Bastrop Trails Regular Saturday Ride

[AustinJake]

Ooooo Joel, Jim's got a new CRF250L, you can get a ride on it! I've got a tire on the Husky I need to burn up.....

[RollingJ]

Sunday's are my only day off right now, so Sunday am is all I get.

I don't know if I will have my re-re-welded subframe back from the welder tomorrow. If I do, I'll let you know. There is a ride west of Austin I need to make one of these days, but I would end up getting home way too late for this weekend.

I would just take the NX, but it needs a little welding, too!

[RollingJ]

I'm up for a bit of Bastrop tomorrow, as long as I'm home by 12. There is a new area I found on the map that I want to check out.

What time shall we start?

[jimhaleyscomet]

Would 9am at the soccer field be early enough? If it is too late perhaps I could do 8:30 but I have to get up soooo early (whine, whine, whine).

What bike should I bring ?

Jim

[AustinJake]

I'm out, can't keep the Husky running, acting like a plugged up fuel filter but a new one only helps for a few miles and then symptoms again: cutting out, backfiring, dying, sometimes keeping it revved keeps it alive, sometimes not. Looking for someone to clean the injector off the bike now, with a backflush.

[jimhaleyscomet]

Originally Posted by AustinJake

I'm out, can't keep the Husky running, acting like a plugged up fuel filter but a new one only helps for a few miles and then symptoms again: cutting out, backfiring, dying, sometimes keeping it revved keeps it alive, sometimes not. Looking for someone to clean the injector off the bike now, with a backflush.

Couldn't be bad gas could it? Sorry to miss you.

[RollingJ]

Don't give up on Jake.

I just got off the phone with him. He drained some gas from the tank and it's all kinds of cloudy. He's going to drain the tank and put some fresh gas in there. Let's hope that does the trick. If he gets it running he'll let me know, put the bike in the truck (WHAT???), and meet us at 9am at the soccer fields.

[AustinJake]

Well, I dumped all the gas and got some good gas, and it didn't help. maybe because I was still running the fuel filter that may be bad. The cloudy gas that I saw was in a clear plastic tub that I used to cycle the fuel pump to test it, and it was cloudy after I had used it, so now I am thinking the fuel filter I am using is bad. Had to give up for the night, you guys have fun and stay safe. Avoid the mudholes too!

[RollingJ]

Dang! Keep at it when you get some sleep, you'll get it.

[RollingJ]

Another fun day at Bastrop is in the books.

Jim's little red bike is very nice, and he ate up the trails.

We went everywhere at a good clip, and then crossed the tracks right by the river and rode an intensely rutted, insanely overgrown track I found on the map. Drop #1 for me! No pics, I'm too quick!

We made it out of that forest and headed back to the single track section, where I dropped it again on the off-camber turn around the tree. I need to get some longer legs! Jim got a pic of this one.

We did about 30 miles, including the trip to Jalisco's.

I was taking Jim back to his truck, and on the exit of the U-turn under 71 I gave it a little too much throttle while leaned over a little too far, and found myself sliding on the road for 30ft or so. Jim's eyes were like saucers as I picked the bike up, gave him the 'all's well', pushed it to the inside of the road and started her back up. I'm very glad I had my inside foot way up and forward, holligan supermoto-style, as my leg was free from any carnage. My Fox Comp5 boots logo wore a little bit through the KLIM Dakar pants, but the thin hip pads on the pants did a fine job of reducing the impact to my hip joint. My ARC Foul Weather Jacket has a couple dime sized wear marks on the elbow, but I can hardly see a mark on my skin. If anything else touched the ground, my Troy Lee Hot weather shirt underneath it all kept me pain free. My hip is a touch tender, but I have fallen so much harder than that over the years, I know I will be fine.

The bike lost a little steel from the footpeg, the handguard, and the axle nut.

That is one tough bike, I tell you!

[AustinJake]

Dang, the bike must be running good and powerful, or was it that new tire, leaned way over into the unused chicken strip?

[RollingJ]

Both, plus a flat front tire, due to a leaking schrader valve with no valve cap.

Washing the bike I noticed the valve bubbling, so I took it out and I might have had 2psi. Hardly a whoosh. So, a new valve and a new cap and I'm good to go!

[FiddyK]

glad to hear all went well and you are unscathed from the incident. jake almost got us arrested in lago today

[RollingJ]

First, what was up with the bike, Jake?

Second, what did you do this time?

Beans must be spilled.

[AustinJake]

Well, I took the crappy auto fuel filter, the type I've been using for 9000 miles, just hooked the fuel pump straight to the pressure regulator, and the thing ran good, then FiddyK called and said he was going to Lago in 10 minutes, I saw an opportunity to have a rescue guy with me in case I broke down again. On Saturday, I had pushed the bike 1 mile home on one occasion. So it ran good for 40 miles, I am still looking for a universal, 5/16" nippled fuel injection fuel filter, may have to order one from the web.

We had exited the trails out to a paved road, and FiddyK had to take a call, then then same cop that pulled me and Tom over one day slid in behind us and gave us the evil eye, and said those bikes look like they are made to go on more than just the streets, y'all ain't trespassing on people's private property out here are ya? Just move along then, move along....and we did.....no harm, no foul. It helps to be all legal with the insp stickers and stuff.

[webnel]

Cool weather musta been makin' you push it in the corners.

[RollingJ]

I must admit I was also having a little FI jealousy. We got geared up after lunch, threw our legs over the bikes, Jim says, "The thing I like most is this", and as he turned the key and pushed the button the CRF250L purrs to life. I want one.

My bike was cold and I had to choke it. Since he was ready to go I dropped it off choke and was blipping the throttle to keep it running and I killed it pulling out (I'm geared 15/48 for the highway parts of the ET450). I choked it again to start it, got moving and dropped the choke too early again and had to keep the revs up.

I rushed myself. Just one of many factors, but I should know better.

The rear tire was pretty well scrubbed after two weekends of riding the trails so I really don't think that was it.

The bike has a ton of 'get up' but I'm used to it.

The front tire being just about flat was the biggest part I think, as I regularly slide the back tire around under throttle on any surface. This time the front just went away.

[jimhaleyscomet]

Yes Joel, I was pretty wide eyed after your fall. It's amazing what good gear does!

Forgetting the pavement fall the rest of the day was fantastic. Bastrop seemed totally different than my previous trips with much more vegetation, some new tracks, and a ton of fallen trees. The CRF250L was fantastic at Bastrop. Light enough to toss around but quick enough for a ton of fun! Thanks again!

Jim

[_RG_]

Dang Joel! Tough on the roadway there... Glad you made it with just a scratch.

Izzy uses Slime in his tires...they still go flat but with all the gooey gunk being flung around it's easy to tell when they're going down.

[MotoTex]

Joel, at lunch I'm gonna go look for the mark you made.

Was it the low front tire washing out that got you, or, was it the Jaliscos tacos that changed your weight and balance to somewhere outside normal flight parameters?

Glad you made it out "unscoothed."