sdmxr

Guys - sorry, I'm out for tomorrow too. Hope to get out next week. Have a great time! Matt

What kind of jerk is complaining about your fan?!?! Some people need to be put in their place... They were - their bike got a flat on the last ride.

Probably able to make it - will be able to confirm late tomorrow afternoon. Received a lot of comments about my noisy fan on the last ride - had to purchase the upgraded impeller. We will see if it makes a difference.

hard on the couch after our 4 hour, ~50 mi ride. Yes, it's obvious that I need to work on my dirt bike conditioning. It was a great day of riding, despite temps +90. We (bikeslut, sdmxr, domrvt, Mbab17 and SicVic) met up and began our ride as planned. Had an easy ride over to the Kernan Cycle Trail, stopping at the Heli landing to regroup and watched SicVic clear the concrete silo riding his 09 KTM450 Exc-r (14k miles, 4 pistons and a lot of cool upgrades, including an awesome kickstand that is now on my Christmas List) on the jump he created days earlier. We arrived at Kernan's trail crossing - domrvt's Husky was stalling and he decided to wrap things up and called it a day. We ran the standard trails 1, 4, 8, etc. (bikeslut and sicvic can comment on the specifics) and had a great time. Resting at Four Corners and Bobcat Meadows before the race up Spur Meadow started. No flags started the race, SicVic (SV) gave Bikeslut a head start and SV gave chase. As the story goes, Mbab17 and I (sdmxr) were not close enough to provide an eyewitness account, bikeslut dominated until a turn or so before the finish line - a large boulder (i.e. small rock) deflected BS' bike enough for SV to slip by for the win. A quick rest at the top of Spur Meadow and we rolled up to the Lookout Tower to see/meet Norm. Mbab17 is ~1 month new to San Diego, from FL, so it was a good opportunity to show him the Tower and introduce him to Norm. The 2nd race of the day began at the Tower and included the entire field. A coast race, with engines off. Pretty fun - SV lead most of the way with BS and I exchanging positions. Many close-calls with front tires washing out in corners. As we rolled upon the ending, on an uphill straight, it appeared that SV may have touched his breaks, allowing BS to roll a wheel or two ahead of him. I, too, came to a stop just past SV, but just behind BS. Mbab17 was the smart one by following closely, just out of the way of the carnage that could have unfolded at any time. From Four Corners we decided to take Kernan down. SV lead and I followed. SV had a quick pace down the hill and looked like a mogul skier hitting the rocks, berms, whoops, etc. We made it to the bottom and BS and Mbab17 arrived quickly. Of course, it wouldn't have been a ride with BS without a flat tire - he changed it quickly. Took the pavement back to the staging area and added another successful ride to the books. Thanks for a great ride today! Much appreciation to BS for helping execute a fun and safe ride! SV and Mbab17 - nice meeting and riding with you. Mbab17 - welcome to San Diego and to SDAR. domrvt - nice meeting you and hope to ride with you soon. Please add pictures if you have them. sdmxr

I agree, earlier is usually always better. Unfortunately, I have take-kid-to-school duty in the morning. Hope to see you if you can make it. sdmxr

I haven't been riding in a couple of months and need to get on the bike! I'm planning to ride over to Four Corners from Pine Valley to ride the various trails - no specific trail plan. Would enjoy company from some other rider(s) - I prefer not to ride solo and may not Friday if there isn't any interest. Location Start: Pine Valley Staging Area Start Time: 9:30a kickstands up Duration: 2-3 hours Level: Low-High Intermediate (as defined by SDAR) Pace: easy, i.e. breaks as needed Bike: KTM 530 exc-r Weather: iphone indicates up to 79 by noon on Friday in PV Thanks, sdmxr

Thanks Dirt Dame! My daughter has been track-riding, it will be her first time on service roads/trails - she can't wait. sdmxr

I don't, however, I have a Toyota Highlander and see that they even make tent houses for them. Thanks for the information.

I'm looking to take my 7yr old, who recently started riding a CRF50, tent camping in Big Bear in the next week or so for a couple of days. Any suggestions on where to stay? I would like to be able to ride easy trails from camp - showers, electrical would be nice too. Thanks for any input. sdmxr

Nice job on the video - easy to watch.

Absolutely. The longer you have your bike and the more you ride it should lower the cost over time - I'm riding tomorrow. sdmxr

Have you ever thought about what the actual cost is to ride your bike? I have, as it seems that I’m always working on my bike or planning to work on it. So, this morning, I took a back-of-the-napkin approach to calculating the cost to ride my bike. While the costs used are not directly from the receipts, they are fairly accurate, and, in the grand scheme of things, the smaller costs don’t affect cost/mi as much as the the larger costs (i.e. The cost of the bike, depreciation, etc.). I started with the cost of the bike, added the cost of all the upgrades (stator, fan, suspension, etc.), maintenance (including parts that needed to be replaced, rear fender, stator cover, tires, labor, etc), fuel, registration, insurance and subtracted the estimated value as of today = total cost of the bike to-date. There may be differences of opinion in the estimated value, however, one could increase or decrease the current resale value of the bike in order to see what the cost-range to-date would be. I did not include the cost of items that I would remove from the bike before selling, i.e., Tool Bag, fender bag, GPS, steering stabalizer, etc. *As of today, I have 4,100 miles on my 2008 KTM 530EXC-R, which I purchased new. Using a resale value of $5k, the cost to ride my bike is currently $1.87/mi (does not include the cost of my truck to transport it to go riding). It’s $1.62/mi if I assume a current resale value of $6k. **All in all, it’s an expensive sport. There are ways to greatly decrease the cost/mi to ride, such as buying a used bike that is already perfectly equipped, purchasing a bike that requires less maintenance and not crashing. What does it cost to operate your bike? Is it more or less than you would have expected? *The top-end has not been replaced. **I know, I have too much time, I should be working on my bike.

Looks like it is going to heat up a bit - may head out later this afternoon if there's interest. sdmxr

How was the ride? Did Josh notice a difference, good or bad, with his new bike vs. the KLX? sdmxr

Any place to stop for gas 60-90 miles in? sdmxr