MacDuncan

Glad you are ok Adv Bum, that report was going well, but sure got quite scary at the end.

Well, about time to remove big 6.6 tank, I missed my early March Death Valley ride, my late March BDRCA ride, and my Early April KOFA ride. All of those rides would have been easier with the big tank. My acerbis 6.6 is too big for little day cruises. Now it is hot in the desert and my next rides may be back to the region I went last summer, Cortez, Aspen loop, Durango, Pagosa Springs, telluride, Crested Butte areas. Still got some areas to see there Back to the little tank, big tank is saved for long desert terrain: The big tank serves 2 great purposes: 1) long distances without having to find gas. 2) can serve as a reserve for riding buddies where I can carry a gallon for them in my tank if all they have is a 2.5 gallon tank. Although the nuts and bolts aspect of changing from tank to tank is easy enough, the fuel line is a major pain. The tank came with "Super tight purple fuel lines" They work well, but frankly, I have to cut them to remove them each time I change the tank. I often wonder if I got the right ones when I got the tank. Also, the line that runs up and over the carb to balance fuel load is quite challenging to change each time also. Heck, just getting the line over the inlets is tough even after I warm the line. And, if on the trail, it would be great if I could just unplug, fill a container quickly to give friends gas as needed, then plug in and go. I saw the other threads recently, but just thought I would throw this out there in case somebody else changes tanks regularly and knows of the shortcuts, and pieces and parts I should buy. I thought I would set it up before changing back to 3 gallon tank so it is ready to go next time. Maybe new lines to, and clamps, etc... Best choice ? (LCD17005V Valved In-Line Hose Barb Coupling Body 5/16 ID Barb FKM (Viton) O-ring). Any one stop shop in town for best set-up parts ( I prefer to support local shops if possible)? or online shopping sites ok. Any other thoughts? Thanks. Mac

ok, thanks, looks like I will will need to shift my strategy and take it apart to find correct sizing, and then order some things. I thought it was all 1/4 ID, but I have a sneaking idea that I originally messed up by ordering wrong size parts years ago (or I simply got wrong size parts when I bought it used), assuming all was 1/4 inch. Currently, the barb on acerbis petcock, through the purple hose, looks to be 5/16, Unless I need to be attentive to metric sizes......and the T, and the fuel line filter look to be 1/4 inch, which might explain why the purple hose is so tough to use. I will likely go 5/16 throughout (if carb connector is 5/16 too). So, a couple quick connects, a fuel filter, a T, and some line. I better measure the small tank while I am at it And, this may be a goofy idea, but does anyone actually run a fuel line through a bigger fuel line to protect it from abrasion on parts it might rub on, and from excessive heat if it drifts towards head/engine. That petcock angles toward engine, so wondering about best fuel line protection. Thanks.

Thanks Bags, yep, I read that a few times. Kinda reminds me of that old joke when somebody rolls up to Burger land to order a cheese burger and gets asked 37 more questions when all he needs is a cheeseburger - haha. However, there were some cool pieces of info in there. My lack of experience is still wondering about..... Does anybody really measure the diameter of the barbs, and buys specific hoses dependent upon that measurement? I had never heard of that, I thought that fuel lines had a one to one relationship between exterior and interior circumferences as a default .....like when you drop by autozone and buy a couple feet.... as that could relate to my "purple" hose challenges and concerns (I liked that there were choices of clamps due to the exterior circumference measurements though!) Along those same lines (haha) that would mean that I need to be attentive to the petcock barb, the T barb, the fuel flow on other side of tank barb, both ends of the in-line fuel filter barb, and the barb coming out of the carburetor (black hose, which I think is a different size barb altogether). For someone who does change tanks on occasion, does my scenario require 2 quick release connectors, or one (and if one, it would have to be on the cross over tube, so wondered if one side or the other is best, or a better route, as I am concerned about the sharp edges on some clamps as it goes over the carb. Also, placement should contribute to easy filling of a container to offer gas to riding buddies.... and that if unsnapped a few times.... IT DOESN'T start leaking.... Its an '07, so I would like to build 2 new sets of connections, one for each tank... so it is easy to quickly change based upon adventure... Thanks again, all of the info on those threads were cool to read! I can call some of those company sites for more info, but thought I would narrow down my decisions here. Cheers. (and keep me in the loop regarding snow melt progress in the San Juans : ).

Well done tourdechef, no surprise, as that trail certainly qualifies as beautiful single-track (about 1.7 tires wide - haha) And Amgems, ... not even a trail, as you continue to lure us all to those wide open spaces near your new homestead! Nice.

That Kug dude is always ready for action!! Happy B-day Kug.

With the outlander movement, and Gravel cycling, seemed like the next step... may still happen

Atta Boy, well done, and you might as well treat yourself to those tacky nice single tracks before the weather heats up out there!

Dang Jim, are those pics of a ride that starts and ends right from your garage? If so, you lucky dawg! This must be the best time of the year to ride out that way!

Well done you guys, I have one eye on the weather to do similar loops solo this week. Glad you beat the rain! DRZ Sal, wow, riding with some much faster bikes was impressive! And nice that you went up the stair in Gohler without ropes or ramps! Loooong miles in Death Valley!

Dang, those pics have signs of a good biff! Hope it is all quick heal stuff. That knee looks pretty tender... I think I live pretty close to you, so give a call if you need help with moving or lifting anything heavy.

Thanks for the info Mikey, I forwarded the info to my buds who still use bungees to hold down misc. duffel bags....... that we often stop and pickup on the trail a few times on the long rides or get too close to Hot Mufflers! It has been over a year since Kugs Mystery ride to Patton's cabin, almost to the cabin. I have camped off my bike a few times since, but off the V-strom, which is a different story than off the exc. Well CID, your cryptic message may have multiple meanings.... like if you mean that you have a better setup on an orange bike that you have packed many times before... or a bike of a different color with new bags. Hmm, I haven't heard of anyone riding anything new on the market yet?!? But I can't wait to see some... Where are those 790's and Tenere's loaded up ??? or------- a little excursion is coming up. With good weather, good job scenarios, good family issues.....etc... I hope to ride some of the CABDR around March 11, or April 14 (but mid April can be on the doorstop of too hot in some years) maybe teakettle and racetrack, and make a loop from Panamint (any further north may be snow) Or, some KOFA and some Picacho.... if I should look for guys like Mikey, Oracle and others flying by me like I am standing still, let me know where the camp might be so I can wander in a couple hours after you have established camp - haha. I am so OVERDUE to go bike camping! Thanks for the bags info Mikey.

Thanks for posting the report. I was bummed I was unable to attend and was hoping that the event went super at the new venue! And, that the weather wasn't too bad. Well done.

Congrats Pokey, I would assume that every SDAR member is happy to see a fellow rider with a new bike in the back of a pick-up. It screams of joy and happiness! Well done, looks good!

Well Done Mr. PB, your articulate reply, stated at a level of understanding for this newbie, is quite appreciated. Thank you. Mac

It is always funny how quickly these snippets of info go beyond my knowledge - but I still want to learn. From last Saturday's ride: 1) about half way through the ride, I took the my rugged rh5r radio off my chest protector, on front, in a pouch ), and took the short standard ducky antenna off, and put on a ~ 14 inch rugged long ducky antenna on it, and then put the radio deep down my camelbak except for about 3-4 inches of antenna sticking out (so it wouldn't tap my helmet) (I haven't done that before because I like to be able to reach my on-off and volume). Immediately, I heard my buddies with far better clarity and they said my voice was significantly more clear (They have the Baofengs, uv5r with short standard antenna strapped on their chest protectors - but in the box that their radios came in, there is a longer antenna to use (careful if you buy the box of stuff because the longer antenna is hidden in the box under packaging - so don't accidentally toss it!)). We were having good conversations up to about 70 yards before the change, but that about doubled with just my antenna change. If they did the same change, but actually using that skinny ~14 inch antenna from Baofebg box, would there still be a significant benefit for all? Would we all benefit even more if we all used something as noted in this antenna topic strand like a "701"? 2) Strange, that one time when 2 of us lost the 3rd rider, I couldn't hear a reply in my helmet, but I could hear a reply coming through my friend's helmet, and we both had squelch set at 4. Is there another setting to be adjusted? My thoughts are that lower squelch, more static, and vice versa, right? 3) On occasion, I heard a loud consistent pulsating "scratch, scratch, scratch" at about 3 per second. It's a long shot, but it seemed like when I moved my push to talk up higher on my left mirror mount so the cable was further away from the metal of handlebar, it went away... could there be any logic in that... ? a ground-ing issue? other thoughts to avoid that? 4) one of the riders has a funky old chest protector and was wearing his radio under his armpit, but the antenna was at about a 45 degree angle from vertical. I told him that we need to find a place on his gear that the antenna could be vertical because it would be better. Is what I told him true, or a tale? Thanks, Mac

If all you have is a weekend, you still better get a ride in when you can. It is winter after all, and the desert is beautiful. And, you can't always keep wishing you could make the weekdays with the breakfast club folks with weekday exploration time - lucky fellas!! A couple of buds needed a ride fix too, so we opted for a quick day ride on Saturday. What last minute readiness usually means is a little prep work early on the day you are going (knowing you should have done it last week ), so they arrived around 6:30 am for some prep work, and then off we went. We had a buddy who was going to be in Ocotillo Wells, and he said he would stash a 5 gallon jug of gas for us if we ended up out his way. That can add a lot more options as we were hoping to casually cruise out 8 east on the big interstate to ocotillo and wander from there (sure beats the windy long trek through ramona and/or the 78 or 79, and saves a lot of drive time). The wind was howling in Jacumba, but when we dropped down to the windmills, all was still - Nice . We parked with all the Jeep clubs, side by sides, and to my surprise, a whole bunch of groups that looked like they were "small SUV off roaders"... might be a new trend, all with tools, jacks on the roofs for digging out if needed....etc... all were at the Chevron getting ready for adventure. We geared up and started our bikes with no route in mind, but were thinking we would try to avoid the many vehicles out and about that looked like they wanted to find dirt too. Hmmmm, have the laws changed? I do not ever recall that so many quads and rzrs just driving on the roads in ocotillo to gas up (common in Arizona and Utah, and used to happen when the area "Yuha" was open to off-road). But that area closed to non-plated, and no one can ride off-road in Anza Borrego, so that must mean they simple head out to Plaster or Superstition, or all the way to wells or even through Painted Desert...... But I thought that Painted Gorge was a plated area too...... is there another action spot that they would go to that would have them swing by to gas up in ocotillo? Regardless, we headed towards dos cabeza, then out to the S2, then as we approached canyon sin nombre, it looked like an off-road vehicle convention- haha. We passed by and decided to take south carrizo by the trees... The dirt was super nice and that road used to be quite skinny, meaning that only rigs that were ok with scratches would go there. It has been opened up a bit, which is ok I guess, since there are less dangerous blind curves. We then flew up the wash to head to Diablo Drop (skipping the Mud caves route- Tapiado- and the cross over, to avoid vehicles). Wow, we were all proud of ourselves as we were enjoying a completely free route with nobody on it.... Yahoo, until we then discovered why.... A large section of the cliffs collapsed and as of saturday, it didn't look like any vehicle has yet won the battle of finding a way through. The issue may not just be how to get over the rubbish, but how to also avoid the mucky muck mud on the other side. We found a goat trail along the edge and worked our way over. We stopped a truck who was headed that way and shared that heading back to the cross over would be the only way out, they were appreciative. So zip zam zoom, and down Diablo drop, and out of fishcreek, dodging jeeps and many vehicles at the opening and near the windcaves. We found our buddy, got a free cold one, and some gas, and turned around. 2 hours and 20 minutes, 55 miles. We then zipped over to Trestles for a break and a bit to eat, and to listen to the loud music from various groups who had claimed their spot under the bridge.... it always seems like a music festival there... , and offers a good view of where we were headed. From there we rode over to Superstition so we could go up to see the view... It is always spectacular from up there! And it always adds a little more challenge for me riding in that soft sand. Last October I made it up there and went over the handlebars twice at 2 mph as I tried to go down a hill of talcum powder.... knee deep to get out... and always a bit anxious (mechanically) of where that incredibly soft sand might end up in, or on, my bike. Yep, my buddy was proud to have made it too - smiles. From there we headed west, parallel to hiway 8, opening it up a bit and cutting across through the zone I call "Sharp rocks" on the way to painted Gorge, then through the super cool area of bizarre mix and match of ravines, mounds, yellow dirt, etc... as you cut the corner from the western part of the gorge as if you were gonna head back north up the valley of S2, but east of it along the mountain (maybe a lot of mining up there still). So many diverse geological riding zones in that one day. Great ride with part 2 being 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 56 miles. Wow, our gas stop was almost exactly halfway. Pretty cool loop. We finally got out of the maze of tracks and got back to Ocotillo, where the wind began to howl, and it was cold, but we were casually headed back west on the interstate in the comfort of a truck. Great day, Great ride, we all felt lucky! Just how it should be. It was a great Saturday loop.

That is super cool that you found the phone, well done!! and got another ride in, and... I hope, gently untangled something that can be quite dangerous if it had found a body part. I have seen a couple riders pick up rubbish barbed wire over near superstition, but never on the route you took. I even once chased some fella over a mile to let him know that he was dragging about 30 feet of wire that was wrapped around his boot - he never knew..... a close one no doubt! Yahoo. I was gonna head out on that loop saturday to find the phone, so glad you already found it. Cheers.

Thanks, Super cool data on that interactive global perspective, from the ride link you shared. When I saw your first loop, I was wondering why when you got to Vallecitos you decided to go back to pinyon drop instead of heading to diablo drop, I didn't think it was a gas issue (as they might have been about the same from where you were to where you were going, and you must of had the big tanks, or carried gas, for that kind of loop....., but maybe you just wanted more dirt since you already logged a few tarmac miles, or the fun of the stairs and heart attack hill to round out the day. Regardless, well done to the both of you, and for the early sunrise crisp morning start, the dirt and sand must have been super!

Nice post PM, I was able to follow the route as if I was there Well done. That's a cool app. I hope the other boys had a good lap and really wish I was on one of those rides - dang emergent house chores - grrr. Cheers.

Hey DWreck, I was waiting for a sale too. Thanks for posting.

Merry Christmas to all (and their sidekicks.... family, friends and pets ). Looking forward to more great rides and great riding partners. cheers, and thanks.

Thank you pb, I was nervous about playing in chirp and losing set-up on existing radio when trying to set up new ones (even though it may not even be possible without a radio hooked up because the initial Chrip program has a blank screen when booted up unhooked to a radio - hence the need for a cable - I think :) .... and a bit challenging navigating around the program with the plethora of options like “remove squelch tail” function, etc... that a newbie would never know about unless guided by a pro... If there are other "No Go" choices, feel free to share with me, especially because some of the choices may make it better for the listeners of my transmissions. I don't use repeaters, nor scanning, but by having a couple 2m frequencies available to increase safety while adventure riding in a group or with a bud is a priority, especially when communicating clearly while going 60 mph on dirt roads. I recall the time that you were leading about 10+ plus of us while going faster than that across the desert when I scooched up while in the 3rd spot to avoid the rock spray, and you noticed my long shadow splitting the 2 front runners..... and you simply asked in a low calm voice without taking your eyes of the trail or turning your head if I wanted to pass or maintain rank..... I was able to reply why I was there so both front runners knew of my position, and my intent, and all was good. That type of communication is simple, yet valuable. In this rainy weather, a couple of my buds who will be future radio users are listening to the questions, and the supplied answers, to all of the questions for the amateur license test on Ham Whisperer .com (because it makes passing the ham test significantly easier) . Governor (Bagstr) , if you care to copy and paste any communications I have shared (or asked about) to a dedicated communications strand to consolidate info, feel free to do so, and edit as you wish.... your info and efforts are always appreciated. PbdBlue too, of course. It is impressive how much you all know!! Cheers, and Thanks. Over

Well, I just received a couple beofang uv-5r radios in the mail. I had programmed a couple Rugged RH5r radios a few years ago with help from a computer wizard on an old windows computer. They have worked well. Aren't all Rugged RH5r radios actually Baofeng UV5r's, in regard to programming? Awhile back, Rugged did seem to help set up radios prior to sending, but the folks there I recently talked to said they will now only send standard radios without frequency adjustments made, so the customer will need to use Chirp for their individual programming needs. Dang, the very old windows computer crashed this morning. Likely, not a big deal if I get this story right.... as I transition to Mac OSX now since it is my primary computer. If I download chirp today, and the misc other stuff recommended by chirp (serial driver this and that - always seems confusing/risky). I could use the RH5r rugged radio to download and save settings from that radio, and then hook up Baofangs and copy same channels and other settings used on the rugged's RH5r's, so all radios have same frequency programs... right? Except, It will be unlikely that my windows "USB to radio" cable is now useable because of computer language - right? and there seems to be a specific cable to avoid (the $10 cheaper one, and buy the $20 expensive one for Mac) right? Is there a place in San Diego that I can walk into a store and buy the correct cable to hook up both rugged RH5r's and Baofeng UV5r's to Mac computer? Thanks, KM6....