HIGH TRAIL EXPEDITIONS

We Are Still Out There . . . . . .

htejournal — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 02:57:57 +0000

No question about it – it has been so long it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to get into the blog to make this post. Since the last post, a lot has happened. For example – we have a new Granddaughter with the beautiful name of Hazel. She, of course, the most beautiful baby girl in the world – just ask Jan. Paul (also known as Paul Bob by the folks in Leadville) has finished his college career at St. Lawrence University and did a great job. And we are still planning for the TAT trip with the boys and our very good friends.

Right now – the weather is only 7 degrees with the low to go below zero – it is a little difficult to imagine riding motorcycles with this weather, but everyone’s thoughts are focused on Spring. Paul has gone over the TAT trail maps and compared the route to GOOGLE MAPS. We have also purchased com units for the bike – Starcom is the product name and the units come out of the UK. They use a central unit which acts as an amp and a noise canceling device. It can also take an iPod so you have a choice to listen to something other than the babbling of a fellow rider.

We are also looking at new foot pegs called “Pivot Pegz”. The foot peg platform, which is 60mm wide, rotates 20 degrees fore and aft thereby allowing more direct contact with the shift and brake levers. They are suppose to be more secure for the rider and less fatiguing. A good friend in Leadville, CO made the suggestion and uses them on his BMW800GS. We’ll do a post on them are we give them a try.

As for the trip schedule, it has changed (like everything in life). Ham has the opportunity to teach a new course at the university where he is a professor. It is a new course that Ham and one of his colleagues has developed on the “hunter-gatherer” life style and exercise protocol. The course will be held from mid-May through June so the original target date of May, 2011 will not work. Consequently we are now shooting for June 1, 2012. Frankly this gives everyone a bit more time to practice and work on those riding skills and CONFIDENCE!!!! We also have the annual 4 wheel drive off road trip with the usual gang in mid-August with at least two training trips in October – so the best decision is to move the trip into 2012.

The other cool thing we discovered is a dvd series called the Long Way Round and the Long Way Down. Star Wars actor, Ewan McGregor and his friend Charlie (who rode in the Paris-Dakar) did a video journal of their two trips: one around the world and the other from Scotland to the tip of Africa. They are truly special journals covering everything from preparation, border crossing challenges and most interesting of all, the personal challenges of their personal relationships during the trip – strongly recommend them.

There you have it – we are back on line and will keep up the dialogue – stay safe and warm . . . . . .

We “Passed” Our First Course (or Survived Without Damage)

htejournal — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:14:44 +0000

Time to check in – we all completed the GS Training course hosted by the BUDDS BMW dealership in Ontario, Canada. The event was covered by OFF ROAD MOTORCYCLES.CA, an internet magazine. Check out the following site which has a series of pictures of the training event (including us): http://www.offroadmotorcycles.ca/journal/2010/6/27/dual-sport-101-budds-bmw-motorrad-gs-rider-training-day.html.

We all had a great time and really increased our confidence with the bikes. The instructors were very skilled and had a great deal of off road riding and racing experience. I must admit that none of us dumped our bikes(although we did a whole lot of slipping and sliding!). Ham took pictures throughout the day. We will post them as soon as he sends them out. The training process was a building block process starting with basic riding skills on a dirt road using cones and steering by shifting one’s weight from side to side. The group then moved on to a variety of terrain types, banked turns and finally the teeter-totter for balance and throttle control.

After basic skills, we worked on soft terrain and moved on to a course of wet grass, rocks, climbs and descents. The idea was to build up speed and confidence by working on the variety of challenges on the course. After lunch (hosted by the dealership), we went to work on a dirt oval track to build up speed and the feel of the bikes in turns employing the throttle for traction control and direction. The last portion was the motorcycle version of the “mud bog”. it was very interesting (perhaps amusing) to see the riding styles and differences between riders and the type of tires on the bikes. All three of us did well in the mud, it must be all that 4 wheel off road driving time we have.

We all agree that the time spent at the course was worth the effort and that we really have a lot more to learn and practice - and that was the true benefit of the training, knowing that we all need to get as much time as we can in the saddle and have FUN!!

Stay safe and Ride Well . . . . . .

Paul & Jen Have Hijacked The Blog . . . . . . .

htejournal — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:38:05 +0000

This is turning into Paul’s and Jen’s Blog (as they are doing all of the off road riding). The following is a email from Paul and Jen from their most recent adventure in the Virginia mountains. We are thinking that Paul should start writing comedy (we are still waiting the verdict on off roading riding):

All,

Jennifer and I took the bikes off road again this weekend. We went out to the Shenendoah Mts to an ATV/OHV trail area. There were lots of trails, and even the easy rated ones had difficult spots. In fact we found very quickly that even on the easy OHV trail we got in over are heads the first day. We ended up riding the same sections of just a few trails over and over to get used to the bikes and practice. We did discover that on one point to point trail, that if we had started at the other end we could have riden for several miles before getting to the rough stuff. We’ll do that next time, and we’ll let you know our plans to see if any of you can join us. Below are a few notes from what we learned.

Although first I’ll add that Jennifer is tougher than I imagined (I already knew she was pretty tough too!) but by the end of the first day she was really beat up on her legs from falling on the bike. The foot pegs seemed to really “scuff” up her shins and calfs. And she got a nasty bruise on her hip from a fall. But she never quit or even seemed to think about it. What we learned from this was it hurts less if you’re having fun, if you have hip pads bring them, get riding boots that will cover your calfs and shins, you can actually run over a tree, and the bikes are pretty tough too. Even though we both put our bikes down we had no damage other than scrapes on the handle bars and some plastic parts, and no lasting or serious injuries to ourselves.

We also took the Brute off road for the first time. Another successful event. I’ll send pics in a second email, as this one will be kind of long.

Anyway, heres the meat of our experience, remember if it seems obvious, we both come at this as novices…

- An “easy” ATV trail, may not be easy for beginner motorcycles.

I put Metzler Karro 2 off road tires on the BMW prior to the trip…I could not have riden these trails on the street tires.

If you haven’t gotten bigger “off road” type foot pegs, you can pry the rubber insert out of the pegs on the BMWs. Do this, wet boots will slip off the rubber inserts.

It’s easier to go up a hill than down.

STANDING on the top of the hill looking down, it won’t look too bad…SITTING ON YOU BIKE on top of the same hill will look exponetially steeper. About half way down, realizing you’re in over your head, it will seem like a cliff. These bikes are to big to try to walk down a rock covered hill. I don’t know what the trick is for this yet, but a rock covered down hill trail is tough.

Turn off the ABS when off road…everytime. If you haven’t used the abs on the BMWs yet, do so on a gravel or dirt road (it’s easier to make it work on gravel or dirt). It is not as smooth as a car’s abs (at least my bike is not). It’s not like the rumble strip feeling you get from your car. It’s clunky and I feel very distinctly the on and off cycling of the brakes. It’s disconcerting the first few times. On the trail its a pain in the butt cause the tire skids to one side when locked then starts again about the time you’re adjusting to the skid. If you do it with the abs off, you control the skid/slide and the amount of brake pressure.

Locking up the rear wheel with it in gear will cause it to stall. This seems obvious now, but surprised me the first few times it happend. You’ll learn how to restart the bike on the hill w/out stopping. It’s not really that hard.

The gear ratio on my bike for these trails seemed wrong. It just wasn’t right for slow descents and seemed to bog down when moving slowly, but I never got enough speed to go to 2d for very long. This may be a function of my inexperience. I believe your bikes have a different front sprocket. That will be my next mod for the 650.

You can pull up beside someone, grab them by their shirt sleeve and pull them back up to balance if they are falling over very slowly. It apparently is not appreciated if you talk to them/her prior to helping them/her regain her balance. Opps!

The bikes survived really well, no leaks or flats, and no real damage. The BMW seemed to rattle and “kachunk” a little bit, but I think that was the kick stand and center stand bouncing as I rode over bigger rocks and such. (at least I hope that’s what it is).

Use the trail to turn around, ie drive up a high spot and roll back to make a 3 or 4 point turn. Pushing the bike around is too much work.

There was nothing on this trail that we couldn’t ride with a little more practice. It had a good mix of dirt, rocks, mud and trees. (Jen met some very nice trees!)

My only concern at this point is the pace required for the trip. We are riding very slowly, right now, and unless large portions of the trail are easy dirt or two track type of road, Jen and I will have a long way to go.

And one last thing…If you haven’t put your bike down yet, just ride into your yard, and stop. Try to balance as long as you can, and then you will fall over. It’s embarrassing yes, but get it over with, it’s actually a confidence builder to realize you and the bike will live. Unless you stop next to a pool…then you could really be in over your head! Aaaahhhh nice pun!

Hope this helps. We need to find an ATV/OHV area somewhere central to all of us. Everyone is welcome to meet us in Shenendoah, but it may be a long ride for you guys. If you know you have weekends available, let us know. We are already planning more trips to practice.

Unfortunately, I could not make the trip as we are in the “final” stages of packing up the house for the move which is scheduled for the 28th – I hope that we will be able to add our own version of “comedy” in the very near future as we prepare to FALL OVER!!!. Our Paul is back from New Zealand (actually in transit to Denver) and should be in WNY on Friday as will Ham – they are coming for the final push and hopefully a day of training with a BMW dealer from Hamilton, Ontario (assuming all the work is done by the end of Saturday). If we make the training, I am sure we will have stories of our first spills.

More to come . . . . . . .

Stay safe – RJ

Way Tooooo Long . . . .

htejournal — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:28:25 +0000

It has been way tooooo long since the last post. However, I have lots of excuses (thank goodness). Since April I have had the opportunity to get in a few rides, no dirt yet, just road time for the basic skills. In the meantime, Jan and I have decided to sell our home in WNY (the down sizing thing). So at the end of April, we listed the house, I took off to Tucson for a conference with a client and left Jan to get the house ready for showing (not one of my better decisions).

As it turned out the first couple to see the house put in an offer on the first day and house was sold – Jan gets all the credit as I was nowhere near WNY when it happened. As you can imagine, we have been incredibly busy sorting and packing 30 years of collecting “stuff”. At the same time we also found a great rental home (smaller so we have to really truly get rid of stuff). In addition we had to sort out what is going out to Denver as well.

So here we are on June 12th and we have 90% of the house sorted and packed and we are still talking to each other!!! Moving date is june 28 and then we are back home in Denver on July 3 for breather before we come back to WNY to unpack and set up. And then there are all sorts of new and great business opportunities that arrived at the same time as well – but that’s enough of the excuses.

In the middle of all this, Ham and I, as well as our good friends, Paul and Jen have been conversing on the TAT trip. They had the opportunity to get on the dirt with their bikes and had an “interesting” time – I will try to paste in Paul’s and Jen’s emails as they are really great (and sobering!). Hopefully if the packing stays on track, Ham and I will be joining Paul and Jen in Virginia this coming weekend for our first try on the dirt. I promise a follow up email with pictures of us picking up our bikes and other embarrassing events.

We are also signing up for a GS off road riding school that the BMW dealer in Hamilton, Ontario is arranging. The instructor is eight time Canadian national dual sport champion. The first part of the class is riding skills on various terrain and then practice on an adjoining trail system. We will certainly get out updates as soon as we finish the class. Here is Paul’s email:

All,

Jennifer and I had our bikes off road this weekend. Went out to a buddy’s hunting club and rode some trails for a little bit. Mostly dirt and gravel roads, and some unused trails through the woods and along a power line. All and all we maybe put 15 miles on the bikes each day, and rode for about an hour each day. Both Jen and I put our bikes down. Both times trying to turn around at the end of trail going very slow. Both bikes (her’s is a little yahmah 125) faired just fine. In fact it was in the same place just on different days.

Here’s some things I discovered, which you guys may or may not already know…(Keep in mind that this is the biggest bike I’ve every ridden, on or off road)

The BMW is HEAVY. It takes two people to get it back up. It’s also sturdy, only a little dirt to wash off after the “incident” When it goes over…It goes quick! I was hardly moving, less than 5 mph and it tossed me off, landing on my shoulder and back.

And if you start to fall but don’t catch it in time, you either hold it till someone helps you push it upright or you let it fall. Getting to the person quickly helps a lot! This happened to both of us too!

You cannot “muscle” the BMW around like a little dirt bike, (or a medium dirt bike), by shifting your weight around to push it one way or another over obstacles or trees.

Too further the above, it’s a little un-nerving to feel the bike get wishy washy (it’s a technical term I think) under you on loose gravel or wet grass and mud…it’s hard to use your body weight to settle it when it out weighs you by three times. (Jen has the same problem even though her bike is so small!) When the bike slides or jerks in a direction you really feel it, and it takes some getting used to. We need to practice standing up on the bikes to get used to this.

Learn to use the clutch and balance to turn the bike around or manuever slowly around obstacles. Seems obvious, but Jen and I both tried to push the bikes a little to much using our legs at first. It’s very easy to fall over trying to turn tightly very slowly. Look closely at the ground in front of you..we put our bikes down because we missed a low spot just off the trail, that pulled the front wheels, and the bike out from under us.

Branches and downed trees, I’m talking about small ones here(2″ or 3″ diameter), will push you in the direction they’re pointing. I think the answer to this is a little more speed but they can be decieving in how quickly they will push you aside.

We saw a few obstacles that we agreed we would eventually have to master (bigger downed trees, big sloppy puddles, and some gully/creek crossings) but we waved off on them this time.

In short, find a dirt road and ride some there, It’s quite different than I expected. Plus it’s tireing. There’s a private park near here, that you can join, and then ride dirt bikes on the trails. We’ll probably do that once we get more comfortable off road. Still trying to find some public land where Jen can ride her’s since it’s not street legal.

Here is Jen’s email (like her priorities!!):

I thought I’d add a few thoughts to Paul’s . . . . .

Off-road was fabulous . . . and I’m glad we spent three days practicing the basics in a school parking lot prior to heading off-road. My slow speed, tight turning still needs work, but having practiced in a smooth, flat parking lot with zero obstacles was helpful prior to trying it on a trail and in a field.

I also picked up a little trail etiquette on our off-road adventure. If your riding partner is in half-fall and is struggling to hold the bike upright, it is best to quickly come to their assistance rather than stop your bike, turn off your bike, put down the kickstand, chalk a tire, fix your hair, run to starbucks for a latte, and then ask if they need help. Apparently, BMWs are heavy.

Paul is due back from New Zealand on June 23 – so the boys will back together soon and I am sure the riding will pick up as we head into the summer.

Well that’s it for now – more to come on a much more regular basis as life starts to settle down, at least, a bit . . . . . .

Stay safe

Ham’s First Ride . . . . .

htejournal — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:13:38 +0000

The weekend before last, Ham came up from New Paltz to add all of the aftermarket parts and off-road tires to his BMW. And like his Dad, he nicked the front tube and had to change it out for a new one. Ham is now an “expert” on tire changes. We had a great time and after all the “work” fun, we went for Ham’s first ride. The most vivid memory I have of his ride is the large smile coming from the inside of his shinny silver helmet.

The only thing we forget is to take pictures so I actually do not have any proof of our accomplishments. However, i can assure you that his BMW is all tricked out and that he had a great First Ride!

We also received word from our very good friends, Jen and Paul, that they bought their bikes and are well on their way of gearing up for the off road trip. They also forwarded pictures, which unfortunately I lost when my computer experienced a serious setback.

Paul continues to do well in New Zealand and the boys back home are starting to ride. More to follow . . . . . . .

GREAT RIDE – FIRST FOR THE SEASON . . . .

htejournal — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:24:43 +0000

An incredibly beautiful day and a great day for the first ride of the season. I did over 30 miles and practiced the fundamentals and the bike’s controls. The shifting with the riding boots started to feel much better as well as the braking. With practice, the confidence builds and the controls become smoother. I also found a large dirt lot and ran through some of the off road drills by riding on the pegs doing figure eights and 360′s.

Before doing the ride, I added all of the gear bags, except the large duffel, in order to see if the bike would feel any different with the tools and trail gear onboard. If there was a difference, I could not feel it. I also added a very important decal to the bike – the GUMBALL decal. This is for my grandson, Padraig, as that is what he calls his grandfather and that works just fine for me!

This coming weekend Ham is coming to WNY to add all of the extra equipment and the off road tires to his bike and hopefully get in his first ride of the season. Paul is still in New Zealand and is doing well as Ham and I continue to extend our head start on the riding.

More to come . . . . . .

"Grandpa" GUMBALL

Gear Bags On Board

High Trail Expeditions

Tank Bag

Time To Start Riding!!!

htejournal — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:21:03 +0000

Spring has finally arrived!! The riding (practicing – practicing- practicing) can start. This last weekend was great time as Jan and I had everyone (but Paul- stuck in New Zealand) home for the weekend. We celebrated Jan’s birthday and of course, got the motorcycle out for a short ride. Got some great photos of our grandson, Padraig, sitting on the bike. As soon as I get them from Zeb, I will post them.

Our adventure companions, Jen and Paul, are pursuing the “acquistion” of their machines so they can start all that practicing as well. More posts and pictures to come – ride safe!!

See you on the trail . . . . . . . .

In the meantime . . . .

htejournal — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:14:43 +0000

Winter still has a firm hold on WNY – so not much is happening on TAT preparation. I have finished the EMS kit for the trip and the helmet “Eject” devices (which I sincerely hope we will never need). The poor bikes look so cold out in the garage.

So in the meantime, we have been getting updates from Paul who is in New Zealand. He has made the adjustment and seems to be getting it all together and his pictures keep on coming. We are also getting a pictures on a regular basis from Boston showing our grandson, Padraig, and the progress he is making exploring life – his parents are doing an incredible job raising and enjoying him (as are we).

That’s it for now . . . . .

Off To New Zealand!

htejournal — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 04:34:50 +0000

Today was the day – Paul is off to New Zealand for five months of exploration and (hopefully) studies in geology! The last few days leading up to departure were full of the typical hectic activity of packing and repacking, weighing bags and trying to remember what not to forget. Everyone in the family checked in to wish him a safe journey and as of this post he is out over the Pacific.

While Paul is off exploring us guys left behind will get a jump start on riding and trip prep. Of recent interest are a few discoveries regarding body comfort. The first is moisture wicking underwear from the Wicks company. Apparently they were the first to develop wicking garments. They make a complete line of underwear at very reasonable prices. Their products look great – we will give them a try. The second product is “related” to the underwear and is called “Anti Monkey Butt Powder”. Really – not kidding – this a real product and apparently (from the testimonials) really works. It used by firefighters, medical patients and a wide variety of individuals. Despite the somewhat graphic and unique name, we have ordered some and will be posting a “product review” in the future. Check out www.antimonkeybuttpowder.com.

Stay tuned . . . . . . . .

First Ride !!!

htejournal — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:56:39 +0000

An rare event!! A series of sunny days in Western new York – Paul is with us getting ready for his semester in New Zealand and we decided to put in the batteries and take that first ride (just in the local neighborhood). We thought that we kept it local for the first rides, it would be safer and less chance to embarrass ourselves. After putting on all of the riding gear on (which took more than a few minutes), off we went – around and around the block.

The first thing I found out is that it was very hard to find the shifter with the motorcycle boots – no feel through the boots for the lever and it is not as easy to just look down for the lever with the full face helmet and the Leatt neck brace. So back to the garage to make an adjustment with the shift lever. Paul seemed to have an easier time finding the levers. It took two more adjustments to get the lever into a position that started make shifting easier.

The most important part was the sheer fun and high of riding on the new bikes – it really hit home after all of the planning and work on the bikes that we are really going to do the TAT. Hopefully Ham will be able to visit in the near future to work on his bike and just maybe – it might be another rare sunny day and we will be able to get in his first ride.

As it turned out we also got in a second ride today before the rain finally set in. Things went smoother on the second ride – shifting was getting easier and the riding boots started to feel better. We started to venture further from the neighborhood and tried a short run on one of major roadways. Paul’s critique on the ride is that I needed to be a bit “faster” on the main road with the car traffic considering the line behind us – oh well!! I look at this as a building experience with safety first. Second time out on highway we picked up the pace and Paul was feeling much better about his Dad.

The bikes rode great – I have to admit that BMW builds a well balanced machine that is effortless to maneuver. All you have to do is let the bike do the “work”. Mom took some pictures of the first ride for the historical record.

Another milestone . . . . .