sandiegoland 0 Posted August 18, 2008 ...will probably be thinking more seriously about wearing my goggles from now on... When I banked off the barb-wire fence last year and the bike stayed behind, all I can remember when the beak was folding down to the chinbar on my helmet as I was planting forehead first into the deep sand was... "man, I'm glad I've got these goggles on. It sure gives a person one less thing to worry about as the sand packed in hard around my head." Of course I was also pondering how slow-motion these things happen to allow you to think about so much during a get-off. Then I alphabetized my to-do list, and gently came to a stop what seemed like a few minutes later... ...Joliets refreshmobile in the canyon... I don't know why, but that tickles my funny... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted August 18, 2008 Have yet to hear from Brandon, he took a good shot to the ribs. I think Jeff took a shot to the ribs also. Hats off to Zina, who is the only rider that I know of that got beneficial results from crashing. Perhap she is pioneering a brand new form of holistic medicine called "acucrashing". I decided to put a shot of my eye boo-boo in the thread. You can see here that it hasn't reached full bruise yet. I think I either hit a tree branch or got a rock roost early in the evening, as the ride shot was taken just below The Drop and the bruise is already starting to show up. A close inspection of my eye glasses revealed that there are some pits in left lens near the bottom. I shudder to think what could have happened if I hadn't been wearing glasses at all. Time to get used to wearing goggles.... I don't want to end up looking like a Piratemonkey logo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandiegoland 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Craig much thanks for driving the lunch truck. What was the temperature in the canyon, did you check? We want to hear all about your adventure too... It was fun trying to hypermile Ken's truck. I got the average to go from 12.4 to 12.9 MPG!! As I was coming down Split Mountain Road the temp indicated 101F (I think on the way out it was still 97F if I recall). There were a few places where the tracks were not committed to one path in the wash and it was pretty hard to ensure I was on both the best pack and not putting my self somewhere I might have to do a bump-wheelie to get over. Anyway, about two miles into the wash, still a ways from the narrows, and already through a few soft sections (yet straight with good run-ups) I got to this bumpy bypass you had to take to get around some boulders. I thought I recognized the area (I have to check old GPS records from this ride): Regardless, I had to slow down to the do the hard-whoops on the bypass and then make an immediate hard left... just as I straightened out I felt the front plowing in. I eased up the speed a notch but couldn't get the front to float anymore. Had I succeeded I would've probably just gotten stuck farther in from the hard pack (as it turned out we only had to back up about a length and a half to get out). I spent about the next hour reaching under with a small rake and digging a path for the leaf/shock mounts and the differential. The stock pin-jack on top of two flat rocks was good enough to lift the back to get my arm in further, and that's about it. Turns out the differential was resting on a river rock which took a bit more effort to reach at so it was good to have propped up the truck even a inch or so. I did roll the truck around a bit in my efforts, but with help on the way I decided it wasn't worth digging it in any deeper. As it turned out with four of us pushing later, it took a bit of coaxing to get it out of the hole. The good news is that the temperature recording device I lost was found in the truck. Ken found it wedged in between the driver's seat and the console. That is one of the places I looked a few times, but I didn't want to reach down there for fear of violating Ken's personal space (after I found Ken's "music" selection looking for the manual)... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted August 18, 2008 Next night ride, maybe I should volunteer my jeep as the support vehicle. It gets somewhat better gas mileage than that truck and it has good ground clearance and four wheel drive. I must say, it isn't too roomy, but it should hold a couple of coolers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
piratemonkey 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Awesome pic. I give it a 10 on the Hilarity Scale. (Who's the guy pointing and providing the comic relief?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandiegoland 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Awesome pic. I give it a 10 on the Hilarity Scale. (Who's the guy pointing and providing the comic relief?) That would be bruceh doing the pointing... concerned pointing that is... yes, pointing out of concern... The pic is a tad melodramatic... Boston Mangler was still on the ground when I pulled up, but I asked him to ham it up a bit for prosperity. FYI: bruceh is the photographer who captured me tossing the 'short bus' on Heart Attack Hill (on the SDAR homepage page rotation... comes up about every other time you login) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Hammerin Hammon Posted August 18, 2008 This was a special ride for me for two reasons: 1. I took my own d#mn bike down Heart Attack Hill. I balked last time. The best part was swan diving at the end and beating my bike to the finish line. I felt like I was in my own Olympics. 2. (I hope this isn't TMI, but most of you all know I recently had a mastectomy for breast cancer.) I woke up on Tuesday and something was wrong with my implant -- it had rotated so my ta-ta was off kilter (don't try too hard to envision it). I went in to the doctor that day and he said, "Yeah, you rotated it. I've never seen that done before with this implant." He said he was going to have to open me back up and readjust me. Meh! That would make the fifth %$ surgery on that body part. Not happy. So -- hang with me -- here's where the story gets good... I had a couple of chest/face plants last night (including the aforementioned). At our rest stop I felt kind of sore and reached down to see if I could feel anything unusual. I felt something wet and my first thought was that I blew myself open. I found that a little hard to believe so I groped around again and I had been fooled -- blood circulation isn't so good there so what I had mistaken for wet was actually unusually cold skin on a hot night. Then I realized something... "I think I'm in alignment!" I looked down and sure enough, it looked sort of normal from the top. This morning I verified it: One or more of the crashes put my implant back into the correct position. (Kind of reminds me of Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon when he puts his own dislocated shoulder into place by running himself into the side of a car.) Dirtbiking is like a supplement to my HMO plan. This has to be my favorite motorcycle forum post ever. It's scary, exciting, in a weird way- erotic (anytime the word groped is used in a friendly way) and inspiring all at the same time. I missed the ride, but love the images and commentary. fn Who are you, anyway. I stayed here at the beach and surfed, you and R.O didn't even show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikeslut 1 Posted August 18, 2008 you don't know who fake name is?!?!? what... do live under a rock or sunfin? he's famous ... he's the shiznet... he carries more supplies than snap on van and a paramedic transport... his light is a beacon of hope for husky riders all over the world Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted August 18, 2008 his light is a beacon of hope for husky riders all over the world Well....where was his light when we needed it? At least three of us were riding TEs on this ride, and even though I had installed a brighter bulb in my bike, it didn't seem to help much. The headlight was a little brighter, but not when I got on the brakes; then it almost seemed like it was about to go out. Very bad for going into corners or heading down a technical spot on a hill. I know Zina had to resort to the red tipped cane riding technique with a stock bulb in her bike. I have been there and done that. It's like having a candle on the front of your bike. How about you Ken, did your headlight work well enough for you and what wattage did you end up using? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joliet 0 Posted August 18, 2008 his light is a beacon of hope for husky riders all over the world Well....where was his light when we needed it? At least three of us were riding TEs on this ride, and even though I had installed a brighter bulb in my bike, it didn't seem to help much. The headlight was a little brighter, but not when I got on the brakes; then it almost seemed like it was about to go out. Very bad for going into corners or heading down a technical spot on a hill. I know Zina had to resort to the red tipped cane riding technique with a stock bulb in her bike. I have been there and done that. It's like having a candle on the front of your bike. How about you Ken, did your headlight work well enough for you and what wattage did you end up using? I am using the 45 watt bulb same as you. But the 2008 husky stators are 320 watt from the factory. I also mounted a Niterider Hellfire dual HID system that is hard wired, and I was also wearing a Niterider Headhunter II HID on my helmet. I could see very well up to about 40 mph. I am very happy with my lighting. Someday I still want to check out the 7" HID when I am not going to be on any highway. The week before I led the same ride with just the 45 watt bulb in my bike and it was sufficient, but not as enjoyable. It didn't work well on high beam but had a nice spread on low beam, I did have to stop and adjust it though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted August 18, 2008 I am using the 45 watt bulb same as you. But the 2008 husky stators are 320 watt from the factory. The week before I led the same ride with just the 45 watt bulb in my bike and it was sufficient, but not as enjoyable. It didn't work well on high beam but had a nice spread on low beam, I did have to stop and adjust it though. That high wattage stator must have made all the difference, because the second I hit my brakes all the wattage just drained out of my headlight beam. It was okay as long as I didn't touch the brakes. I think the 07 stator is only 80 watts or so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joliet 0 Posted August 18, 2008 I am using the 45 watt bulb same as you. But the 2008 husky stators are 320 watt from the factory. The week before I led the same ride with just the 45 watt bulb in my bike and it was sufficient, but not as enjoyable. It didn't work well on high beam but had a nice spread on low beam, I did have to stop and adjust it though. That high wattage stator must have made all the difference, because the second I hit my brakes all the wattage just drained out of my headlight beam. It was okay as long as I didn't touch the brakes. I think the 07 stator is only 80 watts or so. If you would crash more and break that tail light and replace it with an LED unit, the headlight would work much better. I guess you could replace it with out breaking the old one first, but that would seem so proactive or preemptive or something like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigDug 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Hey Ken, I was really impressed with the Nite Rider Headhunter helmet light. You seem to have liked yours too. Have you (or anyone else for that matter) seen any way to hook them up to bike power? It'd be nice to not have to worry about battery life nor to lug that battery pack around in my Camelbak... It looks like some sort of proprietary connector and I don't see a "bike power" hookup kit on the Nite Rider website. Maybe I can buy an extra extension cord and rig some sort of quick disconnect. I guess I'll have to pull out the volt meter and see if I need a converter or if the light itself runs on 12 volts... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 18, 2008 I am using the 45 watt bulb same as you. But the 2008 husky stators are 320 watt from the factory. This was the first test for the hardwire set-up with my Trail Tech MR11 helmet lights (one flood and one spot) . I bought these lights off E-Bay sometime last winter and I've used them when riding th equads at night out in the dunes.......but thsi was th efirst dual sport test.......I left my battery pack behind figuring I wouldn't need it since the lights were hardwired to the battery on my 520.......mistake..... Unfortunately the hardwire set-up didn't perform too well.....both lights worked fine at first but then after being left on for X amount of time they cut out all together.......It was probably a mistake to leave them on for ~30 minutes(?) or so sitting at the bottom of the rock step beyond the drop-off.......I was riding sweep, stayed in the back, and sat still with the lights illuminating the rock face for a LONG time so other folks could see what they were riding up .......that's probably what did it (short term).......you're supposed to have at least a 5mph breeze coming past the HIDS so they don’t overheat....I figured they be good again after a few miles down Fish Creek at speed.......figured that would cool off the bulbs and I'd be good to go........nope......I'm clueless as to what the problem was/is......checked the battery connections and they were solid.....and they worked fine when I plugged them into the battery pack at the truck......one was out because the connection came loose inside the light itself which probably happened on one of my two spills......discovered that when I took the light apart it apart yesterday......so, both lights work fine now when running off the battery pack but STILL don't work consistently off the hardwire...... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 18, 2008 Hey Ken, I was really impressed with the Nite Rider Headhunter helmet light. You seem to have liked yours too. Have you (or anyone else for that matter) seen any way to hook them up to bike power? It'd be nice to not have to worry about battery life nor to lug that battery pack around in my Camelbak... It looks like some sort of proprietary connector and I don't see a "bike power" hookup kit on the Nite Rider website. Maybe I can buy an extra extension cord and rig some sort of quick disconnect. I guess I'll have to pull out the volt meter and see if I need a converter or if the light itself runs on 12 volts... Maybe the Night Riders will work with the Trail Tech Hardwire cable?. Does th econnection look the same? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigDug 0 Posted August 18, 2008 I am using the 45 watt bulb same as you. But the 2008 husky stators are 320 watt from the factory. This was the first test for the hardwire set-up with my Trail Tech MR11 helmet lights (one flood and one spot) . I bought these lights off E-Bay sometime last winter and I've used them when riding th equads at night out in the dunes.......but thsi was th efirst dual sport test.......I left my battery pack behind figuring I wouldn't need it since the lights were hardwired to the battery on my 520.......mistake..... Unfortunately the hardwire set-up didn't perform too well.....both lights worked fine at first but then after being left on for X amount of time they cut out all together.......It was probably a mistake to leave them on for ~30 minutes(?) or so sitting at the bottom of the rock step beyond the drop-off.......I was riding sweep, stayed in the back, and sat still with the lights illuminating the rock face for a LONG time so other folks could see what they were riding up .......that's probably what did it (short term).......you're supposed to have at least a 5mph breeze coming past the HIDS so they don’t overheat....I figured they be good again after a few miles down Fish Creek at speed.......figured that would cool off the bulbs and I'd be good to go........nope......I'm clueless as to what the problem was/is......checked the battery connections and they were solid.....and they worked fine when I plugged them into the battery pack at the truck......one was out because the connection came loose inside the light itself which probably happened on one of my two spills......discovered that when I took the light apart it apart yesterday......so, both lights work fine now when running off the battery pack but STILL don't work consistently off the hardwire...... Strange... I bet one of our electrical engineers can answer better, but don't HIDs need a big boost of power to start up? I wonder if your hardwire hookup wire isn't big enough to provide that power. Or maybe your bike battery was getting weak and not providing enough power to start up the bulbs... Was your starter spinning slower as the night wore on? Throw a volt meter on your bike battery and check it out. Also, are you sure the light runs on 12 volts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 18, 2008 Strange... I bet one of our electrical engineers can answer better, but don't HIDs need a big boost of power to start up? I wonder if your hardwire hookup wire isn't big enough to provide that power. Or maybe your bike battery was getting weak and not providing enough power to start up the bulbs... Was your starter spinning slower as the night wore on? Throw a volt meter on your bike battery and check it out. Also, are you sure the light runs on 12 volts? The bike never hesitated to start with the magic button and the battery is relatively new . The hardwire is for a 12V battery....I suppose I could screw around and trying running them when the battery is hooked up to a charger?.....but it doesn't seem like it's a battery issue..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigDug 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Maybe the Night Riders will work with the Trail Tech Hardwire cable?. Does th econnection look the same? It looks pretty similar but it's hard to tell from that picture. I'll have to check my light at home to see the male/female status of the cable coming from the light. Is that the one you have on your bike? I might have to try it with yours if it is... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crawdaddy 96 Posted August 18, 2008 Maybe the Night Riders will work with the Trail Tech Hardwire cable?. Does th econnection look the same? It looks pretty similar but it's hard to tell from that picture. I'll have to check my light at home to see the male/female status of the cable coming from the light. Is that the one you have on your bike? I might have to try it with yours if it is... Yep, and I have an extra you cna check out......ordered one to rig up to one of my quads too but haven't hooked it up yet.......but after Sat night's experience I'm a bit skeptical.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KIP 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Lights? It was a full moon, Turned mine off for most of Banner Grade and could see fine. I only fixed my headlight so that Schwinn would not be angry and hit me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dirt dame 559 Posted August 18, 2008 If you would crash more and break that tail light and replace it with an LED unit, the headlight would work much better. I guess you could replace it with out breaking the old one first, but that would seem so proactive or preemptive or something like that. When I crash more, I just break other stuff like levers, turn signals, clutch reservoir covers etc. I'm not sure if I have ever broken a tail light in a crash. Proactive and preemptive are both nice words, but expensive is the word that I think that I am looking for at this moment in time. I still want to revalve my suspension too, but that is way down on my list of things that are attainable right now. At least the tail light is a little higher on that list. I can always just ride the green slug. The lights are acceptable on that KLX. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joliet 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Hey Ken, I was really impressed with the Nite Rider Headhunter helmet light. You seem to have liked yours too. Have you (or anyone else for that matter) seen any way to hook them up to bike power? It'd be nice to not have to worry about battery life nor to lug that battery pack around in my Camelbak... It looks like some sort of proprietary connector and I don't see a "bike power" hookup kit on the Nite Rider website. Maybe I can buy an extra extension cord and rig some sort of quick disconnect. I guess I'll have to pull out the volt meter and see if I need a converter or if the light itself runs on 12 volts... The Hellfire lights look they have the same bulbs and internals as the Headhunters. They have a 2 wire connector unstead of the 3 wire that the Headhunter has. They worked fine hardwired to the Husky. I did try not leaving them on too long when I was sitting still. You will have to call Nightrider and see what they have for a hardwire kit. I am sure you are not the first person that has wanted to do this. They don't give much technical information on the site. It would be nice to know the high and low voltage you could run with the system. The charger is a 13.2 volt so that should be about perfect for a running bike. Ken Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigDug 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Yep, and I have an extra you cna check out......ordered one to rig up to one of my quads too but haven't hooked it up yet.......but after Sat night's experience I'm a bit skeptical.... Cool, I'll have to ride up and check it out one of these evenings... I'll let you test ride the 950 in exchange for the "cord check". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joliet 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Maybe the Night Riders will work with the Trail Tech Hardwire cable?. Does th econnection look the same? It looks pretty similar but it's hard to tell from that picture. I'll have to check my light at home to see the male/female status of the cable coming from the light. Is that the one you have on your bike? I might have to try it with yours if it is... This help? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DigDug 0 Posted August 18, 2008 Maybe the Night Riders will work with the Trail Tech Hardwire cable?. Does th econnection look the same? It looks pretty similar but it's hard to tell from that picture. I'll have to check my light at home to see the male/female status of the cable coming from the light. Is that the one you have on your bike? I might have to try it with yours if it is... This help? Maybe... I can't see photobucket images from work - the firewall blocks them... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
