skincer

I went out for my first practice session on my new bike yesterday. I went to a parking lot down the street and drove in a figure 8 pattern a bunch, and then practiced getting the clutch out in 1st gear over and over. It really helped a lot. I need to do some more of that and I think I'd like to take a motoventures class to learn some skills and get more practice. If I did this right, there should be a photo of my mighty XT250 attached to this post.

I took the motoventures class yesterday. Gary taught our class. I originally planned to take the level 1 class since I have no dirt experience, but Gary convinced me I should take level 2. I think he was right - the level 1 was all people that had never ridden a motorcycle. I had hoped it would be a confidence builder, but it was a skill teacher instead ... which is OK I think. I didn't really build much confidence because I realize now, that I need a lot of practice on what we learned. I lost track of how many times I dropped the bike I was using. I had stood up briefly before while riding, but he had us standing up continuously doing drills and riding twisty trails. My quads are screaming today. I think I did get better during the course of the day. I just bought his book and intend to do some practice on my own. I'm not sure where the closest non-paved area is to me in Jamul, but I need to find somewhere. All in all, I'm really glad I took the class.

So, I put gas in my XT250 for the first time yesterday, which of course means I sloshed some gas down the side of my tank and blue plastic body panel. I saw stuff on the internet about gas being bad for the paint on your bike, but I’m hoping that doesn’t apply to my bike so much since the body is just blue plastic. Despite doing a bunch of googling on the proper way to fill a motorcycle gas tank, I still have a couple questions for you guys. First, when I remove the gas cap and look inside the tank, I see a metal “cup” or basket kind of thing. Am I only supposed to put enough gas in the tank that it’s at the bottom of that basket, or should I fill the tank fuller and that basket is just there to make it easier to see the fuel level as it gets higher than the bottom of the basket? Second, you know how in California the nozzles have that rubber, vapor collection foreskin on them? Will the pump only pump fuel if that thing is compressed? I was trying to hold it back with one hand while holding the nozzle with the other when I spilled gas on my tank. I ended up sticking the nozzle all the way into the tank which compressed the foreskin and the end of the nozzle went through a hole in the bottom of that basket/cup thing. This worked great, but the pump shut off when the gas got to that level. I got a little over a gallon of gas in my tank, but figured I’d had enough humiliation for the day and I could come back and get more gas later. Third, I put 91 octane in my tank. Is there any reason to do that or would 87 perform just as well? Thanks. Steve

Yeah, pretty much, but mine looks a little deeper (photo attached). I measured the depth and it's about 3 inches deep. Does that still seem right?

Wow, I'm really surprised I'm only supposed to fill to the bottom of that basket/cup thing - that leaves a fair amount of space in the top of the tank. That will make things easier though because I can stick the nozzle down into the tank and the lip of the hole should compress the vapor collector. Thanks for the info.

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I think I just learned something that never occurred to me for some reason. I've been reading a bunch of stuff about dual sport bikes and people going on long riding trips and it's beginning to sound like there is a distinction between dual sport bikes and adventure bikes, with dual sport bikes being smaller and easier to handle on trails and "adventure bikes" being bigger and more comfortable on the road. Is this a commonly accepted distinction?

I bought a used truck receiver hitch carrier. It's basically a Joe Hauler elevated model. It came with a longer than standard ramp, but I just tried pushing my bike up it by myself & couldn't really do it. As the bike goes up the ramp, it gets high enough off the ground that I don't feel like I can control it, but I don't feel comfortable taking a running start at it. Anybody else have trouble with this? Being short and (apparently) weak has its disadvantages.

My bike would be facing the drivers side when on the carrier.

I've been watching the "Long Way Round" documentary mentioned above. It's about 2 guys from the U.K. that are riding around the world. It's been really entertaining. I would definitely recommend it.

Wow, that's cool. How many miles to you do and how long did it take you? Did you do mostly hotels or camping? I just read a book by a guy from New York that did it and he did mostly hotels. I hear there are bypasses for some of the tougher off road sections - especially for guys on bigger bikes. Did you take any of those?

I know this is a really old thread, but I just heard about this "Road Less Traveled" documentary. Everything I find about it on the internet is very old and seems to be saying they're still working on getting it released. Does anyone know if it ever got release? Did anyone see it? Anyone one know where I could rent or buy it? Thanks. Steve

I've got a dual sport bike, but I don't know how comfortable I'd be riding it a couple hours to get to a trail. Plus, I'd like to take my bike camping some day and for camping I'd like to have my truck.

Yeah, you're probably right, but that involves finding a place where my truck is a little lower than the surroundings. Plus, it doesn't give me an excuse to build something.

Winch comes with a wireless remote about the size of a car key fob. So as you're holding the bike, you push the forward button on the remote. A good thing is that due to the gearing in the winch, it pulls very slowly so things don't get away from you.

OK, I have another idea. I think this would be way easier to implement, cheaper, and a lot less dangerous. What about mounting a cheap winch (with a remote) on the Joe Hauler and basically use it to pull my bike up the ramp and onto the carrier? I saw a couple youtubes of guys using a winch to pull their bike up a ramp and into a truck bed and I think this would be even easier. I can get a 2500 lb ATV winch for $52 (with coupon) at Harbor Freight. I think there's almost no chance of getting killed with this setup. Thoughts? Thanks. Steve

This might be crazy, but I've been wondering if I could mount this (http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-60732.html) harbor freight 1/2 ton truck crane on the Joe Hauler, lift the bike up to the needed height, and sort of guide/swing it onto the carrier. I've watched a couple youtubes of guys mounting/operating this crane and it looks like it probably has enough lift height. I would think I could put ratchet straps on the bike while it was lifted and gradually lower it as I tightened the ratchet straps to pull it onto the carrier. The crane is relatively cheap ($80 w/ coupon), so it wouldn't cost much to experiment. What do you guys think? P.S. If you see a report on the news about a small man crushed to death by a falling motorcycle in Jamul, you can I say "I know that guy".

Ahh, good idea. I could use a step stool or something. Compared to the videos at the Joe Hauler site, the whole operation seems way more unsteady, but being higher would definitely be good.

I took my trusty blue steed out for my 2nd practice session last weekend. It went well. I did my standard figure 8's and 1st gear clutch drills in a nearby parking lot & then road on the streets near my house again. I was feeling more confident so I rode around my local streets more this weekend than last. I do notice if I'm rushed, or a little stressed by a car behind me or something, I get a little distracted and make small mistakes, like awkward stops with my fetch pedaling along the ground. Mthis makes it clear I Ned a lot more practice. I signed up for a motovemntures class. I was going to start ,with the level 1, but Gary convinced me that it was for folks that had no idea nhow to ride a motorcycle and I should start a with level 2. That's probably lyrics best. I decided not to take my bike, so he said I would be on a TTR230 which is only a little taller than my XT250. I think the class will do me some good.

I have a camper shell on my truck, so I was thinking about getting one of those racks that plugs into your hitch receiver. It seems like tons of companies make them. Anybody have a recommendation? The guy at Vey's recommended a local company called Joe Hauler. The product looks pretty good, but their web site is a disaster. Thanks. Steve

I'm beginning to think that I might like to put a tail bag on my XT250. I can see using it as a place to stash a layer that I take off if I get too warm as well as a place to carry other misc gear on day rides. Do you guys have any you would recommend? One that I saw a video review on is the Wolfman Peak. It looked nice and a good size. I also liked that it was expandable. Thanks. Steve

I just purchased an XT250 yesterday and unlike the last time I tried to get into dual sport riding, I'd like to buy some (modestly priced) gear to give me a little more confidence. I don't intend to ever do any really technical off road riding - I'm more interested in dirt roads, fire roads, basic trails, etc. When and if that changes, I might change the kind of gear I wear, but for now, my biggest concern is riding on the pavement to get to an off road location. So, I'm most concerned about abrasion protection. I think the first thing I'd like to buy is a jacket. If I wanted to stay around or below $200 what would you guys recommend? The next thing is boots - again not super expensive ... I saw some O’Neal Element and O'Neal Rider boots online that looked pretty good to me, but I have no idea what to look for. Thoughts? And finally gloves. Anybody have gloves they would recommend? ...or ideas about what to look for in gloves? Thanks a lot for the help. Steve

I just checked these AlpineStar boots out. They were in really good shape. They felt very comfortable, but maybe a little roomy around my foot. I bought them for $50. I figure they may be fine as is or I could wear 2 pairs of socks. He said they were Tech 1's. What do you guys think - good buy or bad?

No worries man, I welcome any info - I have no idea what I'm doing. When I felt the material, it seemed way more robust than my jeans, so I figured it was better than what I had and cheap enough. Can you recommend a brand/model of entry level pants that would be more appropriate for dual sport (especially the street portion) riding? Thanks. Steve

I scored some used Fly Racing F-16 pants from Craigslist today. They're in like new condition and I got them for $25. They seem like they will offer tons more abrasion protection and be more comfortable to ride in than jeans.

I just heard back from him and he said they are Tech 1's. I'm going to try to check them out tomorrow.