South Florida ADVrider Club

Please don't put that on your DRZ.

Why not something purpose built for the type riding you are doing?



Friends don't let friends put "tombstones" on their bike.

John how much is that light? I can't remember if you have a thread on here selling them or a website.

I will admit I was thinking of changing out the 8" racelight but I ride my bike a lot at night, many times on the most fatal road in Florida and I really like the size of the headlamp for being seen. I also really like the light output with the boatman conversion. Two downsides.... The weight and the brake line is wearing into one of the upper mounts. I need to modify the hose guide.

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I highly recommend the windscreen and the lights. When I ride the DR650 to work in the mornings its pretty dark, most roads out where I am don't have streetlights. The light system, on low beam, blasts the road up nice. John has some videos on his vendor page here that show a night ride with and without the light system.

The windscreen made a huge difference on the bike. It no longer feels like holding on for dear life at 70mph going down the high. I am tall enough that I still catch some wind on the helmet, but thats about it, no more pushing at my chest!!! It does take a little bit to get use to because it does block little of the view right over the bars, but its just a matter of retraining where to look on the bike. Money well spent in my book!!

welcome to the trials and tribulations of South FLA Dual Sport riding!!!

On a 300 mile round trip up there to ride I do about 150 on slab getting to and from...............at least it feels that way!!

I just did that exact ride. We left Florida traveled up through Alabama. Rode in the Talladega Forest and went north. Got a little lost due to crazy GPS instructions but did ride part of the Little River Canyon Rim Parkway. Cherokee County 275 is the wildest paved road I have ever seen! There is a hill climb coming off a bridge that really has to be seen to be believed.

We stayed in a cabin for a few days in Tellico Plains. Did lots of riding in that area. Then went to Asheville for the weekend to see our son. Then slabbed it back home.

It was a great trip.

I'll be looking to explore a few more areas out where we were in the coming weeks.

Best as I can see, while there are canal roads or dirt roads that pass under I-75, there is no real way to get to them. I'm seeing some possible access from the Tamiami Trail (which I feel I should get down to and ride at least once for the history of it), and from a point that it looks like we could have turned west from while on the Miami canal. One way or another I'm hooked on it, as flat as it was, just for getting out and riding.

I haven't been thinking of much else since that ride. I'm probably going to order a new rear Shinko 705 just to have the traction for some of the exploring I'd like to do out there, and I already have the tow-rope on the bike if anyone wants to venture in with me (it would suck to get stuck out there alone).

in

as wet as its been i don't know. at least not with scorpions

I'm out...

I'll be doing this,

https://www.gentlemansride.com/

I've viewed a lot of it via google maps and have seen multiple areas that aren't farmland, and seem cross-able, and I want such options when exploring parts of it.

I'm still open to heading out any time, preferably on a dry day though just because of what we're aiming to accomplish, and because some of the blockaded crossings can't be seen from google map satellite images.

be careful where you are out there..........getting into Big Cypress or Everglades land is a big no no. They can take your bike!! Stay on the roads and I would caution on bypassing gates. Lots of the areas are closed off with the Offroad vehicle gates which are permit required and a motorcycle cannot get the permits. I guess they figure we are to rowdy and will do more damage than the four wheelers that they do allow!!!

The area around the squares and then west of that off Sable Palm has tons of trails to ride!!! In the Squares you gotta be careful of location because east of the main canal is all designated inside the 'glades restoration project and they frown upon being there. Kyle B and I one day got up in there and ended up on the protected area side of the security gate for the restoration and pump station project. They didn't shoot us but weren't real happy that we were there.........we mostly played lost and stupid and they let us go with no issues!!! Areas out off the main roads right now will be deep in mud and water......if the rain lets up they will be great to ride starting hopefully late December.

somebody asked where is the Squares. Google Janes Scenic Drive. follow it from SR 29 to the west. It will eventually lead to a grid area out in the swamps. This was suppose to be one of the 'buy land in the Everglades' communities that were really real estate scams for the most part. A bunch of the pavement and/or hard packed trails are still there, especially to the west. Most of the roads to the east have been leveled for the most part and canals are being filled to return the natural flow of the 'glades. This is part of 'glades restoration project mentioned above. Lots of fun riding. At about the west center of the Squares you will see where Sable Palm Road ties in. This can also be accessed from the Naples area off of US-41. This road is more fun to ride and get can pretty hairy especially in the wet season. There are lots of trails that intersect Sable Palm as you get closer to the Squares. Bigger bikes can run them, but IMHO, judging by the amount of mud on the bikes.......the smaller bikes are better suited riding the trails off Sable Palm. When it dries up and gets cooler, this is the place to ride down here I think.

For those in the south of Dade County there is all the roads south of Palm Drive. If you follow 137 Ave South you will see where it basically ends as an 'improved and maintained' road right at Palm Drive near the race track. South of that there are miles and miles of grid roads that for the most part are numbered streets but were never improved. Its been my experience that sometimes the cops hassle the four wheelers and dirt bikes, but for the most part they to not bother street legal dual sports at all. This area can get pretty muddy and churned up good because of the four wheelers. Its a place you probably don't want to venture too deep into alone. Also be careful to shy away from the FPL property lines out there.

Like I said before on the Miami Canal stuff, there is tons to ride, but you will spend a bunch of time back tracking because of closed gates or deadends. Just make sure you now the park boundaries. There are lots of roads that look like they connect the asphalt but most times you find a gate at one end or the other. Prime example is Hill Grade Road that connects 833 and 835 most of the time there is an open gate on the 833 side, but I have never seen the 835 side gate open. I also noticed last winter that many of the roads/areas I use to get to down this way had new gates and fresh boulders to limit access.

another trick I have found on google maps that works good for locating gates is to chase the road to blacktop and then hit the street view. A good precentage of the roads out there have been well photographed by google maps and you can spin the view and zoom to look for a gate.........occasionally you will find where they actually went down the dirt roads until they hit a gate.

I hope soon to get out with you guys.......busy at home and work right now

Thanks for the tips.

I spent hours google maps and street-viewing two days ago.

I can see where it would be valuable to bring along some tablet with a good internet connection (via cell phone I guess) to keep referencing it for exploring. My street view and such on my phone, alone, is too small to really rely upon.

In the squares there is a Snake Road. If you can find it, it's more fun than the paved version.

?????????????? where the hell is that? you mean Sable Palm? its all twisty like a snake!!

I have off Sunday the 6th. Looking forward to an eastern-centric ride.

Anyone up for it?

maybe , its my anniversary.....so if she works i can play

I also have off this Thursday - I know nobody else does.

Probably going one way or another Sunday. Tamiami trail to get to the dirt roads, or entry from up north like last weekend.


Apparently there is also places to ride west of / in Miami Dade county?

Just a reminder - I am looking to ride on Sunday morning. Let's start setting this up.

alright well my girls working so im free ............ free I tell you!