• Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to register so that you can join the community and use the numerous features on the site. After registering, don't forget to post up an introduction!

Riding the Passes around Ouray, Co., 7/29 - 8/3

Status
Not open for further replies.
I bought a new pair of stupid expensive Gore-Tex gloves for the wet weather. I hate cold wet hands. I think these are rebranded by BMW as their 2 in 1 gloves.

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/held-air-n-dry-gloves

When your hands are warm and dry in cold, rainy air...the price will be cheap compared to half frozen hands that are stiff and hurting. Hands are absolutely necessary,multipurpose riding appendages. you need them to be 100%. Well worth the investment. I have the same pair and consider them a great piece of gear.
 
I rarely know what I am doing 60 days out! :lol2:

:lol2: Me either, but I figure with a trip like this, you might have a little advanced planning ! ! ! David Allen just needs around that much time to schedule time off. I'll have the suspension work done and the extra farkles on my 1090R by next year. It's a work in progress. Can't spend too much at one time. The wife is a CPA and I've got to keep her happy ! ! ! ! ! :trust:
 
:tab I've gotten real good at throwing together trips on very short notice. I don't really have the kind of job where I have to "put in" for vacation at the beginning of the year. It is just me, my Dad, and one other person. So we tend to have a general idea of what we'd like to do throughout the year and then we play it by ear as events unfold during the year. It lacks the certainty of systems where people know their schedule for the whole year, but at the same time, it does allow for a great degree of flexibility... sometimes...

:tab If you find yourself wanting to do a trip somewhere, let me know though. Even if I can't go, I can usually help with some planning for routes just based on experience from prior trips I've done. I keep all my GPS tracks/routes for reference on future trips.
 
Dang ! I wish my 1090R was set up and ready ! ! ! I'd meet you there if it were. Maybe next year if you go back....... If you do decide to go back next year, give me a 60 day heads up. That way I can let Mongo (my youngest son) know and he can put in for time off.

Those 1090R's come pretty well set up from the factory.

Being a larger human, you probably need some suspension work, but I can't imagine much else.

Roger at OnRoadOffRoad in Austin could get that thing set up for you in no time. :)
 
I am glad to hear that you love your gloves, hope I do too. Gloves are a difficult thing for me, almost none fit correctly. I got their largest size 13, I can barely get them on so I am hoping I can get them to stretch a bit. The thumb is oddly long, so I am fine there LOL.

So you like the guy at off road on road, I have never done anything with my AT or the Husky which I know is under sprung, so I have to use a light riding style to keep from bottoming it out. LOL. Almost took it to the 512 suspension guy, but never did, I had heard there was someone else closer to me in Austin that was good, I am guessing it is this guy.
 
I am glad to hear that you love your gloves, hope I do too. Gloves are a difficult thing for me, almost none fit correctly. I got their largest size 13, I can barely get them on so I am hoping I can get them to stretch a bit. The thumb is oddly long, so I am fine there LOL.

So you like the guy at off road on road, I have never done anything with my AT or the Husky which I know is under sprung, so I have to use a light riding style to keep from bottoming it out. LOL. Almost took it to the 512 suspension guy, but never did, I had heard there was someone else closer to me in Austin that was good, I am guessing it is this guy.
Roger is a good guy and knows his business. I've only had him do my sport bike suspension work but I know he does dirt as well.

He did great work at a reasonable price for my track bikes.

www.ororcycle.com

In my experience, he's not super fast to respond sometimes if working, but give him some time and he'll answer.
 
Those 1090R's come pretty well set up from the factory.

Being a larger human, you probably need some suspension work, but I can't imagine much else.

Roger at OnRoadOffRoad in Austin could get that thing set up for you in no time. :)

Being 6'8" and 340lbs, nothing is set up for me from the factory ! ! ! Konflict Motor Sports is doing my suspension work. A Black Dog Skid Plate to protect the underside and relocate the side stand. Aluminum Hand Guards from KTM Power Parts. Side Racks from SW-Motech to hold the soft bags off the muffle. A High Fender Kit from Touratech to keep mud from jamming up the front tire (ask me how I know this will happen). I've installed a 1290 SA-T two piece seat on it, Cyclops LED headlight replacement kit, and a Wings muffler. I've looked at the upper Crash Bars from Touratech along with Rigid Industries LED lights, but that can be added at any time later ! ! !
 
:tab I've gotten real good at throwing together trips on very short notice. I don't really have the kind of job where I have to "put in" for vacation at the beginning of the year. It is just me, my Dad, and one other person. So we tend to have a general idea of what we'd like to do throughout the year and then we play it by ear as events unfold during the year. It lacks the certainty of systems where people know their schedule for the whole year, but at the same time, it does allow for a great degree of flexibility... sometimes...

I understand. If you do find youself planning a trip to Ouray next year, keep me in mind please ! ! ! :rider:
 
WE will be right behind you, we will be leaving the same day or on the 30th. We have a group of us that will be meeting and riding together out of the Taylor Park area. Hauling all the bikes up in trailers, and will be sleeping in them. I just bought a Africa Twin DCT model, loving it. I am putting on a pair of TKC 80's, hope that i like the way they perform. Maybe we will run into each other on the trail. Jerry Simpson have great time be careful.
 
Oh is this ever tempting! I would love to ride Colorado again, and would love to ride with all you guys too. You never know, I may just show up for roll call one morning. So day one is small bike and then it alternates daily from there huh. Decisions decisions...
 
WE will be right behind you, we will be leaving the same day or on the 30th. We have a group of us that will be meeting and riding together out of the Taylor Park area. Hauling all the bikes up in trailers, and will be sleeping in them. I just bought a Africa Twin DCT model, loving it. I am putting on a pair of TKC 80's, hope that i like the way they perform. Maybe we will run into each other on the trail. Jerry Simpson have great time be careful.

I don't think we'll be getting that far to the Northeast, especially on the small bikes. We might pass near Crested Butte on the big bikes if we do Kebler and Ohio passes.

Oh is this ever tempting! I would love to ride Colorado again, and would love to ride with all you guys too. You never know, I may just show up for roll call one morning. So day one is small bike and then it alternates daily from there huh. Decisions decisions...

That is the general plan. Of course, you never know. If we have a crap weather day that is supposed to be a small bike day, we might do the big bikes if the weather is supposed to be better the next day. Bad weather will generally be more of an issue on the small bike days than on the big bike days. I am pretty sure you could handle the small bike routes on your AT ;-)
 
By the way you may want to take a second rear tire with you for the AT. When I first took my AT to this area
I only got 350 miles out of the rear TKC80

The sharp rocks just ripped the knobs right off the tire. It was crazy.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
By the way you may want to take a second rear tire with you for the AT. When I first took my AT to this area
I only got 350 miles out of the rear TKC80

The sharp rocks just ripped the knobs right off the tire. It was crazy.

Wow. What kind of pressure were you running? I've never had a TKC do that. That is what I ran on my 1150 GS when I did a lot of these passes years ago, one of which they had just dumped a TON of blasting debris from another road construction site to form the "road base" of the dirt road we were riding. It was huge jagged rocks for quite a ways. It was a major challenge, but the tires did fine. The bash plate on a V-Strom 1000 got shredded... I typically run around 25 max and 20 min when taking my GS into rougher stuff. Higher than that really makes the bike bounce more than I like and less than that runs the risk of either dinging a rim or even having the tire slip on the rim.
 
I was running 28 to 30 in the rear. Wanted to keep the rims round


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I am running tubeless on the AT, but it is so freaking heavy compared to the Husky that I couldn't drop the pressure down. Perhaps on the rear I will try when we are up there, but I would never drop the front very much. It crunched a couple of time that I know would have pinch flatted if it wasn't tubeless.

The TCK80 front lasts forever, but the rear was really worn and chewed up. I think it was only two hard days before it was shot, but it still held up another day for some easier stuff.

This time I have the Mitas E07 front and rear, curious to see how they do up there. Think I will try 28 in the front, 24 in the rear...
 
Do all the carb'ed bikes have to rejet for this kind of trip?

Have you seen any that don't need it?
 
Do all the carb'ed bikes have to rejet for this kind of trip?

Have you seen any that don't need it?

Last time I went, I just put the stock jets back in and put the top back on the airbox. When I got to camp at 7,000ft I took the lid off the airbox and ran alright (down on power, but that is a given) all the way up to 13,000.
 
Do all the carb'ed bikes have to rejet for this kind of trip?

Have you seen any that don't need it?

:tab Rejetting is about maintaining the proper air to fuel ratio so that you get as close to complete combustion as possible on each combustion stroke. Too much air (lean) and you lose power. Too little air (rich) and you lose power. The engine will actually run over a fairly wide range of ratios, but not efficiently.

:tab Carbs are averaging devices. There is really only one set of conditions where they will produce the optimum air to fuel ratio, defined as complete combustion of all air and fuel, which I think is 14.7 parts air to one part fuel. On either side of those conditions, they are either lean or rich. The idea is that your carb is jetted so that you are within an acceptable range on either side of the optimum. Temperature affects air density. Altitude affects air density. So changes in both affect the combustion.

:tab The issue is what constitutes an acceptable loss in performance based on the changing conditions? For racing, where you are trying to squeeze out as much power as possible, you want your jetting to be as close to perfect as possible (most of the time on the rich side though). Even then, if conditions change during the race, like say you are racing up and down a mountain, you are going to have to shoot for jetting that tries to maximize performance at some specific range and sacrifice performance at other parts of the range. The difference between seal level and say 13000 feet is quite a bit. The JD jet kit in my 530 goes in steps of 3000 feet. So there is a setting for 0-3000, 3000-6000, 6000-9000, and 9000-12000. It doesn't include anything for over 12000, but the bike will still run, just not at max performance.

:tab At high altitudes, you lose power because there is less air, which means you have to use less fuel to maintain the right ratio. So even if you have it perfect, you still lose power. Then, if you are on either end of the altitude range you jetted for, you will lose a bit more power because you are drifting from the ideal mixture. It's all about averaging. So a bike jetted for sea level may indeed run at a high altitude, like 10-12K feet, but it is going to feel fairly sluggish compared to how it feels at sea level. Some bikes might stall when you try to lug the engine at low RPM, like say on a steep hill climb where you are starting to lose momentum. That is NOT fun!

:tab When I had my KLR out there years ago, I did not re jet or re gear it. I was able to do the rides, but I was fighting the bike the whole time. It took more of my energy and made the ride less enjoyable. So it ran, but it could have run MUCH better! I also should have dropped a tooth on the front sprocket. Live and learn. My KTM will be jetted for the 9-12K range and I will be running 13-50 gearing, which tops me out around 60mph but gives me mountain goat climbing ability.

:tab Many carbs have either an air screw or a fuel screw. These can add a little bit of manual adjustment without having to change to main jet or needle in the carb by either controlling the amount of air or fuel coming into the system through the idle circuit. At idle, the main jet is basically closed and not contributing to the flow at all. When you get past 1/2 throttle, the main jet and needle are the main influence but the idle circuit is still contributing even though its not changing as you speed up or slow down. It is not really something you can do on the fly. You generally have to stop, adjust it, then keep going.

:tab On my KLR, as we would get higher and higher, the bike would not idle as smoothly as it should. I turned the knob on the carb until it would smooth out. (I can't recall if it was an air or fuel screw). However, once we get up around 11500 feet, the effect was minimal and the bike just had to be revved to keep it running, which can make things harder if you are in a technical spot where you don't want to be moving real fast. Also, if the engine started bogging, I'd have to drop a gear to keep the revs up, assuming I had a lower gear to select. Since I as using stock gearing, which has a tall first gear, I was often wishing I could have dropped down another gear when I couldn't :doh:

:tab A fuel injected bike uses a "map" to determine ideal fueling to keep the ratio as close to ideal as possible. It uses temperature sensors, throttle position sensors, oxygen sensors (in the exhaust), and some even use a barometer to sense air pressure. It has a map that tells it what fueling to use based on all those sensor inputs. The aftermarket tuning kits you see either replace the stock map with a new one or they introduce a bias signal based on their own maps that add or subtract to the signal generated by the stock map. Most maps come from the factory leaned out at 5500 RPM, which is where emissions standards are usually tested. That can create a noticeable dip in power when accelerating. A lot of the tuner kits let you get rid of that, making the power curve smoother as you run up through the RPM range. Even FI bikes may have an upper altitude limit on their maps, like my old 98 VFR 800 which topped out at 12K ft. FI bikes will still lose power just because there is less air, but they don't have to worry about shooting for an average condition when you might cover sea level to 12-13K feet in a given trip.

:tab So, NO, you don't HAVE to re jet a carbed bike to ride it in Colorado on the mountain passes. But, if you can, it does make a noticeable difference in performance. As for whether or not that is acceptable, different strokes for different folks :-P
 
Thanks for taking the time type all that up.

I used to mess with carbs on jet skis 15 years ago or so, but around then everything went EFI and I've since forgotten the nuances. I'm surprised to hear the bikes stayed carbed longer. Surprised they make carbed bikes in 2018.
 
I rode down 550 yesterday on my way home from the CDR. They had some major rain up there 3 days ago that did a lot of damage. It was amazing to see all the stuff that washed down off the mountains. A friend of mine was up there too and was going to ride the mini train from Silverton but it was cancelled because evidently the storm knocked out some of the track. Not sure if this will affect you but wanted to give you a heads up.
 
I was up there last weekend. Roads were open, views were great, and my DR ran with just an idle speed adjustment up to 12,500'. I, on the other hand, got terrible altitude sickness and had to run back down the mountains in the middle of the night. I hope none of you become so afflicted. I'm just now starting to feel normal again.
 
WE will be right behind you, we will be leaving the same day or on the 30th. We have a group of us that will be meeting and riding together out of the Taylor Park area. Hauling all the bikes up in trailers, and will be sleeping in them. I just bought a Africa Twin DCT model, loving it. I am putting on a pair of TKC 80's, hope that i like the way they perform. Maybe we will run into each other on the trail. Jerry Simpson have great time be careful.

Glad y'all will be in the neighborhood. Just FYI... on the bigger bikes you can pick up the COBDR just east of TP. Go north or go south. Good stuff for the bigger rides. BTW, Tincup pass is pretty harsh stuff unless y'all prefer a jolly good challenge. :trust:
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top