ADV/DS ride Lake Berryessa/Knoxville OHV/Rayhouse Rd.

[Warrior Princess]

Well I am working on the Tiger for the next trip. Hope to get some practice in dirt riding with it.

 

[Banjoboy]

The Doc said I shouldn't do any adv riding for a few months, but said nothing about adv driving... So today a friend and I hit up Road 40 on the way back from SF/Berk using my old RWD Volvo clunker (which lacks A/C among other things, and had total brake light failure on the way home ). As it turned out, the road isn't too seriously sketchy in a normal-ish car (if you don't mind large bumps/thuds, sliding and drifting, dust, and overgrown brush), and it's actually pretty fun.

I mostly came to check out the branches off the usual route, but couldn't go too far due to time constraints. The south fork has a small pond off it that I hadn't seen in person before, and the road was pretty smooth as far as I went, with some nice hilly sections allowing for relatively high visibility and speed. Though the north fork looked similarly smooth, I didn't get far,because I had to leave, and I spent most of my time on there going in reverse. ...And although part of me wanted to try it, I didn't attempt crossing the zero ton bridge because I didn't want to accidentally break it for everyone with my lame car.

I'd like to check out the rest of the side routes with my Kawi, but until I can ride again, I might have to settle for using the car to get my ADV on. At least it can hold a cooler and has a decent sound system in it too... Maybe I should bring some refreshments in it to the next group ride? arty

(BTW Titus58, thanks for mentioning that Tower Mart walk-in fridge thing in Lower Lake a few pages back, because my friend and I checked it out and it was indeed awesome.)



[There's a few good clips that my friend filmed of this, which I might put on YT and edit into this post, at least if DropBox starts working again.]

Thanks fer the road report. arty
Yeah, it sucks not be'in able ta ride summer/fall, (Bean thar, dun that) can you ride street though?

 

[undertheoaks]

103moto and Banjoboy, what happened to ya'll ? Motorcycle accidents or off bike stuff ? extent of injurys ? Been down myself a few times (ligaments in both knees and ruptured right pattella tendon, and both rotator cuffs repaired) price of speed !

 

[Lunch Box]

103moto and Banjoboy, what happened to ya'll ? Motorcycle accidents or off bike stuff ? extent of injurys ? Been down myself a few times (ligaments in both knees and ruptured right pattella tendon, and both rotator cuffs repaired) price of speed !

Banjoboy's photo was from awhile back, if I'm not mistaken. If memory serves, he had a cast on after the removal of a couple of extra toes on that foot.

 

[DukeD]

Banjoboy's photo was from awhile back, if I'm not mistaken. If memory serves, he had a cast on after the removal of a couple of extra toes on that foot.

It wasn't extra toes they removed, it was an extra pee pee, hence the term leg humping.... he coined it.

 

[Star Man]

Hey 103Moto.....glad to see you up and around. I've always been amazed that people DRIVE a car on Reiff/Rayhouse Rd. Of course, it is a county road..... but didn't all the ruts and rocks beat the crap out of you?
An another note, I'm chasing down a bike like yours for some ADV fun. Since I'm so much bigger than you, do you think a KDX250S might be too small for me?

 

[Star Man]

Before /after pix

Pix of wheel before and after $120 straightening by GP Frame&Wheel. New wheel from BMW cost $1000+ ..... what an outrage!

GP said my wheel looked like it came off a dirt bike it was so out of whack in so many places....

 

[Warrior Princess]

Very nice Greg. You ready for the next outing.

 

[Lunch Box]

Wow, pretty good work!

 

[Star Man]

Very nice Greg. You ready for the next outing.

Yeah, but not with the little BMW. It's too fragile. Looks like it's wire wheel equipped bikes from now on...

 

[DukeD]

I just discovered my front wheel has a little bend to match the rear, not quite as bad but probaby caused by the same pothole. Since mine are steel I'm taking a woodblock and hammer to it. I've already experimented on the rear and it's half way gone. Just need to take the wheel off the bike to get the rest of the bend out and I'll be good to go. Next time though I'll run more 28 psi instead of 25 and maybe soften the suspension a tad.

 

[Banjoboy]

103moto and Banjoboy, what happened to ya'll ? Motorcycle accidents or off bike stuff ? extent of injurys ? Been down myself a few times (ligaments in both knees and ruptured right pattella tendon, and both rotator cuffs repaired) price of speed !

Though I dun had mah fair share of busted bonez, 'n stitches from bail'in, this wuz an industrial injury. (Or so I tellz peoplez ) It actually happened in '01, and the pic wuz frum mah 2nd surgery in '07. I wuz just pissed I didn't postpone it 'til winter. (After the ride'in season)

Banjoboy's photo was from awhile back, if I'm not mistaken. If memory serves, he had a cast on after the removal of a couple of extra toes on that foot.

It wasn't extra toes they removed, it was an extra pee pee, hence the term leg humping.... he coined it.

 

[Banjoboy]

Pix of wheel before and after $120 straightening by GP Frame&Wheel. New wheel from BMW cost $1000+ ..... what an outrage!

GP said my wheel looked like it came off a dirt bike it was so out of whack in so many places....

Glad ya got it fixed fer a reasonable fee. (As opposed ta get'in raped by the Germans; who make a fragile off road bike! )

I just discovered my front wheel has a little bend to match the rear, not quite as bad but probaby caused by the same pothole. Since mine are steel I'm taking a woodblock and hammer to it. I've already experimented on the rear and it's half way gone. Just need to take the wheel off the bike to get the rest of the bend out and I'll be good to go. Next time though I'll run more 28 psi instead of 25 and maybe soften the suspension a tad.

^THIS^ is wah I run 40 psi on/off road!
I'd start with a C clamp 'n a couple pieces of 1X4 mahself. (B-foe I go beat'in on with a hammer. )

Though the Doctor was probably most concerned about my ADV-ish riding, I think she also thought that sitting on a thumper would probably be bad for stitches and healing wounds... In a few weeks I might try take the bike a couple blocks to get some repairs/upgrades, but I'll stand on the pegs the whole way to mitigate the vibration I guess, and won't ride otherwise.



I had some major-ish surgery, followed by two bonus hospital stays due to blood loss/loss of consciousness/ambulance/ER/transfusion and something I caught in the hospital. However, I'm actually glad that I went through the lame parts of it, as I grew from it and gained a broader perspective and had some interesting life experiences. It definitely made me more wary of crashing, and was a good tangible reminder to stay vigilant when riding/driving. I'd hate to get caged and then spend months recovering...



It was pretty sick, and at first my friend and I weren't quite sure if the Volvo would make it. There were some hard bumps (and jumps), but I don't think I bottomed out the suspension at all, and I managed to avoid my main concern, which was getting stuck on a giant rock somehow (I managed to do that with my old Dodge Dynasty once, with the same friend, in mud on NYE in the pouring rain). Anyway, I got pretty comfy with it towards the end (mild drifting FTW), and I think I'll try to do it again sometime, but see if I can do all of the main roads with it.

As for the Kawi, I'm fairly light (I was 140 before surgery) and small framed (maybe 5'-9"?), and it's relatively modest power works fine for me, even when it's loaded with a pelican case, aux fuel, camping gear, a heavy toolkit, and a bunch of medical gear. I've had it for 6.2k miles or so, and it can pull pretty hard if you do WFO high-rev speedshifting, but gets kinda gimpy at superslab speeds. The handling feels nice and flickable, it's light, fairly thrashable, and with the motard version that has 17" street tires (switching to DS tires sometime soon hopefully) it's okay offroad. The WR250R/WR250X has better performance of course, and something bigger might be nice at times, but I'm content with the Kawi, and I've been modding it over time for better ADV/DS/touring/everyday use. I don't really know how it'd be for a larger person though, but if you're up near Sonoma County anytime soon, PM me and you could take it for a spin if my schedule is compatible. It is the motard version, but aside from the tires/suspension it's almost identical to the S.

Well heal up neighbor. I'm in Sonoma county too if'n yer need'in anythang, (Like sumone ta ride that little green bike ta keep the battery charged?) you just let me know.

 

[undertheoaks]

I was gonna go this weekend but just realized I got a wedding to go to :|
So I'm planning on taking the DRZ up for a good day to explore off of 40 and then spending the rest of the day puttin' around the side trails of Knoxville next weekend (21st/22nd)

I'l try and make it. If Saturday is in the works Im off work by 10:30 am or off all day Sun.

 

[jimboFosho]

I'l try and make it. If Saturday is in the works Im off work by 10:30 am or off all day Sun.

Sweet either day works for me so we can do Sunday if that works better. Anyone else is free to join as well if they wish

 

[Warrior Princess]

I might like to go along.

 

[Titus58]

Sweet either day works for me so we can do Sunday if that works better. Anyone else is free to join as well if they wish

Hey jimbo I'm interested and trying to arrange the time off...what are you thinking - 9am start @ Fairfield Sbucks as before.? KnoxvBerry up to Rd 40?


T

 

[Mr. Junior]

Looking forward to this next ride. After smashing my shit up in Mendocino back in May, I had it all fixed up by the end of June, and took the former Green Monster down south for an overnighter and "test ride". It performed well, and now I'm fiending to get back out there and play in the dirt.

 

[Lunch Box]

Nice looking KLR, Sean. What color milk crate do you have for it?

 

[Mr. Junior]

Nice looking KLR, Sean. What color milk crate do you have for it?

Ha! Funny enough, I saw a red one on the side of Ocean Ave the other day and thought "oh I should snag that for the bike".