The Schofield MonkeyButt Ride

['Rett Butler]

Yeah, I agree about small bikes but the DR 250 is almost identical in every way (besides power) to a DR 350. I wouldn't say "carry it if needed", it's around 260 lbs (DR350 is 285).

For the power to weight ratio, if I were to tackle some technical single track alone I'd wish I had my wife's CRF150RB at 185 lbs. Attach some pack straps and hike out if you get into trouble

[Pablo83]

I stopped in Carbondale from my morning coffee (it was about noon). The cafe had and Aspen-type vibe to it; I didn’t fit in. I tried to sit in a far corner so no one would have to smell me. Then I headed for Hagerman Pass.

Hagerman was a breeze.


I found a train in Leadville.

[benwiggin2]

[Pablo83]

Well I finally have my computer back after the wildfire evacuation, so hopefully I can finish this report up...

Mosquito Pass was easy.


But it looked like I was going to get a little rain before I made it home.


I did a little tooling around at the summit.


And some more tooling around at the base.

[Pablo83]

Now I was off the trails and close to home and I had gone the entire day without one single gear incident.

I was cruising at about 60 MPH when there was a giant bang and the rear suspension bottomed out completely. It must have been a GIANT pot hole. But I knew this road well and I knew it didn’t have any big pot holes. I pulled over to try and figure out what was going on. The slack from one of the tiedowns had come untied and gotten wrapped around the rear hub. The wheel pulled the strap tight very quickly which pulled the rear of the bike down until it bottomed out and the strap broke. I guess my bike wanted to remind me one more time how important it is to properly secure my gear.





I had a couple extra straps so I just put a new one on and tried to tie the slack up more securely and I was home in another 30 minutes.

[Pablo83]

A lot went wrong, but I would not hesitate to go on a similar trip again. It was a lot of fun. I’m glad I did this trip solo. Otherwise I would not have wanted to hold up the group with all me gear issues so I would have turn back on the first day.

If I did it again I would not use tie down straps, I wouldn’t use anything with hooks (they pop off). I would build some straps that clicked together at the ends and I would cut the slack short so even if it came loose it couldn’t reach the chain. I would use the PVC supports again. They seemed to work well. I would love to find a duffel with a PVC support sewn into the bottom (or maybe I should just pull out the sewing machine).

Some of the trails were hard, but all the drama on this trip was strap related and I’m pretty sure I can remedy that in the future. When I look at it from that point, the whole experience is kind of liberating: I’ve done one of the toughest passes and one of the toughest trails in Colorado on a loaded bike, which mean I should be able to pack up and go ANYWHERE on my bike, right?

[benwiggin2]

Shuddering episodes with your straps, especially the last one- "giant bang", suspension bottoms out LOL!!!

But good job, enjoyed reading your RR Pablo. Thankls

[Sourjon]

Gotta admire the spirit but get you some proper saddle bags or a giant loop before that system either hurts you or strands you somewhere. Still a fun read though!

John

[Laconic]

Awesome.

[av_mech]

Great story man! Glad you kept moving with all the strap problems.

Great idea with the PVC to build an internal skeleton like that. I had a rack on my KLR to support my Wolfman, but I don't have anything on my Tiger and the bag droops a bit. I think I'll try yours. Great thinking!

I made much the similar ride last year. Minus the single track. We did manage to get my Tiger and my buddy's GS12ADV over that snow slide and down Schofield Pass. Fun on 500/600lbs motos!











Thanks for taking the time to share! Brought back some great memories. If you want to read my story, it starts with Post #147 on page 10 of my thread. Clicky signature.

[Pablo83]

Originally Posted by Sourjon

Gotta admire the spirit but get you some proper saddle bags or a giant loop before that system either hurts you or strands you somewhere. Still a fun read though!

John

I've tried a few saddle bags on the trail and have had poor luck with them as well. They have all gotten torn or melted by the pipe. They also inhibit your let room on the technical stuff.

[Pablo83]

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing. You must have been there earlier than I was (there is more snow on the peaks). It's cool to see big bikes on that pass.

Originally Posted by av_mech

Great story man! Glad you kept moving with all the strap problems.

Great idea with the PVC to build an internal skeleton like that. I had a rack on my KLR to support my Wolfman, but I don't have anything on my Tiger and the bag droops a bit. I think I'll try yours. Great thinking!

I made much the similar ride last year. Minus the single track. We did manage to get my Tiger and my buddy's GS12ADV over that snow slide and down Schofield Pass. Fun on 500/600lbs motos!



Thanks for taking the time to share! Brought back some great memories. If you want to read my story, it starts with Post #147 on page 10 of my thread. Clicky signature.