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Boston Mangler

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Everything posted by Boston Mangler

  1. Boston Mangler

    Buttes Seven April 2016

    Thanks for letting me tag along. Great ride and great to meet everyone! Thanks to Bagster for being a kickass guide and doing a great job making sure we were all together and safe. If you look at my face in this pic, you can see disappointment. Bowers lured me to this ride with the promise of free snacks at each stop. Turned out it was all a lie! Still had a great time! Thanks!
  2. Boston Mangler

    carb help (advice), I think

    This was my bike.. A little history.. I fired it up and ran it just before I left for Alaska on July 23rd. Was going to give it a good go over this weekend, but the shipper gave me 4 hours notice that he was picking it up the same day he called me so I didn't get a chance. I don't think 2 months would be enough to gum up the carb at all, but anything is possible. Super bummed to hear this, as I take a lot of pride in my bikes. Also super bummed I didn't get to give it a once over.. Please keep me/us posted on what it ends up being. Bike ran perfect before I left for Alaska, so it HAS to be something simple. Thanks K
  3. Hey Guys. I was recently able to sell my East Coast house, and did alright doing so. Now i have the funds for a new bike and an Epic Adventure I’ve always wanted to have/do! I’d like to share not just the trip, but the bike choice/build, preparation, and planning with you. A good friend and I, are doing our dream Arctic Circle trip next summer. I thought it would be cool to document the choosing of the bike, the why, the building of the bike, the gear, the logistics, and of course, the PICTURES! This thread will be updated with route tweaks, logistical stuff, bike prep, pictures, and any other stuff that changes. Comments and feedback are welcome of course!! Will be leaving San Diego July 25th and Returning August 25th of 2015. The MAIN (there will be many secondary) destinations we will be hitting are: · Arctic Circle / Ocean via Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay. Tour to the very tip to dip feet! J · Denali National Park · Alaskan Highway through Canada · Yellowstone National Park (on return home) · Moab (on return home) · Zion National Park (on return home) Plan is primarily off the grid camping once we get north of Washington (staying with friends on the journey from SD to WA). I’ve been an off the grid camper a majority of my life with backpacking, primarily in cold weather/snow but never done so off of a motorcycle. This will be a whole new experience for me in that regards. I have made a rough itinerary, but this is an “Adventure” so I don’t want to be tied down by preset rules or guidelines. I’ve crunched the number several different ways for rough mileage and times of travel estimates, so that will be a guideline. Ballparking 9500 miles if we ride the entire thing. Based on rough itinerary, we will be “moving” a total of 21 days, leaving 9 days as a buffer in case of mechanical issues, injuries, or if we just come across a place we want to hang out for a while longer, or just flat out of we want/need a break/rest. More on the itinerary later…. J THE BIKE! I’m a big dude, 6’4” 270lbs with many nagging aches and pains in various parts of my body from old racing injuries. Bike and ergonomics have to be setup almost perfect for me to be comfortable for any length of time. I’ve always oogled the BMW 1200’s but never even considered buying one, due to my love of cheap uber reliable Japanese motorcycles. Took a friends 1200 GSA out for a spin not all that long ago, and was amazed at not only how comfortable it was, but how well it handled! Took all of 3 weeks for me to; sell off my street bike, road race bike, and supermoto race bike, to start shopping for a GS. I was up in the air between the new fancy more powerful water boxer, or the old tried and trued oil cooled. I decided on the old reliable, as the new water boxer, is just that, too new, and untested. Before I pulled the trigger and purchased one, I did a lot of research on similar bikes, and ultimately decided on the GS Adventure based on the world proven reliability many times over, insane aftermarket support, and more importantly, the bike just FITS me! I chose the Adventure over the normal GS for the crazy fuel capacity (this bike will be used on long distance trips only, no starbucks, hahaha) and the lower first gear for off road. The search was fairly easy. Found a 2011 GSA with only 12.5K miles on it right here in San Diego, owned by an old doctor that only rode it to Julian and back for pie. He had all the records from the dealer, and recently just had the pricey 12k service done! He was 6’4” also, and already installed the taller bars and risers. Other than that, the bike was BONE STOCK! Was a no brainer… Prepping the bike for long trips…. Right after buying it, I did the change go through, fluid change etc… Loaded it up and headed north to Central Cal. Bike handled amazing, but had several draw backs. The stock seat was atrocious and hurt after less than 150 miles. Also, the stock suspension was NOT up to the task of the decent off-roading we were trying to do in Pozo CA. Got back home, did some research and ordered a Sargent seat, and Ohlins Suspension setup for my weight. This bike has the ESA suspension which stands for Electronic Suspension Adjustment, or something of that nature. There are 2 options here. Either replace with the standard Ohlins, or go big and get what they called their “Mechantronic” system, which has its own ECU and works with the factory BMW ESA system. I have had nothing but amazing results with Ohlins stuff in all of my Road Race bikes, and Dan Kyle at Kyle Racing (Biggest Ohlins Dealer in US) has been amazing helping me set them up. I called Dan and told him exactly what I was doing with the bike, how much I weighed, and what I wanted. He sent me the entire system already sprung for my weight, riding off road, and luggage. I got to put about 1000 miles on the Sargent seat, and the difference between stock was baffling, did a 500 mile ride, only stopping for gas, and it was a pleasure to be in it. Unfortunately, right after I installed the Ohlins, I had my big crash on the KTM, so I still haven’t even got to test that yet. L Again, the reason I went with the GSA was the insane aftermarket support. Below is a list of mods I have done, or am in the process of doing to prepare the bike for this (and many others) trip. Most are self-explanatory, but I will detail the others later: 2011 BMW 1200 GS Adventure · Stock 8.7 Gallon Tank @ 37 MPG = 320 Mile Range +/- · Ohlins Mechatronic Suspension setup heavy · RKA Luggage 24.5L Shiloh Tank Bag (wired to charge electronics while riding) · OEM Aluminum Panniers · Black Dog Cycle work Skidplate · Black Dog Lower and Wider Footpegs · Black Dog Crash Bar Bags · Wunderlich Underseat Bags · Sargent Seat with Air Hawk on top · Adventure Designs Additional Engine Protection · Adventure Designs Highway Pegs · Rigid Industries 6-inch Single Row Specter LED light mounted to forks (over 3000 lumens) · OEM HD Aux Lights · FZ-1 Fuze Block to run auxiliary items · Touratech 2 Quart Oil Bottle Mounted to Left Rear Pannier · Touratech Spare Fuel Bottle holder mounted to Right Rear Pannier (holds ½ gallon) · Touratech Headlight Guard · Misc Touratch Protection/Farkle pieces covering vital components · Front Tire: Continental TKC80 · Rear Tire: Heidenau K6 Skout · RG Racing Final Drive Skidplate and Bumper Puck · HELD Rear underseat bag · OEM Heated Grips (go ahead and poke fun, they are awesome! Hahahaha Next was the riding gear. Some I had, some I bought. A lot of it will get dual duty on the KTM also, but a few niceties for long trips were added. Riding Gear: · Schuberth C3 Pro Modular Helmet with SRC Comm System (same as riding partner) · Klim Badlands Pro Jacket and Pants · North Face Denali Fleece Liner for colder temps · Alpinestars Toucan Goretex Boots · LD Comfort Moto Undies · STILL TRYING TO FIND PERFECT GLOVES AND SOCKS I still have all of my camping gear from when I used to backpack a lot in the winter back home. Most of it is still in great shape, but I was due for a new tent, and sleeping surface. I’m Going to try out one of those new light weight cots. Sleeping · Mountain Hardware EV2 4 Season Tent · 15 Year old LL Bean -20 Mummy Bag · Luxury Light Cot · REI Stuff Pillow Cooking / Food / Water (had most of this, no need to change or upgrade) · Jet Boil (been using this for years, tried and true) · 4 Extra Jet Boil Food Canisters · Mountain House Freeze Dried Meals · Various CLIF Bars · MSR 10L (2.6 gallons) Dromedary Water Bladder · 100L water bladder in jacket · LifeStraw filter system in case supplies run out and need to drink straight from a source I am kinda of a gadget geek, so some of this is silly, but some of this will be cool to have along and test out. Here is a list of my electronics. Electronics: · Primary GPS: Garmin Montana 650T with Touratch dampening mount, hardwired to bike · Backup GPS: Panasonic Toughpad FZ-A1 with standalone internal GPS and various mapping software installed · Backup Battery/Jump starter or electronics charger: Antigravity XP1 · SPOT Tracker · iPhone 5S · Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5S Digital Camera, rechargeable via USB Itinerary: Iternary July 25th to August 25th July 25th = Day 1 : San Diego to Roseville CA (Lake Tahoe) = 516 Miles July 26th = Day 3: Rosevile CA to Florence Oregon = 510 Miles July 27th = Day 3 Florence Oregon to Anacortis WA = 422 Miles July 28th = Day 4: Anacortes WA to Quensel BC = 438 Miles July 29th = Day 5: Quensel BC to Dawson Creek = 326 Miles July 30th = Day 6: Dawson Creek to Liard Hot Springs = 472 Miles July 31st = : Liard Hot Springs to Whitehorse Yukon Territory = 403 Miles August 1st = Day 8: Whitehorse YT to Tok AK= 387 Miles August 2nd =Day 9: Tok AK to Denali National Park = 323 Miles August 3rd = Day 10: Denali Park to Cold Foot = 375 Miles August 4th = Day 11: Coldfoot to Dead Horse = 240 Miles August 5th = Day 12: Dead Horse to Coldfoot = 240 Miles August 6th = Day 13: Coldfoot to Tok = 457 Miles August 7th = Day 14: Tok to Whitehorse = 387 Miles August 8th = Day 15: Whitehorse to Liard Hot Springs = 403 Miles August 9th = Day 16: Liard Hot Springs to Dawson Creek = 472 Miles August 10th = Day 17: Calgary to Glacia National Park = 290 Miles August 11th = Day 18: Glacia National Park to Yellowstone National Park = 485 Miles August 12th = Day 19: Yellowstone National Park to Zion = 483 Miles August 13th = Day 20: Zion to Home = 480 Miles This is first draft, leaving us 12 days of "Do Whatever" free time and will adjust accordingly. LOTS OF UPDATES AND SOME PICTURES COMING SOON! ROUGH draft of itinerary almost done, and will post Still working on spare parts collection and list. Attached are a few pics from the day i brought it home bone stock.
  4. Contemplating buying one. A lot of the guys i race with tend to blow up their orange bikes fairly frequently, but everyone seems to rave about the new 14 EXC500. Anyone here actually own one??? Haven't been able to find anyone that actually has one, just a lot of "My buddy has one and loves it" type of stuff! Thanks Kevin
  5. Lurking and very interested in heading back
  6. Boston Mangler

    Reasonable Cost for Carb Cleaning

    What bike is this on? If its the DRZ, they have known issues with the pilots clogging, and if i am not mistaken, you can pull that out and clean it without even removing the carb off the bike. Where are you located? I like Beer! What exactly is bike doing to make you think its dirty carb?
  7. I'm out for this one. Focusing on the National on Jan 25th at Johnson Valley. Have fun and kick ass!
  8. That is awesome! Are the loops the same loop ran twice? ie.. chance of getting run over by Brabec or any of the other uber fast folks?
  9. Thank you! Yeah, its been a lot of years, but i used to race a lot of longer Hare Scrambles back home. But back then i was in tip top shape, now i am fat and just use more throttle. The D37 Scramble i did a few months ago, that method was key. I ran at 60% and about 1/2 in, 1/2 the field was either whooped of had yardsaled their bikes. To finish first, first you must finish!
  10. God Dayum This Looks FUN!!
  11. That seems to be my specialty!
  12. That is exactly what i am looking for. Back home i raced NETRA from 94-99 on a XR250 and a KDX 200. Missed the harder terrain! I used to be decent, now i just hang on for dear life and try to finish.
  13. I will be racing round 1 at Johnson Valley on the 25th. Let me know if you are attending and we can meetup. I will be there Fri-Sunday, # N245, easy to spot, big huge ugly bald dude
  14. A bit too far for me. Gotta work at 4am Monday!
  15. Ok.. Now i am VERY interested! Been wanting to ride up in that area! Let me check some things on my schedule. Looks like we would be in the same class for the Lost in the Woods Race. This is the one i was thinking about: http://www.district37ama.org/offroad/calendar/2015/jan/2015_dmc.jpg
  16. STRONG Maybe! What class you sign up for? I plan on doing the National Jan 25th, not sure if can swing both, but want to!
  17. Boston Mangler

    D38 2015

    I'll be doing most of the D37 scrambles this year. I like the D37 terrain a lot better than just sand sand sand of D38 Down to carpool if interested
  18. Boston Mangler

    Wheelsets

    George (Suspenders) built me a custom set for my supermoto race bike that were BOMBPROOF!!!! The recipe a lot of the racers go with for strength is: -Stock OEM Hubs off eBay -Excel (Tasakago) Hoops -Buchanan HD Spokes I beat the bejesus out of these things (I am 300lbs geared up) as did the guy i sold the bike too and not a single issue!!! Whole setup including labor was under $1k for the set. I will be building a set of 19s for some flat track racing soon and will be doing the same build specs.
  19. I'm a really strong Maybe for this. If attending, i will be on the big bike riding up, riding there, and riding home. If you doing same, lemme know
  20. Boston Mangler

    Pala scheduled to open!

    Time to find me another MX bike! Please keep eyes and ears open for a LIGHTLY used 13-14 YZ450F please! WooHoo!
  21. Hey Guys Anyone else going to this? http://www.mavericksadelantogp.com/ Heard its one hell of a good time. I just reserved a camp spot at the stadium for the whole weekend and have room for a couple more. Will be heading up either Thursday PM after work or at Ass Crack O'Clock Friday. Anyone planning on attending this? Let me know if you want to coordinate carpool/pit Vdog?
  22. Hey Guys I am heading out Friday mid day and going to be there for the race (racing Vet30) and chili cook off this weekend. http://www.district37ama.org/offroad/calendar/2014/nov/2014_hilltoppers.jpg Anyone else going? If anyone wants to carpool let me know. Thanks
  23. Boston Mangler

    Montana GPS - Power Issues

    Ditto
  24. Bunch of friends and I are racing this... Anyone else here going? SDAR Group Pit? We will probably head out the night before. Plaster City is probably my favorite place for some go fast... http://amad38.com/RaceFlyers/2014_Monster_Mash_Flyer.pdf Lemme know
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