Get Out There! Videoblog...

Slowest Is Sometimes Best

My life has been crazy for a while.  Finally got out for a ride.  Great afternoon in the foothills.

A Video Blog...Dirt Biking: It's A Mental Game

Amore Questa Bella Harlot Scarlatto

I got a chance to take my new Beta Xtrainer out today.  Second ride, but this time in the dirt.  All I can say is that I'm in love with this beautiful Italian scarlet harlot!  I knew there was going to be a marked difference between my trusty old KLX250S and this new flame, but never in a million years did I think the divide between the two would be so great.

Coming from thirty years of riding four-stroke street bikes and a few years of riding the Kawi dual sport, the two-stroke is a massive departure for me.  Never had a smoker before!  The engine note is going to take some getting used to, especially when I wind her up, but the smooth power delivery took about five seconds to get used to.  I'm amazed at the low centre of gravity and lightness, especially when standing.  The oil injected 100:1 produces very little smoke off idle; actually I have it running at 50:1 right now with an added 100:1 premix in the tank on top of the injected oil.  Dealer wants me to do this for the first two tanks.  Smokes like a bastard on start up, but almost completely disappears when at op. temperature.

It was a quick ride today.  I took it up to the gravel pit at the end of Doumont Rd.  Did some slow turns and balancing practice and tried her on a few hills.  Much faster on the bumpy sections than the KLX!  Much easier and way nicer to ride standing up than the KLX.  I really like my old Kawi, but I'm afraid there's not much competition here.  She's definitely going out to pasture.  Might end up as my occasional commuter bike.  Would make a good super moto for in city riding.  Very good little dual sport if you're interested in buying one.  ;)

I had the dealer install a few optional extras:  Cycra hand guards, pipe guard and the road kit that comes with the bike.  Might take the plate holder off and remount the rear signal lights and plate to give me better rear end clearance.  I still need to install my GPS holding clamp/ball and power plug-in for trips into the bush.  (Beautiful heavily tapered bars on this bike that I really don't want to cover in clamps, but I'm not carrying my GPS around in my pocket).

I had a chance to try a quick ride on the KTM Freeride fairly recently and found it to be touchy on the throttle control.  I think any trails rider would see the advantage of this snappy acceleration for hopping the back wheel in an instant burst, but the smoother delivery of power from the Xtrainer seems to be more useful for the riding we do.  Love this bike!  Magically turns any crap dirt rider into a mediocre dirt rider.  Ah, mediocrity--I have arrived!  ;)  This year's riding season is off to a great start.

2016 Beta Xtrainer 300 with 21km on the clock!

 

Get a load of Trevor Campbell, enduro and trials expert, putting the xtrainer through some motions.  This will be me in about six weeks. *phffffffbaahahaha*

 

      

Green Mountain, Except It Was White

Nearly 4000ft: Green Mountain aint so Green...

Ultimately, the best ride on Remembrance Day would have been up to pay our respects at one of the many WW2 era crash sites around here, perhaps visiting the Lockheed Ventura on Mt. Bolduc would have been more appropo.  But with the shorter days and our later start, we decided Green Mountain from Doumont Road would be a better plan ~130km round trip.  

Click to Enlarge.

1. Doumont Road Tank Traps

2. Left on to 142 and pass Boomerang L.

3. Right at Cottle L.

4. Right and follow Hydro Lines

5. Left after bridge.  Left at Hickup Trail

6. Right onto NEW Escalator Trail (Easy).  Turn Right as you pop out of the Escalator onto Decosmos/Deadhorse Creek Main (a major logging road).

7. Right at 2nd Lake onto Nanaimo Lakes Road

8. Left onto Branch K (Major Junction)

9. Left onto Green Mountain access road

10. Left

11. Beginning of Green Mountain Meadows and the Marmot Reserve.

Click to enlarge

Elevation Track (m)

                                         

                               Google Earth "Flyover" of the Route (Full Screen to View Text)

It was a great ride, offering a little of everything: some logging roads, technical single track, hill climbs and burms at Green Mountain, not to mention snow.  The total distance was approximately 127km from Superstore Gas bar to Green Mountain and back to the Black Bear Pub.   I've got to say the rear Mountain Motoz at 10psi was awesome everywhere, particularly up some serious grades in the snow.  I didn't air it down to the 4 psi I usually roll on as we were hitting some potentially rim denting speeds on crush, and didn't fancy a pinch flat.  Can't wait for a set of Tubliss...

White Trails Near Green Mt. Ski Hill

Maybe the last picture of Andy with the trusty KLX250S.  It's been an excellent ride for Andy, but the lack of torque and soft suspension are leaving him looking at Beta 300X Italian Princess.  His money is down, and the beast should be here before too long.  Can't wait to see it.  Anyway, needless to say, we ended up at the Black Bear for a coupla delicious barley sandwiches.  What a great way to finish a ride!  

Checkout the short vid below for some trail condition samples...(Don't forget to change the settings to 1080P for the best resolution.  - First shots with the Go Pro 4 Black.  The quality looks much better...Pity about the music!)

Click here for a track from Wikiloc.

(Big "thank you" to Ross Collicutt, who provided the track we used to find our way up Green Mountain).