Big Bend - a guide for all motorcyclists

[swaanimal]

Got it! Thanks!

[Winsur4]

Big Bend - a guide for all motorcyclists, 2nd edition - I will send PayPal this afternoon. A friend and I have a 40 acres with 2 Airstreams in Big Bend Valley that we visit on a regular basis. I have been maping the area using Streets and Trips. I wonder if I could submit it to Microsoft and get the roads included on their next version. They need to correct the map of North County to South County road. It shows they are connected, whereas the connection was washed out years ago and cannot be used. Google maps show the same mistake. Look forward to the guide.

[mmaiden]

I rode Old Ore Road, north to south, three days ago, Friday, 5/18. 28 miles, including Dagger Flats Rd and it took me three hours. I rode a heavily loaded KLR with Shinko 705s (50/50) tires. I never felt the tires were an issue but the weight of the bike was. I was an IDIOT to take that path solo. Do NOT do that! I dropped it only once but had several close misses. There are no soft places out there.

The most difficult section was not the mudhole where I fell early on, it was the hill south of Ernst Tinaja. Loose rock with treacherous ruts. You can not relax on that ride. Thankfully, a park ranger named Susan, at the Persimmon Gap gate, where I entered the park had the smarts, after I asked about Old Ore, to tell me she did not know of anyone else heading that way that day, and gave me her name and phone number on a slip of paper with instructions to call her when I got out, or she would send someone looking for me. I can't tell you how much comfort that gave me as I scrabbled through that hilly, rocky, loose, sharp rock trail. When I called her from the store at the Village, I told her I have not looked forward to calling a young lady as much as I looked forward to calling her in a long time.

Bottom line- DO NOT go off-road in the Big Bend by yourself. I was lucky to make it through relatively unscathed. I could have been hurt. I could have had a mechanical problem. I thanked Jesus, Kawasaki engineers, and Ben Franklin (for bifocal glasses), among others, for my safe passage. and take several quarts of water.

If I had been on a 250cc with knobbies, with another rider, it probably would have been fun, but, by myself, I was just thinking, "Man, you are stupid" and scared most of the time.

Learn from my mistake.

[bigdon55]

Originally Posted by mmaiden

I rode Old Ore Road, north to south, three days ago, Friday, 5/18. 28 miles, including Dagger Flats Rd and it took me three hours. I rode a heavily loaded KLR with Shinko 705s (50/50) tires. I never felt the tires were an issue but the weight of the bike was. I was an IDIOT to take that path solo. Do NOT do that! I dropped it only once but had several close misses. There are no soft places out there.

The most difficult section was not the mudhole where I fell early on, it was the hill south of Ernst Tinaja. Loose rock with treacherous ruts. You can not relax on that ride. Thankfully, a park ranger named Susan, at the Persimmon Gap gate, where I entered the park had the smarts, after I asked about Old Ore, to tell me she did not know of anyone else heading that way that day, and gave me her name and phone number on a slip of paper with instructions to call her when I got out, or she would send someone looking for me. I can't tell you how much comfort that gave me as I scrabbled through that hilly, rocky, loose, sharp rock trail. When I called her from the store at the Village, I told her I have not looked forward to calling a young lady as much as I looked forward to calling her in a long time.

Bottom line- DO NOT go off-road in the Big Bend by yourself. I was lucky to make it through relatively unscathed. I could have been hurt. I could have had a mechanical problem. I thanked Jesus, Kawasaki engineers, and Ben Franklin (for bifocal glasses), among others, for my safe passage. and take several quarts of water.

If I had been on a 250cc with knobbies, with another rider, it probably would have been fun, but, by myself, I was just thinking, "Man, you are stupid" and scared most of the time.

Learn from my mistake.

Yeah but aint it a GREAT ROAD

[Winsur4]

We always ride in pairs. Lots of water, and we also let some one know where we are going. If alone, I ride my VStrom 1000 on the pavement. I am glad you are OK.

[DaveC]

It ain't an adventure until something goes wrong.

From an unknown source over at ADVRider.

[mmaiden]

One more tidbit. I spent the night before last night in Presidio (the garden spot of Texas) and, at the earliest light of dawn, rode NW on FM170 to Ruidosa, and made a right turn, about 0645, onto Pinto Canyon Road. I got to pavement on top about 70 minutes later. It has been recently graded and the loose rock dropped in various spots caused me the most trouble. Also, travelling SW to NE, a half hour after dawn, will add a difficulty factor when your left hand is raised, sheilding your eyes from El Sol. Other than those few trivial issues, I would rate it a top ten dual sport road. A beautiful area. I saw javelina crossing along the way. And to the guy who said a two-up Goldthing went up it, pulling a trailer, I would have to see that to believe it. From what I saw, I can't see how that would be possible with the creek crossings, wet and dry.

[Winsur4]

Love Pinto Canyon Road. The loop leaving Study Butte to Marfa via Pinto Canyon Road to Alpine back to Study Butte is 270 miles. I have done that ride a couple of times.

Sometimes grading a road makes it worse. We have the beginnings of a canyon behind our propery in Terlingua where the road grading diverted a creek to the road bed. We lost a creek that fed our trees, and no longer have a road on the east side of our propery.

The sun can be brutal out there. I drove my Vstrom during Mid November 2010 directlly into the sun on the 20+ mile gravel road at Big Bend Ranch State park back to 170. My windshield was bolted on high setting, and covered with white dust. At sunset that time of year, the sun hugs the horizon for the last hour. I ended up driving 1 handed to shield my eyes, too. I had to raise the helmet shield as it was power white. It was the worst ride of my life. I would have pulled over, but I was leading about 100 cars as it was closing time after a celebration. I just couldnt bear the thought of waiting out all those cars and then riding that road in the dark in a dust cloud. I bought a Mastadt soon as I got home.

What ever happened to decorative sun strips you could buy for a faceshield? Electrical tape looks awful, but it works if you can keep the shield down. I am thinking of putting a tape strip at the bottom of the shield so I can protect my eyes with the shield up.

Originally Posted by mmaiden

One more tidbit. I spent the night before last night in Presidio (the garden spot of Texas) and, at the earliest light of dawn, rode NW on FM170 to Ruidosa, and made a right turn, about 0645, onto Pinto Canyon Road. I got to pavement on top about 70 minutes later. It has been recently graded and the loose rock dropped in various spots caused me the most trouble. Also, travelling SW to NE, a half hour after dawn, will add a difficulty factor when your left hand is raised, sheilding your eyes from El Sol. Other than those few trivial issues, I would rate it a top ten dual sport road. A beautiful area. I saw javelina crossing along the way. And to the guy who said a two-up Goldthing went up it, pulling a trailer, I would have to see that to believe it. From what I saw, I can't see how that would be possible with the creek crossings, wet and dry.

[Voni]

Write to Jim Post bonespost@msn.com

He sells them. Love mine!

Voni
sMiling

[Winsur4]

Sad to hear jim Bones no longer makes the shield. I have found a few online.

Originally Posted by Voni

Write to Jim Post bonespost@msn.com

He sells them. Love mine!

Voni
sMiling