Next in the BDR series - CABDR - Southern

I was on our CABDR-South Facebook page today and several posted they were not aware of the reroute on Section 7 at Tinamaha Campground due to the closure of Fuller road because of new mining activity. Make sure you check out the updates on the ridebdr.com website, or PM me with your email address and I'll email you the tracks to avoid the closure and a new fun section we added to bypass the easy graded McMurry Meadows Road with some fun two track that has a water crossing just prior to exiting out on Glacier Lodge road just before Big Pine.
Ultimately we will make the new tracks permanent, but it might take while to update the tracks on the website.

First: Thank you to those who put this route together

Second: some questions!

I'm looking at doing this ride in April and will probably be solo on a DR650 with 5 gallon tank. None of my friends can make the whole ride but some may meet up for parts.

IF I can hotel, I can keep my bike light and focus on riding. I can wire up a Baja Designs LED light for help if I'm stuck riding at night some.

I might be able to combine Sections 1 and 2 from Yuma to Blythe then Desert Oasis and ultimately slab to Needles for a hotel.
From Needles I'm debating riding to Tecopa Hot Springs or keep it at Primm.
From Primm it would be a haul to Beatty but there is a Motel 6
From Beatty I think I can make Lone Pine on a 5 gallon tank if going over Cerro Gordo to Lone Pine
Lone Pine to Big Pine or loop over White Mtn to Bishop (I've ridden Mazourka to Big Pine and Silver Canyon on small bikes and they are great trails)

Is this Crazy? Thoughts?



Thank you in advance for any planning insight

Combining Section one and two makes for a long day, but by May days are longer, just consider a very early start.
Primm to Beatty would make for another long day, but there are several places you could bail out on to pavement if you are not feeling it.
With a 5 gallon Tank I don't see any issues getting from Beatty to Lone Pine.
Lone Pine to the end of the route, even the expert sections is very doable. Once North of Bishop its a smooth and relaxing ride into Benton and the shortest section on the route.
I would just recommend taking something warm in case a mechanical forces a night out in the desert where nighttime temps, even in May, can drop in the higher elevations of the route.
Enjoy!
Ron

Superb info thank you! What do you think about Needles to Tecopa Hot Springs?

I could shorten the Primm to Beatty leg. But, Mojave is incredible and I would enjoy that part and a potentially shorter day after going Yuma to Needles.

Better, two long days back to back can take it's toll.
Ron

@Goofy Footer We just got back from riding the CABDR, three of us on various bikes at a somewhat leisurely pace. Most days we did a section and a half, only getting stopped in Primm as a result of weather and getting a curveball thrown at us in Death Valley when my fuel pump shit the bed. I don't think your plan is outrageous as you are solo and could move quicker. Two thoughts, depending on moisture levels the sand in section 1/2 could be far worse than what we just went through, which I believe was pretty easy given what I suspected. And as Ron said, bring some basic gear in case camping is forced upon you, the route is pretty dang remote. Have a great trip!

Congrats on the trip! Were you able to fix your fuel pump?

Thanks for the insight on doing 1.5 sections a day. I’ll carry a bivy, garmin inreach and estart jumper pack just in case. I want to keep my bike light.

I rode section 1 Indian Pass / Gavilan Wash in Feb on small bikes and it was a blast. Hoping for the same fun on the DR

Yup, I pulled the tank and installed a new pump in the assembly. Not a difficult repair. Just time consuming because taking the crash guard off is a headache. The rest is pretty quick.

My buddy and I just ran the Cali BDR for the second time. This time, we did it north to south, and I think I like that direction better (although Lipinscott is a monster going up). We flew into Reno, and rented absolutely killer 790's from Barry and Nevada Adventure Rentals. The Cali BDR is in stellar shape and the rework that was posted due to mining was one of my favorite spots! Weather was ALL over the place. We got snowed on a bit, saw temps from 20F-80F...and the winds camping in Mojave were just wild. 600 pounds of rocks required to anchor our tents lol.

One thing worth noting is that the road to Scotty's is closed both ways (not sure why). If you plan to use that to connect over to the NV BDR, you'll need a plan B. Also worth noting is that it seems all of California is out and about as of late - so camping and hotels were hard to come by. Hotels were booked up (I mean even at the dumps), and even campgrounds were jammed full. We just camped in the dez, but plan ahead if you can't just boondock.

The Mojave, post fire, was sadly amazing. The color palette was really something special and it's great to see that life is bouncing back in an area that was absolutely decimated.

Thanks again tot he amazing BDR team - the Cali BDR is really special!

Nobody from here says 'Cali'

A whole bunch of us were at PSR the last week and weekend, and I also noticed just how many folks were out and about. Honda Pilots going down Lippencott, so keep your eyes peeled!

Scotty's Castle Road is closed from floods years ago. Supposedly they are still working on it. You'd need to take Daylight Pass Rd into Beatty, or if you want something more challenging you could try up and over Chloride Cliffs. If you can climb Lippencott, I think Chloride Cliffs should be plenty doable.

Thanks for that info bigmo, you've answered some questions I was about to post but I'll go ahead and post them anyway taking your info into consideration.

I'm hitting the trail this Saturday (4/3) from Yuma. I've done a good amount of research but hoping you fine people can fill in some blanks for me.

1. Weather: seeing highs in the 90s and lows in the 50s for most of the route where I can find weather info. Should I expect more extreme weather along the actual route? I'm considering taking mesh riding gear with thermal/waterproof layers if this is the case. Would I be better off taking my 4 season waterproof gear?
2. Camping: I'm prepared to wild camp most nights. Any wild spots you'd recommend or avoid (notoriously high winds, etc)
3. Fuel Range: Which sections should I load up on extra fuel due to potential detours? My bike has 130 mile range and I have an additional 2gal fuel bladder I'd rather not fill up if I don't have to.
4. Oil Change: I'll have to do one on the route. Would prefer to not carry it if I don't have to. Where's my best chance to find Synthetic motorcycle oil along the route? Needles?

Lastly, is Vegas/Henderson a good mid-point to leave my truck, or are there better options?
Thanks in advance for any input!

Ironically I lived in California for a long time - easy to type!

@Katabatic -

1. WRT weather, I find that the weather forecasts for the BDR area miss the extremes on both ends. I don't think you'll see over 90, but you'll see way under 50. No doubt we saw camping down to 25. Plan accordingly! We used our small bags and just layered up. For us, the wind down south was a real challenge. Just trying to set up the tent in 60 mph winds is a challenge. Gusts were STRONG and I had a significant concern some freak gust would grab us and drag us across the desert. The guy in the RV close to us said some guys got smashed windshields the previous week from freak gusts and debris.

2. Man, there are so many places, just find a spot you like that has a little protection. Personally, I try to stay low in the spring. You go up and down a ton, so if it's warm, camp high and if it's cold, get down low.

3. I'd bring some kind of gas. 130 is a pretty tight range if you have any kind of weird road closure etc (and it happens). Heck, we ran into a full movie crew shooting a major picture in the middle of nowhere. CHP let us sneak through as a reroute would have been a major pita.

4. Assuming you are aiming for midway-ish, Beatty is a good bet. Most of the towns cater to guys with go-fast things, so oil should be easy to find.

FWIW, we rarely do BDRs as out and back. I always try to link them into a loop. For us, we've linked it in with the NV BDR (although I'm not a huge fan of the southern half of the NV BDR). I'll let some of the experts on logistics here weigh in.

Are you solo? Maybe borrow a Spot if you can - it's a pretty remote area.

@RonSJC I need the updated track info please. Heading there in a few weeks with my brother He cant seem to locate on the bdr site. thanks.
Denteen@me.com

Great report @bigmo thanks for sharing. Let’s see some highlight reel pics!!

How many Liters of gear are you guys carrying on the CABDR?

Curious as this would be my longest trip. I usually take a 35L backpack and Giant Loop Mojavi to Baja for 3 days and hotel.

I bring a support truck when doing the CABDR and NVBDR on my little bike. Enough to see on the route to make it interesting for the wife and camp is setup when I get there.

IDBDR I’ll be on the 990 with Mosko BC35’s and a BC40 duffle. This will be all camping off the bike.

for hotel stays sounds like you’ll have enough with your kit.

I'll send an email too, but here's the link to the Tracks download page. They are free to download. Just choose the route you want to download and follow the instructions

https://ridebdr.com/gps-tracks/

I downloaded the March 2021 Tracks and it shows the update. Thank you for the info

If anybody is out riding the BDR currently feel free to post up. I'm headed from San Diego to Yuma tonight and the plan is to start tomorrow AM. I can camp if need be but will book hotels along the way if I can. Loose plans, going with the flow I have 9 days to make it happen. I can easily breakup the first day and/or make adjustments along the way due to flats / issues. I can bail anytime and have friends who can help rescue me out of LA if I must abort.

Blue DR650 with knobbies, black wolfman gear and an idiot inmate behind the bars!


Current "Plan"
Today: ride to Yuma (may camp or hit that Hilton Luxury)
Thurs: Yuma to Needles - Big Day 280ish miles wake up early and moto down. (I can camp on the trail if need be)
Friday: Needles to Primm 130 miles (hotel)
Saturday: Primm to Beatty 215 miles (hotel)
Sunday: Beatty to Lone Pine 175 miles (hotel but could camp near river)
Monday: Lone Pine to Big Pine and maybe Bishop if I'm feeling the up and over White Mtn
Tuesday: Big Pine / Bishop to Benton and back
Weds: extra play day - meet up with my buddy at night in Bishop, brewery time
Thursday: get carpool home, ride locally.
Friday: recover lol
Saturday: back at work

Motels in Beatty and the 395 corridor may be hard to come by on the weekend. Camping in the Alabama Hills was packed. I found a spot to camp just outside of Lone Pine that worked awesomely. Go west on the Whitney Portal Rd, just as you leave town, at the sign for the Inyo County Campground, bear left onto the dirt road (heading about 45-degrees off of your original heading). Follow this about 1/4 mile until you get to a sandy parking area next to a creek. This area seems to be a local hangout. I crossed the creek and camped on the other side, out of site of the parking area but near the creek. It is sandy, however.