KX500 and 70 mph logging roads! YEA BABY ! :)

[Polar-Bus]

I live in New England. The land of rocks, trees and mud. Not a suitable zone for flogging a KX500. Until I went up to a place  on Moosehead Lake, Maine called Kokadjo. It's sparsely populated, and has been incramentally opening up old logging roads, and snowmobile trails for legal use of ATV's and dirtbikes. These roads are wide, rolling, and FAST (if you have the balz). I took my YZ450, and my KX500, and just beat those two bikes for all they were worth, and I can't begin to explain the $hit-eatin' grin I had on my face all day long !! Now I have a good feel for the true power a KX500 can put to the dirt when traction is excellent, and wow the top end is brutal. My fuel economy was very respectable, and per my GPS I think I was getting about 24 mpg? The KX500 spanked my YZ450 in all aspects of high speed power. However, like I anticipated, the KX500 eventually really starts to wear the rider down from all the constant power. The YZ450 is less powerfull, and definately more foregiving of a ride (much lighter feeling). I hadn't ridden my KX500 all year, I pulled it out from storage, cleaned the air filter, slapped in a new plug, and the bike ran absolutely perfect all weekend! I did however loose a subframe bolt, a numberplate bolt, but I always carry a selection of bolts in my tools! So I always envied you western sand guys, but now I had my chance to "feel the rush" as well and LOVED IT !!! Cheers!

                                    Rich

[tharden]

I was able to ride on dirt roads over the weekend and it is fun to be able to shift through all 5 gears every once in a while.  I wish we had more logging trails around here.

[Johnniespeed]

 You guys make me realize just how good I have it here in Michigan. We have several large riding areas, dune areas, almost a thousand miles of groomed trails, both wide track and single track. Most trails are well marked for fuel and food. The only things we are missing are mountains like Colorado and rocks like Utah. Our Silver Lake dune area is like a small version of Glamis, but cleaner since it is a live dune. An ORV sticker is $16.25 and everyone is invited to Michigan to enjoy it. The Upper Peninsula has hundreds of miles of fire roads that are open also.
 John

[sandman540]

Living here in Michigan is great huh! Except the winters...LOL   Sandman

[Johnniespeed]

A four wheel drive truck and Volkl Superspeed skis make the winter fun. But we still lack the mountains like Colorado.
 I have not measured the top speed of my KX500 but I am told it is somewhere near 96 MPH, and  I go there often. YEA BABY !
John

[JustinSB]

If you really want to ss**t and get, run 15-45 gearing. 

[Polar-Bus]

If you really want to ss**t and get, run 15-45 gearing. 

Stock gearing had PLENTY of available speed for what I was doing. Besides a stock or near stock KX500 can't efficiently pull top rpm's in 5th gear with 15-45 gearing. I already tried that gearing out on the ice.

[KX500freak]

You guys make me realize just how good I have it here in Michigan. We have several large riding areas, dune areas, almost a thousand miles of groomed trails, both wide track and single track. Most trails are well marked for fuel and food. The only things we are missing are mountains like Colorado and rocks like Utah. Our Silver Lake dune area is like a small version of Glamis, but cleaner since it is a live dune. An ORV sticker is $16.25 and everyone is invited to Michigan to enjoy it. The Upper Peninsula has hundreds of miles of fire roads that are open also.
 John

this landscape described ,as im from one small piece of flatland called holland,makes me

[barryadam]

I live in New England. The land of rocks, trees and mud. Not a suitable zone for flogging a KX500. Until I went up to a place  on Moosehead Lake, Maine called Kokadjo. It's sparsely populated, and has been incramentally opening up old logging roads, and snowmobile trails for legal use of ATV's and dirtbikes. These roads are wide, rolling, and FAST (if you have the balz). I took my YZ450, and my KX500, and just beat those two bikes for all they were worth, and I can't begin to explain the $hit-eatin' grin I had on my face all day long !! Now I have a good feel for the true power a KX500 can put to the dirt when traction is excellent, and wow the top end is brutal. My fuel economy was very respectable, and per my GPS I think I was getting about 24 mpg? The KX500 spanked my YZ450 in all aspects of high speed power. However, like I anticipated, the KX500 eventually really starts to wear the rider down from all the constant power. The YZ450 is less powerfull, and definately more foregiving of a ride (much lighter feeling). I hadn't ridden my KX500 all year, I pulled it out from storage, cleaned the air filter, slapped in a new plug, and the bike ran absolutely perfect all weekend! I did however loose a subframe bolt, a numberplate bolt, but I always carry a selection of bolts in my tools! So I always envied you western sand guys, but now I had my chance to "feel the rush" as well and LOVED IT !!! Cheers!

                                    Rich

Sounds great, Rich.  But one pic is worth a thousand words.  Come on, step up, will ya....

Here's the fire roads in Southern Calif mountains: 

http://www.kxriders.com/forums/index.php/topic,5164.msg39263.html#msg39263

See all them ridge routes in the background???  Not gettin' anywhere near 5th gear on them babies.  As always, open invitation to y'all to come check it out with us.  I'd love to try some of your NH stuff.  How about some pics of the rocks, trees, and mud?  Upper Penninsula MI sounds like a blast, too.

[barryadam]

this landscape described ,as im from one small piece of flatland called holland,makes me

freak, I don't know how you do it, man.
Holland has over 6 million people in 2000 sq miles.
Our nearest riding area in the mountains (San Bernardino National Forest) is about half of the size of Holland (1100 sq. miles) and has about 1/100th the amount of people in that area.
Where do you find the room to get into second gear?
What are the riding areas like there.  Besides SM riding.

[Polar-Bus]

this landscape described ,as im from one small piece of flatland called holland,makes me

Where do you find the room to get into second gear?

He never takes the bike off the center stand....   

[KX500freak]

this landscape described ,as im from one small piece of flatland called holland,makes me

freak, I don't know how you do it, man.
Holland has over 6 million people in 2000 sq miles.
Our nearest riding area in the mountains (San Bernardino National Forest) is about half of the size of Holland (1100 sq. miles) and has about 1/100th the amount of people in that area.
Where do you find the room to get into second gear?
What are the riding areas like there.  Besides SM riding.

its circles barrydadam ,circles were riding in 

[KX500freak]

this landscape described ,as im from one small piece of flatland called holland,makes me

Where do you find the room to get into second gear?

He never takes the bike off the center stand....   

I hadn't ridden my KX500 in a year ...Rich

you must be kidding right