Off road adventure touring on an S

[pwillikers]

I just got home from a 600 mile, two day ride through the TX hill country. I charted a route here to fore, unknown to me (using Delorme mapping software). I included as much "less traveled" sections as possible for maximum entertainment. On some of the more "less traveled" legs, the pavement ended (Delorme never suggested it might) and the ensuing dirt road progressively deteriorated into some serious rutted and rocky off roading adventure including water crossings, rocky stream beds and loose "baby head" gravel. Quite challenging, I worked up a sweat.

As with most slippery slope adventures on which I find myself, I entered into this an innocent, imperceptible step at a time. At one point, stopped, choosing a line through some gnarly stuff, given the prospect of the obstacles now confronting me and the prospect of getting a broken bike or me outta there if I fell, had I only been a mile or so into the dirt, I would have turned around. But, I was down the road such a distance already with so many obstacles behind me that I'd just have to retrace, that I just kept going and getting in deeper and deeper. Anyway, I couldn't imagine it'd get much worse ahead and I have a self admitted character flaw that makes retracing any steps, taken in any endeavor, repugnant.

All told I figure about 50 miles of off roading. On some of the uphill gravel sections, I spun the rear excessively, due to the Pirelli Diablo's non-knobby nature. I could have used semi-knobbys. Dirt riding in marginal traction requires maintaining sufficient momentum while not developing so much momentum that ending up where you want becomes an issue. This balance is more critical the heavier the bike is and the less traction there is. The S's low end torque helped as long as throttle inputs were moderate.

I have the "low bars" mounted above the top triple clamp which aided control in the "out of the saddle" riding. All in all, the S did quite well.

Upon arrival home I discovered that my right side "4 valve" plastic spark plug cover thingy fell off. Anyone have an extra one lying around they'd be willing to part with? Please PM me if you do.

Lesson learned: If you have any dirt riding experience, you and the S can traverse some daunting stuff quite handily. Don't stop, don't turn back, proceed. Momentum is the key.

[roger albert]

Nice work Paul.
Sounds like a lot of "FUN".
I'm hoping that route isn't part of our next A.S.S. route.
I have a character flaw that too easily turns away from such terrain on as streetbike.

[bigwhup]

I did some gravel fire roads out in Colorado and Wyoming on the S. I couldn't stand the constant dinging and pinging of the stones all over the bike and bags after a while, but it was fun. Turning around on a highly crowned gravel road is very difficult on a fully laiden bike. I doubt I will be as brave next time. Ice racing next???

[repoe3]

while we didnt traverse off road...we might as well have with this much muck, funk, and grime...







repoe3

[JonyRR]

pwillikers;
I used to work in Killeen 2 weeks out of 4 all summer long; my son-in-law ran the Goodrich Ranch in Lampassas. I trailered my streetbike down there in '97 and left it there, then rode it back up to Seattle at then end of one iteration; it had rained a texas gullywasher the night before (you KNOW how hard it rains...if filled up the streets in 5 minutes) the 17-mile-long dirt road the ranchhouse was on was all caliche...I was in up past the axles a couple-a times getting onto the blacktop!!! If I hadn't had 30 years of dirtriding experience, no way would I have made it out...caliche is the most sticky gooey icky mess!! there was red mud ground into every place imaginable; it took me an hour ad 4 bucks at the quarter carwash to get it clean enough to go down the road without being a hazard...