bikeslut 1 Posted August 7, 2011 Wow! This is my first SDAR ride where I didn't know ANYbody...at first... I already KNOW I forgot some names... We had a guy on a KTM 525, that seemed to ride very well; he was there with a buddy on a XR650R...both sporting knobbies and looking like they knew which side was up We had two GS's... An 1150 (Dan) and a 650 (Aaron)...both on some sort of anakee/tourance tire Steve and his buddy Fred (who coincidentally I used to work with) were on new KLRs- We had a guy waiting approval on a 600R with knobbies. We stopped often (maybe too often for some) and re-grouped...Victoria, Viejas Grade, 79, Pine Creek, Deer Park, Sunrise, Buckman, Morena Stokes, Kernan, then back home Pictures when I get home after lunch- great riding, no serious crashes or injuries...fun Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted August 7, 2011 dandiego at Carl's Jr- beautiful bike... on of the few that didn't taste dirt today... well; he "tasted it"... he didn't "eat it" He's quite the looker himself, but NOT GAY Steve S, KTM and XR650R rolling in to Carl's Je lot that guy will slow us down... it has a plate Viejas Gradde and Pine Creek one of the re-groups and then... the carnage ensued that one technically isn't from this ride but I like the picture that's about it- everybody rode great, but Steve S. was a stud! He must've dropped his KLR 5 times... every time picked it up, got back on, and tried the same obstacle that tossed him... and it was HOT... he bar-end caved in and was stopping his throttle from returning to idle, resulting in a bit of a flip... THAT resulted in a bent clutch lever. His bar was actually bent at the end, which meant we could even remove the bar-end to fix it. but he soldiered on... good ride guys! I saw some other cameras, so post your pictures Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
paulmbowers 236 Posted August 8, 2011 that one technically isn't from this ride but I like the picture Photoshop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bubbagums 42 Posted August 8, 2011 We all had to take a manners class before riding. After Bob got done beating everybody up he put us in detention. Thanks for the ride! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted August 8, 2011 that one technically isn't from this ride but I like the picture. And don't forget, he's giving the unofficial secret club greeting, too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaugh 1 Posted August 8, 2011 this one is pretty impressive. how did it happen? is there a trail up above the bike? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted August 8, 2011 A couple of captions- the upside down XRR- he was going up Kernan...on one of the steep ups, he either hit a rock or ledge and/or grabbed some throttle- bike went forward, front end up, then to the side- impressive indeed...he did injure his ankle a bit, but confirmed he was ok before I snapped a pic- his bike was upside down, facing downhill and tangled in brush...at first I couldn't figure out why it was so heavy, but there were vines holding it down. The fire fighter pic- they stopped us at the top of viejas grade...pick-up truck had slammed into a utility pole...he told me "pole is about knocked over and it is too dangerous to proceed"... I told him "we are san diego adventure riders...we laugh in the face of danger...we are riding dirtbikes with street tires...stand aside and let us through" He sized us up, and figure he should let us pass...said something about some guy named "derwin" as we rode away The guy flipping the bird is paul...he wasn't on this ride, but I like the pic so I posted it again It was nice to have so many new members along, and I hope everybody had a good time... Steve- if you need help on your bike repairs, let me know Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve S. 0 Posted August 8, 2011 Had a great time today... learned a lot and really appreciated bikeslut's help and pointers. I haven't tried to pull the bar end off just yet -- was kind of interesting having cruise control for once. Other than that and straightening or replacing the clutch lever I don't think there's much to fix -- cosmetic scratches add character to the bike! Thanks for the offer to help fix... I think I'll manager after a bit of re-hydration! :-) Looking forward to future rides and building skills. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eddie 0 Posted August 8, 2011 Met the crowd coming down from Four Corners and had an "almost" moment with a Yellow Hippopotamus. Glad I was hugging the inside line. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mistress of the dual 1 Posted August 8, 2011 I thought about getting my ass out of bed at o'dark hundred to join on this so called noob friendly ride. Glad I decided to sleep in instead. Looks like you all had fun. Looks like I would have been over my head and not having any fun at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted August 8, 2011 Met the crowd coming down from Four Corners and had an "almost" moment with a Yellow Hippopotamus. Glad I was hugging the inside line. blue DRZ with a UFO headlight? YEAH.... i was in front trying to give you the universal sign for watch out! I thought about getting my ass out of bed at o'dark hundred to join on this so called noob friendly ride. Glad I decided to sleep in instead. Looks like you all had fun. Looks like I would have been over my head and not having any fun at all. mistress- you would've been fine... maybe not on Kernan, but every dirt section we did had a paved option (except Viejas grade which I've driven a minivan on)... Dan Diego on his yellow hippo stayed upright all day long... Ray (black XR600) just overcooked a corner riding right behind me... that was the rider not the ride, as I'm sure he will admit the XR650R was an experienced rider just having an "oops"... happens to the best of riders at times I didn't see Aaron's tip, so I can't justify that one Steve S. on the KLR... in retrospect, he probably should not have ridden Kernan, but as he put it "that's why I got a KLR and joined... to push the limits and learn some stuff".... I am sure he learned a lot, and saw a little of what the KLR can do. Once his bar bent, he had his hands full, then when his clutch bent he was really handicapped. I offered to switch bikes the rest of the way up, but he sacked up and said "nope; I'm going to do this" I really did not expect any carnage, but we ride dirt bikes... stuff happens They need a firefighter at the bottom of Kernan with a stop sign The powerline stoppage was funny. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Diego 40 Posted August 8, 2011 That was me, Eddie! Sorry about that. I thought I saw some dust on my uber clean bike and was wiping it down when we passed each other at about 50 MPH. (C'mon, you had about 2 inches to spare!) All apologies... Dan Met the crowd coming down from Four Corners and had an "almost" moment with a Yellow Hippopotamus. Glad I was hugging the inside line. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Diego 40 Posted August 8, 2011 Well, Bikeslut, I want to jump on the bandwagon of those thanking you for a great ride. Your experience and patience were much appreciated. Actually, there were some really great riders (everyone but me, really) and everyone was nice and welcoming. The route you picked was top notch and I know I'll be getting out there again soon. The Kernan? Maybe not quite yet. BTW: The way you chose to ride the day with street tires for a couple of noobs was classy. Well done, sir. Just super, man. Dan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagstr 288 Posted August 9, 2011 Kernan??? What were you Thinkin'?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted August 9, 2011 Kernan??? What were you Thinkin'?? Ok everybody keeps beating me up about kernan...kernan was absolutely not the plan...but we had 3 guys with knobbies that could obviously ride dirt and aspiring dirt riders on bikes totally capable of kernan I "suggested" Dan not attempt Kernan on his 1150 and double-checked with Aaron (GS650) and Steve (KLR650), then let grown men make up their own minds...I rode sweep and helped pick up a few bikes and coach where appropriate...I offered to ride back down with an injured rider and offered to ride another riders bike through a steep uphill and a rock garden For anybody that wants legitmate "teaching" I'll be the first to admit I am not a good teacher. Some things that I do well, I have no idea what I am doing Some things I do poorly, I don't even know why I do what I do...for every "tough" dirt section on this ride, I had a very pleasant and easy alternative route. There was NO peer pressure whatsoever (as far as I saw)... And; as the paul foto proves- even experienced, talented riders can get upended at times...everybody seemed in good spirits at the last check and Steve wasn't crying about bike damage or dehydration...he was contemplating taking a rawhyde class (carguy and ride-orange teach also)... All in all: I will call the ride a success...bubbagums was the rider on the 525...I let him lead most of the dirt sections and he did great! His buddy on the 650 rode well, other than one fairly bad tip... Ray on the 600R overcooked the TIGHT left turn on morena stokes...could happen (has?) To anybody... So: lesson learned for me...next time, I'll give a little more warning on Kernan...it is a tough call with people you don't know- they had all navigated Deer Park easily, but maybe Kernan was a little too big of a next step Next week-intermediate dirt ride Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 561 Posted August 9, 2011 Next week-intermediate dirt ride Gonna take them up trail 3 and then over the new trail? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted August 9, 2011 3 from the fire road to trail 1? Sure... I would do that...not as the first trail...but Trophy has done it on his DR650 easily... Baldbeemer did it on his first dirt ride on his DRZ... 3A and 7 (probably 5 too) are not on the plate- I would rather ride those trails on a cold damp day... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eddie 0 Posted August 9, 2011 Met the crowd coming down from Four Corners and had an "almost" moment with a Yellow Hippopotamus. Glad I was hugging the inside line. blue DRZ with a UFO headlight? YEAH.... i was in front trying to give you the universal sign for watch out! Trailtech light! lol I thought, there's Bikeslut and the crowd. I was ready for all but the hippo. I went to four corners looking for my buddy Kepple. Saw his truck, but I wan't gonna wander around looking for him. I should have just followed you guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Diego 40 Posted August 9, 2011 I went to four corners looking for my buddy Kepple. Saw his truck, but I wan't gonna wander around looking for him. I should have just followed you guys. I talked to him for a while. He told me he was waiting for you. Just before he left with his wife and son he said, "It's a good thing you didn't attempt the Kernan with that bike!" He was the first of several folks to say that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve S. 0 Posted August 9, 2011 Bikeslut led an awesome ride. No complaints from me whatsoever, and I'd do it again -- but hopefully a little better the second time around. I didn't buy my KLR to ride to bike nights looking like a poser (like those raised trucks that have never seen the dirt) -- I do want to get out and explore and build my skills. I accept that I'll drop the bike now and again and all that comes with that. If I stay entirely in my comfort zone then I won't improve as a rider. The scenery riding up the trail (Pine Creek?) to Sunrise highway alone made the entire morning worthwhile. And Bikeslut did offer more than once to ride my KLR through the tough spots on keman and there was no pressure from him to push on or do anything that I wasn't ready and willing to do, nor was there any pressure to 'hurry up you are slowing us down' either. I'll get a more experience before tagging along on an intermediate ride so as not to slow others down, but I'd be game for anything up to and including what we did on Sunday. My KLR still had the original tires (about 50% worn) and I'm getting some more aggressive tires to put on before the next outing. Not sure if that really would have made a difference on this ride, but I think I'd have been more confident in what the bike could do with my limited experience level and perhaps helped with the mind over matter in the more technical parts. Can't say enough to thank Bikeslut for a great ride and his patience and help! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desert.rider77 0 Posted August 13, 2011 My first SDAR ride. Just got approved so I'm a little late with my two cents... better late than never. My day started at 5:30 in San Marcos determined to accomplish several things: 1. Make some sort of human contact with someone with the power to get my approval pushed through 2. Meet some other dual-sport riders that up till now have all been faceless blinks out on the road, usually zippin off in the other direction. 3. Get my bike dirty. I've had it a year and other than about 20 white knuckle mins in San Felipe wash, I have't ridden it in the dirt. Got to alpine carl's jr right on time after a foggy ride down the 67, and met Bikeslut at the gas station. He took a scan of my bike and said "knobbies huh? We're gonna be mostly on the road but your welcome to tag along." Figured I would so we set off. Great group of guys. I loved the ride. We hit a lot of different types of terrain and my bike was running great. Having bikeslut ahead of me allowed me to go much faster than I would of normally on a path I don't know cause I was able to watch his line. Made the ride really. All good till we got near kernan. My cofidence was up and I was hot on Bikeslut's tail then came a hard slippery left. Back tire slid off the edge of the cement and bike laid over. I look up and I see Bikeslut coming back to help me. As I tell him I'm alright he rolls right by and gets out his camera. "Sorry, he says, but I got to do this." Then he rode off. It was starting to warm up and my bike doesn't like to start after a dump, so I was a kickin away. Finally caught up to everyone at the infamous kernan. Off I went following Aaron Calnub on his 650 BMW. He went over after a tight turn in some pretty deep sand. Heavy bike. I went on ahead after he got it up. Then I laid mine over right in front of him. I was hot now and took a short break letting Aaron go on ahead. Got it fired back up and back on the trail. Hit another patch of soft sand after a sharp turn and dumped it again about 50 yards from the end of the trail twisting my knee a little and bruising a rib on a nasty rock. All in all it was the funnest ride I've had yet on my bike and I'm healing quickly. Hoping to be back on my bike by Sunday or Monday. Rode home up Sunrise Hwy to Julian followed by Steve S. Stopped at ?Duffy's? had some lemonade then on home. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
