Boise ride this weekend...

[av_mech]

Originally Posted by liv2rydktms

I was wondering what was going on, I thought maybe you were laid off!

So did you sell your too big for you klim pants already or they the first item to go on a rack?

Good Luck!

If I was laid off, I'd be on a beach somewhere in Central America by now with Hobbes 100ft away!

[effensteve]

Kiss hobbes goodnight, he's going to get lonely for a while . Small business ownership can be fulfilling and very rewarding, BUT, owning a business definately takes a bit more time than working for the man. Way to be the Man Tyson. Congrats, I've got a couple of Saris Ski,bike,board or whatever else you want to stack ontop of your car I'll bring over when your ready.

[SCExpat]

Now I know what to do with all the riding gear I have been saving thinking I'll use it again after I lose some weight. So I can unload my "skinny" gear and get the fat gear I can wear.

Good luck with your new venture.

[trailrider383]

Good luck at your new endeavor Tyson.

[FXRBILL]

You may want to post over here http://boiseriders.net/index.php as there are quite a few dirt riders there.Good luck with your new adventure.I am currently unemployed and had to sell both bikes so I could use a job.Was an operations manager for a 2 million dollar a year company that kept downsizing due to the economy until my position was gone.

[Handy]

I went on my first ride today since breaking my foot 6/23/12 up above Hell's Canyon. I got out of the walking boot on Monday and my foot has been feeling better every day.
I rode out to Birch Creek Ranch, Jordan Craters, Pomp's grave, and up to South Mountain Lookout before heading home. 300 miles and about 10 hours, my foot is a little sore but not too bad at all. I had a lot of fun and it was a great day for a ride.

I am thinking of going up to No Business lookout, Packer John LO and Deadwood Mine on Sunday if anybody is interested.

[av_mech]

Originally Posted by IDAHandy

I went on my first ride today since breaking my foot 6/23/12 up above Hell's Canyon. I got out of the walking boot on Monday and my foot has been feeling better every day.
I rode out to Birch Creek Ranch, Jordan Craters, Pomp's grave, and up to South Mountain Lookout before heading home. 300 miles and about 10 hours, my foot is a little sore but not too bad at all. I had a lot of fun and it was a great day for a ride.

I am thinking of going up to No Business lookout, Packer John LO and Deadwood Mine on Sunday if anybody is interested.

Glad to see you back on the bike! I may be interested in that ride. I still gotta get two outta those three challenge sites. I'll keep you posted.

[daxm]

I am so glad to hear you are back in the saddle! I too am back. I need to hit the challenge sites covered in fire right now so I'll post when it is clear to get there.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Handy]

I would be surprised if you could get to Pinyon Peak and Langer Monument this year, there will likely be snow on that road by the time the area is open again, I tried that road last fall with about four inches of snow on it and didn't make it very far. The road to Sleeping Deer, Twin Peaks, and Fly point is actually the boundary of the closure last I checked so you may be able to get to those now, the USFS in Challis would probably know for sure. Custer and Bonanza should be able to be accessed in October once the fire goes out.

[av_mech]

Hey Jesse,
Sorry I didn't get back to you. My chain and sprockets are in the middle of a change right now and I've got a ton of stuff going on with the business, so I won't be able to make the ride. Be safe!

[daxm]

Well, while my bike was being repaired I decided to enact some upgrades instead of just take the "factory default" replacements. I asked around in the forums, local shops, read AV_Mech's report on his changes to his bike, and even had a chance to talk with Shawn from Rawhyde I was able to put together a wish list of things to change. Today was my first "real" ride on the bike, post upgrades. (Technically I did a quick run up 8th street and then a freeway ride down to Twin Falls prior but I consider those just warm-ups to what I did today.)

The upgrades I had done were Wilbers shocks tuned to my weight and riding style, Remus headers and exhaust, K&N air filter, Sargent seats, and some misc things such as BarkBuster brush guards and oil radiator protector.

Today's ride consisted of a approx 4 hour ride through the "mountains" south of Twin Falls (locally called the South Hills). The terrain was mountain roads in a variety of different states of disrepair. There wasn't any single track or ATV trails but you certainly couldn't have taken a Toyota Corolla on some of them. My father-in-law and brother-in-law came along riding an F650 and 800 Dakar PD respectively. If you didn't know I ride a 2010 R1200GSA.

So, now to the meat of what I want to report.
In summary: "HOLY SHIT THAT WAS F'ING AMAZING!" (Sorry, I just had to do that.)
In detail: My bike has transformed. I truly feel like I now have an untamed beast between my legs. Instead of fighting the bike to "stay on the road" I found myself fighting myself to not do anything too aggressive. The tuned shocks kept my tires in constant contact with the ground whereas my old shocks had me bouncing around the road like I was on a pogo stick. Washboard, rocks, gravel, loose gravel, slightly slick dirt (it rained yesterday pretty hard) didn't phase me a bit! In fact I was revving it up and intentionally causing my back tire to break traction FOR FUN. Previously I wouldn't have done that. I now see why turning off ABS on dirt is a good idea. It now makes sense considering my tires stay on the ground.

Speaking of revving... The K&N air filter along with the Remus headers and exhaust have changed my riding as well. Previously I would typically keep my RPMs in the 3000-4000 range. I would only break that on the freeway when I was doing 80mph or so. Now I find myself maintaining my RPMs in the 5000 range and on several occasions going up to 7000 RPMs! Now, do I think Remus is somehow doing that? No. What I think is happening is that the old exhaust system would make the bike "feel" weird if I exceeded approx 4000 RPMs. Now that weird feeling is gone! I have to admit that I don't like how loud the Remus exhaust is but I sure love actually using my power band now!

Lastly, the new seat is comfortable to sit in. Maybe my old seat also played into that weird "feeling" I had in the 4000+ RPM. On the new seat I cannot complain after sitting for something like 4 hours. I did stand here and there but mostly sat. Speaking of standing, I have to report that the Sargent seat does dig into my calves a little when I stand. It isn't horrible but I isn't comfortable either.

What would I do different? I wouldn't change anything I've already done. In fact I think that if/when I get another bike I'll immediately make the changes I've made to this bike.

What would I do more? Well, Shawn from Rawhyde mentioned that I should either get my handlebars raised or I should get different foot pegs that would lower my overall body. Prior to the upgrades, I didn't really understand why but I think I do understand now. Since I'm not fighting the bike any more I've noticed that when I stand up I'm hunched over more than what I consider comfortable. So, my next "upgrade" will probably be a set of foot pegs that offer a larger area for my foot as well as lower the overall position of my body.

So, IF you are not 5' 10" and 180lbs I would STRONGLY suggest you consider changing your shocks system to something that is tuned to you. If you feel like your 1200cc bike just isn't giving you the punch you expect from such a large machine I would suggest you give it more air and let its exhaust flow more freely. If your ass is sore and you are tired after just an hour or two in the saddle then I'd suggest replacing that stock seat with something that allows you to ride the whole day in comfort!

[daxm]

Originally Posted by IDAHandy

I would be surprised if you could get to Pinyon Peak and Langer Monument this year, there will likely be snow on that road by the time the area is open again, I tried that road last fall with about four inches of snow on it and didn't make it very far. The road to Sleeping Deer, Twin Peaks, and Fly point is actually the boundary of the closure last I checked so you may be able to get to those now, the USFS in Challis would probably know for sure. Custer and Bonanza should be able to be accessed in October once the fire goes out.

I need to get to BayHorse and all the sites NE of that. I'm not available to to that until mid-Sept anyway but as that time approaches I'll call the USFS in those areas to ensure I'm okay. I'll also post something if any of you want to come along.

[tvbh40a]

Originally Posted by IDAHandy

I went on my first ride today since breaking my foot 6/23/12 up above Hell's Canyon. I got out of the walking boot on Monday and my foot has been feeling better every day.
I rode out to Birch Creek Ranch, Jordan Craters, Pomp's grave, and up to South Mountain Lookout before heading home. 300 miles and about 10 hours, my foot is a little sore but not too bad at all. I had a lot of fun and it was a great day for a ride.

I am thinking of going up to No Business lookout, Packer John LO and Deadwood Mine on Sunday if anybody is interested.

I would if I could.

[Jason Abbott]

Originally Posted by daxm

Well, while my bike was being repaired I decided to enact some upgrades instead of just take the "factory default" replacements.

Sounds like some great changes. If you're not opposed, I may ask to swap bikes a bit if we ride together. I've done some of those to my '08 12GSA but not others. I have the Remus header (sadly with dings now) but stock exhaust. And I'm curious about the air filter and seat. I've added a Booster Plug and Rocket Sprocket which I thought helped the crawling around where I shouldn't go.

Glad to hear your bike is back and better than ever!

[tvbh40a]

Originally Posted by Jason Abbott

Sounds like some great changes. If you're not opposed, I may ask to swap bikes a bit if we ride together. I've done some of those to my '08 12GSA but not others. I have the Remus header (sadly with dings now) but stock exhaust. And I'm curious about the air filter and seat. I've added a Booster Plug and Rocket Sprocket which I thought helped the crawling around where I shouldn't go.

Glad to hear your bike is back and better than ever!

Sent you a pm.