street legal 2-strokes

[typeone]

good you got to test, bummer it's still there ... how did the bike feel with fatter mains? did you keep one of them in?

[breakdirt916]

epic ride day!

beaumont after a rain is EPIC classic SoCal riding in the hills!

started out like this



oh, let's just turn down here



ok



awesome



wheeeee!!



oh shizz



okay, screw you guys



gorgeous!



omgoshhh



BRAAAAAAP



daaaamn



find the bike doing the hill climb!



it was a lug in 1/2/3rd gear sort of day

first real "dirt bike" ride since the rebuild on actual trails...I stalled a lot

it was only until later in the day, on an uphill whoops section that it clicked: STAY ON THE PIPE....at a critical point, the front floats, and the back is smashing and the bike just flies. Can't be afraid to WOT that bitch and she likes it.

@typeone - on pavement, it felt about the same I went back to the "stock" 340 main since that's the jetting recommended by the manual for the temps I'm riding in (plus not much WOT sand).

[typeone]

damn that looks fun, nice ribbons, seems some good moisture in the soil as well?

regarding stall + stay on pipe comments, do you have a flywheel weight on that bike?

[tls25rs]

Wish we had trails like that closer to the Northeast. I'd take a road trip to go ride those now and then but Cali is a little far for a road trip.

[breakdirt916]

yeah! great moisture, and tons of fun!

would recommend, but I'll be honest - the epic spots like that, are partially not legal, just tolerated...and slowly disappearing. Still plenty of legal OHV spots, but this specific location is where the Crusty Demons used to film. Bucket list spot...I'd also like to see Reche canyon. Best to go mid week, and go w' someone who knows the area to connect the single track and ridges riding.

damn that looks fun, nice ribbons, seems some good moisture in the soil as well?

regarding stall + stay on pipe comments, do you have a flywheel weight on that bike?

just your typically goon riding. When in doubt gas it out.



no flywheel weight, but I don't imagine it would help as much as a right hand

and I refuse to add a FWW until I've sorted the timing and added the mods I've already purchased for it LOL

[typeone]

no flywheel weight, but I don't imagine it would help as much as a right hand

and I refuse to add a FWW until I've sorted the timing and added the mods I've already purchased for it LOL

cool, makes sense ... was just wondering because a FWW made a nice difference on my '97 CR250R back in the day. bike would slow-walk, sans-stall, amazingly well for an MX'er.

[breakdirt916]

nooooo....don't tell me that!!

it may cost me more money

but yes, I'm very curious.

I always felt like it's the rider, not the bike. That real "dirt bike ride" showed me that I generally ride at 20-40% of what the bike can do; and only on that day (in a group) I was pushing at 80-90%...and guess what? the bike could do it! Granted it felt like my risk exposure goes up A LOT at 80-90%, but man does the bike feel like it's flying!

but the rest of the time at 20-40%, yes I'm wondering if a FWW will help me at the lower speed stuff. Stay running; don't stall, more tractable power on loose hill climbs.

meanwhile, 7:15ish sunsets = I could be at an OHV area by 6:30pm and ride until it was too dark



then ride in the dark

Lighting review:
1.) BAJA DESIGNS + HELMET LAMP COMBO IS AWESOME
2.) the low beam/high beam baja designs relay makes a huge difference. The 4% is equivalent to what those cheap amazon lights put out...and keeps my battery from being drained at idle or hopefully not blinding oncoming drivers. The high beam/full intensity at 26W is remarkably good for an LED at throwing light far...I do, however, need to aim it down just a little bit more. It only has one adjustment and it's cranked all the way down; so I'm going to just drill the plastic bracket mount a little bit to slide the screw back.
3.) headlamp - I'm a little sketched out about having a wire dangling off the side of the helmet. I need to route the wire safely to the side and leave slack.

How come nobody just mounts the battery to the back of the helmet w' a gopro mount or something?

no obstruction. No wires to randomly pop off when you take off your helmet and/or backpack.

still haven't adjusted the timing I just wanna riiiiiiddddeeeee

STORAGE: my friend is right, for dual sport: the MOST you should need is a dual sport taill pack (bolted to a rack or rear fender). *just* the tools to get home = trail stand, axle tools, 8/10/12, bit driver, pliers, elec tape, spare plug, plug wrench, quick steel, swiss army knife, etc.. Get that weight off your back. I just can't figure out a clean way to carry a 21" front tube...but on the other hand; if I ran nitro mousse in a 2nd set of wheels I wouldn't need it. And make sure your bike runs 100% before you head to ANY big dual sport run. Water and snacks in the Kriega, spare goggles, with space to carry a rain shell if you get cold. But keep your setup modular: Giant loop mojavi bags are *just* for carrying an extra gallon of pre-mix for Death Valley.

[gregp]

Just a note: A 21" tube will fit both front and back tires well enough to get you home. No need to carry 2 sizes. I used to keep one in my fanny pack, or zip tie one to my forks or a frame tube. No matter where you keep it, you have to check it once in a while, as it will chafe enough to wear a hole. Since I started using Bridgestone UHD tubes 20 years ago or so, I have never gotten another flat, so I do not carry one anymore.

[breakdirt916]

Well, it’s been a great run. I sold the YZ250!

[typeone]

Well, it’s been a great run. I sold the YZ250!

[breakdirt916]

April Fools!



Not usually my kind of humor; but I actually did that on the FE, so this would have possibly been believable?

[typeone]

shoulda smelled that one a mile away but yes, i took bait, figured you replaced it with an XRE300 for stunt duty in LA traffic.

[breakdirt916]

did it smell like Castor 927

pfft...lemme find an XRE300 and see what I can do

got a buddy leaving CA for work, so I joined him for his local spot ride as a farewell



honestly, it reminded me of 90's Massachusetts - the undeveloped land next to the (school, shopping center, etc.) was a local trail riding spot...illegal, but tolerated



trash here and there





he told me local kids come out in groups of dirt bikes/pit bikes to ride...he's even seen SxS's out here





AREA: It would be cool if I had something this 10 mins from home...while the whole space is only 5 miles long/10-15 mins from end-to-end, you could get enough practice to get comfortable on a bike and build your skills. Excellent proving grounds for people that live local. The IE (inland empire) part of SoCal is moto country...this is where all the "bro's" live, flat brimmed hats and Fox t-shirts. I walked into a Mexican restaurant to grab a burrito on my way out and the other 2 patrons had a Malcolm Smith Motorsports T-shirt on, and I knew they were trying to figure out who owned the plated 2-stroke outside. Cool place if you're into dirt bikes, all dirt bikes, culturally dirt bikes, and don't like the crowds or expensive-ass bougee coastal living. But it's *hot as F* to live out there...I guess they don't care, and it's cheaper to live out there anyways. No thanks...I'll visit 3-4 times/year to ride.

BIKE: it ripped! still haven't sorted the timing but the seat time felt great on this easier terrain. I was back in the grove wiggling the rear end WOT in 1st/2nd until it straightened out to get into 3rd. The lower weight also made it easier to brake if you overshot a turn. The 690 would lock up the front and send you into the bushes LOL. The yz can be slowed down easier at the limits and steered out of trouble. It was also easier to turn in tighter stuff; you could just adjust your weight over the tank, push down on the bars and get on the gas to get through a turn. Dump the clutch to lay power down in a turn and it grabs and slides you through. The 690 is more about slowing down, neutral throttle, and rolling through berms. Time the throttle correctly and the bike will wheelie in 3rd gear coming over the crest of a hill.

[gregp]

Maybe more like 1970's Massachusetts.....

[breakdirt916]

^^ I was born too late to enjoy that

Central MA had some low key neat spots in the 90's. I heard dirt bikes in the woods behind the middle school (now houses)...Northborough had the sand pit (now a fedex facility)...Westborough had a practice track behind a shopping center...Bellingham had a sand pit (private property/closed)...I heard there was riding near what's now the solomon pond mall...so it's all gone now, AFAIK. I heard there were trails off of Church street, but all I found (on a mountain bike) was a short section of mountain bike trails.



It's funny talking to SoCal people who complain about riding areas closing down. SoCal still has dozens of options within a 2 hour drive, but they bitch and complain like it's the end of the world...blah blah "we the people need to unite"...blah blah..."I swear I'm gonna move out of this damn state and move to AZ." but they never move. Great place to ride and a lot of fun people to ride with. But terrible politics and ton of lousy/selfish/triggered people too...If you want to achieve true zen and enjoy it without going crazy, stay out of the exhausting politics and just focus on the riding.

meanwhile, 7:30pm sunsets mean wrench time after work

motion pro tool + impact driver got the flywheel nut off



interesting

the reddish coil on the upper right is my lighting coil. It's an entirely separate coil than the bike's ignition coil. I guess that's a good thing so if the aftermarket light piece fails, it doesn't kill the bike from running.

no signs of overheating on the coil

I guess a low wattage coil isn't such a bad thing. Less is more.

I also rode the streets last night w' the baja designs light on low (4% power)...and it was just enough light to ride around town with *plenty* of juice left over for the LED brake/tail/turn signals at idle. Flip to high beam when I'm solo/off road for the full blast.

Very happy with this baja designs setup...wish I did it years ago!

so for the timing: the bike has a stationary stator plate. Loosen the two bolts (WHICH I AM SO AFRAID OF STRIPPING THE THREADS), twist the plate, and re-tighten the plate. Use a dial gauge to figure out where top dead center is.

I just looked at the wear marks on the stator plate and moved the plate in that direction (counter clockwise)



detonating still present...so either gotta move it more, or try the other direction.

[typeone]

super interested to see where you end up with timing edits ... from a quick search, it seems you have to use the dial gauge to do this accurately.

did i already ask if you tried a tank of 50/50 pump/race gas for the hell of it? i think the timing studies are smart, was just curious because i read often how crappy Cali fuel is.