The great FE501 conversion

Rims plus spokes and labour are going to close to what a set of SM wheels are.
Just keep the Enduro and have the 17’s.
That what I did with the CRF

Yep
I paid £600 recently for new Excel rims and stainless spokes & build into some new oem hubs
A set of complete Talon wheels and hubs would be about the same
 
Rims plus spokes and labour are going to close to what a set of SM wheels are.
Just keep the Enduro and have the 17’s.
That what I did with the CRF

That’s probably what will happen in the end because essentially I’m a lazy bastard and it’s the easiest option.

I’m also more likely to actually take it on local lanes if the Nomad gear is off because when I’m quiet at work it’s mid winter and muddy everywhere increasing the already high likelihood of me wrecking it :blast
 
So did you, or did you not, employ the same tactics to accrue more points than your fellow competitors?

I’d do it but I’ve got very low standards when it comes to that kind of thing.

the second sentence was aimed at ogden :)
 
the second sentence was aimed at ogden :)
That was obvious but he’s got to have learned the trick from someone he knows so it’s either Si or Pete F who may also have won a title in an unpopular class.
 
Anyway, I was at Olivers Mount watching the hill climbing (and drinking beer, lots of beer and that’s important to remember) when it was pointed out to me that I’ve got a 500 sitting idle and with a bit of work it could be turned into a hill climbing bike. How difficult can it be to change my enduro wheels so they have 17” rims and bung a set of wets on it. Play with the suspension (firm it up a lot), rip off all the extra weight and rag the fuck out of it for a minute 4 or 5 times in a day?

Initially I said no because I’d be too slow but it was pointed out to me that most of the field are as old as me and the instigator of all this nonsense is now a 3 times British Champion so he should know. He’s also won that title on my old 250 EXC enduro bike and has offered to let me ride it so I can have double entries and get more practice in.

Jesus, I've not used this account in years. Even had to reset my password to get in, but my ears were burning.

Anyway, I pointed out that you've got a *Laverda* sitting idle, and with a bit of work it could be turned into a vaguely interesting hillclimb bike. You'd get absolutely spanked on a 501 in the 750 class, and it'd be Yet Another Supermoto, but you'd stand a pretty decent chance in the Forgotten Era championship on something like the Laverda.

I can more than hold my own on a 250 (even when there's not just me in the class!) but there are people in the 750 class who can demolish the competition in the timed runs and then find another full second in the top-ten runoff.
 
I do have a 2 bike trailer but the important part is would I finish last on the 501 because if that’s likely to happen I’ll keep out of that class.

I suppose I could run the Norton as well, just dump the lights etc and give it a go, it’s got a rebuilt engine so it’s unlikely to blow itself into a millions pieces immediately though I’d probably burst into tears if I crashed it.
 
Unless you are a split second off winning, losing the lights isn't really that important.
 
Unless you are a split second off winning, losing the lights isn't really that important.
They’re expensive to replace.

It’s best to dump everything vulnerable then there’s less to worry about :D

I’ve got a dented spare tank for the Laverda that would also come out of the corner it lives in.
 
I do have a 2 bike trailer but the important part is would I finish last on the 501 because if that’s likely to happen I’ll keep out of that class.

Maybe not last, and it'd depend on the event.

At bigger events, for every blisteringly quick rider in a class there's often one or two that are properly slow. Less so at smaller ones.

Looking at times from the last year or so, and people I'd expect you to be beating (after a year or two of learning the hills), on average I reckon you'd be looking at around 15-17th of 22-25 in the open 750 class at a big event with a lot of entries. At a smaller event, yeah, you'd be fighting not to come last.

When I was starting out, I mostly used "am I beating Simon?" as the litmus test. It's important to have achievable goals.
 
Maybe not last, and it'd depend on the event.

At bigger events, for every blisteringly quick rider in a class there's often one or two that are properly slow. Less so at smaller ones.

Looking at times from the last year or so, and people I'd expect you to be beating (after a year or two of learning the hills), on average I reckon you'd be looking at around 15-17th of 22-25 in the open 750 class at a big event with a lot of entries. At a smaller event, yeah, you'd be fighting not to come last.

When I was starting out, I mostly used "am I beating Simon?" as the litmus test. It's important to have achievable goals.
Great, I’ll borrow a 790 and rough Simon up by force feeding him beer the night before.
 


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