Quote:
Originally Posted by Seahawk
I may upgrade. I have an old XR 250 I ride trails with a few times a month.
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Funny, but my return to off road riding now has me looking for something about that size to complement the big Honda. I'll explain why below...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seahawk
My trails aren't nearly as nice as yours, but it is a lot of fun.
Thanks for the post.
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By way of explanation as to why I'm considering a smaller bike now as well, let me say that most of our trails are nowhere near this nice, either.
Off road riding has apparently changed a great deal, at least in Western Washington, since I gave it up so long ago. When I first started, everything was wide open for riding - National Forest Service roads, Department of Natural Resources roads, logging company roads, and every trail that led off from any one of those. Well, a couple of years before I sold my last dirt bike, the NFS closed all of their roads to unlicensed vehicles, and none of us had (or even took remotely seriusly) any kind of street legal "dual sport". That shut down a good deal of our riding.
Well, in the interim, "DNR" has apparently come to mean "Do Not Ride", with the DNR shutting down its lands as well. The various logging companies have as well, I'm sure due to fears over litigation should someone get hurt.
As a result of all of these closures, Puget Sound area dirt bikers are left with nothing more than various designated "ORV" - Off Road Vehicle areas in which to ride. The trails I'm riding in the video are, admittedly, not entirely kosher. But they are close enough to home, and unused enough that they can be ridden discreetly after work with little worry. To do this more legitimately requires a several hour ride to get to a trailhead.
So, in other words, to stay closer to home and take advantage of "legal" riding oportunities locally, it's the ORV areas or nothing. Which would be fine, but... Cramming everyone with a dirt bike, quad, or Jeep from such a large population center into just a couple of off road "parks" has had predictable results: those places get hammered.
Walker Valley is one such area close to me, that I could ride. Just not on this bike. For the most part, actually, at my skill, commitment, and willingness to suffer injury level, I should realistically rule it out on any bike. The place is so torn up, rutted, root and log and rock covered that it is all but unrideable for anyone but very skilled (and fearless) riders on very small bikes. Trials bikes are very popular there, if that gives any indication just how impassable many of its trails have become. Even on the smallest, lightest bikes it becomes a first gear, clutch burning exercise in frustration. The big 650 is simply out of the question.
So, I'm kind of frustrated in a way. Sometimes I think a much smaller bike would open up areas like that for me. At least better than my 650 does. Then I come to my senses, and wonder why on earth I would want to ride like that anyway. The only reason - it's close to home.
Oh well. I'm happy to be in the woods again. I'm happy I don't have to trailer. I just wish there was more open country to ride in around here, so everyone didn't have to flock to those badly overused parks. If that were the case, I wouldn't even be thinking about another, smaller bike.