said and done i got 6th out of 8 in the main


not bad for the Junkyard 250, we built for nothing. running $20 shinko tires




my goal was to just not get last and i met that goal so i was a happy dude

Post race analasis

<hr style="color: rgb(209, 209, 225);" size="1"><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->well if it was a true novice event i could have probably finished ok...but this event had classes for pro's and one for everybody else (what i was running in)..some of the guys in my class where wicked fast..i think the top two guys lapped they entire field in both heats and main ...why they didnt bump them up i dont know they where probably in the amateur to expert range

my bike was just way underpowered to run with the big boys.

i will probably take it back out in august to Costa Mesa speedway for a Amateur Afternoon event..it is a real run what ya brung kind of deal...plus the track is so small big HP almost makes it harder to ride.Than we will go back to Victorville in Sept. and hopefully they will have better class structure

my buddy steve the promoter was still pretty happy with us back markers we where all pretty close and had a really good race running close nose to tail a few times with some passing i think one more race weekend and i should be able to to get some more passing on.


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and one more random one on the line getting ready to roll out
notice the poor little KLX among the "Real" flat trackers

That's so cool !!! talk about "run what ya brung", or more what you found in the dumpster. Congrats on finding racing again!

I've been racing the "Maddog" 100's on a local 1/5 mile oval dirt track. Total blast and I'm learning a lot. Very exciting racing. The top runners are turning 14 second laps. I didn't get lapped this past Sat. night.

Way to go on your race project!

Nice! Good job, Jeff.

Thanks everybody...it was fun i cant wait to do it again. Last night i started thinking about it and every bike except for one i was racing against where 450's a XS650 twin and a Framer of some type. the one modern 250 i was racing against i was all over him the entire night and passed in the main. so hot damn i am happy

I think going up a tooth or two on the rear sprocket or down one on the counter shaft will really help keep my little KLX in the sweet spot. I know they only realistcly only make 15-17hp so i know it probably wont ever be a winner but this was all about racing what you got

Mr. Magoo we have the 100's here that fun at our regular flat track..i have done some practice laps on one and they are fun..i have even thought about building one..low cost and good times..but as you can probably tell pics i am a big dude and it is hard for me to really get aggressive on the 100's they feel too awkward. but i'm sure with some bars risers and maybe taller seat i would fit ok

Lodi in central CA has a junkbike class,any scrappy bike that runs is more then accepted,much better for running low budget racing.
Looks like you did fine though!

I lucked out and found a BBR built CRF100 in great shape for cheap. Crazy little bike will pull 2nd gear power wheelies.

I love low budget racing.

I know you're having a ball!

Very cool!!

Now you have me wanting to look into flat/dirt tracking...maybe that 100 class...sounds like fun!!

Congrats on getting back in the saddle!

I raced my 640 Adventure in the Knobby class there one night, 5 or 6 years ago. Only three of us, but I won The other guys were on full on MX bikes.

Dude i was there that night..i got a video on my old computer..i will have to find it. it had to be you i have never ever seen anybody else race a 640 Adventure, that was pretty cool...sadly no more knobbies at Victorville or Perris

That would be cool. I have no photographic evidence of my own.

I was there racing a micro sprint for a freind, and just happened to have my bike with me. Totally a spur of the moment deal.

Yes the Junkyard 250 class..meant for 250 trail bikes basically early non RFVC honda XL/XR 250 as well as Yamaha XT/TT 250's and just about any 4 stroke 250 with out any hi performance work and no race tires...we modeled this bike after that class. i was trying to talk some guys around here into building a few..if we could get 4-8 bikes to show up regularly i could get the class on the schedule.

This is awesome.



..... AND


..... Who let the Giant race??






this is the true spirit of racing! Love it!