Vegas Mini Vacation

It started harmlessly enough. Our friend Tim Clark of MiniMoto Magazine is the promoter of the MiniMoto Supercross in Vegas every May, and we thought it would be fun to participate this year. Since we already had about five 50s in the stable, it made sense to prep one or two and head for Sin City. Clark had other ideas…

Being Tim Clark in the mini industry must be a lot like being Hugh at the Mansion; you pretty much get what you want when you want it. Clark's idea was to convince Logan Edrington of Logan-Built Racing to donate one of his trick XR50-based complete engines to the cause. Specifically, a 106cc kitted Takegawa three-speed with a manual clutch. Then we'd take our BBR SuperPro framed bike and do an engine swap. The SuperPro had an 88cc Takegawa kitted motor sitting in it and was easily the favorite mini around the shop.

Next we needed a rider and the choice was obvious. Dustin Kuykendall is our resident mini pro and he's featured in one of the website's most popular videos, where he pulls back flip after crazy back flip. He raced in the Vegas event in 2004 and narrowly missed making it into the 10-inch (rear wheel) expert class main event. So the back-flip kid was nominated and it seemed like plans were set.

Things started to change when our resident graphics guru Brian Chamberlain expressed interest in riding the 10-inch amateur class, since we had other bikes sitting around. His choice would be the second best mini in the fleet - the Sano Takegawa 88cc machine. While BC and DK thought they knew their destiny, I started making phone calls. My idea was to build a chassis around the LoganBuilt motor and create a completely new bike for Dustin. Then BC could ride the SuperPro in the amateur event.

My first call was to our buddy up north, Duane Brown, one of the three Brown siblings that make up Brown Brother's Racing, better known as BBR. I had my eye on BBR's trick new perimeter aluminum frame kit and all the gadgetry to go with it. Since we were heading to the Mecca of Mini we needed the best. BBR's perimeter frame kit is just that, and combining it with the rear disc brake setup would be a great platform to begin the build.

Even though we were less than a month away from the Vegas event, Duane was able to help us out with the frame kit, disc rear brake system, and even offered up anything else we needed. The frame kit includes a bunch of parts that makes building a bike from scratch much simpler. Included are the swingarm and fully-adjustable Elka shock, D-Section BBR exhaust system, fuel tank and machined cap, steering head bearings, chain guide, and footpeg mounts. Since I had him on the phone, I added a skid plate, throttle housing & cable, tall seat, and 10-inch wheel and spoke kit to the order.

Now that the motor, chassis, and rear brake system were sorted out, we needed to address the front end. Keeping with the top-of-the-line theme, we hit-up Shannon Decker over at Marzocchi. Lucky for us he was in a good mood and put together a Shiver Factory Works fork, front disc brake, and 12-inch wheel kit. This 35mm inverted fork features 5 inches of travel and independent compression and rebound damping. Basically it's the trickest fork on the market, and combined with the front disc and pre-built 12-inch wheel/tire, this thing was as close to plug and play as it gets.

Putting together the odds and ends that a new bike requires was probably the most difficult part of the build. I won't get into every single part we needed, but let's just say that you take for granted all the stuff that a stock bike includes until you have to buy it from your local dealer. We ended up spending over $260 just on miscellaneous OEM Honda parts including bolts, nuts, electrical components and the like. The rest of the parts were purchased through Motorcycle Superstore which is absolutely the greatest company in the world (shameless plug).

Two companies came through like champs to make our lives a little easier. A big thank you goes out to One Industries for taking care of our plastic and graphics. We chose the One Industries Blue Plastic and Blue Graphics Kit, which was easy to install and looked great when mounted on the bike. We also appreciated help from PBI Sprockets (available from your local dealer), which supplied a wide variety of front and rear gearing choices, including three countershaft sprockets (14, 15 and 16 tooth) along with four rear sprockets (33, 34, 35 and 36 tooth). The aluminum sprockets are super durable and their clean look accentuated the aluminum theme of the perimeter frame kit.

After getting all the parts together we had to assemble the bike. Since I was paying all the bills and Dustin was going to have all the fun, I quickly delegated the labor to him. Everything went together amazingly well. Dustin isn't exactly an MMI alum, but he worked his butt off and did little permanent damage to the bike. DK then shared his artsy opinion of the final product, "Visually the perimeter frame is the most insane looking aftermarket frame you can get for a 50. It's just awesome to have a mini bike that looks like my CR250."

The only real issue we ran into during assembly was routing the cable for the Kitaco clutch on the LoganBuilt motor. The BBR perimeter frame incorporates a side-pull mount for the clutch cable, but the Kitaco clutch arm actuates from the front. Duane and Logan suggested we grind off the clutch arm and re-weld it into the correct position for the frame mount, but we were too lazy and just went mullet-style. Our approach (that didn't work very well) was to find a longer cable and then relocate the cable mount closer to the front of the bike. The cable then routed under the exhaust header and bolted to the case using the LoganBuilt bracket. This temporary fix worked for the race, but now that the bike is back at home we're going to go with the grind and weld solution.

Thankfully, Dustin was able to get a weekend of riding under his belt before needing to pack everything up for the trip. Dustin's comments regarding the BBR Perimeter LoganBuilt mini were as close to unadulterated praise as you'll find this side of your local house of worship. "The frame is super rigid but doesn't have excessive vibration and the seat height is perfect giving it a very balanced feel. The Elka rear suspension is plush and easily adjustable; I never bottomed off any jumps even when casing it. The same can be said for the Marzocchi forks. Smooth, super adjustable and the clickers even work!" That's fine, Dustin, just no back flips, dammit.

While DK loved the chassis, his most enthusiastic comments were directed toward the powerplant. "The motor we got from LoganBuilt was crazy! They know how to build a motor. It was a 107cc but felt like it had more power than some 130cc bikes I have ridden." After riding the bike, he was so damn excited he kept muttering random thank-yous and I-can't-believe-how-lucky-I-ams nearly every time I was around. As Dustin would find out, luck goes both ways.

BC and I would fly down to Vegas, while Dustin and a buddy were nominated to drive the MCUSA van loaded with the bikes, tools, and spares. He bitched and moaned about the long drive, but little did he know then how much farther the trip back would seem…

The Event

Las Vegas is all about numbers and I should have known it was a bad sign to get stuck on the 13th floor of the Orleans Casino/Hotel. What casino even has a 13th floor these days? I don't know if calling it the 14th floor would have changed our destiny but it's hard to believe that it could have made it much worse.

Since we arrived on Wednesday evening and nothing really got going until Friday, we had two nights and one day to kill in Vegas. Dustin would be on the road until Thursday evening, so BC decided to do what one does in Vegas - lose money and lose more money. It didn't take long to discover that we were not destined to sit at the final table of the World Series of Poker. Soon enough we were broken, battered men with only loose change and lint in our pockets. We kept our heads up and limited the damage, thanks to the withdrawal limits on our ATM cards, but we were certainly ready to move on to the dirt bike portion of our trip.

The MiniMoto Supercross main program got started at 7pm Friday night. But there was a ton of action happening all day. Nearly 500 riders had signed up to compete in the six classes meaning there would be a bunch of qualifying races necessary to weed down the field. Each rider would get two short practice sessions before their qualifying race was up. If they didn't make the show in the qualifying race, they would move to the LCQ for one last shot.

BC was up first in practice and he hit the track on the SuperPro only to bend the chain adjuster about three laps in. The stock 6mm adjuster bent trying to keep the axle aligned, and when it did the wheel got cocked in the swingarm. Okay, that's a good start, no practice time and a broken part that we didn't have a spare for. Once again BBR came to the rescue. I made the short walk over to the BBR pits, which were filled with the sickest collection of minis on the planet, and sheepishly showed the guys my problem. After digging through their parts bin they produced a set of oversized (8mm) adjusters that, they assured me, would solve the problem for good. I went back to the pits, drilled out the swingarm axle adjuster holes and BC was back in business.

In the meantime, Dustin got a chance to take the Perimeter out on the track. The track itself was absolutely amazing, built by Supercross and Motocross legend Mark Barnett. It featured a torturous rhythm section, huge berms and jumps big enough to give mini riders some real pause. Dustin got the first session under his belt without any problems. The bike held together and he worked on dialing in the suspension and changed gearing to better suit the conditions.

In the second round of practices, it became evident that BC was at a disadvantage on the SuperPro. The bike and motor were fine but the lack of a clutch was going to make the start a big challenge. Since the only limitation on the bikes in individual classes was the size of the rear wheel, hence 10-inch and 12-inch classes, the machinery on the gate was impressive. Not only did you need a mini built on a good chassis with a strong motor, you also needed to have a manual clutch to help with the start and tighter corners. BC was able to post the third fastest time in his group, which meant a decent gate choice, but without that clutch he would be hurtin'.

Dustin had some excitement in his second practice, learning how the fast guys got around. You'll have to keep in mind that since Dustin was riding in the Expert class, he would be facing off against top pros like Willy Browning, Tommy Hofmaster, David Pingree, and even Jeremy McGrath if he made it to the main. Hofmaster was the first to welcome Dustin to the big leagues, sending him over the top of a berm and off the track. Then it was Browning's turn, stuffing Dustin so hard that his motor stalled. Dustin tried claiming it was the touchy rear brake but I'm not buying it. He was still fifth fastest in his group so we felt pretty good, just pick the pace up a bit and he'd be right there.

Things looked bad from the beginning during BC's heat race. While a fast lap time is one thing, getting the centrifugal-clutched SuperPro motor up to speed is another. BC got a decent jump but the field absolutely ate him up heading to the first turn. I couldn't even see him as the pack made their way through the rhythm section. BC rode strong and made up some positions by passing a few guys and taking advantage of some crashes but he ended up fifth and only the top two moved to the main. His last shot would be the LCQ where only the winner would advance.

Meanwhile, Dustin prepared for his Expert qualifying race. His reaction off the gate was good but so was everybody else's. The pack went into the first turn and Dustin got tangled up with three other riders and was way back as he got the bike re-fired. Looking to make up ground, he started riding hard, maybe a little too hard. Entering his second lap and heading into the rhythm section, he got out of control and shot off the track crashing into the wall. As he was going down, he instinctively put his foot out.

The result wasn't pretty. Dustin broke both the fibula and tibia in half, and his foot and ankle were just dangling without any support. It was a compound fracture, meaning the bones pushed through the skin making the scene even more gruesome. The paramedics were on the scene immediately and worked to stabilize his leg as Dustin screamed in pain, not that I blamed him. I honestly can't believe he didn't pass out from the pain.

Now, I know that BC felt bad for Dustin but it wasn't long before he realized that the Perimeter bike was without a rider. What to do? Well, the show must go on and you might as well use the resources at your disposal. Dustin had done such a great job sacrificing his body in order to keep the machine pristine that you couldn't even tell the bike went down. BC got to work swapping over the race numbers from the SuperPro to the Perimeter. Since the transponders were worn on the rider's boot, he only needed to hop on the bike and head to the LCQ.

Even though BC would ride a significantly better bike in the LCQ, it wasn't all roses because there was no practice or warm-up laps. Just get on the bike and race. His strategy was to take one lap to get used to the Perimeter and then go for it. The other idea was: try not to think about what the bike just did to its previous rider.

When the gate dropped, BC got one of the biggest holeshots I've ever seen. The LoganBuilt 106cc motor pulled like mad as BC fed the power in via the buttery clutch.

"Even at only 106cc, the Logan motor produced tons of power down low and continued to pull hard all the way through the rev range. If I didn't know otherwise, I would have guessed the displacement to be over 120cc," said BC, echoing his fallen teammate. "The clutch was smooth with good feel and no slippage. It provided me with great starts and the ability to clutch the bike coming out of tight corners, which really made a difference on the tight Vegas track."

He built his lead to over 10 bike lengths before Scott Fisher (from Bend, OR) on an Icon started to close down on him. Lucky for BC, Fisher fell once and eventually ran out of time to try a pass. BC would be in the evening program. "This bike was easily the most competent, well refined and fastest mini I've ever had the chance to ride," said Chamberlain.

The 12-inch front tire and larger chassis really changed the feel of the bike from a fun little mini to a serious moto weapon. After the race BC commented on how different the Perimeter bike was from the SuperPro. "The bike steered quickly but retained its stability in the corners. The suspension easily soaked up anything that came its way including a rough whoop section and landing short on a double or two," he said. Combine the effectiveness of the chassis and suspension with a motor that pumped out some serious horsepower and the two bikes are not even in the same league.

But, even after his LCQ win, BC wasn't completely at ease on the Perimeter. "The bike did seem a little unstable when launching the bigger jumps, but that may be due to the fact I had zero practice time on the bike," he explained. Comfortable or not, at least he was in the main.

Meanwhile, down at the ambulance… Dustin was on a stretcher ready to be transported to a local Las Vegas hospital trauma unit. But not before he, now doped out of his mind on morphine, joked with his friends and even persuaded a passing umbrella girl to pose with him for a photo. The surgeons worked on his leg that night, inserting a titanium rod below his kneecap down through his leg to his ankle. There was no cast necessary as the rod would keep the leg stabilized. He would remain in the hospital for three days before being released. Then he got the privilege of riding shotgun in the van 880 miles back to Southern Oregon from Las Vegas with a recently repaired leg and a limited count of Vicodin. Fun stuff.

The 10-inch Amateur main event was the third race on the program getting underway after the Women's final. BC was nervous before the biggest race of his life, but who wouldn't be? This was a packed house with over 7,000 people in the stands. Not making things any easier was the fact that LCQ winners would have to start from the second row behind qualifying race winners and second-place finishers. I told him that long shots needed a disadvantage and now he had one. I thought he might punch me in the face at that moment.

BC lined up on the inside, hoping to clean up as the pack shifted outside at Turn 1. It was not to be, as he got mired mid-pack and was three places from last through the rhythm section. But to BC's credit he put his head down and worked to get as far up the field as possible. Using his enormous machine superiority, tempered by better than average riding skills, he started picking riders off.

Now, I wish this would end like a Rocky movie with our underdog hero making the most of his moment in the sun by completely destroying the competition, but this is reality and there was only so much we could realistically expect. BC lost touch with the leaders early but did a good job to pass some riders in front of him, avoiding crashed riders in his path and generally staying upright to stop the collective bleeding. At the finish he placed, you guessed it, 13th. Not a bad effort and certainly better than my pick in the Kentucky Derby, High Limit, who finished dead last in 20th.

"Considering I had never ridden the bike prior to my last chance qualifier and easily won the race, I would have to say I was very impressed by the whole package," the normally reserved BC shared.

Looking back, Brian summed it up best, "The old adage 'You get what you pay for' applies directly to mini racing. Sure, this bike cost over $9K but it works awesome and is worth every penny; especially since I didn't have to pay for it."

The ghost of Dustin chimed in with, "The BBR/LoganBuilt bike is hands-down the best mini you can build. If you want the fastest, best looking mini bike, get a second mortgage on your house and build one. It is unbelievable!"

At the end of our adventure, we learned a few things:
• Tim Clark and the guys at MiniMoto put on a great show at the mini Supercross.
• Combine BBR and Marzocchi and you get a hell of a platform for a Mini Motocrosser.
• LoganBuilt's 106cc motor provides more than enough grunt to run at the front.
• Competing at the MiniMoto Supercross on anything less than a bike similar to our BBR Perimeter LoganBuilt Marzocchi mini is not advised.
• Try to avoid flying off Supercross tracks at high rates of speed - and if you do, keep your feet on the pegs until you come to a full and complete stop.
• Mini racing is fun and we'll be back in Vegas next year with something even more impressive. Dustin's participation is less certain.
• And finally; those casino drinks aren't really free, trust us…

Price List

The mini revolution has enabled riders of varying skill levels to get into racing at a relatively inexpensive price. However, those looking to be competitive on a national level will have to fork out some serious dough, as we found out with our mini build. Check out the price list below for an idea of what we spent.
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Logan-Built
106cc Takegawa Logan-Built Kit
$3,350
BBR Aluminum Perimeter Frame Kit $2,599.95
BBR Rear Disc Brake System $499.95
BBR Skid Plate $74.95
BBR Throttle $15.99
BBR Seat $89.99
BBR Bar Pad $9.95
BBR Lightweight Aluminum Rim $99.95
BBR 10-Inch Spoke Kit $59.95
BBR Throttle Cable $27.99
Marzocchi 12-inch Shiver 35mm Works Fork Kit $1,559.00
PBI Front Sprockets $32.85
PBI Rear Sprockets $122.00
TAG X5 Handlebars $79.95
HD Rim Lock $12.95
Pirelli Mini Cross MT 320 Rear Tire $24.99
One Plastics Kit $139.95
One Graphics Kit - Blue $59.95
IMS Folding Shift Lever $29.95
RK Standard Roller Chain $20.99
Renthal Dual Tapered Grips $15.99
ASV Clutch Level and Perch $75.00
IMS Super Stock Footpegs $79.99
Kings Standard Tube $4.50
Honda Miscellaneous Stock Parts $264.04

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Total $9.350.77 


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