kamloops boys 2012 baja El Groucho tour

[cactusreid]

Ok I'm jumping into the deep end here, I'm going to try and attach my spot tracker to this thread, so that anyone who gives a hoot, can have a look at where we are down in baja starting on feb 9th leaving kamloops and touring baja for two weeks. if anyone knows some quick tricks to make the spot connection,please help, as my computer skills are http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0X2aoCil7m8LHP3dTAuPqFb8Tpt9Zn0 9honly surpassed by my singing ability!

[04klr]

and leaving the Loops with me on the bus will be this fine looking 525, Scorpion Pro on the front (tubed and lubed), as yet undecided on the rear. either a Karoo, Desert IT, 606, Kenda Parker DT, E-09 Dakar, etc. etc. etc.

http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000169.JPG (javascript:;)

[joker650]

and leaving the Loops with me on the bus will be this fine looking 525, Scorpion Pro on the front (tubed and lubed), as yet undecided on the rear. either a Karoo, Desert IT, 606, Kenda Parker DT, E-09 Dakar, etc. etc. etc.

http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000169.JPG (javascript:;)

Nice new ride Wayne.

[Dorky]

and leaving the Loops with me on the bus will be this fine looking 525, Scorpion Pro on the front (tubed and lubed), as yet undecided on the rear. either a Karoo, Desert IT, 606, Kenda Parker DT, E-09 Dakar, etc. etc. etc.

http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000169.JPG (javascript:;)
It looks like the new ride made it out for a shakedown? Hopefully a warmish day in the Dewdrop?
Good luck to all the El Groucho tour members.

[tomcycle]

I will follow this adventure with much interest, I will wonder about how many flats, I wonder about riding in the dark, I wonder how this will all end?

With a big party at the loose screw I hope

Have fun guys I will be watching with much envy

Tom

[JavaJude]

Wayne, that's a great "before baja" photo. I hope the bike looks the same in the "after baja" photo.

[cactusreid]

Tom, you have my "scout's honour promise" to count each and every flat that our group gets, and to come clean with the #or lack of a # hopefully on this forum.
After all a case of corona is not to be taken lightly! It should be taken with fresh lime slices!


I hope the bike looks the same in the "after baja" photo. javajude-Not Likley!

[Bora20]

I can't wait to see the during and after baja photos!

[04klr]

after the teardown/put back together baja prep, a ride took place yesterday darn good day for it too, funny thing with that fancy schmancy recluse when doublebacking my tracks, there seemed to be nuthin but wheelspin (insert big assed grin here), Jude, I'm sure it will look juuuust like it does now, not.

[cactusreid]

welcome to the world of horsepower wayne! just wait till you have some traction! sandbagger,humph! told yah you would like it!

[cactusreid]

I did a bit of a test run this morning with my spot set to track mode. seems to work just fine. that's pretty cool!

I'll only be turning the track feature on, on day's when we are on well known estabilished trails. As some of the day's we are planning to ride,some not so mainstream areas. So if you don't see us for a day or two, it's because we are respecting the privacy of those that created some wonderful stuff down there. You'll just have to go find and ride it yourselves.

[tomcycle]

Well I see your spot now. Looks like you started from home, then dropped off someone at the school then off to work, that works pretty good (maybe you should delete that track?)

TT

[cactusreid]

thks tom. spot hopefully goes live and on line feb 9th

[04klr]

thought I'd insert a deserved plug for the JD jetting guys as I've been having a ping pong discussion with "james" from JD and he's been very helpful and informative re: proper jetting and options for my newfangled 525, nice to see support like this for a product that gets installed in many of our bikes, good support JD, thx.
Wayne.

[Bora20]

:thumbup for JD Jetting Wayne. Mine seems to work right too, not that I would know if it wasn't.

Pick a rear tire yet?

[04klr]

not exactly, but there is a growing heap in the garage, and the luxury of a backup (to the third power) thx. to, "cactus collision body and paint" and Dorky,

and just because mi amigos have a mere quatro noches til departure, and since YOU asked, what better time to have a mid winter tire slugfest.


IN DIS CORNER! contender # 1 Metzler mci karoo, it enters the ring with a massive pumpatude of 140mm of Europeon girth and 80% of that hugs the silky black Excel hoops, and a full 18" diameter, more than enuf to chuck rocks a baja mile.
In DA next corna, we have the reptilian Pirelli scorpion xcmh 140 spiky, burly carapace, but can it take 2500k of baja?
in one offa da last 2 cornas, representing all things oriental Ken-da Parker dt, genetically designed to play in the rocks, can't beat the others for size, but the only one ballsy enuf to use the word Desert in their sales pitch.
and in the last corner, are the remainder, the "journeyman" contenders, like maybe a desert IT, or a maxxis e-09 dakar, with knobs so big it and enuf of a belly around it can snicker at 2500k in baja with a harumf and a, "that all you got?" shrug, and Motoged has a Dunlop of some sort also.
so, gloves off, whaddaya think,which should be the annual sacrificial Baja tire?
The only important requirement is: any tire tossed in the ring MUST be able to take 12 days and 2500k of Baja, or it can just piss off just like last years MT21, which had to be ridden as if it was a Leper, from the getgo it was shedding pieces of itself, by day 2 it was a gap toothed shredded mess. To prove my point (what point?) the only MT21's on the bus this trip, will be the ones we take to throw out the windows in front of semi's, just so we can watch it get run over, and over, and over. (to the ninth glorious power)


bring it on, "tire fight!"

[hurricane harry]

uh, the lowly, kenda 270, may uh, work kinda ok for say, idunno, several thousand klicks

[Bora20]

I vote for the Karoo, but have almost 1800 km on a XCMH with 50% left. It is a 140 though not that it will make much difference.

You better bring a couple with yah now that you have a big that spins the rear constantly ;)

[joker650]

Tried the E-09 on the DR and it was a prety crapy tire. Not much rubber and poor grip.

[Ti welder]

Go with the big Karoo, If the big GSA comes with it I would think You won't look back, unless you want to see how much s--t it's flingin!

[04klr]

-270's have been burned off many times on my KLR's a good value tire but for Baja,I think it's just too soft especially the loosy goosy sidewalls.
the xcmh on loan IS a 140 with ginormous knobs, not the 130 previously mentioned.
the e-09 and e-09 Dakar look the same but are not (one of these things is not like the other), the dakar has a tough carcass and the same large knobs of possibly a harder compound.
everytime I look back I crash, so I try not to do that, you 2nded my thoughts,if it's good for the big GSA how wrong coud it be on a teeny 525, bit of a shame to destroy such a nice tire in a few days. (but was puchased for a song here at Rivercity in the Loops, so the sacrifice fits my Scottish blood)

[cactusreid]

well, i was the one that recommended the mt21 last year,and I;m still hanging my head in shame. so your on your own this time my friend. I got approx 1500 km on a mt21 around here with about 50% still left.thats why i suggested it. But like my amigo wayne and senoir flash, we all three trashed these tires in approx 3 day's of baja riding! but here's the possible caveat- we 3 tire thrashers were running the 130's. 2 others of last years group had 120 mt21's on. they both finished the loop with rubber to spare. so who knows-not me??

[alphajory]

2 others of last years group had 120 mt21's on. they both finished the loop with rubber to spare. so who knows-not me??

thats cause we knew how to ride not like you thrashers. this year i'm going with the Michelin they stood up well in baja 1000 this fall as did the midas

[cactusreid]

which michelin alpha? is it the desert? I've heard they discontinued the michelin baja. It was supposed to be a pretty tough tire.I hear that you boy's 1000,didn't turn out be be a full 1000 this year,so how bad can you beat up a tire in a short race? Or are you talking about your preride? I've been useing mitas (not midas,thats mufflers) tires from colin at MX-! canada for years now. great tires at good prices! They are all DOT legal now-apparently the whole lineup of mitas tires,so that gives use dualsporters a lot more choices,thks for the info Colin.

Sleeps countdown to baja departure-3!! waa hoooooo!

[alphajory]

they were the cross competition m12's that we used on some of the pre-ride bikes and they seemed to stand up fairly well. The mitas tires were on the race bike that failed to go very far during the race, the bike not the tires.

[r_jackson]

On our Baja trip the only tire that still looked like it had a few more rides left after 4500 kms was the Kenda Trackmaster. My Terraflex started off good, but I did a lot more highway than the others in the group due to a worn out clutch.

[cactusreid]

I have to say I've never been so surprised and impressed by a tire as the kenda 760 trackmaster. bought one on a whim a few yr's ago, brought it home,it looked like it was made out out ground up milk jugs,with no rubber in it at all! threw it in the corner till i was out of stock and needed a fresh tire. put it on,still kicking my ass for buying this "thing". Man what a surprise- fantastic traction for a DOT tire in the dirt, and a very impressive amount of mileage on the back end of my 525 katoomie. Based on your feedback r jackson, it just maybe a contender for baja?
What kind of bike /rider was the trackmaster attached too?

[cactusreid]

Breaking news- kamloops baja boy's El Groucho tour 2012 is moving to the adventure rides!

If you have any interest in following us, tag along, Wayne here's your que to throw up some baja photos to hook em!

[04klr]

do you mean dead sexy photos? ooooh, who's a sexy beast!
http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000172.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

thats it, work it work it, stretch out those long legs
http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000178.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

and one more showing this trips sacrificial tire, one of eight in this years innaugural Baja Tire Shootout, which I will continue in this thread (concluding in late Feb), the contenders will be listed along with riders and style of riding. For the "teaser" photos, well to see those, you'll have to do as the body man says and follow us to the "El Groucho" Adventure ride section, teaser pics. to arrive later today.
Muchas gracias, una mas noches!!! Hasta Luego Senor Wayne.
http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000174.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

[r_jackson]

Dave had it on a big bore DR 350 (now a 440). While he had the least amount of gear of all of us, he was probably the most agressive rider in our group. It's going to be my choice for long distance tire, but I am always trying new things. I just ordered a Pirelli XCMH to see what that is like. I read a lot about the Dunlop 606 and used that the first time I went to Baja, but it didn't last any longer than the Terrraflex.

[joker650]

Is that tire backwards?



do you mean dead sexy photos? ooooh, who's a sexy beast!
http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000172.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

thats it, work it work it, stretch out those long legs
http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000178.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

and one more showing this trips sacrificial tire, one of eight in this years innaugural Baja Tire Shootout, which I will continue in this thread (concluding in late Feb), the contenders will be listed along with riders and style of riding. For the "teaser" photos, well to see those, you'll have to do as the body man says and follow us to the "El Groucho" Adventure ride section, teaser pics. to arrive later today.
Muchas gracias, una mas noches!!! Hasta Luego Senor Wayne.
http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000174.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

[Dorky]

Is that tire backwards?

Busted! Good eye Greg.

( I sense Wayne in the garage spooning that thing right now!)

[04klr]

as in intermediates to the rear, hard cases to the front, I'll take hard thanks Greg.

[Dorky]

OK, OK, it looks like Wayne's arrow goes both ways - my mistake.

Ride hard bud, have fun!

[04klr]

by-passing the arrow that goes both ways shot, we have contender #2, Reids Gritty rear tire, tough bid azzed knobs, and seriou enuf to call itself Gritty when axle deep in it, Dunlops lone contender in the shootout.

http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/reid_tire.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:;)

My (actually His) Kenda has way more style points already, where's the multi colored logo's? and as it turns out the two kenda parkers in the demolition test are actually different makes so,, so much for the head to head, mote to follow. VAMANOS!

[broxy]

do you mean dead sexy photos? ooooh, who's a sexy beast!
http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000172.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)



Daaaaaang! That looks nice with the black fenders. After my giant crash last spring, my plastics look very second hand. I think I know what I'll be doing.

[joker650]

as in intermediates to the rear, hard cases to the front, I'll take hard thanks Greg.

OOps.....had my glasses off.

[04klr]

all right ladies and germs tire shootout update, round 1 is over and it looks like the Bridgestone gritty took one to the face and lost a tooth (or two), and now that round 2 is over is seems there will be no teeth before the fight is over! Colin has insisted that his E-09 dakar is winning the fight so far (or so he has paid me to say), but on fact all other contenders are still in the fight.
chack the advenbture section for El Groucho updates!!

[Dorky]

http://www.dualsportbc.com/photogallery/data/500/medium/P1000174.JPG (http://javascript<b></b>:;)
The double arrow has been bugging me. In case there are others who missed this too, it seems the Kenda Parker DT is a directional tire. Mounted one way it is best suited for hard pack, the other way for intermediate terrian.

[04klr]

,,which is the direction I chose, hard terrain. either way it's dong waay better than reids "gritty"

[04klr]

latest update from ringside, the Bridgstone Gritty is a goner! after 6 rounds most all of it`s teeth are gg-gone, will be swapped out for a used 606 in the AM, one kenda parker outta contention due to unplanned and unrelated mechanical issues and taking the lone Michelin with it, the Mitas really is beggining to look like a contender and Bug`s Desert IT is as well, with the remainder hanging in there, with three more rounds to go, the champ is yet to be crowned.

[04klr]

Allrigth fans at ringside the ko punch has happened and th gritty is in the garbage where (actually hanging in a tree on a suitable rope) when it belongs, done.
and to the side bet box of coronas, would you like them cold? two pinch flats has sealed the deal, show up at the loose screw to clooect, and share?
the cecond pinch has to be credited to the Mitas though there is much grumbling about it not being th tires fault, but the judges say points must be deducted from the contenders card, mostly doubletrack today, wiht the rock trail still ahead, the heavyweight champ will be crowned in three more rounds with several still in the fight.

[04klr]

kudos to BRP of colorado to get an upper triple delivered to Calexico in under 24hrs. then forwarded to san felipe in under 48hrs elapsed time, awesome! which also means el mur and randall have re-entered the ring and met up with us here in Bay of LA. yesterday was a hard one on the tires as some rocky road was hammered at warp speed, even the Mitas is looking seriously rough around the eges. Another KO has been delivered to Doc's dunlop desert AT, and is being replaced with a Scorpion which was found layng beside a garbage can here at Costa Del Sol, it's a soft carcass MX tire which also doesn't stand a chance. 2 down 6 to go!

[motoged]

Wayne,
Are you ignoring the tire will win over all others, and not because Ross is over 60....

I got 4400 kms on mine and it still has at least 500 more left....

[04klr]

Ged. Rosco couldn't wear out a tire if it was made of marshmallows.

It's done. Finally punch stats, 2340km's slammed into the face of all contenders, thousands of feet in elevation changes, all the rocky, deep whooped sand washes, sharp broked dinner plate "rock trail", cactus indused tracks that Baja has to offer. Once jet lap eases, the results will be tallyied, with KO's having being delivered, there wil only be One true champ.
now where's my coffee?


jet lag is a goner, tire report is done, I'm going for a run!
look in the equipment/tire section if interested. Wayne.