Baja Shakedown

[Cabrito]

Baja Shakedown Ride Report

Cabrito / Saltwater / Haaank

483 miles for me - two days - Testing our bags, gear, Radios, bikes, and stamina.. Good thing it was easy riding... Temps hit as high as 109° in Ft Hunter Liggett..



All three bikes performed flawlessly for the most part. Lessons were learned...



More later...

 

[SFMCjohn]

More later...

Whoo-hoo! :thumbup

Looks like you guys had a
great ride ... arty

Looks like you found
the Browns Valley turn, too ... :laughing

 

[Cabrito]

Whoo-hoo! :thumbup

Looks like you guys had a
great ride ... arty

Looks like you found
the Browns Valley turn, too ... :laughing

Hey John! Yeah, we found Browns after a slight detour.. Ya see we sort of missed the turnoff and wound up at the gate at the end of Mc Creery Ranch Rd. We thought maybe since it wasn't locked that we would find Browns if we went through the gate, but of course we didn't. Check this pic of how we went several miles into the valley and up to a hill top where we realized we screwed the pooch.. Turned around and found a local at the gate who informed us that we were indeed on private property and told us to follow her to Browns... Whew!



So to catch up...

This is my Spotwalla link for the whole ride from my Delorme InReach -
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=119b1578a450318edb&hoursPast=0&showAll=yes



We met at Alice's Restaurant at about 8:30am.. Took Skyline all the way to the end and ended up on Summit Road / Mt Madonna road to 152/Hecker Pass, and on to Hollister for lunch - It was fun and easy. It was nice and warm..er I mean Hot as fuck in Hollister.. Then we headed to find Browns Valley Road, and well you know what happened..

A few from Summit Road



Big Bank Hank


El Cabrito





Browns Valley was sweet! Nice and fast and open..

Saltwater at the turnoff..


Browns Valley Road



On to Panoche Road and Hwy 25 to find Old Hernandez Rd. :ride

 

[Saltwater]

Whoo-hoo! :thumbup

Looks like you guys had a
great ride ... arty

Looks like you found
the Browns Valley turn, too ... :laughing

It was a great ride! I dont know how we missed Browns Valley Rd but we did. On my AAA map it shows Santa Anita turning into Browns Valley with out any change of direction so, for me, the logical choice was to go through the gate. I figured it was to keep cattle in and that was it. Like Micheal said though a local was kind enough to redirect us.

This is the only picture I got before we went down Summit Rd. I've never been down this road, but Im glad we did. The views from up there are amazing.

 

[SFMCjohn]

... for me, the logical choice was to go through the gate.

... I like the way you think! :laughing

... would love to see some pics from the
far side of the gate on McCreery Ranch Rd ... :cool

 

[Cabrito]

After Browns Valley road we took off down hwy 25 past Pinnacles looking for Hernandez road, but we never saw it and by the time we figured out we must have passed it we were miles down the road.. So we headed to Kin City to get some gas...

Shake Down note - My bike was running great and got 53mpg when we filled up :thumbup Even though it was hot out the oil temp on my dipstick gauge was always between 200-225° - I think that's acceptable.

Worked our way over to Williams Hill BLM to cut over to Ft. Hunter Liggett.

We were going to go up to the top, but it was pushing 6pm at this point and we needed to get to Prewitt and find a camp spot before dark..

A few shots of Williams Hill - Lockwood - San Ardo Road

Looking back towards Hwy 101


Great open fast and easy riding.



We picked up Jolon Rd to Mission Rd and through Hunter Liggett.. It was 109° on the base and my skin felt like it as roasting...



We made great time on the super fun Naciamento/Furgusson Road up to Prewitt Ridge. It was pretty packed with folks camping, but we found a killer spot that wasn't near any of them.


From up on Prewitt - You can see the fire plum from the Soberanes Fire that was starting up.



I think this is the spot that Mark's bike was running pretty hot so he decided to take a break while I scouted for the site. It's also the spot I came round the corner to see Mark pinned under his bike- He managed to extract his foot and we got the bike upright. Could have been bad with his foot pinned.

 

[Cabrito]

Prewitt Ridge -

We found a pretty killer spot with a little view of the ocean, but protected from the wind even though it wasn't windy.



Sunset was freakin awesome!



A few of our camp

Mark goes cowboy style.. No tent needed.


Hank goes Full Mexico Style - Hammock test complete!

Now you see him..


Now you don't



Prewitt is has some really nasty flying bugs.. They were swarming us right until the sun set. Mark went all Ninja to fight them off including BARF salute.



All packed and ready to split at 0730hrs..



Ready for the ride down South Coast Road to Los Burros Road to get to Hwy 1

 

[Cabrito]

South Coast Road to Los Burros Road to get to Hwy 1








You could see the haze from the Soberanes Fire north of us.










On the ridge you're above the fog..

 

[Lunch Box]

Awesome stuff (as always), Cabrito. :thumbup

 

[1962siia]

Looks like a great trip! Those roads look like you could really rip it up. Hope to make it on the next shake down!

 

[Cabrito]

Awesome stuff (as always), Cabrito. :thumbup

Thanks Aaron, it looks like you guys had some fun on the Mid-Summer Weavervile hoonfest..

Looks like a great trip! Those roads look like you could really rip it up. Hope to make it on the next shake down!

Yeah Daniel, everything we rode was super easy and fast. I'm thinking maybe a lost coast run to go play in the sand as another Baja Shakedown type of thing..


Getting back to Hwy 1 was a pretty chill. We had to layer up when we got there because it was a pretty big temperature swing..

My XR4 was pretty much right at home on Hwy 1 and I was even passing other motorists... :ride

We took Old Coast Road as another dirt detour - I've been on it North to South, but this was the first time going the other direction. I think I like it better this way.

Hank being a newer rider wasn't as comfortable passing cars so he did the sensible thing and just rode at his own pace. Here he pulls up to meet us at the Old Coast Road turn off.



He's got these MonsterADV lights like the ones I have on my KLR. They work great, but for some reason his battery went dead and we had to push him for a bump start. (a learning experience for him). Thought his starter was dead, but turned out that wasn't it. It could be all the lights he was running and his battery couldn't get charged back up. Weird though that it wasn't a problem on the first day. He's got to check that out. - Hank, check your battery terminals to make sure they aren't loose.. Sometimes they need to get re-tightened.

Old Coast road is another fast smooth dirt road.

Mark was ripping up a head while I rode sweep..




Haze from the Soberanes Fire..



I stopped at one point to get my tunes going in my helmet, and when I caught up to Hank my heart sank... He was down - pinned under his bike and not moving! I was freaking... Pulled over and as I stopped he lifted his head to tell me he was stuck under the bike and couldn't get his foot out. Second time I came around a corner to find a rider pinned under their bike. I got the bike off his foot and made sure he was okay.

It was a nice silty turn that got the best of him.





We had to bump start his bike here. It was just me and him because Mark was way up ahead at this point. It took a few tries because it's hard to push the bike in the silt, but we got her going..

 

[SFMCjohn]

All packed and ready to split at 0730hrs..

Another beautiful Honda pic ...
bikes look Baja-ready-for-anything! :thumbup

... really impressed the three of you
were ready to ride at 7:30 am ... :ride
I can never seem to get going that
early ... :laughing

 

[Norcalslowpoke]

Great report

You guys got heat (not much in Baja in January), a wee bit of sand, a crash, bike issues, desolation, a bit of navigation, great vistas.. Perfect. So glad there was a small appetizer of "adventure" in the shakedown. Baja will dish out much larger portions. The roads, at least from the photos, will be on average more difficult (especially sand).

Question for Haank. Are those boots "dual sport boots" (flexible, fairly easy to walk in, can bend side to side)?. If so, I'd look for some proper stiff dirt bike boots, could save your foot/ride/trip. Even a pair of used ones off CL would be better. Sorry to pipe in and sound like a nanny if I'm wrong. :afm199. Actually not sorry, a foot injury for anyone on the trip will affect everyone.

New ones can be had for not too much $:

"murica/Trump" colors perfect for Mexico (or Honda Racing..

https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/oneal-rider-boots

There are black/white ones too.

Awesome to see Haank riding at his own pace (a must in Baja). Nothing will slow a trip down more than a significant accident/injury. No EMTs, no 911, minimal medical care.

How was the gear/packing? Too much stuff, perfectly packed?.... any lessons/changes/mods?

Was there any riding that required standing (lots in Baja)?

:thumbup

 

[Cabrito]

Great points Scott!

Even though the riding was easy the heat was a real obstacle and we were in the saddle for almost ten hours so endurance was tested. Hank didn’t complain once, and has a great attitude that will work well in Baja. He knows how to think outside the box too..

There wasn’t much standing on this ride because it was all so easy. I remember my calves being so sore I could hardly walk by the time we got to Mulege back in 2015, and I was in decent shape..

We didn’t encounter any sand at all. Just some silt. Sand is a whole special deal all its own.. Silt does have its challenges though, that’s for sure. Sand has a steep learning curve and most people have it figured out by the end of the first day, at least that was my personal experience.

I was thinking the same thing about Hanks boots, but kept forgetting to bring it up. I wore my Sidi Adventure boots when I went to Baja, but next time it’s going to be my Sidi Crossfire MX boots for sure.

I’ll post my comments on gear when I’m done posting pics…

Another beautiful Honda pic ...
bikes look Baja-ready-for-anything! :thumbup

... really impressed the three of you
were ready to ride at 7:30 am ... :ride
I can never seem to get going that
early ... :laughing

John, The bikes do look good don't they? The bugs came back out when the sun came up so we were super motivated to get on the road... Plus the fact that the area was packed with other camping folks so we wanted to get the jump on them. Turned out we had South Coast rd. and Los Burros all to our selves...

 

[Cabrito]

More of Old Coast Road

The terrain does change a bit on this stretch.







While we were in the trees we came across a convoy of these rigs heading to the Soberanes Fire. Must have been a few dozen of these trucks and we had to pull right up to the trees to let them pass.




The Bixby Bridge through the fog… or Haze… Not totally sure. Most of these pictures I’m posting are Marks.



Obligatory Bike / Bridge pics

 

[Cabrito]

After Old Coast we had lunch in Carmel. Hank peeled off on Hwy 156 back to Livermore while Mark and I split lanes all through Santa Cruz..

Somewhere between Santa Cruz and HMB Mark took me on some of his favorite backroads…

Unfortunately when we reached the other end of this road it was blocked off with two piles of dirt and stuff, but we just took it as a challenge (which I failed)










Fail!



Onto my Gear thoughts..

Gear: I was packed for this ride in mind, and not really for Baja. I took more stuff than I would take to Baja so I’m pretty sure I’m good.
I’m having a love hate relationship with the GiantLoop bag. I really prefer side bags that I can get into easily. The Coyote comes in contact with my BackPack especially if I have a lot of stuff in the backpack. It wasn’t working for me at all during the first day. I had to totally adjust my seating position, and it was putting a strain on my back. I ended up pulling some stuff out of my pack and that made a big difference. Once I fixed that I couldn’t even tell the GL Bag was back there. It has a solid mounting system.
My GL tank bag worked great, especially since I swapped my gas cap for one that doesn’t have the vent hose. I’m able to mount the bag up on the tank so it’s more out of my way when riding.

Electronics: My new power port on the bars was working great. I can power my GPS and a USB device at the same time. It’s a homerun direct to my battery. I just need to unplug it when I’m not riding or they will sip power from the battery. No big deal because the plug is right at the handlebars.

Communications:
Mark was trying out a helmet mic/speakers for his radio and I was trying my Sena Bluetooth adaptor for my Yaesu radio. At higher speeds it was difficult to understand Mark. No problem at lower speeds. It was nice to have the comms… We did have some malfunctions that we didn’t get sorted. I think it might have been my Sena. He could receive me, but I could not receive him at times. We troubleshot it a bit, but the results were inconclusive. I’ve used my Sena with Bluetooth communication between several riders at a time with great success, but I don’t think many of us use these devices. They work way better than radios in my opinion.

Bike:
My XR4 was getting 50-53mpg with a mix of highway / backroads / and dirt, but nothing technical. My oil temp dipstick stayed in the 200-225° range even when we were riding in 100° temperatures with some slow speed, and some high speed riding. The bike didn't miss a beat. I need to go through it though since I did ride the Sheetiron and this ride. I'll be checking all bolts, and fasteners, wheel bearings, valves ect.. This bike is gonna kick ass in Baja compared to my KLR last year..

I'm hoping Mark and Hank will add their thoughts and any other pictures they have.

Next up? Lost Coast? Riding on the beach for some sand? Let's plan another shakedown!

 

[Dmitriy]

New ones can be had for not too much $:

"murica/Trump" colors perfect for Mexico (or Honda Racing..

https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/oneal-rider-boots

OH SNAP, I may have to buy a set in the hi-viz color...
You know to color match some of my other stuff....

 

[Saltwater]

Another beautiful Honda pic ...
bikes look Baja-ready-for-anything! :thumbup

... really impressed the three of you
were ready to ride at 7:30 am ... :ride
I can never seem to get going that
early ... :laughing

Thanks John. We had to get an early start to avoid the flies. They were out and about pretty early.

 

[Saltwater]

So here is some thoughts about gear and whatever...

Gear:
This was the first time I had used a GL bag and I was really impressed. This is a huge step up from what I used in Baja last year, which was a leather duffle bag strapped to the back of the bike. I used the GL Coyote bag which seemed to have a little more room than my duffle but the way you pack it is abviously different. It kept the weight low and with the cinch straps everything inside stayed put. It also mounted to the bike easily, but I had to fab up some mounting brackets that went in place of the passenger foot pegs to tie to. Overall it didn't shift while riding and in fact I never even removed it from the bike to get to my gear so this was a huge plus for me.

I packed like I was going to be in Baja with a few extras such as a hatchet, shovel, canned food and a gallon of water. I will be leaving this stuff at home to save weight and a mess. The canned food has the potential to break open (happened in Baja) and cover everything you don't want it to.

Communication:
This was my first time being able to communicate with another rider on the move. It was super convenient but like Micheal said we started having issues with it and then I gave up on it when we hit highway 1. I'm still not sure what the issue was but it will get sorted. Also when we were traveling at a high speed all Micheal could hear was wind noise when we tried to talk and I figured out what the problem was, my mic was aimed opposite of my face. Problem solved there.

Bike:
The XR did well as expected but revealed some little things that need to be addressed. I notice that it was pinging in 5th gear WOT and the steering has a little up and down movement. I installed a 40mm Keihin FCR-MX carb on the bike and thought I had it dialed in, so I think I will go the next size up on the main jet and see what that does. I will order some bearings too.

This was a great ride and I look forward to the next one. Long live the XR.

 

[anytwowilldo]

So here is some thoughts about gear and whatever...

Gear:
This was the first time I had used a GL bag and I was really impressed. This is a huge step up from what I used in Baja last year, which was a leather duffle bag strapped to the back of the bike. I used the GL Coyote bag which seemed to have a little more room than my duffle but the way you pack it is abviously different. It kept the weight low and with the cinch straps everything inside stayed put. It also mounted to the bike easily, but I had to fab up some mounting brackets that went in place of the passenger foot pegs to tie to. Overall it didn't shift while riding and in fact I never even removed it from the bike to get to my gear so this was a huge plus for me.

I packed like I was going to be in Baja with a few extras such as a hatchet, shovel, canned food and a gallon of water. I will be leaving this stuff at home to save weight and a mess. The canned food has the potential to break open (happened in Baja) and cover everything you don't want it to.

Communication:
This was my first time being able to communicate with another rider on the move. It was super convenient but like Micheal said we started having issues with it and then I gave up on it when we hit highway 1. I'm still not sure what the issue was but it will get sorted. Also when we were traveling at a high speed all Micheal could hear was wind noise when we tried to talk and I figured out what the problem was, my mic was aimed opposite of my face. Problem solved there.

Bike:
The XR did well as expected but revealed some little things that need to be addressed. I notice that it was pinging in 5th gear WOT and the steering has a little up and down movement. I installed a 40mm Keihin FCR-MX carb on the bike and thought I had it dialed in, so I think I will go the next size up on the main jet and see what that does. I will order some bearings too.

This was a great ride and I look forward to the next one. Long live the XR.

Mark, You may need to go one size up on the main. I also run a one step colder plug on my XR. Detonation is your enemy! I'm glad you like your Coyote. I picked one up this year, but have not strapped it on yet.