FuzzyNugs

Just watched this video and it has several things going on..a cheesy story, Icon's new line of adventure style clothing, and some pretty sweet big bike riding on Triumphs. Overall, I was highly entertained and thought I'd share it. I'm not a huge fan of the Icon brand and it looks like the jacket at least comes with advertisements already sewn on it. They should have to pay me to wear it.

I bought a Gen 3 back when they came out around August 2013. My "Ok" messages seem to go through, but I'm not sure it's 100%. I don't check the tracking feature on the website and just use my gps to know where I went, but I'm assuming it works. My experience with the button covers is different than amgems. I have never had them pop open on accident and they have a little nub that helps it click shut. I could see it wearing out though if you are constantly opening it, but those are the emergency buttons which I haven't had to use yet. I'm sure the mounting options are good, but I just clip it to my camelbak and it hangs from my shoulder. It comes with a carabiner and strap so you can hang it from just about anywhere. Lastly, the batteries ran out this September at roughly 25 full riding days of being on. Uses 4 lithium AAA's.

Thanks for the responses. Bike only has 10K on it now dirt dame, so not sure why they went out so early. It's the first bike I adjusted valve clearances on myself and thinking back I may have had them too tight. Could this have accelerated the wear? I'll keep an eye on oil consumption and check spark plug for richness. Seth, the DR is still tearin it up out here. If you ever did that high-comp piston on yours shoot me a PM and let me know what you think of it.

I've been away from SD for a year now, but can't let go of this forum. Anyone whoever rode with me when I was on my beloved/hated KLR250 knew that I had some starting issues with it. Reset the valve clearances multiple times and within 150 miles it would be very hard to kick over or wouldn't start at all. Kug and Goofyfooter were with me when I dared to take it to Baja thinking it was fixed. Almost had to push it back across the border when it stalled in Tecate traffic. Tim also helped tow start it another time. Sorry Tim I know you hate this bike, but the good news is it's fixed. I suspected it needed the valves replaced, but didn't want to chance the job myself so I took it to Cycle Works Racing up in Littletown, PA last month. Greg is the expert on this engine as he has modded the quad version(Mojave) of it for racing. Surely he could fix my measly KLR. The good news was that the exhaust valves were ok, but the intakes definitely needed replacement. According to him, Kawasaki bought too many of these valves and so put them in many different street bikes, but they weren't really that great in the KLR and thus failed a lot. Here are my old valves. Mechanical gurus, just how bad are these? The walls certainly don't have the nice 3 angled sides the manual shows. More like one vertical angle. $425 and a month later and I have my bike back with new valves and recut valve seats. I took it for a brisk 40 miles in 40 degree weather today and she ran like a champ, aka a slow rolling couch. I found an old odometer picture and I've only managed 1500 miles in 3 years on it! Time to ride it for a bit and maybe sell by spring. I like it as a light trail bike, but I also want one of those fancy orange 350s.

Great pics. I really miss those wide open spaces.

Ken, I remembered his mega-trip the other day and found his new ride report. Looks like you did as well. If I remember what he stated correctly, he is only carrying a dumb phone so my guess is his internet updates will be few and far between. I'll be following it on ADV...good luck Vic! http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=992107

Yeah, I wouldn't go paying $300 for one. It's definitely a waiting game combined with a bit of luck to find one. I have never used a DG pipe, but they seem to be a good value. What I can say is that the Supertrapp IDS2 racecore version is too loud, but it did work for it's purpose of more flow and less weight. I ran that with a stock bike and then with a cut airbox and FCR39 carb. Both seemed to work. You should be able to find some DR reviews of people running the DG O-series pipe on advrider or drriders if you use the search functions. Is your carb or airbox modified at all?

These are certainly the golden ticket exhaust for the DR. I found mine on eBay a year and a half ago for around $100 and then bought the midpipe from Kientech. Trophyhunter has one I believe and Afry has found two in the past when he had a DR. They may be able to chime in with tips for searching. They have definitely gained some value over the past year as it is a popular mod and the supply is limited and shrinking. Have you looked on craigslist? I used to search for a slew of odd combinations in hopes of finding one. Also a countrywide search on one of the meta-craigslist search engines may be worth your time. If you can find one there just ask if they will ship to you. Also check drriders.com under the For Sale section. The x40F0x one is the best and from '01 '02 GSXRs as you mentioned. There is also one stamped x35Fx (think that's right) and it is either from different years or different bikes. It will work about as well, but is slightly longer in dimension. Lastly, Procycle is working on their own proprietary exhaust system right now that is looking pretty good from early testing reports. So if you can't find GSXR can, you can always wait for that to be released.

Great looking trip guys. Some of those campsites are spectacular. Was the GS1200 too big for Big Todd? The 990/950s all look good, but I have to ask..how big is that one gas tank? It went from motorcycle to motortank.

Looks like you found some sweet stuff out there. The rock mural is very cool. Just a heads up though if you find yourself in places you maybe shouldn't be again..some of that stuff could be UXO(unexploded ordinance) with the potential to take a hand off or worse. Pics are cool, but picking junk up especially with fins is just adding more risk. Having worked on several desert training bases and received the safety briefs, I'd prefer you stay safe and in one piece as you make good posts!

I just saw this link: KTM Basel - 690 Quest It looks like there is a kit in production to transform a KTM 690 into a modernized 640A. I don't know what the prices translate too or if it will be available in the US, but I REALLY like the look of that bike. Maybe I'll get lucky and a 390A will come to fruition. Come on KTM!! Bonus video review of the Duke 390

I found this link on another site, but Honda is running a survey to find out what your ideal Offroad Motorcycle is. Sounds like there may be some new models in the future following the CRF250L success...or they are being drowned in orange kool-aid and have no clue what to do :lol:/> http://www.hondasurveys.com/se.ashx?s=41783EA57771339B Crusty, this is your chance to tell Honda how you really feel about that 450 Rally.

Excellent addition Kevin. With my recent return to the Homeland(Virginia), you can be sure I'll be trying out much of that eastern section once my bike thaws I'll have to download the actual gps files, but from the crude google maps display, it looks to go right through my county. Anyone willing to venture this far...will have some cold beers waiting for ya.

Can I chime in from VA still? Back in '09 I was overseas in some dirty Babylonian country and a friend kept telling me how much fun motorcycling was. Then I got my hands on Long Way Round/Down and marathoned them in my hooch. Looked like fun to me. So when I got back I bought a small Suzuki S40 cruiser and loved it. My friend, a Harley rider, picked up a DR350 and rode this Land Between the Lakes 200 "dual sport" event in TN...I had never heard of such a thing, but it sounded awesome. So when I got the chance to move to San Diego I knew I had to get a dual sport. I liked the KLR650 because it was the most popular mainstream bike that I knew of. After a little research I concluded that it was too big to learn on..but in my mind I still wanted a KLR. Soon enough I found my KLR250 and picked it up. At first I would just plow around the easy dirt roads in SD. I had a lot of fun on it, but after doing a few club rides, campouts, and then the Desert Dash I realized I needed some more ponies under the seat. Sat on a DR650 at the motorcycle show in DC and it was a perfect match. Low seat height, bigger engine, and pretty basic easy to work on technology(air/oil cooled). The bike not only satisfied my desire for something stronger/faster, but also something that could go on the highway to actually get places. Within a month I ditched my long distance GF and bought my DR. Haven't regretted it since. It has taken me to so many new places in CA and Baja and really works well to combine motorcycling with exploration. I've also been in a few spots over my head though(literally) where I wished for a lighter more nimble bike. I do have regrets with the KLR though and wish I had done more research or asked questions here first. If I could do it again I would have gone for a DR350 to start. Also having ridden with many different SDAR/ADV folks, I am definitely yearning for a sip of that orange stuff..but for now, I still like my bikes. I managed to bring both back east to VA where the riding sucks. I imagine they will both suit me well here in the suburban/metro DC area. Once this snow goes away and the temp rises a bit, I'll be sure to share a pic or two of how the trails fair out this way.

I'll be there for my second go around. If it's your first, I can't stress enough to leave early. We had to cut short on day one as things got dark and on day two we were forced to skip the first leg and had to slab it to Baker..no bueno. No real need to go fast, but allow yourself as much time as possible from the start. The sweep teams are fast and will force you to take bailouts if they catch you. I can't fault them, as I imagine it is a long day for them.. Excited to get to Vegas and see some familiar faces again.

Great looking trip man and your gung-ho attitude shows with those awesome snow pics. A true risk/reward scenario! How did that sleeping bag work out for you and at what temps? I bought the 6 degree version, but have yet to use it.

Fun fun, that looks like some amazing desert scenery you guys went through and a great turnout. Good job fixing the case too. Must have been the perfect rock to get between your case saver and skid plate.

Congrats again on a safe and successful monster-trip. I had already planned to be in Vegas for the weekend so when Tim mentioned his trip to me, I offered a ride back as a secondary option. Put the hitch hauler on and was tracking the thread on here as much as possible when my phone's battery would allow. After a LONG night which involved table service at a nightclub and watching a friend rake in thousands at the blackjack table..I got the call. I was glad to hear Tim made it but after being up all night with no sleep and realizing it was now 10AM the thought of driving 5+ hours was not what I wanted to do. Best to get out of Vegas when things are on the up though.. When I arrived to pick up Tim, I parked near what motorcycles I found in the lot. It wasn't a DRZ though..a pair of Teneres. We spoke briefly with one of the guys who was Austrian and, with a buddy, the pair had ridden east through the 'stans and Russia, crossed to Alaska and was now in Vegas. The bike's were nicely done up and rare to see stateside. I tried to get a picture, but my phone battery was too low. With the DRZ loaded up we high-tailed it out of Sin City. Thanks for the car company. Your ride debrief was much needed and entertaining in keeping me awake. Here's to making the impossible history

Muy bueno! Chris, good to hear your trip is going well and the DR is holding up for ya(no surprise). How did you like the beach jump? Look forward to the pictures.

That was such a great report. Amazing photos. I'll admit I didn't even notice the date until after I read it. The whole time I was wondering how you got such great weather so late in the year. Glad it got a few new reads and I like the idea of splitting up the ride reports by length. Those trout and IPA looked tasty!

Buy a used speedometer and swap for a day?....I think you are correct in it only needing 7500 miles to register. Then you wouldn't need the 50-state sticker at all.

Yep, Craig definitely had the fastest flat recovery I've witnessed and the wheel stayed on the bike! I still like tubes as I am finally getting somewhat competent at changing them. Phil, practice practice practice. I have my fair share of wasted tubes from an overzealous tire iron.

Glad I made this last minute. Was a fun ride and North Main Divide was certainly the toughest I've done at night so far. Not terrible, but it was certainly rocky and unpredictable. I found keeping it in 2nd and powering over everything made for a smoother line than trying to baby through in 1st gear. Great views of LA, OC, and Riverside from up high. Thanks for the beer tastings and nice to ride with some new and familiar faces.

If you can cough the coin, I'd highly recommend a knobby front like Pirelli Scorpion or XCMH. T63 is fun, and you can always try the 244 next.

I've been lurking this one and I am IN. Just got my auxiliary light re-attached and lubed the chain up. Haven't started the bike since Baja, but expect to see me. 7PM at 76/15 parking lot is where I'm headed. Santiago sounds good to me. I've only been up once and the lights should make for a good view at night +moon.