"Hi Honey. I was wondering if I could get the bike dirty today?"
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It Really Was Beyond Epic
- Thread starter Trail Boss
- Start date
"Hi Honey. I was wondering if I could get the bike dirty today?"
A new use for KTM's. Love it!
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- Albert
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- Schilling
I know people like to bag on the KLR because it doesn't have the big HP or the sweet suspension, and well... just because it is a KLR. Still, the bike is just a total hoot to ride fast in the twisties! Granted, I have Race Tech springs in the front and have upgraded the spring in the back, so it handles moderately better than a stocker, but I just love riding this bike in the tight stuff. I liken it to the 125 GP bikes that have to keep up their corner speed to maintain their pace. Smooth is king! I love working at being smooth on the bike.
The run up 123 to Mt. Judea is awesome. I quickly settle into a nice rhythm and before I realize it, I am already at the switch backs.
Oh man, I just love the 690 on 123, it's amazing how it eats up that road, especially up in that tight stuff. I just run off and leave sportbikes there
Oh, and I get a little carried away on those switchbacks, love to drop it down 2 gears and pop the clutch and get that back end sliding, it's just STOOOOPID fun. 
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Oh man, I just love the 690 on 123, it's amazing how it eats up that road, especially up in that tight stuff. I just run off and leave sportbikes there
I bet, I can't keep up with my buddy's 690, and that route is wonderful! Sunday morning coming off the mountain to Mt. Judea, looking at all the native grass seeding out and pretty about 10:30 in the morning and maybe 70 degrees and the sun on my back------I was thinking that it just doesn't get any better than that!!
stingray
0
I luckily was able to start this motorcycling vacation with a prevacation visiting family in north Texas and had my two ride buddies pick me up on their way to Arkansas.
Hugo, Izz and myself
Along the way Izz had a little difficulty keeping track of that busy instrument panel in his SUV
We had a plan but Izz had to overcome his normal reluctance to touch any motorcycle made after 1990. The look on his face shows the true internal struggle. He couldn't bring himself to do this bare handed.
Day 1
On Friday we teamed up with some of our riding buddies from Belton and headed out to ride Track 1 out of the ride guide. We got about 1/4 of the way through it and where having a blast on a river bottom section when the track wanted to steer us up and out back to the flat road. We voted (as least I "think" we did) to ditch the intended track and follow our current path into the unknown. It was a lot of fun for about an hour before we popped up in a fairly open field with no apparent way out other than to backtrack. We had to bushwhack a little but finally found a locked private gate in which we were on the wrong side of. Luckily mother nature had previously dropped a tree over the fence leaving us a path to escape through. I hardly took any pictures the entire day but here are a few:
Clark
Big A and Izz
Mr MotoAdv himself, Jeff
Once "out of the woods" the group decided to head to Oark for lunch where we proceeded to overeat and get sleepy..... A few of the riders headed back to Clarksville while the rest of us rode around some trails just north of Oark. A few hours later we lost a few more and the group was down to just Izz and myself. We really wanted to ride up 2 mile hill but didn't make it on this day. After another hour or two of exploring we headed to the Mulberry for a quick swim and then back to Clarksville. We found Jay doing a little late night maintenance on his bike. Who knew the Aprilia's ran on a secret mixture of oil and diet coke....
Day 2
Saturday started out a little confusing as we had close to 20 riders in our group. Once we arrived in Oark we split into two groups and went on our way. I always struggle with this as there are so many great people to ride with but having too big of a group seems to take the fun out it. Luckily things worked out and we were off. We wanted to finish exploring the trails between Oark and Hwy 23. There was a fun downhill section from last year that we wanted to ride again and we also intended to ride up 2 mile hill since the guide said it would be challenging (which it was).
Here's a few picts:
Brad coming down the downhill section
Edwin fine tuning his bike
Andy fine tuning Edwin's bike
Edwin had a little mishap and broke his clutch lever. Luckily Hugo had a spare that fit with a little "modification".
The bolt wouldn't fit so a cotter pin had to be used. (Note to self, carry spare hardware) Also the shape of the new lever wouldn't allow the clutch interlock to be made so we had to jumer that out as well but we were able to ride on!
A few miles down the trail we were having fun blasting through a section with a few mud holes when we stopped to regroup and discovered we were missing a few riders so we backtracked about 2 miles and found Mark working on his bike which took a nap in one of the mud holes.
Norbert jumped in to help as always (he's a realy handy guy to have around)
As well as Brad
Of couse this was a county job
Izz was testing his underwater camera
Some were doing other things... (a joke people)
Not sure Izz knew we were joking..
After pouring the water out of Mark's carb and ensuring the plug was still firing the bike was reassembled but unfortunately still wouldn't start, try as we might.
The bike had to be moved just over 2 miles to the closest road. Andy's 990 was used to tow it most of the way until a guy on a 4 wheeler volunteered to take it the rest of the way. I missed most of this action because after jumping on my bike to follow the group I discovered I had a flat tire. By the time I got it changed and made it out to the main road Andy had already taken Mark back to get his truck so they could haul the bike back to Clarksville. Funny thing was that "after" they left the remaining group decided to move Marks bike to a safer place but had no way of letting Mark know about this. (They did end up fining it but had to search a bit).
We had burned a lot of time and drank most of our water by this time. The easy thing to do would have been to abort the remainder of the route and head to Oark for more water but really wanted to reach 2 mile hill so we kept on going sharing what water we had left. (We would eventually run completely out) We knew that Turners Bend wasn't far from the top of 2 mile hill so that became our reward for completing the task.
This video is REALLY long and captures ~80 of 2 mile hill. It's a cheap point and shoot mounted on the handlebars so it gets pretty choppy but will give you and idea.
About 2/3's of the way up we stopped to regroup and finish off the last of the water.
Not sure what these guys were passing back and forth but it sure seemed to effect Edwin (another joke..)
Izz knocked all the air out of his front tire..
We rode on and made it to the top. It was a lot of fun and I plan to do it again someday. Not sure everyone else had that same feeling but I know some did. Once at the top a few of the guys stopped to talk to a group folks out enjoying the day. One of the guys was carrying a gun on his hip and was offering everyone beer and seemed kind of shocked that everybody wanted water instead. We finally made it to Turners Bend to rehydrate.
Jarrett and Jay
Edwin and Norbert
We slabbed it back to Clarksville, it was a long but fun day!
Day 3
Sunday started with a little predawn maintenance work. Having a slow leak Izz decided to install his spare tube (more on this later).
Seemed as if our group was getting a reputation as the group was getting smaller and smaller. Jay was all in and stocked up on gas to prove it
One on the road we made our first turn onto dirt when Izz discovered he had another issue with his front tire.
And for the life of me I couldn't understand it as he had just installed his spare an hour ago.... Oh wait, this is Izz we're talking about. Wonder what his spare looked like anyway.
Jay had a new tube and although it was manufactured post 1990 Izz once again reluctantly agreed to use it. He did keep his old spare so I'm expecting to see it again on our next trip... (just kidding buddy)
Exploring some trails to the east of Hwy 21 we quickly got into the usual rocky hills that Arkansas offers. I lost my front break on one gnarly downhill section. One of the many rocks hitting my bike smacked the banjo bolt on my front caliper knocking it loose and released the hydraulic pressure. I managed to make it to the bottom and made the quick repair. The rest of the day would have sucked without front breaks. Another rider, think his name is Trevor?? had a mishap and lost all electrical power on his bike. We spent a little time and found that the headlight assembly got pushed back and one of the brackets cut a wire leading into his ignition switch. Normally this would have been an easy fix but there was only about 1/4 inch of wire sticking out of the bottom of the switch. Since none of us were hot wire experts we had to get creative.
Hugo had some but connectors (and no we didn't make jokes about this) so we were able to trim one down and clamp one end on the wire knub and get a connection. There wasn't much support so a few tie wraps helped hold it in place. This guy had to ride his bike back to Austin to boot!
While making this repair the other guys were keeping in touch with us on the radio and were warning us about the upcoming hill. Of course they had their camera's ready for us... but so did I...
It really wasn't too bad of a hill, just a few tricky spots. Once at the top Trevor?? decided he'd better not chance his repaired ignition bouncing around on more rocky roads so he headed back to Clarksville. I hope this fix got him back to Austin!
Our next find was pretty cool as we happend across this really cool historic cabin. At first we didn't stop as we figured somebody lived there and we didn't want to mess with that. We stopped about a mile down the road to eat lunch with our own style of fine dining
Izz decided to get friendly with the locals and ended up coming back with gifts. Never did ask him what he had to do to get the extra water bottles.
As we were eating a tuck pulls up and this older fella' gets out to talk (and man did he like to talk). Come to find out he was the owner of that cabin we had just passed. He told us various stories about it and I'm guessing some of that will be in next years ride guide for all to read. Basically the house is open to visitors (nobody lives in it) so we went back to check it out.
As it was back at the turn of the century
The owner giving us a guided tour
Sign on the front door
Getting the history of the hand dug well
Good enough to drink
Or cool off in
The next few sections of road were eventually coined the 90K Rodeo. This one was pretty easy elevation wise but had a lot of downed trees. Most you could simply ride over but a few we had to bushwhack around.
Unfortunalty after that last ride my camera mount broke so I had to stop filming... These rough roads were causing a lot of damage. The bracket holding Hugo's spare gas bottles finally gave in.
Shortly after this all but four riders headed back to Clarksville. We had one more section that we wanted to check out. We found our way to two more 90K roads and make a nice loop back to Hwy 21. I plan to explore more of this area next year (or maybe sooner) as these 90K roads offer some really good riding.
Until next time!
Hugo, Izz and myself
Along the way Izz had a little difficulty keeping track of that busy instrument panel in his SUV
We had a plan but Izz had to overcome his normal reluctance to touch any motorcycle made after 1990. The look on his face shows the true internal struggle. He couldn't bring himself to do this bare handed.
Day 1
On Friday we teamed up with some of our riding buddies from Belton and headed out to ride Track 1 out of the ride guide. We got about 1/4 of the way through it and where having a blast on a river bottom section when the track wanted to steer us up and out back to the flat road. We voted (as least I "think" we did) to ditch the intended track and follow our current path into the unknown. It was a lot of fun for about an hour before we popped up in a fairly open field with no apparent way out other than to backtrack. We had to bushwhack a little but finally found a locked private gate in which we were on the wrong side of. Luckily mother nature had previously dropped a tree over the fence leaving us a path to escape through. I hardly took any pictures the entire day but here are a few:
Clark
Big A and Izz
Mr MotoAdv himself, Jeff
Once "out of the woods" the group decided to head to Oark for lunch where we proceeded to overeat and get sleepy..... A few of the riders headed back to Clarksville while the rest of us rode around some trails just north of Oark. A few hours later we lost a few more and the group was down to just Izz and myself. We really wanted to ride up 2 mile hill but didn't make it on this day. After another hour or two of exploring we headed to the Mulberry for a quick swim and then back to Clarksville. We found Jay doing a little late night maintenance on his bike. Who knew the Aprilia's ran on a secret mixture of oil and diet coke....
Day 2
Saturday started out a little confusing as we had close to 20 riders in our group. Once we arrived in Oark we split into two groups and went on our way. I always struggle with this as there are so many great people to ride with but having too big of a group seems to take the fun out it. Luckily things worked out and we were off. We wanted to finish exploring the trails between Oark and Hwy 23. There was a fun downhill section from last year that we wanted to ride again and we also intended to ride up 2 mile hill since the guide said it would be challenging (which it was).
Here's a few picts:
Brad coming down the downhill section
Edwin fine tuning his bike
Andy fine tuning Edwin's bike
Edwin had a little mishap and broke his clutch lever. Luckily Hugo had a spare that fit with a little "modification".
The bolt wouldn't fit so a cotter pin had to be used. (Note to self, carry spare hardware) Also the shape of the new lever wouldn't allow the clutch interlock to be made so we had to jumer that out as well but we were able to ride on!
A few miles down the trail we were having fun blasting through a section with a few mud holes when we stopped to regroup and discovered we were missing a few riders so we backtracked about 2 miles and found Mark working on his bike which took a nap in one of the mud holes.
Norbert jumped in to help as always (he's a realy handy guy to have around)
As well as Brad
Of couse this was a county job
Izz was testing his underwater camera
Some were doing other things... (a joke people)
Not sure Izz knew we were joking..
After pouring the water out of Mark's carb and ensuring the plug was still firing the bike was reassembled but unfortunately still wouldn't start, try as we might.
The bike had to be moved just over 2 miles to the closest road. Andy's 990 was used to tow it most of the way until a guy on a 4 wheeler volunteered to take it the rest of the way. I missed most of this action because after jumping on my bike to follow the group I discovered I had a flat tire. By the time I got it changed and made it out to the main road Andy had already taken Mark back to get his truck so they could haul the bike back to Clarksville. Funny thing was that "after" they left the remaining group decided to move Marks bike to a safer place but had no way of letting Mark know about this. (They did end up fining it but had to search a bit).
We had burned a lot of time and drank most of our water by this time. The easy thing to do would have been to abort the remainder of the route and head to Oark for more water but really wanted to reach 2 mile hill so we kept on going sharing what water we had left. (We would eventually run completely out) We knew that Turners Bend wasn't far from the top of 2 mile hill so that became our reward for completing the task.
This video is REALLY long and captures ~80 of 2 mile hill. It's a cheap point and shoot mounted on the handlebars so it gets pretty choppy but will give you and idea.
About 2/3's of the way up we stopped to regroup and finish off the last of the water.
Not sure what these guys were passing back and forth but it sure seemed to effect Edwin (another joke..)
Izz knocked all the air out of his front tire..
We rode on and made it to the top. It was a lot of fun and I plan to do it again someday. Not sure everyone else had that same feeling but I know some did. Once at the top a few of the guys stopped to talk to a group folks out enjoying the day. One of the guys was carrying a gun on his hip and was offering everyone beer and seemed kind of shocked that everybody wanted water instead. We finally made it to Turners Bend to rehydrate.
Jarrett and Jay
Edwin and Norbert
We slabbed it back to Clarksville, it was a long but fun day!
Day 3
Sunday started with a little predawn maintenance work. Having a slow leak Izz decided to install his spare tube (more on this later).
Seemed as if our group was getting a reputation as the group was getting smaller and smaller. Jay was all in and stocked up on gas to prove it
One on the road we made our first turn onto dirt when Izz discovered he had another issue with his front tire.
And for the life of me I couldn't understand it as he had just installed his spare an hour ago.... Oh wait, this is Izz we're talking about. Wonder what his spare looked like anyway.
Jay had a new tube and although it was manufactured post 1990 Izz once again reluctantly agreed to use it. He did keep his old spare so I'm expecting to see it again on our next trip... (just kidding buddy)
Exploring some trails to the east of Hwy 21 we quickly got into the usual rocky hills that Arkansas offers. I lost my front break on one gnarly downhill section. One of the many rocks hitting my bike smacked the banjo bolt on my front caliper knocking it loose and released the hydraulic pressure. I managed to make it to the bottom and made the quick repair. The rest of the day would have sucked without front breaks. Another rider, think his name is Trevor?? had a mishap and lost all electrical power on his bike. We spent a little time and found that the headlight assembly got pushed back and one of the brackets cut a wire leading into his ignition switch. Normally this would have been an easy fix but there was only about 1/4 inch of wire sticking out of the bottom of the switch. Since none of us were hot wire experts we had to get creative.
Hugo had some but connectors (and no we didn't make jokes about this) so we were able to trim one down and clamp one end on the wire knub and get a connection. There wasn't much support so a few tie wraps helped hold it in place. This guy had to ride his bike back to Austin to boot!
While making this repair the other guys were keeping in touch with us on the radio and were warning us about the upcoming hill. Of course they had their camera's ready for us... but so did I...
It really wasn't too bad of a hill, just a few tricky spots. Once at the top Trevor?? decided he'd better not chance his repaired ignition bouncing around on more rocky roads so he headed back to Clarksville. I hope this fix got him back to Austin!
Our next find was pretty cool as we happend across this really cool historic cabin. At first we didn't stop as we figured somebody lived there and we didn't want to mess with that. We stopped about a mile down the road to eat lunch with our own style of fine dining
Izz decided to get friendly with the locals and ended up coming back with gifts. Never did ask him what he had to do to get the extra water bottles.
As we were eating a tuck pulls up and this older fella' gets out to talk (and man did he like to talk). Come to find out he was the owner of that cabin we had just passed. He told us various stories about it and I'm guessing some of that will be in next years ride guide for all to read. Basically the house is open to visitors (nobody lives in it) so we went back to check it out.
As it was back at the turn of the century
The owner giving us a guided tour
Sign on the front door
Getting the history of the hand dug well
Good enough to drink
Or cool off in
The next few sections of road were eventually coined the 90K Rodeo. This one was pretty easy elevation wise but had a lot of downed trees. Most you could simply ride over but a few we had to bushwhack around.
Unfortunalty after that last ride my camera mount broke so I had to stop filming... These rough roads were causing a lot of damage. The bracket holding Hugo's spare gas bottles finally gave in.
Shortly after this all but four riders headed back to Clarksville. We had one more section that we wanted to check out. We found our way to two more 90K roads and make a nice loop back to Hwy 21. I plan to explore more of this area next year (or maybe sooner) as these 90K roads offer some really good riding.
Until next time!
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Scott, I just had a blast laughing with your videos. They cought the very essence of our little adventure. Thanks a bunch!
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GO STEVE!
I need some help here on selling the whole "dirt bike" thing. I've been looking and hinting but so far all I have gotten out of the deal is an OK to buy trailer for the bikes. Every time I mention needing room for "the dirt bike" I get, well, let's just say a less than enthusiastic response.
Sweet-E
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, I am taking donations for this new adventure of his
:
xcgates
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I need some help here on selling the whole "dirt bike" thing. I've been looking and hinting but so far all I have gotten out of the deal is an OK to buy trailer for the bikes. Every time I mention needing room for "the dirt bike" I get, well, let's just say a less than enthusiastic response.
I seem to recall a saying that involves forgiveness vs. permission...
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I seem to recall a saying that involves forgiveness vs. permission...
Yeah, well, I have probably used that whole "forgiveness vs permission" up when I outfitted the home entertainment system with some really trick equipment...
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Good morning Elaine,
Has Steve shown you pictures (on ADVrider.com, for example) of the Continental Divide Trail and all the beautiful scenery that is available by that dirt trail? And I think that it is a fair statement that if one is careful; riding the gravel roads is safer than pavement.......
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Equipment Junkie has a very nicely outfitted 2006 KLR for sale. No, it is not a KTM, but for the price it is hard to beat, and I promise you can have some SERIOUS fun on a KLR
subcomm
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Ouch!
Any chance insurance will cover it?
You buying DFW Warrior's WR450?
Any chance insurance will cover it?
You buying DFW Warrior's WR450?
The KLX 400 is officially totaled due to the motor hydro-locking in 4 feet of water.
Looking to pickup at a street legal WR450F this weekend.
RIP
BIG A
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Dang!! Mark sure hate to hear that, well now I guess it's time to to find a new bike thats a pretty shade of orange
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The KLX 400 is officially totaled due to the motor hydro-locking in 4 feet of water.
Looking to pickup at a street legal WR450F this weekend.
Sorry to hear that Mark, maybe it's FJR time . . .
Yes but this can actually be a positive:
For Sale: KLX 400 upgraded with Hydro-Lock
For Sale: KLX 400 upgraded with Hydro-Lock
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The KLX 400 is officially totaled due to the motor hydro-locking in 4 feet of water.
Looking to pickup at a street legal WR450F this weekend.
Where did you find that much water??? Just what is damaged, Rod, Piston, Crank. Sound's like that bike just needs a stroker kit. It'll be good as new.
Must be someone who needs a KLX440. That just sounds trick. Of course if you did that you would need to dress like
!!! Oh yeah, we can rebuild it, we can make it better, faster, stronger. The 6 million dollar KLX. I need to be careful, I'll talk myself into it. If I bring that green thing home, the next time I am riding one of the KTM's it will throw me down and stomp my
! I'm not being funny, it has happened before, just ask my wife!Sam
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subcomm
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Thanks for all the condolences!
The whole motor is toast. piston, rod, crank, head, valves, etc... had no idea water could do that much damage! My insurance company has declared it a total loss and should be getting some $ in the next couple of days and getting the WR maybe as soon as this weekend.
Big A, I was thinking about going Orange, but it is hard to beat the Jap reliability.
The whole motor is toast. piston, rod, crank, head, valves, etc... had no idea water could do that much damage! My insurance company has declared it a total loss and should be getting some $ in the next couple of days and getting the WR maybe as soon as this weekend.
Big A, I was thinking about going Orange, but it is hard to beat the Jap reliability.
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Okay... So I left off with us finishing lunch...
After enjoying a nice lunch at the Eagle Cafe in Mt. Judea, Milton's foot is really starting to hurt and he wants the quick way back to the hotel, which happens to be right back down 123. Richard and Steve decide to ride back with him. Kevin and I decide to do some more exploring...
On a previous ride out here where I accidentally wound up leading a group of 12 or so riders, we came to Mt. Judea via a fun dirt road off if Hwy 7 that eventually dropped us out right at the sharp 90 degree corner in "downtown" My. Judea. So my thought is to find this road and run it over to Hwy 7. It starts out narrow and nicely paved, winding across the small valley floor. The map shows this as CR 54, but at the little cemetery, we hang a left on CR 55 (also shown as NFR 1204). It soon turns to dirt/gravel and begins a long winding climb up out of the valley. It's not super technical, which is good when your belly is full, but it does require that one pays attention.
Prior to this trip, I had noticed that the KLR has been having issues with not going into first gear, or going in but not staying in gear. Thus far, I really have not been having an issues with it... thus far... In a nice steep section of the road, right after making a tight switchback in loose rocky soil, the bike decides to pop out of first gear!! 
It is probably a good thing I am standing or I would have likely ripped the seat cover when the engine revved to the moon and I tried to jam it back into gear! No go. I totally lose momentum and have to attempt a stop. The front brake is useless and I am sliding backward. I can't really grab the back brake because I need that foot to try to keep the bike upright. I do a little dance, hopping back and forth over the seat from one foot to the other as the bike tries to tip from side to side. Somehow, I manage to slide back to the middle of the corner and come to a stop... WHEW! Now I have to get moving again and I am still on a pretty steep section of the road. Once I am sure the bike is in gear, I pour on the gas and ease out the clutch. Rocks are flying everywhere and the bike is fishtailing side to side. At first, it looks like I won't make it, but the tire finally starts grabbing and I get up enough speed to stand back up, making my way to the next switchback and chasing after Kevin who had managed to ride around me while I was flailing about like a fish out of water.
After the steep section, the road runs along the side of the ridge line, climbing gently. It is wider here and better maintained, the kind of road Richard and Milton hate 
It is still fun and before long we find ourselves popping out on Hwy 7 just a few miles South of Deer (Hwy 16). Just West of town, we head Southwest on CR 29. This is a fun descent down into Curtis Creek valley, dropping over 1000 feet in a few miles. After crossing the creek, we head South on CR 311, which follow Big Piney Creek.
It starts out nice and smooth...
Then gets narrower and rockier, following the contour of the land
A dry creek bed that dumps into Big Piney Creek
And before long, the roads gets REAL interesting... We arrive at a section where the road has been washed away by a landslide. There are ATV tracks where ATVs have picked and climbed their way through. Kevin and I dismount for a look. About the time I am thinking we might want to backtrack...
Kevin charges in with the mighty KLR!
It doesn't look so bad in the pictures because what you don't see where each of the red arrows is pointing is BIG dips full of loose rocks. I give Kevin a few pushes and reorienting tugs on the back end to get him pointed the right direction, and eventually he makes to to the far side.
Still doesn't look to bad...
Heading into the last dip, then a steep short climb up to the road bed
The last 10 feet or so are at about a 45 degree angle, but first you have to rock back and forth to get the bike pointed the right way...
Looking back to my bike from about the midpoint of the slide
Well, Kevin made it without too much trouble, so... Some slipping and sliding, pushing and pulling, and I finally get through and we are on our way again.
We soon reach Cow Creek and cut over to Pine Ridge Rd (CR 30/CR5680), continuing South.
True to its name, it quickly climbs up onto a narrow ridge and starts running West away from Big Piney Creek. We run this all the way over to Hwy 21 and then just run back to town.
At the hotel, we find every gathering in the parking lot of the Days Inn to start the stories... It seems that Richard has finally convinced Milton to visit the local ER. His ankle is swollen to the size of a large grapefruit! I head to the hotel to get cleaned up then take the truck back over to the Days Inn to sell a few TWT shirts and visit with folks. Before long, talk of dinner leads to plans to meet at the Mexican place in town. I take a truck load of folks and head over to meet up with Richard, Robert, and some others. Shortly after we arrive, Richard shows up with Milton.
Several broken bones in the foot and a fracture on the side of the ankle.
Milton will survive, with some inconvenience, and it was a great day of riding. Dinner is awesome and I get a nice visit with Steve and Elaine, whom I have not seen since a trip up here way back in 2005! Then it is back to the Days Inn to hang out in the parking lot and make plans for tomorrow. more dirt... or pavement... 
I'll have to sleep on it... 
After enjoying a nice lunch at the Eagle Cafe in Mt. Judea, Milton's foot is really starting to hurt and he wants the quick way back to the hotel, which happens to be right back down 123. Richard and Steve decide to ride back with him. Kevin and I decide to do some more exploring... On a previous ride out here where I accidentally wound up leading a group of 12 or so riders, we came to Mt. Judea via a fun dirt road off if Hwy 7 that eventually dropped us out right at the sharp 90 degree corner in "downtown" My. Judea. So my thought is to find this road and run it over to Hwy 7. It starts out narrow and nicely paved, winding across the small valley floor. The map shows this as CR 54, but at the little cemetery, we hang a left on CR 55 (also shown as NFR 1204). It soon turns to dirt/gravel and begins a long winding climb up out of the valley. It's not super technical, which is good when your belly is full, but it does require that one pays attention. Prior to this trip, I had noticed that the KLR has been having issues with not going into first gear, or going in but not staying in gear. Thus far, I really have not been having an issues with it... thus far... In a nice steep section of the road, right after making a tight switchback in loose rocky soil, the bike decides to pop out of first gear!! It is probably a good thing I am standing or I would have likely ripped the seat cover when the engine revved to the moon and I tried to jam it back into gear! No go. I totally lose momentum and have to attempt a stop. The front brake is useless and I am sliding backward. I can't really grab the back brake because I need that foot to try to keep the bike upright. I do a little dance, hopping back and forth over the seat from one foot to the other as the bike tries to tip from side to side. Somehow, I manage to slide back to the middle of the corner and come to a stop... WHEW! Now I have to get moving again and I am still on a pretty steep section of the road. Once I am sure the bike is in gear, I pour on the gas and ease out the clutch. Rocks are flying everywhere and the bike is fishtailing side to side. At first, it looks like I won't make it, but the tire finally starts grabbing and I get up enough speed to stand back up, making my way to the next switchback and chasing after Kevin who had managed to ride around me while I was flailing about like a fish out of water. After the steep section, the road runs along the side of the ridge line, climbing gently. It is wider here and better maintained, the kind of road Richard and Milton hate It is still fun and before long we find ourselves popping out on Hwy 7 just a few miles South of Deer (Hwy 16). Just West of town, we head Southwest on CR 29. This is a fun descent down into Curtis Creek valley, dropping over 1000 feet in a few miles. After crossing the creek, we head South on CR 311, which follow Big Piney Creek.It starts out nice and smooth...
Then gets narrower and rockier, following the contour of the land
A dry creek bed that dumps into Big Piney Creek
And before long, the roads gets REAL interesting... We arrive at a section where the road has been washed away by a landslide. There are ATV tracks where ATVs have picked and climbed their way through. Kevin and I dismount for a look. About the time I am thinking we might want to backtrack...Kevin charges in with the mighty KLR!
It doesn't look so bad in the pictures because what you don't see where each of the red arrows is pointing is BIG dips full of loose rocks. I give Kevin a few pushes and reorienting tugs on the back end to get him pointed the right direction, and eventually he makes to to the far side.Still doesn't look to bad...
Heading into the last dip, then a steep short climb up to the road bed
The last 10 feet or so are at about a 45 degree angle, but first you have to rock back and forth to get the bike pointed the right way...
Looking back to my bike from about the midpoint of the slide
Well, Kevin made it without too much trouble, so... Some slipping and sliding, pushing and pulling, and I finally get through and we are on our way again.We soon reach Cow Creek and cut over to Pine Ridge Rd (CR 30/CR5680), continuing South.
True to its name, it quickly climbs up onto a narrow ridge and starts running West away from Big Piney Creek. We run this all the way over to Hwy 21 and then just run back to town. At the hotel, we find every gathering in the parking lot of the Days Inn to start the stories... It seems that Richard has finally convinced Milton to visit the local ER. His ankle is swollen to the size of a large grapefruit! I head to the hotel to get cleaned up then take the truck back over to the Days Inn to sell a few TWT shirts and visit with folks. Before long, talk of dinner leads to plans to meet at the Mexican place in town. I take a truck load of folks and head over to meet up with Richard, Robert, and some others. Shortly after we arrive, Richard shows up with Milton.Several broken bones in the foot and a fracture on the side of the ankle.
Milton will survive, with some inconvenience, and it was a great day of riding. Dinner is awesome and I get a nice visit with Steve and Elaine, whom I have not seen since a trip up here way back in 2005! Then it is back to the Days Inn to hang out in the parking lot and make plans for tomorrow. more dirt... or pavement... I'll have to sleep on it...
- Joined
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Sunday morning... it's cloudy and cool. The cool weather is a welcome break from the blistering heat we've been enduring for months. I am a little sore and stiff from riding the KLR yesterday, the result of not riding often enough 
So I decide that I will run a street route today. The route I have in mind is fairly long and hits a LOT of my favorite roads, so I am somewhat worried about the size and pace of the folks I might ride with. Hopefully, it will be a small group, which makes it MUCH easier to keep stops brief and time to regather at intersections short. After a HOT shower to loosen up the morning stiffness, I gear up and head over to the Days Inn to see what is going on. Before the trip, CDC had mentioned that he would like to run a street route if I lead one. So I find him, Nadeem and Jerry off to one side of the parking lot and ask them if they still want to follow me for a day of great riding. At first, there is a bit of reluctance and uncertainty, but then the thought of great roads takes over and they are on board. We wait a while for the crowds to thin out before we leave.CDC doesn't like HUGE bug spatters on windscreens, even on other people's bikes, so I get a nice clean windscreen
We head East out of town for Hwy 123. The plan is to run 123 all the way North to US 65. This is a GREAT ride and it will give me a chance to get a feel for the kind of pace our group will run. We make quick work of the run up to Hwy 7, then on up to Mt. Judea, and start heading past Vendor. Once past Vendor, the elevation chances are more gradual and the landscape more rolling. The road sticks to a ridge and is a long string of fast banked sweepers. At 65, we turn Southeast a short way and then pick up Hwy 235 and run back to the Northeast to Yellville. 235 gets into a little more rapid elevation changes as we climb over a bunch of small ridges before dropping into the White River valley at Yellville. We stop for gas in Yellville and run into Bill "Bushwacker", a TWT member from Houston. He's up here on his BMW 800GS riding with some friends. After a short break and visit, we get back on the bikes and head North on Hwy 14/125. The sky is getting progressively darker and the wind ever stronger. There have been some spots along the ride thus far where I was wishing I had some kind of sweatshirt to put under my mesh jacket just to cut the wind on my skin. I've actually gotten a bit chilly a few times! Now I am concerned about the possibility of rain. I've ridden these roads in driving rain before, but it is much more fun in dry conditions. Just before leaving the gas station, Bill mentioned that we should really watch for deer because they are on the move with cool weather arriving. I had already seen some yesterday and earlier today, and now I spot a few fresh kills on the side of the road as well as several live ones. Hwy 14/125 is a fun road. It runs high along the West side of Bull Shoals Lake, affording some great views looking out over the woods and the lake below. There are some really nice homes up in this area. The road consists of smooth wide sweepers posted at about 30-45 mph, but all easily taken at 60-70mph if one is inclined... It is a great road for settling into a nice rhythm. 125 peels off 14 and heads North up to the Reed Ferry crossing. When we arrive, there is a line of bikes and cars waiting on our side, and the arriving ferry is packed with bikes and cars.
Jerry signals his approval of the route...
Waiting patiently for the signal to load the ferry
It is getting later in the afternoon now and I am beginning to think we may not be able to do the full route that I had intended. There is also the issue of the darkening sky and some sprinkles I have seen on my windscreen and visor. As we enjoy the ride across the lake, I ponder our route options. I REALLY want to make a run up MO 125, cut across to Ava and pick up Hwy 14, then come back South and basically backtrack to Clarksville. I don't think we'll have time. Looking at the size of the pack of cruisers about to disembark in front of us, the going is not going to be real brisk either... At the far side, there is a long line of bikes waiting to board the ferry. We unload and fall in behind the group of cruisers, maybe ten bikes and a trike. Sure enough, they are running a pace so slow it is difficult for me to hold a steady line through the corners and to keep from running up on the back of them. I try to hold back and not crowd them so they can enjoy their ride. My fear now is that they will be heading up 125, which means we'd have NO chance of doing my intended route and getting back to Clarksville in time for the evening's festivities. So... I do some creative rerouting on the fly. The new plan is to head East on US 160 for a few miles and pick up MO 95. I'm also thinking that the other guys might be wondering about lunch about now. Last time I came through this area, there was a great little roadside cafe on 160. I'm thinking it might be a great place to stop... until we get there and I see that it is closed. Oh well, nothing to do now but press on. Hwy 95 is one of my favorites in this area. The elevation changes are large and frequent, leading to being pushed down into the seat or getting light cresting hills, very much like a roller coaster. The pavement quality is also really good. So long as we don't get stuck behind a car, things are great. There aren't many places to pass here, even on a fast bike. The highway crosses several small valleys and follows some very narrow ridges. Like many of my favorite roads, it rewards smooth riding with the sense of almost flying. By the time we reach Hwy 5, I realize we really need to start heading back. We could run down 5 back into Arkansas, but that would just be so boring... This area is jammed full of wonderful little back roads, some paved, some sort of paved, many dirt. The lettered county roads are usually well paved and suitable for any street bike. While looking over the GPS I keep having to remind myself that two folks in the group are on an FJR and a Goldwing, so I need to stick to the paved stuff. One side road that I think will be paved turns out to be broken pavement and gravel, so I hope back on Hwy 5 for a few miles and we pick up Hwy 95 again, on the East side of 5. This run for a long way and is a great ride all the way up to US 60, but the plan is to turn South on CR N. CR N is a narrow paved winding road. The pavement is good and the road smooth. It winds through a little valley down to Hwy 181. The rain is holding off. It looks like we're just going to have thick low hanging cloud cover with really strong side winds and gusts, even down in the valleys. I'm good with that. We head South on 181 to US 160 just East of Gainesville. We head East a short bit to pick up CR J. This is a really nice road, but being so close to the lake, getting stuck behind RV's and/or boat trailers can be a real problem. Sure enough, that is exactly what happens and we join a long train of vehicles trailing an RV that is cooking his brakes. At the stateline, this road becomes AR 201 and runs down into Mountain Home. From Mountain Home, we could run US 62 back over to Yellville and backtrack to Clarksville. It is a great ride and as the saying goes, it's a totally different road when you ride it the other direction. Still... we are soooo close to Push Mtn Road, it would be a shame to bring the guys all the way over here and NOT ride it! Banquets are fun to be sure, but riding is more fun We stop in Mountain Home for gas and snacks. At this point, there is no discussion of lunch. The group is happy to just keep on riding We head South out of town on Hwy 201 for a few miles to the start of Hwy 341, Push Mountain Road, also known as the Arkansas Deal's Gap (even though it is nothing like the real Deals Gap in NC). There is even a guy that comes out here on weekends to take pictures of people like Killboy does on the real Deals Gap. Still, it really is a great road. It starts out by crossing the White River on a high bridge. Sheer bluffs overlook the river below. EXPENSIVE houses line the top of the bluff. The first few miles of the road are relatively sedate, bu then the road makes a turn to the West and climbs into the mountains. This is where things get fun! The remainder of the road runs along twisting narrow ridges. The pavement is all good and smooth. I do spot several deer and in one place have to stand on the brakes/air horn pretty good because of a large deer hanging out in the middle of the road. Racing through here with reckless abandon could get ugly... The grasses along the shoulders are high and easily hide a deer. I see one only because it pops its head up out of the grass when it alerts to my presence. The first thing I notice is the ears sticking up. Then it bolts into the woods rather than into my path. the South end of the road gets really fun because the curves just come one after the other in rapid succession before finally reaching Hwy 14 just East of Big Flat, which as the name suggests, is just a BIG flat area. Hwy 14 East to Mountain View is a great ride, and Mountain View might be a good place to stage a weekend of DS riding because there are TONS of roads/trails in the woods in this area. However, we head West on 14 toward Harriet, and then 27 on over to Marshall. This is also a really great stretch of riding. However, if you find yourself out here on a street bike with a little extra time, Hwy 74 East of Marshall over to Hwy 66 is REALLY good. There is rarely any traffic and the road is very twisty and nice. The West/East section winds through a narrow creek valley and then the North/South section climbs up out of the valley along some ridges. Best of all, there is usually little to no traffic on the road. In Marshall, we cut through town and pick up Hwy 27 West. Heading out of town it gets twisty in a hurry and stays that way for a few miles before dropping back down into Bear Creek Valley, where it follows the valley for a few miles. It then climbs back out of the valley to run numerous ridges to the Southwest. It is getting on in the afternoon and I find myself slipping into the frame of mind where I stop less and just ride. I slip into "the zone" and before I realize it, I am finally clicking with the 1200 GS, riding really smooth, quick, relaxed, and with my vision wide instead of tunneled. I occasionally slow down and wait for the group to come into view, then set off again. We reach Hwy 16 and turn North to Witt Springs. Hwy 377 runs North from here to Snowball and Hwy 74. 74 then runs back to US 65 just North of Marshall. That is a great little loop and quite fun. We stay on 16 as it loops back South. I'm really enjoying myself now despite the fact that my hands are really hurting. In the last few years, I have really been having trouble with pain in my palms and fingers when I ride. Essentially, they feel like someone has been beating the inside of my hands with a hammer, very tender to the touch. Despite a light grip on the bars, they just ache. I flip on the heated grips which feels good and helps, but it does not make the pain go away. Soon, it is just a question of mind over pain because there is no choice but to keep riding until we get back to town. So I try to focus on the road, my approaches to the corners, hitting the apexes, leaning through the corners, looking for the exit and ROLLING on the throttle! The 1200GS excels at all the above. Before long, I reach Hwy 7 and park at the general store across the intersection. I grab my camera and head back up the road a bit, hoping to catch a few shots of the guys as they come around the last corner. Finding a good place to stand is tough as sides of the ditch are steep and there are sticker vines everywhere. I also don't want to be where someone will run right into me if they target fixate coming out of the corner. I soon hear bike approaching and try to hold steady for the shots.Jerry followed by CDC
Nadeem loafing along...
Regrouped, we head Southwest on Hwy 123 for the final run back to town. The problem with the rides where you really get into a groove and feel like you and the bike are becoming one is that they have to end. There is also the realization that the next few miles are the end of the whole trip. I always enjoy those last few miles but that enjoyment is tempered with a sense of mourning. Still, I am not going to let it keep me from enjoying the run back to town and I quickly get back in my groove!Stopped in Hagarville to wait for others to catch up... contrast of old and new
Back at the hotel, I find a COLD drink to hold. My hands are killing me. We clean up and head to the nearby sports bar where the ride banquet is to be held. Like any bar, it is smokey. We try ordering dinner, but they are out of pretty much everything except beer. Richard is busily giving away door prizes and we decide to get dinner elsewhere. We find ourselves back at the Mexican place from last night. Yes, it is that good. Then it is back to the parking lot of the hotel for a great evening of visiting with everyone.Oh... and some nice cold refreshments...
It was a great weekend. I always enjoy getting to see so many folks and visiting with them. I saw quite a few that I did not recognize or get a chance to visit with. I think they were the early to bed early to rise crowd, of which I most definitely am NOT a part of I did get to put some faces with usernames, which is always an interesting experience I can't wait to do it again. There are almost endless roads/trails to explore in Arkansas and most of them are a lot of fun!
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 51,226
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- 8,211
- Location
- Huntsville
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- Last Name
- Friday
Here's the GPX file for the routes.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 51,226
- Reaction score
- 8,211
- Location
- Huntsville
- First Name
- Scott
- Last Name
- Friday
By the way, any news on how Milton is doing? Did he have to have surgery on the foot or just a cast?