Just Exploring

Did the Rim

Thanks, I'm going to turn 60 this year. I talk about my rides around work and all the guys my age look at me like I'm crazy, slow / stupid maybe. But I enjoy getting out there and exploring, I'm not really a sit at the beach kinda guy.

Did the Rim Rocker this past weekend. Fun overnight ride. I did this ride several years ago on my F800, at times it was a handful. The 701 made me feel like like I was a good rider - I keep saying it that bike compensates for my advanced mediocre riding skills. I could have done the whole loop in a day. The ride down the Montrose, do the route and back home from Moab, I thought about it since Moab was crowded. I didn't ride around much looking for a campsite but every place I like to camp was full. I ended up on the La Sal loop road - there are some camp spots up there that are hidden. Also there was a wind storm Sunday evening that I wasn't going to ride thru.

Yada yada bla bla I know PICTURES!!


Loaded up Riding over Muddy Pass and Stevens Gulch Rd to Paonia. Got some NiceCNC tank panniers that hold my rain gear and a few light items.






The first part of the trail is backcountry byway from Montrose to Nucla. Nice views boring riding.








Was going to get lunch in Nucla but everything was closed - Holiday weekend and a Sunday. The whole downtown was being repaved and sidewalks repaired. Several years ago the County started a project to bring Fiber To The Home (FTTH) saw lots of fiber on power poles in the town. I notice these geeky things, I work for a power company and manage our fiber.

After Nucla the ride gets more enjoyable. Start cutting across the Meas to the cliff band above Hwy 141. Couple of technical sections nothing bad, just paying attention and picking a good line.








I the picture above, the road on the other side of the canyon is the next section. This part is a little more difficult rocky with tight switchbacks. I didn't take any pictures in this section was having too much fun riding and trying to stay upright. About and hour of typical Utah backcountry riding - tight, ledgy, rocky, pinball shit. Next few shots are above Paradox Valley.






And the last part dropping into Spanish Valley outside Moab. The trail on the Southern side of the La Sals get rocky with fist sized rocks, This is where my F800 got to be a real handfull she would just bounce around and get out of control. 701 was more suited for this, lighter and better suspension.





That haze is the edge if the wind / sand storm



Camped, then rode home on Monday. I hate riding on the highway with my bikes - So boring. Took the river road up toward I-70 then turned and road thru Cisco. That road ends at an on-ramp to I-70. If you go straigt its a dirt frontage road that will trun down to the Colorado river and an easy part of the Kokopelli trail.






That's all my pictures from the trip. From here I linked up secondary roads to get home. Was a good overnighter. I could have packed a little lighter but first trip of the year it was ok. I also like the tank panniers - I did have to ride thru some rain and having the gear easily accessible was nice.

Thanks for following along, see ya out there!!

So after much thought and some overtime money!! I decided to try a lighter set up for ADV riding and exploring. Got a project bike to have fun with 2004 KTM 450 EXC. Been researching and this engine (RFS) has a good following.

I have a line on a large 6.6 tank. The plan is to ride it this summer take it apart this winter and look inside the engine and replace any worn parts. Only 3600 miles / 176 hours.

Want to ride and get to know the bike and the maintenance cycles. In two years I want to do the Baja Divide Trail on this bike. I also wanted something cheap incase I need to walk away from it, not planning for failure but if something should happen I can leave it.

I plus I want to learn to wheelie!! and improve my skills. Just what every old man should do!! Someday I'll grow up ( Fuck that )

What I'm going to upgrade and add

large gas tank
Dual sport kit
Fan kit
some kind of small windscreen - NiceCNC makes one that would work, and it will give me a place to put my GPS
Maybe a cush rear wheel or a wheelset - just need more overtime!!
Improve the lighting
Oil capacity or cooler - with a bike this age there were some oil coolers made just hard to find.

Other than the wheels everything else isn't that much cost maybe $750 to $1000. Not looking to rebuild like I see on some channels on YouTube.

Improve the mounting options for panniers - I do like the aluminum sub frame so adding to that should be easy. Adventure Spec makes side racks for the newer EXC's that I could modify to work.

I've got 2 years so this should be fun.

Got the large gas tank, did an oil change and then got out and did some tight double track that was muddy. I also took a look inside the case on the clutch side, very clean. I also have a Rev-Loc auto clutch!! So now I understand what was going on with the clutch when I went for a short ride last weekend.

This bike is so much fun even in the mud - just point and go, it is geared low but I like it lets me lug the engine and not worry about which gear I'm in.




I did have an oh shit moment - nothing with the bike. In the picture above I dropped down into the meadow and there were sheep, so I rode slow letting them clear off the road, went around a turn and there was a large sheep dog in the middle looking at me like WTF are you doing. I stopped and just talked to her - she put her ears back and wagged her tail WHEW!! that could have gone bad. I've been chased on my Mountain Bike by sheep dogs - not good interval training.

Got a fan, temp gauge, and thermostat coming. Don't like not knowing how hot she is getting.

So far this bike is surpassing my expectations.

Got out and rode one the more technical loops by my home. Just gonna drop the pictures. Was a really nice morning / afternoon. I installed a fan with a temp sensor in the radiator, and also a temp gauge. was nice to know how hot the engine is getting. Fan never kick on, in my garage it would turn on around 195 degrees I didn't get above 190 my whole ride. Got a few other small items to install but not much the bike is good to go. With that big gas tank I'm getting around 220 - 250 mile range - awesome!! I also figured a way to install a small rack on the rear fender so I can attach saddlebags.

















Now I need to fix a small oil leak on the 701 and next weekend I'll go play in the Vail Valley.

Glad I live in the mountains it's gettin hot already. Get out and enjoy.

Got out yesterday, rode Hardscrabble Mtn over by Eagle, CO. Even jumped on to some gnarly double track - Firebox Trail. Nice to be up high and cooler.

New York Mtn range, Beaver Creek Ski Area is on the left of that



North side of Red Table Mtn



And looking back towards Blair Mtn - where I was in the pictures above.



Lot of people out enjoying the day in 2X2 - its really dry out and holy cow those things kick up a lot of dust.

Today the 450 is going to get a flogging, link up a few trails and then have lunch in Collbran. Need to get that bike registered - this trailering the bike around is getting old

Got a nice easy loop in today. New Castle to Buford Rd, Flat Tops scenic byway in Oak Creek. Had lunch. Sunnyside cutoff into Burns then the River road to I-70. Got out early when it was cool, but hitting I-70 in the afternoon wow Hot!!.

Just 2 pic's





All easy gravel roads, practiced my sliding - until I scared myself and almost shit my pants. Still fun!!

Had one of my best days on a bike today. Rode Taylor pass the did the double / single track connector over to Pearl pass. I think I was the first person to get over Pearl pass the summer.

First view point on Taylor pass

Overlooking Ashcroft


Midway up



At the top looking in the direction I'll be riding.



On the connector Taylor - Riverhead



Turn on to the single track part - I really like this bike it seems to have 3 rules 1- sit down, 2 - shut up, 3 - stay on the throttle.



Half way through the connector I think from here the Trail is #400 = Brush Creek Trail

This is Star pass



Looking down in the Brush creek connector



I didn't take any more pictures on the single track, nothing epic just ride through the woods. This is halfway up Pearl. Lots of scree and embedded rock



I didn't take too many pictures of the climb - just wanted to keep my momentum going.



On a shoulder near the top - I was on that single track in the background earlier.



Talked with a guy coming down in a SxS he couldn't make it to the top due to snow still covering the trail. He thought I could make it.

First of many!!





Made it - now the top of Pearl. The next snow drift it between the legs of the sign.



I'll finish this post - I need food.

Ok 2nd drift crossing not bad just had to figure out how to deal with the bike - first gear walk beside it !! ok got it!!



had several drifts to navigate 3 or 4 they all were easy straight down the road no side hill. I stayed on the bike and rode slowly.

Until this one, this is where the creek runs down the road. I had to stop and walk this. The creek had cut a tunnel in the drift, there was a short cut around this luckily. You can just make out my tire prints
where this short cut comes back into the main trail.



Looking down the road. Lots of paddle footing this section!!



And the last picture, I did have one more small snow drift to cross, and thats where I saw SxS tracks and a moto track stop.



I didn't realize that the single track connector from Taylor Pass over to Pearl was a Double Diamond!! I'm really impressed with this exc. 21 years old with my mediocre riding skills I just pointed it everything
and we just knocked it out no fucking drama. Last time I came up the West side of Pearl I was on my F800. So I was thinking like ok here is that section this is really gonna suck - then I would be past it thinking
holyshit that was so not a big deal braaap done!!

Did have a few crashes, pick the bike up and straighten the handlebars and get on with it. Nice.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. I enjoyed the ride.

Decisions, decisions which direction do I want to go today?? Got my chores done, want to get up high and cool off. Thinking Hagerman Pass, lunch in Leadville then return over Independence Pass.

701 needs some attention - should be a nice day out!!

Thought I'd share a few photos of Hagerman pass







Fun ride - no dirt on the way home.

Got out to do a trail up Battlement Mesa. Just 2 pictures this is from the South side of the mesa.





Nice having 3 bikes in the garage. 2 years ago I did this trail on my 701 and it was fun - but the 450 was way gooder!! Felt strange to not have hand guards - I have some HDB guards coming, been about 3 weeks since I ordered them. Not sure whats up with that. I have them on my 701 and they take a beating so I'll be patient.

I got my 450 plated so now I don't need to trailer the bike if I'm doing local rides.
Got out yesterday did one of my favorite loops. Transfer Trail up to Coffee Pot Rd, then across the plateau on Blair Mtn Rd and finally dropping down Cline Top Rd.

First Windy Point on Transfer Trail looking South towards Glenwood Springs.



And East towards Vail


This route has several technical sections, this is where my talent (or lack of) didn't get me through. I rode this twice on my F800 and on one of those rides I got caught in the same place. That 450 is sooooo easy to pick up and get going again.



Top of Transfer Trail looking North








Second Windy Point on Cline Top Rd.



Rode some single track that cuts off all the corners on Cline Top. Stopped a few times when it intersected the road to listen for any bikes coming up the trail - its really tight and overgrown.
Few miles later I was home, nice 5 hour ride.

Got out and did a quick overnighter up to Blair Mtn. Left my house at 5 - took about an hour and a half to get up to the camp site.
Nice site - had some trees to tuck into in case it got windy. Cliffs made a nice place to have coffee while watching the sunrise.

Trying to lean out my camping kit for the 450. My 701 is a longer bike so the top bag works better on that. It's a work in progress. I also made an plastic "U" shaped support for the rear so the panniers won't flap
around while riding.



Not a bad spot



On my way out to camp I had to make my way through a flock of sheep and got the 4 dog escort and they were letting me know they were on the job. Later that night I was sleeping with one eye open - I would hear the sheep about a half mile away in a meadow, then I would hear the coyotes and then the sheep dogs. That went on for most of the night.

Took some different roads to get home and did a little exploring.



The 450 was fun to load up and camp. I'm not a super aggressive rider - but I do like riding more difficult tracks. The 450 is so light and nimble makes getting thru technical sections fun. Just need to figure out my kit, smaller & lighter but still be comfortable.
In a couple weeks I'm riding the WYBDR on my 701 - looking forward to it.