KTMrad

Verrrrry interesting.....but NOT funny (anyone remember where that quote comes from ?) :clapping: Biofuel brews up higher German beer prices.... Like most Germans, brewer Helmut Erdmann is all for the fight against global warming. Unless, that is, it drives up the price of his beer. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18941618/from/ET/

I can't make it, will be on a plane to Florida for a week of work at a resort on the beach. :clapping:

Thanks to DigDug and his son Mickey (hope I got his name right) for putting on an awesome, challenging....sometimes difficult ride. We had a group of 10 riders. I must hand it to Ken (Joliet), Alex (Papaalex), and John (Rex Everything), for attacking the difficult trails and never giving up, being they never really rode trails like these before. I was also impressed with Dug's and Rob's sons riding with us, and Dirt Dame chugged along on her little CRF 150. Everybody rode well and we had a great group. Had a few issues here and there, no mechanicals or flats, just difficult sections......all in all, everyone had a good time. Papaalex - only his 3rd ride on his new KTM 450 Rex Everything - only his 2nd ride on his DRZ 400 I have 82 photos and some GREAT action shots to be posted over this weekend. Check back soon.......and I"m sure everyone else has some great shots also.......... Been a long time since I've done some difficult trails like that, it was AWESOME !!

Here's my version......... I met Pyro, Metal Twister and Bikeslut at the Pine Valley Cul De Sac....only met Pyro once before, but had never ridden with any of them. I like Twister's dark green KTM 640 LC4 (6 Days Enduro Edition)...have never seen one in that color. Bob (Twister), Troy (Pyro) and....yep, another Bob (Slut) on top of Bronco Peak Pyro takin' a pic of me takin' a pic Good views from Bronco Peak.....across the valley, the road going up to the Fire Lookout and the Corral Canyon Loop Trail Looking west towards the ocean....and the marine layer Pyro and Bikeslut coming down one rocky, loose downhill on Bronco Peak The boyz coming down another rocky section in formation.... Troy picks his way through some more......Ummmm, Boulders...yeah, that's it !! Metal Twister I thought Twister's nickname might've been from doing damage to his bikes ....but nope, his business is Metal Twisting. Hey BikeSlut, you gettin' a little off the line there ? Can we have some more rocks please..... Of course we can I love rocks !! After BikeSlut fell over (not even moving, just trying to put his kickstand down) and breaking his clutch perch while waiting for the group of 5 Jeepers coming up a gnarly section, we had to pull over way to the side to let them by...... These were some hardcore Jeepers Doggies enjoyin' the 4x4 action also I was sure to inform this guy he had some scratches on his Grand Cherokee This guy actually uses his jeep for more than going to the mall and picking the kids up from school The last jeep squeezes by us The last section heading down before dropping into the lower Corral Campground...I went down ahead and told Pyro to wait a minute so I could set up for some action shots....Yes, I am the camera man Pyro rides that KLR really well He ALMOST tipped over here, I saw him straining to hold it up....I ran over and helped him straighten it out Woops.......not an almost here After a break at the water well pump in the campground, Twister and I headed up the little trail along the paved road up to 4 Corners, but one section was fenced off and the trail changed a bit, then we had to take a different section which used to be part of another difficult trail....it has a steep rockface climb...I made it up, and Twister hesitated...which was the end of that. I knew he was getting a bit tired, and I didn't know if there was any more difficult stuff ahead since I was not familiar going this way, so we turned around and met Pyro and Bikeslut at 4 Corners. I saw a Ranger and wanted to talk about the changes to that trail, also the amount of water bars that are now on the trails at Corral. Ranger was Richard Tull, who I have heard about many times now but never met. I introduced myself and we talked for a good 20 minutes....got some really good information from him, and also some NEW updated Corral Canyon maps. We super-mottarded down the twisty paved road back to Buckman Springs and pavement to lunch at the greasy spoon in Pine Valley. Then we parted ways and headed home. Another great ride even though it was short, good challenging stuff, and more rocks !! Nevertheless, great trails with great people !! 2 fun rides in one weekend for me.....can't beat that. Bikeslut, Thanks for putting on this ride, making my Memorial Day Weekend a memorable one !!

I thought we were riding fire roads the rest of the way back to the trucks, with just a stream crossing to contend with, but was happy to see we had a narrow single track trail to ride for a few miles on the edge of a canyon to get to Devil's Hole. Here's where Joliet lost it on the steep hillside trail, where a washout had been filled in with soft dirt. Luckily he saved himself and the bike from sliding down the long, steep incline. Joliet preparing to ride again, after making sure he and his bike are OK. Good view of the trail to the right on the hillside Mount Up !! Dig Dug's son Mickey demonstrates how to get around one of many rocks that jutted out into the trail. Sometimes a bit unnerving with the dropoffs to the right. Looking down the canyon with the lead riders on the trail Here, Brett and I park the bikes at Devil's Hole, anticipating the need to help riders get across the rocky creek crossing... Papaalex stands and waits, with an uncertain look on his face Dirt Dame (Mimi) poses before getting wet.... Rex Everything at the boulders Rex dismounts Bulldoggin' across the creek Approaching the other side As if there weren't enough boulders and rocks in the creek... there were more to deal with on the other side Rob's son Tommy getting ready for the attempt Tommy looking for a line through the boulders Rob helping Tommy at the difficult spot through the boulders Tommy rides it to the other side Dirt Dame's little CRF 150 was a lot easier to lift around the boulders Dirt Dame thinks, "I hope I don't have to get off the bike" She tries to remember, "Did I buy waterproof boots" ? We heard her yell out, "Dang....this waters cold" !! This puppy dog came down to check out the excitement and see if he could help Brett's turn now.... This spot was tricky weaving through the first big boulders, with slimey, wet rocks underneath Wait....what's that I see....could it be a Rooster ?? Oh yeah....it's a good one !! Brett makes it to the other side, after hitting a submerged rock and almost falling over Ride Orange starts his attack R-O always has to be different Here, he tries a different line OVER the boulder We all made it across with nobody falling over in the creek. A great ride, some riders had their skills put to the test, while others had never ridden these types of trails before and found their limitations and where they need to practice. We had no mechanical issues or flats and everyone got back to their trucks with a smile on their face, even if they're bikes and bodies might've been abused !! Awesome ride....I hadn't ridden difficult trails like that in a long time....when are we going back ?!!

The next difficult hill....lots of rocks. Rex nails the boulder....I walked down to help him and saw he was getting a bit tired, so I offered to ride his DRZ up the next short rocky section.....he felt bad, but took me up on the offer Brett in action Everyone made it through the ridge trail to the bottom where we met the others who opted for the easy route. We then continued on towards Devil's Hole........... (to be continued)

OK, here's the continuation of my write-up....we'll give it another shot. Here's the first uphill on the difficult Redonda Ridge Trail Joliet and Rex in the shade, waiting for everyone to make it up the hill Papaalex on his new 450 EXC Dig Dug Ride Orange Brett Quick break in the shade Great views from the hilltop Brett...."I'm cool, even though I don't have a cool screen name" One of the crew says, "C'mon, Shut Up and Let's Ride" !! Papaalex demonstrating the proper New Bike break-in technique, on the next challenging uphill section Joliet helps out The hill was challenging because it was steep, with loose DCG (decomposed granite), mixed in with rocks and rock steps Some teamwork and dulldogging goin' on Ride Orange gives it a go R-O was having some carburetor issues at elevation, so his bike was sputtering & stalling, sometimes at the worst moment.... Here comes Brett Oops....stall Yesss....go go go !! OH, Not again....Brett thinks, "Shoulda got the EXC instead of an MXC" Here comes Rex Everything on the move with a good head of steam Roh Roh !! Here, I stopped 2/3 of the way up the hill to help Papaalex when he tipped over, but I couldn't set the centerstand down because it was too steep and loose, so I stayed there and took photos of everyone coming up the hill. Then, when Rex tipped over on his DRZ, I had Joliet hold my bike so I could go down to help him, since they already worked hard getting a few of the others up the hill....it was my turn to help bulldog up the hill.... We got everyone up the hill with some teamwork. Stopped in the middle ended up being a mistake for me, since now I wouldn't have the momentum needed as if I would've started up from the bottom. I ended up dropping it on the last section of this hill also

This looks like the only action shot of me....Waaaaaahhhh

Bronco Peak used to be a lot tougher, but since they widened it and used it as a fire break during the big fire, it's actually easier. I will post my write-up late tonight or tomorrow, gotta do my Arrowhead write-up from Saturday first. 2 days of awesome riding with great people on fun, technical, difficult trails.....my, what is this world coming to ??

I spent over an hour last night and did my complete final ride report, with over 60 photos last night at about 10:00pm, then hit the button for Post Preview and....boom....no preview, lost the connection to the site. Explanation of that situation and why the site was down will be posted later in the Website Info Category. Ride Orange....great photos, can't wait to see more from the others. I will redo my report and photos, hopefully tonight...gotta go hit happy hour now at the Brig.

Hey Zina, haven't seen you in a long time. Glad you're back here with us on the forums. As you can see, it's changed and really taken off. Yep, I remember that Dual Dogs ride in Kernville when you and Chris got lost. Hope to see you soon on the trails !!

No worries. Looking forward to another ride !!

Here we go...... At the Pinnacles Staging Area...Rex Everything and Joliet getting ready My Black/Silver KTM 640, Brett's orange KTM 525 DigDug holding the map, explaining the route The Dry Waterfall, first obstacle of the day, on the other side of Deep Creek.....there was an easy line around it on the left.....here, DigDug takes the left line, as most did.... DigDug continuing on up to the top Ride Orange, on his KTM 625, veers to the right from the easier line to hit a more challenging line up the middle Ride Orange thinking...."was this a good idea"?....but, it was no problem Papaalex unknowingly follows R-O's line through the tougher part Papa has a little trouble, but he makes it through OK without any help Rob's son (name ?) on another orange machine DigDug's son Mickey on the green machine, and Rex Everything on the DRZ 400 Dirt Dame (Mimi) on her mighty, little CRF 150 Rex Everything getting through unscathed Brett and I rode sweep most of the day because we can let the group get ahead and we ride our own pace, with less dust...if we catch up with the last rider, we take another quick break to let them get ahead and we ride dustless again for awhile. Brett bringing up the rear.... That's it for now.....will add more from the difficult section later.........

I'll see you all at the Pine Valley Cul De Sac, be there about 8:30am. My bike's still in the truck from yesterday, so I'm trucking it out.

Here's my idea on the Jo Momma thing and keeping certain topics, etc. out of our forums here at SDAR. I like to send out links to people, friends and even family about ride write-ups. Some people have filters on their computers....especially at their work place, that won't allow them to open some sites that have certain topics, words, discussions, photos, etc. I sent my sister a link to some of my trip write-ups on another site, and she couldn't open the link due to content on that site, but was able to open the links on SDAR. So, I'd like to keep it clean, the way it's been here, for that reason....and the reasons some of you have mentioned already. Our dualsport community in San Diego is never going to be as big as some of the other sites, and seems most people here like the direction we are following on these forums. Also, the original intention of SDAR was to have a site for people to meet and talk about riding, to promote informal rides, to promote dualsport in a positive way, to promote participation in Land Use and Land Closure Issues, and to promote organized, sanctioned dualsport rides. Sound good ??

Yes, Brett and I will be at the Arco at Deer Springs about 6:45am Saturday. I'm gettin' fresh knobbies put on right now, waxing up the 640...not !! Lookin' forward to a good ride !!

I'll be talking with John more this weekend. I think there will be a few options....you can just buy a t-shirt for X amount, or a button down shirt for XX amount. Or, you can donate $$ directly under the SDAR name, and your name will be listed under SDAR as sponsors. Or, you can donate individually....I'm not sure what the terms will be to be listed if you donate individually. Will keep y'all posted with more details.

John's Dakar website is race2dakar.com I started off with a nice amount donated to his race effort in the name of San Diego Adventure Riders. If you want to donate under the club name, there's a way to donate on his site through Paypal....make sure you send a note along with the donation saying you're with SDAR, and I believe our name and the individuals who donate directly, will be listed as sponsors....waiting for more info from John on this. We will be helping sell t-shirts and apparel also. More details will be posted as I get them.

I've been dying to try one of those Super Dukes! Don't do it....you'll be wanting to go buy one within a week !!

Don't know about the first weekend in July either....July 4th is on a Wednesday, so don't know which weekend people are going to use as their extended weekend for getting away. I guess the weekend you decide, just see how many responses you get to see if there will be enough people to make it worthwhile. Don't know how many people will actually go to the Big Bear dualsport ride that weekend, so maybe not many will miss the trail maintenance that weekend. Chime in people, let John know if and when you can help on trail maintenance. John, I've been seriously considering the Big Bear dualsport ride on the weekend you proposed.

That's a great story ? Frankly, I've read comments by others and even had some PM's saying these KTM v. Honda posts are getting a little old. And they seem to originate from the same people. I'm not telling anyone what they can or cannot post, but geez....think about what you're posting and what is the reason behind the post.

Yes, not a good idea doing it on a weekend conflicting with a dualsport ride.

Thanks Chris Doh !! I was referring to the 650L, not the CR500.....CR500 definitely manly.

Hammon, I want to put on a club ride for intermediate to expert riders in the Kernville area, some of the best single track trails in California. Team Dual Dogs used to put on a ride every year, I was lucky to have ridden about 8 of those rides.....Damon from Team Dual Dogs had a reputation of putting on the most kick ass, difficult rides in California. I wanted to try to do it before June, but it sucks that work gets in the way sometimes. Maybe we can do it in the fall after it cools off. I was going to try to make it an organized, invitation only ride, but think we'll just keep it small for SDAR and maybe a few other invitations. Craig, I think you'd be happy with the technical single track which you can ride for most of the day, with some fire roads inter-connecting the trails. Also, I'm planning on going up to the Bishop area over the summer to layout trails for an organized ride next year in the Sierra, and there will be some difficult single track trail options and rocky canyons on that ride.

DigDug, so how much of this ride is actually difficult, technical, black diamond trails ?? If I go, and want to do more difficult trails, are there options I can take and meet back up with you guys on your trails ? If yes, anyone want to do more of the difficult trails ?