What did you do today?

[Duke]

Chopping the throttle will nose dive the bike and contribute to an early demise

That pretty much sums me up..

1. Hit sand
2. Get nervous
3. Get off the gas
4. Deploy outriggers
5. Start paddling
6. Think about it, and realize I should not have done steps 3-5.
6. Get on gas
7. Retrieve out riggers
8. Cuss outloud
9. Say to my self, don't do that again.
10. Repeat.

 

[thumper]

I am so tempted to pick up a small plated dirt bike and go play on the roads that are challenging for me on the pig.

Don't go too small...you'll be disappointed.

 

[Greasemonkey]

As far as sticker's I thought they were to hide boo-boo's.Desmo and dbdolan would be good guys to watch in the sand,they have impressed me.How any one can take a large bike thru some of this stuff is amazing and costly if you don't make it.My hats off to all of ya'll.

I try to be nice in case I need to borrow fuel

 

[Tourmeister]

I learned riding in the sand on the 1150GS... Eventually I even came to enjoy it It can be done on Tourances or the like, but the TKC-80's make a world of difference!! It is a fine balance between applying so much power the back end just digs in and not enough to keep the front from plowing. You DEFINITELY need to be standing up so you can shift your weight around!! When slowing, I would shift my weight back and use engine braking or the rear brake, never the front! Once you commit to the turn, it's all about staying on the gas! The fear has to be subdued or you will never make it. It is a question of willing away the fear and forcing yourself not to panic even when every fiber of your body is screaming, "This is NOT right!!"

I had the pleasure of leading a pack of nuts (XR650Rocketman, Rockmantex, and a few others all on 650's) into some deep East Texas sand on a July 4th DS ride a few years ago while I was still on the GS. What a hoot!! I could not run the sand as fast as they wanted to though. In the end, the weight of the GS is just too much. The KLR is easier to ride in sand for sure.

I enjoyed the explanation for the stickers. Good thinking.

 

[Teeds]

I am no expert but steady on the gas in soft sand.... dunno. It seems to me that when the front starts to wash out applied throttle seems to straighten it up for me. I am still practicing and loving it on the smaller DR650.

Oh and get knobbie tires, that helps a bunch.

DRs are good, real good. I can't imagine a big Beemer in the sand ... but then I am scared of anything that outweighs me by three ...

Regarding stickers ... if they make bikes fasters and the correlation works for refrigerators as well, I have a very fast refrigerator!

I like stickers!

 

[Duke]

I have knobbies in the garage, waiting to put them on until I head out to Big Bend next week.

Now, I have been bitten by the bug hard.

I really like the XR650L & the R. But am curious why there are not more of them. Is it really that hard to plate a 650R? Seems that I always see a KLR or DRZ when I am out running around. I don't see too many XR's. So whats the secret. Do the XR riders stay in hiding and are just antisocial.

I will not ask a poll of which bike to get, as we are all very loyal to the ones that we bought. But the XR650L sure does look good!

 

[Teeds]

Ls come street legal, but Rs don't. I've ridden both and own an R. I just got a DR ... met ThirdCoast there as well ... cuz I am too short to really enjoy the R, except when I want to fly. Now, flying is good, when one is not encumbered with a bunch of gear, but for multi-day trips, the R does not suit me.

 

[dbdolan]

As far as sticker's I thought they were to hide boo-boo's.Desmo and dbdolan would be good guys to watch in the sand,they have impressed me.How any one can take a large bike thru some of this stuff is amazing and costly if you don't make it.My hats off to all of ya'll.

I try to be nice in case I need to borrow fuel

I think Cagiva 549 was the man in the sand when we made the beach run, he was slinging that KTM 950 adv. through that sand like a champ. Made me tired just watching him.

 

[XR650Rocketman]

I have knobbies in the garage, waiting to put them on until I head out to Big Bend next week.

Now, I have been bitten by the bug hard.

I really like the XR650L & the R. But am curious why there are not more of them. Is it really that hard to plate a 650R? Seems that I always see a KLR or DRZ when I am out running around. I don't see too many XR's. So whats the secret. Do the XR riders stay in hiding and are just antisocial.

I will not ask a poll of which bike to get, as we are all very loyal to the ones that we bought. But the XR650L sure does look good!

I don't think it's possible to answer some of your questions without offending a lot of people and starting a debate for which there really is no end.......

It's a personal preference thing is the easiest way for me to describe it.....

Some facts are easy to state.....XR650L's are great bikes and XR650R's are easy to plate with a little investment in time and money.
There are always some DRZ's at the end of all the D/S rides.....They just don't get there quite as quickly sometimes.

Glad you have the "bug", it's contageous isn't it?

 

[Duke]

Glad you have the "bug", it's contageous isn't it?

Yes sir it is.

As for Questions.... it was more Rhetorical than anything else. Just an observation that I have. As with all bike purchases... You buy what you want, not what you need.

I see a light bike and a long stretch of beach in my future!

 

[Jack Giesecke]

Sand is much more fun on a dirt bike, one that weighs, say, under 500 lbs? BWAAAAAA, ha, ha, ha! Try under 300 lbs for a rockin' good time. I don't particularly like my Goldwing in sand, either. I remember once burying my GS750 with the sidecar attached down at Corpus on the bay beach. We were down there for a rally. I had plenty of help moving it, fortunately. I reckon the 2wd Ural would have been better, but then I might have not gotten to Corpus on a Ural. Is that a catch 22?

If you're a real iron butt, a XR650L will do. But, those things aren't really touring bikes and aren't that comfy for long miles. Just depends on what you wanna do with the bike. There's a tool for every situation. I think about the best compromise for in state adv touring, and this is from a non-adv tourer YET, is the Kaw KLR. It's more comfy out on the highway, yet MUCH lighter than the converted street bikes. I've come to appreciate the KLR over time. The new update is past due. Has the new one come out, yet, you KLR guys???? I'll be wantin' to check that one out. I hope they keep the price down on the new one. Hope I didn't PO too many people by my attempt at DP bike sarcastic humor, either.

 

[Duke]

I reckon the 2wd Ural would have been better, but then I might have not gotten to Corpus on a Ural. Is that a catch 22?

Now thats funny!

 

[DANNYROTH]

I
I really like the XR650L & the R. But am curious why there are not more of them. Is it really that hard to plate a 650R? Seems that I always see a KLR or DRZ when I am out running around. I don't see too many XR's. So whats the secret. Do the XR riders stay in hiding and are just antisocial.

QUOTE]

There aren't as many of us XR herders as there are KLR riders. If you go somewhere folks are getting ready to do some really serious RoUgH, fast riding you will see a lot higher ratio of XR machines.

I was looking for a KLR when I found a GREAT DEAL on my XR650L. I still covet the KLRs.

The L is a domesticated brother to the R, which is a serious off-road machine. Part of the domestication means less performance, the R will run circles around the L. L is air cooled, R is liquid cooled with a radiator, which is good for low speed churning on a hot day. Dual Sport kits are readily available for the R, and the install will result in a high performance off-road monster that can also eat up the road. KLRs come standard with all kinds of things I wanted to install on my XRL when I got it (HUGE 6 Gal. fuel capacity, rack, windshield, wide seat). Aftermarket farkles are not easily found for the XR family, you can get all kinds of goodies (some absolutely useless) for the KLR.

KLRs are better for long, hard-surface road, XRs are better when it gets rough. Here's a proven fact: A competent rider on a KLR with the right tires will tear up a novice (like me) on an XR.

EDIT: I forgot one thing, XRs are much easier to control if your inseam is over 32"!

 

[ThirdCoast]

DRs are good, real good.
Regarding stickers ... if they make bikes fasters and the correlation works for refrigerators as well, I have a very fast refrigerator!

I like stickers!

Ditto on the stickers, I have a fast refrigerator too!

DRs are good, you just picked one up from my friend a couple weeks ago. How is it doing for you? It was good meeting you briefly that day.

 

[Teeds]

Ditto on the stickers, I have a fast refrigerator too!

DRs are good, you just picked one up from my friend a couple weeks ago. How is it doing for you? It was good meeting you briefly that day.

You know it is kinda funny ... I have not seen the bike in a week

I unloaded it at Suzy's house Sunday night and left on a week long trip early Monday. I just got back into town today. I have tires waiting on me to mount and it is off to begin the planning for the Terlingua DS Ride with TBS ... Trail Boss Steve ... we are going to begin mapping the roads and identifying routes for the ride this fall.

I will have a far better impression of the DR following that weekend.

It was great to meet ya and I hope y'all have a safe and fun trip to BB as well.

 

[Teeds]

EDIT: I forgot one thing, XRs are much easier to control if your inseam is over 32"!

fixed

I love my R, but it and I do not meander well. It also does not toodle very well. I'm feeling the toodlability of my DR will be far higher. I like to toodle.

 

[Hairsmith]

I just made a run through Sand Augustine county myself last weekend.
I took the KLR Love my GS but that big pig is a hand full in deep sand where logging trucks have it all tore up.
Duke when you get back up hear get in touch with me. You are welcome to take the KLR out on some of our roads and get a feel for it. You can actually make good time and relax in places that will work you to death on the GS. But the ride from big H up hear is much better on the GS
There is NO perfect bike for every thing. The GS or KLR will not get you to a checkered flag first, but there are not many places that either one will not take you.

Every one else has given advice on riding a GS-aka-BigPig in sand. Well hear is mine!
DONT
If you must, Like other have said keep the front end light (an impossibility on a pig like the GS) well unless you like running 70-80mph in sand. At least it has enough power to do it. Problem is when you go down at those speeds it is going to go bad! the GS is very crashable and will survive better than most bikes especially big bikes. But there are limitations as to what it will take. I have found that you do have to over exaggerate your body movements on a big bike because it out weighs you so much.
I will ride the GS in the dirt but I will not go looking for it. I do find myself on dirt with it quite regularly (every day) because of where I live,and it is such great bike to explore places I have not bin before.

 

[mcrider]

Regarding stickers ... if they make bikes fasters and the correlation works for refrigerators as well, I have a very fast refrigerator!

I like stickers!

Me too!

 

[Tourmeister]

Think of the XR650R as a race bike. That is pretty much what it was designed to do, race in the desert. The KLR is more of a pack mule that can be ridden in the desert. It will go most of the same places as an XR650R, just not as quickly. So really, it just boils down to what you are trying to accomplish On our trip to Mexico last weekend, the bikes were LOADED down with some serious weight and we still had a blast on some seriously nasty roads. Of course, we were not doing 45-50mph either. We were doing more like 25-35mph. The XR650R can be loaded some, but not nearly as much because it lacks a good sturdy subframe to handle the weight. Sprocket did fine on his XR650R and had it loaded pretty good. I don't know how comfortable he was though... We spent the better part of 14 hours on the bikes on Friday.

 

[Photojojo]

I think that tool box is older than I am.

Me too!

 

[Teeds]

I think that tool box is older than I am.

Ha, Chris was likely riding before you were born.

Did y'all get rained out?

 

[mcrider]

I got that tool box in 1963 when I worked at a Norton, Ducati, Triumph & Cagiva shop. I was going to the University of Tennessee.

 

[Chirpy]

I got that tool box in 1963 when I worked at a Norton, Ducati, Triumph & Cagiva shop. I was going to the University of Tennessee.

That makes me feel not so old.

 

[thumper]

I have knobbies in the garage, waiting to put them on until I head out to Big Bend next week.

Now, I have been bitten by the bug hard.

I will not ask a poll of which bike to get, as we are all very loyal to the ones that we bought. But the XR650L sure does look good!

IMO,you already have alot covered with the GS. So I would go with something to cover everything else that it can't. Such as the XRr,DRZ, or a KTM or anything else under 300lbs. with adequate suspension and hp.

 

[Duke]

IMO,you already have alot covered with the GS. So I would go with something to cover everything else that it can't. Such as the XRr,DRZ, or a KTM or anything else under 300lbs. with adequate suspension and hp.

I am a big guy so the bike will have to be able to support me. (I will lose my weight one day..... one day.....) I am fairly tall so a leggy bike is not a problem.

Hairsmith. Thanks for the offer, and you got a deal. Lets plan a ride one weekend, you can ride my bike and I would really enjoy taking the KLR for a spin.

And for all. Even though I say I hate sand, I mean that in a light hearted way. So far I have not laid it over. I am not comfortable in it, but by george I am still having fun. Jimmy Lewis I will never be, but I will not quit searching out the road less traveled. I guess you can equate my struggles in the sand to my short game in golf. I positively stink in the short game. If I don't get on the green with a big club I will never get on, but I still swing for it. And I cuss and I say why did I do it that way, and then repeat for 18 holes. At the end of the day I still say I had fun. Am I making any sense, or am I a glutton for punishment?