Seeing Double DRZs

A former coworker (and personal friend), just traded his Kawasaki KLR650 for a much more manageable Suzuki DRZ400S.

When Jeff was originally looking for a bike, he told me he wanted something that would be suitable for riding gravel roads, yet comfortable enough for highway speeds and asked me for advice. I told him, if I were to own just one bike, it would be the Kawasaki KLR650. The Swiss Army Knife, or the Leatherman of motorcycles, a well rounded, do nothing well, but everything bike. That, and Jeff stands 6 foot something tall, so he could straddle it well enough. And so it was...

Jeff and his daughter on his then new KLR650

I rode with Jeff, and a couple other coworkers on the OBDR6 (Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route 6) back in July of 2016. Jeff has mentioned more than once how whooped he was riding that weekend, and how much that heavy KLR pig of a bike took out of him.

Me and my XT250 leading 3 KLRs on the OBDR6 (July 2016)

Jeff in hi-vis helmet playing sweep (July 2016)

While working with Jeff, he would mention his previous bikes in conversation, street bikes and cruisers. I suspected that he did not have a lot of off-road or gravel road riding experience, so I concluded that one reason he was so exhausted after that weekend ride was that he was fighting the bike. That, and he was suffering a hernia at the time, oh how familiar that sounds.

Turning the pigs around (July 2016)

During that ride I had my little Yamaha XT250; I bought the smaller bike on purpose, it had been several years since I rode bikes as a kid so I wanted to get used to a smaller bike moving underneath me. I also don't suffer from that little man, neanderthal mentality that bigger is better, or that I have to prove myself by riding the latest, greatest, biggest, baddest machine to come off the showroom floor. I have way more fun flogging smaller bikes than dragging big bikes out of precarious situations.

Since then, I've gained a little more experience and a lot more confidence riding that little XT250. I flogged that little bike to where I felt I could step up to something a little more road worthy, yet still single track dirt capable. Again, I don't possess the "go big, or go home" attitude and immediately dismissed the KTM 690 Enduro, or any KTM for that matter, the Honda XL650, and Suzuki's DR650.  I test rode the Suzuki DRZ400S during a Suzuki Demo day and fell in love. The DRZ400S was nearly as light as the XT250, slightly taller, and would be much more capable on the highway loaded down with camping gear. Perfect!

My first day on the DRZ400S, Black Dog Rally 2017

I still love the XT250 and highly recommend for learning to ride gravel roads, exploring trails or plodding around the woods. I would still have it if Trobairitz didn't have the TW200 in the fleet for me to flog at will. So I bought a DRZ400S and sold the XT.

Jeff quit his job, semi retired, and found part time work much closer to home. He'd ride his bicycle to work in the morning, ride home for lunch, then drag out his KLR to ride back to work for his afternoon shift. It wasn't long before he realized the KLR was just too big and heavy for quick jaunts to work, and for running errands after. Again he asked me for advice, finally someone who values my opinion and actually listens! He asked me about the DRZ, so I told him how light and nimble it was, how it had plenty of power, and made for a fantastic dual sport, but this time I added "not as an only bike". I explained that my intention was to put street tires on the Tiger, use that as a commuter, tourer, and for known gravel road jaunts. The DRZ is my explorer of unknown trails, single track OHV riding, bike camping, and Black Dog Rally bike. Exactly the same type of riding that he wanted to do too, and so it was...

Happy boy on his new DRZ400S

Now to get it dirty, which is quite difficult with Jeff, as he likes to keep his things tidy. We named his KLR "Dusty" in jest; we were out on a ride one day and he complained that his bike was dusty, I replied "that's a pretty name" and it stuck.

We set up a play date and I took him out on familiar logging roads around here to get him used to his new DRZ.

Wet and rainy ride, fogged up my camera phone

Jeff's bike on the left

He couldn't believe how much lighter, and more manageable it was over the KLR, not to mention how torquey the 400 was. We had much better weather the following week and set up another play date. I planned another gravel road ride of about a hundred miles to accommodate his schedule and his fuel tank. One short coming of the DRZ is its tiny 2 gallon stock fuel tank which is only good for just over a hundred miles. He bought a rear rack and a Rotopax gas can to overcome this problem, I have a 4 gallon Clarke Tank, but as I mentioned he likes to keep his shit tidy and isn't big into bike mods. Accessory or farkles are fine, modifications take much more convincing than I'm willing to invest.

So happy not to be hefting the KLR around

Proud Papa

The rain has returned, which means we spend more time on the computer than our bikes, which can be dangerous. Not physically, but financially; I did say he like his farkles. Our next play date is a garage day to install his Rox Risers, Oxford heated grips, and Cycra Handguards.

I'm glad he's having fun, and I have a Friday riding partner.

Now to find a rabbit hole to lead him down... ooooohhhhh Andy, wanna come out and play?


~  “Good Friends Don't Let You Do Stupid Things.. Alone”

Right Tool For The Job

Don't get mad, just use a bigger hammer.

With any job there's the right tool, and many, many wrong tools. Using the wrong tool to accomplish a task can be dangerous, and if you're unlucky, can cause injury.

I recently used the wrong tool for a job, and fell off a ladder. I was using a ratchet and socket to tighten a lag bolt into a post; I have an impact driver which would have worked much better, and it did the second time, after learning my lesson. But more importantly, the other tool I was using which was the ladder was too small. Unfortunately, I was a little slower learning this lesson as I had gone out and purchased the same sized step ladder to replace the one I broke when I fell.
Guess what? Yep, a mere two weeks later I fell off this ladder too.

Ladder = 2
Bradley = 0

I'm okay for the most part. I may or may not have sprained, or fractured my right hand/throttle wrist. It is still sore nearly 4 weeks later. I also bruised my pride.

The right tool for the job was my Gorilla Ladder, which was leaning up against the wall in the garage. It is heavy, cumbersome, and noisy to use, but it is the right tool for the job. I was just too lazy to fetch it.

So speaking of heavy, cumbersome and noisy. My Tiger is designed specifically to do a job, and I have been known to use it beyond that specific job. I've taken it down the primrose path a time or two too many, and dropped at least as many times doing so. Not the job for what it was intended.

The Tiger is a 500+ lb. adventure touring bike, meaning it does street and gravel roads quite well, anything more adventurous than that and you're going to have a bad time.

I have my Suzuki DRZ400S, a much better tool to use when adventure overcomes sensibility.

My intent was to put more street oriented tires on the Tiger and use it primarily for street riding, with an occasional gravel road thrown in to keep me on my toes. Well, that opportunity presented itself much sooner than I had anticipated. Team Oregon invited instructors to practice slow, precision maneuvers, setting up several drills from their police training course. Of course, again, adventure overcame sensibility and without hesitation I signed up. I received an email confirmation with a list of things to do to our bikes in preparation.

Because of the advanced, low-speed nature of this course, we recommend you prepare your bike:

·         Fresh oil and filter

·         Adjust and lubricate chain

·         Remove damage-prone accessories (tools will be available)

·         Increase tire pressure 3-5 psi for the riding drills (a compressor will be available)

·         Tires worn no more than 50 percent

I went out to the garage to confirm what I suspected, my rear tire was indeed worn.
Time to buy new tires.
Oil change and filter? Meh, that was just done recently.
Remove damage-prone accessories? Gulp! What am I getting myself into?
According to Pat Hahn, "scratches are street cred; the second exercise is taping up your bike".

It's not the bike I'm worried about, I've dropped the Tiger more times than I can recall. I am however getting a little tired of falling down and hurting myself.

I ordered up a set of Metzler Tourance Next tires, claimed to be a dual compound, 90/10 street/gravel tire. The same tires Polar Bear Andy has on his newly acquired Tiger and recommended.

Then I got to set up my new tire changing set up, a Tusk tire stand, a couple of rim savers, and a Baja No Pinch tire mounting tool (highly touted by Richard himself). I don't know why I didn't consider the front and rear axles being different sizes, I only bought the 20mm axle shaft. I needed a 17mm for the front. D'oh! I had to do it the hard way.

Once I mounted the tires and balanced them, it was off to work the next morning to scrub them in. Wow! New tires are the best, but these make turning in so much easier and not nearly as sluggish as the Shinko 705s I'd been using all these years. I wanted to feel how the new tires were in gravel, they are definitely a 90/10 tire. I don't particularly like them in gravel, hard pack is fine, but loose gravel es no bueno. The hefty old girl tends to wallow more than pounce. I'll have to drop the tire pressure and try it again.

Saturday afternoon came and it was go time. The first exercise was learning the proper technique on picking up your bike.

Courtesy of Team-Oregon.org 

Then, sure enough and as promised, the second exercise was in fact taping up your bike. We used pieces of firehose, zip ties, and Gorilla Tape to save what we suspected were the touch down points.

The first "riding exercise" was the box, which consisted of two consecutive U-turns, or a figure 8.
Before we started I was called over by both instructors whom recognized my new tires upon arrival. After learning I had less than 100 miles on these tires, they both advised that I take it easy for the first couple of exercises.

Out of the box we went into a tight radius "S" turn, before finishing up with a sharp left turn.

So far so good. We all practiced for 20 minutes or so to limber up.

Next was entering a "T" intersection for a tight turn from a stop. We were to signal, stop, and turn without putting a foot down.

Well, not to disappoint, I was the first... and the second one in the class to drop their bike, on the same exercise. Good, that should make everyone else in class a bit more comfortable.

I failed to load up the rear wheel and stalled the Tiger mid turn, both times. Maybe I'm not such a slow learner after all, because I nailed it every time after that, it's all in the technique.

From there, we went to the "Iron Cross" intersection.

Not our class, courtesy of youtube member - j coppeta

That was fun, one of my favorite exercises as we could go around either to the left or right. We were also able to go back and practice any of the previous exercises on our own, at our leisure.

We moved onto the offset cone weave, which is much more challenging than the one we set up for our students in the Basic or Intermediate class. I would be rounding one cone, leaning the bike in that direction while looking over my shoulder setting myself up for the next cone. Big head turns.

The last exercise was the keyhole, roll in, go either left or right, dip the bike around the corner then pick it up and lean it the opposite direction around the circle to pick it up again for the exit.

The Vancouver Police demonstrating the keyhole

It was a great day honing my skills, and I got to scrub in my new tires... and my bike.

Thanks Team Oregon! I'll post more photos as they come available. 

~  “Regardless of where you started, there is always the next level. You need to keep leveling up your skills.” ― Mustafa Saifuddin

Oopsie Daisy and the Eclipse

Way back in January, I put in to take this week in August off from work, thinking we'd be in overtime and everyone else would want this same week off for the eclipse. My original plan was to partake in the Rat Dog Dual Sport Rally in Tillamook, then Monday ride up into the woods to a peaceful clearing and watch the eclipse.

Unfortunately, the media created all this hype that one million plus visitors were going to descend on Oregon for the eclipse. This would result in a shortage of food, water, and gasoline, as well as put a strain on the local electric and internet infrastructure. We could be without power or the world wide web for several days. Not to mention the ever present, extreme fire danger warning that Oregon issues every year. This year the Forestry Department shut down the forests, no burning at all, and closed any and all service roads, you know the fun roads. The influx of tourists were going to gridlock the entire state highway system, and burn the whole state to the ground.

http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/AboutODF/Pages/SolarEclipse2017.aspx

I'm not much of a Chicken Little Henny Penny type, but I also don't care for crowds of people, large or small. The last thing I wanted to do was go off riding for two days, then not be able to get home, trapped on the side of the road or caught in a forest fire with no way out.

Change of plans, I can always do the Rat Dog next year and instead opted to stay home to work on honey-do projects that have been piling up in the corner. No people, no crowds, no problem. We rode our mountain bikes to coffee Saturday morning, just in case we encountered hordes of "eclipse followers". We rode through the eerily quiet OSU campus, through an empty park, and down to the unexpectedly unoccupied coffee shop. How odd, where are the million plus people? They must be coming.

We rode home and I started on a small deck project, we wanted to set up a screen to block the ominous two storey house behind us. I set up a small step ladder, measured and marked a couple of lines, and began attaching a bracket to hold a 2x6 base to a 4x6 post. I climbed up, started ratcheting the first lag bolt tight when it snapped.

Oopsie Daisy!

Evidently, the force in which I was using on the ratchet was significantly more than that used to balance. However, the force of gravity against keeping me upright was that much more again. Needless to say, I went down like a sack of certified organic potatoes. Alas, I did put up a fight and flailed hopelessly, grabbing at anything to slow my decent, which was the 4x6 upright post with, of course, a small screw sticking out of it. Fortunately, landing on the step stool broke my fall as did a sitting bench nearby. All I could think of was not to strike my head, and knock myself unconscious on the big ceramic planter I knew was somewhere in the vicinity. I road-rashed my right tricep, and my back between my shoulder blades, bruised my right hip, and tore a small triangle gash in my left hand palm where that small screw ever so slightly slowed my decent. I went against my own advice for motorcycle crashes of staying down and assessing the situation before getting up. Instead I jumped up, clenched my wrist and held my hands high in the air above my head before Brandy knew what I was doing. She didn't panic, but was somewhat alarmed for my current situation. We found it surprising how such a small, but deep wound will bleed. I got it cleaned up, applied pressure, then contemplated if I should just bandage it up and carry on.

Guys, there's a reason we get married, someone has to make good choices. Off to urgent care for stitches, a tetanus shot, and antibiotics. I am stiff and sore, but now I get to spend my vacation doing exactly what you're supposed to do on vacation... relax.

Ladders should come with warning labels.

We went for a stroll downtown Sunday to gauge the crowds, and we found them. Apparently the predicted hordes trickled in unnoticed. Thought I'd grab a beer and some lunch but... people.
Instead, we just beat feet for home.

This morning we woke with the sun, strolled down to a nearby walking path and open field to witness the eclipse. I must admit, that was pretty cool. Donning our ISO certified safe eclipse glasses we watched  as the moon slowly blocked out the sun. Totality was awesome, truly a once in a lifetime experience and I understand why people travel to see it. The temperature dropped significantly, the lighting was indescribable, birds did go quiet, a cheer among the small crowd, and a 360º sunset/sunrise, wow.

Waiting for it to warm back up, brrrr.

The crowds were not a big as the mean, old, media made them out to be, traffic was heavy, especially along the I-5 corridor, but not the apocalyptic gridlock as expected. Nor did we lose power.
We decided not to venture out today, other than this morning's viewing, we came home for lunch and a nap... it went dark, I had to reset.

Now to surf the internet for motorcycles, they're much safer than ladders. Better safe than sorry.

~

"Being an adult is mostly being exhausted, wishing you hadn't made plans, and wondering how you hurt your back." ~ unknown

Black Dog 2017

That came fast, I couldn't believe that the Black Dog Dual Sport Rally was here again already.

This year went much smoother than last year. Trains ran on time and stayed on the tracks, allowing us to run up I-5 and I-84 to Hood River and the fairgrounds in Odell where we'd spend the weekend. Polar Bear looped around the fairgrounds looking for a suitable spot to call camp. We drove up past the restrooms, past the bandstand and found the perfect, shady spot in the corner with power for our buddy DJ and his Class C motorhome and trailer. It was away from both busy roads and all the hustle and bustle of the other attendees.

Base camp for the weekend

Home Sweet Home

We unloaded our gear, got our tents set up, then sat and enjoyed a cold beer under the shade of a birch tree while waiting for DJ. It was sure nice to be up there early, claim a spot and relax while everyone else rolled in. About an hour later DJ and his friend Thad rolled in, backed up and leveled the rig in true glamping fashion.

Dinner plans were discussed and the gang went down to the meeting hall for $2 tacos from a local vendor who set up on site. I wasn't up for a token lettuce taco so I stayed and puttered with my jet-boil and prepared a delicious meal of rice and lentils in curry sauce. Just add hot water and stir.

This beats many restaurants  

The guys got back with the news that the night ride was easy gravels roads "C course" so we decided to all go. DJ and Thad brought their dual sport bikes for Saturday's more challenging "A course", and their bigger adventure bikes for Sunday's "B-C course"; and now Friday night's ride. Andy and I unloaded our bikes all the while trying to figure out how to fasten lights to our helmets to read the roll chart.

Course descriptions for our events    Note: this is assuming dry weather conditions.  Inclement weather or fire danger will dictate probably running only B or C courses, so as not to damage trails.  Letter designations are in key with typical AMA enduro class descriptions.

AA: VERY DIFFICULT [extremely advanced] -  sophisticated and complex trails that are only passable by a real dirt bike. Extreme uphills/downhills and trials-like sections, which require lower gearing.  Aggressive knobbies required.

A: DIFFICULT [advanced] - plenty of challenging trail that requires advanced trail techniques.  Aggressive knobbies highly suggested.

B: MODERATE [normal] - moderate or mild trail skills required.  Larger single-cylinder or two-up bikes should easily traverse these  sections.  Generally passable by an advanced Jeep/driver combo.  Regular dualsport tires are acceptable.

C: EASY [very easy] - practically no trail.  Mostly gravel road. Passable by large 2-cylinder bikes, two-up,  sidecars or most any 4-wheel drive.  Regular dualsport tires are acceptable.

We wandered down to the hall to pick up the roll chart for the ride and any other information we needed, such as departure time and approximate mileage. Back at camp we loaded our roll charts, taped flashlights and head lamps to our helmets, and waited for dusk before gearing up and heading out.

Thought this was ingenious 

Not being familiar with the area makes the riding fun and full of discovery. The road unfurls before us, revealing beautiful scenery as the sun slowly sets behind a mountain. Again, not being familiar with the area makes the riding in the dark... fun... and full of discovery. Especially for the one of us whose "street legal dirt bike" has less than adequate lighting. Polar Bear, short of stopping to light his gas lit carriage lamp of a headlight couldn't see into the night let alone cut through the dust which hung low like an early morning fog. Me being behind him didn't help, so I passed him to give him a taillight to follow. We had our Senas on so we could at least communicate with each other and it wasn't long before I felt like his seeing eye dog, leading him through "most" of the sharp turns. I commented that his red and white Husqvarna was like a blind man's walking stick, which I don't think he appreciated, but isn't that what are friends are for?

The pace slowed considerably, but we made it back safe and sound. It was late, we had an early day Saturday, so we called it a night and made our way into our respective beds.

The neighborhood rooster woke me up at 4:00 Saturday morning, which is about the time I get up for work anyway. So I quietly gathered up my jet-boil and breakfast fixings to peacefully enjoy the sunrise with a hot cuppa tea. I knew that once everyone woke up, the race would be on and the pace set for the day.

Good morning sunshine

Tick tock, pick up roll charts at 6:00, rider's meeting at 7:00, there's the horn, let's go!
The organizers have us raise our right hand at the meeting and recite "this is not a race".

Rider's meeting "This is not a race"

Andy and I prefer the "B course", also Andy likes to start off slow then taper off from there. DJ and Thad on the other hand were chomping at the bit and were gone on the "A course".

The two of us eased into our gear, rode our bikes down to obstacle course, spanked the monkey, then headed out. Much easier in the daylight.

Saturday's ride was a leisurely tour, much less KTM rhinoceros traffic than last year's shared course. The "A course" and "B course" were split up this year, on opposite sides of the river, in separate States in fact. We rode across the scary bridge into Washington while the "A course" stayed in Oregon.



B-C-Courses-BD-2017 from Thom Niemela on Vimeo.


We took our time and ambled along as we had all day. Took a few pictures and stopped for snacks, pee breaks, and more often than not, to stretch our butt muscles.

Andy the Polar Bear on his Husky

Overlooking the Columbia River Gorge

With so much rain this year, neither one of us had been out riding motorcycles or mountain bikes, let alone any training for longer rides. I'm in pretty good shape for a guy not in very good shape.

Saturday's ride

Pulling back in the fairgrounds for the day, we were met with a little riding challenge for points. We had to ride up to a mailbox on our left side, reach in and grab a poker chip without dabbing (putting a foot down). This is much harder than it sounds as the left side doesn't allow you to use your clutch, thus causing my bike to stall and me to dab. Andy had better luck by staying on the throttle a bit and dragging the rear brake. Must be a trials riding technique. My neighbors are going to wonder what the hell I'm doing practicing at home riding up to my mailbox trying to grab a poker chip.

We were whooped, so we headed back to camp for a cold beer and converse about our day. It wasn't long before bed as we had to be up early again for Sunday's ride.

Cock-a-doodle-doo went the alarm at 4:00, and again I enjoyed the peaceful sunrise over a cuppa while packing up my sleeping bag and camping gear.
Grab the roll charts, load our holders, gear up, spank the monkey, and we're off. All the rider's shared Sunday's ride so we were wary of the KTM rhinoceroses. And sure enough they didn't disappoint.

We had to be back by 2:00 so the pace was a lot quicker, with fewer stops and much fewer photos.

Had to stop for the covered bridge photo

The route and roads were awesome, we crossed the scary bridge and made our way up to Gifford Pinchot National Forest for a quick loop through the woods and past the Ice Caves, too cold to stop. Then it was back down to Trout Lake and up the other side toward Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge, wish we had time to visit. Sunday's route was fantastic, but the pace was way too fast. It does give me an excuse to go back with Trobairitz and enjoy it at our leisure.

There's a mountain back there somewhere...

We did find time to stop and assist a KTM rider with a broken hub, more console him than assist as there was nothing we could really do. He called the event organizer to have a truck come pick him up. And we talked to a 70 year old gentleman that rode the entire B course, both days on his Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster. He said it was lighter than his BMW R1200GS and he could touch the ground.



Back at the fairgrounds we enjoyed another  challenge for more points, touching the top of 4 traffic cones lined up in a row without dabbing. Again, much harder than it looks, I nearly lost control of my bike and fell. I tapped two out of four, and something else I'm going to have to practice.

We rode back to camp, loaded up just in time to attend the awards ceremony. I didn't earn enough points to warrant a prize, but I wasn't there for the points, all I wanted was to ride.

It was an uneventful drive home, it was great just to sit and relax.

"Thanks for driving Andy!"

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." 

—African proverb