Pilot Jet Riding
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 1:38PM Recently, I had the opportunity to go trail riding with a guy named Dave up in Idaho. Dave has been riding all over the state of Idaho for over 20 years and is an encyclopedia of trail knowledge. We spent a week riding trails that I have never seen before and would have taken a lifetime to explore. I experienced some of the most incredible trails I have ever been fortunate enough to ride on. The riding was awesome, the views spectacular and the week seemed to fly by before I knew it.
I believe I have now been to Disneyland on a motorcycle!
We rode a wide range of trails from challenging to moderately easy, all of which provided some of the most beautiful views you can imagine. One of the most memorable days on this week long extravaganza included another rider. His name was Cecil and he rode a GAS GAS with a rekluse clutch. Cecil amazed me during our day long adventure simply because he was not as fast on the trail as Dave and I, but never complained or asked anyone to slow down or wait. On this day we covered 91 miles and encountered some difficult sections that were very technical and rocky.
A few places had trails that used just the side of the mountain as a place to put your tire. We encountered several creek crossings from short and shallow to fairly wide and engine cases deep. Cecil fell in one of the deeper creek crossings and submerged his bike. I never heard him cuss, or complain once. He just picked it up, pushed it out of the water and proceeded to remove the air filter to dry it out. We tipped the bike up to make sure there was no water in the exhaust. He put everything back in place and fired the bike up, all the time smiling and talking as if this were another day on the trail.
Oh, I may have forgotten to mention that Cecil is a retired engineer and is 71 years old! This guy is an off road hero! Especially since during our conversations he was discussing his next new bike. So obviously he has no intention of giving it up any time soon.
By the end of the day we had ridden 91 miles of mostly single track, with some dirt road commutes to link trails together. We passed by staging areas on a couple of trailheads that had us encounter hikers, horses, mountain bikers, plus a dad and his son on motorcycles out for a ride to the local fishing hole. We also passed several areas that had natural Hot Springs that had been channeled by local users into pools made of rocks at the edge of some of the creeks. So here are these natural hot tubs on our trail ride that are always open! I think next time I will carry a towel in my backpack and visit one of these stops. Can you remember the last time you soaked in a hot tub during the middle of your off road ride? Me neither, but I will be more prepared next time!
I never thought I could have so much fun riding on the pilot jet!
Get out there and explore,
Or if you have a good local guide take advantage of it!
#33
See more great pictures of our ride in our Gallery
mx43
Hold on and enjoy this 4 part video of the Pilot Jet Ride.
Reader Comments (5)
Hey #33,
Now I understand why you have been saying the word "BITCHEN" lately since you got home from your Idaho trip. That scenery is incredible. Can't wait for your next ADVENTURE!!!
Pirate
"Bitchin"
Very, very cool footage....
Talk about breath taking
Here is a link to Pilot Jet Riding in HD. If you have a high speed internet connection, select 720P to
view in HD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qabvClpyVM8
Another spectacular trail...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynGHl3CVsyI
More encounters with other trail users in Pilot Jet Riding-Part 2;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXg5h887hq0
If you have a high speed internet connection, be sure to select 720P to view in HD.