Motorcycle Lovers Thread

[Bill Talbot]

A couple oldies.
First from 1990, dualing 'dx's. I had just gotten my '90 KDX200 and my riding buddy went a slightly different route by converting his early KX500 into an off-road blaster. At one HS that year, on a rather mud soaked course there was a small field run after coming out of the woods. The big bore Kawa with a 120 Pirelli Lagunacross was throwing mud 40' up into the trees. It was hilarious!

This was part of the reason that I got that 200'dx. 1989 Black and Blue Enduro and the water crossing @ Martian's. That big Honda single was a hand full in the tight nasty Northeast single track trails (made a great dual sport though!). Here's me pushing through the seat deep puddle after a flame out. Only another 60 or so miles to go!

 

[Tom K.]

What did you weigh in those MX fighter years? Were the shock and forks sprung for that weight? I'd guess you were bottoming out HARD on the track.

Did you travel much in the day or mostly ride/race in your area. We've got two classic tracks around here, Moto 338 (Southwick) and Unafukkingdilla. You'd have really like them!
Great seeing the old pix!

I was probably 190 or so at that age, but I rode HARD. I would have benefited greatly from a coach to mellow me out at that age, but wouldn't we all have? To be fair, everybody broke their KX420 frames that year. I was just fast enough that my shop owner got Kawi to comp the frames, but many other racers were furious.

Just stayed in my MN "district" for racing, but we had 3 astounding tracks. Bemidji was the roughest natural northwoods track I've ever seen. Loved it. Cambridge was a sandy masterpiece. And then Zumbro Falls (now the Millville nat'l track) was without peer. I raced a few motos and HCs with Jon Martin, who now owns Millville. He'd come flying past me in the woods, and I'd return the favor on the moto track part of each lap. We both ran out of gas that day. Ha!

Thanks for the old muddy enduro pics. I never got into that, as balancing semi-serious MX and college was enough of a challenge.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Alrighty @Tom K. and fellow moto guys, my searching abilities must be bad cause I know Tom mentioned the answer to my question before(perhaps it was in person riding lifts). Im struggling to find it on here.

Anyways, I rode a dirt bike yesterday in 22 degree weather and quickly found out the mittens that keep me warm skiing down into the negative 10 range didnt cut it on the moto. Cold fingers quickly and the bulkiness made working the clutch nearly disastrous.

Decent battery powered riding gloves?
Thanks

 

[Tom K.]

Decent battery powered riding gloves?

@Dakine sold me on trying the Gerbings, and I'm very happy, but don't honestly "work" them very hard.

IIRC he mentioned that he's still using a ten or twelve-year old pair for snowblowing duty up on the UP, so perhaps he'll chime in.

EDIT: Damn, five minutes after typing the word Gerbing into the internet, electric glove ads are chasing me everywhere I go. I'm going for a bike ride!

 

[chris_the_wrench]

I should add they need to be standalone powered by their own battery. Not my bike so I cant hack into the wiring and no power plugs availble.

 

[Andy Mink]

 

[Bill Talbot]

Alrighty @Tom K. and fellow moto guys, my searching abilities must be bad cause I know Tom mentioned the answer to my question before(perhaps it was in person riding lifts). Im struggling to find it on here.

Anyways, I rode a dirt bike yesterday in 22 degree weather and quickly found out the mittens that keep me warm skiing down into the negative 10 range didnt cut it on the moto. Cold fingers quickly and the bulkiness made working the clutch nearly disastrous.

Decent battery powered riding gloves?
Thanks

Heated grips and bar mitts.

 

[Bill Talbot]

 

[Mothertucker]

Damn, that was the most fun I've had since yesterday.

 

[SlowPokePete]

Raining soon...

1984 BMW R80ST.

September 27, 2022 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

SPP

 

[JCF]

Pete - nice one !

I grew up in Hillsdale, mom and sister still live there and I return often.
Such a beautiful part of the world. Been there long ?
Catamount had more snow back in the day, but still had one of my most enjoyable sessions there this year.

Here's my old BMW

 

[François Pugh]

I'm thinking of getting a Speedo Healer so I don't have to do math in my head. It would be nice to know exactly how fast I'm going when I'm just being chill and cruising along slightly over the speed limit in the presence of people whose job it is to collect the speed tax.
Thoughts?

 

[scott43]

Did you change either sprocket?

 

[scott43]

I mean the only ticket I got on my bikes over 30 years was a 184 in a 60. My point I guess is, if you're close, they pretty much don't care. Cops figure out much we'll weed ourselves out..

 

[Tom K.]

@Bill Talbot a chance to win a 200EXC with the "Jackpiner" cosmetics treatment:

Racerhead #12 - Racer X

This week in your sport.

racerxonline.com

When I was still trying to go fast through the woods, the 250 EXC was the fastest bike I ever rode, but the 200 EXC was the FUNNEST!

 

[Bill Talbot]

@Bill Talbot a chance to win a 200EXC with the "Jackpiner" cosmetics treatment:

Racerhead #12 - Racer X

This week in your sport.

racerxonline.com

When I was still trying to go fast through the woods, the 250 EXC was the fastest bike I ever rode, but the 200 EXC was the FUNNEST!

@Tom K. , thanks for the shout out but I have one sitting in front of me in my hallway...

 

[François Pugh]

Did you change either sprocket?

Still bone stock. I just don't like having to subtract 10% to know how fast I'm going.
Inquiring minds want to know (i.e. can I continue on my way as is with no worries, or will things get stressful).

 

[François Pugh]

I mean the only ticket I got on my bikes over 30 years was a 184 in a 60. My point I guess is, if you're close, they pretty much don't care. Cops figure out much we'll weed ourselves out..

Yes, I've noticed that some times they don't even bother with speeding bikes.

 

[Tom K.]

@Tom K. , thanks for the shout out but I have one sitting in front of me in my hallway...

D'oh, I remember that now!

 

[chris_the_wrench]

I seem to find friends or neighbors that have spare yz250’s hanging out in their garages. When I was a teenager in San Diego Id borrow a bike and head with friends, who were pretty serious moto guys, to the desert, when I lived in smaller mountain towns we’d sneak out of town riding side streets and ducking the cops to the forest roads outsideof town(knowing we were breaking the law till we hit the dirt) and now Im in WA and we live right off a forest service road with hundreds of miles of dirt roads and moto trails out the door. Ive been thinking of getting my own dirtbike recently(leaning towards a 250 trail bike) but a passing comment from a neighbor threw me down a legal worm hole.

I always thought a non-street legal dirtbike was legal on forest roads, but apparently they arent!?!?

I used to think a dirtbike with a spark arrestor and a ohv/orv permit was all I needed for forest roads and the trails that were marked for motos.

Anyone provide some clarity on dirt forest service roads and what type of vehicles are allowed legally? We see tons of sxs on our road and maybe 10% have street plates. Am I overthinking this? I dont want a bike I have to trailer to trailheads but I also have no interest in riding on highways, I just want to ride the dirt roads and trails(do I, legally, need to be looking at dual sport bikes???)