A noob's first day out on his own

[TankCommander]

Good report and ride! Keep at it and it will come as I'm sure you've been told. If you don't drop the bike you're not riding hard enough is what I always say.

[Bearcat263]

casey great write up. now that you have sorta scratched the new off of it go out and learn the bike and the conditions you want to ride cause now you won't be worried about scratching it already done. now you can just go out and have fun that's what it is all about. lots of guys in and around wichita when your ready to get out. have fun Mike

[Yokomo]

Even though I haven't ridden one, I think you picked a great bike to start out on. It's not too light so it should be stable on-road, not too heavy so it'll handle the rough stuff and be easier to pick up, should be geared to cruise the road all day.
If you're buying handguards, I'd get these. They cost more but you want the ones that mount to the triple tree to save room on your handlebars. You'll run out of room later on.
http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/...cra+handguards
Call rckymtn and have them send you their 2013 catalog. Its nice to refer to.

To make you feel better, the 1st time I took my KLR out it went about the same. It was a little windy in town, but when I got out in the wide open it was very windy. I was trying to stay in the main/smooth track but the wind kept blowing me onto the side in the loose stuff. The bike still had the stock/junk tires and I wasn't use to riding a buffalo, so it was more of a stressful ride instead of a fun, relaxing ride.
Now I can blast along on gravel doing 65mph while standing.
You'll get there!!

[Rob.G]

Great job on your first RR!! I also like your writing style. And great bike choice too! I'm glad somebody's out there getting to ride. It's rainy and cold here. :)

Rob

[MizzouMike]

Thanks for the great write up!

[Mullet Bullet]

Nice ride report, glad to see more people getting into riding. Just wait until you meet some fellow riders. For me, that's when I really started to learn to ride better because we push each other to jump farther, ride wheelies better, etc.

But take your time and enjoy every minute on two wheels, remember to never loose your cool because that will get you hurt.

[ZZR_Ron]

Nest time you have to lift the bike, turn your back to it, grab the bar and the back rail, and lift with your legs...I think there's even a youtube video about it.

A lot easier.

EDIT: Here's a good video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOCTsna2jiI&noredirect=1

..and funny. don't sit on the seat like he did. I weight 160 lbs, and can pick up my loaded KLR pretty easily this way.

This guy is more serious..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPjYweKeiLk

[Yokomo]

So how many miles did you put on her before you laid her down for a nap?

[Casey.]

Originally Posted by Yokomo

So how many miles did you put on her before you laid her down for a nap?

I got back with 100, so it would have been around 80

Originally Posted by Mullet Bullet

Just wait until you meet some fellow riders. For me, that's when I really started to learn to ride better because we push each other to jump farther, ride wheelies better, etc.

Yeah... That's the kind of scenario I hope I never find myself in. I'm not against riding with others, but I think I'd turn off in the opposite direction if that stuff started happening.


Again, thanks all for the comments and suggestions. I am absorbing them.

[trainman]

Great post Casey, you sound like me and my adventures back in the day, say 50 years ago. Well I've just about come full turn when it comes to dual sport bikes and I'm now riding a CFR250L like you. It's has been one enjoyable bike for sure, after riding the 650 class of dual sports for years, this little 250 is super nice for it's size. I ride with other guys my age and we are all going to the 250 size bike, as weight is not that much fun anymore, in fact picking up a 400lb motorcycle has never been that much fun. Don't become intimated by bigger bike and think you need one down the line and if you do keep this one and add to the collection, you won't ever regret having it. Your post was great reading, it brings a lot of us back in time with those great memories. Handguards are very important for both safety and protection of your hand levers, I have been using these for years on several bikes I have owned and they are really nice and will fit the CRF250L perfect. At $54.99 they are both nice and quality built http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/...lex-Handguards Nice people to deal with at Rocky Mountain and fast service. You will also find that a rear rack will help when lifting your bike as there is never a good place to hold on to in the rear when uprighting your bike. Look at videos on YouTube on how to upright a bike, you probably didn't do it the way they will show you how, you can pickup a Goldwing. Good Luck.

John

[Rob.G]

I wouldn't be in a rush to ride with others just yet. Pushing too hard will lead to trouble, or worse, even if you aren't pushing too hard, one of them could do something stupid. I had that happen to me at last year's Death Valley event, when some bonehead passed me in a rocky section, after the ride leader specifically said NO PASSING, which caused me to lose it and crash. To this day my left elbow still hurts like hell at times.

BTW, I finally got to see a CRF250L in person yesterday. Man that really is a pretty bike! It looks more like a sculpture than a bike, it's so pretty. If I wasn't already 100% satisfied with my KLX250S, I'd be jealous. :)

Rob

[Casey.]

Originally Posted by trainman

Great post Casey, you sound like me and my adventures back in the day, say 50 years ago. Well I've just about come full turn when it comes to dual sport bikes and I'm now riding a CFR250L like you. It's has been one enjoyable bike for sure, after riding the 650 class of dual sports for years, this little 250 is super nice for it's size. I ride with other guys my age and we are all going to the 250 size bike, as weight is not that much fun anymore, in fact picking up a 400lb motorcycle has never been that much fun. Don't become intimated by bigger bike and think you need one down the line and if you do keep this one and add to the collection, you won't ever regret having it. Your post was great reading, it brings a lot of us back in time with those great memories. Handguards are very important for both safety and protection of your hand levers, I have been using these for years on several bikes I have owned and they are really nice and will fit the CRF250L perfect. At $54.99 they are both nice and quality built http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/...lex-Handguards Nice people to deal with at Rocky Mountain and fast service. You will also find that a rear rack will help when lifting your bike as there is never a good place to hold on to in the rear when uprighting your bike. Look at videos on YouTube on how to upright a bike, you probably didn't do it the way they will show you how, you can pickup a Goldwing. Good Luck.

John

I'm glad you liked it, and thank you for the recommendation. I've spent a lot of time trying to find guards that are proven to fit this bike, and especially ones that someone can comment on their effectiveness. They're cheaper than most to boot. My only hesitation now is the installation: drilling into the sides of the handlebars? I can definitely see myself screwing up the throttle.

Rob, I'm in full agreement there. I generally like it quiet, and I hate it when people push me to do something.
I really like the bike's appearance as well, although I think the same can be said about the KLX. The differences between the two were minor from an outside perspective, and the only factors that swayed me to the Honda were price and injection (I have a personal engineering distaste for the way a carburetor works ).

[Rob.G]

Originally Posted by Casey.

Rob, I'm in full agreement there. I generally like it quiet, and I hate it when people push me to do something.
I really like the bike's appearance as well, although I think the same can be said about the KLX. The differences between the two were minor from an outside perspective, and the only factors that swayed me to the Honda were price and injection (I have a personal engineering distaste for the way a carburetor works ).

I can appreciate your distaste for carbs. I dislike 'em too, but being a geek/techy type, I want something I can work on myself. I never cared for having to buy a $300 box to "tune" the EFI, or the finickyness that EFI usually has on street-legal bikes. Instead, I put up with hand-tuning the carburetor. :)

That being said, it's one of the reasons I picked the KLX over the WR250R. The other reason was I didn't want to have to use 91 octane. Since I do a lot of riding in Death Valley, there's only one place in the valley with 91 (Furnace Creek), so it's impractical.

I'm eager to see what the aftermarket comes up with for the CRF, especially in the suspension department. There was a CRF250X sitting next to the one I saw yesterday. If it hadn't been raining, I would have done a lot of comparing, like to see if the rear shock would fit.

Rob

[trainman]

Casey, if you want to see pics of the handguards, etc. on my bike, go to the thread, "The CRF250L Owner Thread" under Thumpers, them page #162, post #2417, click on the site and the pics will come up. Sorry I didn't know how to transfer that page here. If you want any help with how to install handguards, send me a private message and I can walk you through it.

John

[Casey.]

Nice, red. I just ordered white ones a few minutes ago.
I'll give the install a shot. I usually overthink things and get overly cautious about it.