The problem with the WRX is finding roads small enough to make it worth taking the little bike. Yesterday, I took off at 6AM on an undefined ride. I am two weeks from being back in school and summer is suddenly desperate. I started with all of my gear loaded and headed north out of the Cities and cut off of the county roads at the first sign of dirt. I managed to make it 70 miles north (145 on the odometer) without doing more than crossing pavement before taking a country road across the boarder into WI. There, I discovered that most of the state's ORV trails deadend and did a lot of going and coming back to the same spot. I suppose there are maps of these trails, but . . . that would require planning.
The mud was a surprise. Most of the trails started ok and degenerated into collections of stagnant water. Can't stop to rest without giving major blood to the bugs. After about 200 miles, still no more than 80 miles from home, I decided camping wasn't going to be much fun with the mosquito population in full bloom.
Tuesday was the MSF instructor's get together at Rosemount, so I headed south on WI 35, crossed over at Hastings and made it to the party at about 6:30PM. I'd washed the bike in Hudson, WI and lubed the chain, so I was ready to ride. The state's MSF maintenance contractor rents a police training range at DCTC and we play track day once a month. After a day of gravel and mud and sand, it was fun to imagine traction exists on this planet. My dirt day had spoiled my street habits and I didn't commit much of my body to turns. The WR did fine, I was slower than usual (and that's slow).
Still, if the goal is a universally practical motorcycle: 150 miles of dirt roads and trails, 150 miles of county roads to freeway, and 40 miles of playing road racer on a closed course on one bike in one day is pretty universal.
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