I've got nothing to do most days, so I'm gonna use my helmet cam to time riding different trails on different bikes and post the videos out here. We'll see how my riding of the different Husqvarna bikes I own goes over different terrain. This is not a race. I'll try to ride each bike 85-90% effort slowing as needed as citizens are encountered and let each bike perform while I feel safe and comfortable on each bike. The Bikes; 1) 2010 TC250 - stock 2) 2010 TC250 - reKluse clutch w/some suspension work(no clutch lever action when testing) 3) 2008 TXC250 - stock 4) 2008 WR250 - stock w/PC pipe The trails; Trails will be mixture of ST but nothing to technical and gnarly mountain roads; 5-15 minutes in length. Nothing too easy. Mostly uphills and downhills. The rider; 56 yr old dirt bike rider; Nothing Fancy here; final judge on winner of each time trial Riding conditions: 1) Wet or dry conditions will be ridden across with each bike 2) Rear tire condition will be kept as close as possible; ESP if any wet trails are ridden. These 2 videos here are just a test to what is gonna come later in the yr 2014. It should give you an idea on what this is about. Camansi Freeway testing up first! I really like this trial as the terrain changes so often...And does not tax my old body too much 08 WR250 View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhRMW_Bt1AU
I'm up loading the 250 4t now .... and this will be a process for the yr ... -- I'm trying to be as equal and fair as possible between the 2t \ 4t machines... Again, I'm just trying to come through the trails and use the ~same amount of effort on each bike and not race the bike at this point. I'm hoping some differences comes out between the 2 type machines ... -- I went out yesterday and went up a the side of a mountain on a trail I ride alot and it was all gnarled, gnarled out from the rains... Small landslides all along the way and big rocks all over the trail. Its almost like, just bring a grader in here and fix this crap for your people.
For his kind of riding a WR250 with the rekluse is hard to beat (with revalved forks ). #2 or #4 for me.
Just looking at the times, the 4t is a little quicker .... But with the crash time subtracted from the 2t time, the 2t bike comes out about 9-10 seconds quicker I think... Unofficial winner is the 2t but the time was pretty close ... Closer than I expected but maybe the trail was a little short .... Also, what can't be measured here is rider effort. Can't show you anything on paper, but this tester thinks the effort has alot higher on the 4t machine to match the 2t time ... It felt like I was coasting on that 2t machine really. More testing needed I think .. -- And the locals for what ever reason closed off the bottom portion of the trail just after crossing the creek. So, all testing must be reset for this course . I'll need a day off to rest tired old body and do some bike stuff and back to work on all this on Tues .. I'll cross the creek and make a hard left, then a right past the end of that fence ... Most of that through there has had a dozer on it, so it is a road and can't really be blocked. I can see a few items inn this process I need to tighten up to get the times a little more accurate also. And the river was too high to cross today after all that rain from the Tropical depression that just passed... If this is the case Tuesday, I'll move to another course in area. The trails I rode today were washed out badly so I expected this trail to have changed some also to the gnarly side
I was watching the first video and thinking... I bet that erosion rut is a little trappy and boom! Great stuff, keep it coming!
Yeah, like how do you factor in dodging the goats lol! I love seeing those scooters you passed while on those trails-it always amazes me where the locals can take their vehicles. I've been on rides in Mexico where you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere on some pretty tough trail and here comes a family in their 20-year-old station wagon going about their daily bussiness
You can't tell it, but that washout rut is about 8" - 10" deep ... No way I can really come out of it if I slide it ... Sort of the nature of the beast here as that ground is very clayey and slowly over a very time, starting from whatever, they just get deeper and deeper...Lots of those rocks are very big also, it just shows up flat on the video ... Not sure why I slide out ... I slide into those all the time here and do not crash usually. That was a big surprise as I was heading for those weeds ... I'm on the lookout for goats ... They are very expensive and mean alot to these guys and they can crash me, big time... I'm on the lookout not only for the goat but the rope it is tied to ...And yep, the countryside is full of people on Cebu ... I'm almost never alone when riding. Those little bikes might be all family members or a guy and his GF, but many are taxis carrying someone out of, or back into the province ... I like to follow them and then make a pass in a very gnarly line where they can't ride and where they gotta go very slow ... I'm careful not to rock them of course and never do much if a baby or child is sitting riding on their bike. I've a recluse on a bike (4t) and I'm gonna use for this riding to try to learn to ride using it ... Meaning, no clutch feathering, no using the clutch lever at all. I really don't think this device will matter much till I get into the more technical ST stuff. -- Again, unless I state it at the beginning of any new section, I'm not pushing as hard as a rider does in a true race ... I'm just trying to ride along, carrying some speed, maybe driving hard into a corner and powering out of the corners, letting the feel of the bike dictate how much speed and risk the rider takes on ... Lots of this is really open to the subjective feel of the rider on board ... That 355 bike is your old bike ...I gotta go to the PO now and see if the new rings are here ... ~230 hrs or so and I think it is down a horse or 2 plus it gets rid of its oil somewhere... Not that the lower HP really matters as I'm not pinning it very often anyway ...
Off topic here but I gotta say it ... The mailing system works here and parts are available for Huskies ... Ring set and gaskets for an 010 TC250 husky. These rings fit the 012 Husky pistons also I believe. I'll do a new thread later on replacing the rings in the neat future...
Rain and personal issues have been delaying me here from any testing lately ... Even without a job, seems there is always life events that must be dealt with ... Still really learning how to test all these bikes equally over all this different types terrain also... So it is time well spent at this stage. Today, is rekluse day till I get comfortable with the device... First and foremost, I gotta learn to keep my fingers off the clutch lever and ride this 010 TC250 in true rekluse mode ... Sounds easy but there will not be any clutch feathering out of corners that is a joy to me... No clutch disengaging when stopping or starting via the clutch lever ... Just grab a hand full of front brake to stop... Ground speed and engine RPM are sort of locked together it seems with this device. Brings trusting the bike is not gonna stall into play ....
Just finishing up a few days riding and practicing reklusing on the rekluse bike ... I've got a clue now on these devices ... And I did not give the rekluse angle much thought when all this started ... I would not call this scope creep, but this is sort of testing this device against an equal bike and against a 2t bike also. I'll start posting some timed results as soon as I figure out a structured approach on how to display this stuff without it turning too much into a cluster. -- Here's the new freeway entry point from the low side of the ridge ... I think this path is the original road ... Can't really tell ... Not really sure on the fence that was erected ... Might have gotten washed down by the flood waters ... Or, maybe it has to remain open for traffic? This is a carabao hiway also ... Verification was made on this day .. This might be the same guy riding on the sled that I saw here a couple weeks back when running up this trail. In any event, again, I think the rekluse makes this riding easier in the mud bogs and that initial sharp right hand, steep turn that I got stuck on ... View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiL_DQyVLhM The only creek crossing I actually like are the ones with clear water like here.
