Koonzee

Forum Members, Hello. I am thinking of purchasing a used, small displacement (50cc-80cc) dirt bike for young boy to introduce him to the world of motorcycling. The target riding areas would include OHV, BLM and state park regions. (Ocotillo Wells perhaps) Does an owner of a 50-80cc motorcycle have to maintain a registration? I would be surprised if all the little Honda CRF50s in SoCal are registered. I simply want find someplace for a beginner to ride. A quick search reflected this is may be why green stickers are needed,... if I understand CA correctly. If I am incorrect, please correct me. The seller has a couple motorcycles and it appears they were last registered in 17 years ago. I wonder if the DMV will waive the last 17 years of unpaid registrations or charge for every missed year at $54/two years. I curious what others have done. Do LEO/park rangers even look for registrations on 50cc motorcycles? Btw, I found potential areas at the following area: (If you have a better resource, please share. ) It appears Ocotillo Wells may be the only OHV area in San Diego County. https://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1170 https://www.alltrails.com/lists/ohv-trails-san-diego I will try more research on this forum/Web, visit the local dealer or call the DMV for more information when time permits. In the meantime, any feedback would be appreciated since I may look at the motorcycles this weekend. I am guessing the unpaid registration fees will be required to obtain a green sticker. Also, I am guessing the green sticker is only required for OHV areas... and all BLM/State Parks require a registered license-plated dual sport. Is this essentially the policy in SoCal/CA? Thanks in advance! Koonzee The following was pulled from Google: A Green Sticker is similar to highway registration except it allows California residents to operate their OHV off-highway on lands that are open and accessible to the public for OHV recreation. " but they must display an ID plate or placard issued by DMV" "a Green Sticker costs $54 for each OHV and is valid for two years."

Dirt Dame & Robert Accio: Thank you for your replies!

Sorrento Valley / Carmel Valley Members: Don't allow deliveries to remain in the mailboxes overnight. The keys have fallen into the wrong hands and replacement locks/keys are on back-order. Insure all shipments if you can not avoid USPS. Letter Regarding my Service Request to Investigate Theft: ""Unfortunately it seems as though the Centralized Box Unit (CBU) that houses the mailbox you pick up from was broken into overnight on Wednesday 8/16/23 and mail was stolen. There has been a string of robberies/mail theft in the area and our zip code has been a hotspot as this isn’t the first time it has happened from the carrier statements we have received. The mail carrier assigned to your route noticed that mailboxes were left open and mail was missing at multiple addresses on his route, and your CBU was a part of that attack. The package we were looking for was delivered before the boxes were broken into so that lets us know it was most likely taken. " "We have two law enforcement agencies tasked with safeguarding the integrity of the Postal Service and the U.S. Mail. You can file a report for any package you believe was stolen while in our care with one or both of these agencies: Option (1): The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is the internal law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service If you would like to report an incident of mail theft by a postal employee, you may file a complaint online at https://www.uspsoig.gov/form/file-online-complaint. Options (2): The Postal Inspection Service is the external law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. Complaints alleging mail tampering or theft from nonemployees come under its exclusive jurisdiction. To report an external mail theft, you may file a complaint online at https://www.uspis.gov/report/ or call the Postal Inspection Service at: 1-877-876-2455."

San Diego Adventure Riders, Happy Holidays! I am posting to learn if anyone on the forum may be interested in exploring Glamis Dunes this weekend (12/7) or during the week between Christmas and January first. Last month, I finally purchased a CRF450X and recently went to Glamis Dunes during the Thankgiving holiday weekend. Although I still have a lot to learn about riding sand dunes, I had a great time. I explored the dunes relatively close to base camp (north side) and even climbed Oldsmobile Hill. (What a 55 years old guy will not do to feel 13 again!!!) Anyhow, it would be nice to join one or two other riders to explore Glamis Dunes further from base-camp, just in case of a mechanical failure or injury. I would eventually like to visit all the points of interests within Glamis and perhaps cross the dunes north to south or vice versa sometime. By the way, I live in the Sorrento Valley area and am interested in exploring other off-road recreational parks in SoCal within a half a days drive. Since the CRF is street legal, I am also open to a mix of both on and off road routes. Cheers, Koonzee

robertaccio: Thank you for the tire information. I am quite happy with the paddle tire and will swap wheels as needed. Ride safely. David

Slaugo: Hello. I am short on time....but I simply want to drop a line to THANK YOU very much for the wise words of wisdom about the world of Glamis. Your advice is golden! I wish I knew this prior to the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday break. I am returning to Glamis this weekend. Your information will certainly help with navigating. I will also have a GPS with a backtrack feature, a Garmin/Delorme InReach Exploror SAT comm device and a 2.64 gallon fuel bladder to compliment my 3.2 gallon fuel tank during this trip. Therefore, I will have approximately 5.8 gallons. Giant Loop Coyote luggge arrived this week as well and it will provide a little peace of mind by traveling with a tent and sleeping bag. Compression sacks are GREAT! I like your idea of burying gas in various areas. With every trip, I am learning more about the area and tips on navigating. As you know, Glamis is huge and there is a lot to explore and learn. Thanks again for your generous & GOLDEN keystrokes and for keeping one foot in the SD Adv Rider Forum although you are in TX. BTW, your T7 looks great. I test rode a T7 recently and was quite impressed with it. Yamaha hit the mark perfectly IMHO. I had a XT660Z Tenere in AUS and thought it was nice, especially the dual under seat exhaust for symmetrical saddle bag mounts, fuel capacity or touring range. The T7 is twice the m/c as the XT660Z in regards to the engine and transmission, IIRC. Ride safely and have a great MLK Jr. holiday weekend.

San Diego Adventure Riders, Hello. I posted the following URL recently in my introduction thread. However, I thought it would be more appropriate to share my gallery within this Four Days & Longer Trip sub-forum. Since I do not have a trip report, I will let the videos and images tell the story. Most videos are only 10-12 seconds long and provide a much better impression of the moment than the images (such as the video of the holy men of Nepal). SD Adv. Riders forum members may enjoy the sub-galleries titled Motorcycle Misc. Wheels which includes anything with wheels and many motorcycle/landscape images. If you enjoy motorcycling, photography and exploring different cultures, I would highly recommend a comparable trip. Australia: 6 months on a Yamaha Tenere XT660Z (Large fuel tank, fuel efficient; Bought & sold locally) India & Nepal: 3 months on a Royal Enfield Himalayan (Best domestic motorcycle for India's rough roads. RE's service shops are excellent. Rented my RE for $9/day out of New Dehli) Thailand: 1 month rental on a Honda CB500. The best rental bike available for Thailand, IMHO. Northern Thailand has some of the best riding I have ever experienced. The CB500 was great, even at 6'3"-6'4". New Zealand: 2 months on a Honda Africa Twin XRV750. Bought and sold in NZ. Music festival & Elvis fans may enjoy the Australian video galleries. Scroll down to near the bottom of the sub-folder for the Parkes Elvis Festival. When I flew into New Dehli, India during mid-July, I did not know a soul. All I had was a cheap hotel in a 14th century village near the airport that still did not have city water infrastructure/utilities...after 700 years! It felt great to eventually replace my Tuk-Tuk transportation with my own wheels! I slept above braying donkeys which were housed on the first floor\barn of homes and in creepy old 1970's heart-shaped beds of old hotels (I slept on the covers in my riding gear). My favorite memory was sharing a home with a mountain family and joining them for breakfast. The carbureted RE Himalayan carried me across passes almost as high as 18,000 feet. I did okay at higher elevations also. Please browse the sub-galleries titled Locals, Tourists & Critters. Although I rode through some incredible scenic areas, the enjoyable encounters with the locals are my fondest memories of all. Finally, a Samsung Galaxy S8+ was used for most images and almost all videos. A Canon 5D Mark II was used for many of the landscape images. See ya down the road... Cheers! https://koonzeekoonzee.smugmug.com/share/dkunze GPS Tracks for India & Nepal: A good day...and memory.

and the Veteran's Memorial.

For those who have not ridden Glamis, here is the Swingset. It felt great to relax on the swing for a few minutes.

All: Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday. Slaugo: Thank you for your post and suggestions. I will certainly checkout Gordon's Well & Buttercup. If you have not already explored CO, I would highly suggest exploring the region around Ouray. It is a special place. Hopefully, you are not too far from CO. Telluride & Taylor Park region are nice also. Checkout the Backcountry Discovery Routes. There is beauty everywhere... I almost moved to Austin 18 years ago but decided to move to San Diego after receiving a job offer with 3Com. Sometimes, I wish I could experience a few years in TX, especially Austin's music and festival scene. iHeart Radio is providing my fix for local country music from TX. I am originally from Ohio. Goofy Footer: Thank you for your suggestion of exploring the areas east of Glamis, Picacho SP and south of Yuma. It is appreciated. I had another good ride at Glamis and am fine tuning my riding, gaining trust in the motorcycle and learning what is needed to be prepared in the desert. I am really loving the CRF450X. What a piece of awesome engineering. It runs strong and cool. Engine temps were between 150-180 this past weekend while hauling me around the dunes. No regrets with the CRF except for not buying it sooner. I am unsure of my desert tank capacity, but it was good for 4.5-5 hours of constant riding, dune climbing and idling at the top of the dunes. Although I have had a couple close calls.... I have not dropped the CRF yet. In order to enjoy the dunes without the stress of managing time (daylight) and precious fuel, I will definitely travel with a fuel bladder (US Military obtained in AUS) and a very lightweight tent and down bag in the future. It is not a pleasant feeling to get lost, ride to the top of 50+ dune peaks and backtrack to scout out an exit route, all while burning precious daylight and fuel. Lesson learned! I was surprised very few duners were out January first. Most campers must have traveled from far away and used Jan. first as a travel day. The early morning rain made the conditions perfect IMO. Once I was south of Oldsmobile Hill, I probably rode two hours without seeing any duners (side by sides, motorcycles, etc). While trying to reach China Wall, I got turned-around and ended up far southwest of China Wall and rode as far 'south' until I could see white campers. I thought I was facing 'south'. Then, while trying to ride north....(I was actually riding east), thinking the next dune would provide an oasis or landmark to expose the route home. If you ever attempted to ride west to east across northern third of Glamis you can relate to endless dunes. Prior to riding 'north' (true east), I passed the Swingset and Veterans Memorial. A stranded 25 year duner veteran who was waiting for a side-by-side belt was a road angel. He helped me with directions and suggested a couple landmarks to ride towards. Ironically, after talking with him, I gravitated towards the eastern course again and never saw the mountains with the communication towers we discussed. The wind was also becoming very strong. I finally saw some duners in the far west riding south through a wide wash....the easiest route to the true north. I rode the wash/route and gravitated towards an eastern route again...thinking I was traveling north. The campers that I thought were in the south, were actually the campers in the west at Roadrunner, per the veteran duner. Another set of side-by-sides eventually crossed my view and provided more optimism that I was exiting via a northern route. I ended up exiting the dunes around wash 22 or 32. ( I am unsure.) Another road angel provided some fuel as a precaution and I managed to return to camp without any fuel issues. My camp was just west of the Glamis Beach Store. I will return during MLK Jr. holiday weekend and hope to test my Garmin Basecamp routes for parts of the Grand Tour (China Wall, The Wall, The Ceiling, Phil's Wall, No Name(?), Swing Set, Granite and Oldsmobile). The Veteran duner also suggested Duner's Diner. It appears to be a must-do destination at least once for a heart attack breakfast. I simply need to workout the logistics of refueling or carrying more fuel for a 6-7 hour day with sufficient reserve for getting lost. Take care & ride safely! Cya down the road... or on the dunes!

Btw, if either of us learn we are incompatible riders after two minutes or two hours, we can simply go our separate ways. No hard feelings. I understand a trip to Glamis involves considerable time, effort & expense. I don't want be the guy to prevent someone from 'riding their ride' at their pace. No problem. It goes both ways. I have done a lot of solo riding. I have learned I prefer to finish the ride/goal without injuries or destroying the motorcycle, than pushing the limits of either myself or the motorcycle. I car camp in Yukon XL and use a motorcycle carrier. I am fairly simple at camp. I try to bring enough to address most mechanical issues while away from home. Spare parts & tools are a higher priority than excessive camping & cooking gear. Cheers, Koonzee

350 Thumper: Hello. I have ridden with both the paddle & knobbies in the sand dunes. I like the paddle better and will be riding with it in the dunes in the future. I travel with both since I have an extra set of wheels. Thanks asking. Koonzee

Btw, my other ride is more than 200 pounds heavier than the CRF. What a difference 30 years of newer technology, 200 pounds of less weight and a proper suspension makes when riding in the sand! At least I can pick up the CRF by myself....

San Diego Adventure Riders. Cheers! Here's a long shot... but I thought it may be nice to share a home with a couple like-minded adventure riders. More information on the rentals is available at: https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/roo/d/san-diego-sept-19th-sorrento-valley/7523594383.html https://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/roo/d/san-diego-sept-20th-1of-2brs-furnished/7523861760.html A little about my riding interests...via images & videos: https://koonzeekoonzee.smugmug.com/share/dkunze

Zubb: Please try again. The links are correct. Good luck. Checkout some of the 10 second videos... some of my favorite memories. ShutterRev: Thanks for kind reply. Yes. I had some great experiences. Is your username a combination of two passions? Shutterbug & Revving Motorsports? If you are interested in international travel, I highly recommend it. It is easier than most would anticipate and very affordable in India, Nepal & Thailand. I rented a Royal Enfield Himalayan for $8.90/day for three months for India and Nepal. In AUS, I bought a nice Yamaha Tenere XT660Z and toured for six months. In NZ, I bought an Africa Twin XRV750 and toured for two months. (I started in NZ with the AT and was going to ship/ride it during the other tours, but I quickly learned it was too expensive and added the risk of shipping delays.) Northern Thailand was my favorite place to 'actually ride' due to being mostly rural areas with perfect roads with hardly any traffic. I rented a CB500, which is one of their larger motorcycles. Two or three weeks would be enough to experience the Ladakh region in India. If you enjoy the solitude of riding in our southwest region, especially northern Death Valley, you will love Ladakh! If you enjoy photograph, the Ladakh region is heavily influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Leh has Buddhists, Hindu, Christians, Muslims and probably more religions represented. I am glad you enjoyed a few of the photographs. If you need a laugh, check out the holy men of the Nepal videos. Btw, the RE Himalayan has provided a much needed touring motorcycle for India. It is the perfect ride for India and the dealer support is second to none! Cheers! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Ladakh#:~:text=Tourism is one of an,the Leh and Kargil districts. Direct flight from SFC to New Delhi. Domestic flight to Leh for your motorcycle rental. (Leh's rental for prices will be higher than New Dehli's rental prices but if you are short on time it is worth it.) Here are my gps tracks: (At times I was less than ten miles from Pakistan and simply across a lake from China. The local mountains... Passes crossed during day prior to arriving to Leh. Leh is an adventure sports destination. IIRC, there are many popular treks out of Leh, some reaching as high as 20,000 feet! "Rising up to 20,000 feet, Kang Yatse is one of the most wondrous peaks in Ladakh."

Hello everyone! I recently registered on this forum and thought I should post a brief introduction. I have enjoyed dual-sport and sport-touring motorcycling for more than forty years. My love of motorcycling started on a Honda 50cc at the age of seven. Currently, I own two Honda ST1100A sport-touring motorcycles and two Honda XRV750 Africa Twins dual-sport motorcycles. I have been fortunate to experience many beautiful rides and destinations in North America while living in San Diego, Chicago and a small town in Ohio. My other interests include telecommunications (wireless/cellular networking), photography, cultural events/festivals, kayaking/fishing, scuba diving, swimming and camping. It would be nice to 'network' with other telecom or datacom dual-sport riders in San Diego. Currently, I am planning an extended tour overseas and would appreciate meeting anyone with experience or local knowledge of touring New Zealand, Australia, India and SE Asia. Tentatively, my tour starts in New Zealand during late October and then onto Australia in late December/January. If any of the listed countries are on your short list for 2017Q4 or 2018, please feel free to contact me. It would be nice to compare notes since I am still in the planning stage. I am looking forward to meeting local forum members and sharing a few rides this summer. Take care & ride safely. Go Ride!

SD Adventure Riders: Cheers! I feel like I have lived a couple lifetimes since my last post on the forum. I am sorry for being away for so long. Within my introduction post, I made reference to my interest in traveling overseas for a bit. Well, since I am among like-minded folks on this forum, I thought others may enjoy browsing a gallery from my recent solo trip to India, Nepal, Thailand, New Zealand & Australia. I hope to see ya down the road... Enjoy! https://koonzeekoonzee.smugmug.com/share/dkunze

Hello. I will car camp near Borrego Springs and explore Anza Borrego SP and perhaps Glamis this week. Since I am traveling solo on a large dual-sport mc, I am interested in learning of others riding a larger dual-sport mc who also may be interested to exploring the area. I will eventually move onto Joshua Tree NP, Dumont Dunes & northern areas of Death Valley NP this month. Take care & ride safely. David (red Yukon XL & XRV750 Africa Twin)

Bagstr, In regards to routes, I appreciate the offer. However, I have plenty of material to reference at this time. Thx again. Koonzee

Bagstr, Hello and thank you for replying. Yes, I am in Sorrento Valley, zip 92121. I would enjoy meeting local riders sometime. I rode a very similar itinerary in March of 2017. Being from the woodlands of SE Ohio, I learned a lot about sand during that desert trip...I think locals call them witches eyes/ditch(?) and then once I went over an unexpected drift like Jeronemo! The AT is a 'tank'... I typically take it easy and carefully analyze what's ahead. I learned sand can feel like treading water while trying to pickup a big dual-sport. All in all, I enjoy just cruising around, checking out new places and making a few memories with my camera. Most of my trip have been solo so I try not to get into too much 'trouble' and try to be self-reliant. Btw, I twisted my knee riding in Joshua Tree once.. the meniscus, and can appreciate the long recovery or rehab. Best of luck to you & your wife. Koonzee

Also, I am open to exploring SoCal deserts with any rider who does not mind a slower pace and stopping for a few photographs once in a while. Finally, I will consider other riding areas not referenced above. I have time & my schedule is flexible. Thanks in advance! Koonzee

KTMrad: Hello. Please disregard my request for the POC for your solar panel. I recently purchased an Africa Twin in New Zealand and will not be shipping my motorcycle from SoCal to NZ. I may revisit this conversation with you in a couple years once I have a CRF1000L. Thanks again for your time and effort to provide the information. (Sorry I missed you and others at the recent meeting. I logged onto the forum and learned about it the day after it was scheduled.... Perhaps next time.)