OBCDR ride next summer

Why do I feel like I just opened a drunken Pandoras box....? Any chance you're looking at the 79 XR? I was actually looking at that one out for my wife last week.

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There's a '79 in PDX I was thinking about, but there is an '86 in your neck o' the woods that I like better...looks like a plated dirt bike though. That wouldn't bother me for this purpose though. I just want to get her something to learn on to see if she likes it while not worrying about damage she "might" do to it.

Yup. I'm in the same boat. We've been two up riding together for years and she wants to be able to join for the gritty stuff.

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I just started riding in April and my home made cargo racks have currently eliminated my passenger footpegs, so she hasn't been able to get in the woods with me yet! I'm hoping that she'll dig it and we can get a bike that will be for her to ride along with, but that I can also use for trail days closer to home!

I am interested in going and August 27th-30th would work for me.

Route 4 out of sisters looks good but I would be game for either route.

Ok. Sounds like most are game for the same weekend!

Let's plan on starting in Sisters on Wednesday, August 27th. We can ride route 4 to Seneca to start. Now lets talk about the second half...

Should we ride route 4 back or take section 2 of route 5 to Hwy 20, then ride Hwy 20 back to Sisters?

I believe route 4 is 240 miles. I've never done one of the routes before, but I'm guessing we can comfortably cover 100-150 miles per day...

Votes?

I wouldn't mind continuing onto the next section. Either head south or north up to Granite. do you already have the maps?

I don't, but I believe Rick does and he plans on joining us as well. I too would prefer to continue on rather than backtrack. Too much new terrain to see! :)

A suggestion for big bikes; route 3 can be done in 2-3 days depending on comfort level. Route 4 is a long day but very fun. Where it gets really challenging is route 5 around Christmas Valley. Unless you are comfortable and experienced in sand and rocky desert, keep your estimates for mileage low. That area will leave you knackered. Just my $.02


Edit: saw Hell's and AJ's comments. good advice. Route 4 really isn't so much challenging as long. Route 5 North is pretty easy except if your like me and you dump your bike in the Malhuer. It's the souther half of 5 that is killer.

I'm still open to suggestions. We have some time to iron out route details... Route 3 looks stunning too! And looks like there is some truly stunning scenery! I don't think most of us could do a down and back of the whole thing though, so there would still have to be a customized version for this trip.

Thanks for the tips!

So you have four days? Starting the 27th & back by the 1st? Seneca, then South to Riley on Hwy 20 is the longest no gas OBDR section. Seems it was in the 140-160 mile range? I had plenty of fuel to siphon up some fuel to a DRZ that ran out.

Route 4, then 5 to Riley/Hwy 20 would be a good three days, likely, unless you pushed miles and time, but that's a silly thing to do when you wanna enjoy a vacation. If you head South out of Riley on Rt 5, this puts you into 110 miles or so of the Great Sandy Desert before you get to Christmas Valley. Fine for some if you like sand, sage, and the view of two ruts for 110 miles of nothing else.

If you take Rt 5 North from Seneca, you get (get!) to cross the Malhuer. Not to be missed, IMHO. Then towards Sumpter.....I enjoyed this section best. I believe it would be two days better spent on Rt 5 than going South. Unless you like the Desert thing. But this would put you a long ways from getting back to Sisters quickly, if you need to return there for a truck/trailer.

If we head south on Route 5 I would suggest we don't go any further then Riley. Not a fan of Sand...:huh
Ofcourse this would mean slabbing it for 125 miles back to sisters unless there are some hidden backroads off of hwy 20.

I would recommend route 3 if possible, it's the nicest of them in my opinion and can be done on a big bike (though a small/medium would be better). Unfortunately with your lack of available days it's going to require slabbing somewhere. You'd be better off getting extra days and doing a 3/2/5/4 circle.

Maybe park a vehicle at the end of your planned route that can carry the bikes back?

The Sisters area if a great place to stage, I live just off route 4 near Sisters and the amount of trails/fire roads in the 3 Sisters area is huge. You could easily do some planning and spend half your time heading south on route 3, then turning around and finding some alternative ways back and be on fun stuff the entire time.

The area south of Christmas valley IS pretty rocky/sandy, but completely rideable on a big bike.

I'll add the last time I rode route 3 was in July, and two spots south of sisters were closed due to snow. Though, unless we get a bunch more late winter/spring snow that won't be an issue this year.


The section of route 4 from Sisters to Prineville is nothing more than a connection route. Just go directly from sisters through Redmond or Terrebonne and catch 4 just north of Prineville. Very nice riding from there east.

Thanks for all the tips/input guys! You guys are awesome!

Can everyone who plans on taking this trip give us an idea of how many days you think you can be out? Let's assume starting the 27th. I can be home as late as Sept 1st, which is the sixth day.

I ride an XR650L that would have a fair bit of weight in gear strapped to it for this long of a trip. I'm also not a huge fan of riding in sand, so I'm game for skipping that portion of route 5.

We can plan a route that allows folks to turn off early if need be.

I think we spent 8 days and did 1200 miles. Three amateur racers on 690's with luggage, one pro on an Aprilia 450....if that gives you any idea of timing. Route 5 was pretty fast, with our longest day being Klamath falls to Chickahominy reservoir, with stops so the guy running standard tubes could stop and fix two flats and somewhere in the 250 mile range. Route 3 was more like 150 per day and had some great single/double track through an OHV in the southern section. Not to mention pine trees and lava flows.

I am riding a F800GS so any route that is doable for this size bike I would be happy to do. I have not done any of these routes so its all new to me. I also just started riding dirt about two years ago and street for about 8 years. So I am no expert but not completely new to it either.

I can be ready to go early AM on the 27th and just need to be home Sunday afternoon. If need be I can modify my return route if you guys choose to spend a Sunday night as well.

How far would it be to do the loop 4/5/2/3? Depending where we are at I may just end in Klamath Falls Sunday night at my mother in Laws. My wife and kids will be there visiting anyways while I am out riding. just need to convince her to stay one more night.

I've ridden all but the route 2 on an 800GS. You'll be fine as long as you ride your own ride. If you have any questions about tires, setup, etc, PM me and I'll do my best to help. FYI, check your wheel bearings before and after you hit these trails. Especially the rear, on 3rd set for me already

Well vacation is approved so I am all in now. just need to start getting all the supplies I might need.

NICE! Woot! I'm putting my request in on Monday. I'll be stocking up on supplies over the coming months too. Really looking forward to some meetups in the mean time to pitch and review route options!

Sounds good. We need to get a set of maps to review for routes and distance. I am also looking at buying the GPS tracks unless you already have them.