Sunday, August 23, 2009

SugarPine Trail & Miami Trail Coming Tomorrow (Actually it is here Now!)

OK here are the Pictures I promised, a very fun ride. I rode Nelder Grove, Miami Trails, and Sugar Pine areas. There was some rain this morning, but by 2:00pm it had started to clear up amd turned out be a very nice day. Full Ride report to come later, maybe tomorrow, or if the mood strikes me, you may see it here tonight, who knows? Stay Tuned.

OK,OK heres the ride report, see that did not take long:

This was the first real test of the newly aquired DR350, I decided rain or shine I was riding in the mountains, and man, am I glad I did. First I have to say pictures just cannot do justice to the Northern Sierras, they are one of the most beautiful spots in the state of California to ride any time of year. It is just beautiful year round. Today I went to Sugar Pine and the backroads there, Miami Trails and Miami Trail Road, then up to Nelder Grove. A couple of dissapointments, one some of the roads I used to ride behind Sugar Pine are no longer open to motorized vehicles, it kinda sounds temporary, but we shall see. Second the road to the big trees in Nelder Grove is closed to all motorcycles, but there are so any places to ride there, I was able to get over it pretty quick. It has been years since I have been to Nelder or Sugar Pine, but I have been to Miami trails many times, I like it there, some people don't. Today was good only about 10-20 other riders that I saw there.

Now for the bike, in a word, incredible! I can't imagine what else anyone would want in a dual sport bike, it is light, nimble, and has all the power anyone would ever need. I ran the gamut today, big climbs, rutted trails, wet, sandy roads, wide open straight aways, never once was i feeling like I neede more power or extra throttle. I am used to riding the backroads on a KLR650, and a Honda XR600R, the KLR is a big overweight pig off road, and the XR600 is just a powerful torque monster that happens to be big. I did not at anytime miss the power of the XR600, because it is really overpowered for the kind of riding I do. In the desert on a wide open plain, oh yeah, it flies, but in reality I do very little of that kind of riding, once or twice a year.
The DR is a fantastic bike, I was able to tear up the dirt roads and then jump on Hwy 41 and get to my next destination easily at Hwy speeds. Riding the Fire roads and trails on the XR when I would get on the throttle it would throw a huge rooster tail with very little effort, on the DR when I got on the throttle it would throw a rooster tail with ease, and still be under control, and thats the difference. The XR has raw power, the DR has manageable, useable power, power and torque are great, but they can get you into an out of control situation very quick. I found my self most of the time between 3rd and 4th gears today on almost every road, that seems to be where the power is the most usuable. 1st and 2nd just get you going, and 5th and 6th were for the most part not necessary with the exception of the Hwys. Seriously I really don't see why anyone needs any more power and torque than the DR350 delivers, I can see why they would WANT more, but not why they would need more.
This is what I would call the perfect trip, it did rain on me this morning for a couple of hours, but it did clear into a beautiful day later on. It was not blazing hot, and long sleeves were actually comfortable to wear. AS for the bike, no hiccups at all, none, it fired up each and everytime I hit the button, and I stopped alot. It did not use a drop of oil, and I was on the throttle very hard for many, many miles today. I just had to fill up once today, but I kept resetting my ODO during different legs of my ride for tracking purposes, so mileage was not kept track of. I started at 8 am and loaded up the truck at 6 pm, so as you can see I rode a few hours. It was a very nice feeling to ride a bike that I did not have to muscle around all day, and still felt like I was tearing it up. Like I said, I never once felt like the bike was not able to handle anything I gave it today. I do't know the differences between the DR350 and 400's, but I can see why people prefer the 400 over the 650's as a true dual sport bike. The 650's are a bear to muscle around and even with the extra power, I'm not sertain it is really relevant in the pure dual sport riding environment. I would assume the DR400 has a bit more power and better suspension, and of course is water cooled, but other than that i would say you are probably not giving up much by going with the DR350 over the DR400. I know my 350 was staying with the big boys today with out feeling like I was pushing it to the limit at all. I would say based on the 2 Dual sports that I have owned, the DR350 is a more pure spirited dual sport, it sacrifices very little, but is able to do what it is designed to do, on road/off road, and both very competently.
OK now for some pictures, in no particular order, they are from all the places I rode today. Enjoy!










Yes I will finally get to the backroads, a report and photos will be here tomorrow evening, I promise, well hopefully, no really I will, just kidding. I have been salivating to get this bike to the trails and I am going tomorrow rain or shine, considering thunderstorms are in the forecast, that should make for some fun riding. Wet is always good, especially when it comes to riding conditions. Stay Tuned. On a side note I just got a book that is excellent and I highly recommend, it is called "Backcountry Adventures-Northern California" $39.00 at Barnes & Noble. It is worth far more than the price paid, there are more roads and trails than anyone could want ride. Get this book, or email me for any information in the Northern CA area where you may want to ride or get into your 4X4 and get out of town,very good, and I will happily share this information with anyone needs it. It has mileage breakdowns, maps and GPS coordinates, would be useful with a good map. Good stuff!




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