#33 Does Baja

Eric leads a tour of Baja. Did he lose his bike in the surf?

Too Big for My Britches

   Just having completed our testing with SBB suspension, I mentioned how well my suspension worked. I also stated how it could lead to someone getting Too Big for their Britches when the bike works so well.

Guess what!!!  I was out exploring and laying out new routes, by myself of course, and was riding small canyons and crevasse’s in an effort to lay out new routes to challenge my riding buddies. I found a never ridden before drainage that worked its way through a small mountain range and would connect another area I usually get to by going the long way around.  I always love to have alternate routes to keep people on their toes! So I head over and down the small canyon thinking so far so good, this could turn into an excellent alternative route.

Of course I come to a couple of small drop offs and go arounds as I descend.   I know it will take another couple of passes to clear brush and make it more fun. Then I came to a patch of overgrown brush that does not allow passage without clearing first. I look it over and decide it is too much work for the first pass, since I don’t even know where this comes out and if it will be usable.  I stop and look, then decide to go around the growth and ride the wall of the canyon.  After all, with my new reworked SBB suspension I can do just about anything!  Confidence! Maybe a little too much, lol. 

I attempt the wall and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Right up until I ran out of talent! I quickly discover I am no Cody Webb and lose my balance. I tip to my right which is downhill. No footing and no stopping, so I continue to fall while still on the bike from about 8 feet up, down into the bottom of the ditch. Did I mention it is a natural drainage ditch?  So there is an abundance of rocks and boulders there waiting for me. I never have a chance to dismount and end up with the bike on top of me in a heap on the boulders.

My leg is pinned under the bike, so I can’t get up. No problem because I had no intention of getting up until I could breathe again!  It knocked the wind out of me and I was not sure if the ribs were broken or not.  The possible broken ankle was low on the priority list until I could breathe. I lay there for a couple of minutes assessing my condition and situation until I started to breathe again normally.

Ok, time to extract myself from being pinned under the bike.  It shouldn’t be too difficult since I am riding my YZ 250X and it is so much lighter that the 4 stroke.  Oops, the ribs are talking to me and saying we are NOT going to jump up and lift the bike. It is about then I realized my leg was under the bike and I was trapped in an awkward position. So it takes another minute or two making a plan of attack as to how I will lift the bike mostly uphill to free my foot/leg. I figured it out and after several minutes managed to free myself from this mess.

As I stood up I turned off the fuel petcock because I realized I had no one coming behind me and no one knew where I was exploring, so I might be here for a while before I could lift the bike up. The ankle didn’t seem to be broken and the ribs were only a possibility, so things were looking up!  After getting the bike up and feeling the distinct possibility of having a broken rib or two I decided to walk down a ways and see if I should continue or turn around and attempt the drops I had already come down.

After walking about half a mile or so I found it was going to dump me out in a wash that allowed me to access a 2 track I was familiar with. I returned to the bike and rode the rest of the way out to connect with the 2 track.  It was a long SLOW ride back in first and second gear to keep the jarring of the ribs to a minimum.  Having returned safely and putting my bike and gear away, I considered whether I should get an x-ray for the ribs.  But we all know that the X-ray only confirms what we already know, because there is nothing done, except being told to take it easy until the ribs ‘knit’. 

Since I was already sitting down and beginning to ‘KNIT’ with a cold beverage in a comfortable chair I figured I would just continue on with my current chosen path of recovery. Here in the Garage-Mahal with an awesome stereo, Satellite TV with recorded moto alongside a small fridge stocked with cold drinks why bother to seek answers to the obvious.  I knew I had ‘cracked’ a couple of ribs, so I figured I wouldn’t be riding for a few days.  I am so glad I had not deleted all my recorded National and Supercross races!

I am going back to clear out that canyon bypass!

#33

‘Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional’

Personal Suspension Set Up

SBB Testing

Sometimes I just can’t believe my good Fortune!  I was fortunate enough to have Buck Gerolamy of SBB suspension fame come to visit, ride and test suspension for a week. He brought his new Gas-Gas 300.  I think he took his suspension to SBB before he showed up, lol. We also got in a little shooting one day, so it was not all work and no play for The Buck Meister!

I had a few people lined up that wanted suspension work on a KTM, KLX and a Husky. So we kept Buck busy most of the week. He also had to make me happy with my suspension on my new KTM 500 xcf-w and my newly acquired YZ 250X, 2 stroke.  Now I am what you would call a Fork Snob, so it takes a bit of time to make me happy in most instances because I nit-pick forks.

This was going to be interesting because it was our first time making changes to the WP Xplor forks.  A completely new system with compression and rebound in separate legs. Buck stepped up to the plate and re-valved and re-sprung both bikes a couple of times. I am probably going to have to change fork springs one more time on the KTM, but I think when that is done I will have the premiere setup on the front of both bikes. Buck has done suspension for me that has been outstanding in the past on both motocross and Off Road bikes.  But these have set a new standard.

I am a little concerned because the 500 KTM now works so good it seems I am riding a bit too fast now. I may be getting a little too big for my britches because the new KTM blasts through everything without a hiccup and I am not always cautious enough on this new Cadillac!

The Smoker (YZ250x) worked pretty darn good stock as most of us have read in all the magazine tests. They are always raving about how good the KYB SSS forks are. I thought so too. Then SBB worked his magic on them. I am now looking for rock walls and waterfalls to climb, enduro-cross style stuff because all of a sudden I am not scared to try. They are that good!  Again, I am probably getting too big for my britches on this bike now too. But what fun when you can ride like a hero, at least in my own mind!

Anyone want to go ride 5 Miles of Hell in Utah. After I did it a couple years back I didn’t think I would go a second time.  SBB may have changed my mind.  Any takers?

#33

“Be grateful for the doors of opportunity- and for friends who oil the hinges”

Exploring with #33

2021 has started out well so far. As of this writing no “RONA” (covid-19) in our riding group.  Maybe it is the facemask (helmets) or the social distancing (1 rider per bike) we practiced!  We tended to stay away from others too by looking for new trail options, that means boonie crashing and burning in new routes!
We set out on a Monday Taco ride with only Mark (#64) and Recon (#133) making it this week. So with a group of only 3 and all in the Expert category we had no limits for exploring.  It could be the Best Day Ever!  It started out well on a fresh new trail we had spotted a couple of weeks ago and came back to check it out further.  We ran that one out and decided it needed an additional loop through some steep and unridden sections in order to attempt to make it a loop that would head the direction we wanted it to go.  A few times I was wondering if we had gotten a little too big for our britches. That is about the time Mark parks his bike and starts walking down hills to see if we can get out because if we drop in we probably can’t get back out!  It took me a bit to figure out just what #64 was really doing. It was a little trail scouting and a little game trail scouting.  That fool was walking down to see where the game goes and where they bed down!  Mark is a hunter and is always looking at game tracks while we ride. It takes me a minute, but I catch on!

So Mark walks down one that looks intimidating and yells up, “Eric! I think we can do it!”  Ok, I guess we are going. I think to myself, we have three guys and a couple of tow straps so we should be fine. Lol.   It turns out that Mark was right it was not as bad as it looked but it definitely makes you pucker when you head down something fairly steep, you can’t stop and there are No tracks ahead. Well except Marks, he went first since he gave it the thumbs up!
We wrapped up our exploration and were a bit behind schedule due to our hiking session.  But we got our roll on and headed for an established loop that is in the upper levels of difficulty. We usually reserve this section for the upper level of riders, I’ve learned people tend to over rate themselves when I tell them the section is difficult and they insist they can ride anything. “It can’t be harder than Baja” I remember hearing once. After that ride I never saw that guy again.  But then again, he was old, he was our age! Lol.
We log some miles on established trails and get to our New rest stop to meet up with MJ (Montana John) and Lin since they are on an easier loop and ahead of us. Those two have a few more miles on their odometers than we do and MJ is recovering from a neck surgery about 8 months ago.  They have been there and gone, leaving us a message that they will be at the Loves fuel station since there is food and gas there.  We had just settled into a short break with a beverage and a snack when my phone rings and it is Lin who is riding with MJ and he says MJ is not doing very well.  Seems MJ had something to eat during their rest and just about passed out with cold sweats and dizziness.  So we suited up and headed out to their location to help if we could.  Ended up having to recover MJ’s truck and come pick him and his bike up to transport him home.  With MJ on his way home by car, we headed back out on our return route and got news that Lin dropped MJ off at the hospital and would not know anything for a few hours. The hospital staff told Lin to go home, again covid-19 concerns and they would call with news. That was my last update as of this writing.  I hope to get good news today that it was nothing serious. Keeping my fingers crossed.
#33
‘Bad is never good, until worse happens’

Thanksgiving Ride

Thanksgiving Day (after) Quarantine Ride

Hope everyone had as Great of a Thanksgiving week as I did!  I was fortunate enough to have visitors with motorcycles and firearms show up for the week. This may have been the Best Week Ever!!!

Buck of SBB suspension fame showed up with his wife Marcie and a newly acquired KTM 300 xcw. I got a smile on my face that didn’t go away until they left. There was also MJ’s lifelong friend, Matt, from Montana with his CRF 450 X fully decked out and set up to do rides worthy of taking him out on a tour.  Then the Circus rolled into town, Big Bob Gates, his grandson Cameron and the legendary Baja race coordinator Doug Smith. This crew brought along a KTM, KX and Husky in the arsenal.

Buck got his feet wet by going on the legendary ‘Taco Ride’ that takes place on Monday. I know you are thinking ‘Taco Tuesday’ is what everyone says. Three reasons why it is on Monday.  First because the bar/restaurant we ride to has taco specials on Monday.  Second, who in the heck wants to do it like every other knucklehead they know!  Third, because Tuesday is Range day and I am not giving up my shooting day!

Buck rode with Recon, Cory and myself. Cory was in the right place at the right time because Buck rebuilt his shock the day before in my garage with parts he brought on the road. Cory’s shock had NEVER seen any love and it was a 2008 YZ 250.  Glad I wasn’t riding that before the rebuild.  Cory got setup and adjusting by SBB suspension tuner Buck on our ride. Hard to put a price on that!  Recon and I both ride bikes with big tanks on our KTM 500’s and can go for tacos and back without fuel. But in the Girlz bike category 250/300 2 strokes you gotta carry oil so we can stop and get fuel to make the complete trip.

We had a great ride out and back with only a couple small mishaps. On our way home I noticed Cory was beginning to make a few mistakes. It seems the younger generation gets tired a bit sooner than the Geezers!  So about mile 75 we talked it over and decided to take a less meandering route to avoid any potential injuries. Everyone got home fine and there was talk, by Recon of course, of meeting for Milk Shakes around 6pm. Recon, Buck and I did meet up for milkshakes but it seemed Cory decided he didn’t want one that bad. He texts and thanked us for the invite but he was going to stay home.  The Geezers all enjoyed the payoff!

The Tuesday shooting day was a lot of fun, we shoot paper targets and some steel gongs with side arms to add variety to our day. It started out as any normal shooting day until Marcie got a little instruction and accelerated her fire arms proficiency dramatically.  All of a sudden she was a female Rambo and needed more bullets!!!  She was actually hitting the target and handling the pistol in a much more efficient and controlled manner. The look on her face was priceless, when she saw what she could do after being taught how to do it correctly.  She was back stuffing magazines for the next round every time she ran them empty. I think Buck shot a couple times but backed up every time Marcie was ready to shoot. I am pretty sure he was afraid of being punched if he got in her way!  She loved my small Glock and it seems they went to a local gun shop to shop for more ammo.  Buck may have a monster on his hands!

The day after Thanksgiving the Circus rolled into town, a bit late, but it was a long drive from So. Cal.  After all the visitors met each other and the B.S. session concluded we got on the trail about noon. I was trying to decide how many miles we could cover with the remaining daylight. Some of the loops are big and take a few hours to complete. With our group of 6 riders the average speed would be lower. I rolled the dice and went out a bit further, heck 4 of us had lights to get home. What could go wrong?

We rode and had a great time. Swapped bikes a couple times to evaluate, did a little trail side wrenching and we saw a few sights; the cabin is a cool stop when no one is there. It is a rebuilt cabin tucked away in a canyon but since it was a holiday weekend we found it was overrun with a group of Polaris RZR drivers. Must have been 12 to 15 of them each having 2 to 4 people per vehicle. Too busy so we looked, took a few photos and moved on. It was late in the afternoon anyway. On a side note, the RZR vehicles create a chop or washboard in all the sand washes that can knock your teeth loose. Sometimes these go for many miles at a time. To get some perspective, Big Bob says after riding some of these washes, “This is so much fun I think I will schedule a colonoscopy when I get home”.  I don’t think he liked that part.

So we headed out and took another route back that eventually brought us closer to a hiway and a bit of 2 stroke gas that I had stashed around 6am that morning. As the tour guide I wanted to make sure everyone would make it.  It was late in the day and Bob who is 78 yrs. old by the way listened closely when I gave our options at that point.  Continue to ride the trail and finish at about dark or hop on the highway and beeline it back to town in about 14 miles. Bob instantly made an executive decision and said we were going on the highway, lol.  No one objected and we did just that, half of our bikes are plated so we just put the non-plated bikes in the middle. When the first three of us rolled into town we noticed the other three missing. We waited a few minutes and were just turning around when Recon, Doug and Bob come rolling in. It seems Bob’s KTM had run out of gas just a couple miles outside of town and he had to lean the bike over to get the last bit of gas to make it. Perfect!  Bob was out of gas too but he made it.

The boyz got back to the trailer and loaded up for the long drive home. This was their first visit to come ride with me. I have gone over to ride in their neck of the woods on many occasions and know full well how long the trip seems when going home. The rolling circus got all the bikes loaded and said their good byes. Away they went.  I wonder if they will ever come back?              I mean after the Colonoscopy!

The next day was an easy day with only one rider showing up.  Matt is from Butte, Montana and quite an accomplished rider. He rides a very well maintained and prepped Honda 450x. He should, in so much as Matt had a motorcycle shop, ‘Two Wheelz’, in Butte for a number of years. He has been in the motorcycle business a long time.  It shows in his riding and prep.  We meandered out on two track and some single track for a few hours and had a great ride. A lot of fun and pretty uneventful. With Matt’s ability and only two of us I was able to take him on some of the stuff I can’t take most people or groups. It would require camping gear and lots of spare parts if I try that! I had a great time and we wrapped up with, can you believe this, “33” miles when I hit the pavement to ride home. I smiled and laughed when I saw that. This might be the Best Day Ever!  I dropped Matt off at MJ’s and after a bit of a B.S. session headed home. When I got home I checked and realized, Holy Schmokers, these guys had kept me busy all week and it was time for an oil change! I got to work and the Mighty KTM is all serviced up and ready to go! New oil and air filter. Anybody want to ride?

#33

‘When is old enough to know better supposed to kick in?’