Big Loop Ride Sun 8/24 *Route has been changed to Sunday!

[Mel]

Holy shit, a little bit of exaggeration from GM !! I posted up in the ride description that there were going to be some narrow and bumpy goat roads, so there shouldn't have been any surprises LOL! My FZ6 is magic on the goat roads, and I can run them at a hard spirited pace, no problem. I will say that I worked hard to set up my FZ6 for the goat roads. The ergonomics of my bike allow me to throw the bike around easily, and the suspension is dialed in for those bumpy roads. It really is the sum of the parts that allow me to run hard on the goats. Along with the suspension front and rear, I have an Ohlins steering damper on the bike, my brakes have great linear feel to them, there is a Superbrace on the forks, and the Dunlop Q3's with the proper air pressure finishes off the package. GM asked me how can you brake hard with all those bumps, and I told him the proper suspension set up allows the tires to stay in contact with the road surface no problem when hard on the brakes. Cycle World magazine did a write up back in 07 on the FZ6 and proclaimed it to be the swiss army knife of motorcycles, and they were pretty much spot on, and I've turned it into an even better swiss army knife ! It works well on the bumpiest goat roads and right up to the fast smooth stuff...it's definitely a sleeper. I guess I can say it also helps to have grown up on goat roads in the Santa Cruz mountains back on the coast, and I've been pounding them for 50 years !

Mel

[GreenMachine]

The pictures of the bridge came out nice, don't you think?

Not to change the subject to something we can agree on, but... 

[Mel]

Those pics of the bridge are pretty dang cool! We'll have to make another trip down there to see the bridge again and give you another shot at the goat roads !

[GreenMachine]

How about I just meet you on the other side. 

[flamecrow]

Holy crap, sounds like you had your bike set up to succeed Mel. However, GM is on a supersport and pretty much set up to completely fail. Those type of roads sound better off ridden on with a dirt bike or dual sport, not a street/supersport. Can't imagine what would happen if one of the tires just pop. Can't see how it is good for the bike either, suspension/forks, bearings, fairings, etc.

On the other hand, that bridge looks cool!

[Mel]

Hey guys,

I'd like to go over some points with you. First off to you flamecrow, "those types of roads" are ridden all the time back on the coast where the guys in the Bay Area ride, and on "street/supersport" bikes. The key phrase you mentioned was "sound better off...", which probably means you haven't personally seen or ridden on those types of roads. None of this is meant to disparage you flamecrow, as you are a new rider and still in the early, learning stages of riding.

The experienced guys back in the Bay Area  grew up on goat roads, or if they are newer riders, they learn to ride those roads as they are everywhere in the Santa Cruz mountains. The problem is here in the Reno area there are no goat roads, so no one here really learns to ride them. They get too comfortable with the smoother, wider, and faster roads, and never want to broaden their all around riding skills. This is why Geiger Grade, Monitor, and 49 are pretty much the norm for rides.

The proper suspension setup is critical to not only riding the goat roads, but all roads in general. This is another thing that is lacking in the Reno area. Back in the Bay Area there are at least 4 well known suspension shops that can get your bike set up for the street. Here the only real suspension guys are at the track day events, but they are adjusting your suspension for the track and not the street, which are totally different setups. Also, riders back there are MUCH more involved in proper suspension setup. They will have their current suspension, which is pretty awesome on the new sportbikes, dialed in, or buy new suspension parts such as rear shocks and internal valving for the front forks. How many of you know what spring rate you have in your front forks and on your rear shock? How many of you have set the proper sag in your suspension front and rear? How many of you know the oil weight and level in your front forks? How many of you with the newer sport bikes have adjusted your compression and rebound damping in your front forks and rear shock by going out on the roads and clicking up or down to find the sweet spot? I could go on but I think you get the idea of what I'm talking about for proper suspension setup. The reason I can run a pretty decent pace on a detuned 600 standard on any type of road is because I did put in the effort to set my FZ6 up, and you too can do the same. You would be amazed at how much easier it is to ride at a sporting pace with a bike that works...trust me !

Now, about my license plate bracket. I put on an aftermarket fender eliminator kit about 7 years ago, and it has seen thousands of miles on the back roads, and most of them on goat roads. I think that is a pretty good record for a cheaply made aftermarket kit. NO, the goat roads do not tear up your bike if the suspension is properly set up...pure and simple! NO, the tires will not pop riding on goat roads ! Speaking of tires, that is another critical factor in riding at a sporting pace on the street. Every brand is different and you want to experiment to see which one suits your particular bike and riding style. I have used Pirelli's, Bridgestones, Metzlers, and Dunlops just on my FZ6 alone. I have found the Dunlop Q3's work the best for my bike and riding style. Proper air pressure is also critical and it can vary between brands. How many of you check your tire pressure before each ride? I do before every ride I go on and run 34 rear and 32 front for the best performance  with my Q3's. Did you know that not all tires are the same height, so when you switch tires, you really want to measure the height of the old tires and the new ones (different brand) you are putting on. This will allow you to make any changes needed in ride height on the suspension front and rear.

I hope none of this sounds condescending, as I only want to help those that really want to become better, faster, riders and willing to put in whatever effort is needed, such as bike prep and time in the saddle. I will say that trackdays, with instruction, is one of the best things you newer riders could do to improve your riding skills. They didn't have those when I started riding, so it was all "on the job training" so to speak ! At this point in time (being an old man), I don't do trackdays because of the cost for one, and I don't need to learn to go any faster on the street !

Enough rambling by me, and I can only hope that some of you newer riders will take this advice under consideration to help with your blossoming riding career, and even those of you that have been riding for awhile !

Mel

[Tahoebrian5]

Gm, next time you go on a goat road trip, just take your crf450. 12" of suspension travel should do the trick.

[RichVee4]

Cant be many more unexplored "paved" roads left in the Sierras that you guys haven't ridden.   Most of the dirt roads I've gone on sound smoother than some of those roads.   Is it time for knobbies yet?  Wish I still had my duel sport and we could organize a dirt trails ride, but that's probably a different forum.

Sounds like you guys had a fun adventure!

[GreenMachine]

Looks like I'm the one getting under Mel's skin 'for fun' this time.   

I think I had convinced myself that 30 miles of goaties like Eleven Pines would be acceptable before heading out.  Eleven Pines is tolerable on a liter sized sportbike.  Only a few uneven spots with washboards and pot holes.  Pace is tolerable too and you can even get up to about 45 MPH without feeling like you're going too fast for oncoming traffic, if there would be any.   But as Wills knows and has tried many times, if his ride were to include the bone jarring Oregon Hill road, expect me to go around the long way. 

Mel's terminology and what I would consider Webster's terminology are very much different.  Apparently Eleven Pines isn't a goat road in Mel's world.  I'll just have to factor that in next time he's speaking.  So if he says something like the fruit is red, you peel it by hand, its insides can be juiced, and is one of the staple breakfast beverages, I'll know he's actually referring to an orange orange and not a red apple.   

I think yesterday's outing could be considered an adventure.  However, after surveying the bike last night, there is a crack in one of my fairings.    It's a day's job to take it off, if it were to require repairing.  I'll have to keep an eye on it to see if it spreads.  I don't recall noticing it before when I did the front brakes a week ago, so it's new.

On an observational note, Volcano and Murphys were busy little towns yesterday.  I have family not too too far from Murphys.  I'd love to go back and do the wine tasting tour.  Have one designated driver and give all the vendors a try.  That, Sutter, and Fairplay all have wonderful regional wine varieties that I like.  They're mostly of the fuller Zinfandel red type, one of my favorites. 

[GreenMachine]

Gm, next time you go on a goat road trip, just take your crf450. 12" of suspension travel should do the trick.

I was thinking the same thing.   Maybe then I could have given him a run for his money, maybe even wheelie passed him in sections.  Putt putt putt putt putt putt.

[GreenMachine]

...Is it time for knobbies yet?  Wish I still had my duel sport and we could organize a dirt trails ride, but that's probably a different forum.

Sounds like you guys had a fun adventure!

TB5, Skydiver and I will be doing a lot of dirt riding this upcoming Fall/Winter/Spring. Dub rides too, but mostly south of CC because of proximity. 

I'm beginning to appreciate the little things about having a bike constantly moving about underneath you.  Mel probably, almost certainly knows how to handle his bike in this way.  We just have to catch up with our knowledge.

[flamecrow]

NP Mel! Always here to learn and improve. Goat roads are a different experience, they can be fun and challenging though as long as it's paved. I'm more afraid of these:

[Mel]

GM, my wife loved your post and was cracking up! She said you had a knack for writing funny stuff like that ! I should have let you ride ahead on one of those goat roads so you could have taken some shots of me working the road and just so you could see what kind of speed and control is possible on those bumpy goats ! You just need to get a good supermoto and you will be set and ready to rock on those goats !

flamecrow, I like your enthusiasm and never be afraid to try new things, whether it be bike prep, riding style, or different types of roads. That's a cool pic you put up! Now that is a little too much even for a goat road, but if that road led to a fun road, then I would have to ride it even if it meant riding it GM style...putt putt putt !

Mel

[nvgixxer]

GM, my wife loved your post and was cracking up! She said you had a knack for writing funny stuff like that ! I should have let you ride ahead on one of those goat roads so you could have taken some shots of me working the road and just so you could see what kind of speed and control is possible on those bumpy goats ! You just need to get a good supermoto and you will be set and ready to rock on those goats !

flamecrow, I like your enthusiasm and never be afraid to try new things, whether it be bike prep, riding style, or different types of roads. That's a cool pic you put up! Now that is a little too much even for a goat road, but if that road led to a fun road, then I would have to ride it even if it meant riding it GM style...putt putt putt !

Mel

That pic is of Pashnit's Hayabusa. He has a motorcycle touring service and leads groups of riders all over California. He attended one of our Hayabusa Stampede events in Reno one year, great guy. But alas, I no longer have my 09 Hayabusa, too slow, had to upgrade to the fastest beast on the planet.  

[dub]

One time I spotted Pashnit himself leading a group at the intersection of Ice House and WWS; I was star struck.