Mar. 28-31, 2013 Death Valley Noob's Rally

[NSFW]

Originally Posted by espi

Hey Joel,


I might be able to get my hands on a couple of these:
http://www.mfjenterprises.com/Produc...ductid=MFJ-662

If I do, I'll place one atop Hunter mnt, then we'll have communication from the Hot Springs to PSR 24/7.

CONGRATS on getting licensed!!
I KNOW you'll pass!
as far as freqs- I havent decided. probably 2 meter and or 440.
What HT are you thinking about picking up?

cheers,
Pablo

wow, a pocket sized repeater...

i think gssequioa is putting together one.

yeah pablo, i'm quite excited. picked up a yuasa vx6 at a good price (+$50 rebate too)

http://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-007681

been studying and everything is hamglish to me....

Originally Posted by dirt donkey

I am interested in riding to the hot sprins, not signed up for any rides yet. I read in a post inquiring about my bike and skill level.
WR250R. scotts stablizer, alum skid plate, barkbusters. 3.1 gallon safari tank- should be good for 150 miles unless i have problems up the hill. Dunlop GeoMax 71 rear, Michellin T63 front (replacing with geomax 71)

intermediate on easy stuff. Daily ride tiger800xc. Technical and rocky climbs more like a beginner. I do not touch the ground. It ends up looking like a crossfit session. I try, but if i loose at a slow speed or i am getting bounced around, the bike ends up falling or ontop of me.

Just got the suspension rebuilt so things should be better.

go for an easy ride on thursday, then if you feel confident, go for the next notch.

btw, good job getting the bike properly prepped up. at least now, it's all operator.

group rides here:
http://dvrides.robgadv.com/


FOLKS, IF YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST JOIN ANY GROUP ON THE DAY OF THE RIDE....LOL. on the morning of the ride, time will be better spent getting geared up and discussing the plan.

[ConTeacher]

Cycle Gear's Store Marketing Manager, Rich Owens, has donated a complete set of BiLT Explorer Gear (http://motor.cyclegear.com/motorcycle/Bilt-Explorer).
The package includes: Helmet, Boots, Jacket, Gloves and Pants!

www.CycleGear.com

The BiLT Explorer line from Cycle Gear consists of jackets, pants, boots, gloves and a helmet, all of which were designed with adventure-touring in mind. The Explorer Helmet features an innovative drop-down sun shield allowing riders to have clear vision when transitioning from sun to shade with a flip of a switch. The Explorer Boots are made of waterproof and breathable leather and offer excellent ankle support. The remainder of the BiLT Explorer line also seeks to meet to the unique needs of the Adventure Rider.

.

[traveltoad]

Wow!

[NSFW]

bill....I KNEW IT, YOU WON'T ALLOW BIGTODD STEALs THE THUNDER FROM YA....

Originally Posted by bigtodd

My buddy at Pelican Products dropped off some raffle swag today. Joel isn't going to know what to do the list I sent him

wow..woW..wOW..WOW.....bill, you have been giving this event a lot love and i'm out of words but....

Originally Posted by ConTeacher

Cycle Gear's Store Marketing Manager, Rich Owens, has donated a complete set of BiLT Explorer Gear (http://motor.cyclegear.com/motorcycle/Bilt-Explorer).
The package includes: Helmet, Boots, Jacket, Gloves and Pants!

www.CycleGear.com

The BiLT Explorer line from Cycle Gear consists of jackets, pants, boots, gloves and a helmet, all of which were designed with adventure-touring in mind. The Explorer Helmet features an innovative drop-down sun shield allowing riders to have clear vision when transitioning from sun to shade with a flip of a switch. The Explorer Boots are made of waterproof and breathable leather and offer excellent ankle support. The remainder of the BiLT Explorer line also seeks to meet to the unique needs of the Adventure Rider.

.

by the way, i'm on my way to cycle gear on lyons to pick up 6 quarts of fork oil. yes, that many, 3 bikes need fresh oil.

[Ladybug0048]

There sure are some great door prizes being donated. The vendors have really shown they support the riders. Wahhhhooooooo!

The Superbug and I are getting ready for this adventure. I'm excited to be able to get out and do some riding, see some friends and meet more friends. I dropped the superbug off this morning to get plates welded to the sideracks to mount rotopax fuel carriers to. The Superbug has proved be be a pretty darned good work horse for me.

Next on the list is new tires (TKC80s) and getting a buddy to teach me how to change them. Between now and the time I head for DV I will also being doing some sand practice on my XR100 then on the Superbug to ensure I don't fall down too much when I get there.

[dirt donkey]

did a lot of MTB (mountain biking) when i was young. Too much effort and rocky stuff, sand and loose dirt is a no go. Just can't cover the ground you can with a DS.

Originally Posted by NSFW

jimmy.

we noticed that a lot of participants have low post count. many of them are had their first post here.

really glad to see this event was able to get them guys came out of the closet and start riding.

with the price of gas, adventure riding somewhat took a big chunk of 4 wheeling.

likewise, riding a dual sport bike beats hiking and mountain biking as far as seeing more places and covering farther distances. we also have the ability to haul our camping gear and food.

i firmly believe that adventure riding has became a very practical sport and an effective means to escape from the urban jungle.

jimmy, if we get an opening from someone bailing out, i will let you know...

[dirt donkey]

Originally Posted by blaisew

Chris (Browneye), while editing my ride to include mileage I scanned my other days and noticed that you have slugdad listed twice on the Cerro Gordo route. Free up half of him for someone else?

just wondering where do i sign up for a group ride -PMs or is there a separate thread.

[macadamia]

Did some work to the ol' girl on Friday...

[Spank]

Originally Posted by dirt donkey

just wondering where do i sign up for a group ride -PMs or is there a separate thread.

Page 1, Post #6 of this thread has the link.

Edit: well whadda ya know. There's the linky right below

[rjnutt]

http://dvrides.robgadv.com/

[NSFW]

Originally Posted by rjnutt

http://dvrides.robgadv.com/

that's the one....

i got a PM from asking for what ride to join.

for a noobie i recommend this:

thursday - easy warm shake down - ballarat - wildrose - etc. MR. Gs ride is the perfect example. lots of good stuff and dv landmarks to see.

i have the same route on friday - noobies on knobbies.

friday and saturday - lots of good rides, but if you're looking for long distance riding and see lots of sights, it will be 1) titus canyon/ryholite and 2) saline valley/hot springs.

sunday - darwin (looks like ixab's last dance is filled up)...

the list are getting filled and very little time to dilly dally. well, there will be another one next year.

the beauty of death valley, you go to the same place every year, but the terrain changes dramatically. for instance, you could drive through goler today on a car, but a year ago it was carnage canyon. who knows, if dv get another storm in a week or 2, things could change.

likewise, taking the pavement is also very rewarding. lots of dv major attractions are done best on road bikes.

PLEASE - WHEN ENTERING DV NATIONAL PARK....stop by the ranger station and pay the park fee. $10/week. KEEP YOUR STUB...WE WILL HAVE A SPECIAL RAFFLE AND IF YOUR NAME IS CALLED, YOU WILL NEED TO PRESENT YOUR STUB. ANNUAL PASS IS GOOD TOO (YOU AND PARTNER).

http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisi...servations.htm

things to know before entering dvnp

[ixab]

Originally Posted by NSFW

sunday - darwin (looks like ixab's last dance is filled up)...

Even though that ride is full, if anyone were to 'accidently' end up on the same route as us on Sunday, we promise we won't throw rocks at you to try and scare you off Even if group size is restricted, we should be easy to follow - just look for the trail of ruined garage doors.

[NSFW]

Originally Posted by Ladybug0048

There sure are some great door prizes being donated. The vendors have really shown they support the riders. Wahhhhooooooo!

The Superbug and I are getting ready for this adventure. I'm excited to be able to get out and do some riding, see some friends and meet more friends. I dropped the superbug off this morning to get plates welded to the sideracks to mount rotopax fuel carriers to. The Superbug has proved be be a pretty darned good work horse for me.

Next on the list is new tires (TKC80s) and getting a buddy to teach me how to change them. Between now and the time I head for DV I will also being doing some sand practice on my XR100 then on the Superbug to ensure I don't fall down too much when I get there.

excelent planning. dv is very far from your home, get things done right and you will be happy you did.

tkc80 is probably the easiest tire to install. do more riding before the event, use it also to test your gear and bike condition.

FOLKS...service your bike now.

for emergencies, we will have a factory trained mechanic in the campground for minor repair. also lots of motohead coming, they can be helpful too. however, do the 50K maintenance service at home...

i asked lior to bring spare parts that are common for most bikes, such as tires, tubes, chains, fluids, etc.

[macadamia]

Originally Posted by NSFW

{snip}FOLKS...service your bike now.

for emergencies, we will have a factory trained mechanic in the campground for minor repair. also lots of motohead coming, they can be helpful too. however, do the 50K maintenance service at home...

i asked lior to bring spare parts that are common for most bikes, such as tires, tubes, chains, fluids, etc.

Lior is the best!!! He totally saved my bacon 2 years ago when my final drive seal blew on my ride to DV on my 2002 R1100S. He trailered my bike to his shop and fixed it, better than new and much less expensive than a dealership.

Final drive in pieces in Lior's shop...



BTW, that was my first year at the nOOb rally and my first motorcycle camping trip. Even though I did not do ANY riding (neither on nor off road) once I arrived at the campground, I had a blast. I met some great people and enjoyed just being away from work for the few days I was there.

Thanks again to Lior for his assistance with my motorcycle and to RobG for the ride back home...

[Ratchdaddy]

Originally Posted by macadamia

Lior is the best!!! He totally saved my bacon 2 years ago when my final drive seal blew on my ride to DV on my 2002 R1100S. He trailered my bike to his shop and fixed it, better than new and much less expensive than a dealership.
Thanks again to Lior for his assistance with my motorcycle and to RobG for the ride back home...

I may be looking up Lior when I get there. I adjusted my F800gs to the "new" valve specs that are looser than the original specs. Now I have a lot more valve train noise. Can't get a straight answer from the dealer.