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East Texas Riders?

Joined
Nov 26, 2009
Messages
1,421
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1,233
Location
Greenville
First Name
David
I live in Greenville and am looking for folks that would like to ride out East or join me for rides in Oklahoma Arkansas and maybe even some rally in other states.
Would love to trailer down to the Austin area and check that out. Went to school in San Marcos and miss the hill country. I ride Red River and or Barnwell on a KTM 300 a couple times a week. Wife bought me a 1290 for Xmas and I'm looking to explore. I have found more dirt roads out here than I ever imagines. Not opposed to street at all but it is a 1290 R.
Next Rally for me is the Arkansas 500. Thanks.
 
Im interested too. I'm in Houston and I am trying to set up a ride from Houston to SW Arkansas area for Mid April, maybe earlier.
 
I spent a lot of years riding back roads in the Athens, Tyler, Palestine and Jacksonville area.
I really like the piney woods of east Texas.

Build it and they will come.
 
I live in Greenville and am looking for folks that would like to ride out East or join me for rides in Oklahoma Arkansas and maybe even some rally in other states.
Would love to trailer down to the Austin area and check that out. Went to school in San Marcos and miss the hill country. I ride Red River and or Barnwell on a KTM 300 a couple times a week. Wife bought me a 1290 for Xmas and I'm looking to explore. I have found more dirt roads out here than I ever imagines. Not opposed to street at all but it is a 1290 R.
Next Rally for me is the Arkansas 500. Thanks.
I am looking also for duel sport riders, but I am 48 years old, so I don't think I want to do a 500, but I would be interested in definitely the Hill Country. I have a fairly new 2017 Kawasaki Versys-X 300. Let me know if any dual sport type rides come up?
 
Im interested too. I'm in Houston and I am trying to set up a ride from Houston to SW Arkansas area for Mid April, maybe earlier.
Ok, I am interested. I am in Humble Tx. I am a new dual sport rider. Been riding street bikes for about 10 years but just got into the dual sport so I am not looking for anything extreme. I have been taking it out to the 4x4 Extreme place in Crosby and so far, only seems like deep sand is getting me. Ate it twice in the sand, but I got full roll bars all around and I am glad that I bought the after market T-Rex undercarriage because I bottomed out good on their bridge. Its a Kawasaki Versys-X 300.
 
You would be surprised how fun the Ark 500 is. I'm 59 and it was easy. We ride in a group great guys from all walks of life. and all skill levels.
Looks a little wet for any kind of dirt roads right now unless its just 100% offload. I might be up for a cruise Sunday if the weather holds. I've got a bad case of cabin fever. Been nursing some broken ribs.
 
Count me in! I would really like to put together a Thursday evening Barnwell group.

Am also interested in trailering down to ATX to try out Emma Long or the places near Marble Falls, CTOR, etc.
 
Marble Falls is doable if this is the Marble Falls close to Round Rock I am seeing on Googlemaps. Thats maybe 3 hours from Houston. I can trailer 2 bikes on my current trailer, which is a single axle flat trailer with double ramps, mine and someone else if someone is in the Houston area and needs a lift.
 
Ok, sounds like a plan is being formulated. Does anyone have a map, or and idea on what trails we will take? I am completely new to dual-sport and have only been riding around Houston and surrounding areas so far but I am an experienced street bike rider. I am fine with cheap motel rooms. I despise camping in the heat though. Nothing is worse than waking up in the morning hot n sticky in a tent as it ruins the rest of the day, however, tent camping is great when its colder.
 
I'm fairly new to the adv riding scene. I'd 2nd the camping idea. I've ridden more in Ark than here. Anyhoo I'm in for just about anything. The only thing I've ridden at Barnwell is single track and would prefer NOT to ride that on the 1290! I think I'm going to head east tomorrow. No idea where I'll end up.
 
I ride in east texas often. But mostly on road riding with a few dirt roads mixed in. I have a vstrom 650 so it's a bit heavy for any real offroad riding. I live in forney east of Dallas. Last weekend me and the wife road two up all the way down to palestine and back. Some nice roads down there.
 
Has anybody come up with anything so far, maybe withing a few hours of Houston? I gotta get out and do some off roading before it gets hot.
 
Check out the EasTex 450. It's a series of dirt roads that go from Livingston to Toledo Bend to Rusk and back down to Livingston. It's a good 2 or 3 day trip.
 
Thanks. Here is a link for the actual map. Anyone up to making this ride as soon as we get good weather. This weekend looks like rain, maybe next weekend, or the weekend after? I can trailer 1 or 2 other bike other than mine depending on size. I live in Humble. We can launch out of Livingston and pay to put the truck and trailer in someones parking lot somewhere.

 
Has anybody come up with anything so far, maybe withing a few hours of Houston? I gotta get out and do some off roading before it gets hot.

Houston County is only 2 hr from Houston and 99% of our county roads are dirt.

Also, we have Davy Crockett Nat Forest which has a network of fire roads.
 
Ok, I am looking at the East Texas 450 map and San Augustine is in the middle of the ride from Livingston at about 120 miles I think via the dirt roads. This seems to be where allot of cheap motels are as its a decent sized town and I see nothing after that for another 100 miles. My thinking is, thats where I would stay for the night, after 120 miles of dirt roads. I figure a person cannot go highway speed down dirt roads so 120 miles at 30 mph is 4 hrs. Food stops, site-seeing, and 120 miles to San Augustine is probably a whole day ride. I am not an expert on this as I have never driven that far down any dirt road. So is the East Texas 450 a leisurely 2 day ride? Thinking about doing this in 2 weeks or soonest weekend with good weather.

I am updating this now. I am looking to make this easy. My bike is new and another person who just joined TWT has just bought a new Yamaha Tracer 900. I do not plan on hauling a tent with me on the bike and plan on looking for a cheap motel. I am just letting people know ahead of time so they can budget for it, but the hotels in San Augustine are all $50 to $100 a night, like the Budget Inn for instance.
 
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So is the East Texas 450 a leisurely 2 day ride?

Leisurely? Not so much... for me anyway. There's no reason to race through but you'll need to keep a fairly steady pace. Mechanicals and weather get a big vote. Dry=deep sand, wet=muddy hills and wicked ruts. Either extreme will soak up time. If you hit Goldilocks conditions (hey, it's happened) then you can cruise gently and enjoy the beauty of East Texas. Even with the BEST conditions you're still going to find some sand and some mud...maybe within yards of each other. Either one can slap you down if you're not looking for it. Just the nature of the country.
 
Another great route...that's not too far from us here in ETX is the Peak to Peak ride in Arkansas. It connects Hot Springs and the two highest points in Arkansas via a good bit of dirt. It's a 2.5 day ride from Queen Wilhelmina Lodge and makes a big loop.


Video clip gives you a sense of the thing. Probably 60% dirt, but some really good goat trails thrown in the mix. We were on 650's and our wives were on CRF250L's. We stayed at Mt. Magazine Lodge, Wilhelmina Lodge, and a hotel in Hot Springs.

 
Thanks. Here is a link for the actual map. Anyone up to making this ride as soon as we get good weather. This weekend looks like rain, maybe next weekend, or the weekend after? I can trailer 1 or 2 other bike other than mine depending on size. I live in Humble. We can launch out of Livingston and pay to put the truck and trailer in someones parking lot somewhere.


That little stretch of Hwy 87 over in the SE corner of the route is worth a run down to Burkeville and back. There is a nice gas station right there at 63 and 87 to get gas, snacks, restrooms, etc,...

FM 330 and 353 East of San Augustine are really fun paved roads!
 
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