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03-06-2002, 01:50 PM
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#1 |
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Failed Anger Mgt #$%@#$%^
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Ocala GS Ride
"Whoever said the GS 1150 is not a dirt bike, can kiss my ass!" - myself after slogging through two and a half of three technical sections of the first annual Ocala GS ride.
For those of you who don't know, BMW of North America brought together a few of their most proficient employee/riders and then brought along Jimmy Lewis of Paris-Dakar rally fame to really drive home the point that you can take Airhead, Oilhead, F650, and particularly Adventure GS's into places that even normal dirt bikes sometimes fear to tread. As an added bonus, BMWNA convinced Helge Pederson to come along and share some of his expertise on adventure touring. All participants met in the rear parking lot of the Crown Hotel in Inverness, FL at 08:00 on Sunday, March 3rd to find a full contingent of BMW's current GS line of motorcycles (F650 standard and Dakar, 1150 standard and Adventure) along with approximately 60 brave (or crazy?) souls riding all manner of GS bikes. After a brief riders meeting and the requisite cautions about crashing, we set off to tackle the first off road section. We left the parking lot and rode just less than 20 paved miles then turned off into the Withlacoochie State Forest. The first section was pretty easy going even for the big Oilheads, although the Adventures made it look even easier (probably due to that lower first gear). The first technical section (the route map says experienced off-road riders only) was located here and consisted of a black, muddy two-track that was slippery even with knobbies. There were 2-3" thick tree roots criss-crossing the trail at various angles and there were also ponds of standing black water in some places across the trail. Golden Rule of water crossing, particularly in Florida, is if you can't see in it, don't try to go through it. Let it be said right here, right now, that I had my doubts as to whether I was going to make it through in one piece, as I am not a highly experienced off-roader. The Continental TKC80's were worth their weight in GOLD, as I did not have any seriously sphincter-pinching moments! After all riders completed this mud bog, we regrouped with the riders who opted to skip this technical section and kick tires and swap sh*t. While the skies had been gray and the humidity high, we had avoided any rain until right at the first regroup. The rain fell steady for the next twenty miles, but we were fortunate to be riding on hard-packed clay roads. The excitement at this point came when we hit some recently filled sections of this dirt road. The sand used was piled up high along one side of the trail and did not appear to be anything serious so most riders did not bother to slow the pace. After you hit them though, they generated more respect after that. I watched an 1100 GS with Touratech 41l tank slide left and lowside along the edge of the road. That rider was lucky enough to dig the right cylinder into the road surface to keep the bike from falling into the 3-foot deep ditch that lined that side of the road. He and bike survived unscathed and it only took 3 other riders to right it. From this point, we reconnected with the paved road and were directed to our next rendezvous, which had some much-needed water (drinking, not the kind to be avoided). After some more bs-ing, riders remounted and headed for our gas stop. A quick gas stop (Full Service thanks to Lawrence Kuykendal) and then some much needed lunch. As we ate catered sandwiches, chips, and macaroni salad, etc, the heavens opened and it really started to come down at that point. Everyone decided it was time to move on so all of the wet/dirty riding gear was piled back on. Up to this point, I had opted to tackle all of the experienced sections even though I was a little nervous. I know that several riders shared the same concerns, but we were rewarded with the satisfaction of riding our GS's into territory that was previously considered unrideable by such a large, supposedly under capable bike and coming through relatively unscathed. There were a few drops here and there, but there was always a contingent of smiling riders and BMW NA staff there to help pick these bikes up, dust off the gear, and offer words of consolation or advice, depending on what was more appropriate! The mother of all obstacles still laid in waiting for us, though. After lunch we rode to our next split and more riders opted to take the less technical section this time as this section had been briefed to us at the riders meeting earlier in the day. The riders who pressed on into the "sandbox" were greeted with palmetto scrub, roots, and deep sugar sand all along a twisting, sloping single track barely wide enough to accommodate the mirrors on my 1150 GS. After getting really out of shape trying to negotiate a soft sand kink to the right and winding up just a few inches from a small oak on the left side of the trail, I was talking to myself and the message was clear - don't try to be a hero, just get through alive. The rain was still coming down, and the taste of it falling through the leaves and into my open visor tasted so fresh, almost as if it came directly from heaven. It seemed to focus me to press on. We had been warned to stop at the "waterhole" and it gave the twenty or so riders on all manner of machine to do some more of that activity we motorcyclists seem to be famous for: bullsh*t. I was pumped about making it this far into the backcountry, and I don't think anyone who was anywhere within 50 yards of me had a doubt about my level of enthusiasm. A few riders opined that this part of the ride had been the most challenging due to the soft sand, limited visibility, and increased speed. They were right. Jimmy Lewis had to double back on his Adventure to help a rider who had fallen and it took him a few minutes to meet back up with us at the waterhole. We were given specific instructions about the next section of trail, the most important of which was "you will be passing an uphill section where the trail veers slightly left, don't look at the giant hole that was where the trail ran to the right." More professional guidance at this point in the trail resulted in all riders making it through without too much difficulty. I had well-acquainted myself with the art of digging my rear knobby deep into the Florida sand and was unaware how that was getting ready to bite me in the arse on the last section of the trail. We reached a point where the trail appeared to end except for two extremely deep, sandy ruts that ran at about 110 degrees to the left uphill. You couldn't see anything except for the first few feet of those ruts and that was it. What you could hear though, was some bikes getting their necks wrung off struggling through whatever demon hid behind those trees. Jimmy Lewis was dispensing advice to each rider as they waited for the next riders to proceed. Mine was something like "you've got the right tires, get the rear spinning and let the clutch all the way out when you get to the base of the hill." Hill! What hill, nobody said anything about a hill. This is Florida! My turn to go resulted in wheel spin all right! Wheel spin for the first twenty feet and then I dig the rear tire in deep. A push from Jimmy frees the pig and I am moving forward, albeit slowly. I make it about halfway up the ¾ mile 30 degree uphill banked sandy slope that has become heavily rutted by the ten or so other bikes that have scratched and clawed their way to the top and the bike jumps out of the right rut and heads for the left side of the trail. Instead of staying in the throttle, I pull in the clutch and stall the bike while it is crossed diagonally on the trail. After the attempt to get it moving again buries the rear, Billy from BMW NA asks if I want him to finish riding it out of there. Can you say, hallelujah? You can have it man, as I cannot stand that sickening sweet burning smell emanating from the clutch area of this bike. He jumps on and the bike just motors right up the rest of the hill. Jerk! Once all of the riders punished themselves by either riding this section or helping push the riders out of the deep stuff, we regrouped at the top of the hill. By this time, the rain was coming down in buckets and those that were dry from the proper rain gear were now soaked to the core in sweat. Regardless of your gear, you were wet. No matter though, mate, because we just came, saw, and kicked ass on that hill! The decision was made to forego the remainder of the day’s route and go back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. We rode those last 70 miles back to the hotel in a gully washer that would make Noah bring out his boat building tools. All of the riders made it back safely, even though we were traveling just slightly over the posted speed limits in these conditions. Everyone was still smiling even after 170 miles of on and off road excursions in all manner of weather that Mother Nature could throw at us. Any other group of riders would have thrown in the towel and complained mightily. The BMW staff figured out a way for those interested to carpool to the restaurant for dinner that evening. Peck’s seafood in Ozella, FL (along the Gulf coast north of Tampa) has some great views and fantastic seafood. The fact that BMW was taking care of the meals didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings and the conversation ranged from the successful completion of the days events to riding tips to improve our abilities. All of the riders in attendance signed a commemorative T-shirt for Lawrence. Jimmy Lewis and Helge Pederson indulged us with some souvenir photos of them together with the participants. We closed the place and went back to the Crown for either some well-deserved rest or a nightcap, depending on our preference. It had rained until well after 11:00pm that Sunday night, but Monday morning dawned overcast, but drier and much cooler. The group left the parking lot at 8:00am and headed for Crooms, a motorcycle specific area in the Withlacoochie State Forest system. All of the riders signed in, got their decals, and headed for the main parking/riding area. There, Jimmy and Heather Lewis gave us a mini-Camp on dirt riding the large adventure touring bikes. Skills discussed ranged from trials-type slow speed maneuvering to rear and front wheel skids. After the sessions, some of the riders ventured out into the trails that comprise Crooms and took advantage of the better weather. Heated handgrips sure make a big difference on days like this. After some practicing, riders were treated to another catered lunch consisting of sliced pork and chicken barbecue along with all of the necessary fixins’ to go with that type of meal. I even saw slices of apple pie! Helge gathered interested riders after lunch and gave a demonstration of his amazing packing skills and showed what makes adventure touring a little easier and safer. Most riders were thinking about the remainder of their journeys at this point and we had to make it back to Daytona before nightfall. We packed up and expressed our thanks to the BMW staff for putting on an excellent event, even in the face of adversity from the weather. Helli, Billy, Lawrence Kuykendall, Myrh (sp?), Helge Pederson, Jimmy & Heather Lewis, Wayne Elton, and the various other people that I met that weekend that represented BMW were truly generous and professional. I could not thank them enough for putting on an event of this complexity. The riders that I met that weekend were patient and considerate and were definitely the best representatives that GS riders could have out on our roads. The next time you think about taking your GS off-road, DO IT! Just have a few friends along to share the laughter and help you right your dirt bike wanna-be! Please see the photos at: http://www.bmwmoa.org/features/030502_ocala.htm
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What I want is to be able to fulfill my basic obligations to my family, help out those I can, and never fuck anybody for a handful of silver. If I can laugh while doing so, and ride, and explore, I will consider myself blessed beyond what I deserve. Jinx Want to ride better? Basic/Experienced street and Dirt Bike classes. www.adventureridertraining.com |
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03-06-2002, 02:26 PM
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#2 |
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Site Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
Oddometer: 8,893
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Wow, great pics!! Sounds like a GREAT weekend. I'll try not to link to any pics shot by Helge.
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03-06-2002, 05:06 PM
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#3 |
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will golf for food
Joined: Nov 2001
Location: just outside Richmond, VA
Oddometer: 27,205
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thanks for the story!!! :):
hey, Pep, kinda makes ya want to get a dirt bike, eh?
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IBA#10787 “We, the people, are the rightful masters of both congress and the courts - not to overthrow the constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the constitution.” – Abraham Lincoln "Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens". -Anonymous WV VA Good Eats Map |
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03-06-2002, 05:37 PM
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#4 |
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Dammit, that hurt...
Joined: Jul 2001
Location: Menlo Park, California
Oddometer: 2,256
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Krant..
Great story!! and pics... Rick |
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03-06-2002, 06:12 PM
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#5 |
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Carpe Moto.
Joined: Sep 2001
Location: Wandering
Oddometer: 434
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Krautbikeman, Adventurer in Training: You may consider changing your sign. Now I am the grasshopper. Nice ride, nice story, nicely done.
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03-06-2002, 07:45 PM
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#6 |
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Failed Anger Mgt #$%@#$%^
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Ocala Adventure
Unfortunately, I do not know who the author was. I met so many people that weekend. Hopefully they will note that when the MOA article comes out.
I would like to thank whoever did the pics as I am the opening shot and the one noted as "puuuuuussssshhhhh" They can't all be flattering pictures, now can they? I knew someone was taken pictures, but you sure didn't want to look at them while you were laying the smack down!
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What I want is to be able to fulfill my basic obligations to my family, help out those I can, and never fuck anybody for a handful of silver. If I can laugh while doing so, and ride, and explore, I will consider myself blessed beyond what I deserve. Jinx Want to ride better? Basic/Experienced street and Dirt Bike classes. www.adventureridertraining.com |
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03-07-2002, 09:47 AM
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#7 | |
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Beastly Adventurer
Joined: Feb 2002
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Oddometer: 3,162
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Re: Re: Ocala GS Ride
Quote:
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03-07-2002, 09:57 AM
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#8 |
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Just me
Joined: Sep 2001
Location: Santa Cruz, Calif
Oddometer: 12,130
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What a great story and photos....wish I had been there
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03-09-2002, 12:49 PM
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#9 |
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Slasher
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Nice story Krautbikeman!!...
And very accurate, I might add. Though I chickened out on that last really technical section, as I did not have knobbies, I still learned a lot, and gained a lot of confidence in off road riding. Jimmy, his lovely wife Heather, and the other factory riders were all helpfull and friendly. Even Helge Pederson was very nice, easy to talk with. I talked with him about the Adenture Rider Forum, and he didn't seemed at all bent about the controversy. He was respectfull of the list, and stated his only objection was to his copyrighted material being manipulated. He also indicated that it wasn't too big a deal anyway.
So here is a pic of der Krautbikeman weilding his knobbiedGS through the really deep sand that trapped many a lessor rider.
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Hank Pfister Copper Hill, VA 2007 R1200GS, 1973 R5/5/Dnepr, 1984 R100RS/Motovation, Gotta get my post count up
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03-09-2002, 01:04 PM
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#10 |
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Slasher
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One of the factory riders didn't make it....
Don't spin your wheel.....
__________________
Hank Pfister Copper Hill, VA 2007 R1200GS, 1973 R5/5/Dnepr, 1984 R100RS/Motovation, Gotta get my post count up
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03-09-2002, 01:39 PM
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#11 |
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Slasher
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Here's Helge.....
__________________
Hank Pfister Copper Hill, VA 2007 R1200GS, 1973 R5/5/Dnepr, 1984 R100RS/Motovation, Gotta get my post count up
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