“2010 Forever West” Featuring The Best Of The West On Big Trailies

[DockingPilot]

Enough to get em there


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[Patrick C Buckl]

It's Christmas in Miami, 72 degrees and sunny his morning and all I can think about is that damn beautiful trip.

[kimzx1000r]

Got sucked right in! Great trip, great write up! Like all the rest wish I had been there! I have got to go west! Thanks for the history and the photos!

[Pantah]

Originally Posted by zeegman

The downhill was definitely rougher, and looser than it looked in the video but I would say the key is to make sure you have really good brakes - 20 minutes of constant downhill - and don't get the speed up especially with a heavy bike and load. My friend Jeremy, in the video on the black 990 Adventure with aluminum paniers passed me on the downhill and actually overshot a corner and went right off the road because he was going too fast.

The silt at the bottom was also tricky because of the depth of sand but also because there was hard packed ruts underneath. Slow and steady was the key there.

I do not have video from the Parting of the Ways area but there was some sand - not that deep except for one corner that had a quick sharp right turn right before the Parting of the Ways spot - its was like dropping into a deep sand pit - twisted me around pretty good but I did not loose it. That was about the only spot I would watch out for.

Mike Z

Zeegman, that was a great video! Thanks for posting it. I could see it was steep because of the trees. You did great wrasslin' the bars through the silt at the bottom too! I hate it when there are big ruts under that stuff that grab your wheel. Good thing was dry because that road looks like it would make for some troublesome mud. We never did that part of the trip because we continued south on the CDR. "Parting" was definitely soft but we were on small bikes so not really much of a challenge. Might have been a bit of a struggle on a 600lb motorcycle without knobbies, though.

Tried to ride from the route west Echo Park last September, but had a fuel pump failure and by the time I got it resolved, had to skip that part. Maybe try it next September. I bought tracks for it so I should be all set.

[zeegman]

Originally Posted by Pantah

Zeegman, that was a great video! Thanks for posting it. I could see it was steep because of the trees. You did great wrasslin' the bars through the silt at the bottom too! I hate it when there are big ruts under that stuff that grab your wheel. Good thing was dry because that road looks like it would make for some troublesome mud. We never did that part of the trip because we continued south on the CDR. "Parting" was definitely soft but we were on small bikes so not really much of a challenge. Might have been a bit of a struggle on a 600lb motorcycle without knobbies, though.

Tried to ride from the route west Echo Park last September, but had a fuel pump failure and by the time I got it resolved, had to skip that part. Maybe try it next September. I bought tracks for it so I should be all set.

Thanks Pantah

Great to hear you will go for it again this year.

IT was a blast going through there.

Was one of the highlights of the trip.

Happy trails

Mike Z

[Dick Dastardly]

Very rare that I read a RR twice. With the exception of big dogs adventures and Sly on his gold wing which were and still are good.

I usually read these on the I-pad but I am on my third read through on the I-mac because the photography and the history is that good.

Well done to all who made it happen. Stunning, just .........stunning.

[Sir Dave]

Forever West Crew,
WOW..can't wait to make this ride. Got the tracks from Tony along with a nice long phone conversation with him. What a great guy...I was just in awe for the entire conversation. I am the Docking Pilot of our crew (the Rat Pack), we have been riding together for over 13 years, we recently have gotten into the adventure end of the sport. All six of us ride GS/GSA's with one KLR. We will be leaving 9/7/2013 from Eagle Colorado. I plan to start getting into the details as soon as work lets me have a chance to catch my breath. Have a few questions or better yet would love to get your opinions..
1. Group size...y'all had 6 right?...that is the size of our base group...if we were 8 (2 want to join in) would that pose a problem?
2. Tires...we all plan to run fresh TKC front and rear...or maybe TKC front and Heindenau (sp?) rear.
3. Any probs on the ride that came up?
4. If you had to cut a section of the ride out to allow for time....what would that be?
Guys...just want to say thanks to all of you in advance for your wonderful documentation and the spirit you had and continue to share with all of us.....and also to give you a bit of a cussin cause this damn ride of yours has gripped my soul and it won't let go....but as of 9/2013 I'm there!!
RIde Safe
Dave
Douglass, TX

[Ontario GS]

Ditto, Sir Dave! We have a group meeting in Idaho Falls (3) around the 25th of August and plan to take our time doing the loop. Tony has been just excellent in answering our questions. It's now become difficult to stay focused at work as I day-dream about this adventure.

[johnpitts01]

You will LOVE this ride. If you do only one Adventure type ride this is the one. Mr. Huegel will work with you to make it "yours" depending on your desires, skill level and time.

I'm sure Docking Pilot will chime in with his advice and maybe some of the others in the crew.

1. Crew size. Difficult topic. Depends on how well the group gets along. IMO 6 is the maximum limit. Unless you consider breaking into smaller groups during the day with an agreement to rendezvous at the end of the day. Different personalitlies makes a large group sometimes troublesome to manage. Does everyone wake up @ the same time and get going at the same pace? If you have one or two early risers who like to get going quickly combined with a couple of sleep-ins who like a relaxed pace in the morning you have a recipe for conflict.

2. Tires. TKC's should be ok. I thinke Mike may have been running TKC's. My personal motto is to have the most aggressive tire you cn get for those times when it's really needed.

3. Problems. For us none. More than the usual number of flat tires, but no mechanicals, course errors lodging, weather, etc.

4. Cut out a section. Damn. Difficult to say. The Transcontinental Railroad section maybe. It is very very cool to ride but maybe a bit long and monotonous at some points. But you should really do it all.

Good luck!
Enjoy.

JB

Originally Posted by Sir Dave

Forever West Crew,
WOW..can't wait to make this ride. Got the tracks from Tony along with a nice long phone conversation with him. What a great guy...I was just in awe for the entire conversation. I am the Docking Pilot of our crew (the Rat Pack), we have been riding together for over 13 years, we recently have gotten into the adventure end of the sport. All six of us ride GS/GSA's with one KLR. We will be leaving 9/7/2013 from Eagle Colorado. I plan to start getting into the details as soon as work lets me have a chance to catch my breath. Have a few questions or better yet would love to get your opinions..
1. Group size...y'all had 6 right?...that is the size of our base group...if we were 8 (2 want to join in) would that pose a problem?
2. Tires...we all plan to run fresh TKC front and rear...or maybe TKC front and Heindenau (sp?) rear.
3. Any probs on the ride that came up?
4. If you had to cut a section of the ride out to allow for time....what would that be?
Guys...just want to say thanks to all of you in advance for your wonderful documentation and the spirit you had and continue to share with all of us.....and also to give you a bit of a cussin cause this damn ride of yours has gripped my soul and it won't let go....but as of 9/2013 I'm there!!
RIde Safe
Dave
Douglass, TX

[travelingaustralian]

Just finished reading this great RR. Im down in cold Antarctica working. In my spare time I'm doing research for my Alaska to South America trip I plan on doing when I return from here.
I was looking for information and routes through Montana, Wyoming when I came across this write up. Great pictures and beautiful country side!
I'm sure Ill be planing some of my trip through these areas.
Look forward to reading your next RR

Cheers Travelingaustralian

[DockingPilot]

Thanks !
Interesting I was just watching a show about these fellas racing to the South Pole in a outfitted truck called Polar.
You won't get any more remote then that !


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[bomose]

I've read this report for the third time now. One of the best reports I've read. My wife and I will be out that way this summer and were planning to do Yampa Bench road. We'll be 2 up on an unloaded 950 Adv. Are there any sections that would be very hard? We have ridden all around Moab,Taylor Park, and Ouray, so are pretty experienced. Would you go East to West , or vice versa? We'll be staying in Vernal. Thanks.

[DockingPilot]

We rode east to west and we liked that and would recomend it. You will have no problem 2 up on the Adventure. A little soft now and then but really nothing to note.

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[bomose]

Thanks, DP. I'm hoping to do the " Forever West" for my 60th in 2015, if I can convince some friends to go along.It's gotten hard to get them to go anywhere these days.Need to find some younger friends.

[byways]

Bomose: There is this one spot along Yampa Bench Road, somewhere westerly, not far from the turn to Echo Park as I recall. I don't know if it's a perennial seep or just a wet spot. Photo was taken in late May a couple of years ago.