Dual Sport & Adventure Riding Las Vegas

 

For those new to off-pavement riding I wanted to post a few thoughts and tips. A little background on my riding. I had dirt bikes in my 20's and early 30's. I started with a DT100 I revived from the dead. A friend gave it to me to junk it and I decided to ride it instead. I moved on to a 1982 XR250, then XR500, then a 1986 XR600. My last dirt bike was a 1989 KTM500MX 2-stroke I sold in 1997. All my riding was in Eastern Washington State which is mostly desert with sand but we also rode in the Eastern Cascade mountains which is proper forest with mud. Fast forward to 2023 when I bought my 2023 Husqvarna 7012 Enduro. This was the first street legal bike I owned, the heaviest and most powerful bike I have owned, and the first bike I had for 26 years. 

I am by no means an expert. The best thing to do if you want to ride off-road is to get professional instruction. I am just sharing the tips I have learned off the internet, from riding, and from other experienced riders. For those new to off-road riding I suggest you start with some sand riding tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sand+riding+techniques. Road riding does little to prepare you for off-road riding. Technique is more important than the bike choice or things like tires and pressures (although those can certainly help).

Street riding does little to prepare you for off-road riding

On the street you have smooth pavement and your tires can handle side loading since they have traction. Many of the techniques you learn riding on the street do not apply off-road since your tires have little traction and cannot handle much side load at all. Off-road riding is rough and violent. You can find smooth gravel which is not too bad but most unmaintained dirt roads here in the desert get torn up by storms. This leaves deep ruts and exposes rocks. Here is an example of a storm damaged desert trail.

The ride is violent enough that the Insta360 X3 camera could not keep it in frame at times. It is also exhausting to ride. You are up on the pegs the whole time to improve control of the bike and to smooth out the shock loads to your body. Your quads get a serious workout as they are basically active suspension. Your wheels get kicked out from under you by loose rocks and ruts. Steering is done more with weighting the pegs and leaning the bike that it is with the handlebars. Slow down too much and the bike goes down. The slower you go the less momentum you have and the required reaction time gets shorter. Speed up too much and the pain and damage of the crash just gets worse. 

Too often I have taken newbies out to Mormon Well Road (one of the easier rides around) only to have them turn back and sell their bike. This is after a deep investment in the bike and gear only to find it is just not for them. Often it is people who have ridden on the street for decades and want to try off-road. I am not sure how to advise newbies on this. You just have to try it to see if it is for you. I also have friends who rode street only for decades and took to off-road very well. A good friend of mine went to Colorado and rode the Alpine Loop (and many other passes) with me on a Triumph Scrambler 1200. He has only ridder off-road a few years now and he is about my age. That is no beginner bike for off-road, and the Colorado passes are not beginner trails either. So I don't want to discourage anyone from dirt riding. I just want them to be prepared for what they are getting into.

Off-road challenges

Loose rocks

Here is an example of losing momentum and dropping the bike.

One of my biggest mistakes here is letting the bike slow down too much. This reduced the momentum which made every rock I hit push the bike around leaving me with little reaction time. This was a mild hill, nothing too steep though. It had loose rocks everywhere. You simply can't avoid all of them. Once I lost momentum, I sat down on the seat in preparation for putting a foot down. This made things even worse since you have less control when setting on the seat. Often it is when you put your foot down you have just committed to dropping the bike. 

The fix for this is to go faster and stay up on the pegs. This is counterintuitive as the faster you go the worst the crash will be. However, if you keep the bike over about 15mph, you gain momentum and reaction time. If the bike becomes unstable, ease into the throttle. This removes weight from the front wheel and adds it to the rear. It also increases the gyro effect where the increase rotating mass of the back wheel and engine tend to lock the bike in the upright position. 

Loose sand and gravel

Here is an example where I lose momentum on sand in a turn at the end of this clip.

What happened: I slowed down too much for the turn, lost momentum, and dropped the bike. In this scenario by the time I reacted to the bike starting to drop, it was too late to recover. As you slow down you have less time to react and the bike lacks the momentum to stay upright. In soft sand this just won't work.

The fix is to stay on the pegs, weight the outside peg in the corner, lean the bike into the corner, and keep enough speed (momentum). When entering the corner, lean the bike into the corner and weight your outside peg. Some start the turn by briefly weighting the inside peg to lean the bike but by the time you are turning you lean the bike into the corner (you staying more upright) and you put you weight on the outside foot peg. If you start to loose control, throttle out. I tried to throttle out but it was too little too late.

Sand riding has almost nothing to do with traction. It is more like riding a jet ski. Forward momentum is created by a combination of the sand resistance to being displaced (spinning), and the sand being propelled in the opposite direction. In deep soft sand, some bikes will do better starting in second gear with heavy throttle to propel enough sand to move the bike forward. If you try to ease away in first gear, it will just dig down to the frame. Sand paddle tires optimize the thrust but optimizing both the engagement with the sand, and the mass of sand that can be propelled in the opposite direction. Adventure tires are a very poor choice for sand as they do neither very well. Lowing tire pressure can certainly help but tire choice is more important.

Hill climbs

Climbing steep hills, especially on loose terrain, requires momentum to help overcome the loss of traction. Not making the climb means you have the challenging task of turning the bike around on a steep hill. I find it is best to have good momentum by the bottom of the hill and stay on the throttle all the way up. Commit to making it over the top. The engine should be high in the RPM band at the bottom so you have plenty of room to drop rpm if needed. You also want to have plenty of power to make it up the hill.

Obstacles

If your bike has good ground clearance and suspension travel, you can make it over more than you may think. I used to try to avoid more obstacles and now I tend to go over more of them. Here is an example of a storm damaged desert trail with deep cross ruts (deepest around 42min). I throttled though this up on the pegs.

I leveraged the momentum and throttled into it to move the weight off of the front.

Here is another example of a rocky climb with a rut across the trail (4:30).

This one carried a wheelie for a bit after the rut. 

Tires and pressures

Tires are all a bunch of trade-offs. The best street tire is useless off-road and the best off-road tire is useless on the street. There is no unicorn that does both great. There are only trade-offs. I prefer the Anakee Wild or TKC80 for the right trade-offs for my riding. They are decent at both pavement and dirt, but optimum at neither. There are better off-road tires, and better street tires, but these tires give a wide range of usability in both. 

Lowering tire pressure can smooth out the chop and improve traction off-road. However, it also increases the chance of bent rims, stem tears (for tube tires), bead break flats (for tubeless), and pinch flats. It is also important to air back up for high-speed pavement riding. I used to lower the pressure off-road but I no longer do. To me the incremental improvement is not worth the risk. I hate having to change a tube on the trail. No fun at all. Around Las Vegas we often have embedded rock mixed in with the sand and gravel. Here is a photo from a rim after hitting an embedded rock in sand.

Often the rock is about the same color as gravel and sand so you don't see it coming. 

Motorcycle choice

Like tires, the motorcycle itself is a bunch of trade-offs. There is no unicorn. I chose the Husqvarna 701 Enduro since it is decent at both on and off road riding, but it is not the master of either. If you have only one motorcycle (like me) and like mostly riding off-road but ride plenty of pavement as well, I feel this is a good choice. Rider skill is more important than motorcycle choice, but both matter. 

The lighter the bike the easier it is to maneuver and pick up when you do drop it. Optimizing for this might land you a 2-stroke dirt bike. This will be great off-road on technical single track and challenging off-road riding. The new electric motorcycles might be even better here. Some of these bikes can be around 225lbs. Most of these bikes are not legal on most roads. Your routes will be restricted to designated off-road areas only. This can be very limiting. These motorcycles also have very small fuel range as the fuel tanks tend to be tiny (often under 2 gallons) often leaving less than 100 mile range. Electric motorcycles generally have significantly less range. 

So you want the flexibility of being street licensed but you ride almost exclusively off-road. Now you move to a dual sport. This is basically a dirt bike with speedometer, lights, horn, etc., to make the bike legal. Generally, you are now in a 4-stroke bike. This bike is typically over 250lbs. Still pretty light compared to adventure bikes and now it opens up much more riding. You can make large loops that include some paved sections connecting them. Even many gravel roads require street licensed motorcycles. These motorcycles often come with a bit larger fuel tank, but often have many much larger fuel tanks available aftermarket. Some 5 gallons or more giving closer to 200+ miles of range. Like the smaller bikes, these bikes generally lack cushion drive (rubber damped rear sprocket), better displays, comfort features, and most of the electronic features like traction control and ABS. They also tend to have very narrow uncomfortable seats. They sacrifice comfort and features to save weight.

Maybe you want something more comfortable for longer rides. True adventure riding tends to be much longer rides with a mix of pavement and more mild off-road riding. It is more about the fun of casual riding and seeing the world and less about challenging yourself. Those light dual sport bikes are generally unpleasant on the road. The smaller displacement bikes (300cc or less) also struggle climbing hills at highway speeds, or riding into strong headwinds. Cross winds toss them around more too. The seats are very uncomfortable on long rides. If these things are big negatives for you, it's probably time for  an adventure bike. Adventure bikes are generally multi-cylinder. Adding a second cylinder generally adds about 100lbs to the bike. However, it makes the bike much smoother (both engine smoothness and power delivery), the engine sounds much better, and the powerband is wider. This is better for long rides. They tend to start above 650cc and go to around 1300cc. Adventure bikes also have much larger more comfortable seats. They come with larger fuel tanks for longer rides. They can handle more luggage for camping as well. These bikes can make great daily riders too. Many comfort and convenience feature are often on these bikes such as heated grips and cruise control. Weighing in at 450lbs or more, these bikes are a challenge to pick up when you drop them. The stock tires are generally adventure tires which don't work in sand or mud. Larger adventure bikes are great for long, multi-day rides.

I don't agree that we all need 2 bikes. I just prefer to not do the more challenging enduro stuff nor multi-day camping trips. I have an electric mountain bike for the hard enduro stuff. Many I know have 2 or more bikes. I have friends with more than 10 bikes. There is no wrong answer. We each have our own preferences. 

The rider

By far rider skill dominates where you can ride well. Chris Birch can ride a KTM1290 or BMW 1300GS where us mere mortals struggle on a dual sport. Put him on a KTM890 and he can tackle challenging single track. For the rest of us, we need a bike that fits both our skill set, and where we desire to ride. The bike choice will absolutely impact where you enjoy riding too. Get an adventure bike and you will prefer proper adventure riding. Since rider skill is the dominant thing impacting your ability to keep the bike upright and enjoy the ride, this is the thing you should focus your effort on improving first. 

There are many training classes for adventure riding. While I have never done one of these classes, I would advise those interested in riding off-road to take one. Most who have taken them will say it was totally worth it. Too much off-road riding technique is non-intuitive. If you just try to learn by trial and error, you may reinforce incorrect riding technique. At a minimum, watch some videos on off-road riding technique to at least learn the concepts. Chris Birch has a great page here: https://saynotoslow.nz/ to get started. He is the legend of adventure riding. He offers coaching clinics worldwide. I know people who have attended them and all were very happy. However, there are many others that offer free videos that teach the basic concepts. Here is a YouTube search that will show many options: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sand+riding+techniques. Many others also offer regional clinics that are a great choice for those getting started. You don't have to be Chris Birch to teach those getting started. 

Where to ride

You bike choice and rider skill level will heavily impact where you enjoy riding. For instance, I still avoid sand. I can ride sand but I don't enjoy it. Many would agree with me here. If you like a challenge, mastering sand can be fun for some. If you ride around Las Vegas (like a 300+ mile radius) you will encounter sand. There are not many places around here where you can completely avoid sand and loose gravel. The same is true for rock. I created this page with many local trails and YouTube playlists of each of them so you can see what you are getting into: https://sites.google.com/view/las-vegas-dual-sport-adventure.

I found that as I get older I prefer more adventure type riding. The injuries, bike damage, and healing time just take too much of a bite out of the fun. Dork In The Road has a good summary of riding types: 

 I think he did a great job summarizing this. Maybe there are more dimensions than just 2 but this is a great start. I was maybe a 5 or 6 when I was young. Now I am more of a 3 on his scale. I just don't find pushing it hard in challenging terrain fun anymore. I am no longer a thrill seeker. 

 

Dual Sport, Cross-Over, SUV, Enduro, etc.

 Many people go in search of that magic unicorn, either with 2 wheels or 4. In reality, all motorcycles and 4-wheeled vehicles are just different mixes of trade-offs. For a specific person and their desires, there is the right set of trade-offs but they are still trade-offs. 

Let's start with 4-wheels. The very things that make a great handling road car, make it absolutely useless off-road. A road car will handle and perform best with a very low center of gravity, stiff suspension and sway bars. Take the extreme example of a Formula One race car. They literally hit the ground at times since they sit so low. This optimizes cornering and downforce through aerodynamics. An F1 car can't even navigate many driveways as it will bottom out. 

Now consider the other end of the spectrum, a competition rock crawler 4x4. Aerodynamics is not even a thing here as they don't move very fast. They have no sway bars at all. They require large amounts of ground clearance and suspension travel so they sit very high. 

Both of these examples are very focused on the one thing they do really well, and nothing else. In both these cases neither of these vehicles can even attempt what the other can do. Sure, the rock crawler could drive around an F1 track, but at a relatively glacial pace. The vehicles normal people buy generally need to span a wide range of use cases unless you can afford and have the room to store that perfect vehicle for every situation. Even then, you would be making a trade-off every time you took one out. Both of the competition vehicles above must be hauled everywhere they go as they are not legal on any roads. In fact they are only allowed in very specific areas. When it comes to competition, you build a vehicle very focused on that one thing.

We all make trade-offs. If we can only have a single vehicle, and we want to do a wide range of things with it, we will be making major trade-offs. If you enjoy proper off-roading on rugged trails, you will likely get an off-road focused vehicle like a Bronco Raptor or Jeep Rubicon. Both are great off-road, but nowhere near the competition rock crawler in the real technical parts. Both can be driven from your house to the trails, which the rock crawler cannot. Both can be your daily driver as well, but they don't handle very good on the road and they don't get very good fuel economy. While they are not optimum in many cases, it is the right trade-offs for those who enjoy proper off-roading often and also need a daily driver. They have flexibility. 

I have 3 vehicles (4-wheeled road vehicles), all with different trade-offs. I enjoy performance driving on road courses so I have a Porsche Cayman S for that. For most of our daily driving we have a Porsche Cayenne. I have a Ford Ranger Fx4 to haul my bikes, and other things. I have a Husqvarna 701 Enduro motorcycle. These are my trade-offs that fit my use cases reasonably well. They are not right or wrong trade-offs, just trade-offs I chose.

The Cayman S rides very low, handles fantastic, and is a blast to drive on pavement. It has very little storage space and only seats 2 people. It cannot tow or haul anything. I can use it to get groceries, as long as I don't have too much to get. I can take it on trips, as long as I pack very light and only want one other person with me. I would avoid even gravel roads in this car and off-road is not an option at all.

The Cayenne has plenty of utility for most of my needs. I can tow with it, and I can get a full grocery run or pack for multiple people on even a long trip. It seats 4 people comfortably, and a 5th in a pinch. It has a modest ride height and firm suspension so it handles very good for an SUV, but these trade-off off-road capability. I might take it on a gravel road, or I could even go light off-roading but I would not take it on anything challenging off-road. These are the right trade-offs in my case and given my other vehicles.

The Ranger handles by far the worst of my vehicles on the road, but also has by far the most off-road capability. It also has the most cargo space, but much of that is in the open bed. I can haul multiple bikes or motorcycles in it.  

The same idea applies to motorcycles. If you enjoy a spirited ride on pavement, you get a sport bike like a Ducati Monster. However, this would not be so great on that long road trip where you would chose something like a Harley Road Glide. Neither of those could go off-road at all so you might want a BMW GS. But that BMW is big and heavy for the more technical off-roading where a Husqvarna 701 would be better. But that 701 is also big and heavy for the more challenging off-road trails where you would want a KTM 500. The KTM 500 would be very unpleasant on any long pavement rides. So they are all various trade-offs. 

I have the Husqvarna 701 Enduro motorcycle. I like being able to ride to the trails generally and not have to haul it. I prefer off-road riding primarily but most of my routes are a mix of on and off road sections. I thought this was a good video explaining an example of trade-offs and bikes versus riders.

On his scale, I would be in the 3 to 5 range. The older I get and the more crashes I have, the more I slowly shift to the left of his graph. Keep in mind his ranking is just for "adventure" riders. It does not span to road-only bikes or even dual sport bikes. 

There are no magic unicorns. A jack of all trades is a master of none. If you get the flexibility of a Husqvarna 701 Enduro, you also made many trade-offs. While it is decent on the highway, not for very long. It can do adventure riding, but with limited luggage, fuel, and comfort. It can do single track, but it is a bit heavy for that. A good rider can even do some more challenging enduro on this bike but I lack the skill and desire for that. Motorcycle riders often customize their bikes to better fit their needs. I have added things like a comfort seat, windshield, and cruise control to move it more towards adventure riding to fit my tastes. 

There is not really right and wrong, only trade-offs. For example, the Husqvarna 701 Enduro is not the wrong adventure bike, but it is not as good as a BMW GS for road trips or long rides. It is not the wrong dual sport, but a KTM 500 is better on the more technical trails. Some solve this by having more bikes. Maybe a KTM 500 and a BMW GS. Maybe a 300CC 2-stroke and a Harley road bike as well. Maybe add a trials bike too. All trade-off choices for sure. 

Even choices such as tires are trade-offs. I choose DOT knobbies for my 701, such as the TKC 80's that came on the bike. I have also used Anakee Wild tires which are very similar. These are DOT rated tires with a knobby tread. The knobs are larger and closer together than a full dirt tire. This makes them handle better on the pavement, and last a bit longer than dirt tires. They get decent grip both on and off road but not as good on-road as a proper road tire, and not as good off-road as a proper dirt tire. They can do both, but are not the best at either. I need that flexibility for the places I ride.

The same applies to bicycles. I have a full suspension, fat tire, electric mountain bike. I prefer riding almost 100% off-road. Riding pavement is boring to me. I do ride some pavement as most of my routes will include some. I chose to add a 2nd battery to my bike to eliminate range anxiety and not limit my ride length. This combination of full suspension, fat tires, a powerful mid-drive motor, and 2 batteries results in a 90lb bicycle. Many look at this and gasp at how heavy it is. However, it feels like a feature compared to the motorcycle so I am quite comfortable with the weight. I don't like to ride real technical stuff anyway. I much prefer faster flowing trails. I love that I never have range anxiety. I ride as long as I want. 

We each have our own desires, skills, perspectives, and wants. We each come to our own conclusions. Sometimes your skills and desires are not a great match so find a better match. In the end we each make our own choice. 

Planning Dual Sport & Adventure motorcycle rides

There are many things to consider when planning a group motorcycle ride that includes off-road sections, or is all off-road. These rides are a great way to meet people, and group rides improve safety for all. I began organizing group motorcycle rides about a year and a half ago. I created this post to share my lessons learned over that time, and after many great rides. 

Weather

While many don't consider season or weather before planning rides, I do take these things into account. At some point it goes beyond just comfort and enjoyment, and becomes an important safety consideration. For instance, I live in an area where flash floods can be deadly. Many rides include wash crossings, or even long section riding the wash itself. Often these washes are in deep canyons or even slot canyons. A slot canyon is a complete trap, where there is no exit on either side. 

Safety

The most important weather consideration is safety. The weather related safety risks vary by region and season. Here in the Southwest flash floods are the most dangerous, followed by lighting and fire. The biggest flash flood risk is in Monsoon season. The challenge here is that the probability of heavy rains during Monsoon season can be very low, yet end up producing deadly flash floods. The situation can be very dynamic and hard to predict as well. Lightening and fire risk follow the flash flood risk and the thunderstorms are responsible for lightning which causes most of the fires as well. OnX has a feature that shows current fires on the map.

Comfort and fun

We all have different tolerances to things like temperature and humidity. Personally I prefer cooler weather in general. I would rather ride in 40F temperatures than 100F temperatures (presuming low humidity). Wind also plays a role. It is not much fun to ride in strong wind. Wind also drives the direction of dust. 

Here in the Southwest, I plan around weather. In the summer, I plan very early morning rides, and go to high altitude. NOAA has some great maps views for this. The weather map below is an example showing apparent temperature in the region. Apparent temperature takes wind chill and humidity impacts into account.

The color shows the various temperatures. In the summer, head for green areas. In general for each 1,000 feet of elevation gain, the temperature drops about 3F to 5F. In the winter, ride the lower altitudes and start later in the day. They also have maps for storms, wind, precipitation, etc. 

I often use the Weather Channel website and similar website for this. However, I recently found this: https://gpx-forecast.com/ that lets you load a GPX file and gives weather forecasts along the route.

Ride Planning

Ride difficulty level

As all riders have different skill levels, train preferences, and motorcycles, it is important to communicate as much as you can about the nature of the ride and the difficulty levels. It is less about the bike and really about the combination of bike and rider, and this is very subjective. The term "big bike friendly" comes up often. However, Chris Birch could ride a Goldwing in places others would struggle with a TW200. I tend to think it is about 70% rider, 30% bike and tires. Because of this I find the best way to share what the trail looks like is with a video. I record all the new trails I ride and post them as playlists on my YouTube channel. I created this https://sites.google.com/view/las-vegas-dual-sport-adventure/home website where I have information about the various trails with links to the related YouTube playlists. The goal is for people interested in the event to preview the trails and determine if the ride fits there skills, bike, and desires. I post a link to the playlist showing the trails we will ride for the event (if available). If I have not yet recorded the trail, I try to find a video from someone who has. I have had mixed success with this but it seems to be the best approach. Too many will ignore the video but at least I have provided them with this information ahead of time. If they chose not to use it, that is up to them. Some off-road mapping applications such as OnX have difficulty levels for most major trails but most are 4 wheeled vehicle based. They are also subjective. If the trails are in one of these mapping application, and that application can share deep links to the trail(s), share those links in the posting. OnX also allows sharing your planned route as a link. Since I post the rides as events in Facebook, people in the group can ask questions and get replies from others. This is another way riders can ask about difficulty and crowdsource responses from other riders. 

Ride details

It is very important that you post a map link and details of the starting location. People need to know exactly when and where to meet. I use a Google Maps link as well as a good description in the event post for this. The time should reflect the desired ride start time. I found it is best to have at least a 15 minute buffer for this. If you want the ride to start at 8am, post the meeting time at 7:30am or 7:45am. Or, post the start time at 8am but don't leave until at least 8:15am. 

Different bikes have different fuel ranges. Fuel economy is somewhat hard to predict since the terrain causes big changes. My Husky 701 can get as good as 65mpg or as bad as 35mpg for instance. Adding to that many off-road focused dual sport bikes can have rather small fuel tanks. Some (like my 701) has no way to know how much fuel is in the tank until the low fuel light comes on. This creates range anxiety. I post the longest distance between gas for the route we plan to ride. I use a mapping application such as GAIA or OnX for this. I have this post: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2024/02/off-road-trails-in-southern-nevada.html describing those apps. After ring my motorcycle for a couple years now, and tracking the fuel economy, I have a good idea of my range. If there is a risk of not having enough fuel, I have a 1.3 gallon add-on gas can I can attach to the bike. I prefer to plan rides with less than 100 miles between fuel stops when possible.

I like to create the route in OnX or GAIA and share the link with the group. Ideally also create a GPX file of the route and share that for download. This is tricky since I use Facebook to post the events and they do not allow attaching GPX files. I use a Google Drive public folder to host the GPX files, and share the Drive link in the event details. This way people can download the route into their favorite GPS navigation device. I use a Garmin Zumo XT2 for this myself. Some use phone apps, some of which allow downloading maps for offline use. I use both. If I am unfamiliar with the area, I download offline maps on Garmin, Google Maps, GAIA, and OnX. Never get lost!

Some riders have tire/tube combinations that are not good on pavement, or just avoid pavement. These folks will want to haul and meet to minimize road riding. Some rides can facilitate that, others less so. Ideally consider this when planning rides. This is a tough one as suggesting a place to park is risky. I avoid this instead pointing out the route and where we start, and let them decide where they want to haul to and meet us. 

Some people don't have street licensed motorcycles. Generally all the rides I plan include roads and trails that require a street license. Mention this in the event post. While the roads may be obvious, many trails are not.

Creating a route

I start with some of the ride mapping and routing tools available. This post https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2024/02/off-road-trails-in-southern-nevada.html covers that topic. Finding and connecting trails with gas stops takes some time. Understanding what each trail segment is like can be the hardest part. I use web searches and YouTube searches as much as I can. OnX and some others offer good reviews and explanations of many trails, but not all. I find GAIA to be a good choice in some cases as it is very crowd sourced and detailed as far as trails but it does not have difficulty ratings. For the most part, OnX and GAIA have trails mapped and you can simply create routes by mapping through and between them. This uses a snap to map feature that tries to route you between points by following defined trails. At times, none of these apps have certain trails covered and you may need to improvise. OnX and GAIA for instance, offer custom routing/mapping tools. In this case you turn off the snap feature and instead draw point-to-point yourself. Often I will build a route mostly with the snap feature ON, and switch to the point-to-point approach only for small segments between defined trails. I use a satellite view while doing this to validate the route appears good. This is of course risky. Watch out for things like gates and fences, large deep washes, etc. I use Google Earth at times to show the profile of the terrain as well as view the satellite imagery. OnX and GAIA both have similar profile features. If you try to add points too far apart, most of these might reroute you to highways and paved roads. To avoid this, add a close point instead to ensure the route stays where you want it.

Here is an example of a powerline service road that does not show up in any off-road mapping tool I have found.

See the "elevation profile" showing how this route follows the terrain. Here is more details about this route: https://sites.google.com/view/las-vegas-dual-sport-adventure/home#h.7ghyi74fpgfg with video. This is a great connector route I often use to make a loop through Goodsprings and Potosi. Powerline service roads can be great trails and too often they are not mapped. 

This video shows basic route creation with GAIA.

and route building in OnX.

There are many others but these 2 have been the best for my uses.

Once you have the route planned, I take a screenshot of it to use as the image in the Facebook event (as shown above in this post). This way people can see the overview of the ride. 

Rating the difficulty

This is always very challenging as difficulty is very subjective. Some will ask "is it big bike friendly"? This is more about the rider than the bike. Chris Birch could follow me anywhere on a KTM 1290. I have a friend with an Africa Twin that goes places I would not ride on my Husqvarna 701. It is even more about the rider, much more.

New riders or street riders that are just getting started off-road will need some tips and practice before they can know what is easy or hard for them. 

Some have proposed various rating scales, such as "floofability".

Beyond capability there is also desire. Maybe I could ride though some tough places, but do I want to? Off-road riding is different things to different people. Some enjoy the open air and scenery more. Others enjoy the challenge more. For most of us we are somewhere in the middle. Dork in the road suggests a rider based scale from "explorer" to "thrill seeker" with a continuum in between. I think this is about right. 

I often resort to sharing a YouTube video of the trail and let people determine for themselves, when I can find on. 

Creating an event in Facebook

I am no Facebook fanboy but it seems to be the best one for rider groups and creating events within the group. Here is a tutorial on creating the event in Facebook. One tip here: don't use any web links in the event description! Facebook often hold these awaiting the group admin approval. Instead, create the event using just text. Make sure it posts and is not stuck at "pending". Then put links in the event "discussion" tab. I often want to share the OnX trail link (obviously) and Facebook seems to think these are nefarious or something. I also share links to a Google Drive with the GPX files, and YouTube playlists. These all work better as individual posts in the "discussion" tab and not on the event description. 

Rider Communication

Rider-to-Rider

I posted a separate blog post on this here: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2023/11/rider-to-rider-communication.html . Rider-to-rider communication can help safety and fun. Off-road riding in the Southwest almost always includes dust. Heavy dust can be a safety risk since it impedes visibility similar to fog. It can be worse than fog since the dust coats everything between your eyes and the trail. When riders can communicate, the group can stretch out to provide bigger gaps, helping to reduce the dust issues. This also reduces the likelihood of a rider hitting another rider who has an accident. If a ride at the back of the group has an issue, they can inform the riders ahead. If a rider at the back has a minor issue and has to stop, they can let the other riders know so they don't have to worry or ride back. See my blog post for details, but at a high level I recommend using both Cardo PackTalk (or similar) helmet intercom along with a GMRS radio for longer distances. I have a GMRS radio I keep on my bike, and I carry a spare that I often give to the last rider in the group in case they don't have their own. There are 3 major brands of helmet intercom: Cardo, Sena, and all the rest. Cardo PackTalk is currently the biggest and best choice in my opinion. Sena is a strong competitor and functionally very similar. Both have mesh communication in their higher end units (PackTalk for Cardo, DMC for Sena). You can even bridge between them with Cardo PackTalk. Both also can pair with all the rest and each other via standard Bluetooth intercom mode. Each rider can bridge one rider outside their brand as well. Theoretically 6 riders can have either Cardo PackTalk or Sena DMC can each bridge in one additional rider so 12 rides can all talk. In reality setting that up is difficult and time consuming.  

Emergency Communication

In case of emergency, you need a way to call for help. While cellular phones may work in many places, there are far too many places where they don't. Cellular providers and device makers are adding satellite services for SOS which can help. I prefer Garmin InReach as it has an industry leading rescue service and even an insurance plan. I use the simplest Garmin InReach Messenger for this. I also have a Garmin fenix watch that integrates with InReach so I can trigger an SOS even if I can't reach the InReach device. The InReach also lets you message people via SMS for emergencies and non-emergencies. The messages can include your GPS coordinates by default too. I find it handy for non-emergency messaging. InReach can also be setup to track you on rides. You can share this location with a person or group of people, such as a spouse. They can track you on a map so they know where to find you if things go badly. 

The GMRS radio mentioned in rider-to-rider communication can also be used for emergencies and to help coordinate rescue. However, I would not depend on this.

Liability

Sadly there are some really awful people out there who would try to blame others and sue. Post this to every event to help reduce that risk. A proper signed liability waiver is stronger.

RIDE DISCLAIMER & EXPECTATIONS

• Self-Guided Group Meetup: This is an informal gathering of independent riders, not a guided tour or organized event. There is no designated leader or guide.

• Ride at Your Own Risk: Dual sport motorcycling is inherently dangerous and carries risks of serious injury or property damage. By joining, you assume full personal responsibility for your own safety, navigation, decisions, and vehicle.

• Self-Sufficiency: You are responsible for bringing adequate water, food, protective gear, tools, and emergency supplies. All bikes must be street-legal, registered, and insured.

• Route & Trail Conditions: Shared GPX tracks or route descriptions are for reference only. Assess trail hazards independently and turn back or alter your route if a section exceeds your skill level.

• Release of Liability: By participating in this meetup, you agree not to hold the post creator, group administrators, or fellow participants liable for any accidents, injuries, losses, or damages incurred.

Make zippers smooth in dusty environments

 I ride off-road in very dusty environments. One problem I have is with all the zippers on my riding gear, backpack, and storage bags on the motorcycle and bike. When they get dusty they are very hard to zip and unzip. They get jammed up with the layer of dust. I blow them out with compressed air and that temporarily makes them less bad but it does not take long riding for them to jam up again.

My storage bags on the bike are not waterproof. When I get done riding I rinse the dust off the bike before putting it away. When I do that some moisture gets into the storage bags. I decided it may help to Scotchgard the bags. 

It is a simple spray coating that helps repel water. It also happens to be a great non-oil based zipper lubricant which works great in dusty environments. Since I sprayed the outside of the bags, the Scotchgard got into the zippers too. I immediately noticed my zippers were smooth and easy. It was a stark difference. Even better, they stayed that way even after several dusty rides. Many of my zippers I have issues with are plastic. The plastic zippers are much worse for the dust jamming them up. However, this Scotchgard trick seems to nearly eliminate the problem and it even lasts. 

After I discovered this, I applied Scotchgard to all the zippers on my gear (riding pants, jacket, etc.), my backpack, and the bags on my bike. What a difference!

Husqvarna 701 Enduro 5,000 mile update

 

I now have 5,000 miles on the Husqvarna 701 Enduro. Love this bike for sure. 

Here are some upgrades from my last update at 2,000 miles. 

• Replaced the Continental TKC 80 tires with Michelin Anakee Wild. I have also replaced the rear again with another Anakee Wild (front was about 80% still). Performance is very similar but the TKC 80's lasted almost twice as long (2900 miles versus 1700 miles). I replaced them when the center of the tread is down to about 4mm. The only reason I switched was due to availability of the TKC 80. I will be going back to TKC 80 when these wear out.
• Added a Garmin Zumo XT2 navigation system. My old smartphone navigation had some flaws, mainly screen brightness and size. The Zumo XT2 has excellent screen brightness and several other useful features. 
• Removed the kickstand sensor guard due to intermittent issues with kickstand sensor faults. I also had the sensor replaced under warranty. Worked fine for over 1,000 miles but the fault happened again just once. It has been another 1,000 miles with no issues. 
• Due to heavy dust on most of our rides, I went back to a factory paper air filter. No real evidence the K&N was not doing the job but just concerned it does not catch quite as small of particles as the paper. 
• Replaced the front bag due to the other one failing the zipper.  
• Seat Concepts Comfort XL seat. This does make a big difference. When you first sit on it you wonder if it was worth the $400. I long ride down the highway confirms that it is. Actually any ride where you are on the seat. 
• I added an external mic and fuzzy wind socks. I put the mic on the front bag to isolate it from all vibration. Now the audio in my videos is drastically better. 

I track my fuel economy and I am averaging about 50mpg.  It can drop as low as 35mpg on long fast highway segments. The worst I got was 33mph on a highway segment into a strong headwind. The best has been 65mpg. 

I finally learned how to use the quick shifter and it is magical! It is just a habit for me to let off the throttle when shifting, a habit very hard to break. The way you ride a quick shifter is stay even on the throttle and just make the shift. It even works great at full throttle. It works both up and down, automatically speed matching via engine control. It cuts engine power very briefly to make the shift but it is so fast it feels like constant power delivery. 

I hit 5,000 miles near Tecopa California on a Red Rock Rumble ride sponsored by Red Rock Harley Davidson. YouTube playlist from that ride: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4ONVypz2fZAOWldAgCFsl1RgZaQYVnw&si=01wwFbDfKNxm9ApB  

Husqvarna 701 Enduro 2,000 mile update

 

I have now gone past 2,000 miles on the Husky and still loving it.  I bought this bike new last fall from a local dealer, Carter Powersports.  I made a few upgrades and rode it over 1,000 miles before having an accident on it in January which preventing me riding it for several months.  I started riding it again in June and now have 2,076 miles on it, mostly off-road.  

Here are some upgrades I have made so far:

• Rear luggage rack.
• Rear bag that I bolted to the luggage rack. I also have Velcro straps bolted in to keep any luggage from moving around.
• Front bag that I custom mounted between the seat and key switch area.
• Doubletake mirrors.
• Cycra hand guards and mounts.
• I tried 2 different windshields.  First a small Puig. Later I installed a large Madstad (22" size). I would get the 18" instead.  I also drilled a second set of hose so I can drop it way down out of the way when off-road.
• NiceCNC gas cap.
• Upgraded the headlight bulb to LASFIT high power LED.
• LED marker lights and driving lights to improve visibility.
• Upgraded the turn signal bulbs to brighter LED.
• K&N air filter.
• Rear brake master cylinder guard.
• Custom made a kickstand sensor guard and also bought a Vanasche side stand dongle I keep with me just in case. 
• T-Rex skid plate and crash bars. 
• USB charger.
• I bought a cheap 1.3G gas can with center mount.  I had to modify the mount that came with it since it broke off quickly. I cover this at the end of my 1,000 mile review. 
• I also added a cheap dash camera mostly for insurance reasons.  It records all the time. I may upgrade to a proper dual camera motorcycle recording system later.  With so many poor inattentive drivers out there I think it is important to record everything.  

I keep a small 12V air compressor and a pump-in tire slime kit, zip ties, extra tie down straps, basic tools, etc., in the rear bag. I also added a 12V connector under the seat to connect the compressor.

The license plate holder and part of the rear fender broke off on my last ride (a rough rocky gravel road).  It appears that the metal frame holding the side reflectors caught the knobby tire over a bump, breaking it off.  I always thought that looked a bit flimsy.  I cut the rear fender off square and just mounted the license place to the rear of my bag.  

Taken just after my license plate mount and chunk of rear fender broke off

This bike has no problem cruising down the highway.  The issues is the wind is noisy and fatiguing after a while. I tried 2 different windshields on the bike. The first was the small Puig.

It just mounts to the plastic around the headlight.  It had some effect in reducing the wind pressure on your check but almost no improvement at the helmet.  After a ride that included many miles of freeway, and into a headwind, I decided I wanted more wind protection so I ordered the Madstad windshield in the 22" model.  Here is what that looks like installed.

Enormous, right.  It is adjustable and it does cut the wind from the helmet area as advertised.  I did a long highway segment with this and found myself cruising along at high speed in more comfort. However, off-road it is bulky and you can hit your helmet on it over the rough stuff. To address this, I drilled another set of mounting holes in it and use thumb screws so I can switch it easily with no tools.  Here is what it looks like in the off-road position.

  The Madstad mounting system also has a significant amount of adjustment.  In hindsight, I should have ordered the 18" windshield instead of this 22" one.  I may trim several inches off the top later.  I can also just remove it completely with the 4 thumbscrews depending on the type of riding I am doing. It takes about 2 minutes to switch the mounting position. I also added a Ram camera mount for my Insta360 action camera (photo above that last one).  

Here is a video playlist from one of my more recent rides (before the Madstad windshield): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4ONVypz2fbh594JYO5ftFDV-qHEImyT  

After 2,000 miles and all kinds of dual sport riding, I continue to love this bike.  I still have the original tires on it but the rear is getting fairly worn at this point. Here are a few thoughts on pros and cons from my perspective:

Pros:

• Excellent flexibility.  Does both on and off road very well.
• Good fuel range.  Can go about 165 miles on a tank with mixed riding, more if on-road.
• Excellent electronics.  The traction control and ABS work well and can both be switched off for more aggressive off-road riding.  I do turn OFF the ABS off-road.
• Rear fuel tank leaves the front seat area wide open.  The more flat seat make it easy to move around as needed.
• Love the motor power! No need for any power upgrades in my opinion.   
• Great having 6 speeds in the transmission.
• Love the clutch.  Easy and smooth hydraulic operation and a very long engagement range.
• Love throttle by wire too.  Easy and smooth.
• EFI is fantastic.  Even after you drop the bike (which I have done plenty) it starts up immediately every time.  I average about 50mpg with mostly off-road riding. The rev limit is also great especially since there is no tachometer.
• Great maintenance schedule for a bike like this.  Oil changes are 10x longer than many dual sports.

Cons:

• Weight. Although for what it is it is very light actually.  Off-road we just always want lighter.  This bike weighs about 350lbs full of fuel and gear.
• Engine noise.  As many articles also mention the LC4 engine sounds like a rock tumbler.  I have a friend with an earlier version of this bike but with an aftermarket exhaust which is loud.  That really helps because the exhaust sound is great and covers over the engine noise.  
• Seat height.  It is a bit high but this is of course a trade-off.  There are lowering kits but I don't want the downsides of that either.  
• Seat firmness.  It is to the firm side and the padding is very thin.  Again, a bunch of trade-offs here because thicker padding would make the seat even higher. You can get aftermarket seats.  I just added a cushion on top and that worked pretty well.
• Key and gas cap.  The chipped key is great for anti-theft.  However, I broke mine very easily and had to get it replaced, which is expensive.  To make this worse, the key is needed for the factory gas cap and in that cap the key turns very hard.  This is why I installed an aftermarket non-locking gas cap.
• There is no fuel level indicator and you cannot see into the tank.  There is a low fuel light at least. I had it come on only 1 time after 154 miles of riding.  I put 2.6 gallons in it to fill it after 154 miles.    
• Very basic display with no actual gear indicator (only a neutral indicator) and no fuel level indicator (only a low fuel light).

Many summarize this bike like this.  If you want to have just one motorcycle for all your on-road and off-road riding, this is it. There are lighter more off-road capable dual sports, but they are not as good on the road.  There are more comfortable dual sport motorcycles for longer adventures, but they weight much more and/or don't have nearly as good of off-road suspension.  Motorcycles are all trade-offs, especially dual sport and adventure bikes.  The Husqvarna 701 Enduro (and KTM 690 Enduro or GasGas 700) is an excellent choice for the 70% off-road, 30% on-road crowd (those percentages based on time, not miles). You can ride from your house without hauling a bike, and having to have something to haul it with. Just hop on and go right from your house.  I love that about this bike.  You can also use it as an adventure bike.      

Here is a video playlist with many other reviews of this bike: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4ONVypz2fZjtowskb2w3vPZASbti7Hn

Biktrix Juggernaut Ultra FS Pro 3 - 1000 mile update

 

I have now ridden over 1,000 miles on this bike, the vast majority off-road.  Since my last update, I replaced the chain at about 900 miles.  It was worn out already.  Not surprising given the forces it has to take on this bike. I am not easy on it. The places I ride have large elevation changes, steep rocky hills, and loamy sand and gravel. I often gain 2,000ft or more in elevation.  Long uphill climbs and then basically coasting back powered by gravity.  The fat tires and full suspension are both hard requirements. I use the full suspension travel very often. 

I often go multiple rides between battery charges. I keep both batteries on the bike and both used at all times to help extend the battery life.  This way the discharge rates are easier on both batteries. I never worry about range at all.  My longest hardest ride uses less than 50% of my total battery capacity. The range extender battery weights about 10lbs but on a bike this heavy I don't really notice it. With the motor power the weight is not a big deal.  I get about 70 hard off-road miles at about 50% battery consumption. A typical 20 mile off-road ride takes about 2 hours.  The batteries will last much longer than I will.

Here is a video of some of the terrain I ride in.

It shows crossing several loamy washes and some of the rocky segments and ends with a fun downhill segment. I have many more videos on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@JimRoal 

Here is a video playlist from my last ride: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4ONVypz2fbyh-qyXL8ksrHx6UrYPwEz . This segment shows the loam we have here: https://youtu.be/6StrrBjZD8A?si=j2K_ctuqBQ1i9uV0 

I am becoming a better rider.  Some of that is actually due to me getting back into motorcycles.  I bought a Husqvarna 701 Enduro last fall. This is the first motorcycle I have owned in over 25 years, and it is the heaviest and most powerful too.  Riding this in loamy areas and other off-road challenges has made me a much better and more confident rider on the mountain bike. The ways you control the heavy motorcycle also work on the much lighter mountain bike. My mountain bike weighs 90lbs which is very heavy by mountain bike standards, but a feather compared to the motorcycle which weighs over 350lbs.    

2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro T-Rex skid plate and crash bars install

After searching the internet for the options on skid plate and crash bars for my 2023 Husqvarna 701 Enduro I decided to go with the T-Rex kit (Part Number: N167-16EG + N167-16SP). This kit did not claim to fit my bike exactly but rather KTM 690 Enduro/Supermoto and Husqvarna 701 Supermoto of years prior to mine.  I contacted the company and asked about it fitting my bike.  I worked out a deal to try it out.  

Before installing it I weighed the components so I could later compare to what I removed.

• Skid plate - 53.5oz
• Left crash bar - 32.5oz
• Right crash bar - 34.7oz
• Attaching hardware - 22.2oz

142.9oz or 8.93lbs.  I also weighed the factory plastic skid plate assembly and it came in at 25.4oz and 8.7oz of removed mounting hardware for a net weight gain of 6.8lbs.  The added weight is fairly low on the bike, the skid plate being the heaviest single component and also the lowest. 

The install was very easy and straightforward.  It took less than 20 minutes I would guess.  Here is a video of the install.

It fit the bike well and offers the protection I was looking for. The crash bars are simple and don't go as high as others but will likely take most of the hit if I drop the bike on either side, protecting the radiators. 

The skid plate has extensions on both sides that help protect the side cases from objects from the front.  They even offer some protection from dropping the bike on the side depending on the surface.

While it would have been convenient to use the original sockets to catch the back of the skid plate, the T-Rex design is much more robust.

Between the skip plate and crash bars, the water pump looks well protected now.

I like the lower position of the crash bars, both to keep the weight down low, and since this is a much stronger design than other bars.

I like the design of these crash bars compared to many others I have seen.  The cross bar is positioned well to prevent branches and other things from getting captured by the bars when riding.  It will tend to deflect them away.