Lightshoe

10/18/2026

hotshoehof.com. *Free Event*

10/18/2026

It’s an Alpinestars black boot Sunday here at the headquarters! We have boots in inventory. Some have Hotshoes ready to go and some, like these,don’t( we’re getting ready to build them though)
Give us a call
605-720-1304
Or you can email
[email protected]
You can also find out all about the Alpinestars Tech Air vests, off the shelf racing suits and other necessities like helmets,gloves,braces,moto jerseys and pants. I’m telling you: “we are your one stop shop for riding gear.”
Reach out to the Lightshoe Crew today🏁

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

Who doesn’t have a story about starting a 500 Yamaha? My shin bone will still hurt every now and then when I think about my old TT500🇺🇸
This is a fun read. Take a minute and maybe reminisce a little.

There is a reason every story about this engine starts with somebody limping.

A 500cc single builds enormous compression in one very large cylinder. When you stand on the kick lever and the piston comes up against it, the engine simply stops turning. All the energy you put in has nowhere to go, so it comes back up the lever, and the lever comes back up at your leg.

People broke ankles doing this. It was common enough that riders developed a ritual around it.

The ritual goes like this. Pull the decompression lever on the handlebar, which cracks a valve open and lets the pressure escape. Ease the kick lever down slowly until you feel the piston come up to compression. Release the decompressor. Now you are standing at the top of the stroke with the engine ready, and from there one committed kick with your whole body weight takes it through.

Get the sequence wrong and the bike kicks back.

Everything else about the engine is the opposite of difficult. Single overhead camshaft, two valves, air cooled, modest compression, and a torque curve so flat you could ride most of a trail without touching the gearbox.

That was the point. In 1976 off-road competition belonged to two-strokes, which were light and fast and needed rebuilding constantly. Yamaha went the other way with something that pulled from nothing and did not wear out.

The same engine went into the XT500 road bike and later the SR500, which Yamaha kept building for decades.

And people still start them the same way, with a lever on the handlebar and a careful foot.

10/09/2026

🏁 The final race of the year is this Saturday, and it’s a double points race! Join us for the SVCC Short Track Bike Race and help us close out the season in style.

Gates open at 1:00 PM.
Sign-up runs from 1:30–3:30
Pit meeting at 4:00
Practice at 4:15
Heat races starting at 5:00. Mains will follow.

Gate Fee: Adults: $10 | Kids 6 and under: Free

Register here: https://siouxvalleycycleclub.com/race-registration/