Rerouting is coming together better than expected.
The Game will consist of two courses, one per day. I don't have the mileage ironed out yet, but it's looking to be around 60-70 miles per day, which is a quite a bit shorter.
Saturday will end in a great moto enthusiast BBQ pot luck out in the Cinder Hills area!
Sunday will have some good chunky options and will end at a local pub.
Tomorrow holds some more exploring for potential reroutes and connectors.
In other news, I went to the MVD today to purchase a replacement license plate for the one that rattled off some days ago. To my relief it was only $5.00 and on the spot. I have some plans to make a camo ghillie suit for the KLR hiding in the woods when I'm away from camp. I have most of the materials already and have made them before. Very fun but very tedious. Pictures to come.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
CGDSR- Course Prep Report 1
Dave Z. and I rode about 90 miles of the first portion of the route today. We did not do it in its entirety nor did we take it on aggressively. Today's objective was to test out the flow of the course for evaluation.
...the day's conclusion is: it needs to be shortened.
The idea is to break up the ride into two 100mile (or so) days. It isn't only riding that has to be done here. The player will have to navigate with a mounted GPS, consult a map and GC book, and operate a roll chart holder. And then there is the whole business of the treasure hunting-the whole excuse to gallivant on our motos in the first place.
This is a GeoCache hunt after all.
All of this for anyone -experienced or not- adds up to a bit of time.
I'm fairly confident after our blast of a time today that we will put together a game that will work and will be oodles of fun!
Speaking of fun, Dave had some impressive hero naps (no camera!!) and I was fortunate enough to have bounced off of some very large boulders on one of the more techy climbs. Though I've busted my little tool tube fairing thing, it's kinda neat when these sort of things happen. It's like product testing. One day when I have the ability to do legit fabrication projects, I'll know what designs work and don't...and that's a beautiful thing.
At the end of the ride, once back to camp I immediately collapsed in a chair.
I was beat down!
I stayed well hydrated, maintained a reasonable flow of calories and the weather was breezy and cool! But still slumped into that cozy chair was I. My feet found their way up onto the rear bumper of the FJ62. Dave and I rode for 7 hours at a simulated average pace. 7 hours can be a long time on a bike after partying and drinking the entire night before with close (and crazy) friends. At least I was not hung over. Thank goodness not.
After a brief siesta, I gathered a few things, stuffed them in the tank panniers and bag, and leisurely headed into town to meet with my best mate. After picking up my laptop from the babysitters, I headed east for my intended rendezvous and somewhere along the way my license plate fell off!
CRAP!
Those are expensive. Dang. If I'm lucky, perhaps I'll find it tomorrow on the road or some good samaritan will turn it into the MVD.
This evening and the rest of this week is all about map production and the rerouting process. Dave and I get to scheme on Tuesday over some beer and Wednesday attend the Coconino Trail Riders meeting (personally, this will be my first one).
My knees are achy and I can feel my pelvis injury...I think I'll stay off the bike tomorrow, you know, take a break.
...the day's conclusion is: it needs to be shortened.
The idea is to break up the ride into two 100mile (or so) days. It isn't only riding that has to be done here. The player will have to navigate with a mounted GPS, consult a map and GC book, and operate a roll chart holder. And then there is the whole business of the treasure hunting-the whole excuse to gallivant on our motos in the first place.
This is a GeoCache hunt after all.
All of this for anyone -experienced or not- adds up to a bit of time.
I'm fairly confident after our blast of a time today that we will put together a game that will work and will be oodles of fun!
 |
| From lic plate gone |
Speaking of fun, Dave had some impressive hero naps (no camera!!) and I was fortunate enough to have bounced off of some very large boulders on one of the more techy climbs. Though I've busted my little tool tube fairing thing, it's kinda neat when these sort of things happen. It's like product testing. One day when I have the ability to do legit fabrication projects, I'll know what designs work and don't...and that's a beautiful thing.
 |
| From lic plate gone |
At the end of the ride, once back to camp I immediately collapsed in a chair.
I was beat down!
I stayed well hydrated, maintained a reasonable flow of calories and the weather was breezy and cool! But still slumped into that cozy chair was I. My feet found their way up onto the rear bumper of the FJ62. Dave and I rode for 7 hours at a simulated average pace. 7 hours can be a long time on a bike after partying and drinking the entire night before with close (and crazy) friends. At least I was not hung over. Thank goodness not.
 |
| From lic plate gone |
After a brief siesta, I gathered a few things, stuffed them in the tank panniers and bag, and leisurely headed into town to meet with my best mate. After picking up my laptop from the babysitters, I headed east for my intended rendezvous and somewhere along the way my license plate fell off!
CRAP!
Those are expensive. Dang. If I'm lucky, perhaps I'll find it tomorrow on the road or some good samaritan will turn it into the MVD.
 |
| From lic plate gone |
This evening and the rest of this week is all about map production and the rerouting process. Dave and I get to scheme on Tuesday over some beer and Wednesday attend the Coconino Trail Riders meeting (personally, this will be my first one).
My knees are achy and I can feel my pelvis injury...I think I'll stay off the bike tomorrow, you know, take a break.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Back in Flagstaff AZ and Ready to Ride! ALSO: First update on Suspension Upgrade
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I From Hobo Camping |
I am officially back in Flagstaff AZ and done with major bouncing around and traveling for a few months. Time to get caught up with Blogging and get a DS Rally put together!
Dave Z. and I rode the second section of the course this past weekend. We only hit a few of the caches as the main objective was to evaluate that section of the course. The Cinder Pit pictured here is classic of northern AZ terrain. It rides like deep sand but thrashes tires like sharp rock!
 |
| From Hobo Camping |
We will ride the first section of the course this weekend. If Dave cannot ride on Saturday, I may be volunteering at the AZ State Championship mountain bike race happening on Mt Elden, one of our local mountains, as a mobile course marshal/WFR since I gotz the moto.
Either way, I have some great riding ahead of me in the next few days.
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| From Arrival_Suspension |
And now a quick shot to the very recent past...
I received the Cogent Dynamics Moab shock and fully rebuilt front forks. Rick at MotoCD.com was absolutely fantastic and a treat to deal with. The suspension is more than noticeably different! I actually got to test it out on a long ride into the mountains of San Jacinto in Southern California. The new suspension -along with the knee braces I wore for the first time- saved me from what should have been a low side on a slow speed turn when my front tire flatted! More on that exciting story on a soon to come post...it deserves its own!
The craftsmanship is simply impeccable, it is very light weight in hand even without comparing it to stock, and is pretty freakin' sexy (if you're a bike-sexual).
Their prices are among the top best currently available.
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| From Arrival_Suspension |
I asked Rick at Cogent Dynamics to tune the suspension for hard off road riding ranging from fast loose fire-roads to slow technical rock gardens. Also ordered two coils. One is set for my 135lb body weight plus 35lbs of cargo gear and the second for riding with 200lbs of cargo gear -for upcoming moto adventures of course.
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| From Arrival_Suspension |
When the units arrived via FedEx I inspected the boxes immediately. Much to my alarm I discovered the stock presta valves of one of the fork legs had punched through what I presume to be the bottom end as it stacked in the truck. The valve was damaged and a fairly small amount of oil soak could be seen. It seemed to me the box containing my fork legs had been placed vertical, upside-down.
I called Rick and described the scenario. Ultimately we decided that the "damaged" fork leg may not have been compromised judging by the small amount of oil soak I described. The only way to know for certain if too much oil had leaked out was to literally open it up or by riding the bike and experiencing any negative perceived performance. I opted for choice number two and did not notice anything obscene. Actually, I only noticed impressive suspension oscillation on road and off.
What a relief.
The damaged presta valve is not a concern since they do not have an imperative function anymore with the new internals (other than holding oil in). The rebuild included progressively wound springs, RaceTech cartridge emulators, new seals, bushings and oil.
The cartridge emulators control the low and high speed damping oscillation of the front suspension. My only reference to any of this comes from my long time quest to use mountain bike suspension during my pursuit of racing. Grant it, bicycle suspension internals are different from that of motos, but they do get much of their technology from the motorcycle industry and suspension dynamics is still suspension dynamics no matter what machine it is used on.
Here is a great link describing the differences between emulators and other kinds of motorcycle front suspension : FJ Mod site -Yamaha YZFJ1200, a reproduced explanation of Suspension by Jeff Hoffman
The installation of the forks and fork brace as well as the Cogent Dynamic Moab Shock was very simple on the KLR and should be no problem for the home mechanic with the right tools in hand. Originally I had intended on doing an How-to installation post but realized it has already been done very well elsewhere and was way too straight forward anyway.
Take this link [Cogent Dynamics Moab Shock and Spring Review]to a very well done and thorough product and performance review of the Cogent Dynamics Moab Shock and fork springs, on KLRWorld.com . The author, Hondo, did the fork spring installation himself and without the RaceTech cartridge emulators, whereas my forks were sent to Cogent Dynamics for a full rebuild and upgrade.
Now back in Flagstaff, I am able to put them on a full test run to develop an opinion on their intended performance prowess through a wide array of terrain. Today and the rest of the weekend I will do a full run of the CGDSR course and will report back with my thoughts.
Cheers
Contact Information for
Cogent Dynamics, Inc
Rick Tannenbaum
33 Meadow Brook
DriveFletcher, NC, USA
28732
Phone: 828-628-9025
MotoCD.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Suspension Install_Prep Work
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| From Suspension_Prep |
Today is the day the rebuilt forks and Moab Shock arrive from Cogent Dynamics via FedEX.
I took apart the entire swing arm assemble for its very first maintenance (awwww) since I am tearing into that section of the bike anyway. I anticipated heavy rust and corrosion on the various moving parts but was pleasantly surprised to find none. After push the bushings out I also pleasantly discovered they were still sealed and covered with greased.
I picked up a large 3/8 Breaker Bar from Autozone for the dirty leverage work to be done -It did the job rather nicely. After some sleep I will clean the swing arm and wipe down the bike in general. Should be fun...
We also have a set of Perrilli MT-21 tyres to install. The rubber currently mounted are a Dunlop D606 on the front and a Perrilla MT-21 on the rear. I like the Brazilian tyre a lot so decided to go for both. I'll post here on how the combo does.
New DS Helmet on the Block...The AFX FZ-37
Saw this on Motorcycle-Superstore.com.
DOT and ECE approved.
It has 9 vent holes, supposedly optically corrected -though one customer feedback mentioned distortion on the lower section of the visor- comes in white, silver and flat black, and weighs somewhere in at 3.64 lbs. $118 USD...
I said, "woah" as well.
WebBikeworld.com has an informative review on this affordable newcomer.
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| From Enduro Adventures |
DOT and ECE approved.
It has 9 vent holes, supposedly optically corrected -though one customer feedback mentioned distortion on the lower section of the visor- comes in white, silver and flat black, and weighs somewhere in at 3.64 lbs. $118 USD...
I said, "woah" as well.
WebBikeworld.com has an informative review on this affordable newcomer.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Protection_Neck Roll and Knee Braces
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| From evs neck brace |
After a few high speed crashes on the dirt I decided to invest in a few more pieces protective equipment. This is the EVS RC-3 Neck Roll. In the event of a crash involving a head deflection, it will hopefully help distribute energy into my body armor and overall upper body ...sparing my neck in the process.
There are quite a few debates on the topic of Neck Rolls vs. Neck Braces. The general consensus is that a Neck Brace -such as a Leatt or EVO- will protect a crashing rider from both hyperflexion and hyperextension of the neck more effectively than even the most advanced donut. I went with the EVS neck roll because of cost and convenience of wear...
Which would you buy?
Links:
Roll vs Brace- Thumper Talk
Leatt Brace...yes or no?- Thumper Talk
EVS RC EVO Neck Brace- Vital MX Forums
Leatt ADVenture Brace- BTO Sports
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