I'm Pretty Sure SM Stands For Super Muddy...

So, in keeping with the original idea of dualsporting my SM610, we finally got around to putting my 17" knobbies on last weekend. I also added a ProMotoBillet rack with pannier protectors and a new set of saddlebags. This is all in preparation for a week-long ride in Nevada coming up over Thanksgiving...and numerous other similar rides in my future. When we rode there last May I was a bit limited in where I could go due to my dualsport tires, so I was determined to remove that little roadblock before the next trip. Anyway, we went up to Middle Creek to meet up with a friend and see how the bike was going to work. Remember that really pretty spot where we saw the sunset, Coffee? We snagged that spot and it was great! Now, keep in mind that I am nowhere near ready for real dirtriding due to my broken ankle not being completely 100% yet. So what do I do? Leave the real dirtbike at home, throw knobbies on my +300lb supermoto, and hit the trails with rain in the forcast. I know, I know..."real smart, there, WoodsChick..."



Still clean...


Rear DOT knobby is a 150/60-17 Metzeler Karoo Traveler...


Front DOT knobby is a 120/90-17 Pirelli MT21...



Eric and I headed out to some trails while waiting for our buddy Dan to get his crap together. I was a bit intimidated at first, thinking it was going to feel like my SV when I rode it in the dirt, but after a few miles I was almost forgetting I was on a big bike. The front tire worked way better than I was expecting, and the rear was better than I had hoped. The enormous front brake was always scary on the dualsport tires, but it was even more effective with the knobby I usually ride with my finger covering the front brake on the street and in the dirt but I didn't do that this time. I figured this way I'd have to make a conscious effort to reach the front brake, thereby keeping me from inadvertently squeezing a handful and throwing the beast on the ground. It worked!

Coming down Trail 7...



This trail was still relatively dry, but there were big puddles everywhere
else. The 610 just plowed through them as if they weren't there. I dig that big motor...

We headed for Stonyford in the rain, but by the time we got over the ridge to the east it was sunny and warm. We were bombing along a dirt road when all of a sudden Eric locks up the rear and comes to a dead stop. WTF?

Gee, what's wrong with this picture?






Oops... No problem. He zip-tied the caliper to his front fender pack and rode the rest of the day (make that the rest of the weekend!) with no front brake. It did block some of his already-wimpy headlight, and that would prove to be a problem later that evening...

There were a ton of people at Stonyford, as it was after the first rainfall in a long time and the WFO Enduro was on for the next day.
We stopped for a hot lunch of Beef Stroganoff and Cafe Viennese along a creek on the north side of Stonyford. Nice to see our MSR Whisperlite International is working as it should.



To be continued...



WoodsChick

We continued north along the eastern flank of the Snow Mountain Wilderness. I kept having to stop and pick up Eric's yellow rain jacket. Good thing I was riding behind him...




Looking east towards East Park Reservoir. I love the geology here...


I should quit looking at the neat-o geology and pay attention to what I'm doing...


Weird water crossing with metal bars in the concrete...


Can you see Eric stacked up coming down the hill there? I guess having too much front brake is better than having no front brake


Eric and Dan finally make it down the hill. I could hear them laughing up there from where I took the photos...


Hmm...what's that up ahead? Rain clouds? What time is it, anyway?


No more photos were taken of this ride. It was really fun for awhile, but sort of descended into hell the farther we rode. We had about 50 miles to go at this point and it was getting dark. It started raining as soon as it got dark enough for us to see our headlights shining in front of us...of course. The soil is pretty snotty and clay-like on this side and we were slipping and sliding a bit in the dark. I'd already picked the 610 up once and wasn't really interested in doing it again. Eric couldn't see much with his headlight so he rode right next to me and let the mighty 610's high beam be his beacon in the night. In other words, it was slow going. Dan rode ahead and kept waiting at the intersections. He later said he was guessing which way was the right way and he kept guessing right. This only served to give him a false sense of confidence later on when he would miss a key turn. It was pouring at this point, had been pitch dark for about an hour, and he didn't see the intersection that would take us from M3 to M10. He unknowingly followed the curve in the road back towards Stonyford...with about 20 miles' worth of fuel in his tank. It's a long story, but suffice to say it was a very late, wet, cold night full of horrific thoughts, complete with a totally freaked-out wife and sobbing 11-year-old daughter back at camp. Ugh...I'm glad everything turned out alright...

Day Two coming up...



WoodsChick

*scratching head*

What bike did the brake caliper fall off of?

What was Erik riding on?

Did you ride all the way up on the bikes?



(questions to be continued LOL)

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that when we finally made it back to camp that night, our awning on the Pleasure Palace van had collapsed from all the rain and wind. We had one end lower than the other but it wasn't enough. Consequently, everything we had left under it was now soaking wet.


The next day looked to be better as far as weather was concerned, but the trails were much muddier than they were the day before. I wasn't too worried, though, as the knobbies had proved their mettle the day before. Dan decided to spend the day with his much-relieved wife and daughter so it was just me, Eric and my buddy Brian on his plated WR400. Eric, at 6' tall, is on the left. My buddy Brian is on the right. Let's just say I felt pretty confident tackling the trails with Brian right behind me. Whenever I'd say, "Ooh...I don't know...I don't know if I can get the SM up that" he'd roll his eyes and basically tell me to quit whining and that if I got stuck he'd get me unstuck. Cool!



So, shortly after saying "Ooh...I don't know...I don't know if I can get the SM up that..." I found myself on an uphill trail. I took this from the saddle of the 610 and the tiny dark spot in the clearing below is a ranger who thought I'd lost my mind and she wanted to see if I was going to make it. I made it no problem and it was HUGE fun!


Looking up the trail...


Now, these trails are in no way gnarly when on a dirt bike that weighs what a dirtbike should weigh, but I must admit I was feeling a bit weenie-like riding the 610 with my gimpy ankle. I really would have been better off on a regular dirtbike, but then I probably wouldn't have been as careful.

See that huge puddle in the background? Eric went down hard here, but I went right through. The wide wheels displace water like nobody's business and Brian got a huge kick out of seeing me go through the mud. He said it was akin to the parting of the Red Sea...


We made out way down to the Eel River for lunch...


I love the tracks these things leave in the dirt...


After lunch we hit some trails back to camp...














We put in about 60 miles, mostly trails, and just had a blast. The SM will go anywhere a regular dirtbike can go, I just can't get there as quickly as I can on my regular dirtbikes. I would imagine in the hands of someone bigger and stronger (and 100% healthy) it could go pretty good, but I have a healthy respect for the size and weight and am in no hurry to break any more bones at the moment. It is a supremely capable dualsport bike, though, and it is going to serve my purposes just fine.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed my ride report



WoodsChick

Eric was riding his LC4 640e and lost his caliper. We drove the Pleasure Palace van up with the bikes on the trailer. Didn't want to ruin the knobbies, not to mention you can ride harder when you know you don't have to ride the bike back home


WoodsChick

Do you mean the whole "Dan getting lost" thing? No. Actually, it exacerbated the whole problem. He didn't have maps loaded into his GPS, and when he realized he was headed in the wrong direction, his GPS told him that he was only a mile or so from camp. Of course, this was as the crow flies and we were in the mountains. He used up almost all of his fuel trying to cover that one mile or so instead of turning around and going back to where he saw us last. He tried to use the paper map he had, but it was pouring and windy and dark and he couldn't see it. He tried to rev his motor so that his headlight would be bright enough and then hold the map in the other hand. Kind of a tough task...


WoodsChick

Thanks! Yeah, not something you see every day, that's for sure. I just took a chance on the bizarre front and it worked out great. I won't be overalling the ISDE anytime soon on it, but it works great for what I need.


WoodsChick

Thanks, Ruffus

Hope you enjoyed the rest of the trip


WoodsChick

Great photos, Michael! Yeah, I told Eric we needed to come back in the summer, or when it gets warm in the spring. We were there last March and there was a lot more water. The water is pretty deep just to the left as you're heading towards Stony and it was looking mighty inviting, that's for sure! Nothin' better than a swimming hole on a ride!
Well, maybe a hot springs...



WoodsChick

Very cool. Bike are so fun in so many ways.

Absolutely. If you can't find a way to have fun on any bike in any terrain, there's something wrong with you, for sure!


WoodsChick

LOL! "Monster Truck" That's funny...

The first pavement I did was the twisty paved section going up the hill between Lower Deer Valley and Upper Deer Valley. They were fine, except the front tends to step out quicker than the rear. I like to run stickier fronts than rears on my streetbikes so this was not a pleasant development for me. It was fine, though, with a little bit of throttle control and restraint I rode the Husky to work last Friday (had a meeting after work and knew there would be some serious Auto Dodge- Ball action on the way home) and they worked OK except for hard braking on the front. I had no real problems with it, but there is some give in the knobs and you can feel it. I was riding like a pansy, too, trying not to lean over too far and stuff. The bike rides kinda "lumpy" on the highway, but that's to be expected with any set of knobbies on the highway. I have no intention of riding them on the street at all, unless there are transfer sections to traverse. They are pretty much my dirty tires for exploring NV, OR, etc.


WoodsChick

Were you going with an 18" and 21" conversion? I didn't want to spend the money on that, especially since I have a plated 450 EXC already. I figure the weight of the bike itself is going to preclude me from getting too crazy with it, so the dirt wheels/tires wouldn't really help me much, but on a 450 I could totally see doing that conversion.

I spent some time in Eastern OR over the summer and really want to get back out there to do some exploring in the high deserts. It was beautiful, but we ran into a lot more private property than we usually do in NV. That was sort of a disappointment. Maybe we need a guide??


WoodsChick