Metal Twister

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU,! Youve said in a few words what its taken me 3 pages to say, and I understand what you are saying! LOL I think this should be done in the members only section to keep it on the up and up! Well put Honda Pilot! thanks again \Actually, this idea above makes sense. What ya say Chief, can we press foward with this, You already know all the trails anyway!

Im looking for Ideas for a ride route. Im thinking it might be fun running down to the desert floor for awhile. is there a point of interest out there that might be a fun target point, besides the Iron Door?

'XR650RSMOKEDU' Let the fun begin! Anyone like night riding? Great timing, Lets do a night ride on the 25th of this month. Its just in the discussion stage right now, but im sure it will happen, and be a blast. stay posted.

Well I guess waiting for the full moon to fall an a weekend could be a long wait. We have a new moon on Tues. Aug. 28th. Im thinking Saturday August 25 should give us all enough time to get a route, and our bikes out of the shops? I'm open for suggestions as far as a route. I sure enjoyed the Ramona ride we did a couple of months ago. Id like to do that ride in reverse. Maybe hit the hideaway for dinner if its open by then? Any other ideas? What do ya think Crawdaddy, enough gas stops going backwards?

No problem Gunz! Just to nice a day not to be riding, glad I could help. Hope you can make the next night ride. I think we should shoot for Saturday Aug. 25.?

Sent you a PM Chief, I think?

Awww... Poor Twister... Looks like you've been Snoped check: http://www.snopes.com/science/mars.asp Thanks DigDug for setting things straight!!! I bit hard. Hook, line, & sinker

Im thinking next full moon might bea good time, or close to it. We just had one last week, so say in about 3 weeks? We'll have to check the moon cycle. My sister just sent this to me, might be cool to make it one of these nights? Two moons on 27 August >> >>27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for >> >>Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. >> >>It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will >>cultivate >>on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure to >>watch >>the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has >>2moons. >> >>The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. >> >>Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it >>again. >>

Im thinking next full moon might bea good time, or close to it. We just had one last week, so say in about 3 weeks? We'll have to check the moon cycle.

'chickenheart' i think a write up like this might help mind you this is from a mountain biking book. Wow, there was some time spent on that info book. I Dont know? seems that Honda Pilot had the right idea to me? Start out easy and ramp up, if there is any interest. It could be very easy, or very hard, I vote for easy right now. But if any one wants to make it a project i say go for it. Its more than we have now.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU,! Youve said in a few words what its taken me 3 pages to say, and I understand what you are saying! LOL I think this should be done in the members only section to keep it on the up and up! Well put Honda Pilot! thanks again

If we throw out all the 2wd roads, that's not going to leave us with too much to rate, except in B.C., Mexico. I say we should rate the 2wd roads. For example, you're wondering how the road is from La Rumorosa to Laguna Hanson. I tell you it's an easy 2wd road except for 100 yards of sand. It seems like that's useful info for anyone who's thinking of taking that road. You may not be interested in a report on Otay Mtn TT because you've been on it too many times, but someone who's never been there may be interested. I think you might of misunderstood what i was tring to say. I think truck trails/4 wheel drive trail/ jeep trails should be rated. I just wonder if there is a need for boulder creek road, and proctor valley road to be rated just because they happen to be un paved???? I dont have any answers. Just alot of questions. Heres another, should we stick to just San Diego County for now? Mexico is a big place, Do we want to start tring to rate the mexican trails/ roads too?

Im going to kinda of back out of here on this one. I dont have enought computer knowedge to know what is dooable. Maybe a four rating like all other trails to keeping it close to the same as other trails in other parts of the world. It seems that it would be easy to have a open link next to the final rate for the trail for people to verbally add info about the trail. This way a little more can be learned about the trail before riding it. And a big data base dosnt have to be maintained. Seems like the easiest way to do it to me? What do the rest of you think?

Hey Hammer, whats your wife doing with the Armorall, and toliet paper? polishing that goose egg?

Well ya see, if we would of had those jumps rated it wouldnt of been an issue now would it. Besides what are you doing comming up short on a set of doubles for anyway?

This is where experience skill level comes in. The easy i think should be any two wheel drive road, or should we even rate a dirt road? maybe we should only rate single track, or four wheel drive roads ( Jeep trails)? Trail width, rocks, switch backs, schrubs, silt, all have a part in the trail rating. Maybe the lack of those things is the key to rating? I really dont know? Im sure Randy or some of the world travelers here could shed some light on keys to rating. I dont have any clues other than whats easy, challenging, passable, or an SOB trail, but everybody is different. I say keep it consistant for you and the poll should answer that for us? Also was wondering if we should move any discussion of trails into the members only forum. After all this should be one of the percs for belonging to this cool forum, all the inside scoop on our trails, right?

I might be all wrong here, but it seems we should rate the trail according to our skill level and not what we think others would rate it. That way a 3 for you is a 3.... and a 4 is a true 4 for you. that way the rate will be accurate and not a guess based on others abilitys? Another words, you 3 to you could be a 4 for me, and i would know that a posted 3 is going to kick my arss. But at least i know what the posting is. Did I just make this thing really confusing???? i

Is it a lot of work to set up a poll for seperate trails like two wheels posted? does it suck up alot of memory? How many trails should we start with? should we start with trails that are heavly traveled so we can get a lot of feedback on the poles?

not at all! I thought a trail rating up the trail and another for down the trail might be good. OR early out riding, fresh and anxious, one rate. and late in, tired and haggard for the other rate.? But then i thought better, Id never admit im tired and haggard, even if it is on the way out.LOL Ride at the trail level your comfortable with, who cares what the number is? The trail should be rated, in a fresh ride ready frame of mind. Presume everybody is going to be on their "A" game riding through there.

I think the key here is to learn where the trail rate falls in terms of your riding. If I know a tail is rated at a 3, and that 3 is rough for me, then that 3 has a meaning. and I will know that a 3 ride for me is going to be a challenge. at the same time if a 3 outing for you was easy for you , next time a 4 might be in order. I think these ratings should be for our benifit, and only work as a guide line for evaluating new rides, and giving us a realistic idea what we're in for. I felt really bad after hearing that the beginner ride that we went on some time ago should of been rated higher than a beginners ride. Even though the only beginner crashed out shortly after hitting the dirt. After that its not a beginner ride any more, right? Maybe thats what they meant? Maybe the bigger bikes should add a rate to compensate for their size. Or if your a Pro rider maybe not? And if you ride a bulky bike just relize that the next level might better suit you. Of corse quads are going to be all over the board, but they to could use the same rate and have an idea what they are in for. Here again, this is where a trail rating would help.

So if you're going on a ride (on a new to you trail) with DigDug and he says he rates the new trail as a 5, you can go look at the table, find a familiar trail that DigDug has also rated as a 5, then see how you rated the familiar trail from the table... say a 3 (since you're so much more studly than DigDug). You now have a trail to compare it to. Is that kind of what you were getting at? I like it... Could be massive project depending on the number of trails and riders - but I'd say it's worth a shot. I'm kind of an Excel geek, so I could compile the data if nobody else wants to. Think we need to keep it real simple!!! I dont know how to set this stuff up? a Im a total computer Idiot. I guess that makes me an Idea Guy, right! LOL . Before this is all over we may take you up on your offer. Also it seems the more poll feedback we get the more accurate the trail rate will be. I know there is going to be trail rates that will baffle us all, one way or another. We might ride a trail and insist that it should have a higher, or lower rating, But the numbers shouldnt be to far off. It should be fun if nothing else.

Good except now we need to post that trail or trail area with a poll so everybody can give their views of the same area. Maybe post the Mtn. Springs area as a seperate poll? Maybe Uncle Cam can set up the polls? I sure cant. LOL should look somthing like this; Trail name, --- Poll 1 thru 4, ----- poll tally= Trail Difficulty rate, ---- Post trail as a, 1 thru 4 rate. I think we should start with say 5 trails in north county, five in costal , five in central, and five in the south east. See how it works, if it works? And then start adding say 5 or 10 every couple of months or as needed.? Make since? And of corse use Randys scale as the four ratings. I think 1 thru 10 is to fine of measure. at 10 we really start splitting hairs and end up with a lot of grey areas. I think the four choices would show up alot more obvious.

Right, You would hope to have input by 40 maybe 50 guys an gals. That is why the poll should run for awhile. also we should keep min mind that trail condition can change so maybe a new poll every couple ao years would be in order. The extreme highs and lows would filter out. unless it was the most or more difficult because everybody would agree on that. The easy trails would also be very obvious because compared to other trails everybody would have to agree on those too. Does that make since? Seem to be some electricty in the air, Good Idea! Better rate them before they close them. I say we start with your trail! It should be here for awhile?

Right, You would hope to have input by 40 maybe 50 riders. Or at least as many as possible. That is why the poll should run for awhile. also we should keep in mind that trail condition can change so maybe a new poll every couple of years would be in order. The extreme highs and lows would filter out. The most difficult, or more difficult trails would be very obvious because everybody would agree that they are the most difficult. The easy trails would also be very obvious because compared to other trails, everybody would have to agree that they are truly easyer. Does that make since?