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Well............Here it is. I was torn between going on an orientation ride on my KTM or hooking up with some peeps to do a Conn., Mass., NY Ride. New toy, new adventure. I had ta do it.
I was planting the seed this past Monday in work with someone who is an avid dirt rider. My boss! The last bonifed dirt ride for me was to many years ago. We planned a ride origionally with his kids. They're around 6 and 7 years old. When I arrived at my bosses house he said that both his kids were sick. A stomach virus or something. That meant that we could go and do a more techical ride (power lines) or the RR bed that is open to ATV's. I have ta tell ya, I'm glad that we chose the RR bed.
We loaded up the bikes on my bosses (John) Trailer and headed out to his Brother in laws house ta pick em up. He's a quad rider. All loaded........Three Dirt bikes and a quad heading off to the Rockingham Rail Trail System for ATV's in New Hampshire.
After about a half hour ride we pull into the parking lot that is all ready over flowing with off road riders. Outta the truck, pull the ramps on the trailer to unload the bikes and I was off. I say that because I was biting at the bit ta ride. The minute my bike was off I went for a short ride while every one else was getting ready. I came back and my boss was still pounding on the kick start to get his 450 Honda MX running. It musta taken him a good 15 minutes to get that thing fired up. Anyways, everyone's vehicle was ready ta go.
We fired of down the RR bed at a good clip. I was supprised after all the rain we had that it was so dry and dusty following in back of my boss and the quad. The trail conditions were soft and silty in some spots and hard packed in others. We went for a bit and then my boss decides to take a side trail. I didn't have a problem with that until we hit the first tank (literally) deep mud hole. I'm a street rider so I was like NO FREAKIN WAY. I don't wanna trash my KTM the first day out. I sat at the top of the slight hill leading to the mud hole and mustered up the grapes ta go for it. I ATE IT. THE FIRST DUMP ON THE KTM. I picked my arse up in the middle of the mud hole, started it up and powered my butt outta that thing. This happened two more times. I was brused but not beaten. I was concerned because we hadda come back the same way. I was lucky on the return trip and thankful that it never happened again all day.
Back out on the RR bed we came to a cross roads where I clicked a few buttons so I could find out how fast I was going. The only glance I made at the O-dometer indicated that I was doing 50 mph. The first thought that came into mind is.......I don't wanna shoulder a tree moving this fast. The front wheel was rather squirly in the sand. A couple of times it felt like I was gonna do a tank slapper.
We finally made it down to the end of the RR bed where ATV's are allowed and the Local Fish and Game Warden came over to verify that all the vehicles were properly registered. No problem there. I made an offer to John to take my KTM for a ride and without any pause or hesitation he took it for a spin. He was all smiles as he approached the docking area in the parking lot we were in. He insisted that I take his Honda for a ride.............So, I did. The speed limit on that part of the trail was 25mph. I knew the Warden had just left the parking lot on his quad so I'm sure I was under 50 definately. Went down the trail a bit then turned it around before I got too far. Got onto the asphault and sparked it up a bit trying to loft it to no avail. Got to the edge of the parking lot and my street riding style kicked in. I found out that the front tire will wash out at extream lean angles on pavement. There is a critical point where it lets go. I found it and brought it back up in an instant. I almost owed my boss a set of handle bars .
After a bit of a rest we were back on trail. I was in the lead and noticed a rather inticing (spelling) sand pit under a power lines. John stopped beside me and sugested I might not go home with miy bike. The tempting sand was not an option. We came to another cross roads and my boss was beside me when all of us had gathered and started out again. In my side vision I saw him do a wheelie and for some reason I nailed it and................Holy shiznitz..............I lolfted that sucka to at least 2 o'clock. Man, all the time we've been riding and all of sudden the rear tire dosen't wash out. WTF.
At this point in the ride I was getting kinda tired. We've been riding for a few hours now. Then all of a sudden John does a U-turn to check out an off trial. No further than 50 feet from the RR bed there was this stream. I watched my boss go through and it was a bumpy ride. Note that he is rather experienced. I let Mike, John's brother in law, go through with his quad and noted the track that both took to get through. It was now my turn. Full of anticipation, I sat at the top of the rise shaking me heat in the negative direction. Musta been a good few miutes and said to myself go for it. Cautiously I decended toward the stream. I encountered a few unforeseeable obsticals but made it through rather gracefully. Brian......a good friend of John, ate it big time. He lost it and his bike was totally submurged. Mike and John got off their rides and ran down to help Brian out of his demise. Thankfully he didn't lift the bike up and try to start it. Mike and John wheeled his bike outta the water, drained the air box and ...............WTF............it started sep the minute you gave it some throttle it died. We disassembled the airbox and dried it out as best we could but it still had the same issue. We took the carborator off and checked for water. Nothing. Messed around for about a half hour trying to let the heat of the idling engine dry the bike out and presto.........we screwed with the choke and we were off.
Only another 100 feet or so there was another stream. I had scoped it out while we were stopped to get Brians bike up and running. John took a path to the right of the open water. The Quad took the same path. I took a path through the water that I had scoped out and it was smooth as silk. John's path was big time rutted and muddy. I didn't see how brian made it through. This trail was getting tighter the more we got into it.
Weaving through several nicely banked turns, all of a sudden Mike who was leading at the time, Does a STOP and ABOUT FACE. He came back up a small hill and looked for an alternate route. Into the woods we go. After a small incline GOD revealed a 30ft drop or so that was at minumum 40 degrees. At it's apex/vortex was another freakin 2-3ft mud hole. It went outta the mud hole and back up at about the same incline but over rock obsticles that would very easily put you on your butt and back down the hill. Again, being a Ducati owner and a proud owner of a blingy KTM 450 EXC, I was causious to decend. there was an 8 inch diameter fallen log going acorss the leaf littered decent. John and Mike removed that obstical. I decended and just before I got to the muddy stream I throttled it up a bit, leaned forward so I wouldn't loft the front end and powered up that thang. I was pretty physched. I'm not really sure how Brian made it through that. We got outta the woods and I looked back at the water trap we went around that cudda swallowed a Big Wheel Truck. I'm glad we went for the woods.
Sorta comfortably back on the trail, we came to and end and hadda turn around. Ya gotta stay legal some times. All that I had rode in the past few miles I hadda do it again in reverse. I was getting fatigued. Ya know those pansy arse Ducati riders with a lotta bling don't get exposed ta this typa shiznit. I made it safely throught the obsticles that was presented to us from the the depature of the comfort of the RR bed. John offered to take Brians bike through the big puddle that brought him to his embrassing moment. Back onto the RR bed I think we all felt a little more comfortable. I know I did.
We powered down the bed through the loose sandy bottom the road offered and finally arrived at our start point. I didn't want to admit it to my boss (John) but I was kinda pooped, proud, and a little sore after my first real ride on the KTM.
I know I'm gonna sleep good tonight.
Wayne-o
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Sounds like you had some fun and some good riding areas to go to. Are you street registered yet?
no pics.
