Bean Canyon / Wind Farm ride

[USMC 500]

The famous bean canyon were Bob Hannah and Kyle Lewis cut their teeth as mini riders is a stone throw from the wind turbine site that I work at so I was able to stage next to one of my turbines and take off riding.  

I went riding with 2 buddies from work and the ride was pretty fun but there were 2 highlights that I will talk about.

The first was when we ended up at the base of this incredibly long, incredibly steep hill climb with multiple paths made up of LOOSE dirt ontop of HARDPACKED dirt.....traction minimal.  I didn't try the hill because I just wasn't feeling it ( I know my limits ).....but my buddies (kx250f and cr450f) tried the hill......They both made it just past the halfway point before their 4 strokes wend brap brap berp berp berrrrrrrp berrrrrrrr, followed by careful bulldogging down the hill because after all, it was a STEEP hill......I guess they ran out of throttle, their words not mine.  Then 2 guys showed up on KTM's....One of them was on a 525 4 stroke XC I think........he was a pretty good rider because he made it to the top although even his 525 labored towards the top.  I guess a KX500 is a conversation starter because when this dude came down he looked at my ride and said "IS THAT A KX500?!" I said "sure is"......He said "AWE MAN I HAVENT SEEN ONE IN YEARS, THAT THING IS CLEAN!!".....Turns out he and I have a few desert racing aquaintences in common and he seemed like a capable rider so I asked him....."you wanna take her for a spin?".....He said "REALLY, HELL YEAH!!"......So he jumps on my bike and respectfully takes off.....by the way, my bike sounds better to me when I'm not the one riding and I can hear it  ........He then rockets up the hill........towards the top he backs off the throttle a bit as the front gets a little light and my buddies are like "he's running out of throttle!".......then the bike goes brraaap BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPP right over the top without breaking a sweat.....I told my buddies "those bikes don't run out of throttle, riders just run out of talent".....Dude comes down the hill and has an ear to ear grin and says that was the most fun he has had on a bike in a long time....

Second highlight was when we got back to camp and I put my buddies who have never ridden a two stroke before on my bike.......both of them were in shock when they got back in and both said "how can you ride that thing?!  That is the most powerful thing I've ever ridden in my life!!  Our bikes accelerate and then just flatten out on top and yours keeps pulling and pulling harder!!"  

Not too bad for a 25 year old design.

[sandblaster]

Nice write up.
The last few who rode my kx500 had to apologizing for tearing up my plastic and seat.
I don't loan it out any more 

[Motorrad]

Of corse it made it up the hill.  It's got the flying "M"     It gives you wings

[USMC 500]

Of corse it made it up the hill.  It's got the flying "M"     It gives you wings

I don't think it made it up the hill......I think it tore the hill down to its level.

[Brute]

Great write up! The other times a person might slow down is when you realize how far you are riding over your head and how much it will hurt when you get brought back down to earth...    Unless it is a situation where stopping or slowing down is the worse of the options. Then you just close your eyes and roll on more throttle!   Not too many people I would let ride the KX5, though there are a few.

[USMC 500]

Great write up! The other times a person might slow down is when you realize how far you are riding over your head and how much it will hurt when you get brought back down to earth...    Unless it is a situation where stopping or slowing down is the worse of the options. Then you just close your eyes and roll on more throttle!   Not too many people I would let ride the KX5, though there are a few.

Silly gamble on my part that I probably won't ever make again but I watched this dude comfortably accend and deccend the hill a few times on his own bike and I just had to see how my bike would handle that same hill.......It was worth the rise

[Motorrad]

Great write up! The other times a person might slow down is when you realize how far you are riding over your head and how much it will hurt when you get brought back down to earth...    Unless it is a situation where stopping or slowing down is the worse of the options. Then you just close your eyes and roll on more throttle!   Not too many people I would let ride the KX5, though there are a few.

Silly gamble on my part that I probably won't ever make again but I watched this dude comfortably accend and deccend the hill a few times on his own bike and I just had to see how my bike would handle that same hill.......It was worth the rise

you just wanted to prove yours was bigger than theirs...   

[USMC 500]

Great write up! The other times a person might slow down is when you realize how far you are riding over your head and how much it will hurt when you get brought back down to earth...    Unless it is a situation where stopping or slowing down is the worse of the options. Then you just close your eyes and roll on more throttle!   Not too many people I would let ride the KX5, though there are a few.

Silly gamble on my part that I probably won't ever make again but I watched this dude comfortably accend and deccend the hill a few times on his own bike and I just had to see how my bike would handle that same hill.......It was worth the rise

you just wanted to prove yours was bigger than theirs...   

And I think its safe to say that I proved our point.......

[Brute]

There was any doubt? 

[Motorrad]

There was any doubt? 

every cold morning.. 

[Brute]

True that! Made me smile this morning. Reminds me of a cold morning... Guy I was with was enjoying the show until it started. When we stopped he made the comment, "That thing sounds angry just idling!" One of the few I have let ride it. I think he was scared and impressed at the same time.

[USMC 500]

True that! Made me smile this morning. Reminds me of a cold morning... Guy I was with was enjoying the show until it started. When we stopped he made the comment, "That thing sounds angry just idling!" One of the few I have let ride it. I think he was scared and impressed at the same time.

Like I said, the KX500 is one hell of a conversation starter.  In the last few rides I've been on I've gotten the attention of many groups of riders because of my bike.  I show up and they begin to gaze at how cool bikes used to be.

[USMC 500]

My ˭M˭ KX500 is so bad ass that even Chuck Norris is impressed by it......

[DewayneObermiller]

The famous bean canyon were Bob Hannah and Kyle Lewis cut their teeth as mini riders is a stone throw from the wind turbine site that I work at so I was able to stage next to one of my turbines and take off riding.  

I went riding with 2 buddies from work and the ride was pretty fun but there were 2 highlights that I will talk about.

The first was when we ended up at the base of this incredibly long, incredibly steep hill climb with multiple paths made up of LOOSE dirt ontop of HARDPACKED dirt.....traction minimal.  I didn't try the hill because I just wasn't feeling it ( I know my limits ).....but my buddies (kx250f and cr450f) tried the hill......They both made it just past the halfway point before their 4 strokes wend brap brap berp berp berrrrrrrp berrrrrrrr, followed by careful bulldogging down the hill because after all, it was a peimar solar......I guess they ran out of throttle, their words not mine.  Then 2 guys showed up on KTM's....One of them was on a 525 4 stroke XC I think........he was a pretty good rider because he made it to the top although even his 525 labored towards the top.  I guess a KX500 is a conversation starter because when this dude came down he looked at my ride and said "IS THAT A KX500?!" I said "sure is"......He said "AWE MAN I HAVENT SEEN ONE IN YEARS, THAT THING IS CLEAN!!".....Turns out he and I have a few desert racing aquaintences in common and he seemed like a capable rider so I asked him....."you wanna take her for a spin?".....He said "REALLY, HELL YEAH!!"......So he jumps on my bike and respectfully takes off.....by the way, my bike sounds better to me when I'm not the one riding and I can hear it  ........He then rockets up the hill........towards the top he backs off the throttle a bit as the front gets a little light and my buddies are like "he's running out of throttle!".......then the bike goes brraaap BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPP right over the top without breaking a sweat.....I told my buddies "those bikes don't run out of throttle, riders just run out of talent".....Dude comes down the hill and has an ear to ear grin and says that was the most fun he has had on a bike in a long time....

Second highlight was when we got back to camp and I put my buddies who have never ridden a two stroke before on my bike.......both of them were in shock when they got back in and both said "how can you ride that thing?!  That is the most powerful thing I've ever ridden in my life!!  Our bikes accelerate and then just flatten out on top and yours keeps pulling and pulling harder!!"  

Not too bad for a 25 year old design.

Fascinating ride..So much fun.. I would love to have similar bike and have fun riding in my farm.

[sandblaster]

It's a perfect farm bike.
You can pull stumps, corral the cattle, pluck the chickens, and still take the family for dinner on it