FODS V

[beemerdons]

I had a contact email in my profile that I do not check very much.... oops. :blink:

I added a poll to the original post with dates in March 2012 for everyone interested to vote on. Hopefully we can get a consensus from the dates offered.

Thanks Don for your help with this. I hereby dub thee Co-Captain of FODS V and official ambassador to the Beemer crowd. :yahoo:

Maybe your guy with the can't miss routes has GPZ or GDB files of recommended routes? We could post 'em here if he is willing to share them.

Still hoping to hear from all those FODS IV alumni.

A. I love it when a plan comes together Brad, March will be perfect for Death Valley dual sporting!

B. I happened to vote for March 22 - 25, but anytime from Saturday, March 10 through Monday, March 26 works great for Son Seth and Papa Chuy; Seth is on his Quarter Break at that time, so I can bring my Best Buddy along! You will all be amazed at how big he has become since FODS IV, 6 foot and 200 lbs.

C. I will forward this post to Brian Boles and see if he will do these files for everyone. Like I previously said, this ride (thanks to you!) will also be posted at the AZ Beemers Club Forum under the GS section.

D. I want to do a "Me Too!" regarding Don Carver's comments on the Continental TKC 80 knobbies! The Conti is the absolute best off road dual sport tire available for any moto over 400 lbs.! My Beemer Club has 222 members and it is safe to say that half of them have the GS Model and half of them run the Conti TKC's. From the F650 single to the F800 Twin to the R1200GS: The Continental TKC 80 performs the very best for all of these machines weighing in over 400 lbs.!

"The Kenda's are toast in less than 2k miles." The Kreston Kowboy Kid is right on with this statement, many an extended dirt road trek has had to be shortened for an AZB due to the Kenda's prematurely wearing out on the ride. In the picture below, mi Salma Hayek, a BMW F650GS Twin is wearing her Avon Distanzias, but for this Death Valley Adventure she will be running on her Conti TKC 80 knobbies.

E. I also want to do a "Me Too!" on this statement by Donnie Boy: "Leave excess crap at campground." In the picture below you will see my Salma Hayek as she is outfitted for dirt work, tank bag only; if I can't fit what I need in the tank bag, then I really don't need it. NOTE: That large Givi windshield will be replaced with the stock flyscreen for Death Valley.

Since Seth and very hopefully my Gal Donna will be with me, I will do like we did at FODS IV and trailer up Salma Hayek with our gear in our Jeep Liberty Diesel SUV. You are welcome to leave your expensive gear locked up in our Jeep back at the hotel (or the campground - will depend on weather!), Seth and Donna will be there to watch over it.

 

[Khunajawdge]

KJ, I'm not sure if I can make this run, but if I did, on the Wee, it would *have to have* fresh full knobbies. It's amazing how quickly even 4-6" of sand can take all the fun out of a 'dual sport' ride on a 'not-so-much-dual-sport' bike.

One last thought - travel light in the dirt. Leave excess crap at campground. These are big bikes. The GS, IMHO, is better in dirt than our DL's, for a variety of reasons. At least when we crash out our Suzooks, they start back up and are really cheap to fix..

My .02, from a rashed out Wab's perspective

OK Don C. and Don S., thanks for your perspectives and seasoned advice. I'll be practicing my off road skills locally riding over See Canyon and the Lake Lopez/Pozo roads soon. Santa Rita Creek and the route over to 33 from 58 through the Carissa Plain will also be on my list as a personal prooving ground. Mostly, thanks for the advice about the knobbies.

Note; I'm not interested in flying over dirt roads, just want to open my possibilities to explore more that the limits of the pavement. The March dates being considered are ALL fine except for the possibility of RAINS! It doesn't rain much in DV, but when it does rain, many roads turn to MUCK! Just check previous DV threads here on the Forum. Be ready to cancel if things look too Squirrelly?

 

[beemerdons]

KJ, I'm not sure if I can make this run, but if I did, on the Wee, it would *have to have* fresh full knobbies. It's amazing how quickly even 4-6" of sand can take all the fun out of a 'dual sport' ride on a 'not-so-much-dual-sport' bike.

One last thought - travel light in the dirt. Leave excess crap at campground. These are big bikes. The GS, IMHO, is better in dirt than our DL's, for a variety of reasons. At least when we crash out our Suzooks, they start back up and are really cheap to fix..

My .02, from a rashed out Wab's perspective

OK Don C. and Don S., thanks for your perspectives and seasoned advice. I'll be practicing my off road skills locally riding over See Canyon and the Lake Lopez/Pozo roads soon. Santa Rita Creek and the route over to 33 from 58 through the Carissa Plain will also be on my list as a personal prooving ground. Mostly, thanks for the advice about the knobbies.

Note; I'm not interested in flying over dirt roads, just want to open my possibilities to explore more that the limits of the pavement. The March dates being considered are ALL fine except for the possibility of RAINS! It doesn't rain much in DV, but when it does rain, many roads turn to MUCK! Just check previous DV threads here on the Forum. Be ready to cancel if things look too Squirrelly?

No problemo if it starts to rain Jorge, if that happens I'll make you an Honorary Irishman and we'll simply start drinking! WORK: The Curse of the Irish Motorcycle Riding / Drinking Class!

https://gocalifornia.about.com/bl_dv_temp.htm It will only be a quarter of an inch if it does rain, RadioHowie couldn't even screw a Manatee in only a quarter inch of water! jes' sayin' and nuff' said!

 

[Khunajawdge]

No problemo if it starts to rain Jorge, if that happens I'll make you an Honorary Irishman and we'll simply start drinking! WORK: The Curse of the Irish Motorcycle Riding / Drinking Class!

https://gocalifornia.about.com/bl_dv_temp.htm It will only be a quarter of an inch if it does rain...[some snippage]...jes' sayin' and nuff' said!

Yeah, I know, and from the website that you posted above, it says; Beware of flash floods any time it rains. The desert becomes so dry that water does not soak in, forcing all the rainfall to accumulate into runoff. During heavy rains, flooding can start almost immediately.

jes' sayin' h34r:

...and a couple of other things; First, I'm a Serbo Croat and drink Moritz Slibovitza. Second, I'm stayin' where we Central Coast riders always stay at the Stagecoach Casino in Beatty, Nevada. That's the closest/cheapest lodging for me.

 

[beemerdons]

Khunajawdge: Since you were asking about dual sport tires, here is my good friend Brian Boles' opinion on the Conti TKC's. Completely opposite of what Don Carver and Papa Chuy believe; BB has impeccable off road credentials also! Tire threads are just like oil threads, every rider has his own particular preference!

D. I want to do a "Me Too!" regarding Don Carver's comments on the Continental TKC 80 knobbies! The Conti is the absolute best off road dual sport tire available for any moto over 400 lbs.! My Beemer Club has 222 members and it is safe to say that half of them have the GS Model and half of them run the Conti TKC's. From the F650 single to the F800 Twin to the R1200GS: The Continental TKC 80 performs the very best for all of these machines weighing in over 400 lbs.!

Nope, gotta quibble on that one. TKC80's are good tires and they seem to work very well on R1200GS's. But, for a lot of other bikes, including my R100GS and F800GS, the TKC80's cause back end wobbles at speed.

The Avon Gripsters were the best tire for the R100GS, they are 50/50% tires and are stable at freeway speeds. But they don't make them for the newer GS's.

The Tourance and Distanzia are 80/20% tires, and really don't improve the off road handling much. They make great street tires though.

I've never ridden the Trailwings TW101/152, they look like they would be a good 50/50% tire.

The Karoo's freeway wobbled way more than the TKC80's.

I looked at Mike F's Heidenau K60's up at Sipapu. This looks like a promising tire. Good blocks on the sides for a 50/50% tire, but also has a solid center section which should keep it stable on the freeway. This is where I'm going after I kill the Tourances currently on the bike.

 

[UberKul]

The March dates being considered are ALL fine except for the possibility of RAINS! It doesn't rain much in DV, but when it does rain, many roads turn to MUCK! Just check previous DV threads here on the Forum. Be ready to cancel if things look too Squirrelly?

:blink: It's not an adventure without adversity.

Mid March is in the lead, please vote. I will keep this poll open until Oct 15th or so in case someone is checking with the boss for time off.

I am open to any of the proposed dates and hope to garner a bribe to sway the vote at the last minute. :lol:

 

[beemerdons]

The March dates being considered are ALL fine except for the possibility of RAINS! It doesn't rain much in DV, but when it does rain, many roads turn to MUCK! Just check previous DV threads here on the Forum. Be ready to cancel if things look too Squirrelly?

:blink: It's not an adventure without adversity.

Mid March is in the lead, please vote. I will keep this poll open until Oct 15th or so in case someone is checking with the boss for time off.

I am open to any of the proposed dates and hope to garner a bribe to sway the vote at the last minute. :lol:

+1, Gunny; mid-March will be fine, Damn The Torpedoes!

 

[beemerdons]

Since everyone reading this thread is a fellow dirt donk, I know that you will enjoy this offroad Ride Report! My Best Buddy "Back Road" Bob Little went on the Rawhyde GS Challenge held yearly in Moab, Utah. Check out these fantastic dirt ride photos and Bob's excellent prose. Just some food for thought: Maybe FODS VI in Moab? https://www.rawhyde-offroad.com/

I returned a few days ago from my trip to Moab, Ut and the Rawhyde GS Challenge. It was my first time to Maob and also for the challenge. In previous years, Rawhyde held it at their training center in Castaic, Ca and it was a formal riding challenge with obstacles and riders competing against each other. For their fifth year, they changed the format and chose ten rides of varying difficulty around Moab. The base was Moab RV park and about 125 riders showed up on an assortment of dual sport bikes.

I left early on a Tuesday morning to meet Jim Mulhall at the Monument Valley campground.

I stopped quite a few times to take photos as I approached Monument Valley.

Arriving earlier than Jim, I visited Goulding’s Landing

We met at the campground, which was a large dirt RV parking spot next to the View Hotel, took a photo of the famous monument and decided to head farther north.

We stayed in Blanding for the night and had an easy 75 mile drive to Moab in the morning, checked in and got our tent sites set up. I was also able to reserve the site next to us for my friend, Doug, from California and anoter AZBeemer, Mick Williamson, who had not yet to meet.

Thursday morning, Jim, Mick and I headed out to do a large loop with included Gemini Bridges, Long Valley, Pucker Pass and then follow the Colorado back around to Moab.

Gemini Bridges

Jim, Bob, Mick

Pucker Pass

After lunch, Jim and I rode up to Onion Creek. There are about 24 creek crossing on the way out and 24 more on the way back in. Nothing difficult, but still alot of fun to go splashing through the creek bed.

Friday morning we headed out with several other riders to Hurrah Pass. At the top of the pass you could see the road leading to Chicken Corners, but we passed on that trail

That afternoon, Jim, Mick, Don, Doug and I decided to ride out to Secret Spire. There was much sand and everyone did alright except for a spill by Don. The more I ride on sand, the more I’m beginning to like it.

Doug, Bob, Mick at Secret Spire

Saturday afternoon, Rawhyde planned a group aerial photo shoot at the Overlook, so in the morning I walked and rode around downtown Moab.

Saturday afternoon, about 80 riders took off for the group photo at the overlook. In this photo, you can see Hurrah Pass in the center, Chicken Corners behind the pass and Kane Canyon Spring in the foreround. Fairly tough 15 miles to get to the Overlook. Cold beer never looked so good once back at camp.

Anyone up for riding in Moab, my bags are still packed!

 

[UberKul]

Thanks for the ride report Don, it looks like your buddies did some great exploring. RawHyde seems to have bottled the Paris -Daker race experience into an appealing to-go package. Their truck is bad-ass!

Moab would be a GREAT FODS but someone closer and more knowledgeable would need to coordinate that one. It also turns a mini event into a real vacation time deal for most of us California folks.

Since we are sharing, a little 160+ mile ride I went on last Sat in Eastern Nevada area. :yahoo:

 

[CAJW]

Don - Excellent idea regarding Moab! I've spied those lands from Dead Horse Point and have been planning a DS ride there ever since that trip. I hear one out and back is 200 miles with no fuel available so I've got to get my DRZ some longer legs.

Brad - Your trip looks like no wimmin went as the toilet seat was up in your very cush digs. Looks like fun riding and I especially like the pic of two bikes trying to occupy a one bike opening at the same time!

 

[beemerdons]

Thanks for the ride report Don, it looks like your buddies did some great exploring. RawHyde seems to have bottled the Paris -Daker race experience into an appealing to-go package. Their truck is bad-ass!

Moab would be a GREAT FODS but someone closer and more knowledgeable would need to coordinate that one. It also turns a mini event into a real vacation time deal for most of us California folks.

Since we are sharing, a little 160+ mile ride I went on last Sat in Eastern Nevada area. :yahoo:

Brad: Great photos, thank you!

 

[beemerdons]

Don - Excellent idea regarding Moab! I've spied those lands from Dead Horse Point and have been planning a DS ride there ever since that trip. I hear one out and back is 200 miles with no fuel available so I've got to get my DRZ some longer legs.

Brad - Your trip looks like no wimmin went as the toilet seat was up in your very cush digs. Looks like fun riding and I especially like the pic of two bikes trying to occupy a one bike opening at the same time!

CAJW: If I am not stepping on Brad's toes, I would volunteer to lead a FODS in the Spring of 2013 for Moab, Utah.

 

[wheatonFJR]

This sounds like a lot of fun. However, the only dirt I've seen is when I take the wrong (or right) turn and end up on a goat path on the FJR. I always seem to be smilin' when this happens...while others are frowning.

Someday I'll have a litle ramblin' on/off road bike and do stuff like this.

 

[CAJW]

Don - Your hereby ordained Grand Poobah (with Brad's permission) of FODS VI for Moab! This should be the impetus for me to start planning my dream ride and since I'm posting my interest on a public forum, it surely will happen!

Mark - Unfortunately I just sold a perfect (IMHO) dual sport bike, DRZ400S, so now I'm down to just one tricked out DS bike. You think goat trailing on a FJR is fun, wait till you do it on a bike that weighs half and has suspension for days! Find a way, but get one as soon as you can and with stuff like this, you can have a bike that'll do dirt, street & track work. Bike finds

 

[wheatonFJR]

... Find a way, but get one as soon as you can and with stuff like this DRZ400 & this DRZ400SM for sale, you can have a bike that'll do dirt, street & track work.

Thanks JW.

But regarding track days...is a dual sport allowed to pass street bikes? Doesn't passing a street bike on a DRZ hurt the ricky racer's ego? Just asking...I've never done a track day, so I don't know the rules.

Edit-sorry about the side comments from the peanut gallery. I'll return you to the previously scheduled hijack by beemerdons...

 

[CAJW]

... Find a way, but get one as soon as you can and with stuff like this DRZ400 & this DRZ400SM for sale, you can have a bike that'll do dirt, street & track work.

Thanks JW.

But regarding track days...is a dual sport allowed to pass street bikes? Doesn't passing a street bike on a DRZ hurt the ricky racer's ego? Just asking...I've never done a track day, so I don't know the rules.

Edit-sorry about the side comments from the peanut gallery. I'll return you to the previously scheduled hijack by beemerdons...

Check out my avatar, yes, you can pass a sport bike on a DS! I had to watch my back in the pits as a couple of guys didn't like it when I passed their 100+ hp bikes in the Phoenix West hairpin on my 25 hp stock DRZ! Sure, they ate my lunch on the straights, but we're in this for the turns, right? Oh yeah, what was the subject matter for this thread again? Dirt?

 

[UberKul]

Don - Excellent idea regarding Moab! I've spied those lands from Dead Horse Point and have been planning a DS ride there ever since that trip. I hear one out and back is 200 miles with no fuel available so I've got to get my DRZ some longer legs.

Brad - Your trip looks like no wimmin went as the toilet seat was up in your very cush digs. Looks like fun riding and I especially like the pic of two bikes trying to occupy a one bike opening at the same time!

We found some crazy hard singletrack up near Leviathon Mine. The guy on the right was in a crazed exhaustion must not stop or I'll never start again mode! We were all just a little concerned on how long that track could last or if we had to come back that way. :blink:

Don - Excellent idea regarding Moab! I've spied those lands from Dead Horse Point and have been planning a DS ride there ever since that trip. I hear one out and back is 200 miles with no fuel available so I've got to get my DRZ some longer legs.

Brad - Your trip looks like no wimmin went as the toilet seat was up in your very cush digs. Looks like fun riding and I especially like the pic of two bikes trying to occupy a one bike opening at the same time!

CAJW: If I am not stepping on Brad's toes, I would volunteer to lead a FODS in the Spring of 2013 for Moab, Utah.

I would really appreciate you runn'in the ball for a Utah FODS and will help any way I can!

... Find a way, but get one as soon as you can and with stuff like this DRZ400 & this DRZ400SM for sale, you can have a bike that'll do dirt, street & track work.

Thanks JW.

But regarding track days...is a dual sport allowed to pass street bikes? Doesn't passing a street bike on a DRZ hurt the ricky racer's ego? Just asking...I've never done a track day, so I don't know the rules.

Edit-sorry about the side comments from the peanut gallery. I'll return you to the previously scheduled hijack by beemerdons...

Check out my avatar, yes, you can pass a sport bike on a DS! I had to watch my back in the pits as a couple of guys didn't like it when I passed their 100+ hp bikes in the Phoenix West hairpin on my 25 hp stock DRZ! Sure, they ate my lunch on the straights, but we're in this for the turns, right? Oh yeah, what was the subject matter for this thread again? Dirt?

I (an average rider at best) can ride the Husky 450 through the CA Hwy 26 canyon on knobs faster than I can on the FJR. It's just a matter of weight. I have intentionally avoided riding a sumo (super motard) due to the crack-cocaine effect I know it would have on me. :w00t:

 

[CAJW]

I (an average rider at best) can ride the Husky 450 through the CA Hwy 26 canyon on knobs faster than I can on the FJR. It's just a matter of weight. I have intentionally avoided riding a sumo (super motard) due to the crack-cocaine effect I know it would have on me. :w00t:

Brad - Come on you know you want one... Let me be the first to offer you a chance to try mine out with the SM tires on it to permanently set the hook....

BTW don't ever use sumo and crack in the same sentence. It makes for a NSFDT [not suitable for dinner table] image!)

 

[UberKul]

I just broke the tie and should be able to start firming things up after this weekend.

 

[beemerdons]

I just broke the tie and should be able to start firming things up after this weekend.

Buenos Dias mi Compadre 'UberKul' Brad, I just sent you a Private Message, please call or e-mail me as soon as you read it: [email protected] or 1-480-440-4666.