What did you do to your dirty bike today?

[anytwowilldo]

Ha! My tie down strategy is evolving to say the least. I am trying to still build up my confidence hauling the bike on the back of the carrier. My track bike always goes inside my honda element but this dirt bike won't make it in. So on the back she goes. I tried to secure the carrier with a really long strap and effed up the whole aesthetics of the pic. Doh.

I haul my dirt bike on the back of an Element on a regular basis. My strategy has evolved too, after I had it come through the rear window. Your fork straps look good and should be the type with carabiners on the bottoms. My original straps didn't lock at the bottom and the rear one came off after hitting a secession of bumps in the pavement. I would put the rear through the wheel at the very bottom, right against the rim. I also use one from a peg to the front of the carrier, keeping it against the wheel chock. Good luck.

 

[Deeznutz]

Thks for the suggestions anytwowilldo! I know we're exceeding the tongue weight on the E but she has never failed me in the bike transpo dept. I will try the strap through the rear wheel and over the rim and one on the peg to the front. I want to be the guy that rolls up with a half dozen straps dragging and flapping all over the place.

 

[phocup]

Installed this on my hitch hauler today. Works really well IMO to take some of the slop out and help keep the bike from rocking too much.

 

[1962siia]

Pulled carb off the cr250 and put back in my regular jets (hadn't touched the carb since Moab). Ordered new intake boot as mine was cracked and crusty. Also have my plastic modernization effort in full effect for this bike. Not much you can do with the old steel frame cr's so I had to get creative. More later when I make some more progress.

 

[elemetal]

I thought it was about time to give an update on my experience w/ the Tubliss system. I'm on my 3rd set of tires, for a total of 2,144 miles / 115.3 hours and I have a some insight...

Thanks for the write up Dub, although I have less miles on mine I agree with your conclusions. The tubliss system is pretty good, it has a couple of drawbacks that affect riders differently but all in all they are on 2 out of 3 of my bikes and soon it will 3 out of 3.

 

[Shigeta]

Installed this on my hitch hauler today. Works really well IMO to take some of the slop out and help keep the bike from rocking too much.

I have one of these as well. I also use ratchet straps from the ends of my carrier to my hitch and that keeps it really stable. Probably very unnecessary, but eh, what the hell.

 

[Deeznutz]

Hey Phocup, can you post a pik of that piece installed on the carrier if you have time please? Does it secure the carrier to the hitch?

 

[phocup]

I got it on amazon here and they have a picture of it installed here.

It does secure IMO in both sense of the word. Removes slack / slop / play and make it harder to remove / steal.

 

[Deeznutz]

thks!

 

[2strokeYardSale]

Thinking about freshening up my WR450F, as I don't know its history. I'm sure the top end was never replaced. I got to looking into it and I guess I should replace the cam chain at the same time. And the chain guides. Cha-ching, Thumpers are expensive.

 

[byke]

If the thing still rips, I'd just do the timing chain and guides. Maybe lookup failure rates on the stock tensioner and maybe replace that with a manual one, depending on what I found from other YZ/WR450 owners. Just speaking in uber generalizations, if you mostly ride lower rpm trails, I'd probably go somewhere between a 3:1 and 4:1 ratio of replacing the top end in a 2t vs 4t. Then, there's kind of the 'Yamaha' factor that must be added in. Those motors are way more reliable than they should be, so you could probably just never put a top end in it and be ok.

 

[buellistic]

Up graded to a LED on the KTM dirt bike.
The best part is the lo beam stays on when you hit the High beam
So you get double coverage...

 

[buellistic]

But why does it need a cooling fan?

 

[HadesOmega]

Cyclops bulb on my DR650 and KLR have a fan also. I've rode it in all types of conditions no problems. I guess the LEDs burnout if they overheat.

 

[2strokeYardSale]

It snowed a couple inches Wednesday night, melted Thursday. Then rained all Friday night and all day Saturday. So I went for a ride in some hero dirt today! I found some cool new trails and some old trails that were made cooler by the hero dirt.

I am now convinced that the combination of the Tubliss front, the Shinko front, and 9-10 psi deflects less on rocks than 11-13 psi in an HD tube in a Michelin front.

My bike stalled twice coming to a stop and once required choke to restart. This is new since the latest top end, but weather is colder, too. I'll play with the air screw but I guess my pilot is too lean. Too bad, because it's finally not spooging from the exhaust.

When I got back I washed my bike and found an exhaust mount screw missing so I replaced that.

 

[Butch]

My brother came over and loaded my bikes on my trailer.
We went to Hollister and rode some good mud (might be hero dirt in a couple days).
Rick unloaded and washed the bikes and put away my trailer.
I had a beer.

It was a good day.

 

[buellistic]

My brother came over and loaded my bikes on my trailer.
We went to Hollister and rode some good mud (might be hero dirt in a couple days).
Rick unloaded and washed the bikes and put away my trailer.
I had a beer.

It was a good day.

Did he wash the bikes on your lawn?
Sucker!!!

 

[Guoseph]

Finally took the bikes off the trailer to facilitate changing the front over on the DR350 from the dual sport IRC to an actual dirt tire.

Oh... and... Turns out that bad jump off the waterbar last weekend actually resulted in a broken rib. Not too bad for only my second real outing riding dirt.

And so I'm looking at options for rib/chest protection here in the next few weeks.... I hear lots of good things about Tekvest. Any of you use their stuff? Comments?

Sorry to hear about your rib. The Leatt 5.5 HD or Leatt 5.5 Body Protector are the only ones on the market with full rib protection afaik. Hot in the summer, but everything's a trade off.

 

[Guoseph]

I done got this:

Farklemania to come.

 

[Butch]

I done got this: (pic ommitted)

Farklemania to come.

you need to put a dollar bill in there for scale. Or something. It looks all distorted. 20mm lens? WTF is focal length?

Little Farkles?