A day on the Rubicon with Butch

WoodsChick

WoodsChick

I Don't Do GPS
Butch said:
I need to gear the KTM down for this shit, and yes I have an 18" wheel, and I will prolly buy a trials tire next. The ATK is much better for going slow, but it is er, sick. I can stop and chug away on that puppy.

Dusy Ershim, yes. Sol would be up for it too.
You be the guide?
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I'd love to be the guide, but I'm guessing it'll be a long while until I'm ready for that sort of pounding. I just missed 4 months of work due to a mangled ankle. I'm just now putting around carefully on my 610, and the very thought of grinding my way through rocks kind of makes my stomach queasy. I'll get back to it as soon as I can, though.

A trials tire shines in the rocks, for sure. It's perfect for picking your way through the nasty. The uber-traction you get from a rear trials tire also helps to loft the front (along with the aforementioned lower gearing and spot-on jetting) over the big rocks, ledges and step-ups. You'll be transformed into the Rubicon Slayer:thumbup

I had a boyfriend that had a plated ATK 406 back in the day. That thing was an astonishingly fun ride around Lake Merritt:teeth



WoodsChick
 
sbechtold

sbechtold

Member
WoodsChick said:
Dusy is closed already. I really wanted to do it again this summer but a broken ankle put the screws to that idea...quite literally. It's a total blast on a bike...I don't know about a 4-wheeled vehicle, though:wow I think I'd be scared:laughing Have you done it on 4 wheels, Sol?
WoodsChick
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Kind of thought it might be closed already. I have not had a chance to run it yet. I was supposed to run it about 4 weeks ago after we did the Hammers down in Johnson Valley, but my schedule did not work with the trip schedule. The trail is supposed to be a blast on 4 wheels, so I can only imagine it on 2 wheels. Based on pictures I've seen of Dusy, I assume Dusy is easier on 2 wheels then the Rubicon.
 
WoodsChick

WoodsChick

I Don't Do GPS
sbechtold said:
Kind of thought it might be closed already. I have not had a chance to run it yet. I was supposed to run it about 4 weeks ago after we did the Hammers down in Johnson Valley, but my schedule did not work with the trip schedule. The trail is supposed to be a blast on 4 wheels, so I can only imagine it on 2 wheels. Based on pictures I've seen of Dusy, I assume Dusy is easier on 2 wheels then the Rubicon.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it's easier than the Rubicon or not. I'm sure some parts of it are. What makes the Dusy difficult is that the whole 30+ miles of the trail are at high elevation, mostly between 9000' and 10000', with an elevation gain/loss of over 1700'. I think the Rubicon tops out at a little under 6800' with a gain/loss of about 700' or so? Huge difference, at least for this sea-level dweller :) There are no easy go-arounds for the obstacles, either. It's not as open as the Rubicon and there are no bail-out routes. You either forge ahead to the finish or you turn around and go out the way you came in, one entry and one exit. Of course, that's what makes it so scenic-it's surrounded by wilderness. A lot of the trail is easy, but there are a few tough spots that make up for it in short order :laughing

Here is a ride report I did a few months ago...
http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=257985

There is a link in the first post to the first ride report I did on the Dusy. It has much prettier pictures, and more of them, and represents the trail much better, whereas the 2nd report I did has much better photos of Thompson Hill. No photos do any trail justice, though...



WoodsChick
 
budman

budman

General Menace
Staff member
Very cool ride report.. and nice pic's...:thumbup

I could not help but chuckle thinking how Butch liked to take me thru the shit part of a ride to laugh at my struggles.. :twofinger

Man.. those are some rocks.. very cool.. the video was good to showing the constant out of balance challenge that Butch had to fight.. a lot of work on the bod for sure.

Welcome to barf in a big way..! Nice thread.

Go dirty barf! :port

:smoking
 
Butch

Butch

poseur
Staff member
sbechtold's post is almost worthy of a "best of barf", except too many pics of me. Not bad for a first post.

Dude didn't even introduce himself in the newbie section!
 
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Choppa650

Choppa650

Apprentice Squid.
Nice ride and pics, I am also impressed that there was no overheating on the rocks, not that I have ever been peeing coolant due to nasty rock sections. Impressive!
 
W

wrryder

Member
Did the JJ in 2017, amazing experience. It's classified as an unimproved County road which, I'm told, offers some protection from being closed.
 
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