I just returned from Death Valley where I joined in with 200 riders to enjoy some California desert. For this trip I trailered my Terra, TE630 and WR250R as the terrain is varied and I wanted to enjoy all three bikes as appropriate. The Terra was my choice for Titus Canyon and for a trip to the old mining town of Cerro Gordo. My companions on these two rides were on a TE630 and a DRZ 400 so it was an interesting comparison to bikes that are more dirt oriented than the Terra. Most of these routes were on gravel that varied from well graded to fairly rough, and we also made a cut across on a little used two track crossed by numerous small washes that tested the Terra suspension. Here's a pic of the Terra on the way up to Cerro Gordo. As you can see, the rear tire remains stock, while the front is a mild knobby; IRC TR8. I was impressed with the TR8 as it gave excellent grip on pavement and gravel/sand alike. This is a new tire for me and I will use it again on this bike. I also had on my new Seat Concepts saddle, and liked it very much. My butt was never an issue, and I can't remember thinking about seat discomfort a single time. I still would like the bump in the back to be eliminated, but the raised area does provide for a flush mounting surface for a duffle on future trips. The seat is 1" higher than normal and was a very welcomed addition for my knees. Impressions: The bike has no evil tendancies and I could do a pretty good job of sailing down the gravel and around the corners, drifting the back a little when I wanted to. The rear tire did a great job too. On the way down Titus, along the side of some good drop offs, I gassed it a bit to see how it would handle and again I was impressed. One has to remember though that bringing the speed down before negotiating a sharp corner you are hauling down over a hundred pounds of extra weight! It makes a difference vs my other two bikes! There was a bit of rear wheel chatter when really getting on the rear brake. Going across that two track and crossing the washes (maybe a foot to 18" deep) I used all of the front wheel travel and did bottom once or twice. There is only 7.5" of travel, so one has to attack these things a little slower, where as the 630 and 250 just eat them up and you never have to get off the throttle. This was not unexpected though, and I never expected to ride the Terra agressively over rough terrain. On washboard surfaces, the forks and rear shock did fine, although the suspension gives more feedback to the bars, so just slow down a little bit. My ride to Beatty, NV and back down Titus Canyon gave me 59 mpg. On the Cerro Gordo route that went to 55 mpg. I think 50 to 60 mpg is going to be a good spread to count on, although my bike has low mileage still and may loosen up a bit as the miles stack up. All in all, the bike performed just as I hoped it would so I'm a happy camper. The tight turning radius is very appreciated, too. This summer I'll be putting on a Dunlop 908R rear and doing the Colorado Backcountry Discovery Route on this bike, and I have no fears. I like it!
Nice to meet you Ken. I ran Titus Canyon a day or two after you and found the Terra inspired much more confidence than my KLR. I'm going to have to look into Seat Concepts, my butt and knees did not fair so well on the highway miles I did this weekend.
Good meeting you too! For the money the SC saddle can't be beat, at least IMO. It sure makes it easier to slide back a bit onto the widest part of the saddle and the extra inch of height and width makes a difference. Since the dip in the seat is eliminated, no more sliding down into the hole either.
Oh man....the ol'lady was complaining about the stock seat big time this past weekend! I need to call SC soon!
You know that it will never be a 'Wing! I'll be interested to find out if the SC helps with two-up, so be sure to fill us in when you can.
Glad you liked that tire, although I consider the IRC Battle Rally to be a pretty well rounded and aggressive dirt tire for a wide variety of conditions. I'm running sets on two dualsport bikes, and though I find them to wear a bit faster than some other brands, I would easily choose to run them again.
It is a nice front tire; taller knobs than a TKC and closer spacing than a D606. Seems like a great tire for use on and off pavement and I don't care if it wears faster as it's pretty cheap to buy. It is solid up to 70/75 on the road, but at 80 and up it wants to wander a bit and makes me back off. So what; I don't plan on running more than 70 mph on the highway. It is quiet too due to the knob spacing and pattern, and gives really good grip when railing the corners. When the rear Sahara is gone I will be changing to a Heidenau K60 to see how that works out. The Heidi is just a bit more agressive tread-wise. Taller knobs and a tad bit wider spacing between.
Welcome back Ken! Sounds like a great ride. So...I wouldn't mind seeing pics of the other bikes too in this report. I don't think we discriminate here, as long as there are plenty of Terra pics!
Awww, I'm just barely back and haven't had time to re-size what I have. Then, I didn't spend a lot of time taking pics but am relying on some buds who did. When those come in, and I get mine cut down to cyber size, I'll post up. Great trip though..
I love riding Death Valley - last time there was on a KTM 525 EXC with a 6.6 Acerbis. A good buddy of mine was there for the "DV noob" rally... I haven't made it up Cerro Gordo yet, but enjoyed the Hunter Mtn/Racetrack/Lippincott loop.....riding to Darwin... I think the Terra would be a great bike for riding there.
Hey Ken, didn't recognize your screen name here. I rode sweep for you on the TE449 on Fridays loop. Looks like our friend on the Tiger did indeed break his foot on that ride. Was really nice meeting you! Jeff
Hey Jeff, it's great to put faces and real people with screen names! Thanks for the backup too! Having you back there with the injured made my life a lot easier up front with the rest of the group. I'm really glad I was able to catch up with the group after loosing my brake caliper bolts. That's another story though! For the benefit of others here, one of our Noob riders was on a Trumph Tiger and when he took a little spill while wearing road riding boots, his foot took a beating. Broke a metatarsul in his foot. Wear real dirt riding boots when you are in the dirt! The guy was game though, never complained a lot, and rode that bike for miles over some rough roads to get out of there. Have to hand it to him for that! Death Valley again in 2014! Maybe we can get a few more CH members to attend! Husky was very well represented this year.
Only joking about the single pic...post up when you get time. Do I notice a GPS holder on the bar??? That would be great to have that posted too. I've done it before on Google earth showing your tracks for the day. Kinda cool...when you get time.
I think we did about 40 miles in first gear getting him out No more than 7 MPH. I did make him a promise though and I kept it. The whole weekend was a great time, I highly suggest all attend next year who can. I also second the street boots, no place for them in the dirt.
