Winter Fun in the Desert!

#33 Europen Vacation BID

#33 and friends back in the day riding in Europe in the early days of Americans riders being recruited to race in Europe.

#33 and the 2nd Annual Senor Kirby Ride

                                                      2^nd Annual Senor Kirby Ride

Having just completed the Second Annual Senor Kirby 500, I believe it will have to be renamed the Senor Kirby Ride because it is no longer the 500!  It seems we bit off a bit more than we could chew on a day or two and ended up with 700 miles at the end of the ride. Of course it was one day longer than the 1^st Annual, 5 days vs. 4 days.  The 3^rd Annual Senor Kirby ride may have to step up to 1000 to keep my paying customers happy!  I guess our only limitations are how long can everyone get a kitchen pass for to stay out more days. Also how much can each rider organize and carry over the course of a few days as this is an unsupported ride, meaning no SAG wagon, carry whatever you will need on the ride!  No camping gear because we do stay at hole in the wall motels, hey, I am not uncivilized.  Everyone likes a hot shower after being on an Off Road bike all day.  It also allows us to go find something to eat since on the trail we usually eat whatever we can carry. There is usually not much room for food after you pack 5 days’ worth of clothes you can get by with, personal hygiene items (yes we do have standards), tools, spare items for the bike you may need, tubes, levers, shifter, nuts & bolts, etc.  One item to note for each participant would be to check that in all your spares and extra stuff you carry that your cell phone is one of those things you remembered to pack! It seems the Bomber had left his cell phone which meant he would not be taking any pictures over the next 5 days. Bummer.  But we looked out for him and made fun of him every time we took photos. Lol.

This ride is turning into an Adventure ride on dual sport/dirt bikes as opposed to the heavyweights you ride on normal Adventure rides. We do get into a bit more aggressive off road excursions than you may encounter on the normal Adventure ride.

This ride had the original gangstas back in the saddle, Recon (Don), Buckmeister (Buck of SBB), Bomber (Bruce) and #33 (Eric).  A couple of the boyz tried to recruit a few homies to go with them but when the kickstands went up it was business as usual and only the hardcore guys you can count on.  I think a few potential recruits asked a few questions and decided it was too long or too rocky for their taste. But really I pre-rode and brushed most of the rocks out of the way! Lol.

Each day was a bit of a learning curve as it seems a couple of us were on different bike this year. We had really no real mechanicals just a couple of small items to fix along the way. Unfortunately, I had one of the mechanicals as I was on a new/used bike I had set up for this occasion. A couple of my rear fender bolts broke the heads off. So the Bomber came to my rescue with some larger Zip Ties than I carry. With some input from the mechanically inclined in the group we were able to secure the fender taillight piece in place.  Unbelievably it stayed together for the next 5 or 600 miles!  I am putting bigger Zip Ties in my pack!

On another occasion Bomber noticed his counter shaft bolt coming loose and Buckmeister provided the tool to re-torque it on the trail.  Never came loose again. We were lucky, mechanicals were easy fixes and held up.

Probably the biggest hurdle we faced was on day two when my planned route was to include another town mid ride for gas and lunch. I expected it to be a long but epic day but it turned into a “I hope we make it on gas” and “I hope we make it before dark” kind of day. It was Great! We siphoned gas from the bigger tanks to almost make it. The last 6 miles was a down grade dirt road and I was able to push Buckmeister to the gas station. The only reason I was pushing was because the Bomber had given me gas about 15 miles earlier. So I guess he saved me twice on this trip!  We rolled into town at dusk and checked into the motel, then headed right off to dinner.  We were fortunate that Brenda at the Hidden Oasis RV and Café was kind enough to make us dinner even though she was closed.  Thank You Brenda!

We had a Great trip even though it morphed into an extra 200 miles or so. No one complained about the extra mileage and were already talking about how long should the 3^rd annual ride be. Stay tuned boys! 

We also saw several really cool things during the ride, equipment left behind like Dozers and Caterpillars from in the 1940’s and 50’s at abandoned mining sites. By watching Recon climb around and pose on the dozers I think as a little kid he wanted to drive equipment for a living!  A Historic Mansion that was operating in hopes of drawing wealthy clients but was now a shell of a building after more than 75 years. I can’t imagine how they got older vehicles, most not 4-wheel drive, up there. We rode through what seemed like the Erzberg Rodeo to get there yet there are pictures of old vehicles at the Mansion.  An old locomotive on display that was Gynormous! The 8 driven wheels were at least 3 feet taller than any of us!  Two or three makeshift desert bars in the middle of nowhere, we happened to stumble onto them and were surprised at how well they were maintained, so obviously they are gathering points in those areas for 4-wheelers, Side by Sides and motorcycle enthusiasts. We encountered some truly impressive things on the ride and I for one am looking forward to see what we encounter on the next trip.  Although I can probably do without the X-rated ride through Maggie Wash I was witness to. But that is another story!

I was just thinking…………This may have been ‘The Best Ride Ever!’

#33

“It is not about the ride; It is the people you ride with”

EL GUAPO’S GREAT ADVENTURE

An Adventure ride was forming and somehow I got sucked into it.  El Guapo (Kerry) wanted to do an Adventure ride so I agreed to be his wingman. I thought maybe I would need some help and maybe a bike! So I solicited Buck of SBB suspension fame and Jess aka Hose-b of Phariss RV Park, owner, assistant manager and maintenance man to back me up with getting El Guapo through the ordeal.  Our group was now four so on to my next dilemma. The bike! I needed one to ride, lol.

Since I didn’t have anything with me but a Honda ST 1100 and a KTM 450 I would have to start shopping for an acceptable bike. I started on craigslist locally and found a clean looking older KTM 690.  Locally means I drove 5 hours over to buy it and 5 hrs back to the RV park. Went over it, tested a bit, bought a few accessories and I was set. Fingers crossed!

Meeting day is set and everyone meets at MX43.com headquarters, Art’s house to leave vehicles and begin our trip on the Idaho portion of the well renowned BDR adventure route. Almost everyone already knows each other so it is an easy meeting, BS session and then after a bit of prep work heading off to bed.

The trip was really fun with all of the terrain covered from rolling hills to beautiful mountains and rivers pretty much all day long!  By the end of the first day I was hoping this day was not an indication of things to come. Hose-b got a rear puncture and that kicked it off. We fixed it having seen the hole and diagnosing it as a pinch flat or maybe the rim lock. New tube and during inflation El Guapo strolls by and says “STOP!”  he apparently noticed a screw sticking out from between the knobs.  Too late! Poked a hole in that tube, so on to the next one.  The next one was a bad tube, had a small hole. My fault as I never inspected it and trusted it as a replacement tube from someone on a previous ride. All in all it was a 2 Plus hour stop to change the rear until we were out of tubes and had to put a 21” front in to get back on the trail. We started out in the shade on the side of the road, but we were there so long we had to move to the other side of the road to get shade. Some of the boys took a lunch and I think El Guapo even had a nap! Finally, tire fixed and back on the trail.

While all of this is going on we learn that El Guapo has had to clean the air filter on his KLR 650 already. The first of many stops we will make to service El Guapo’s air filter, ongoing problem just not sure why.  But in the course of his repetitive cleaning sessions El Guapo with the assistance of Buck can service a KLR 650 filter like he is on a NASCAR pit crew!

That night we stayed at a 100-year-old hotel run by a very nice woman named Darlene. She loved telling us stories and history. It was a truly memorable evening. She got up to make us cinnamon rolls in the morning.

Our next interaction came after a few more filter cleaning sessions, an off course excursion to a town to buy spare tubes and get something to eat because we knew we would be late getting into our destination that evening.  Luckily in our tube search we stopped at a shop called GPS.  But that actually stood for Gosselaar Power Sports, YES THAT Gosselaar, as in Mike Gosselaar, Ricky Carmichael’s mechanic back in the day.  We had a great time talking to him and he was very helpful and friendly. We wrapped up our business and having wasted enough of his time we were ready to leave. I asked him if I could put a #33 sticker in his shop somewhere.  He said to put it on his tool box!  I did and now feel honored to be able to tell people I have a spot on his tool box!

Our overnight stay had us at a motel with other riders and there was an older KLR 650. Later we would learn by meeting the original owner who is 85 years old and the guy he was riding with that this 1997 KLR 650 was original and had 115 K miles on it! Yes! One Hundred and Fifteen Thousand miles and had never been rebuilt. The Old-timer began to tell us stories at breakfast of being in this town, Elk City about 1952. He told us of his first Indian motorcycle with the Left Hand Throttle. El Guapo asked them if they had a spare air filter for a KLR but they of course did not. But since they seemed to be done riding and heading back in a truck they would be willing to sell El Guapo the one from the 1997 siting out in the parking lot. They made the deal and off we went to cannibalize the KLR, unfortunately it had a K&N and El Guapo was looking for the foam to be able to service it on the trail. So away we went, anticipating more NASCAR type stops with El Guapo providing the entertainment at each stop. Another rear flat on Hose-b’s bike a few more filter stops and we made our camping/Hot Springs destination.

The next morning suited up ready for the ride and discovered El Guapo’s bike would no longer start. A tow strap took care of that little problem and away we went after deciding that with Fire/construction/slides on the intended route and El Guapo’s bike not being totally reliable we decided to ride the hiway to Hose-b’s house. We did stop along the way to pick up a K&N air filter kit and some Lucas Oil additive to try to soldier on with El Guapo’s ailing scooter. We also had the battery tested on a diagnostic machine and found it was ok even though we had run it down trying to start the bike. But it was discovered that the terminals were a bit loose. So much for you position on the NASCAR crew El Guapo!!!

In the morning we were on the fence whether to continue the last 3 scheduled days of the ride with all the mechanical trouble we had been having on El Guapo’s bike. Then as the rain began to fall and the weather reports being of heavy rains beginning that day and following us the next couple of days the general consensus was to call it.  It had been a most memorable trip, fun, entertaining, a lot of ribbing morning to night and we all felt pretty good about ending on a good note. It was decided that we load the two bikes in the truck and drive them back to Buck’s truck at MX43.com headquarters.  Good call as it rained the whole way there!

I am sure this crew will be back to either do this one again and complete all of it or pick another section and give it a go.  I know I would be in, sometimes my sides hurt from laughing around these guys.

#33

‘it doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be Great!’

#33 On the Road Again

Idaho BDR with friends Jess, Bucky and El Gaupo