CableJockey

I was thinking the same thing but don't hesitate to post up a ride of your own. The tracks are in the post and you've welcome to repost them. It is one of the best rides in the area. Maybe I'll join you.

I'm in if you have room.

No takers. It's a nice ride, we'll do it another day. I'm going to join up with the Inkopah ride.

There are some great pet pictures here. I thought you might "enjoy" my girls at their best. This is a special present from Cheyenne on the left. I suspect that Sierra had some input but Cheyenne's paws told the story.

I have a hero2 with the wireless remote I could pack up and ship you unless you happen to wander into the Arcadia area. I have the suction cup mount and I've used the elastic head mount on the tail bag for a rear view mount.

I think you're missing one of the best features of the MT43. I have the DOT MotoZ rear and the MT43 rear for my DRZ. With the MotoZ and their stiff sidewall the ride is rough even at low pressure. When I tried the MT43 at the same pressure the sharpness of the bumps was noticeably less. Makes for a more comfortable ride. The XCMS front and MT43 rear is what I'm running, it's the first combo I've had that really makes the bike feel solid on any surface.

Todd, I bought my first motorcycle 3 years ago. I hardly qualified as a Noob, more in the Tard category. I took a class from Coach2Ride. I felt the class was well worth the money. In the end, nothing replaces riding as the best teacher. John

Thank you!

Pasta, Thanks for putting this all together. It was a great ride and my first "real" singletrack. The attached link is a 5 minute snip from the Sunday morning ride. Hope to do it again soon. CableJockey http://s1177.photobucket.com/albums/x344/CableJockey/?action=view&current=SequoiaSingletrack.mp4

Wonderwoman, If I could convince Sally to go I would be qualified to solve the Middle East Crisis. I will have the silver Excursion with the champagne enclosed trailer. Call when you know your approximate arrival time. My info is in the members only area. PM to follow. John

Pasta, Work has slowed down this week so I'm in for this trip and I'm bringing that beer (or beers) I owe you. I will be there by 11am Friday if anyone wants to ride. John

Very nice. I considered it before doing my cargo trailer conversion but too much work to redo the frame to carry the DRZ. No place to carry the motorcycle in an Excursion. I'll be real envious when you fire up your AC and I'm roasting.

Work has been busy and my daughter got married two weeks ago so I've only ridden two times this year. Yeah, it sucks. However, with my overtime money and evenings I set out to make or buy something that would be my toyhauler. I already have a travel trailer and my wife made it clear that trading in the travel trailer for a toyhauler wasn't going to happen. No problem, I'll think of something. And so began my quest. I purchased a 6x12 cargo trailer from Trailers Plus in Redlands. I got the barn door version because I couldn’t drop a ramp where I park the trailer. I’m glad I did. The Pro version I got has a torsion axle so the trailer is low enough that the bike rolls out without hitting anything and I only need the ramp to load. A different model with leaf springs but you get the drift. I didn’t want white or black and the only other color they had with the RV style side door was champagne. I think it looks good with the silver Excursion. I added a few things and ended up with this. When I took the trailer out in January I had added the tool box and sink. It worked well but ss soon as the sun came out the trailer turned into a toaster oven. I added insulation in the walls and ceiling and added the luan board to the ceiling to hold everything up and give it a finished look. The couch is the same one used in many toyhaulers and is actually comfortable to sleep on and folds down with the DRZ inside. With the couch/bed folded up I had enough room to load two bikes. I think I could get three in but I haven’t tried yet. Loading can be done by one person, just put the ramp down … and roll her in. The motorcycle chock keeps the bike stable while I attach the straps. I have to stow the couch when moving so that the straps can reach the tiedowns on the e-track When I get to my destination I can drop the passenger side strap because the wheel chock keeps the DRZ in place. Fold down the couch and there is plenty of room for 3 people. The shelving worked out nicely. Bottom shelf has helmets, boots, and misc. Middle shelf has the food, personal hygiene, cleaning, utensils, and electronics. The top shelf has the stove, sleeping bag, and more misc stuff. The sink and counter will be replaced but I haven’t decided what I’m going to do. The toolbox is really handy for tools and parts, plenty of room. I had a little spot left on the wall which worked perfect for the chairs and table. I plumbed 110 Vac and 12Vdc throughout the trailer. The battery is a 70ah AGM battery, plenty of power available. Added a 110Vac inverter which can be powered either from the tow vehicle (to power a battery charger) or the battery in the trailer. I use the standard battery tender to keep the battery charged and have a jumper cable that plugs into the bike to keep it charged as well. I had some mosquito netting from a gazebo that was destroyed in the December winds. I can open both back doors, roll out the netting, and keep them little suckers out. I will probably never quit tinkering but I’m happy with where I am at the moment. Need to add a window, coat the walls to deter handprints, add a stereo (have it all, just need to install it), and ???? It’s been a fun project. Now it’s time to ride.

Bum, I wired up an outlet outside to the 110V inside wiring and use a double plug cable to get power into the trailer. When I don't have line power available I can run the inverter which plugs into the trailer 110V power circuits. This way the outside outlet is hot so I can plug in a laptop, tv, etc outside as well. I like the ABS tube water heater idea. I bet it will work well. I found that I can wash my hair and get decently clean with about 2 gal of water. I can store 7 gal of fresh water and have an equal size "grey" water tank. For me a shower is a luxury that I would like and I might invest in, otherwise I will heat up some water in a pan and cleanup. Like you, if I do the shower thing, it will be outside with a shower tent. Just too much stuff and too much room to do it inside.

I've been debating whether to put in a water pump and change to a bar style faucet. If I do, I might add this to my kit of goodies. Add propane and it would make a nice outside shower setup.

Thanks! I thought about a solar panel but I ran it 3 days with the vent fan on a lot and incandescent bulbs in the fixtures. No problem. 70ah is a lot of juice. I have LED bulbs on order and if I'm going to be gone a week w/o power, I'll bring the little Honda Generator.

I'm going to the Team Dual Dogs Sequoia Challenge this weekend and I'm running MT43's front and rear of my DRZ for the first time. Any recommendations for tire pressure. I was going to start with 12 in the front and 14 in the rear. Thanks, CableJockey

If I don't like it I have a XCMS front with me. It's the only front tire I've tried (in my extensive 3,000 mile riding career) that doesn't make me feel like it is going to wash out from under me. I plan on having a great time. This will be the maiden run of my cargo trailer conversion. Comfort for the bike and comfort for me.

Thanks for the tips. Gnarly to me is ho hum to most of you. I'm going to start with 10 in the front and 8 in the back. I have a pump in my bag so I can play with the pressure on the trail. It should be fun. Maybe I'll see some of you there.

I bought a toolbox from them on Sunday. I was told that you can't use a 20% off coupon on tool boxes

I got this from the Jimmy Lewis Riding School website. I thought I might be close to an intermediate. Then I read "Comfortable sliding both front and rear wheels and able to produce and control the slides". Yeah, right, intermediate, dream on. Beginner: • Not comfortable with clutch and throttle operation, stalls often, jerky with application. • Cannot come to a complete stop and accelerate away without putting a foot down. • Not comfortable putting only one foot down when stopping. • Not comfortable standing while riding. • Not able to ride above 30 MPH on safe dirt roads. Novice: • Comfortable using front brake in slowing. • Can slide the bike by skidding rear wheel. • Can come to a complete stop and continue without putting a foot down. • Able to ride above 30 MPH off-road when safe. • Stalling from bad clutch use is not an issue. • Comfortable standing while riding. Intermediate: • Can track stand the motorcycle for a few seconds at a time. • Comfortable on single-track. • Comfortable using both brakes in stopping and able to control skids. • Can loft the front wheel from a stop and not have the bike move forward much. • Can do full steering lock turns and figure-eights. • Comfortable sliding both front and rear wheels and able to produce and control the slides. • Comfortable riding the bike above 50 MPH off-road in safe conditions. • Not intimidated by different soil conditions (sand, mud, rocks). • Not intimidated by steep uphills and downhills • Comfortable jumping the motorcycle and riding in rough conditions without bottoming the suspension unexpectedly. Advanced: Comfortable in all conditions described above. • Able to loft the front wheel and pivot turn the motorcycle. • Able to ride up and down ledges that require wheel lofting. • Can predict braking distance and rarely pass braking points. • High level of understanding safe speed versus the conditions.

I'm out and I'm bummed. Just too much going on at work. BB and Mistress, thank you for the offer to park. Next time for sure. John

John, if you can get away you are more than welcome to stage at our house and ride out with BB like last time. Mistress, I will take you up on that offer. Now I need to get the job done so I can go.

KKUG, I'm in if I can get the panic job at work handled by Friday. I won't know until later in the week. I'm looking forward to "getting away". John

I was working on plans for the Mine Ride and found this site. It lists wilderness areas around the nation. I was amazed how much of California is Wilderness area, especially around Death Valley, and off-limits to any motor vehicle (except wheelchairs). Wilderness. net