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Fabless

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  1. I am slow in many ways, including as a rider and in responding to this thread. Chris Crawford had long been encouraging me to join this ride and with some nudging from Paul, 2017 was the year to do it. Riding in a group with skills and experience substantially in excess of mine is intimidating and challenging but this particular group is familiar with my limitations (probably more than they'd like), uses radios, and values safety. Departure: Palm Springs Wind Farm: The General Patton Memorial Museum: Fort Mojave Reservation, not far from Bullhead City. Arrival: Genius route crafter on the left, ride "entertainment" on the right: Friday's ride began with not much warm-up at all. Steep descent, with Ryan in foreground. The single-track was ridable but challenging and tiring for someone of my skill level. Here, we regroup prior to a steep climb. I fell a couple times close to the top of this climb. Another steep climb that I looped my bike on near the top. The route had numerous steep dips and climbs featuring fun winding track through undulating desert terrain. The dips involved sandy wash riding (which I steadily improved on over the course of the weekend), climbing up onto mildly rocky, firmer terrain which was easy to enjoy. I was worn out upon reaching the 164 near Searchlight, and took the bail-out back to Bullhead with Ryan. Felt pretty beat-up when done. Where we stayed: Day 2 was considerably easier (or maybe I was just warmed up). Waiting for Rigger, who'd gotten ahead on account of a broken radio: Gorgeous terrain: A mining operation interrupted our route and we spent some time looking for work-arounds with a couple dead-ends that brought us to a stop while better riders scouted ahead. See the peak in the upper right corner? That's part of our work-around route. Views from the peak: Oatman for lunch. Had to ride with with a bunch of asses. And burros as well. We had greens with our lunch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_Oatman Lots of fun 2-track after lunch: Break for tea: Done with Day 2: Dusk at Bullhead: The drive home: It was an excellent weekend (even the difficult parts) and I hope to do it again next year (with more riding practice beforehand). -Fabless
  2. Postscript: Fuel Filter Mod In stock form the inline filter sits inside the fuel tank. This makes replacement difficult. The barbless inline filter I was using was recommended on ktm690.info, http://ktm690.info/index.php/Fuel_Pump_R_%26_R_-_Uller I replaced that lousy filter with a WIX 33095 filter rated for fuel injection and 11 microns: I also relocated the filter outside of the tank, leaving enough slack so that the hose clamps can be accessed: Here it is, installed: Strega's Towing Configuration Here's an excerpt from our Utah ride report which you can find here: http://www.dualsportmoto.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=649 The pieces: 2 soft ties 3 carabiners Figure 8 6' of 11mm climbing rope (Yes, it needs to be 11mm, we tested 6, 8, 10, 11, & 12) At least 15' of Flat Wound rope. (Much less stretching that regular rope) The procedure: Attach 1 soft tie to each fork tube above the lower clamp Connect 1 carabiner to each soft tie. 2 are used to keep the figure 8 flat. Connect the figure 8 to the 2 carabiners using the small end Take your 6', 11mm rope and tie a figure 8 in 1 end Using the opposite end, thread it through the figure 8 leaving about 6" of rope prior to the knot ahead of the figure 8 Take the same end (w/o knot) up to the riders hand on the left or right hand depending how you ran the rope Tie a knot in the end of your flat round tow rope, and connect it to the 11mm rope with a 3rd carabiner ​ Here's the setup in action (photo by CiD) -Fabless
  3. Gazing up at the sandy climb with a sharp bend part way up, I found myself in a familiar position — weakest, least-experienced rider on the heaviest bike of the group, trying to clean a difficult section of trail while everyone waited. I’d just completed the second of two unsuccessful attempts which stalled 15 feet short of the crest as my rear trials tire spun freely, embedding itself in the sand. My camelback went dry minutes earlier, and my spare liter was not readily at hand. It was nearing 5PM and we’d been riding miles of deep sandy wash through canyons south of the Salton Sea not far from El Centro for a few hours. This together with the two failed climbs, left me inching toward exhaustion. What was going to happen next? Photo by Dress4Less Luckily for me, no one offered to ride my bike for me, because I think I might have taken them up on the offer. Instead, Vic talked me through what line to take and what I should be doing, and gave me a lot of encouragement. He sounded so convinced I would be able to make it up that I couldn’t help but believe it myself. Collecting myself, I rode the bike down to the flats in the wash and gave the ascent a last once-over, mentally stepping through what needed to be done while the rest watched, pressure on. And twisted the throttle. Things happened in slow motion as I took a good run at the climb. Vic and KKug’s faces flashed by as I carried more speed through the bend, staying on the outside until just before the steep final climb, and feeling the bike lifting me like an elevator over the crest. Hard to put into words how good it felt to prevail. Thank you Vic. Photo by KKug Vic and Steve on the plateau above the sandy climb. Here’s where it all started — loading up with CiD and KKug earlier in the day. This would be my first real ride since breaking my ankle on the east side of Salton almost exactly one year ago. You can see the details here: http://dualsport-sd.com/forums/index.php?/topic/15367-core-4-kids-with-the-kids/?p=148147 At Ocotillo Wells Ranger Station with Leif. I felt bad for him as I was in his shoes a few years ago riding Red Rocks Canyon before Bar 10, with relatively little dirt experience. I should have been feeling bad for myself. To the right is Rick, an excellent rider. Early part of the ride, making sure things aren't falling off the bikes. Vic and I were sporting trials rear tires. Functional but not great in the sand. That's not the reason why I had a slow-speed tip-over in the sand on a turn not more than a quarter mile into the ride. The 690, loaded. Tightening things up. Just before heading into deeper sand. When you're in a large group, stops are longer, and for unpredictable intervals. We took a break in the shade after a long stretch of sandy wash. I didn't fall until I came to a stop on this slope. More miles of sandy canyon, the debacle at the sandy bend, combined with Crawdaddy's near-catastrophe with the front brake caliper took us into dusk. The pole line road we took after the sandy bend was not exactly easy cruising -- there were a number of fairly deep washouts and I bottomed out my forks on one of them, but never lost it. It was well past 7PM by the time we'd picked up supplies and approached camp. The road leading to our site was a meandering two-track cutting an undulating path through the hills and was fun. Arrival at camp, with CiD in the background. He pitched his tent in about a third the time it took me with my old-style tent. Crawling into a tent in the middle of the desert is great. Luckily others had the energy to get fires going. Checking messages by the fire. The firelog was not burning very quickly so I dragged some branches of a long-dead ocotillo to see how they'd fire up, which they did with much more staying power and clean flame than I'd expected, so we we were in luck. The main reason CiD rides... KKug bought groceries, made the charcoal fire, cooked, and made tacos for the rest of us. Dawn at 6AM. Slept pretty well. We were camped about 100 feet from a drop-off. Our desert moto-docent, providing a counterpoint to the beautiful views. A large scorpion popped out from under Beez's tarp. The much-photographed baby rattler. We were ready to ride around 8AM, unsuspected mechanicals lurking just a mile or so down the road. My bike began hesitating not long after we got started, showing symptoms quite similar to what happened in Utah (http://www.dualsportmoto.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=649). I was convinced it was something to do with the fuel pump and no one offered alternative theories. This was my first time using a tow line; after some fumbling, we settled on two wraps around the front left fork, looping up to the handlebars where my hand could grip and quickly release in an emergency. Worked great and no one fell over despite the sand and some altitude change. I got to work on the bike as soon as we stopped at the breakfast place. As others have mentioned, the fuel line had worked its way off the inline fuel filter, which did not have barbs on either end. In an hour or so everything was back together and loaded, and we set off. I had a good morning of riding with no crashes despite the sand. All loaded and ready to head back. I had a great experience on this ride, and really appreciated everyone's patience with me at various points in the ride. It did a lot for my confidence, coming back from a major injury, and taught me a lot. One of the faster ways to improve is to ride with better riders (if they'll have you along in the first place), and the price is that they'll take you on some challenging terrain. A big thanks to Ken for pulling everything together. -Fabless
  4. Here are some of my photos. Enjoy. Prepping bike for the ride: Arriving at dusk: Dinner and check-in: Someone's bike getting last minute work: My riding partner couldn't make it so I linked up with Tom, who turned out to be a good buddy for what would lie ahead: Some shots from within the caves: Took a short off-the-tracks side trip at the plaque view, following these riders up the ridge... ... and down into this terrain. Short stop in Joshua Tree where I had a slow-speed wipeout in the sand. Views from the ridge above Red Canyon, late in the afternoon. We rode all the loops in reverse, so did a fair bit of extra mileage. The sand was much easier this time around without the large tank and with more experience. But my inner voice was noting with alarm that I was making more navigational errors and getting impatient to return to camp. Just before the railroad track crossing onto High Rd, running parallel to the tracks, I went straight at what appeared to be a split in the road. The "road" quickly turned into a wash about 1000 feet later, and I crashed when trying to to clear a sand shelf cutting diagonally across my path. The front wheel caught the top of the shelf and the bike flipped forcefully on my right ankle; GPS had me going 36mph just before the crash: I was sure something broke, and couldn't put weight on the foot but, after some more falls, with Tom's help was able to ride out and back to KOA. Besides Tom and his wife, several others came to my aid once I was back in my cabin. Crawdaddy spent the rest of his evening accompanying me to the ER in Brawley; Andy and his wife graciously volunteered to drive my rig back for me on Sunday; Hoss and wife helped me load my trailer; CiD and Danrider examined my foot before the ER visit. I very much appreciated the numerous visits from other riders for the remainder of the weekend as I took stock of the situation. It looks certain surgery will be required, and a more lengthy recovery period to boot (so to speak). With any luck I will be riding soon. -Fabless
  5. Fabless

    650Ben - Rest in Peace

    I arrived unforgivably late to HH but in time for a few photos. Beauty... and the Beast. The promised rain never arrived and instead we were treated to sunny, cool weather perfect for riding. An incongruously cheery welcome sign at the door. It was good to see familiar faces despite the occasion. -Fabless
  6. Fabless

    650Ben - Rest in Peace

    I thought I would go through my riding photos and include the best of Ben; all of them were from Bar 10 2011 and 2012. I only rode with him those couple times, but to me he exuded the warmth and love for life that characterize SDAR, and I am thankful for those brief moments. These three were taken shortly after meeting Ben on Bar 10, 2011. Strega is sharing some of his brew with Ben in this shot. That was a beautiful day, well spent. This was taken while riding back from Bar 10, 2011 Bar 10, 2012 -Fabless
  7. Thank you for the ride report, Erick, and photos from the flat. You guys turned around to help me when you didn't have to, and I really appreciate that. I liked the video of Red Rock Canyon -- brings back fond memories. -Fabless
  8. Part 2/2 We stopped to inspect one of the campgrounds on our way back... and CiD convinced me to make a side trip to hike with him down to Nampaweap. I ran out of water around this time but no matter, we were not far from home. Relaxing after the day's ride of 90 or so miles. It felt like a luxury to finish the day with so much light left, compared with our Utah routine. Another flat, this time striking Crawdaddy. Views of the wagons. The long-awaited Navajo tacos. Bar 10 was not prepared for our collective appetite, I believe. On my run the next morning, I stopped to take pictures of a small herd of horses, thinking they might get spooked and run off. Instead, they trotted towards me and gathered around as I stroked them. Lava field remnants. Deep erosion gullies ran along side the main road to the overlook. We took the straightforward way back, to St. George and then slabbing to Mesquite. Bar 10 once again delivered great riding and a wonderful time. An increased familiarity with my bike, as well as knowing many more of the riders this time around, added considerably to the experience. -Fabless
  9. Part 1/2 Last year I rode the October Bar 10, my first real experience riding dirt for any length of time, on my then-new KTM 690. The riding itself was spectacular, despite the many falls and consequent workout from repeatedly lifting my bike. I also met several good people who took me along with them on a number of rides this year, helping me continue to improve my riding. This year, a group of them invited me along on a Utah trip which connected with the Bar 10 ride on Saturday afternoon. We arrived at Bar 10 at the tail of 240 miles of riding from Escalante, taking our time in the last few miles preceding the ranch to savor the moment, though CiD chafed at the casual pace. After a brief rest I headed down to the river, making the most of the remaining daylight. The ride down was considerably rockier than I'd expected from last year, something to do with the intense rain they'd gotten not so long ago, and I carefully chose my path down the switchbacks to the overlook. By the time I arrived, the sun low in the sky made for perfect shooting conditions; the still air and clear light made every crevice leap out. The fact of having been here a year earlier in no way diminished the surprising intensity of being present once again, this time with the entire overlook to myself. Back at the ranch I took the chance to meet this year's riders, among them some familiar faces. Trap shooting behind the ranch. If you look closely, you can see the clay pigeon exploding in this shot. Crawdaddy regales us with tales from the trail. Views from the ranch toward the airstrip and overlook. It was a long day for RiggerDan (who impressively managed to ride his 990 down to the overlook, among other places) and CiD. We were ravenous and looking forward to the locally-grown beef. This year I slept in a wagon and really liked it, much nicer I thought than staying indoors, though I was glad I'd brought some warm clothes for the cool air. The ranch at dawn. It seemed there were an inordinate number of flat tires being repaired at the ranch this year, four as I recall. Group shot at 9AM. Head back to our bikes. Toroweap today. This was my first experience with a trials rear and, while I liked its handling on dirt, rock and asphalt while riding in Utah, the MT43 had begun to chunk as you can see here. With the tire in this compromised state, I had to make a decision whether to try the hard way to Toroweap; or take the easy route I'd ridden last year and thought to be a bit too easy. I decided to live on the edge and go hard ways. Rather than an abrupt transition, the difficulty of the hard way gradually builds up. Someone had stopped in the middle of the initial climb and once he cleared out, I got turned sideways trying to resume the climb. Another rider materialized to help me straighten out, and once I got going again, I didn't stop until I reached the top. Much of the climb is covered with baseball-to-grapefruit-sized rocks, including on a few switchbacks so it was a bit of a challenge to maintain momentum through the turns. The climbing was too steep to stop for pictures until the summit, where we were rewarded with nice two-track through pine forests; I cooled off and waited for Roger who was helping other riders below. Roger arrived and we took a little to time to clean off goggles before continuing. The two-track running along the palisades to Toroweap seemed to have degenerated into a barely-discernable path running toward the airstrip. At this point I got a flat in the front, luckily not far from the shade of a pavilion, where Erick and Kevin provided me with assistance swapping out the tube, helpfully supplying a valve fishing tool and a bottle of Windex. I hope someone's got pictures of the repair; the dowel came in handy once again, the 5th or 6th time this trip, and things went very fast. Finally arrived at Toroweap, where the welcoming committee showed remarkable enthusiasm at my arrival. Erick and Roger rest in the shade. Tokens of my gratitude to Kevin and Erick for their assistance with the tire. As Crawdaddy likes to say, "This never gets old." Need to camp here sometime. Craig from Half Moon Bay, who came with family. It would be great to see more families join future rides. I'm not much of a group portraitist so you get what you get. The recent rains made the vegetation more verdant than last year. To be continued... -Fabless
  10. Strega was just lost in thought. I came from a KLR (and a V-twin sports bike before that) and thought this bike would be even easier to ride when I got it last year, since it's about 50 pounds lighter, has better suspension, a better engine... Which it certainly would be had I kept on riding the same level of difficulty. But somehow I fell in with a crowd on even lighter bikes, who like to ride harder trails than what I'd come from, and the 690 was a handful to learn on. It's only recently that I started to feel comfortable on it during difficult sections. Clutch control, and relaxing the arms, is essential when climbing to filter unintended throttle input. As Chris can attest to, I've gone through a few replacement bits including a dinged fork tube, all part of the learning proce$$. Notwithstanding, I thought the 690 matched the terrain we were on during this trip, and I had a ton of fun riding it. It's a good compromise, capable on trails and fast in more open scenarios as well as asphalt, not too heavy to pick up, possibly a perfect adventure bike in this sense. -Fabless
  11. Day 3 I thought our last day of riding was the best, as it took us through the widest variety of terrain including some really nice wooded trails that wound back and forth seemingly optimized for riding fun; a section of lava boulders that was challenging; and two-track through meadows. And it had the least amount of asphalt. Rode out along North Fork again. Made a water crossing into what turned out to be a private road and turned back. Strega took many nice riding shots of me including this one. Stopped in a stretch of wide open meadow. The riding here was fun, as the road frequently made tight turns and was marginally maintained in sections with rocks, ruts, and marshy sections. More lava rocks. Some of the best riding was on the forest roads, with lots of bermed, closely-spaced turns, rocky sections and climbing. There were two hard sections: a ~200m slight incline through trees, littered with large boulders and mud holes that were difficult to avoid; and a ~100m segment of 100% large lava rocks twisting through an opening in the woods. Stopping for a food break in a forest clearing. Filled up with 103 miles on the odometer since the North Fork turn-off. The 690 was covered with evidence of an encounter with the mud, which happened when I made the wrong turn in a wide mud maze in the forest. I was consistently getting 52-54mpg each day, which was gives this bike a comfortable 150 mile range with the stock tank. Took a detour to Crystal Falls, which we made a half-hearted attempt to hike to in our gear, but did not reach. Dwarfed by the landscape below Crystal Falls: Strega took this photo of a rocky descent through the forest. Chris had a knack for making the right turns to add interesting sections but ultimately we were back on familiar highways headed home. Back at the ranch, getting all the mud off the bikes was a project In the morning we had vacated our cabin and left the truck and trailer parked in front of the cabin. Turns out we could have been assessed a late penalty for this, but Zion Ponderosa Resort was very kind in waiving the $50 fee (after some negotiating by Crawford). We rode about 130 miles this day, finishing up around 4 before heading back through Zion. View through a portal in the 1.1 mile tunnel in the park: Solar fields. This was a great trip. Three consecutive days of plentiful dirt riding through Dixie National Forest with friends provided a much needed break as well as many chances to repeatedly practice lessons from past rides.
  12. Day 2 Next morning, Rekha prepared a fine breakfast of thick blueberry pancakes, eggs and bacon before we headed out. Today we rode together with Brian and CiD. CiD, coverered in mud Outlook toward the bluffs southeast of Hatch looking out into Bryce. Lots of windy forest roads here. I got my first flat in the middle of Bryce. A little warm and exposed to the sun, but not a bad place to replace a tube, and the heat softened the tire, making removal easy. Crawdaddy had his doubts, but the wooden dowel came through again, propping up the front end of the bike this time. Here, Strega helps me get the stem through the rim. Took 35 minutes to get moving again. Rode through a birch tree tunnel. Had my first crash in a mud hole a few miles later. That was forgotten when we happened upon this vista looking westward in Bryce, a perfect place to stop for “lunch”. Rain in the distance threatened but never hit us. More vistas further down the road. Hobiee somehow manages to drop his bike on an easy section. Terribly embarrassing. Actually, he’d leaned his bike over on a steep section and it broke the sidestand. Lunch next to the North Fork turnoff. Altogether, we rode around 200 miles this day.
  13. Day One Several months ago I read about this trip and signed up, thinking that any trip near Zion must involve spectacular scenery and interesting riding. Then, a couple weeks ago at the Big Bear Run, I bartered lodging for a ride with Strega, and together we gave Chris the nudge to join us. Last Thursday I packed my sidecases and rode down to Strega’s to load up in the early afternoon. When I first bought my bike, I added the cases and rack thinking I’d use them for longer trips; since then, they’ve been mostly employed for getting to someone’s truck or trailer to carpool to more distant destinations. The racks do serve as good crash protection and subframe reinforcement. Crawdaddy showed up shortly; we hitched the trailer and were moving before 3PM. The dried lakebed just west of Primm held water, the first time we’d seen it like this. We stayed in Mesquite for the night and drove the remaining section to Zion next morning. It had been a few years since I’d first been in Zion, and driving through the park in such conditions reminded me that I needed to come back to spend time there on foot. We arrived at Zion Ponderosa just ahead of 10AM, checked in and unpacked. These “cowboy cabins” are advertised as accommodating up to 6, but practically hold 3. Their proximity to water and the showers & toilets make for a good arrangement. We wasted little time getting unloaded and dressed, and were riding just ahead of noon. Our first route took us on a loop northward along North Fork then northeast toward Panguitch. We were soon on more interesting, challenging trails in the woods of Dixie National Forest. A couple sections involved rocky climbs winding through the trees, too entertaining and intense to stop for pictures. Over the next few days, we would frequently encounter cows grazing in meadows bisected by two-track, where Strega took this shot: Passing a skittish calf is no fun. A turn took us into Rock Canyon which lived up to its name. Some research is needed to determine the provenance of these piles of boulders, seemingly man-made. Strega and Crawdaddy make a stop in open country headed south toward Hatch in the late afternoon. As we continued south past Hatch, we were abruptly caught in a torrential downpour which soaked through my riding gear in a matter of minutes. As I began to chill, I remembered that I had installed heated grips and set them on high. Heavy rainfall has a funny way of heightening the urgency of needing to make a pitstop, so the gate seemed as good a time as any. Thankfully Roger was there to capture the moment with this shot. Surprisingly none of us succumbed to the less-than-ideal traction; there would be plenty of chances for that in the following days. As the rain died off and we descended, warmth slowly returned to the bones; back at the ranch, a shower and change of clothing breathed new life into us. We met up with Rekha and Samir at 8 for dinner at the restaurant in the main lodge. Food was not bad, which was a fortunate thing since this venue was our only nearby dining option.
  14. Fabless

    First Mud

    I gave you the answer a few weeks ago......350 EXC. Save the 690 for ADV riding/traveling. I thought you were going to give me your usual pearl of wisdom that you save for all occasions: "Just twist the throttle." Here's a recent Cycleworld shootout among the Beta 350, TE310, and 350 EXC, the latter coming out on top. Doesn't matter -- all are too good for me anyways. -Fabless
  15. Originally planned to ride Lark but PMB thought we'd try Pine Valley, which would be my first time out there. I had just gotten my dinged fork (courtesy of Bar 10 last fall) repaired with assistance from Dirt Dame and a neighbor and was eager to see how it worked. Arrived around 7:30AM. It was fairly chilly out, with snow on the ground in spots. The road surface was wet, sloppy and laced with patches of snow leaving the parking area and taking Pine --> Bear --> Long Valley toward Corral. This was my first foray into mud, and I got plenty of it. We turned off of Long onto a trail (Kearn Valley?) and the riding got more interesting. Here's a steep rutted section shortly before arriving at Corral. I wiped out and my already-impaired front fender decided to part ways with the rest of my bike. I stuffed it into my pack, backed down the hill, and made a more successful attempt at it. Riding parts of Trail 1 (I think): Took 1 all the way to Syke and doubled back on 4. Then we somehow ended up taking Trail 3 headed west up to Bronco Peak. I made it to the top, about 500 feet of climbing from the road, without falling but coming down seemed considerably nastier as Trail 3 turned into 5. Here we were held up by a couple jeeps, which took several minutes for us to squeak by. I fell a couple times, and had to take it section by section, pausing to size things up. It took 25 minutes to get to the bottom. Here we stop for a 15 minute break. The rest of the ride was relatively easy by comparison, though mud made even the easy sections tricky and my front tire seemed to have a mind of its own at times. I didn't come up with any good answers for how to ride the mud troughs. Luckily the rear tire was able to hook up after each fall. The 690 felt good on single-track. We treated ourselves to the views on the top of Los Pinos: Mt. Laguna, dusted with snow: Views of the Valley: Coasted down Pinos and eventually onto roads leading back to the trailer. The 690, encrusted with mud: Fender-turned-mud scoop: Headed home after some excellent Frosty burgers. Broke the fender, broke sunglass frame, broke a turn signal, broke my right mirror (forgot to fold it in!); got pinned down in the mud once and squirmed out, the smell of melting synthetics in the air. A tough but good day. -Fabless
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