the Eel
~SPONSOR~
- Sep 23, 2000
- 1,747
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About halfway to Gorman I started to get a bit worried about the day's prospects. Sure, rain is most often a blessing for riders out here in So Cal. But when I stopped at the gas station at the Gorman exit I could barely stand not immediately getting back into my truck. It was raining, windy, and TOO COLD. I grabbed a coffee inside, stepped outside into the cold, and was temporarily confused by a strange guy mumbling to himself as he walked straight toward me. "Here we go", I thought to myself. :silly: "This your dog ?" he said. I looked around and didn't see any dog. But then sure enough a cold, drenched german shepherd emerged from in front of my truck trying its best to befriend the stranger. "Nope, not mine". I got into my truck, out of the cold. As I drove out I saw PlaceLast's truck pulling out of the station in front of me. I hadn't even noticed him there.
When I got to Edison Campground everyone was there - Old'n'Slow, Lastplace, LP Jr., and LP's friend Greg. We suited up in the freezing rain and got ready to ride. I was anxious to see how my new Scott's damper would work, even though I was so cold I had to borrow an extra shirt from O'n'S. We headed of to the forest.
Up East Frazier was uneventful - but when we hit the top it looked like broken glass was falling from the sky. The rain was freezing on the trees and then falling in the wind. It was foggy and the whole experience was surreal. We took off on the Frazier Mine Road and then down Arrastra Trail. I look left briefly and am almost knocked off my bike as I broadside an ice-covered ****. Lucky break but man does my face hurt. True get off # 1 as I tried to ride up and over the root obstacle - I lost my balance and fell hard onto my left hip. It was one of those slow ones where you get unbalanced and can't move - and you just tip right over with the bike in slow motion. You know what I mean.
We continued on down to Tejon and that's when I started to realize my rear brake was ... well, it wasn't really working. I had changed the pads before the ride and did my usual experimenting. Seems I got some air in the line when I decided to see what would happen if I tried unsrewing the different nuts on the rear caliper. I almost always learn the hard way - it's a Team Knucklhead thing. :)
So get off # 2 is when I'm TRYING to catch LP on Tejon, blow a turn, and ram straight off the trail into a horizontal tree branch. Luckily the bars hit it first. The branch was immediately removed from the tree trunk. Now I'm a little shaken as I begin to realize that having no brakes can get me hurt. I vow to take it easy and we move on, eventually going left at the T.
We pause briefly and LP shows me how to adjust my brake pedal. I adjust it but it does little good. We head down to the creek and then onto Yellow Jacket Canyon Trail - or should I say Trial. The rocks here could give a guy a headache. :D David and I cross the creek again but everyone else stops back by the little gate. David and I head back ... ummm ... OK, I guess this trail does have a closed sign on it, even though the gate is open. My bad. We all turn around. At this point Greg's CR 250 is almost out of gas. We're at 27 miles.
We basically did the whole loop backwards with the exception of Arrastra. The thought of that uphill still scared us off - though 53 MPH on the Frazier Mine Road was plenty thrilling enough for me. I need bumblebee graphics for my 125 - that baby was screaming like the chainsaw it is. I pulled my tank and gave Greg some gas along the way.
Going back down East Frazier Greg took a nasty spill and I was following to closely to stop. Get off # 3 as I swerve right and hit another tree. I go down. No wonder Greg washed out - he had a flat front tire. The crash took out my right side panel and rad shroud. Time for new plastics.
Greg ran out of gas just before the East Frazier gate, but he tipped his bike over and got enough gas in the one side of the tank to get back down to camp. 55 miles. All accounted for ...
A difficult day ... but a good day.
When I got to Edison Campground everyone was there - Old'n'Slow, Lastplace, LP Jr., and LP's friend Greg. We suited up in the freezing rain and got ready to ride. I was anxious to see how my new Scott's damper would work, even though I was so cold I had to borrow an extra shirt from O'n'S. We headed of to the forest.
Up East Frazier was uneventful - but when we hit the top it looked like broken glass was falling from the sky. The rain was freezing on the trees and then falling in the wind. It was foggy and the whole experience was surreal. We took off on the Frazier Mine Road and then down Arrastra Trail. I look left briefly and am almost knocked off my bike as I broadside an ice-covered ****. Lucky break but man does my face hurt. True get off # 1 as I tried to ride up and over the root obstacle - I lost my balance and fell hard onto my left hip. It was one of those slow ones where you get unbalanced and can't move - and you just tip right over with the bike in slow motion. You know what I mean.
We continued on down to Tejon and that's when I started to realize my rear brake was ... well, it wasn't really working. I had changed the pads before the ride and did my usual experimenting. Seems I got some air in the line when I decided to see what would happen if I tried unsrewing the different nuts on the rear caliper. I almost always learn the hard way - it's a Team Knucklhead thing. :)
So get off # 2 is when I'm TRYING to catch LP on Tejon, blow a turn, and ram straight off the trail into a horizontal tree branch. Luckily the bars hit it first. The branch was immediately removed from the tree trunk. Now I'm a little shaken as I begin to realize that having no brakes can get me hurt. I vow to take it easy and we move on, eventually going left at the T.
We pause briefly and LP shows me how to adjust my brake pedal. I adjust it but it does little good. We head down to the creek and then onto Yellow Jacket Canyon Trail - or should I say Trial. The rocks here could give a guy a headache. :D David and I cross the creek again but everyone else stops back by the little gate. David and I head back ... ummm ... OK, I guess this trail does have a closed sign on it, even though the gate is open. My bad. We all turn around. At this point Greg's CR 250 is almost out of gas. We're at 27 miles.
We basically did the whole loop backwards with the exception of Arrastra. The thought of that uphill still scared us off - though 53 MPH on the Frazier Mine Road was plenty thrilling enough for me. I need bumblebee graphics for my 125 - that baby was screaming like the chainsaw it is. I pulled my tank and gave Greg some gas along the way.
Going back down East Frazier Greg took a nasty spill and I was following to closely to stop. Get off # 3 as I swerve right and hit another tree. I go down. No wonder Greg washed out - he had a flat front tire. The crash took out my right side panel and rad shroud. Time for new plastics.
Greg ran out of gas just before the East Frazier gate, but he tipped his bike over and got enough gas in the one side of the tank to get back down to camp. 55 miles. All accounted for ...
A difficult day ... but a good day.
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