This evening, I went on the Tuesday evening BMW "group ride". I think that the last time I went on one of these rides I was still riding the '83 R100RT without a sidecar. So it's been a while. The group was made up of a F700GS, F800GS, R1200GSA and a Ural. One of these is not like the others in more ways than one. After meeting them at the top of Murphy Dome, we decided to try going down a trail to the Chatanika River. The pin on the left is where I decided to turn around and start heading back as I had been going downhill on a very rough, rocky trail for quite a while. A lot of off camber, loose rocks, tire ruts, etc. The GS's turned around about a mile further due to slick mud as only one of the bikes had knobby tires. That 41 minute estimate is pretty accurate as I rarely got past second gear and was in first for a good percentage of the time. And standing on the pegs for most of it as well. I need to find a set of handlebar risers that'll fit a Ural. At the time, I really had no idea where we were headed and needed to look it up on Google Earth when I got home. The road wasn't on the Garmin map but I do have a track. It was a fun ride but definitely needed some Ibuprofen when I got home.
I wasn't planning on going on the ride but had stopped into the dealer to see what their price was on Heidenau K37 tires. It turned out to be the same price as on the Internet and there was no shipping charge. That seems to be pretty reasonable to me.
Off camber, downhill, loose rocks, ruts, mud... sounds more like a recipe for ATV'ing. With a side car rig you were close, but not close enough. I guess you got more exercise than you bargained for.
ReplyDeleteThere were a more than a few ATVs on the trail. Most people were out picking blueberries. And I can always use more exercise.
DeleteOh, oh. I hope the Ibuprofen did the trick. I have to admit that after our recent offroad experience on four wheels in Iceland I have little desire to try this on two (or three) wheels.
ReplyDeleteYep, no issues. I'm not sure is Urals were designed for these trails but nothing got loose or fell off. But a lot of jarring. I have a street tire as the pusher and not one of the more durable K37 tires. That was my biggest concern.
DeleteAt least the road/trail was wide enough to turn around.
ReplyDeleteI bet you had an increased heart rate too..... it definitely counts as cardio.
Always enough room. Just back up the uphill side into the brush then head the other way. No trees in this area.
DeleteSo, how far did that Ural go? :)
ReplyDeleteThe pin location in the map when I turned around. I was about a mile short of the river. I probably could've mad it but they were far ahead of me and would be headed back soon. So I turned around and started to head back up the trail.
DeleteDoesn't sound like the kind of place for a street bike or street tires, glad you made it out to tell the tale.
ReplyDeleteThere was never a question of making it out. After all, the rest of the "group" was further down the road and it wasn't a loop. But the Ural made it out street tires and all.
DeleteRichard, sounds like you did very well considering conditions. Once in awhile I end up on roads like yours but I definitely prefer reasonable gravel.....that goes somewhere. More than happy to leave the single and dual tracking to others.
ReplyDeleteI definitely could use the exercise though....maybe if I just slide around on the seat more??
A sidecar will definitely force you to move around more. And muscle it through turns. Even more so on a rocky trail. The width of the road varied widely as did the surface. I don't think it ever got near gravel.
Delete