I've been thinking about an offoad rig for awhile and now my failing body has me thinking about it even more. COuple of questions about the physical demands of riding hacks offroad. I've battered the hell out of my knees crashign streetbikes and just riding dirtbikes. Can you ride a hack offroad from the saddle, or does it invlove a lot of standing and peg weighting? I love the concept of the ural, especially the ability to drive the second wheel. Is this the best setup for offroading? I'd love to find something with more oomph after riding a KTM 950 th e last year. So, any thoughts on whether a hack would be less hard on my gimped body than a d/s or adventure bike?
Dave...Dave...? Until he comes up for air, check out his videos of offroading his Ural outfit. Your "need" to stand is only a function of the difficulty of the terrain. While the second driven wheel is certainly an added benefit, it is by no means a necessity (unless you already own one and can't imagine not having it!). The caution comes from your desire to have more power after the KTM 950 experience you've had. Any hacked bike will give a lot away having to drag that chair around. On a Strom or a GS or something like that, it won't be such a deal. Smaller bikes and older Urals...well, there are a variety of chairs, from the heavy Ural/Dnepr to the ultralight home-built enduro rigs...you have a lot of room in there for power-weight ratios. Gearing for power is another consideration. Chain-drive bikes make it simple. Shafties limit you to different tire/wheel diameters or expensive gear changeouts. Of course, the nurse in me wonders why you just don't go bionic with the knees!
Seeing the orthopedic surgeon Monday morning. Unfortunately I missed Mr. Cob when he was here in AZ. I would have liked to pick his brain. Hopefully they can mend my knees and I'll be looking at hacks purely for the fun factor, not because I can't get my foot down when I stop or stand up on the pegs riding offroad. Thanks for the advice!
Yes, unless you roll it on top of you. The irascible bastard piloting the GS in the front, my riding partner, Dr. Jim, is shy a leg on the shifter side. This photo, as RedMenace will attest, is a good portion of the way through the first day of BlackDog Dual Sport Rally. He had no problems with hacking in the dirt. I'd let him tell you about himself, but he's away loafing about in an European canal boat for a season or two.
Cool. I often admired RedMenace's Steamer outfit back on the tiger boards and here. Sweet jeebus, here's the answer!