Newbe's first offroad

Decided to take a day off today and either do a track day with the R6 or do some break in riding on the WR250R depending on weather. Rain makes for a so-so track day, so WRR it was. I rode from Renton, WA to the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest southeast of Mount Rainier. That's a 220 ish mile round trip by the backroad route I took, and it rained cold buckets in both directions. Even with that, there were lots of twisties and great scenery. The whole time I was wandering around the roads and trails in the national forest it was rain free, and the sun even came out for a while. My observations after this ride and a couple photos are as follows:

1. Some very limited off road experience from 32 years ago means I have a steep learning curve ahead of me. The bike is much more capable than me.

2. I now more thoroughly understand why real off road boots incorporate shin protection.

3. Any buyer remorse over feeling slimed by the dealer is completely gone. This thing is fun.

4. It's almost as fun as a sport bike in the twisties in a gear shifty, upright, diving into the corners kind of way. I understand the super moto appeal.

5. This thing has the little engine that could. Keep her wound up and it just keeps pulling. I'm happy with the engine performance as is and like the quietness of it. It'll be even more fun when I stop worrying about break in.

6. The 4.5 gallon fuel tank will really improve the adventure potential.

7. Based on my limited assessment of Western Washington mud, the next set of tires will be the most aggressive DOT knobbies I can find.

8. A bash plate and brush guards are high on the list.

9. Sprocket change to lower the gear ratio will really help with the single track.

10. Got to get tire repair stuff sooner rather than later. I felt naked without it.

The trail in the picture is number 275 "Krause Ridge," and believe it or not, only street legal motorcycles are allowed. You can see from the one photo that I'm parked on about a 10 to 15 degree slope (look at the tree trunks). I could not make the climb all the way up that hill, which I'm sure speaks more to my skill level than anything (but maybe the tires too?). I was plowing up in first gear and eventually got to the point where the rear wheel was going like crazy but the bike was stopped. I wasn't digging in, just sitting about 3 inches deep in the mud with the knobs clogged up. I was about a mile or 2 into a 4.4 mile loop at that point. Got her turned around and went back down. After practicing ripping around on the dirt roads some, I tried the trail a second time and made it maybe a hundred yards farther. So then I headed into town (Randall, WA) for lunch. I was feeling pretty good about myself what with being all dirt bikey and stuff, until I turned the map over that I'd gotten from the ranger and saw that the trail I 'd gotten stuck on climbing that little hill was rated as "easiest!" Humbling. I'm glad I didn't accidentally stumble into one of the "expert" trails!

Yep nice weather we are having this spring isn't it? How much pressure in your tires on that trail? Those stock tires are very street oriented but regardless on that trail you should have been running about 12 to 15 psi. It is sometimes a momentum thing when climbing. If you stop it is tricky to get it back especially with stock gearing. Would involve a lot of clutch slipping with stock gearing and tires.

Chief_Lee_Visceral wrote:

Yep nice weather we are having this spring isn't it? How much pressure in your tires on that trail? Those stock tires are very street oriented but regardless on that trail you should have been running about 12 to 15 psi. It is sometimes a momentum thing when climbing. If you stop it is tricky to get it back especially with stock gearing. Would involve a lot of clutch slipping with stock gearing and tires.

Great weather if you're a duck. I was definitely running more pressure than I should have been. I completely forgot that I still had the street pressure set in there. I'm sure the momentum was a factor as well, although I was running as fast as my cowardly self was comfortable. I figured it would be better to stall out than launch myself off the side or into one of the large fallen trees that had a just-wide-enough gap cut to pass through. I was actually playing it pretty safe, as I'm only about half healed from shoulder surgery at the moment.

I didn't want you to take it the wrong way but I was actually thinking that trail looked great compared to where I have been riding this spring. I will be riding in the GPNF in a couple weeks. Hoping for a break from charging into standing water around every turn!

Lower pressure in Dunlop 606 or I the MT43 I run, gear down, bark busters, and skid plate I would say are the minimum to have fun on the trails around here. You will be carving it up by the end of summer if you just keep at it.

Thanks for the encouragement Chief! I was having a blast despite my learning curve.

The 606's are a great tire. Those will definitely help off road, and they're really decent on the tarmac. I got over 7k on the set I had.

I think you pretty well sum'd up the ten thousand posts here in eight bullets.

Yes... Get boots, knee guards and all that jazz. Don't scrimp - It's much cheaper than hospital bills.