Vintage DR

Black Canyon and Pamo. The Cleveland Forest maps show locked gates at the north end toward Lusardi. Can a bike get through to Hwy76? There is a locked gate at the north end of Lusardi, but some great trails coming back a little on the east Y. Black Cyn. road goes thru to Mesa Grande Rd. and comes out near the Hideout and then 76. The Santa Ysabel Trk trail is a good connector ride between Black Mt and Black Cyn. Rd. Nice view from top of Black! Enjoy :dance3:

Im going to ride the fire roads north of Ramona and try to finish by noon. Any takers? Bill I'll be doing the Pine Valley trails then, but I would suggest the Lusardi Cyn trail at the north end of Pamo Rd (past dip on right). It's the sweetest fire road out there. Then maybe back down to Santa Ysabel Trk Trl east to Black Cyn Rd. Then south to bridge & east a mile to check out Sutherland lake, and/or south out to 78. Makes for a nice loop, watch out for wild turkey. Lots of single track off the main trails too. Gas as you hit the 78 Hiway Mkt. Enjoy!

Here's some coordinates I have for the Ocotillo Wells area. Have Fun! 5 Palms N33 14.953 W116 06.388 426 Adobe Hut N33 15.001 W116 00.997 42 Artisian Well N33 09.997 W115 56.653 105 Blow Sand (Top) N33 09.670 W116 09.391 538 Blu-In N33 07.515 W116 02.661 18 Bus Man N33 15.165 W116 00.713 36 Desert Ironwoods N33 09.027 W116 10.877 346 Gas Dome N33 10.696 W115 56.996 142 Pumpkin Patch N33 13.378 W116 04.101 197 Shell Reef N33 11.368 W116 04.078 306

You may want to check the oil too, if the air box is full of gas, the crankcase may be as well. My '90 had that problem when I first bought it. Pull the dipstick and see if it smells like gas. Usually it barely runs at all. Better off getting the petcock off of a later DRZ400E or even a banshee will work, then you can shut it off. Good luck

Awesome pictures too! Very cool of you to work with your son and pick up some trash on the SDAR trail also. That Norm is a pretty nice guy, I'll be up on top of Los Pinos on Monday morning, adding some more radio gear to the site, I hope he's working up there too. Wish I could bring my bike with me, hide it in the truck or something. Thanks for the great write up, and taking the time to share it with us all, and I, for one, appreciate your service to the USN.

John, I bought the '06 DRZ400S for mainly fire road riding and I love it, especially the go button. For carving canyons up Palomar Mt., an SM would be just the thing. It'll still do the dirt road thing just fine, and the cost of larger wheels for serious dirt riding are cheaper on Ebay than buying the 17s. Also, check out Thumpertalk.com, it's a great site for comparison info. Can't go wrong with the DRZ, lots of ways to hop it up. Jerry

access gates are usally locked at one end or the other I know the gate to 11504 from Black Canyon (just across the bridge and to the left) was locked the last time I came through several months ago The gates are all open now, they close them when it rains to prevent ruts. Out there last weekend. Likewise, forest service road nf - 11501 turns into Lasardi Truck Trail and eventually intersects with the Mesa Grande Truck Trail which will take you over to the 76.....but again, the last time I went onto 11501 off Pamo (which was a couple of years ago) the access gate was locked after a mile or so..... The Lusardi Truck Trail goes for miles of nice riding, but doesn't go thru to Mesa Grande (without going thru some rancher's gates) or to 76 without having keys to the gate at the top where it hits ranch property. Still alot of great riding out there, but Pamo area seems to be off the path that Jon set for the ride. He's the leader, so it's his call. I'm sure there will be plenty of great trails for us all to see with his lead, as he's been riding the area for quite some time. Maybe on the trip back into town if anyone has any energy left. It will be a blast!

Awesome Jon! Sounds like a sweet ride. Sign me up, I will be there for sure. I can't wait, I've never seen Thomas Mt.. Jerry

Did you get a new ride? Last I heard you sold that sweet old DR350. This is Paul the rider formerly known as KIP Hey Paul, Yes, I got an '06 DRZ400S with only 400 miles and lots of upgrades done to it already. I'm loving the electric start! I've put it on a diet removing non-essentials, did the dynojet kit, DRC edge tail light & some other mods. Having a blast scratching it up out at Corral, Pine Valley, Kitchen Creek, Laguna, Pamo, etc.. I haven't had a chance to thank you for offering your ride to me when I was in between bikes. That was really a cool gesture! I'm amazed by all the comeraderie on this site, SDAR is a great bunch of guys. Thanks again, Jerry

Did you guys actually go for the ride? You bet, Kevin, his work bud and I tore it up to the monument from the 1000 trails gate. It got so windy at the top that it literally blew me and my bike over, while I was on it! It was blowing us all off our lines and off the roads. Kinda windy on top for real fun, but down in the canyons was great, chasing cattle off the road. Not sure if we got any pictures taken, maybe Kevin will chime in with some. Still had a great time on Kevin's lead! Shoulda been there, Jerry

Anyone have any nice small head/earphones they recommend that work well with dirtbike helmets? Check these on Ebay (I hope I copied the link below correctly). I'll let you listen to mine when they come in. http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-MDR-NC11A-Noise-C...1QQcmdZViewItem

Scincer, They make Scott 87 OTG (Over The Glasses) goggles that I use all the time. That way you can wear prescription shades under them, to get more of a darker tint than you would get with goggles alone. I wear a Thor motocross style helmet with a visor on it (DOT?). Boots are also important to save your ankles. Jerry

I heard that Fry's Electronics has them for $14 plus tax if you need them right away. 1 Gb flash drives for $9.

Mobil station at 10AM, count me in too. I sold the old Vintage DR and bought a 2006 DRZ400s, so I'll see you there. Gotta break it in, it's only got 400 miles on it. Great to ride again. Maybe next year Chargers?

Cool, it will be good to see ya again Jerry! I may take you up on that offer of trailering as well! Kevin, I sold my vintage DR! What a bonehead huh? I got tired of kicking it. I guess I'll miss this ride, unless I can find another bike quick! One with the go button for sure. See you guys next time. I'm gonna miss it.