Just Ride!

Over the last week or so I have continued to get some ride time on the pig nearly every day. The weather has taken a noticeable dive in temperature but this seems to make the riding more enjoyable. The new battery has transformed the KLR from a "I hope It starts" to a "Wow it starts up every time". This has made me feel more comfortable and I now understand what it means when people call the KLR bulletproof.

My feel for balance has significantly improved. I find myself enjoying the ride even in the windiest conditions where it feels like the bike wants to blow right out from under you providing some sphincter tightening moments. I practice daily trying to keep the touch light on the handle bars and turn with my head up. I also try and keep my legs tight on the tank and practice slow turns using only my legs for when I hit the dirt.

Sometimes when traffic is a little heavier I will take a detour through a dirt trail on my commute to work. What I know and have confirmed repeatedly is that dirt riding is a totally different animal than street riding. I found myself shying away from the dirt simply because you feel barely on the verge of control when dodging chunks of rock or sliding the rear tire when going through a corner in sand. Its learning limits and trust all over again.

I recently was having a moment where I thought..."Maybe I can't get the hang of this dirt riding." Nahhh I just have not had enough dirt time yet.

In the spirit of that statement I got on my pig this past weekend and rode up to Sahuarita to meet my step father who has a sport ATV and a lot of unmaintained roads and sand washes to explore.

It took some self motivating to overcome my reservations but I geared up and hit the dirt. Now this was only my second time really hitting the dirt hard. My last time it was significantly hotter and I had only been riding for 3 days. The result was me gasping for air after I dropped the KLR in the sand washes a few times. This time I tried to apply some of the lessons I learned about keeping the hands light on the handlebars, steer with the legs and stand up more!

I was shocked. Those simple changes added up with the little over 4 weeks of daily street riding experience. My sense of balance was clearly better as the hours progressed I found myself able to dive right into most terrains, turns and bumps. I stood when I saw it was going to get really rough and kept my legs tight to the tank using them to steer. Just using enough pressure to keep the handlebars mostly straight but not fighting them and trying not to use them to turn was far more effective. Over those three hours I rode hard and by the end I was bottoming my suspension out 2-3 times a minute catching air and bucking the pig over ruts. I was able to keep the bike moving straight for nearly a mile in 12 inches of sand despite the fact that it felt like a pit-bull was jerking my rear tire back and forth in a game of tug-o-war. Now it was not all smooth. I had my fair share of almosts while riding but with better balance I was able to power out and keep just enough traction to turn the almosts to holy shit I made it. I have to say that being on the verge of doing a full flying hug into a jumping cholla cactus really motivates one to stay on the bike.

This is not to say that the KLR did not eat some dirt. I did drop it twice on this trek. Both times were at near dead stops where my balance seems weakest and both times on a hill where I tried to lean into the downside and had no way of catching the weight. Jumping off was the best option after letting the bike pull me down under\with it. On a positive note I got to try some techniques for lifting the bike myself using a technique where you put your lower back into the bike seat and lift with the legs entirely. It works extremely well even when the tires were uphill. See this link for examples: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-pick-up-a-fallen-motorcycle-77965/.

Overall I think this advice rings true. Just Ride!