Rockies regional randomness

[Joz]

Originally Posted by nwcolorider

That IS awesome!!!

[doc_ricketts]

Anybody got a rat rod? I saw this one yesterday and really liked it. Has a Datsun 2.4 engine. Don't ask me what the Maltese Cross means on the side cause I didn't talk to the owner:

[Geek]

Greetings from green river.




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[Blakebird]

Was on the road before the sun came up, it was 29F as I topped Kenosha.
Had breakfast at the Evergreen Cafe in BV.

Good color up on Weston













Plenty of trees haven't changed yet








Didn't expect to see color like this in the Hayman burn area...

[Narsisco Lopez]

Well, I've owned the DRZ400E for a couple of weeks now, but heavy work load and (the seemingly never-ending) home improvements have prevented me from throwing a leg over it and getting out into the dirt. I finally had a few hours to myself yesterday and figured I'd go see what it felt like in the dirt.

Pickle Gulch Campground


Pickle Gulch Trailhead


Hmmm.... this looks suspiciously above my pay grade!

Oh, what the hell... what's the worst that can happen?



Well, I was able to blast up that trail for a few miles before tipping over a bit in a very deep and steep rut section and I got a QUICK reminder that my knee wasn't completely healed yet and I was riding without my brace! So, I turned around and came back down (incident-free, too!). Actually, it was a blast of a trail and I'm gonna hit it again... lots of great technical stuff to practice on.

On the way back towards Missouri Gulch Road, I spotted some trails through the trees. I probably wasn't supposed to have the bike in there, but there wasn't a soul around and it sure looked tempting to go and practice some slow speed maneuvers through the trees.



After playing a bit, I connected back up with Missouri Gulch Road...

Probably very pedestrian for you veteran dirt hounds, but it was a blast to fly up and practice sliding around corners (finally got to practice some of the skills I learned up at Danny Walker's American Supercamp ).




Not as dramatic as Blake's aspen photos, but I did manage to find a few spots to see them peeking through.



Anyone up for a Nubian goat hunt?



Reflecto...



I haven't had the DRZ and ridden it enough to say I'm in love, but I can say I'm seriously in like with it. Very sure-footed with it's new Pirelli shoes on and it was surprisingly fun on Golden Gate Canyon Rd. (the sweepers at around mile marker 9 were exceptionally a hoot and a half). I wouldn't want to spend ANY time on I-70, but it's got more than enough power to deal with b-roads.

Now, I just gotta get this knee mended up better... or at least don't forget my brace before I head up again. Hondo... wanna do some riding this week?

[TheDudeAbides]

Your chain looks really tight to me. Or maybe its just the angle of the photo. But on my "e", when on it's sidestand there's quite a bit more slack than what you show here. Just an observation

[MeterPig]

Just saw snow falling at Eisenhower. We are doomed.

[Narsisco Lopez]

Originally Posted by TheDudeAbides

Your chain looks really tight to me. Or maybe its just the angle of the photo. But on my "e", when on it's sidestand there's quite a bit more slack than what you show here. Just an observation

I've got about 1 3/4 of slack mid swing arm. Is that enough?

[TheDudeAbides]

Originally Posted by Narsisco Lopez

I've got about 1 3/4 of slack mid swing arm. Is that enough?

With the bike upright, (not on it's sidestand), at about mid swingarm you should be able to push the chain up towards the swingarm but not be able to touch the chain to the swingarm.

Yours might be perfect, I dunno, but the pic makes it look a bit tight to my eye anyway.

[Blakebird]

Originally Posted by Narsisco Lopez

I've got about 1 3/4 of slack mid swing arm. Is that enough?

check it when you're sitting on the bike, not when there's no load on the bike

[Narsisco Lopez]

Thanks guys!

[HellSickle]

Originally Posted by Blakebird

check it when you're sitting on the bike, not when there's no load on the bike

No, you can do one or the other:

1. Rear suspension completely unloaded: Slack should be xxxx. 1 3/4" sounds good.

2. Suspension loaded to the point where the rear axle, swingarm pivot, and countershaft center are all in a straight line. At this point, you should have very minimal slack. This is the point of minimum chain slack.

[Narsisco Lopez]

Originally Posted by HellSickle

No, you can do one or the other:

1. Rear suspension completely unloaded: Slack should be xxxx. 1 3/4" sounds good.

2. Suspension loaded to the point where the rear axle, swingarm pivot, and countershaft center are all in a straight line. At this point, you should have very minimal slack. This is the point of minimum chain slack.

Thanks again!

[SnowMule]

Originally Posted by MeterPig

Just saw snow falling at Eisenhower. We are doomed.

[AteamNM]

I always look at the chain tensioner when sitting on the bike. IMHO, there should be about a fingers gap between the tensioner block and the bottom of the swing arm. A very loose chain will wear out the sprockets. A very tight chain adds strain to the motor and will stretch a chain very quick. A clean chain and a proper set up is beautiful thing. Same with air filter cleaning and changing the oil a lot.