Home
Basic Dirt Bike How-To's - Video
Dirt Bike How-To's - Video
Living The Moto Life - Video
Bike Tests | Shoot-Outs - Video
Forums
What's new
Latest activity
Log-In
Join
What's new
Menu
Log-In
Join
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Close Menu
Forums
Other Dirt Bike Discussions
Who to Ride With, Where to Ride
Moab - Ride Report, many a public Thank You, and a few regrets.
Reply to thread
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Message
[QUOTE="tx246, post: 779104, member: 23127"] As the third wheel on this trip..............I gotta get my two cents in. Moab has been on my mind since I firtst rode thru there in 1992. I was a young adult suffering from a recent wifewhodumpedme episode. I didnt have any money but i had an fj1200 yamaha. I went out to western Colorado by myself. I wandered into Utah by no planned design. I found myself on Utah SH128 and soon found myself stunned by RedRock Country. It was a long way from Texas but man was it ever love at first sight. The whole southeast corner of Utah is spectacular. I returned on streetbikes for the next 8yrs with many friends and even a new wife. It was 1994 when i picked up my first dirtbike and when I went through Utah on my street trips I couldnt help but see the possibilites of riding off road. For years I have been trying to make it to Moab on a dirtbike. Tony and I had talked about it several times but logistics for a trip like this are anything but easy. Its 1100 miles one way from my doorstop. This March I get "The Call" from Tony. I think it took me exactly one hour to find my wife who was out of town and get the kitchen pass. (thanks maggie). Truth told, she knew I would go with or without her approval but It sure makes it easier to come home. Tony had a convention in Albuquerque and the plan was hatched. In years past we always rode thru Moab in late June/early July and there has never been a problem with lodging. Little did I know that March\May is BUSY!!! My fault for not securing lodging and it wont happen again. Anyway, we arrive with no set place to set up camp but I do remember the campgrounds outside of town and we use that for the first night. KOA and a very nicely equipped trailer end up as our 24/7 base for the rest of the trip. This much anticipated trip was really happening. With maybe 3 hours sleep we ride the first day at Klondike Bluffs. I brought along both my 00 cr250 and 86xt600. I thought hey lets give the xt a chance and saddled it up for the day. I have owned this bike since 99 and the times I have ridden it on the dirt can be counted on one hand. Its a very large heavy motorcycle for the normal type of riding we do. Truth be told, I was kind of freaking about running out of gas on the mx bike. The riding we do around here rarely finds us more than a couple of miles from the truck. Anyway, the xt does great. It is tractable and comfortable. In the deeper sand it wasnt fun. The front wanted to tuck...........but hey its the original tire with 1900miles on it. Soverign Trial was awesome. The single track was gnarly and we got some seat time on it. After a dicey section, I look back and could tell that I needed to get off this trail or face a mutiny ;) on the part of our junior rider. Tony looped us onto the ATV portion and we had a blast. The day ended the way it started............I was bliss. Day 2 found us riding the aforementioned trails that Tony talks about in the original post. The map showed the trail as being more technical so i pull out the CR and it runs like a top. This was the first time I have gotten to ride the CR since I did the subframe/seat shave modification and boy why did I wait so long? On the mx track I dont care but it always seems that when I need to put my foot on the ground on a trail,I cant even get close............much less starting the bike. Its a long day but we have a great day. We ran into quite a few moto folks on the trail today and Tony just slobbered over a KTM 400 that a lady was riding. It had a lowered suspension and it fit her like a glove. Day 3 found us south of town and on new trails. They were even more technical but we were getting better at it. First part of the day found us on a tough rim trail but we worked thru it and it was worth the view. By the way Tony, the song/artist coming from that yellow 4x4 was "Shook Me All Night Long" AC/DC. Of course a trip without ADVERSITY is boring. Our trip was not boring. We get to the truck for lunch and Tony notices the pretzeled pipe. What Tony didnt tell yall is how long he banged on that thing in an attempt to get the thing back on when it would of been easy to just throw the bike in the trailer and call it done. Thank you Tony. We were rewarded with the coolest trail of the trip. It was late when we started in but the Kane Creek is just fantastic. I noted a very rough descent into the canyon and knew we would have to work our way back up so i marked my watch for a turnaround point. We continued on and made it 8 miles before having to turn around........very reluctantly. As it turns out we made it back at darkfall and the decison to turnaround was good. General points about the riding include rocks and rocks with rocks on top of rocks. Just dont fall and everything will be fine. This where the dichotomy comes in. Every obstacle is a rock infested uphill or downhill. Falling is not an option. God rides a Montessa. Thats what kind of stuff you encounter. Lots of verticals sprinkled in those hill climbs too. More than one place you could see where an engine lost an oilpan. This is no place to be a hero. If you break a bike or yourself...........you are a long way from help. We rode a lot on the pilot jet and still had a way bitching time. At times, the gravity of an error in judgement, either riding or navigating was impressed upon me. Everybody in the party has to be error free to make Moab a trip to remember. Old tires are best. I added more air than normal to help prevent pinch flats. Lots of sharp edged impacts in the terrain. Its been said but worry as much about the water you carry as the amount of gas you put in your tank. The guys I rode with were great. Very good company and always ready to ride. It was fun to watch the father/son relationship during this trip. Reminicent of me and my dad. As stated before, Jeff hasnt much seat time under him but his enthusiasm overcomes. Ive ridden with Tony quite a few times and I think after his long, long layoff he is getting all of his skills back. Great job Tony. By the end of the trip, Jeff had found the clutch and gas on uphill transitions. Keep it going Jeff. MOAB ROCKS!!! [/QUOTE]
Verification
Which ocean is California closest to?
Post reply
Forums
Other Dirt Bike Discussions
Who to Ride With, Where to Ride
Moab - Ride Report, many a public Thank You, and a few regrets.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top
Bottom