sdmxr

Yeah, I was pretty beat after the last attempt/struggle with bike to get it back down. definitely Thanks for posting the pic I see at least one major problem: I am looking almost directly down I would imagine I should be looking forward. Any critique appreciated. Also do you remember what trail number that was on, could be good to know when going back? Found some video of it on youtube, I guess it is called sidewinder. still does not look too bad, you sure made it look easy also. Yes, trail 8 I believe. Critique? I like that you were committed - that's half of the battle. Your comment about looking forward is good. The angle which you approached the rock was fine (the same line I took), however, the angle of the bike, once on the rock (bike was leaned too much into the rock), and too much throttle made the bike slide out and off the rock. More weight on the outside peg would provide better traction and a smoother throttle delivery (the flat part of the rock, where you hit the throttle, had dirt/sand) would probably do it. There are many paths and techniques to ride up that rock - and you'll probably see most of them on future SDAR rides with other members. sdmxr

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?tr...f9f1f2ebfa785bf

Someone had posted a few sites months ago and this was one of them. I like the site for a few reasons, you can make each trip "public" or "private" (need logon/pw), the site/trips are easy to share, and there's a feature that shows your elevation/speed for each spot along your path that the gps device captures. I cropped the last trip so it didn't upload that feature. sdmxr

Jbw, For your eighth dirt ride (ever) you are well on your way to becoming a good rider. I really can't believe you were willing to try that rock face - nice. You probably would have tried a few more times had it not been hot. Let's go again soon. sdmxr

Great! I'll see you there - White Chevy Silverado w/KTM.

Anyone interested in an early (~7a) PV ride tomorrow? The weather looks good; expected to be 57 at 6a and will climb to 82 by noon -http://www.weather.com/weather/wxdetail/USCA0865?dayNum=1&from=36hr_topnav_undeclared Would like to get a ~3hrs or so in and ride a combination of single track/fire roads. post or pm me with interest. Thanks, sdmxr

I am interested . What do you consider the ride level(beginner intermediate expert)? I do like technical single track, even though I fall a bit. I would not want to slow down a fast ride. Less than intermediate; I like to ride the green/blue single track and try black-sections occasionally (w/limited success - just ask FakeName). Sound good? sdmxr

I've read about the work-week rides for too long; I have the week of 7/27 off and want to get some riding in during the week and meet some SDARs. My schedule is wide open - I typically ride Pine Valley and McCain, but I'm open to the location and type of riding, i.e. trails, fire roads, MX, etc. (would like to avoid Black Diamond rides, but I'm open to short sections of it). Just looking to get out, ride and have fun. Call in sick, take some well-deserved time off, do what you have to do - let's ride. sdmxr

Phil, thanks for your blog - it really tells it all. Chris is planning to send more pics, those should appear shortly. We rode ~55 miles (Chris rode from the Silver Strand - so he's +100mi) with minor problems - Paula rolled around in the dirt and rocks a couple of times and just a few close calls with the rest of us - other than that, it was relatively a tame ride. I was impressed with Paula and her ability to ride down the Kernan trail, especially since she doesn't ride in the dirt - very nice Paula! Highlights of the trip for me were; hanging at Norm's place (tower), chatting and spotting the fire on the Mex side, riding up the off-shoot 4X trail (on the back side of the mtn/tower) with Chris, riding down Kernan (from 4 Corners) and not meeting anyone on the trail, and of course the ride debrief at Frosty's. Thanks for the ride everyone. Let's do it again soon. Sdmxr

Roll call for Thursday's Pine Valley/Corral Canyon ride - who's in? Start at Pine Valley exit/staging area and traverse to Corral Canyon to ride easy to intermediate trails (depending on the group). Let's start the ride at 7a. Motorcyclenut has confirmed and will bring a few riders. Who else can make it? sdmxr

Would like to join you, but I'll be on the road returning from Mammoth at that time. The weather has been perfect, could have used a bit of rain for the trails, but otherwise it's been great. SD

Looks like Thursday (7/30) probably works for most - PV, 7a (flexible), but should probably get out early to beat the heat and get some riding in. If there's interest, I'm in for an additional ride (place/time TBD) on Tuesday (7/28) or Wed (7/29). SD

Cancelled ride - will most-likely go to the mx track tomorrow. "Late notice, but is anyone interested in an early morning ride of Pine Valley and Corral Canyon? I was thinking about starting ~8a at Pine Valley and running to Corral and doing Easy to Intermediate trails. Would like to ride for 2-3 hours." sdmxr

Hey BS - PM me anytime. Would enjoy riding with you again. Matt

Hey Mimi, Jeff and Beezz, Nice meeting you guys out on the trail - after we left you, we headed back to camp to see if she had returned - she hadn't. We fueled up to go back out to find her; and just as we were going headed out to look for her, she rode up. She met up with some riders who rode with her back to camp - she was fine. While we stopped at all the forks throughout the day, we obviously missed one. Good news is that everything worked out - just another reminder to have a plan out on the trail. Mistakes: we should of had her ride in the middle the entire day, we mixed it up after a while of riding, and when we lost her, she was riding sweeper - we should have had her in the middle the entire day. And the easy one, make sure that the person behind you sees you before starting on a trail. How many times has that been said? As I said, it all worked out, but it would have made for a better day had we been able to stay together. Anyway, nice talking with all of you and we'll see you on a ride soon. Matt

Worst: My wife getting laid off, with her entire department, in February; she's still looking for full-time employment (currently she's doing some Marketing/Product Management consulting). Best: My wife getting laid off in February - my wife was able to care for our daughter full-time and that has been great for our family. "Things happen for a reason" really seemed to fit this situation. 2nd Best: June/2008 - purchased my KTM 530 Exc-r. What would I like to happen in 2009: besides a economic rebound, and my wife getting a job, I would like to become a better rider, learn more trails and meet more ridding buddies. Ok, so there are 5 things - you get the idea.

Cancelled. Short notice - anyone interested in riding PV/Corral Sunday am? Low Intermediate: Start at PV at ~9:30a, ride for 2-3 hours with a few, short stops? sdmxr

I try to make a win/win for me and the family; I try to ride early enough on the weekends (one day), riding at 6:45a, or shortly thereafter, in order to get in a decent ride and be back to the house by early/mid afternoon to do something with the family. My wife knows that this is a hobby that makes me happy and she supports it, as I support her hobbies and her nights out with her friends, etc. There is an occasional conflict, but most of the time it works great. The other thing that helps is trying to coordinate and communicate the ride plan plenty of time in advance, usually by mid-week or earlier to set the expectation. Matt

Profession: Real Estate; I manage some commercial office properties in Sorrento Mesa and Del Mar for an institutional real estate management company. Family: Great wife and a hilarious 3-year old daughter. Riding: I got a Honda MR50 when I was eight and rode every chance I could for a couple of years until the parents split and the bikes were sold. My family moved to CA, from GA, and for 22 yrs I thought about dirt bikes. After years of thinking about it, I purchased a '97 CR250 in '99. I liked the sport so much that I purchased 10 acres in Ramona, met my wife, and built a house and a track. Having the track was great - besides being able to ride when ever I wanted, it saved so much time not having to load/unload and travel to go riding. I purchased a new '05 CRF450R and rode that around the track for a couple of years until we decided to move to Carmel Valley to save the commute time and improve the quality of life for our family. We were traveling to/from work in the dark and only got to see the house on the weekends. It was tough giving up the track, but it definitely improved our quality of life after having our daughter. I now work 3 miles from the office and our family spends more time together as a result. While it was my idea to move closer to work, giving up the track provided me with weekly "riding" rights - which I try to use. The 450's red-sticker limited the riding options so I purchased a '08 KTM 530EXC in June and have been happy ever since, even happier now that I'm running a FN stator cover. Matt

You know, you're right. What was I thinking? It's just a habit to go with parts made specifically for your bike - everyone does that. I'll run the FN masterpiece with pride and look forward to a new sculpture for my bike on our next ride. Yellowjacket/sdmxr/???

if I am disgusted by the crappy quality, YOU wouldn't had a kitten... You are IN a couple though... I should've taken pictures on trail 9, though... I was busy keeping track of Brent and Bill (their idea of stopping at intersections is to SLAM on the brakes, then roost the right direction... you follow the dirt) Kind of funny... earlier, when it first started snowing, BC had stopped to take photos of people on the road. I gave him an update on toad, then he buzzed up ahead. I come to a Y in the trail, and 6 sets of tire marks go left, and ONE goes straight... so I followed the lone rider, thinking he may get lost... it was BILL! KING of Bear Valley... LOST?!?! nope...he THOUGHT he was chasing Brent, so he blew the turn off. Bill is sitting there, in 30 degree weather, saying "where did everybody go?" trail etiquette was a little lacking at times, but it was fun, nonetheless. I really thought I lost "yellowjacket" on trail 9, and was pissed at myself... the cracked case explained it "Yellowjacket" has a nice ring to it - I was under pressure trying to think of a name when signing up to the website a couple of weeks ago - I just went with "sdmxr". I'm pondering a new name. My new stator cover is on order and hope to be ready to ride again on Sunday.

Nice ride guys - thanks for arranging it BC. Looking forward to seeing some of the pictures, especially the picture where Paul uses his gum to weld my stator case together after I tumbled down the rocks. His fix saved my day and I was able to ride +10mi back to my truck. The fix was so good, I may not have to replace the part. Thanks again Paul! Bob - how did the rear-tire repair go? Where did the group ride after we parted? Nice meeting everyone - can't wait for the next ride. sdmxr (Matt)

Don't forget your web footed SIDI's, and your hefty trash bag LoL! B.C. B.C. I'm in if you have room for another rider. This would be my first ride with the dual-sport group. I'm on a KTM 530 - I rode Pine Valley yesterday and have been going there regularly over the past few months - would enjoy learning some new trails and riding with some new people. sdmxr

Impressive group here. I just signed up ("sdmxr") after visiting the site over the past few weeks and was interested in the numerous adventures and seeing the camaraderie - there is something for everyone. I purchased a KTM 530 EXC in June after being pushed over the edge by the red sticker issue (had a 2005 CRF450R) and not being able to ride off-road at certain times of the year. I've been riding Pine Valley/Lake Morena lately with a trip to McCain thrown in every few months. I'm looking forward to meeting some new friends, exploring some new trails and learning some new riding skills/techniques. I've been riding off-road for the past 10 years and enjoy most riding (track, trail, desert, street) and, with the recent purchase of the KTM, I'm having fun riding on the street - never realized that dual-sport riding could be so much fun. I ride anywhere from 2-4 times/month, most of the time on Sundays. Keeping the rubber-side down has always been important, but it doesn't keep me from pushing to learn new skills. Slow or fast rides - doesn't matter - it's all about the people in your riding group. Looking forward to riding with this group - thanks for having me.