Tip 1
Air Filter

A neat trick that was taught to us by National Hare and Hound Champion David Pearson at the ISDE in New Zealand is how to start 4 stroke motorcycles with fresh air filters on chili/cold mornings. On day two of the event all the top riders go out first thing in the morning and of course they had all put fresh air filters in the night before. At the start of the event Paul Neff, Mike Monroe and several other American riders were unable to get their 4 strokes to fire on the line and were forced to push it off the start. As the USA riders began to pile up Pearson rode up on his big 4 stroke and explained to us all that we needed to pull the filters off and allow the 4 strokes to breath until they get started and then he rode off. After removing the fresh filters all the bikes fired and the boys were all off, none of them dropping any route points for the day, thanks to Mr. Pearson. We later asked David what that’s all about and he explained that the 4 strokes tend to flood easier on chili/cold mornings and the freshly oiled filter only contributes to the problem, especially on the big 4 strokes. Our team is still riding and holding on to our 2 stroke motorcycles, but this tip has helped a lot of racers since we learned it from David. If a rider is having problems getting their 4 stroke bike started on a chili/cold morning, chances are they have a fresh oily filter in the machine. Simply have them remove the filter and start the bike as normal. Chances are it will fire almost immediately! Good luck and see you at the races.