A Fun Day With The 2009 Yamaha TT-R Lineup

One morning I received an email asking if I would be able to attend the TT-R Fun Day for the media introduction to the 2009 TT-R line of off-road bikes. I gladly accepted and was immediately sent the instructions on what I was to cover. Jesse had sent our RSVP stating I would be attending along with a co-worker of mine, Monica, who works on the truck magazine websites.

The ride day came faster than I expected. Next thing I knew, I was on my way to Fox Design Center to meet up with Monica and the rest of the crew that would be attending the introduction. Monica and I had arrived at Fox where two brand-new Honda Ridgeline trucks had been displayed aside the building. We headed towards a group of guys decked out in Yamaha clothing, one of the guys being Tim Olson who was the host of this event. Tim asked if we were the Dirt Rider girls and I replied, "Yes." After that he instructed us where to go get geared up-and-ready for a day of fun. We walked through the gated area and Warren Johnson of Fox Racing greeted us. He had a few pieces of fresh 2009 gear for us to ride in. There were about 15 folks from the industry magazines gathered around the courtyard of the Fox building.

Olson introduced the new line of 2009 TT-R bikes they had brought out for the media to take a spin on the Fox mini moto track. Yamaha showed up with three of each of the TT-R125LE, TT-R110E and TT-R50E off-road bikes. Warren Johnson explained the rules and direction that the track would be running, then he set us free to do as we pleased. While others had geared up, I had the opportunity to snap photos of the clean, never-been-ridden TT-Rs.

The track stands in a confined area with tight turns, low-lying trees, bmx-styled jumps and short straight-aways. The area also housed a small skate ramp where a few photogs were camped out on top of for some shots.

Finally I geared up in the Fox V2 helmet, Elite jersey, goggles, gloves and my boots. I was ready to ride; I waited patiently for the next TT-R110E to return to the entrance of the track. One of the bikes came back and I swooped in on the electric start, auto-clutch 110 for a few laps. As a novice rider, this bike felt pretty comfortable which in turn made me a bit courageous and so I begun shifting upwards. I rode a couple of quick laps until I accidentally pulled the front brake in too fast and threw myself to the dirt. Thankfully few wandering eyes saw the crash, little did I know Monica was right behind me observing the whole ordeal. She couldn't wait to get on the track so Monica nabbed the TT-R125LE and hit the mini moto course. Monica was having so much fun on the bikes; I couldn't get her off to let the kids show us up.

After a quick break for subway sandwiches and refreshments, everyone jumped right back on the TT-Rs for some post-lunch exercise. We grabbed our bikes of choice once again -she rode the TT-R125LE while I handled the TT-R110E- trying to get some seat time in while getting footage was becoming a difficult task since neither of us wanted to give the bikes up. Monica returned the bike and whipped out the camcorder for some video footage, be sure to check back later on for the TT-R Fun Day video!

Warren Johnson even got out there on the TT-Rs and challenged the better half of the group. We saw Yamaha's Jonathan Belding dodging the trees hanging low over the track on the TT-R125LE. Andrew Silverstein stole the spotlight as he ripped through the course with neck-breaking speed. Silverstein nailed every corner and jump while making it seem so simple. Cycle World's wanna-be-rockstar and all-around pretty boy Ryan Dudek was on hand as well, provoking other riders to challenge his riding skills. A few races broke out between some expert riders and it became pure entertainment.

I lost track of time after realizing everyone had gone home and we were part of the lingering few left over. The rain clouds and cold weather reminded me to pack up the camera and video camera before it gets destroyed.

Thanks to Tim Olson, Warren Johnson, Yamaha and Fox for hosting an awesome day of riding!

For more information on the 2009 TT-R lineup check out: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/products/modeloverview/cat/2009/59/model_overview.aspx & http://www.dirtrider.com/features/141_0812_yamaha_ttr_fun_bike_lineup/index.html

And don't forget to check back for the TT-R Fun Day video!