Let's get dirty!

[BuellyBagger]

I expect that my thread title will get some attention, lol. I wanted to discuss dual sport/back road riding. I bought the Ulysses I have now with the intention of trying out some dirt roads, gravel etc... I dont have any off road motorcycle experience and wanted to see if anyone had any advice or tips.

I've been trying to become YouTube certified in adventure bike riding, but more first hand stories are always good.

 

[outthere]

Stand and stand often.

 

[rb70383]

lol
Good advice as I always see off roading bikers doing that. I only off-road my buell by accident. I NEED an offoroad bike..

 

[Cooter]

Sounds like fun BB! You're hardly a rookie at this but I'll share the things I learned. I do have some Moto experience and I highly suggest it. Learning dirt on a 200lb neighbors 250 is easier than a 500lb loaded Uly. Single track dirt is easier than slick fire roads on a heavy street bike IMO.
You'll need hard sided bags. Soft ones will tear off the bike when you side swipe a tree (In Oregon), and smash your goods when you fall over (same trip).
Pack them with easily accessible emergency supplies first. A small first aid kit (gauze, pills, antibacterial ointment, etc.) Water (I have a 3L camelback type setup in the tank bag), a couple good protein bars (not 'energy' bars), external battery to charge stuff (even if you have a USB on the bike), flashlight, lighter, TOOLS (Safety wire (#Buell), zip ties, pliers, cutters, adjustable wrench, fuses, wheel bearings, wheel hex tool), and a flask of course.
Pack a couple days worth of stuff in the hard bags, and knock your bike over:topsy_turvy:. Get used to picking it up the right way. Better to learn now, than being wrong and think you'll never need to know. Picking it up wrong will wreck your old back and make the ride home miserable or impossible. In gear, kickstand down, sit your tailbone on the edge of the seat, grab the down-side handlebar and the pillion grab handle, lift with your LEGS only. EZPZ but it's heavier than you thought right!?
Plan your route and wright it down on a paper map or print out, but a map is better. You aren't adventuring until you are out of cell service Even with the offline map app you get, you'll want an idea of how to get to civilization without it when it glitches and won't turn on, and your almost out of gas in the forest, headed to where the locals say "I dunno?, I've lived here my whole life and don't know whats down that road" (also the Oregon trip).
Get a good map that works offline. The Garmin one is expensive but covers everything. "Oh! Ranger" is a park finder for state and Nat'l parks, "Good Sam" is for campgrounds and KOA style camping, "Scenic" is easy to build your own route and has a 'curvy road option' that works well, "Eat Sleep Ride" is also a map app but has the added feature of the Crashlight that can automatically call someone if you wreck.
ATTGAT, and you'll be surprised how much clothing you don't need. Bring layers, and rain over-gear. A couple fresh t-shirts and socks/undies are key to not offending anyone you run across, but they can also be bought at a WalMart in a pinch. I pack for 3 days and stop every third day in a nice hotel for a hot tub and laundry, FYI every single Mariott has laundry services:up:.

Sorry for the wall of text, I only post to drive Lunatic crazy(er):angel:

 

[Cooter]

The single most important lesson I learned riding off-road is to stay loose. It will be your natural instinct as a street rider to want to control every wiggle the bike makes and tense up. There is no way you can correct the tiny movements that fast, so just let it happen. Being stiff on the bars will beat up your body, and make you fall over.

When going fast on a dirt road, think of an imaginary line through the forks, stand up and put your human center of gravity right over the steering neck. Thats where the bike rotates. If you keep that spot just below your heart in line with the forks, you should notice the whole bike moving around you with your loose arms. Check out some YouTube chest cam footage and you'll see what I mean. It's total bliss when you get it right

I would NOT recommend the Michelin PR5 for deep sand, one star:upset: Haha

and for fun:

 

[njloco]

O.k. coincidence or ESP, I'm thinking the same thing about my Buell. I've been watching a lot f u tube vids about so called adventure riding. From what I can gather, the Ully can do pretty much anything the other heavy bikes can do and in most cases better, now this is my opinion just from watching the videos, because I've only been off road with the ully on short stints.
Though there are videos of the Ully off road I can't seem to find any comparison vids, like where they have both bikes sort of running against each other and then they break it down as to the pros and cons of each. Now understand, I'm not comparing the ully to the mid weight bikes like the Tenere or the KTM 790 R, but for an average off road rider I think that the Ully can do most any thing the other bikes can do. The biggest problem these heavy bikes have is sand and mud and with the ully it's compounded by the tire sizes but as far as dry dirt and gravel goes it will hang with the best of them and destroy most n the hard top twisties.

P.S. 1-you must have the right tires ( take a look at the Mota's tractionator tire ) I'm sure you already know.
2- You should not go alone, picking up that bike is not easy for us old timers !
3- https://youtu.be/i8rywrWuAqw

 

[BuellyBagger]

Good suggestions and novel (cooter) so far guys. My current ambition is to ride the back roads in loess hills (right across the river from me in iowa). I dont have any plans for a long enough trip to need bike parts, but I will be putting a first aid kit under the seat. This uly has hard cases if I do wanna make a trip too. As far as dropping it... well I've dumped a fully loaded Ulysses a time or two lol.
Njloco, have you watched any stuff from mototrek on YouTube? In between coats of paint at work I try and soak up as much adventure riding tutorials as possible and even watch stuff that deals with riding way more extreme than I want to get into, I figure best to be prepared for anything right?

Ne who keep it coming folks, I think this is a fun topic and I'm excited to give it a whirl

 

[KickerDRB]

Looking forward to getting my Uly dirty this summer. I picked it up late last fall. Here is my list of dirt ready to do items, in no particular order:

Flush turn signals, prior owner broke off the right side anyway. <done>
Drop foot pegs. <done>
Rebuild forks. <done>
Tires, still shopping.
Bar end weights. <done>
XB9 primary gear and chain. <parts on the bench, just got a clutch tool>
skid plate for non OEM exhaust. Work in progress, need to fab a exhaust bracket and get the new muffler on centerline instead of offset. Then start working on a template.

 

[Silverrider]

Let's get dirty!

 

[outthere]

Keep your feet on the pegs. It's not a moto x track that's groomed. A half buried rock, a root, anything that immovable, if you hit it with your foot will shove all of the joints in that leg right thru your back. Good trail riders don't put there feet down.

 

[dantroop]

Silver. Are you dirt riding or on some special ops assignment?

 

[dantroop]

Stay clear of:
1. Deep sand
2. Loose gravel
3. Mud

Oh wait! That's what off roading is!

I would recommend (as others have said) good tires. I'd stay clear of 50/50 tires and anything with a strip in the center. It really depends on how often you plan to ride off road. But eventually you'll encounter all the above and you'll be glad you had the right tire. Remember, everything is a compromise. A good dirt tire will not last long on the pavement. A good road tire will not work well in the dirt. My thumper came with saharas. blah. I really like pirelli scorpion XC mid hard. Loaded (the bike) it will start to wobble with just a slight shift in weight (cause the knobbies) but their great in the dirt. I also like Michelin T63. A little longer life on the tarmack but good in the dirt.

When I started to get dirty I bought a pressure suit and MX boots. Good investments IMHO. BTW fully loaded with a T63 in back and worn scorpion in front I topped out at just under a buck on the tarmack.

You may rethink lowered pegs off road.

Take it easy till you get your dirt legs.

 

[Silverrider]

I am the King ! LOL

 

[lancruza]

I went and picked this up a few months back. I'm still in break-in. I've not been off road yet. Hoping to ride the TAT in the future. My friend came along and bought one also. He got the red one and I bought the black one. Both new - 2018 Kawasaki Versys X300 - fuel injected. Gonna be fun.




https://i.imgur.com/CjCDVxf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/E04ceVe.jpg

 

[BuellyBagger]

Currently running a metzler karoo 3 on the rear and a tkc 80 on the front. The reviews I've read on them seem promising. I believe they are catorgerized as 60/40 tires. They run out well on pavement so far, no head shake even at ludacris speed.
I'm not so sure my riding gear is really adventure spec. But I dont think its terrible? My main jacket is a fly racing butane 4season. Wearing bilt kevlar jeans. Icon 49er gloves which I think I need something a bit more substantial there. And icon prep 1000 boots, which are pretty water proof and have good protection in the sole and a shin protector. Not anything as tough as mx boots, but I'm hoping they're good enough.

 

[rb70383]

So....
Cooter, What would you recommend for a starter off road bike?

 

[Cooter]

So....
Cooter, What would you recommend for a starter off road bike?

Thats like asking whats your favorite work boot, lol. Fists will be flyin'!

It's way too personal a question, RB, to get a real answer with a model number. Your size, M/C experience, brand preference, opinions, your neighbors "I started with a..." stories, and what you specifically intend to do "off-road" will let you hone in on the perfect bike... eventually:angel:

So I'll answer in the most generic, but honest way possible

Real "off roading"?
Get the newest 4 stroke you can afford, sized for you, strongly keeping in mind the "cheap" rule

No lights, no plates, small enough to barely get your feet down, but strong enough to spin the rear tire and get your fat butt up a steep hill:black_eyed: It should be CHEAP so you don't care about how it looks, but nice enough you can trust the engine, suspension, and brakes.

If you mean "overlanding",The BMW GS has had the lock on that since... well, I think they invented that Luxo-capable class of bikes. If you have the wallet to support the purchase, maintenance, and the inevitable BMW Motorrad dress code, you won't be sad about it.

Personally I don't need seat heaters and sat radio so much that I can't pick up my own transportation.

But you're in LUCK!
All the Mfg's have really brought some STELLAR bikes into the dual-sport category. You can pick the one you like just like you pick tires. 50/50? 60/40?, 80/20? Theres a bike out there that fits.
To name names:
The Kawi Versys is a super well done moto that can truly do everything. Get the big one if you're mostly street, get the small one if you're mostly dirt. I've ridden the 650 as hard as I can and was very impressed. They aren't pretty (sorry LF), they aren't fast, but I would seriously consider buying one and thats always the best compliment someone can give.

Tigers are a solid choice as well. They finally have better suspension and some power. Low seat heights if thats your thing, and I still think Triumph makes the slickest transmission available. I rented one for a weekend and sharpened the pegs on every corner, but didn't do much dirt on it so I don't have an opinion.

KTM has more dirt and power focused bikes. Those crazy Austrians will get a championship winning race bike, slap on bag mounts and call it good. If words like Hyper, intense, or extreme, scare you then maybe you shouldn't stare in the orange corner for your first bike.

IMO the Africa Twin is the best looking (the only decent looking) bike in this whole segment:love_heart: Well, maybe the Tiger too? I have never ridden one, but reading the spec sheet/reviews, and looking up close, they do have all the goods. I heard that Honda knows a thing or 2 about building bikes:sorrow: and I'd like to try one soon.

TL;DR
I'm putting the TKC-80's back on Stella because whatever gets you out there... is the 'right' bike:angel:

 

[BuellyBagger]

CHEAP was my main choosing point for my purpose. I'm not going to divulge exactly what I paid for this Ulysses, but it was such a good deal I couldn't pass up having it shipped to Nebraska from north Dakota in between two major snow storms, in January.
So, on this point I definitely agree with cooter. Cheap and reliable I think is the best way to get started in any hobby

 

[rchuff]

I can smell it tooooooo!!!! Lol!! Cody do you have to take a nap between the novels too? Just asking.

 

[njloco]

Hey Buelly check this out,

https://youtu.be/16DIkJ37dvY

This guy did some u tube vids on off roading with a Ully, in this one he's trying to do single track and his buddy is on a DR400. While he seems to be able to do it, I can't tell what the fun factor is but his buddy seems to be working a lot less than he is and breaking less also, notice how much he sinks into the mud even though he is able to motor out of it pretty easily.

From what I can gather off the net, the KTM 790 R will pretty much run rings around most mid and full size adventure bikes out there at the present time. It can do single track though not quite as well as an enduro or dirt bike, the 790 can really go depending on one's ability.

P.S. Mototrek has good stuff but for us on the east coast and midwest I think off road is different than out west, now I'm not talking about the Northwest. It always seems so open where they're riding, even in the rockies . I'm leaning more towards a dual sport (DR650) or maybe something like the DR400 which is much lighter than an adventure bike, how about a DRZ400SM, they can go off road way better than a Ully and also handle very nicely in the Twisties as well as being pretty fast and a lot of fun to ride. Choices, choices, so many bikes, so little time.

This is what the KTM 790 R can do to the other adventure and duel sport bikes, this guy rips them a new one !

https://youtu.be/54TIgLtVsys