November 2009

Nov 24, 2009

Go Kart Rebuild, Part 1

The boys have been wanting to build a "regular" go kart for a while. Since we had this mini off road version laying around that we no longer use, I talked them into modifying it instead of buying new parts for their dream kart. The karts they have in mind are the racing style karts with 125cc to 250cc 2-stroke motors, slick tires and capable of nearly 100mph. This version will be a whole lot more basic than that, but inside a budget that we can live with..and probably a lot safer too. The kart we are starting with is actually made by starting with a riding lawnmower frame and transmission, then mating a smaller/lighter engine. The clutch was modified to incorporate the brake into the same pedal. I'll explain this more as we go, but for now we are simply starting the project by removing the roll cage structure and taking inventory of the parts we can still use. The engine and 5 speed transmission should work great, but we'll need to widen and lower the stance so we'll be getting a longer rear axle and mounting it above the frame. This, plus using much smaller tires should put it down close to the ground where we want it.

The seat needed to be moved back to allow for bigger riders. I've been letting the boys do as much work as possible and they've done surprisingly well so far. Working with the power tools was a little difficult at first, but they soon got the hang of it. The front wheels will be moved back slightly and the steering column mounted more upright allowing for a little shorter wheelbase and a better designed cockpit and steering geometry. Obviously we will need to work out the gearing on this since our top speed was about 15 to 20mph with the large wheels and extreme low gears. We are shooting for around 30mph to 40mph top speed when it's all done, but we'll probably end up much closer to 30 to keep it safe. After all, there are no real tracks for a kart like this and we'll probably be driving it in areas with less than ideal space. The engine we'll be using is a 6hp Briggs and Straton vertical shaft, and the tires should be around 11" diameter slicks. Stay tuned as there will be much more to come this winter as we dig into this project!

MX vs. ATV Reflex Prepares for Glory!

First Dirt2, now this! MX vs. ATV has always been one of my favorite off road games...of course the kids like it too. The newest version is set to be released Dec 1st 2009 as we recently found out by visiting our local Wal-Mart. This is particularly exciting for us since all of our current versions of the game are for our PS2. "MX vs. ATV Reflex" will be released for the PS3 and as you can see it looks like it will be amazing! As the title implies it has Motocross bikes and ATV's and you can race them head to head in a wide variety of terrain. What's been so amazing about previous versions for us is not only the wide variety of vehicles to choose from, but the most realistic dirt biking experience available in a game. We have many games for the PS3 that do a very good job of imitating buggies/rally cars etc., but they all have come seriously short in the dirt bike department not only having outdated bikes, but really crappy physics and game control. We've always been happy with this series by THQ and can't wait to try it on the PS3 with all the new features this game will offer! Some of these features include the all-new "Rhythm Racing 2.0 physics engineRider Reflex control system and real-time terrain deformation". The Rider Reflex control system provides precision and fluidity by separating machine steering from body positioning, which allows the independently controlled rider to shift his weight, perform stunts and avoid potentially devastating wrecks. The terrain deformation creates ever-changing courses as off-road vehicles carve lines and deep ruts that have a real-time impact on gameplay and remain persistent through the full length of each race. In short.. Rock The Crap On! Separate controls for machine and body, and changing terrain based on vehicle impacts? Are you kidding me? Awesome! The changing terrain feature really gets me excited. This is something I've often thought would be a great addition. We have a few games that will make tracks in the dirt, but the tracks quickly disappear and they have no impact on the actual shape of the terrain or the way the vehicle reacts to it. If that's not mind blowing enough, check out these screen shots!

It appears as though there are some deep snow areas from these pics which is something I haven't seen before. Also is an area called "Sandwick Nationals", which is a course composed entirely of sand. It's said that bikes and atv's will tend to sink lower in the sand making for a realistic sand experience, something else that has been somewhat lacking in other games. It sounds like this game should be glorious indeed. Stay tuned for a full write up!

Dirt 2 For PS3 Screen Shots And Review

Dirt 2 by Codemasters is a great new off road game for the PS3 and other game consoles that really has us hooked right now. It focuses on rally cars, but you'll also find trophy trucks and open wheel buggies. One of the first things to stand out to us when we got the game going was the in cab view. There are other views, as you'll find with almost any game of this type, but this has to be one of the more realistic and involved in cab views I've seen. I normally don't like playing on this camera view, but found it fun to play around with for once. Having a view of the drivers arms fighting the wheel, and shifting gears adds to the feeling, as does the view of the dash and partial side window. The game lets you win different dash "toys" to personalize your cockpit as well. We also noticed right off that it had Utah listed as one of the track destinations. This was very exciting since we do most of our off roading in Utah. We were further excited to find out the locations were ones that we have enjoyed before such as "Hurrah Pass" and "Kane Springs Canyon". Of course these areas may be a bit embellished on the game, but it was really weird to be driving along and know exactly the area or even the turn in the road that the game was trying to portray! Check out this screen shot of this shelf road in Kane Springs Canyon! I swear I know exactly where this is!

This game was produced with some of the stars of the sport, mainly Ken Block, a star of the rally car world and owner/founder of DC shoes. The game lets you choose your own identity, but also lets you become friends and race against Ken, Travis Pastrana, Dave Mirra and others. The tracks range from wide open cross country rally races to the new tight and technical rally cross races found at x-games combining stadium dirt and jumps with pavement. You can go from watching one of these events on tv to playing the game and hardly miss a beat. It's also quite a rush to drive some of the same roads I've driven in real life, but at a MUCH faster pace with no penalty for screwing up. Of course it's not as good as the real thing, but games like this get you close enough to at least feel some of that adrenaline while putting you virtually in some of the worlds most amazing places...sort of.

As with other games we've reviewed on this site, this one has no magical "boost" button or the like. It leans more towards reality, which is a good thing, having basic controls such as brakes, a hand brake, steering, and optional shifting with the manual transmission menu choice. Learning to master these controls will speed you up dramatically around the tracks and reward you with wins. It gets addicting trying to shave seconds off and match up against Pastrana or Block on their court while being called out on the radio to "show me what you got"(my kids love this). I still might rate "baja edge of control" a better game, but just barely. This one is actually more on the addicting side racing some of the tight tracks, but edge of control has larger environments with much longer races, and you can "freeride". Basically this one focuses on Rally instead of baja, and leans towards the tighter, shorter, technical environments and competitive racing.

Unless you're totally lame, you will enjoy this game. It's a bit on the pricey side right now at around $50, but it's been my experience that you get what you pay for most of the time to a certain degree. The $30 games are worth $30 and the $50 games are worth...more than $30. The price may go down, but if your like us and can't wait it's available now, and it's a great way to kill some time while you're wishing you were actually in the dirt this winter!

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5-Mile Pass Trip Report, Nov 7-8

What a fantastic weekend to get out! The weather forecast throughout the week was up and down, but it turned out great in the end. For a weekend in November, we couldn't have asked for any better. This was a relatively short trip heading out Saturday morning and returning Sunday evening, but we still managed to have a great time. Uncle Dan brought his mountain bike and rode a few trails, one of which is a race course loop for mountain bikes. The boys and I went on a couple of great trail rides as well. Most of the trails are a mix of rocks, dry silt and some hardpack. There are many trails in the Five Mile Pass Recreation Area with spurs that lead in every direction so picking one trail and sticking to it can be difficult, but it's hard to get lost and easy to find some great stuff to ride. We found a couple of really great trails for the skill level we needed and there are also many more difficult climbing trails. The boys also loved riding near camp and even got into riding some pretty impressive wheelies! I did some riding near camp as well, made a stupid mistake and got thrown off the bike..still feeling that one! We also had fun with RC trucks, paper rockets, and a potato cannon. The nights were cold, so the furnace was nice and the days warmed up to near 60. Here are a few pictures from the trip!