This ride that took place over a 3 day period was bitter sweet for me. The low point of the weekend was when I made a common stupid rookie mistake and didn't pay atttention to my jetting.......This error resulted in a siezed engine. I first started this engine last year on June 10th following its rebuild and yesterday almost 1 year later I locked her up........so on to the ride report.......
Shlepy arrived at my house early Friday morning and we set off to meet Motorrad at Dove Springs. Once we got there we set up camp and fired up the bikes. We spent the rest of Friday exploring and riding the vast desert. Lots of fun and lots of good trails. We finished our ride on Friday about mid afternoon and spent the rest of the day bench racing and goofing around with Motorrads RC cars. On a side note, it is an amazing thing to watch an RC car beat Raptor 700's up a steep long hill climb over and over again
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Our new friend ELRUKO arrived late on Friday night and it was an honor to meet him......As it turns out ELRUKO and I know MANY of the same people down in baja including family......small world. Again there was more bench racing by the campfire and lots of good humor.
The next day we all made our way up to McIvers cabin. You get alot of attention from everyone when they see 4 KX500's screaming by. We made it up to McIvers and hung out for a while.......Before we left we had to fill in our names into the log book and take some photos. It was on the way back when I pulled my bone head error.......The ride to and from McIvers is made up of tight technical trails but there is a very long wide fireroad that you have to take from the camp site to get to the trail leading up to the cabin.......This is the road on the way back that I decided to open her up........I was not on it for very long but I picked up speed very quick and just as everything began to blur from the high speed the engine began to lose power and drag down........I immidiatly pulled the clutch in and went for the kill botton........too late. All the other boys caught up with me and right away pulled together to help me out........A big thanks to ELRUKO for giving me a tow back to camp. Once back to camp we found 2-Stroke Tom had arrived and we got to meet him.......While at camp I pulled the plug to inspect and sure as death and taxes, I was lean. I was pretty down so I told the boys to keep riding since I had to run home to pick up MRS. USMC 500 and they said no way......Shlepy had his YZ250F that Motorrad rode during our Gorman ride and I was "ENCOURAGED" by the group to get my ass on the bike and keep riding. So I did as I was told and I rode off again with the boys.
So this is where things get interesting again.......first off the shock of going from a KX500 to a YZ250F is too much for the body and mind to accept. It took alot of hard painful miles to come to terms with the Yamaha. After we stopped for a break I was more exhausted riding that 250 4t than I was riding my 500 2t!!.....I fought that bike all the way through the deep sand washes we rode through.....that bike would not hold and line, was super twitchy, and the suspension was beating me to death......As it turns out nobody checked the tire pressure of the bike and there had to be about 40 PSI of pressure in both tires!!
....So we dropped the air pressure in the tires and off we went......100% BETTER!!!........Now that the bike was set up correct I was able to get a feel for the bike and actually hang with all the KX500's........Another side note, I feel like a fool riding a YZ250F along side 4 other KX500's.
.........But regardless, a big thanks to Shlepy for keeping me on 2 wheels. We found another route that took us back to camp and on that ride I found myself screaming that 250 and enjoying it!! Only thing is I needed at least another gear!! I had to shift 3 times before all the K5's even shifted into second and on top I was screaming the engine while the K5's lugged along. Once back at camp I headed out to pick up wifey and the boys fired up the grill. When I got back to camp I went for another ride only this time my machine was much smaller..........There is nothing like screaming a 2t blender while making Margaritas!!
More bench racing, more drinking, more good times. Since everyone who showed up was a desert rat we were able to exchange stories and experiences that we could all relate to.
First thing I did this morning was remove the engine from my bike with the help from all the guys. Lucky for me Motorrad offered to look into it and said that he would do what he could. Motorrad and 2-Stroke Tom split on a ride and I took the wifey on a trail ride that was within her riding level. We ended the weekend about mid day and before we packed up we lined the bikes up for a good photo.......Not since the 90's during Team Green glory have I seen 5 KX500's in the same area. We all said our good bye's and went on our way.
Overall this weekend on a scale of 1-10 rated a solid 9......If it wasn't for my motor issue and the windy conditions this ride would have rated a 10
. Normaly I would have lost my mind with my engine problems but the good company really lifted my spirits and I was able to recover the weekend.
A big load of gratitude to all who showed up, helped out and shared the good times. I hope that when they get a chance they will all post up their versions of their weekend and post up any photos that they may have taken. I haven't even unloaded my truck yet and already I can't wait for the next ride. Till then, everyone keep the rubber side down and for crying out loud...DON'T GET LAZY WITH YOUR JETTING!!!
4 KX500's staged at McIvers Cabin, 2 of them with California plates........I bet this has never happened before
Some of the Desert Rats of KXRiders!!
KXRiders have left their mark on McIvers Cabin for the second time!!
Taking a break on the trail Shlepy wishes he had a side stand like Motorrad and USMC 500
video of the best machine I've ever ridden!!
https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10201267895083836
