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Hello, My name is Caleb Linden Just picked up a 2006 DRZ 400 with 9k miles, desert tank and a seat concepts a month or so ago! I hosted the FaceBook ride at Black Mountain truck trail this past Saturday. I have now done Nate Harrison Grade a couple times, Otay Mountain Truck trail and single track, and the Black Mountain truck trail! I am 24 and looking to do the Continental Divide Trail next year so taking time to get acquainted with the bike, build up my gear slowly, and learn to work on the bike. This is my first dual sport and am loving it more and more as I get used to having a 300 pound bike under my legs haha. I'm thoroughly impressed with those adventure riders on big bike haha can't wait till I get there! I will take ANY used gear you want to sell me. Doing this on a budget. Let me know if you are in the area and have any trail recs! So far everything seems to be an hour plus away and I prefer not to ride for obvious reasons being 6'3 220lb on a drz makes the freeway no fun. I have a lot of backpacking gear and experience camping hiking so excited to add a bike to the mix. Nice to meet you all! Sincerely, Caleb Linden

"It's the carpenter, not the tool". I can ride most of McCain with the DDX almost as good as I ride with my 2T enduro bike. If you apply yourself to it, and you are disciplined about your learnship, you will get there.

The ads always show some professional offroad competitor blithely motoring his way around a bit of sandy single track, roosting berms and hopping over a rock, making average guys believe that there is a tiny chance, no matter how miniscule, that it will be them someday if they purchase the machine in the ad. They will be wrong however.

I have ridden the TT track on a borrowed VFR 750- not in the race, of course. And yes, it was a hoot.

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/d498d15d-6a6c-447d-a595-c08af88f79fc

Posted a while back but still wild to watch. We have some members who ride / have ridden a considerable amount of street. The 2023 race is coming up in less than a month. @DSM8 @ThumperBob @Bagstr @Covered in Dust @tntmo @paulmbowers

Makes me think of @Mr.JAJA’s “But did you die” sense of adventure @Zubb @bfar33 @tntmo @robertaccio @dirt dame & @KTMrad should like this racing history @97xr400r @Reximus @J5ive @350thumper check out that Honda XR650R

I was on the Sky Valley/ Espinoza loop on Saturday to do trail maintenance. There was a lot of mud but nothing too bad. Right now the Forest Service is paying Corral Canyon OHV $30 per hour per person for volunteers and the State is matching that times 4. I would guess there were about 50 people that showed up, for 4 hours each. $150 per hour X 4 hours X 50 people = $30,000 for the park. It was a great day.

I've been using an REI down bag for years...I bought it over 20 years ago and it's still fine. It's traveled with me for at least 60,000 miles on the motorcycle and has been used a lot. I think it's rated for 20 degrees, I've camped into the low 20's with it.

Everyone has great photos so I'm only submitting one......me and my mate on GSAs doing White Rim Road (Canyonlands)

No worries. Looks like I’m coming already.

I use this website when I was gearing for Grand Prix racing and now for my supermoto setup on my 300. They have a database of your bike's transmission ratio, and enter your wheel/tire size, then you can see what gearing changes would work https://www.gearingcommander.com/

Adventure, it is what you make of it! Good luck keeping up with the Kymco Adventure Scooter....

I am located in Escondido and had a DRZ know the bike very well put bout 15K miles on mine before finally moving onto another bike. I host tech days and actually have some parts and stuff left over from the DRZ days. You are welcome to bring on by some weekend if you want assistance etc with the bike. Best advise I can give you is spend the money now and get it sprung for your weight, from the factory it is set up for a 135lb rider, you exceed that by a large margin. Just the right springs will make it much better ride for you, not even going to talk about valving since your on a budget but that is the next step that will transform any bike. Cost is around 1500 to have it all done right (springs and valves) suspension101 is the go to person.

I am no Eli Tomac nor Toby Price - neither is anybody here. That said it’s a fact more motocross and enduro bikes are actually ridden in their appropriate environment than big bikes are compared to the markering hype. For the average consumer buying today’s big bikes they have been tricked into overestimating their own capabilities by compelling advertising.

The first time I've ever set wheels on a dirt road was July of last year, and I had a 6 months hiatus due to an ACL reconstruction surgery, so I'm far from being an experienced rider. BUT, I made a conscious decision that in order to enjoy this sport, I needed to invest more in skills, and less on farkles. I'm happy with my skills today, and I will continue learning, practicing and riding to keep improving those skills. It's a lot more fun when you're not falling all the time and you can finish a trail without almost passing out. I will agree that there is a great number of riders that want the idea of what they see on videos, but are not willing to invest the time, money and discipline to get there. Listen, I have no illusions that I will become s supercross racer or do heel-clickers with my adventure bike, but there is still a loooong way for proficiency. I am after mastery, hoping to be a journeyman. I would love to ride with you at McCain. I have a feeling we have a lot of common acquaintances. While we can't make that happen, here's a video of the time I took the big bike to McCain:

I would strongly recommend Sedlak Offroad School. Not only is the class top notch (in Campo), but you get to know and ride with a lot of great people.

I was riding, not shooting. On an unfamiliar bike, on the wrong side of the road, in gear that did not fit well. But it was damn cool.

https://www.americanflattrack.com/events/2023/view/peoria-tt-2023 The next race is July 30th. This is the first ever flat track course that caught my uninitiated / uneducated eye. Most fun looking track I’ve seen. @tntmo this could be perfect timing for a Kawi Dream X-Country trip!

Kudos to those with the passion and drive to do that. I used to race x-country mountain bikes. And have done a couple 24hr team races and solo 12-hr. It is a head game as much as anything else especially at 2 AM out on the trail cranking through single track, hoping you don't flat or have other mechanical issues. Or, god forbid, crash.

The 1997 Yamaha YZM400 was a winner! Italy’s own Andrea Bartolini was the YZM400 rider who won the Italian Gran Prix And stateside, AMA Hall of Famer Doug Henry won the final round of 1997 Supercross at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on the YZM - the first modern four stroke to win. He beat Jeremy McGrath that race!

After my initial foray into this world of dual-sport/off-road, and doing the Kernan Trail ride with some of you peeps (gosh, last summer already), I've been MIA. Yesterday, I just picked up a new to me bike. 2003 Kawazuki KLX400SR. Whoh, baby! Much different than my XT250. Though much taller, it is much easier to ride. Better suspension, more power, and way more comfortable riding ergos. I chewed up some Bear Valley OHV yesterday right after I got 'er home. Ya know...to test the brakes. Looking forward to some more riding. Let me know if you are going out on a Sunday. That's my only free day. I'm usually avail for a late afternoon/evening on Saturdays also.