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Well, after lots of good talk on this forum, I finally have my new bike for Adventure riding: an Aprilia Tuareg 660: I have a two-day training session with MotoVentures next week, then I shall be up for trying out those Noob-friendly trails!

If you're a fan of MX / SX racing, this is a pretty fun video.

What gives? If it's good enough for the Hurricane, it's good enough for me @J5ive, @Bub_Hannah, @tubebender, @tntmo do you remember this guy ^^

@DSM8 has fire extinguishers and hammers beware!

Yes! Fashion Show at @DSM8's house! @J5ive, @shutterrev, @Zubb, @spazegun2213, @SlowpokeShorty come dressed to impress

I think I have enough gear that you would fit into that might enable you to make some educated decisions. Typically the pants I ride in are not the same as what I wear at camp, camp pants are usually some light weight nylon stuff that packs small. Layers are worn underneath for warmth and stuff, usually the riding jacket or rain layer is worn in the evenings as temp dictates. You and anyone else are welcome to see the plethora of stuff I have accumulated over the last 20 years of trying to figure out what works best and keep with with technology along the way. You might be surprised at some solutions I and others use. How about we start pegging down a date to make this gear swapmeet/try on thing happen? I can accommodate any Saturday rain or shine honestly. Weekend of March 11th or the 18th, if some people are doing the noobs rally might be good to do this before hand. @Hawkins @J5ive @shutterrev

I used to watch a series called The Motocross Files that was a history of motocross and would focus on 1 rider at a time. DeCoster, Hannah, Tripes, etc. I thought it was pretty good. For the last 9 years there has been a Carlsbad MX reunion, usually at Booze Brothers Brewing in Vista. I went to one, 2018 I think. Lots of old guys and MX bikes! I know some of those old guys were riders but I wasn't sure who was who.

Well, ok... I have two sets of gear, one for primarily street (or BDRs with long street sections), and another set for local deserts and trails. Since I sold my ADV bike, I'm not using my street-oriented gear much for now. That gear is a custom set of Motoport mesh kevlar with their armor. I used that gear through Baja, ADV rides throughout Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, California and a cross-country ride to the East Coast. It's extremely versatile gear- I'll add a heated vest for the coldest days, and have been comfortable in all kinds of weather. Great kit if one can afford it- but it also LASTS- very durable. I designed the pants to fit over motocross-style boots, so no shin armor. I've had it repaired a couple times- catching the cuff on the footpeg, etc. For local desert/trails (and some out-of-area riding with a low street component) I have a set of KLIM Baja or KLIM Mojave pants, the same SIDI Crossfire T/A boots, and I wear a Leatt 3df soft armor. Super protective and comfortable, and I've worn it in the rain, snow and desert heat without additional layers. I hate color and patterns, so I wear 3xl sports-type jerseys I buy on Amazon for a tiny fraction of the nutty patterns and branding typical of "riding gear" that looks more like a fishing lure than a shirt. Gloves are Alpinestar SMX- sort of a combination of street protection and dirt ventilation. For me, they key to these gloves is the sizing- I wear a 3xl size glove, and they're very hard to find, even in construction-type gloves. For a backpack, I wear a USWE that looks something like this one. The crossed single-buckle design is seriously stable. I'm a fanboy of the Arai XD series of dualsport helmets. Yes, expensive, but I think my brain is worth it. I wear eyeglasses and have a set of progressive prescription Oakley Half-Jackets that I wear under the XD's visor, raising and lowering that visor as dictated by the riding situation- speed, dust, etc. I have an Arai street-oriented helmet as well, but it's been parked for a year or two. At my advanced age, I no longer bounce back from injury, and I'm pretty cautious about protective gear.

I was thinking about that while watching the video, how some people will complain about a new bike because it's five pounds heavier than a competitor or has two less horsepower or 1/2 inch less suspension travel. We've become quite soft.....

You must agree, this guy's in the early years had more guts and nuts. Protective gear, smocking, drinking and most the suspension.

That Smell (not Lynyrd Skynyrd)...there's nothing like the smell of a 2 stroke. @Goofy Footer - Excellent video, even if I was more 70's, 80's...