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First XR400 ride, and a KnightHawk sighting

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Took the day off work. Spent last night and this morning cleaning up wiring, cleaning out the airbox, installing a new Uni Filter and crankcase breather filter on the new (old) 1997 XR440. Checked the oil and tire pressure and I was sooooo ready to go. Had lunch at 2pm at Brody's and hit Otay Mtn. Got down to the prison and decided to shadow Jeff and Justin's path from last month. I did not track a GPX file, but I ended up at Southbay Motorsports for some free coffee. Here's the rough map (not tracked):

http://dualsportmaps.com/?link=108755

I believe I have found the perfect dual sport bike. Runs great in the dirt. Doesn't bother me at 65mph on the freeway. I was grinning the whole way!

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Not sure if this is Pave Hawk or what. The crew was circling around -- appeared to be doing low altitude moves and near landings -- as I headed down Otay Mtn toward the prison. I stopped at the spot they were getting really close to the road, where there was a large piece of Vietnam-era landing strip (the stuff they used for the border fence). This was close to a white water tank (maybe number 21?).

The Ramona Lilac was in bloom all over:

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After the second pass in the same location the spotter waved me on. I complied.

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Well done. Congrats on the xr, that'll be a lot easier to pick up in the rock whoops outside puerto Nuevo.

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That's a MH-60S KnightHawk from HSC-3. They were just doing practice landings. Good news is that they could fit your bike in the cabin if you have an issue!

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Nice looking bike you have there! Definitely one of the classics, kinda reminds me of another one....

post-14220-018429800 1362550804_thumb.jp

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That is the same color/plastic combo I use on my 03 XR DS. Nice bike! Newbie here, like the big pics you posted, how did you post 'em so large when it has to be such a small upload size (94kb), when I uploaded the largest pic allowed the pic is the size of a dime. Any suggestions would be great, thanks!

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That is the same color/plastic combo I use on my 03 XR DS. Nice bike! Newbie here, like the big pics you posted, how did you post 'em so large when it has to be such a small upload size (94kb), when I uploaded the largest pic allowed the pic is the size of a dime. Any suggestions would be great, thanks!

I use photobucket. See info here:

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I think that was bi-porn, was that what that was ?

Nice pics. :D

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Nighthawk you say?

Hmmmmm.

Goes to Google.

Yup, I thought so.

honda-nighthawk-04.jpg

That's what I thought you saw on Otay Mt. :heh:

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Glad you found a DS bike that works for you. The Scrambler probably loves it too.

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Honda Nighthawk = Do it all motorcycle

Sikorsky KnightHawk = Do it all helicopter

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Glad you found a DS bike that works for you. The Scrambler probably loves it too.

The Scrambler thanked me. She will stay a lot cleaner too.

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What is up with that bridge. I've been up on the mtn looking down at that bridge and thought, is this Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere? Why or what is the purpose of the bridge in that location, anyone???

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What is up with that bridge. I've been up on the mtn looking down at that bridge and thought, is this Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere? Why or what is the purpose of the bridge in that location, anyone???

It's the 125 overpass. Toll road from South Bay to Lemon Grove-ish.

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What is up with that bridge. I've been up on the mtn looking down at that bridge and thought, is this Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere? Why or what is the purpose of the bridge in that location, anyone???

That place looks cool, gotta get down there sometime.

Hmmm, here's my guess: It's cheaper to build a bridge in that spot.

The agencies probably figured it would be easier build a bridge than lose tolls to periodic flooding and damage from the Otay River. Such events are a civil liability to the stakeholders, insurance cost and such. Also, seems likely the environmental permitting requirements are far fewer to build a bridge than to dozer roadbed, flood control and the like.

Ride

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Great to hear you're enjoying the bike as much as I did. It's always cool when a bike goes to a good home.

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What is up with that bridge. I've been up on the mtn looking down at that bridge and thought, is this Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere? Why or what is the purpose of the bridge in that location, anyone???

It's the 125 overpass. Toll road from South Bay to Lemon Grove-ish.

Ah-ha, see what happens when you move away. They build things while you are gone.

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What is up with that bridge. I've been up on the mtn looking down at that bridge and thought, is this Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere? Why or what is the purpose of the bridge in that location, anyone???

It's the 125 overpass. Toll road from South Bay to Lemon Grove-ish.

That bridge is the longest span ever built in austraila or something like that. that was delivered to the united states.

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That bridge is the longest span ever built in austraila or something like that. that was delivered to the united states.

Crikey, we're literally bridging gaps between the world or at least within it. :blink:

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That bridge is the longest span ever built in austraila or something like that. that was delivered to the united states.

Crikey, we're literally bridging gaps between the world or at least within it. :blink:/>

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long boat ride.A base jumper did jump off it and was picked up alive and well.

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Great to hear you're enjoying the bike as much as I did. It's always cool when a bike goes to a good home.

Ah ha! Hoping to ride this weekend. Digging the bike!

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What is up with that bridge. I've been up on the mtn looking down at that bridge and thought, is this Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere? Why or what is the purpose of the bridge in that location, anyone???

It's called the Otay River Bridge as described here before it was built:

http://www.sandag.org/enewsletter/archives/april2005/feature_4.html

As far as I can tell, the project cost was $3.5 million, but the final cost may have been more than that. When SANDAG recently took over the South Bay Expressway (Hwy 125), a CALTRANS report described some errors in the original bridge construction, which will cost taxpayers an additional $2 million to fix. I have requested a copy of this report because I can't find it online. But here is the summary:

Otay River Bridge aggregate quality

Non-Conformance Report CM-037 describes the use of a

concrete mix design that had not previously been approved

by Caltrans in the precast bridge segments. There may be a

potential problem with alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and

resultant damage to the bridge.

There is a difference of opinion between Caltrans and the

contractor, Otay River Constructors, on the risk of ASR

with the aggregate used in the bridge. In 2010, Caltrans

reached an agreement with SBX for monitoring bridge

deck cracking, determination of the presence of ASR, and

mitigation should any cracks develop.

Caltrans Office of Structure Construction has estimated the

cost for the above remedial action at $2 Million, while

qualifying that current Caltrans understanding is that the

lifetime of polyester concrete overlays is on the order of 20

years. Therefore, in the event that ASR may be confirmed

to exist during the Franchise Agreement duration, it is

assumed that a single application of polyester concrete

would be required.

As far as off roading in that valley, I found some parcels owned by the county in the Otay River watershed. Other parcels where the main dirt road runs through are owned by various LLCs. I never saw any "no trespassing" signs along the main road. Some of the surrounding countryside is described as "Otay River open space" in old SANDAG documents. SANDAG should have some maps showing whether the main dirt road is public or not.

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