Great Ride.
This last weekend the IMS crew had the great opportunity to participate in the Cal Poly Penguins Hi Mountain 125 in the hills of San Luis Obispo CA. At the ride was the owner Scott Wright on a new Husky 501, Chris Hardin, manager, on a Husky 310 and I, Ethan Sullivan, blog writer and elementary school teacher, on the IMS Triumph Tiger 800XC.
The bikes at the IMS booth.
I have owned the IMS Triumph Tiger for the last 9 months and the bike has always ran flawlessly. As I was quickly approaching the 6,000 mile warranty service mark, I figured now is as good a time as ever to replace the old worn out TKC80 with a new one, and kill two birds with one stone. This also gave me the peace of mind that the bike would have fresh oil, and completely checked out for what was going to be one of the tougher rides I have ever done on the bike.
The ride wasn’t until Sunday but for me it started a day earlier, with riding the bike down from Monterey to Pismo to the hotel I was staying in. I had originally wanted to leave in the late morning, early afternoon, and cruise Highway 1 all the way down, much like I had done during Thanksgiving. But as life and luck would have it, I was not able to leave until almost 6pm. Since I didn’t want to get stuck on the 1 at night for to long, I decided to slab it down the 101. Now, where as the 1 from Monterey to Pismo is a gorgeous, an amazing feat of engineering and breathtaking beauty, the 101 is a great study in efficiency and practicality. It is almost arrow straight, carving it’s own way through the state of California, not following any route other then the one decided on by man. This means that getting from Monterey to Pismo took just about two and a half hours, verses the three and a half along the 1. As it was I arrived in Pismo just a few minutes after total darkness, (after a brief stop at Firestone Walker Brewery, the one main highlight of the 101). I checked into my hotel, got some food, detached the Tourtech 45L hardball full of my stuff, and went to bed.
I was up early, geared up, and meet Chris and Scott at the Cal Poly University H1 parking lot at the IMS booth, showing off the new Rally Foot pegs (full review to come soon, but lets just say, they look awesome). After parking the bikes to display the ADV 1 foot pegs we rubbed shoulders, walked around, meet some great people, and saw some really cool bikes. They did a rider briefing, and raffle, and by 9am, we were off.
The ADV 1 pegs, ADV 2 under those, and new Rally Pegs on the very bottom.
The beginning of the ride was pretty uneventful, just under 31 miles of on road riding to the first dirt. I usually ride alone, not because I don’t like riding with people, just none of the people where I live now ride a motorcycle. As a result I had a great time riding in the group. There were a few times, in the tight, blind corner roads I was a little unnerved, riding that close to the other bikes, but over all it was great fun blasting along with other riders, together.
The first set of dirt we encountered was what I was expecting the majority of the dirt riding to be, nice dirt roads, a few dips and hills, pot holes and ruts, but over all nothing to super hard to do on a 500 pound ADV bike. After all these are the types of roads I normally ride on when I off-road the IMS Tiger. For this ride I had aired down the tires to around 22-24 PSI, which for a big ADV bike is pretty low, a far cry from the 14-16 PSI I used to run on my XR650R, and I left the rear Touratech Shock alone, set up for a 215 plus pound rider, and two fully loaded 45L panniers. How did this effect the bike, how did she perform off road? In a word, Flawlessly. The bike did great, only let down by the lack of skill of the rider. Yes, with a 50/50 tire (which the TKC80 is considered) the front end would push on hard pack, or gravel. There are some times where you just can’t deny the laws of physics, a 500 pound bike with limited grip, will push. But that was not the bike’s fault, but more a consequence of having to run street rubber for the high speed highway miles this bike does. There were a few times that I crested a small hill, unable to see very far ahead due to the dust of another rider, and came upon a pot hole infested, rutted downhill that, had I known was there I would have slowed down for. As it was, I trusted the Precision Concepts forks, and Touratech rear shock, and actually found my self gassing it down such hills, surprising even myself. The bike ran over everything in it’s path, ate it, and burped it out. I can see now why many people love these bikes.
After some lovely dirt roads, we hit the asphalt again, only to transition again to some dirt roads. After having our spark arrestors checked, and dealing with a lost license plate, we were off to the first Ranch. Now in this area the GPS was of no use, we were going old school, with neon orange arrows marking the often very narrow single track. This is where things got fun. It was evident that the creators of this ride were making a true dual sport ride, not a ADV ride. This was apparent by the A. lack of big ADV bikes that showed up (5 counting me) and B. the types of trails and hills that were set up to ride.
As we entered the first Ranch things were good, narrow single track yes, but nothing that the IMS Tiger and I couldn’t handle, (remember the bike could do all of this, the rider…well not so much). This was until the first of 3 major hills. This was a hill that entered through a left hand turn through a gate, and up a 50-60 foot hill. This normally would not be a big deal, except this hill was tough to just walk up, was about 6 inches of deep powdery silt, and was littered with fallen dual sports that had tried and failed to climb the hill on the first try, and the only way to get up it was the 12 inch wide trail, the rest was tree and branch lined making other line choices almost impossible. This was the first of several tip overs.
I charged up the hill, confident that I could do this, just stay to the out side edge, on the virgin not as deep silt dirt, and modulate the clutch to prevent tire spin. Unfortunately a XR650L had decided to take a nap right on my chosen line, so I cut left and almost immediately the back end tried to swap places with the front, I got sideways in a bad way, and went down. With some help, I was able to get the bike upright, aimed it down the hill and went for run number two, this time with no sleeping XR in the way. I charged up the hill, and soon discovered it didn’t matter what was in the way I did not possess the skill necessary for this amazing machine to do what it does best, conquer the dirt. After dropping the bike again, I was able to get some more help, and with Scott coaching me and pushing, I got the bike to the top of the hill.
The quickly found out that it wasn’t the uphill that was the worst, but the downhill that really made you tighten up. When you are riding a 300 pound XR650R, you think you got a heavy bike. When that bike has custom Precision Concepts suspension, and a 680cc big bore kit with matching HRC cam, you think you got power. Nothing is quite like the 100 horse and 500 pound off road beast that is the IMS Tiger 800XC. This bike wanted to go faster then I wanted it to go. With the loose silt everywhere and the ruts that forced you to go where they wanted, and with 500 pounds keeping you where it wanted, it was a different experience. Yes, it would have been easier on my old 650R, but better, well, that is debatable. I loved every minute of it, the bike, the ride, the people around me, all of it.
I finally found my personal limit on the Hill from Hell. After an amazing steak, maracconi, and salad lunch,
we headed out, I got lost, and then was found (there is a metaphor in here Luke 15, Prodigal Son) and came upon the Hill from Hell. It was a steep downhill to a right hand up hill to a left hand up hill, all in deep deep loose silt, that had been abused by probably over 100 riders by this point. After looking at it, muttering “you got to be joking” a few times I finally had my turn. After watching over half the field try and fail to make the hill after the first, second, and sometimes third try I knew I wasn’t going to make it first time either, but hope springs eternal and I went for it. Trying a different line recommended by the Cal Poly Penguin spotter I charged straight down the hill, saying screw the turns I was just going straight up this hill. I made it to the right hand turn, the first of the two turns, hit a dip and plowed into it like a bull. Those laws of physics came into play and the bike stopped, but me being significantly lighter then the bike, didn’t. I went head over tail smashing my helmet onto something incredibly hard, and landed on the ground, the bike simply fell over, ran for a second and then stopped. I have never been hit so hard in my life. I immediately stood up to save what was left of my dignity, and walked the few steps over to the bike to pick it up. I almost immediately started to black out, my vision started to narrow to a black tunnel and I had to use the bike to steady myself. But being a male I refused to acknowledge that I was swimming in a sea of almost solid black, and with some help hauled the bike upright. Scott had already climbed the hill, with an ease of a seasoned Pro level rider, and was walking down the hill to check on me. The fact that to me it looked like two Scotts were walking down the hill kind of told me that there was no way I was climbing that hill on anything other then my own two feet. Giving the bike to Scott I got a chance to see what the Tiger could really do in the hands of a real rider. Basically it looked like any ole Sunday ride in the dirt, the bike simply went up the hill. The hill was still deep silt, the grass hid the many many pot holes, and the bike still weighed 500 pounds, but Precision Concepts and Touratech knew what they were doing when they did the suspension, and Triumph knew what they were doing when the built that engine, and the bike did what it was supposed to do and made that mountain into a little mole hill.
Like the hill wasn’t even there. Scott Wright on the IMS Tiger.
After a long miserable hike up the hill, I mounted up and we finished the ride, there were a few more hills, all of which paled in comparison to the Hill from Hell, and I was able to ride up in the first try. The downhills were still frightening, where I pulled over a few times to watch the much lighter KTM bikes skip down. But finally it was over, and I have never been so glad and yet so sad to see pavement in my life. In the end I had a blast. The bike was perfect, yes it is a big heavy beast, yes I need much more time off road to learn how to ride the thing to it’s full potential. But in the end I wouldn’t trade this bike, or that ride on that bike for anything. It isn’t the ride that you win that sticks with you, trophies fade away and glory is eclipsed by another better rider, but it is the ride that you stuck it out and finished that matters. “Coming in dead last with nobody but an old man and a flash light was the greatest victory I ever had.” said a rider to me once, and after this ride, waking up the next moring with bruises and aches I didn’t even know I had, I think I see what he meant. It was more about the fact that I did it, on a bike I had never really tested on this hard of an off road course, that is what mattered.
Yeah, on a KTM 450EXC this ride would have been easier, or my old Baja Preped XR650R this ride would not have been nearly this hard, but it didn’t matter, what did matter was I did it. I did it on a 500 pound, 90% street ridden ADV bike, and I could ride it home the next day, in comfort, and style, 160 miles. This is what Adventure riding is all about, this is why these bikes are so popular. It just makes sense, these bikes will get you there and get you home. In the right hands with the right amount of forethought (in gear, suspension, and trail choice), these bikes can do it all, and do it with more comfort and style then any dual sport.
Not to sound like a paid advertisement, but I really can’t say enough about the suspension on this bike. Precision Concepts once again did a great job, they took a soft, and heavy brake dive front end, and made it a work of art. This floated over bumps, dips, pot holes, ruts, and rocks. It didn’t miss a beat, didn’t wander, shake its head, or lose control ever, only the tires (being 50/50 dirt/road tires and the rider) letting them down. As for Touratech, wow, just wow. Yeah this shock is expensive, but anything this good will be. At slow speeds the shock could have been softer, it was set up to handle me (215 plus pounds all geared up) and full panniers, but once you got the speeds up a little, to where the fun really happens, the rear shock just motored over everything, and asked for more. It didn’t matter the terrain, the bike just moved over it like it was smooth asphalt, and made a hero out of a Average Joe. Thanks again to the Cal Poly Penguins and all the sponsor that made this ride possible, and I will see you again next year.
The tie that binds us.
This ad always made me sad. I get what they are saying, and I really actually like old Buells. But it just doesn’t seem right.
One of the great things about riding a motorcycle is the tie that all motorcyclist enjoy. Yeah, I am one of those guys that waves, to every motorcycle rider I see, even if it is a guy on a scooter. Why, because I love the fact that a perfect stranger and I have something so close in common. Riding a motorcycle in modern times is not a necessity like it was in post war Europe or Japan, or as the cheapest means of transport like it was here in America. Instead you ride a motorcycle now, because you love it. You like to live life just a little bit different. I am not saying all people who ride are hard core bad ass people. I mean I am an elementary school teacher, but rather we live life by a different set of rules, and that unites us. You can almost always count on a fellow motorcyclist stoping to help you out if you are stuck, you can always count on another rider giving you parts or gear, for free, just because you need it and they got it. You can always count on at least one good story every time you stop and talk to someone.
Get out and ride, you will always have a good story to tell.
I bring this up because just the other day I was getting on the IMS Triumph Tiger 800XC when a old man walks up to me and starts talking. I needed to get home, it had been a long day and my wife had to deal with a 4 year old and a 2 year old for the last 12 hours alone, so you can see my hurry. Well this particular old man had started the conversation by asking about the bike, saying he had seen me on the freeway and really wanted to talk to me about the bike and was glad that we ended up in the same place at the same time. When I explained to him the bike, the engine, and all the add ons, his smile just kept getting bigger. You see back when he was in college, one summer he bought a brand new, Triumph 650 Bonneville Twin Carb, and rode it from Pittsburgh up into Canada, along the Trans-Canadian Highway, down to LA in California. Seeing me on this Triumph really brought back those memories, it was almost as if he had just gotten of the bike in LA all over again. It was really something else to see this bond between the two of us. We had never meet before, and probably never will meet again, but I had found in this old man, and he in I, an instant friendship that you just don’t get with other people. Now, I have never done a ride like he mentioned, and it will probably never happen for me, but each time I swing a leg over that bike, each time I fire up that 800cc Triple and hear the purr of that exhaust, I am making memories that I will hold onto for a lifetime. And one day I will be that old man, telling some young kid about how I used to have this hopped up Triumph and how I rode it everywhere, off road and on. It will be at that point that I connect with a person in a way that I just wont be able to connect with someone who doesn’t ride. And that kid will do the same thing one day himself.
Funny, but I know you guys get it.
This kind of experience is something else, it is something that few understand, and it is something that I hope to pass on to generations to come.
Passing it on to my next generation
So today, take the time and wave at a fellow rider, stop and talk for a minute, help them out on the side of the road, you never know when you will make a life long friend that you never had before. So go make a friend and get out and ride.
Great IMS group ride, it is just more fun with a friend.
What are you thankful for?
So Thanksgiving has passed now, and Christmas is coming along very soon. It is a great time of year to sit and reflect on what we have to be thankful for. Over here on the Central Coast the winter is pretty mild, we don’t have to pack our bikes up because of the snow, or convert them into snow mobile type machines. Instead we are pretty lucky to get to ride all year long. Now since I am a school teacher I was thankful to get the entire week of Thanksgiving off and took the opportunity to ride down Highway 1 from Monterey to Pismo Beach (while my wife took our daughters the faster way on the 101) to meet Scott Wright, the owner of IMS, for a Thanksgiving getaway with my family. I of course was riding the IMS Triumph Tiger 800XC and was hoping to get some time at the Oceano Dunes, and was not disappointed.
First off the road riding section. WOW, I am very thankful of the men and women that put countless hours of time into crafting what has got to be one of the most amazing stretches of road in California. The most beautiful sections of road were from Monterey to about Cambria. It was tight, twisty, forest, ocean, cliffs, and just all together amazing views and roads. The opportunity to pass slower moving traffic is not as abundant as I would have liked, but it is times like that I still found something to be thankful for because it allowed me a chance to just really admire the views and enjoy the scenery.
After about 3 and a half hours of amazing riding I arrived in Pismo. Spending time with family is always something to be grateful for, and after an amazing dinner I followed Scott out to Oceano Dunes for some riding and a impromptu photo shoot. The bike tracked great in the sand. I didn’t go into any of the deep stuff out in the dunes, staying primarily on the compact wet stuff near the water. I was very thankful for the GPR Steering Stabilizer as it helped in the few rough spots, or where the sand was a little softer.
GPR Stabilizer was a great help.
Love the panniers.
Excellent Grip.
Best view of the day.
The sand was perfect for riding.
End of the day rider and bike.
Beautiful sunset, just one more thing to be thankful for.
End of the day, there is a lot to be thankful for. Your adventure ride doesn’t have to be a 6 month tour to South America from Alaska, it can be something as simple as a ride down the coast for Thanksgiving, and a cruise on the beach. Thankfulness is a frame of mind, don’t let other things get in the way, and if you have time, just get out and ride.
The 1%
After the ride to Colorado and back the IMS Triumph Tiger 800XC has been regulated to what 99% of all motorcycles do, commuter duty. Since the ride I have moved back to Monterey CA where I teach at a elementary school 21 miles away from home. In the last few months over 2,000 slab miles have been put on the bike, and I have learned a few things. One of them being, even though TKC80 tires are phenomenal in the dirt, and grip really well on the road, they suck on mileage. After the 2,000 some odd miles of commuter duty the tires are over half way gone. I learned that on the street I can almost drag the pegs with out any trouble in a fast corner. I learned that even though the bike may be advertised at 45mpg, 38mpg-40mpg in stop and go normal everyday traffic is what is really going to happen. I also learned that having a bike like this isn’t just about big adventures, but the 1% of the time that you get to really just ride, and that 1% is what it is all about.
Clean bike, no bags, looks kind of naked.
On Sunday I finally got a chance to do that. About 20 miles from my house, on Highway 1 is Bixby Bridge, the most photographed feature on the West Coast, and just north of the Bridge is a 11 mile dirt road called Old Coast Road. At one time this was the only way people could get from Big Sur to the Monterey Penninsula, and is now open to all street legal vehicles. I have ridden it before on a older IMS dual sported XR600R, with 90/10 street/dirt tires. But now I had the right bike, with the right tires, and all the time I needed to just enjoy it.
I usually have Touratech 45L bags on the bike, but for this ride I took them off, and I suited up in my full KLIM gear, and SIDI boots. I have not worn all this gear since the ride to Colorado and I forgot how nice it really was (I normally just wear the jacket when I commute). Since I was going to be meeting my wife after the ride, I had jeans on under the pants, and a normal shirt on under my KLIM Jersey and Jacket. The pants and jacket kept me warm during the cool morning fog here on the Central Coast, and when the sun came out they unzipped and ventilated really well. The TKC80 tires, even though the back was over half gone, still gripped really well, especially after I dropped the pressure from the high street pressure of 36-38psi down to about 18psi in the front, and 22psi in the rear. After that they stuck like glue, I could corner as hard as I was comfortable with and brake with confidence, even with ABS causing a few pucker moments in the loose stuff.
Start of the ride, lose, downhill, cars. Good combination.
The first part of the ride is a lose gravel downhill dry section. Since this road is a street legal vehicle road, you have to keep your eyes open for the random truck or SUV. Coming behind me at the beginning of the ride was a guy in a SUV following a little to close behind me. This did cause a little bit of a rush and I over cooked a corner and with the ABS almost slide into the ditch on the side of the road. After that I simply pulled over and let the SUV pass, aired down the tires, and just had a blast.
Beautiful Day.
Beginning of the good stuff. Those tracks in the middle were left by a kid on a CR250R, that got dropped off to ride.
As I moved deeper inland and further into the forest the ground got wetter and the grip just got better. I come from riding a dual sport XR650R, and to be honest once the Tiger got moving it felt almost the same. Only the sound of the engine was different. The power that the Tiger was addictive, the linear way that the power just came on and kept coming on, was amazing. There was a direct connection between your right hand and the rear tire, and how much you slide is completely up to you.
Messing around with my Panoramic setting on my iPhone Camera.
Recent rains means this little creek had some water in it finally.
Bike on a bridge.
Throwing roost like this was all to easy and actually very controllable. Who needs traction control?
With the recent rain we have had here on the coast, the plants can finally start to grow back.
One thing I love about Old Coast Road is that along the way you see that people have build and still live in houses hidden deep in the mountains. The area is absolutely beautiful, and with the recent rain, the plant life is amazing. Near the end of the ride I stopped at a point that over looks the ocean and Highway 1 to take a few pictures. During my little break, a small group of maybe a half a dozen riders on F800GS bikes came riding by. While I was there another guy stopped at the same point, in a brand new 1200GSA on it’s maiden voyage. He said he was taking a picture to send to a friend to make him jealous. This is when it hit me. Yeah 99% of these Adventure Bikes will spend 99% of their time on the road, commuting back and forth. Most of the guys who own one of these bikes is in a similar life situation as I am, kids, wife, regularly scheduled job, bills, the whole lot. We can’t just drop everything, travel from Alaska to South American and then on to Africa, up to Russia, Europe and back home. But it is the times like this when we get to ride with our buddies, or make our friends jealous, or just get away, it is these times, these 1% times, that make riding what it is. It is these times that help define this Adventure we call life.
Almost done.
F800GS rider.
Another F800GS rider.
Making his friend jealous on his brand new 1200GSA.
Dirty bike parked outside swanky Carmel Plaza Shopping Center in beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA.
What Adventure is really all about.
Update and Apology
Ok, so first the apology. We knew where we were going would have no cell reception, but we thought it would have some internet, even if it was at a coffee shop or something, turns out we were wrong. So, with that said, I am sorry for not updating this blog like I had wanted to.
Now the update, the second half of the ride from St. George, Utah to Ouray, Colorado was a blast, we hit Zion and Moab on the way and took so amazing photos. The new IMS ADV 1 foot pegs really proved their worth considering every bike we took weighed north of 500 pounds (except the TE310). Having the extra leverage from the wider and longer foot pegs really helped to maneuver the big bikes around and made even the novice and inexperienced on big bike riders feel much more at ease. The panniers worked great, no locks burst open or got stuck and all of our stuff stayed put the entire time, and the fit and finish really held up to a good amount of abuse. The Overland Jacket and Pants really came into their own on the off road rides, they allowed plenty of airflow in the hot weather we were in, and kept us from sweating to bad or dehydrating our selves. The SIDI Armada boots did a great job, even though they are primarily geared more towards street riding (the Touring part of the Adventure/Touring segment) they still did very well in the dirt. They provided good ankle support and shin protection while also giving the rider a full range of motion. Now if you smack your foot hard on a rock you feel it, but nothing short of a full moto boot would be any better. The helmets and googles did very well as well, providing protection and ventilation as well as a clear line of sight.
We did have a little to much fun out in the desert, and as a result we were a little late coming into Ouray, and the last 30 miles or so were on dirt roads in the dark. As a result one of the guys had a accident, and ended up in a ditch. The bike, a 2010 F800GS, survived with only a little damage, and the rider mounted back up .
In Ouray itself we got a chance to ride up and over Engineers pass. I have heard that this ride can be tough, rocks, ice, snow, standing water, ect. and the Triumph Tiger as well as the rest of the BMW bikes handled it great. The Husky TE310 was really in its element, but considering every other bike there outweighed it by 200 pounds, it wasn’t really fair.
Now, my personal bike, the Triumph Tiger 800XC has been completely worked over in the suspension department. The Touratech rear shock was amazing. I came off of riding a Baja prepped XR650R dual sport to this bike, and lets just say, once the Tiger was moving I could have been back on my 650. The same goes for the Precision Concepts Front Forks. The stock front end is very soft, but with the suspension gurus working at Precision Concepts with all of their race know how, the front end was perfect. The engine, very linear, and tons of power, was a little tricky to control at first at least for me. I was used to the tractor like low end torque of the 650 single in my XR, but after a few miles of riding the Tiger I was able to adapt and was soon kicking out the rear end and powering out of corners like a real racer (at least in my mind). All that to say the Tiger is a great ADV bike, very capable in the dirt, and a excellent almost sport bike like ride, on the street.
Now today is the day that we are heading back and I was able to get a few minutes of internet to write this, but since we are trying to do the entire ride back to Yucaipa in one day I don’t have a ton of time to post pics. But I promise more will come in the next few days, until then happy and safe riding.
And We Are Off!
So yesterday was a big day, not only was it Father’s Day but it marked the start of the Two Day ride from Yucaipa to Ouray, CO. Overall things went great. No accidents, no dehydration, no problems. The Klim Jackets and Pants did great. Now nothing aside from true A/C is going to keep you from feeling hot in the 100 degree weather that we experienced riding through Barstow to Vegas. But once you unzipped the jackets a few inches, and opened up all the vents, it did a really good job getting decent airflow regardless of the model (Overland, Traverse and Badlands Pro). Our Camel Backs full of ice helped to keep us hydrated by providing a constant trickle of cold water and helped keep our backs cool as well. The SIDI boots were incredibly comfortable, and the Gore Tec lining did as advertised, and keeper our feet dry and fairly sweat free. The KLIM helmet did a great job. An open face helmet at highway speed does have some drawbacks, namely wind noise and things hitting your face at 65mph plus hurts, but it did give you extra air flow to keep your head from sweating to much. And a good set of headphones or ear plugs do wonders at reducing the wind noise. Our Seat Concepts seats were worth every penny, after a 6 hour plus ride, those of us lucky enough to have the Seat Concepts seats felt a lot better then those that did not, and could have easily done a few more hours.
Lastly the new IMS ADV 1 foot pegs were great, they gave us a huge platform to move our feet around while seated, giving us the much needed room to move to avoid leg cramps and general discomfort, and the extra leverage they provided really did wonders in the dirt. I leave you with a few snap shots of the ride, and not to worry, there will be plenty more to come.
Gear part 2
Getting that box in the mail is always exciting, but when it contains Touratech Zaga Pro 45 liter bags, it is even better. Thanks to Touratech for these Triumph Specific bags. They are very well built, as are all items from Touratech, they will swallow a full helmet without a hitch, and give the bike a more aggressive, Adventure stature. They are also locking, so you don’t have to worry about your valuables disappearing if you leave something in them, and they pivot open, making it very easy to get your items in and out. On top of all of that, a KLIM set of goggles, neck warmer, and aggressor undershirt, just round out the package. Once again thanks to all the companies that made it possible.
GEAR part 1
Everyone loves new gear. Nothing beats opening that box from the mail, or picking up that perfect helmet or jacket from the dealer and putting it on and thinking, “Oh yeah, that works.” That is how we feel about the awesome KLIM gear that we have for this ride. We are all outfitted with KLIM F4 ECE Helmets, they offer great protection, do not interfere with your peripheral vision, and looks the part. Our Jackets and Pants are all KLIM as well, we’ll be using some of their Overland Gear, as well as their Traverse and Scott, the owner at IMS, will be rocking a Badlands Pro Jacket. They offer great ventilation from the multiple zippers that open up and allow great air flow, with out compromising safety, a theme you will notice about KLIM gear throughout this post. The arms can get a little hot but by simply undoing the velcro straps at the wrist and forearm opens up the jacket to amazing airflow with out compromising your safety (again). Inside the jacket on the right hand side is a zippered mesh pocket with a small hole on the top. It quickly become apparent that KLIM has not forgot that for many of us our ADV bikes do not have speakers to allow us to listen to our favorite music. But you can easily fit a iPod, iPhone, Android, or whatever electronic device you have in the pocket, zip it up, and have a place for the headphone wires to come out of, with out (once again) compromising your safety. This is a great option to have on long rides with open face helmets, since the wind noise can become tedious after a while. I will up date this post with more pictures as I get them, until then enjoy the few pics of one of the Helmets we will be wearing, as well as some of the gear.
Yucaipa, CA to Ouray, CO and back. The Pre-ride.
Life sometimes can take you down unexpected and strange paths. It reminds me of a old Lord of The Rings saying, “All who wander are not lost.” My life has been an interesting roller coaster, I moved my family to Yucaipa to work for IMS Products, but life had a different path for me. I am now back to teaching elementary school and will be moving back to Monterey, CA in a few weeks, but before that happens I will be making my first adventure ride. Scott Wright of IMS, myself, and 6 other men will be making a 2 day 850 mile ride from Yucaipa, CA to Ouray, CO for a church men’s retreat with Wildwood Calvary Chapel. Two of the six men will be riding in the chase truck towing a 16 foot trailer big enough for 4 ADV bikes to fit in. One of them, Chris Hardin GM of IMS, will be a trade out rider for anyone that gets tired, where as Tim Fogle will be the permanent chase truck guy. It should prove to be a very interesting and awesome trip and I can’t wait to get started. So with out further mumbling on my part, here is the list of men, the bikes that they ride, and a little photo shoot of the bike I will be riding, as more pics and info come I will keep this updated so keep a keen eye out, this should be fun.
The Bikes and Men:
There is me on my 2014 Green Triumph Tiger 800XC
Scott Wright men’s pastor and owner of IMS Products on a 2014 BMW 1200GSA.
Chris Hardin Manager of IMS Products and his 2009 Husky TE310 (he won’t be riding that bike, simply because of comfort)
Mark Schlichter on his personal 2010 BMW800.
Jeremy Fogle 2014 1200GSA (on loan from BMW of Escondido)
Keith Morabito on a 2014 BMW 800GSA (also on loan from BMW of Escondido)
The Gear:
For this ride we have been completely outfitted (minus boots) with Klim Overland Pants and Jackets, as well as Klim Helmets, F4 ECE to be exact. This is something we are all very excite about and very grateful to Klim for the equipment. These pants and jacket are very well ventilated, so even in the heat of the Vegas Desert we should be nice and cool. The jackets come equipped with a back protecter, and elbow and shoulder armor, and lots of pockets for storing things. The Pants have tons of pockets, several vents, as well as hip and knee protection. We are hopeful that we never have to find out how good the armor is but it is better to have it and not need it then need it and not have it.
The Plan:
Our plan of attack is to leave Sunday the 15 at around 2pm and then hit Vegas for some IMS promotional shots and videos. Then bomb out to Saint George Utah for the night. The next day we will be hitting Moab and Zion on the way to Ouray. Once at the camp we plan on going over Engineer Pass and a few other yet to be determined rides. We will be there from the 17-21 when we leave to ride the full 850 miles back in one day.
As we prepare I will post more pics and info but now for what you all really want to see the bikes, or at least one of them, my personal Tiger 800XC.
I have added a RS4 Yoshimura exhaust, Alt Rider guards, Precision Concepts redone front suspension and Touratech rear shock, TKC80 front and rear tires, Renthal Twinwall Handlebars, Cycra Hand guards, and a very comfy Seat Concepts seat. I will be wearing KLIM Overland Pants and Jacket and a KLIM Helmet.
On top of all of this IMS has loaned me a set of their Rally Adventure bike foot pegs. I will get some pics when they arrive but let me say I have ridden with them on this bike before and they are great, big, lots of grip, and easy on the eyes. Scott Wright will have a set of the new Adventure Pegs on his 1200GSA as soon as they are finished. He told me they should be really cool with a special shape just for big ADV bikes. I will keep this updated as things develop.
This is Scott Wright’s BMW 1200GSA
IMS Products 