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So, the Ducati sits in peices. I need a few tools to finish disassembling the heads so I can send them out. I’m waiting for the special pistons to get shipped, and then I can put it all together again. However, I found in the meantime, I needed to ride -SOMETHING-.

Now, dont get me wrong. I love riding on the street. But I discovered a distaste for group rides, and general commuting blah. Half of the time on my way into work, I get stuck in traffic, where the only difference between a car and a bike, is that I have AC, and I can enjoy a coffee and a smoke while stuck in traffic. Something was missing. I wasnt sure what it was, but I noticed that I was slowly becoming miserable.

And then in a period of about 4 days, it all came together. Myuncle ed blogged that he bought a ‘89 Yamaha YZ250, so he could ride around with his son. And all at once, while I sat in my office chair, the memories of growing up at my parents house flooded back to me like some cheesy movie segway. I remembered riding around for hours, going nowhere and everywhere all at the same time. With no working bikes in the garage, and suffering from a serious lack of adrenaline, I decided to bring my next addiction home.

Its a 1988 Yamaha YZ250. Its certianly not easy on the eyes. Scratches, scuffs, and wear all over everything. But, more importantly, it runs good, and despite the way it looks, all the important parts work right. Being as it was born to be a two-stroke race bike, it doesnt idle. This makes it slightly complicated for trail-use, as you have to give it a rev now and then if you’ve got the clutch in. I dont mind it, but my dad sure had some colorful words to say about it.
So how do I like the dirt riding? I can tell you without a doubt, I’ve drank the dirty-kool-aide, and asked for seconds. I’m hooked like a Bass. It was fun as a little kid, but I’ve learned a thing or two on the street, that I can take to the dirt. It makes it all that more enjoyable. I’ve got better balance, throttle control, braking and handling skills than I did when I was 15. I wake up every day, trying to figure out a way to work a little bit of dirt riding into my schedule. All I want to eat is dirt and dust from the trail.

Tommrow after work, I’m getting muddy with a friend from work. Hopefully I’ll take some more pictures and post up.