Mr.Cob decided to take a little ride around the Pacific NorthWet this Winter, riding his Ural from host to host and consuming mass quantities of bacon. He stayed in Hood River for a weekend and we enjoyed some spirited riding together in the snow covered hills up behind the house… Friday Bacon from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
Friday Bacon Part 2 from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
We cut over to Huskey Road from Fir Mountain on this fun little track Friday afternoon. Even though it was icy and steep it really wasn’t as tough as I thought it might be. It was a different story when we rode it the opposite direction Saturday. It was much slicker after the freezing rain we’d had overnight. The next day both rigs got bogged down and sideways. Road Rash actually had to walk part of this section on Saturday.
Friday Bacon Part 3 Huskey Cutoff from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
We got back from our scouting foray just as it started to rain. Within minutes of rolling our rigs into the shop it was pouring down freezing rain, sleet and hail. I set Dave up with a driver and several hundred 1/2″ #8 sheet metal screws and he began screwing them into his knobbies in preparation for the next days ride. Little did we know just how much we would need them….
Mr.Cob Gets Screwed Bacon Tour 2010 from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
Mr.Cob & Road Rash shared breakfast with us before we climbed aboard the sidecars for a ride in the hills. We had had a good coating of freezing rain the night before and didn’t need to go too far before we found the road encased in ice. It started as black ice, deceptive and invisible, and soon became a thick, hard sheet of slick ice, about an inch deep.
I had to use my weight to gain traction where it was needed, moving my weight back over the rear wheel to get it to bite and push us up the mountain, leaning over the handlebars to put weight on the front tire so I could steer. You can see the white lines etched into the surface by the sheet metal screws in our spinning tires. At one point Road Rash climbed out of the sidecar and onto the back of the bike to give me more purchase on the slick road.
You can see Mr. Cob come up behind us on our right. He slowed as he closed the gap and lost traction, fading from sight in my mirrors. He had to turn around and retreat to a flatter stretch of road. From there he was able to take another run at the hill and claw his way to the summit. Even with two wheel drive and screws in his rear tire he had trouble making that hill. We tried to walk back down to give him a hand but the ground was so slippery we could not stand on it!
John Corrado is a local rider who lives up here. He caught us at the summit by the micro wave towers. He said his wife told him she saw a couple of bikes go by the house so he hopped in the Bronco to see who it was. He decided to go for a drive and ended up following us for a while. This section was dirt road, but you couldn’t tell it as the surface was encased in a thick sheet of ice. I found there was a strip of gravel and rough snow at the left edge of the road. If I could put the bike right on that edge I had enough traction to control the rig at a pretty good speed. It would get sketchy if the road dropped off or a rock or a tree got in the way. Out in the middle of the road I had trouble steering the bike. We stopped to chain up after I slid to the side of the road trying to round a downhill right turn. Mr.Cob went ahead while I put the chains on. John came along as we were finishing;he said he was going to chain up before he got to the steep downhill up ahead. Road Rash and I caught up with Cob at the top of the hill…
This leg of Saturday’s ride was an extremely steep, windy section of narrow road, covered in a thick sheet of ice. Once committed to it there was no turning back. At tne bottom of the run there is a one lane plank bridge over a frigid stream. Descending the hill, we picked up speed. Pumping the brakes we tried to slow the rigs but the tires just skittered across the frozen road… Saturday Bacon Part 3 from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
Huskey Road was a steep climb, with a snowy, icy rollercoaster through the trees up on top. Saturday Bacon Episode 4 Huskey Road from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
We both spun out halfway up this steep logging track. I offloaded Road Rash and turned around to take another run at it. Mr.Cob and RR had the Ural sideways across the road when I cut across his bow, roosting snow and ice as I tore up the grade. Cob tossed Road Rash out and soon followed me up the hill, leaving Road Rash to hoof it alone. Tom had to walk through snow in the woods as the road was too icy to stand on! Saturday Bacon Episode 5 The Cutoff from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
My cameras stopped working soon after this, so I didn’t get the trip through the frost encrusted upper end of Fir Mountain or our torturous decent down Neal Creek Canyon and home.
See ya, Dave! Let’s do this again,soon! Mr.Cob Wraps Up The Bacon Tour from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
5 to 5 and the last patients have left the office. The doctors are finishing their dictation, the office staff have locked the doors, turned off the lights and gone home. I clean the surgical instruments and shut off the machines, flipping the breaker on the x-ray generator and draining the processor.
I begin the ritual of the riding gear, as I have done nearly every day for many years. I pull on my gortex socks, tucking my trouser cuffs inside them. I put on my riding pants. Designed for safety, they have reflective patches and are armoured at the knees and hips, constructed from cordura and kevlar pack cloth, with a layer of gortex over an insulated liner. I strap on my riding boots: water proofed leather, heavy with padding and armour. Pulling the pants back down over them, I tug the leg zippers closed . I pull on my old grey sweater and shrug on my red winter jacket, built like the pants with protective armour at the shoulders, elbows and spine and trimmed with reflective material. I zip it up, snapping shut the storm flap and wrapping the insulated collar around my neck and chin. I roll foam earplugs into tiny cylinders and insert them in my ears. I pull on my helmet and gloves and exit the building.
The parking lot is pitch black and it is raining hard. I remove the rain cover from my bike and put it and my bag in the sidecar trunk. I mount the bike and reflexively go through the start sequence: fuel(on) ignition(insert key and twist)neutral?( snick the lever up a notch with my toe- the green light comes on and the bike rolls back a little- I ease the front brake back on, arresting the motion), engine(cutoff switch moved to center). I flip the choke on and thumb the starter button. The big single comes to life, burbling and thumping at a fast idle.
The engine settles into a smoother rhythm and I ease the choke lever off, rolling on a little throttle until it warms. I tap the shifter down into first and ease out the clutch, flipping my left blinker on as I move out into traffic.
Traffic is a little hectic with everyone leaving work converging on the arterials that will take them out of town and home. I pass the second traffic light(there are only four in the entire town) and leave the city heading South on Tucker Road.There is a line of oncoming traffic. Rain and red rock put down by the county road crews during the recent snows obscure the centerline, water drops prism on my visor. I brush the rain away with my glove, endeavoring to see the road.
At Nobi’s gas station I go left onto Orchard Road. I have it to myself and it is easier to see without the glare of other headlights. Woodsmoke from the farm houses hugs the ground; it mingles with the rain and the fog rising from the melting snow. The atmosphere takes on a texture, thick and grey as lint.
I pull back onto Tucker Road with oncoming headlights once again making it difficult to see. There is water on both sides of my visor now. I lift it so I can see and the cold rain stings my face, biting into the skin as it strikes. The moisture begins to find it’s way through the layers of cordura and goretex, leather and wool. Cold rivulets tickle my flesh. Two fingers and the tip of my left thumb are wet. I tense as I try to make out the lanes approaching Tucker Bridge and on to the sharp hairpin, uphill into Odell. Rain coats my glasses and drips from the end of my nose.
The engine thumps and the tires splash, pushing through the water pooling and streaming on the road. The night is black and wet and slick.
At home I roll the bike, dripping into the garage. I take the raincover out of the trunk and hang it to dry.
I get the mail, check the chickens and rabbits and bring the dog in. The cat lets herself in, neglecting to close the door behind her.
Reversing the riding gear ritual, I peel off the layers, hanging the sodden jacket, pants and gloves on a drying rack over the heat register and placing the boots and goretex socks in my office.
I pour myself a hot whiskey toddy and listen to the rain drumming on the roof.
Tags: Adventure Sidecar, commuting, dualsport, Kawasaki, KLR, motorcycle, Oregon, sidecar, Sidecar Fun, Sidecars, Wet
I worked a half day Friday after Thanksgiving. About 1230 I hopped on the bike and headed home. Too nice of day to go straight home, I headed up in the hills for the scenic route…
The Columbia River Gorge seen from The Old Dalles Road
Looking East towards Huskey Road. This clear cut took out a beautiful old stand of trees. Top left edge of the cut is a sharp hairpin to the right at the junction of Huskey and Wilson roads. The rally races rip sideways through here and it is a great place for spectators! The road continues west along the ridge at the top edge of the clear cut.
I stopped at the creek crossing on Elder Road to look for mushrooms.
I didn’t find anything I wanted to collect
So I climbed back on the bike and continued East on Elder Rd and on up the switchback and over Huskey Road.
On the upper reaches of Huskey Road I started to encounter snow on the road. The cut off from Huskey to Fir Mountain Road had melted and was gooey mud.
The top of Fir Mountain Road had about 6 inches of snow. Wet and heavy atop a frozen base. After about 2 miles it started to thin to patches and then mud as I headed down 1710
I took the spur down Neal Creek canyon
There was a good deal of blow down the entire route. I feared coming across a large tree closing my way home. Fortunately there was a track around the end of this log
Looking across at Fir Mountain from the head of Neal Creek Canyon
Looking North at Mt Adams, about a quarter mile from my house…
I got home about 3:30 having stretched out my 15 minute 8 mile commute to 31 miles and 3 hours
Wayne leads us on a Moto Mushroom Foray in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Wayne Elston’s Excellent Mushroom Foray from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
Andy and I ride North to join Wayne Elston’s Volcano Run
The Ride to Adams Fork from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
Monica said the relatively low ground clearance contributed to this mishap
So I moved the axle to correct the problem
I ended up with about 16″ under the hack
Got off work early today. Decided to ride up the ridge and see how #3 handles with it’s newly increased ground clearance
Sun shining on a fresh skif of snow!
This track had a series of berms across the road at random intervals. They are a blast to hop at speed, but I reminded myself that I had replaced the frame on this bike last spring and #2 is sitting in the shop with a broken frame, probably because hitting these berms fast is so much fun. Deciding that descretion is the cheaper part of valor, I held my throttle hand in check.
there was plenty of fun riding to be had, even without jumping berms
There’s been a big slash burn smoldering the last several days. I wanted to get a shot of the bike with the burn in the background, but I couldn’t find a good vantage point. I went up on this knob and could see the fire, but the angle wasn’t great…
looking back at the ridge from near my house
Tags: Adventure Sidecar, dualsport, Kawasaki, KLR, motorcycle, Oregon, sidecar, Ural
“I’ve been noodling around and think there may be a difference between parking lot practice and the real thing.
I was going thither and yon here in the mountains at a fair clip yet not really scaring myself. So I’m rounding a right-hander that is fast becoming a decreasing radius turn as I see a couple of turkeys and try to avoid them. Whadya spose- the SC wheel comes up and I’m in the on-coming lane.
I’m ashamed of myself. I haven’t done something like that in a very long time. I applied the front brake and I came down with a thud, but I was unable to get it back in my own lane gracefuly or in a timely fashion.
I usually set up every turn by slowing down, but the decreasing radius turn PLUS the birds… Well, What would YOU have done?” UEThere is a difference between “parking lot practice and the real thing”. The real thing often happens faster and traffic and other hazards may restrict your options. But the skills you learn in class and practice in the parking lot do apply directly to this situation.
Were you… ?
Searching the road ahead,
Locating hazards(such as the decreasing radius turn and the turkeys),
Anticipating how those hazards might affect you,
Deciding what to do(formulate a strategy to deal with the hazards. If the corner is too tight to see the turkeys on the other side you should assume the there might be something in the road and slow down-don’t drive faster than your line of sight. If you can see the turkeys you can deal with them and the tight corner both by slowing down. You might also choose an escape route. You might decide that the turkeys must die. Separate & prioritize the hazards, and decide what your best choice is to deal with them in order of importance.
Evasive action: execute your strategy;slow down, choose your line and hold your line.
Use the cornering techniques you learned in class(you have taken a class, haven’t you? -if not, you should!you need to learn these skills before you get to the corner!). You should have gotten your speed off and shifted your weight right, into the turn, before the corner. If the wheel comes up the rig will tend to drift left. Stay in your lane, adding a little more front brake and shifting your weight further to the right. Look where you want to go and steer the bike there. Don’t grab brakes, don’t grab throttle, don’t grab anything. If you use the brakes, ease them on, ease them off. When you shift your weight, ease it over. Don’t chop the throttle, don’t grab the throttle. When you pick your line, use smooth steering input. Sudden input of any kind contributes to lack of control; smooth is your friend, abrupt is not your friend.
The distinction between instructing some one to “grab” the front brake as opposed to “ease on” some front brake is much more important than arguing over when the term “flying the sidecar” can be applied.
Certainly the most important thing to do is to select a safe entry speed. Get your speed off before you enter the corner. Select a speed which you can safely carry through the entire corner. If you are unfamiliar with the road, can’t see through the corner or traffic or road conditions present increased hazard, err on the side of caution. Slow down.
The posted speeds for corners are a good indication. That doesn’t mean they are absolutes. Conditions, your ability and the vehicle you are driving may allow you to corner considerably faster or may dictate a slower speed through the corner. Just because you are on a sidecar, doesn’t mean you have to crawl through the corner at half the posted speed. That doesn’t mean drive at 9/10ths-leave yourself a margin. Use your head. Don’t freak if the wheel comes up, you are still in full control. The sidecar is still out there, working for you. Drive.
Sidecars are inherently more stable than motorcycles. They require different skills to corner fast and safely. How do you recover when you get into a corner too hot on a sidecar? How do you recover when you get into a corner too hot on a motorcycle or in a car? Sometimes you don’t. On a sidecar, use your weight, use your brakes, use the throttle, use the available road to change your line.
Take a class, practice, know your vehicle, know your abilities and know the road. Drive accordingly.As with any other type of vehicle, the key is not “how do I get out of trouble” but, rather, “how do I stay out of trouble”.
Ballast is additional weight added to the sidecar, usually to improve stability when turning towards the sidecar(right).
Ballast should be secured so it cannot shift and should not be installed in the nose of the sidecar. It is most effective placed low, as near to the sidecar axle as is practical. Ideally, it will be placed inside the triangle formed by the three tipover lines. While the trunk is often at least partially behind the rear tipover line, it is often the most practical place to secure ballast.
Imagine a line drawn between the contact patches of the three wheels of the sidecar outfit. These are thetipover lines. Weight placed outside of the line between the front tire and rear tire of the motorcycle will increase the tendency of the sidecar to lift when turning towards the sidecar(right). Weight placed over the line between the front wheel of the motorcycle and that of the sidecar will increase the likelyhood of flipping the bike over the sidecar when turning away from the sidecar(left). The rear tipover line, between the sidecar wheel and the rear wheel of the motorcycle, is usually the least significant. Weight placed over the rear tipover line increases the tendency to lift the front wheel. Because most sidecars have the sidecar wheel in front of the rear wheel and because most motorcycles have a forward weight bias, this lift is usually not a problem. It does reduce the traction at the front wheel and can make it difficult to steer, particularly uphill or under hard acceleration.
Some rigs need ballast. Some rigs do not.
Beginners may want to use more ballast at first but as they gain experience may
not need so much. The least amount of ballast you need to feel safe is how much
ballast you should carry. Ballast is best made up of useful stuff as opposed to
deadweight. There are costs for carrying that weight- they include reduced
stability turning left, increased fuel consumption and braking distance,
decreased available horsepower. How much these costs are and if they are a
useful trade off will vary by rig, pilot and driving style. Rules of thumb are
general guidelines not the Word of God.
The Trail to Frog Lake BlackDog 2009 from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
Mr.Cob, RedMenace, Robert,Terry and Stephanie follow Andy and Nicholas along the trail to Frog Lake during the 2009 Black Dog Dualsport Rally
for information about sidecars, sidecar tours, training and S/TEP clases see adventuresidecar.com
New Orleans Bounce performed by Dr.Michael White
Vernon’s Clutch Trail Revisited from Adventure Sidecar on Vimeo.
Sunday, BlackDog Dualsport Rally 2009
Having found the junction, we set off up the infamous Clutch Trail with Andy and his navigator, Nicholas, in the lead.
adventuresidecar.com
Tags: Adventure Sidecar, Black Dog, Off road, Rally, Rallys, Sidecar Fun, Sidecars