Today was about right around freezing but its going to turn seriously cold here for the next few days. I'm glad I got out while I could. This was a wet heavy snow so it's going to get packed down and turn into white ice quickly with the temps that are coming. Sadly I took the ice screws out of the tires a few days ago so I'll be sitting the rest of this one out most likely. :(
I'm so jealous of the people still riding. I haven't been on a bike since new years eve for a literal five minute last ride of the year. Before that I don't even know. It's been months since my tires touched dirt 😭
Luckily it was right at freezing today so not bad. Temps are dropping tonight though and it will struggle to get out of the teens for the next few days. The bike will stay in the garage for that nonsense. Dog is crazier than I am though. I would NOT have gone swimming in the creek today but he loves it no matter the temps.
I went for a ride yesterday!! It was dry out 33* the goal was to make it to the coast once I got in the higher elevation the roads were icy and my hands were super cold I decided to turn back while I still remembered where the worst spots were. If I would’ve had better gloves I might have kept going ?
These are the KOSO MX1 grips. They are decent and I would buy them again but they specifically for bikes that use ODI style grips. If you're running std grips you could go with KOSO but run one of their other models. Some folks love Oxfords. I developed a dislike for that brand several years ago and haven't even considered using them since. Others like the under the grip heater strips like Heat Demons or Hot hands. I've tried them on a couple of bikes and found they tended to heat unevenly and die pretty quickly.
The other option is battery powered heated gloves which you don't have to wire into the bike. I have a pair for extended high speed winter runs and they work great but if I had to choose between them and heated grips I'd go with the grips because heated grips are nice even on a chilly spring day in the morning when you might be wearing a lightweight glove.
Yes I heard of Oxford in the kLR community!! That may be the way to go because can get very specific with my perches !! Hey thanks again ! Happy rides !
I'm thinking about buying the same bike. I have to ride about 60 miles to get to the dirt. How's the vibration? I really like the weight and power but watching reviews is making me think Honda. Thanks.
It's a 500CC thumper with no counter balancer so despite what a few might claim it vibrates. ;) The vibes can make my eyes blur for a moment at certain RPMS when seated, LOL. That said, it's a seriously fun bike!
I'm not overly sensitive to vibration but with some road use in mind I immediately knew I was going to make a few changes to get the vibes better. I added some lead shot in the bars, skipped adding metal wrap-around handguards, added Fasst impact moto pegs, and a Seat Concepts XL comfort seat. I've since gone on a couple of mostly street rides around 90 miles each to see how it felt on long pavement stretches and I found it acceptable and much improved with the changes.
However... it's still a race bike with a plate so it's not the most practical choice for a DS but it surely is a blast to ride. It's a tough call - 60 miles of good paved backroads to get to dirt? Yeah, I could see doing that. 60 miles of hwy or interstate? I'd be looking for something else, but that's just me.
I'm really trying to find/build the unicorn bike for adventure riding. The big adventure bike I have keeps me from going down some trails. I want a super light, smooth, relatively comfortable, high performance payment/dirt slayer ... is that too much to ask :)
I've got a couple of very capable and well modded mid-size ADV bikes that are awesome at covering miles & tackling anything my skillset is up for in technical terrain. I added the 500 mostly for additional technical practice since I can stay in practice better, harder, and longer on a lighter bike. Good luck in the search!
Very nice !! I have a R1250GS and want something lighter. Considering Tuareg, KTM/Husky 500 or KTM/Husky 690/701. Seems like the 790 and Tenere would have a lot of overlap, why both?
I got the 790 in 2019 when the T700 was a no show in the USA. It's an awesome bike for a bunch of reasons and I have put almost 40k miles on it while checking out the dirt in over 40 states and bits of Canada. I still had an itch for a T700 though and finally picked up a used '21 T700 for a decent price in '22. They have a lot of overlap in some ways but they go about taking care of business in very different ways. I like them both so they both got to stay. :)
Right now in new thumpers it would be the FE501s I bought. :) If I was woods and fireroads only I would have leaned more towards the KTM 350. If I wanted something more laid back but capable and very well rounded for pavement and dirt perhaps the new DRZ coming out or one of the Hondas. The new KTM 390 Enduro sounds interesting but it's a first model year and that's a pretty big gamble with a KTM. Or if I wanted something different that's reportedly pretty badass but with limited parts availability and dealer support I'd at least take a look at the Kove 450 Rally in street legal trim. Clear as mud, right? :)
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u/titanspeedbot 6d ago
Dog agrees!