Chico, Ca Dualsport Riders

Btw, this is Humboldt road just on the north side of the pass on June 15. I seriously considered trying to poke through since it was downhill but I never would have gotten out if I had to turn around.

Since I chickened out going through the snow, I came back down through Jonesville and Butte Meadows to hwy 32 and up and around to Chester. Took a lunch break and went over to Yellow Creek campground. Explored around there for a bit then headed back down 32 to the dirt road that goes down to Deer Creek where I found a nice swimming hole. Hung out there for an hour then back down to Chico. About 190 miles on the little xr250l! I was burnt by the end.

Ive been riding this bike all over hell and back,and the mt bike. But the DR is ready to get out,at the least a lunch run to Covelo. Ive been assured Mendocino Pass is open,M4 being a lower summit is always a possibility.

Yes, the Mendo pass is open. We parked at the Newville/306 junction last Sat and rode M4 to Anthony Peak, Covelo, and the FH7 back to the trucks.

Trying to get the stable back in form after the Camp Fire. I picked up this Italian beauty yesterday. New '18 797+.

Has anybody been through Bully Schoop, Between the ditch grade and buckhorn summit.

Or out through chappie and connected up with 3 or 5

Ive never been on Bully Choop,need to check it out. I always just ride on by it.

Maybe one of the best rides in the North State. Except it was part of the CARR fire and I am betting it is closed to the public. It is a close loop that takes you up high and gives you a feeling you are in a different state completely. I can see it from Red Bluff and it is all burned. It might be depressing and even hard to navigate with all the cat work that was done during the fire.
I cooked my brake fluid coming down from the look out on the BMW years ago. I was coming home loaded down with camping gear and man was that spooky. It is really steep and things could have gotten ugly, but I saved it and babied it off the mountain. I would not recommend going to the top on a big bike. There is typically a closed gate close to the top, And a good place to walk from if you need to. From the gate up it is steeper.

https://www.facebook.com/events/857049751360332/?ti=icl

Thinking about it, it has been at least 20 years since I rode it. Even the very first part off of the Ditch Grade is steep enough that I have been hesitant to try it alone on my 1200GS. From what you say that is probably a good decision.

It is steep, but not a problem. The spur road going up to the lookout is the only part I would say not to take. And you would be fine taking it up to the gate. It is much easier to navigate from the North. Going from the south you look for the spring camping spot and then take a couple of turns right after that to the right. Don't go downhill after those turns. wrap around the hill and keep it going North. you can get lost at this point and the road goes toward Douglas City, You should run into locked gates that way but they are open when workers are in there and then you will find lock gates over by D.City that will have you trapped.

Ive heard there*s a fo-rk in the road,or at least a s^pork. Where you can either go to 299 off Bully Choop,or somewheres else (tech term) Gates mean nothing.

Doing a ride to Covelo Sunday anyone’s welcome. Meeting at the Paskenta store. Kickstands up at 7:00 am. Ride over have lunch and then back.

I threw a bed roll in a vehicle headed up to Lake Siskiyou just in case. Maybe I can hook up with it. Hit it from Ramshorn, 3, West Side, Summit. And normally Bully Schoop, Ditch grade, 36, ect, But if it's closed I am looking at trying Chappie to Ramshorn. I have never done that but think it can be done. I have heard of people making french gulch and up to west side Rd. I have worked South of Ramshorn doing survey work where we lived out there and came home on the weekends. I drove a VW bug off the top of the divide from ramshorn onto I-5 at the Gibson exit.
I would like to do the Covelo run but my people are North.

Let me know if anyone want to go to Covelo Sunday.

Brutal ride yesterday,Mt bike from mid chico to butte creek canyon to centerville rd to Center Gap rd to Doe Mill rd to Crown point rd to hiway 32 to 10 mile house rd and down into upper park to flop in the creek and cool off,then home through upper park and here and there. 6 hours on bike,40 miles, some dragging and pushing involved,no crashes. Seemed hot.
in and out of 3 canyons,Crown point steepest rd in Butte county,Center gap rd is a blowed up mess.

Well I skipped Bull Choop. My fuel mileage is weak due to still having a stock tank. Gas stops are limited where I was planning on going. Got gas at the last station headed out 299 and just headed out through French Gulch. Here is a picture of the logging going on in the CARR fire burn. No logging trucks, but the faller's and skidder's and such were working.



I had got a early start and felt like I was making good time. The road has gotten worst but still way better than when I was young and this route was remote and took several hours to do the 30 or so miles up to the top and Trinity Lake that sits just over the Divide. I always like to stop here and take a medical break. The view is great as you can not only see the lake but the Trinity Alps are perched in the background. Living and working and playing in the area I see my backyard in all it's glory.



Somewhere in here the road changes to East Side rd and it takes you around to the North end of the lake. I have to say this 8 miles or so is fairly new pavement and maybe could rival any top 8 miles you every ridden. it is perfect twisties and no traffic. the only downfall is it has amazing views that distract you from a super moto track out in the forest.

Anyway I hit hwy 3 and head North a few miles and take Ramshorn to try a road off of it that should take me all the way to my destination at Lake Siskiyou. I had studied the maps and I had been on most every road in that area. I had just never taken this exact route. It all looked easy on the maps, it seemed easy in my head as I have been at the end of both these roads. But, .....
I am pretty certain I took the right turn to the North off Ramshorn It was just a mile or so from 3 and had a nice bridge built over the river. It started out good enough but I could tell it wasn't getting much use. The down fall was cut so I knew at least some traffic had been on it so I continued, and continued. I was getting a long way from any people and was 20 miles into a 10 mile an hour road. The gravel has sitting on top of a hard pack and was super slippery. I was headed out for a multi day adventure and had almost nothing with me. See my bike in the picture. I had the clothes I was wearing plus a swim suit and a pair of shorts,I also had a pair of sandals. I didn't have a water bottle or anything to eat.
At this point my stock gas tank was becoming an issue. I was at least 50 miles from the closest gas, maybe back at Trinity Center/Lewiston area. And that would have been miles I would have had to redo to get where I was going. I pressed on.
I guess I had made a wrong turn. The road wasn't going North anymore, I stayed calm as those are big mountains and deep canyons. I figured I would wrap around a mountain and be going North soon. Well That didn't happen, But I did notice the road was starting to get better. I really didn't have much choice at this point, I came to a creek and found another bridge that was fairly new and seemed out of place for the type of road I had been on. Just past the bridge I see a truck just off the road and a camp set up by the creek. I turn around and go down to their camp. Nobody is around and so I just took off and felt some comfort knowing there was life behind me. The road was getting better fast, like I could go 20 or even 30 at times. The next thing I knew I was passing a road taking off the road I was on and I recognized it. I had camped/lived right at this intersection before when I was working in the mountains ! I was on Ramshorn Proper. I can not figure for the life of me how and when I emptied back out on Ramshorn. But, I would take it. I was only about 20 miles from I-5 and the worry of running out of gas was lifted.
I did some hot rodding on the way out to the freeway. Ramshorn is paved from the Divide down to Castella. This too is an exceptional piece of pavement, I was able to keep it down to a respectable speed due to the fact I was tired and the scenery is just so cool. It is a road I have been on many times. I used to do survey work and worked in the mountains doing boundary lines for timber sales. we lived up in the mountains and came home on the weekends, we worked out this road and had several different camps but all where on the South side of Ramshorn. I have lots of good memories of this area and of Ramshorn itself. One time I was going back up to camp and needed to be in camp Sunday night So we could start working in the morning. I found myself at Castella needing a ride and a cop in a real cool 4 wheel drive rig offered me a ride the 30 miles out to our camp. He was a trip, He loaded my friend and me with all our camping stuff up and raced up the hill. He turned on some real high powered lights and drove like he was racing. I am sure it wasn't the first time he raced that road. I think he was showing off and probably did it all the time.
Anyway, I figured since I made it out to civilization I could just head up the freeway and hit our camp in Mt Shasta. I did but my family had left for the day. I called them and they where just up the hill at Castle lake. So I shot up there and hooked up with them. After spending the remainder of the day there we headed back to the camp.
I almost made it. Got close enough to walk. Dang I didn't realize I had my petcock on Reserve all day.
Spent the next couple days playing in the area. Swimming, kayaking, Hiking, Fishing, eating, drinking. all the regular family stuff with games around the fire.
Got in a real nice hike up above Castle Lake with the whole family. It was to another lake called Heart Lake. here is a picture from there. It was about 1000 foot elevation change and 4 miles in and out. My grandson and son both swam in it and it still had snow on the banks of the lake. The Grandson swam in 4 lakes this trip.



Still thinking about doing the Bully Choop section of this ride. I do it from the Weed area on my BMW but have no where near that range with the DR. I put 3 gallons in it a couple times this trip. I didn't know it held that much, and not having the petcock off reserve will leave me stranded. I think only about 120 miles with the stock tank, that's not good enough for the kind of riding I do.

Stock tank is 3 gallons,a stock engine/carb DR should just do 135 miles or so on it,you need either the 5.2 gallon acerbis tank,or the 6 .3 gallon,although I did fine with an IMS 4.9 gallon tank for many years.
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Ive hiked up to Hart Lake from the the shasta side and was heading out towards castle crags rock hopping and boonie crawling but my dog got scared of the huge holes between rocks,so I flipped him around and we headed back down. There were glaciers floating in Hart Lake,girlfriend jumped in the lake and turned all bright red. People clapped.

Under my advice we took a "special*)/ trail heading back to Castle lake and were more or less lost and crawling on top of 6' high stiff brush,3 hours later we were filling camelbaks from a crack in a rock where water came out. Then we shinnied down the big 1400' high boulder covered slope that goes into Castle lake,nobody does that it was stupid we coulda been kilt.

We could hear water under the rocks so had to go sideways across the rocks on our butts and hands and feet gotta move real slow/avalanche no good..... We got to a ledge at the bottom and had to tie everything/shoes etc on our backs and swim across the lake with snowbanks hard as rock on the edges. Kayak people were watching but would not make eye contact/avoided us like a plague. Elaine was all scratched up but we both thought it was the best hike ever.
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You need a real seat and tank and that DR will be ready for serious back country meandering.

I need a new bike. The BMW is hard to work on. It has gave me more than my money's worth and I would sell it cheap.
The DR has possibilities as it hauls ass and is dirt bike like compared to the BMW. I can exit a highway and drive out through the land without pre walking it like I would have to with the BMW. I can pitch it sideways on gravel roads and if I can find traction it will wheelie just with the throttle. But I don't want to start sticking money into it because I just don't like it. Seat is terrible, tank is to small, pegs are to high, handle bars are not tall enough. to much wind, no screen. No center stand which I could live without. Starts easy after it is warm, maybe I am missing something here as I don't find a choke. The front end seems pushed back in as like the rake is steep. this might be do to a aftermarket fender that makes the front tire invisible. The brakes are really good and I can slow it down so much faster which allows me faster speeds into blind corners and really all corners. It would make a real nice super moto bike as it really handles nice and is easy to throw back and forth on pavement as well as dirt. It is set up for the freeway with ridiculously high gears. I could barely get in high gear on the freeway. 110mph and it feels like it has 30 more at least, and that's no joke.

A taste off the Ramshorn.

Might as well get a KLR. I fixed all those problems you list,at least the ones that make sense,for hardly any money at all.
My DR hauls ass and I would ride it to Alaska and back no hesitation,but I set it up. I can help you set yours up.
If you know of a bike that works great stock let us all know what it is.