Boise ride this weekend...

[silverspurs]

Originally Posted by Jason Abbott

Noticed skies getting better yesterday on Thorn Creek Butte close to the fire closure boundary. Biggest downside I saw to riding was thick dust on the roads. It's bone dry up there. I'd like to wait for one good rain before I ride, if possible. Yesterday morning with the family:

(full set of images: flickr or facebook)

Ahhh yes... the Great Smoky Mountains... of Idaho.

nice pic!

[av_mech]

Originally Posted by majorkong

Just finished a week of singling tracking out of Burgdorf.
Got a break on the smoke. Even had the “Mormon Miracle”, a bit of rain.
First time I have really ridden the area, still more trails to explore and I need to ride Victim ( Victory ) Creek before I turn 60.

http://aitonsride.blogspot.com/2012/...-burgdorf.html




Me making the last stretch up Nether Creek out of Burgdorf campground. It was steep, loose and rocky- awesome trail !

[ryanwilliamcantrell]

Great mods. Glad they worked out so well for you.

Word of caution on the K&N ~ they gum-up in two shakes of a leg when you're riding with any type of a group. My riding partners finally told me they were going to throw me in the lake if I didn't go back to and Uni (because we were stopping multiple times per ride, to clean my filter).

I've heard good thins about the Wilbers. Glad you like it.

Originally Posted by daxm

Well, while my bike was being repaired I decided to enact some upgrades instead of just take the "factory default" replacements. I asked around in the forums, local shops, read AV_Mech's report on his changes to his bike, and even had a chance to talk with Shawn from Rawhyde I was able to put together a wish list of things to change. Today was my first "real" ride on the bike, post upgrades. (Technically I did a quick run up 8th street and then a freeway ride down to Twin Falls prior but I consider those just warm-ups to what I did today.)

The upgrades I had done were Wilbers shocks tuned to my weight and riding style, Remus headers and exhaust, K&N air filter, Sargent seats, and some misc things such as BarkBuster brush guards and oil radiator protector.

Today's ride consisted of a approx 4 hour ride through the "mountains" south of Twin Falls (locally called the South Hills). The terrain was mountain roads in a variety of different states of disrepair. There wasn't any single track or ATV trails but you certainly couldn't have taken a Toyota Corolla on some of them. My father-in-law and brother-in-law came along riding an F650 and 800 Dakar PD respectively. If you didn't know I ride a 2010 R1200GSA.

So, now to the meat of what I want to report.
In summary: "HOLY SHIT THAT WAS F'ING AMAZING!" (Sorry, I just had to do that.)
In detail: My bike has transformed. I truly feel like I now have an untamed beast between my legs. Instead of fighting the bike to "stay on the road" I found myself fighting myself to not do anything too aggressive. The tuned shocks kept my tires in constant contact with the ground whereas my old shocks had me bouncing around the road like I was on a pogo stick. Washboard, rocks, gravel, loose gravel, slightly slick dirt (it rained yesterday pretty hard) didn't phase me a bit! In fact I was revving it up and intentionally causing my back tire to break traction FOR FUN. Previously I wouldn't have done that. I now see why turning off ABS on dirt is a good idea. It now makes sense considering my tires stay on the ground.

Speaking of revving... The K&N air filter along with the Remus headers and exhaust have changed my riding as well. Previously I would typically keep my RPMs in the 3000-4000 range. I would only break that on the freeway when I was doing 80mph or so. Now I find myself maintaining my RPMs in the 5000 range and on several occasions going up to 7000 RPMs! Now, do I think Remus is somehow doing that? No. What I think is happening is that the old exhaust system would make the bike "feel" weird if I exceeded approx 4000 RPMs. Now that weird feeling is gone! I have to admit that I don't like how loud the Remus exhaust is but I sure love actually using my power band now!

Lastly, the new seat is comfortable to sit in. Maybe my old seat also played into that weird "feeling" I had in the 4000+ RPM. On the new seat I cannot complain after sitting for something like 4 hours. I did stand here and there but mostly sat. Speaking of standing, I have to report that the Sargent seat does dig into my calves a little when I stand. It isn't horrible but I isn't comfortable either.

What would I do different? I wouldn't change anything I've already done. In fact I think that if/when I get another bike I'll immediately make the changes I've made to this bike.

What would I do more? Well, Shawn from Rawhyde mentioned that I should either get my handlebars raised or I should get different foot pegs that would lower my overall body. Prior to the upgrades, I didn't really understand why but I think I do understand now. Since I'm not fighting the bike any more I've noticed that when I stand up I'm hunched over more than what I consider comfortable. So, my next "upgrade" will probably be a set of foot pegs that offer a larger area for my foot as well as lower the overall position of my body.

So, IF you are not 5' 10" and 180lbs I would STRONGLY suggest you consider changing your shocks system to something that is tuned to you. If you feel like your 1200cc bike just isn't giving you the punch you expect from such a large machine I would suggest you give it more air and let its exhaust flow more freely. If your ass is sore and you are tired after just an hour or two in the saddle then I'd suggest replacing that stock seat with something that allows you to ride the whole day in comfort!

[tvbh40a]

Originally Posted by ryanwilliamcantrell

Great mods. Glad they worked out so well for you.

Word of caution on the K&N ~ they gum-up in two shakes of a leg when you're riding with any type of a group. My riding partners finally told me they were going to throw me in the lake if I didn't go back to and Uni (because we were stopping multiple times per ride, to clean my filter).

I've heard good thins about the Wilbers. Glad you like it.

I am completely puzzled by your K& N statement.

Unlike a Unifilter, that as soon as it gets completely coated looses air flow, hence the reason a lot of people run a 'sock' over them, the K&N still flows. I have ran a K&N filters when I raced desert for years, some races had a crowd of 350 riders.

Yes the filter 'looked' absolutely filthy when the race was over but the bike ran fine and more important the motor was clean. A lot of Baja and Dakar riders run K&N or an equivalent brand for the very reason that because of their design they still work with a ton of dirt on the outside of them. Just my .02 over 43 years of riding and 25 years of racing experience.

[capt ed]

Originally Posted by tvbh40a

I am completely puzzled by your K& N statement.

Unlike a Unifilter, that as soon as it gets completely coated loses air flow, hence the reason a lot of people run a 'sock' over them, the K&N still flows. I have ran a K&N filters when I raced desert for years, some races had a crowd of 350 riders.

Yes the filter 'looked' absolutely filthy when the race was over but the bike ran fine and more important the motor was clean. A lot of Baja and Dakar riders run K&N or an equivalent brand for the very reason that because of their design they still work with a ton of dirt on the outside of them. Just my .02 over 43 years of riding and 25 years of racing experience.

I guess you have never seen a KLR KN airfilter after a dirt ride RWC speaks the truth on the bike.

[SCExpat]

Just learned about this and thought others may not know......I couldn't be the only one not to know could I?

http://www.ridermagazine.com/latest-...n-november.htm


The RawHyde Road Crew—Lance and Shawn—will be in Boise, Idaho, on Thursday, Oct. 4, for the final Adventure Bike Night for 2012. The event will be held at the Happy Trails Products facility at 11777 W. Executive Drive. Happy Trails makes Adventure Luggage and is a strong supporter of the “Adventure Lifestyle.”
RawHyde’s Adventure Rig will be on display with lots of adventure related stuff to show and tell about. Adventure products will be on display, and guests can listen to presentations and take a tour through the Happy Trails plant where they’ll learn how aluminum panniers are fabricated. Snacks and drinks will also be available, as well as a raffle for all the folks who attend.
This Adventure Bike Night will begin at 6 p.m. For more information, call Shawn Thomas at RawHyde Adventures at (661) 993-1586 or email shawn.thomas@rawhyde-offroad.com.
RawHyde Adventures is also planning for its Adventure Days, which are coming up Nov. 8-11, 2012, in Castaic, California. This new event from RawHyde is designed to help you learn anything and everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Adventure Riding plus an opportunity to take some great rides, enjoy the camaraderie of a shared “Adventure” and generally have a whole bunch of fun with great people.
There will be a strong focus on education and knowledge including GPS seminars, suspension and bike set up classes, tire changing and bead breaking clinics, off road riding clinics, packing clinics, etc. There will also be daily rides and evening entertainment. Everything is included in the $249 entry price, as well as food, beverages, camping, guided rides and a souvenir shirt.
For more information about Adventure Days, visit advlife.us/advdays/index.html.

[tvbh40a]

Originally Posted by capt ed

I guess you have never seen a KLR KN airfilter after a dirt ride RWC speaks the truth on the bike.

Yes, you would be guessing on this one. I have ridden with Ryan. We will just disagree on this one. I personally am just fine with Dax's purchase of a K&N for his GSA, It is also what I run on my GSA, 7k miles this summer and no issues.

[Jason Abbott]

Was able to source a part I needed locally so am suddenly ready to ride. Wife was gonna go but don't have a short-notice place to stick the kids so it's solo or one of you.



I'm looking for pretty leaves and roads no harder than Jeep trails. No Boulder Basin! I was planning to overnight but glad to solo that if you just want to go out for a day. PM me or whatever.

Louie Lake and Lick Creek are quite nice this time of year but the lake is kind of tough to get into: http://www.trailimage.com/72157631639325956/

[Jason Abbott]

Originally Posted by Jason Abbott

Was able to source a part I needed locally so am suddenly ready to ride. Wife was gonna go but don't have a short-notice place to stick the kids so it's solo or one of you. http://www.trailimage.com/72157631639325956/

An hour not enough notice, eh? Alright, thanks to Ryan's tip last year, I'll be up at Seafoam Lake tonight. Come on up.

[Jason Abbott]

Originally Posted by Jason Abbott

An hour not enough notice, eh? Alright, thanks to Ryan's tip last year, I'll be up at Seafoam Lake tonight. Come on up.

Alright, I'll reply to myself one last time. The Halstead fire still had Seafoam access closed so I followed the signs to Dagger Falls. I'd never been. Real neat place. Rode back through Bear Valley. It was all beautiful. Pictures soon.

Apparently Stanley set their record low for October 6 on guess-which-year … yes, 2012, while I was trying to sleep! It was a chilly night, 7°F.

[tvbh40a]

Originally Posted by Jason Abbott

Alright, I'll reply to myself one last time. The Halstead fire still had Seafoam access closed so I followed the signs to Dagger Falls. I'd never been. Real neat place. Rode back through Bear Valley. It was all beautiful. Pictures soon.

Apparently Stanley set their record low for October 6 on guess-which-year … yes, 2012, while I was trying to sleep! It was a chilly night, 7°F.

Cool

[Heath]

Originally Posted by tvbh40a

Yes, you would be guessing on this one. I have ridden with Ryan. We will just disagree on this one. I personally am just fine with Dax's purchase of a K&N for his GSA, It is also what I run on my GSA, 7k miles this summer and no issues.

I think it depends on the bike. I think it'll work out just fine on Dax's GSA due to the overall well thought out air inlet and large filter surface area... It did NOT do well on Ryan's KLR due to the horrible air inlet on the KLR and the unforgivably tiny air filter for the bike's size. I remember on a very dusty ride in which some threatening re: his air filter took place:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=248887

[tvbh40a]

Originally Posted by Heath

I think it depends on the bike. I think it'll work out just fine on Dax's GSA due to the overall well thought out air inlet and large filter surface area... It did NOT do well on Ryan's KLR due to the horrible air inlet on the KLR and the unforgivably tiny air filter for the bike's size. I remember on a very dusty ride in which some threatening re: his air filter took place:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=248887

I have 0 experience with KLR's, I will leave it at that

[Heath]

Originally Posted by tvbh40a

I have 0 experience with KLR's, I will leave it at that

One of these days we'll talk you into a "Real" bike sir

[ryanwilliamcantrell]

Originally Posted by Jason Abbott

An hour not enough notice, eh? Alright, thanks to Ryan's tip last year, I'll be up at Seafoam Lake tonight. Come on up.

I'm sorry to didn't make it up there. Sounds like you enjoyed Dagger Falls, though ~ I'm make Dagger Falls part of that same trip (if I remember right). It's all such a beautiful area this time of the year.