Finally!

After a couple/three months of noodling and even sending it to a Yamaha shop, my "bargain" XT225 is still a bargain... and now running like a top!

So, at long last, I'm finally getting to get out to get better acquainted with it and get to know the little booger. Here's some pictures from its first shakedown ride. (Note I haven't yet re-hung the shrouds/etc.)

A place that's good for thought...



I eventually ended up in some mountains and riding some of the stuff for which it was purchased to ride. It handled it admirably, and some of it was quite rocky/rutted and exactly what the little XT225 is suited for. Here's a couple pictures once out of some of the nastier stuff...





In all, I think I put over 100 miles on it on this ride, and all totaled, I think it has something like 150-160 miles under its tires since receiving it back from the Yamaha shop.

Recap:

* It's going to do a great job at exactly what I purchased it for.

* Runs great, and I expect good mileage/range from it.

* The side benefit that my wife is thinking about returning to riding aboard it also. (Forest roads and back roads only, no trails.)

Life is good!

V-man

Well, I haven't a clue why the photos won't show. I copied the URL's straight from the browser and inserted using the "Enter an image" button.

The same process displays photos I've uploaded in my "New Owners" thread.

Puzzling.

V-man

Glad you're up, running and smiling. That's why we all ride for the enjoyment it brings. Be safe.

Thanks Muniac!

Found the issue. The copy/paste routine inserted an extra http:// that broke the URL.

Fixed it!

V-man

Photos look great on this end. We all like pictures! Don't feel badly, I've done that too like all of us at some point.

Looking good

Nice looking bike, V-man. Thanks for the photos. Looks like a great shake down ride. Be safe out there and enjoy yourself!..

Looks great! Needs more dirt.

Glad you all enjoyed the pics.

Supposed to have some rain on Friday, but the high temps are to be in the low 80s or upper 70s. Been in the upper 90s w/heat indices in the 105+ range. First real break in the temps for quite some time.

SO... I'm thinking about suiting up for the rain and going to the mountains on it for its first "official" dual sport outing. If I do, the route I will likely ride is out and back of about 80 miles total with 8 miles of pavement.

We shall see!

V-man

It's about time the heat across the country starts to slack off a bit! Rain helps, a lot. If you get out for another lengthy tour on your bike here's hoping your weather cooperates. Enjoy!

We've cooled down here too. 55F at the house this morning and high 30s up in the mountains (around sunset). I much prefer the cooler weather and find it refreshing. The heat seems to sap the batteries as of late.

Sadly not much XT riding going on. Really busy at work so we have had limited time to stage a ride. Been doing mostly hour long mountain hikes and walks around the property. Usually totals up to about 4 miles daily.

V-man, Enjoy that planned ride and be safe! Twist the throttle a couple times for us.

Okay... today's proposed ride is a no-go. I was hoping for mixtures of light rain vs no rain. Instead, it's a steady rain in varying intensities. Just not up for riding in this type of rain all day, then dripping across the floor to my table at the eating joint/etc.

Oh well.

V-man

All:

Well, the temps are FINALLY supposed to start dropping in my part of the woods (eastern OK) with the 70s by the first part of next week.

In addition to a ride I have planned for this Friday (on my WR250R), plans are already in place for the XT225 for at least two rides next week:

Monday:

Going to use the lil' Goat to refresh my memory concerning the trails on Day Two of my "Vinduro Dual Sport Tiddler '19" ride that I'll be hosting come the first weekend in November. The Monday ride will need to take place in spite of the morning rain predicted. It's getting down to the wire with "VDS Tiddler '19" and I must get started finalizing the route on Day Two.

Tuesday:

This will be the return debut for Honey Buns and riding. She's to climb aboard the XT that morning and accompany me on my WR250R on a "back road ride" from our place over to Mansfield, AR and a burger for lunch. Then it will likely be head back to OK, or, she may opt to do a bit of exploring, but I think at 75-80 miles for her first day, she ought to head back home.

My riding season is getting closer and closer!!! Yippeeee!

V-man
aka Andre

Good plan and amen. It's been very hot and dry here as well. We've had effectively zero rain and have been near record highs for 6 weeks. I think we set a new record high 8 times in September. Temp relief and some rain forecast for next week. I'm ready... 95 deg every day has gotten old. Though I'll bet a rainy 70 deg will feel downright cold after all this heat.

Got to love riding enthusiasm! 40F at the house this morning so Fall is here. We saw ice in the streams up at 11K+ yesterday around 6p. Interesting it didn't melt during the daytime sun.

Saw a lot of dirt bikes riding on the high country unimproved roads. One group lost a single rider somewhere. They stopped to talk and were concerned about the missing going over the edge. They asked us if we see someone in a green jacket to have them return to Cork Screw Pass to rejoin the group. About 1.5 hours of daylight left when we talked. I hope everyone got back together and there were no injuries.

People always need to wait at intersections and keep all riders in their group in sight. And/or get good helmet coms going. Misplacing a rider should never happen! And up in those mountains it's very easy to get lost in a spaghetti bowl of roads.

Thanks peejman! Beginning today/tonight, our temps are to start downward. We may even see a high in the 60s next week!

Muniac:

NOT good on the missing rider. Agree 100%: We are ALL responsible for one another when out riding as a group and it should be STANDARD PROCEDURE to group-up at junctions/etc.

I will be hosting my "Vinduro Dual Sport Tiddler '19" ride next month, and what I state above I have learned from hosting group rides, commissioned trail guide rides, etc. You MUST account for everyone via good Trail Guide principles.

V-man
aka Andre

Glad temps are starting to cool down for you guys. Tough to see peejman's temps still in the mid 90's. Yuck!

Life in the high country has me spoiled a bit temp wise. Last year, two weeks from now, we had 8" of snow followed a few days later by another 6". Through the rest of last year to this spring we had 40+" overall. This year into next spring looks to be, hopefully, pretty much the same. We're cold enough early mornings to enjoy a fire in the wood stove taking the chill off - so that's a good sign!

Some years back we hosted an XT225 ride with about 27 riders total. Someone led and I rode sweep to make sure we had a proper head count at regular intervals. All ride in and all ride out is the philosophy. With no injuries.

Last I checked, outdoor death toll stands at 20 for Colorado. 8 in the snow, another 8 in the rivers, two camping and another two over the edge somewhere on our roads. Very high this year! Sadly we see people constantly doing stupid and/or irresponsible things up in the mountains. Many with a complete lack of respect for what those mountains are capable of.

As for temps, I find myself struggling a bit more dealing with any extremes to include temps and humidity. That said, I'll take the colder weather as it's easier to dress for. Not looking forward to a lot of snow at the house this season. Maybe we get lucky and most of it stays in the mountains. Usually we have one snowstorm in September that melts fast. This year nothing so far.

Az:

Both the wife and I love high country (craggy mountains in particular), but it was not to be. We ended up in eastern OK nearly 30 years ago. Fortunately, we live in the portion of OK that has pine-covered mountains and such, so if we MUST live in OK, at least we're in the best portion of it for us!

Muniac:

A system that has worked well for me:

* Before leaving, assign one person to ride as sweep to the first gather-up point with instructions that he can't pass anyone.

* At the first gather-up section the leader stops and points at the first stopped bike behind him with a "YOU" type signal. This assignment must be acknowledged by the appointed rider. We continue to wait for the sweeper.

* If the sweeper does NOT arrive, the ride halts right there and the guide starts backtracking to find the issue. Typically it's a disabled bike and the provisions are made to retrieve/etc.

* If the sweeper comes into view and gives a "thumbs up" or such, we're off again, while the newly appointed sweep rider waits until all have left, then HE becomes sweep and leaves accordingly.

* Repeat above.

This procedure means the sweeper doesn't have to eat dust all day or not able ride along with their friends: The sweeper task is shared/assigned. Doing a group ride this way has worked great for me for over a decade* or more now.

V-man

EDIT: Sheesh... make that TWO decades or more!

I can't recall when or if I've ever ridden with a group. Seems like from 17 on, starting with my near new '58 BSA 650 twin 'Spitfire Scrambler', wherever I've gone I've ridden alone. A lot of that had to do with living on remote ranches and farms my dad managed and I helped with. Once married and living in the Valley, most of the riding I did was either in the high country on weekend get-aways, in Mexico on the beaches while on vacation, or going places using the Valley's extensive canal system's dirt roads that SRP uses to service these essential desert waterways.

I did ride with Dallas one day in the desert mountains northeast of Mesa when he and his wife were in the Valley, but other than that pretty much nada. So I envy you guys who have a group you ride with at times. That must be fun!

The riding I do now is still by myself and pretty low key, fitting the areas I limit myself to and the fact that at my age unplanned get-offs aren't as much an option as maybe they once were. Got enough scars and near misses already. Don't need any more..

When I've ridden in groups the direction is simple... Keep the rider behind you in sight. If you can't see them, slow down or stop. If they don't appear in a minute or two, turn around and go find them. Regardless of where you are in line, it'll travel back up to the leader.

Dallas and Barbara go back a few years. Last I saw them was in St. George, UT and we did ride as a foursome there. Nice people. Not sure if they are still riding/traveling now.

Yes keeping riders in sight and/or waiting is important. Something we always do. Be safe out there.

Okay, we had a change of plans. Sharon's ride was moved to today (instead of tomorrow), so this morning I loaded up the bikes and we trailered over to our stage point (PJ's at Monroe, OK). There we unload and road paved back roads to Mansfield, AR for a burger n' fries at Joyce's. This would be her first time to ride since her injurious (bruised ribs) "Stop n' Plop" out in Colorado back in 2015.

Years ago, we used to similar rides (burger runs). Here's a couple pics of us out on one of our dual sport rides from waaaay back in the early 90s. She's on a little long travel KE100 I built for her. First pic is the old general store at Monroe, OK. (Long ago burned down.)



And here we are out in the mountains...



Once we reached our stage point, we unloaded, geared-up and started off on paved back roads. I was aboard my WR250R and she was aboard the little XT225. At the first stop she said she was fine and was enjoying being back to riding again.

During lunch at Joyce's Diner, she questioned me about my plans to ride out of the Shores Lake area in the Arkansas Ozarks. (She has ridden up there and we both love the Ozark Mountains.) Mainly, she was asking about what kinds of road/trails/whatever, I was going to ride out of Shores Lake area tomorrow. I told her I would be riding forest roads, mainly, and a bit of blacktop to the Turner Bend store for vittles.

I could see the gears spinning.

"I may go with you", she stated.

Upon that I offered to change our return route to include riding The Ridge (a long forest road that runs the ridge of the Poteau Mountains) so she could get out on some dirt and gravel roads and such. She readily agreed. Thus we geared up again and headed out.

After turning west on the Ridge Road, and after being on dirt/gravel/etc for a spell, we made our first stop. During that stop she said she was enjoying it, doing fine, and was riding relaxed and tensed-free. I could tell she was excited about being out in the mountains aboard a bike again, and was enjoying the experience. In fact, at the next stop she politely informed me to pick up the pace! (I had been holding the pace down in deference to her hiatus from riding.)

SO, looks like in the morn we'll trek off to the Shores Lake area and ride the Ozarks!

Here's a pic out on The Ridge run with Honey Buns standing beside the trusty little XT...



We ended up doing about 75 miles total, with at least 20-25 of them being forest and county dirt/gravel roads. The little XT never missed a beat and ran like a top all day.

All fer now!

V-man

Nice!

Looks like I'll be riding by myself today. Wife's brother will be in NW AR to see their aged mother and Sharon is going to go up to meet them and spend the day/evening with them.

I will probably continue with my Shores Lake (or Cass, AR) plans aboard the WR.

Was hoping she would be able to follow-up today with a one-two knock-out punch to the chin on the "lack of ride time/back in the saddle" bugaboo.

Ah well! There'll be more rides in our future!

V-man

Looks like you guys enjoyed a really fun ride, and it's great that Sharon's riding confidence has returned. Nice report V-man. Thanks for sharing!..

Glad you guys got out as a couple. Nice to see dual enjoyment. Gorgeous weather too! Freeze warning for us tonight. Snow coming to the high country too. Will know more on Friday after the storm passes. Not too much time left on high country roads before they get blocked with snow. Be safe out there.

Ditto on the freeze warning tonight, down in the mid 20'sF here. Going to get in a short ride this afternoon after we get back from our Post Office run. Not sure how many more 'good days' we can count on before snow flies..

Well snow is already flying around here. 28F now and that will drop perhaps another 10F by tonight. Warming up thereafter which is good. Don't think we'll see too much accumulation at the house. I'll be making a run up to the mountains later today for a hike and dinner. Can check out snow levels up around 10k.

As for riding, was planning something with a friend for this Sunday afternoon. Not sure about the snow, however.

Muniac:

Well... both the wife and I envy you in regards to the state you live in. Colorado is our most favoritist place! We both love snow, however, I'm not so sure I would enjoy facing it in the quantities you receive up in the Rocky Mountain state! Snow is great to look at, not so great to deal with in substantial quantities.

We've passed through Montrose several times over the years, both in cages and aboard a Harley Ultra. Some wonderful views in that area. In fact, it's hard to find a place in Colorado to dislike! (Denver traffic, perhaps??)

Here's a pic taken at Silverton the first week of June, 2011, while suiting up before leaving for Ridgway, Montrose, Independence Pass and on to Leadville. It was 19 degrees!



V-man

OMG, 'yes' to hating Denver traffic! Everything else about the state is great, but we spent 4+ hours traveling north through Denver on the freeway on a Tuesday (better yet, the cross town 'parking lot' that masquerades as a freeway) summer before last - a miserable experience. Never again..

Had a great day today out in the Ozarks with Honey Buns! Forest roads only. Short day (50 miles) with lots of scenic stops. We had great bologna sandwiches with all the trimmin's at the Turner Bend general store. In all, just a super day. (Honey Buns said the same several times during the day and afterward.)

The XT225 is doing a great job. Honey Buns is getting more and more comfortable on it with each ride.

Barring the unforeseen, I will be out on the XT225 on Wednesday to do some route work for the upcoming vinduro ride I'm hosting. Then Thursday we're planning to ride the route I ride in the Poteau Mountain area, some 80 miles round trip. (With only about 10-15% of it being paved.) We're going to have some GREAT burgers n' curly-Q fries over at Joyce's!

Here's a couple pics of today. First up is a pic we took at one of our early (of many) breaks:




And here's the general store where we ate lunch:



What a super day!

All fer now.

V-man

Nice ride, fun photos and a great report, V-Man. Thanks for keeping the rest of us in the loop..

Again, nice!

Was out in the mountains checking out some trails for a ride I'm to host. The little XT225 was in its element today! Today's ride was about 90% old log roads and log trails with the rest being forest roads. Lots of rocky creek bottoms, ruts n' stuff. Here's some pics of the little Goat out in its habitat:







Temps were in the low fifties after unloading and starting to ride. Was only 60 degrees when loaded and leaving for the day. It was a WONDERFUL day to be out in the mountains!

All fer now.

V-man

Beautiful weather!! I haven't ridden once this season. So I ride through the photos posted here. Be safe and enjoy.

Likewise I've enjoyed far too little ride time this past summer with time constraints and other requirements weighing on me. Nice to see you get out and about while the weather's still pleasant. Another big 'thank you' for sharing your experiences via the photos you've posted!

As has been said, 'a photo is worth a thousand words', and it won't be long till winter moves in and ride time will be even more limited for all of us it affects. So keep the photos and reports coming as you have a chance, V-man -- we'll thank you in advance!..

Got out and rode a bit today. Pleasant weather, warmish for a change, no wind, near perfect.

The CRF230L had a dead battery when I backed it out of the shed. Put the charger on it for an hour and brought it back up to snuff.

Toured some of my favorite local riding places enjoying the day. Mostly off road forest trails. Nothing too off the wall.

Got a bit of a rattle up front that I need to sort out before winter. Not sure just yet what it is but I'll track it down.

Always something crying out for attention..

When the XT was last out, Honey Bun was aboard it. 25 miles into our forest road ride when at our second stop, I saw that the XT's rear tire was flat. End of ride that day! We eased back to the truck at about 20 MPH or so.

The tire was so worn I just couldn't justify repairing the tube and reusing the tire. So, ordered new skins front/rear.

I have other things to attend to today, but I'm hoping to wrap up the front tire/tube installation and get it all back together. I ended up getting Dunlop D605's and they look very good. May mount a set on my WR250R when the time comes.

Some pics...





Come Monday, we're supposed to head back out to our unfinished ride and try again!

All fer now.

V-man

I like that motorcycle lift.

ME TOO!

Best $200 for a "tool" I ever spent. (Purchased it about 20 years ago.) It's lifted many a' bike many a' time and still going strong.

V-man

Yes repairs are difficult enough without having to introduce access problems. Got to love convenience and good lighting. Yes, nice lift.

Good looking lift. They're better than twice the price these days compared to what you paid for yours 20 years ago, but still well worth it. I came across a simpler motorcycle/ATV lift at a local 2nd hand store early this past summer and made out well on it. Intend to keep it for the duration!..

Hey All!

Wife and I went on a dual sport ride yesterday over one of our favorite routes. It was COLDER than expected (and predicted). It was SUPPOSED to be sunny with a high at 71, which would mean highs in the low-mid 60s on the ridge. (Perfect!). However, it ended up being a high in the low-mid 60s, with the temps up on the ridge in the low fifties, and due to the dampness, upper 40s at times. There was no sunshine at all! In fact, up in the mountains the low clouds were so thick we could only see about 50' - 100' of forest road at times! However, we still put in about 70 miles or so. Had a great hamburger at Judy's over in Waldron, AR.

Sorry, no pics... we both forgot our phones. (Left them in the truck!)

For the remainder of the week, I hope to be riding Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. (Rain is forecast for today, tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night into Thursday early AM.)

Now, the BIGGEST thing concerning the XT225:

Decades ago (like back through the 70s into the early 80s) I had a riding friend that has been a friend since the early 70s. He drifted off to other interests in the 80s, but I continued to ride. (My motto: "Ride 'til you rot!") We stayed in contact for a long time afterward, but I lost touch with him for the past decade. Well, a few months ago I was able to re-establish contact with him. (Thank you internet!)

He's not ridden in many years. I told him about our XT225 and said I would love to take him out on a forest road ride, me on my WR and Bill on the XT.

He was up for it! SO, we took it to the next level and this Saturday, Bill is to arrive at my place between 8-9 AM. I'll have the bikes loaded onto the trailer, and after making sure his gear will get him comfortably through the day (supposed to be sunny and a high of 53. (That means temps on the ridge will be in the low 40s.) I have extra warm/foul weather gear that I will suit him up with so he can enjoy the outing instead of enduring it.

Bill was an advanced rider that competed in enduros and such, so he has the skills, but in deference to our age (he's about 10 years older than I am), we're still going keep it simple and ride forest roads and just enjoy being out together on bikes for the first time since the early 1980s. I have SO many good trail riding memories with Bill. I can't wait!!

Oh, and THIS time, I'll make SURE I remember the phone so I can share pics!

All fer now.

V-man

Thanks for the update. Glad you're out riding and enjoying some good weather along the trails. Nice to connect with an old friend. I think those experiences have just a tad more value as we get older. Company is more important than making a riding statement. Be safe riding and keep it real!

Nice that your ride with your wife went well, cold foggy weather and all. Glad you reconnected with your long time friend, Bill. Hope you guys enjoy a fun ride together with decent weather and time to reacquaint. Touching base with a someone you once knew and enjoyed and finding that friendship still strong is a real treat!..

Thanks you two.

Yup, looking forward to being out in the mountains again with me old riding bud.

Supposed to load up and leave out for a ride here "shortly". It's going to be colder than originally forecast. Currently 32 degrees with a 10 MPH north wind. Highs are to be low-mid 40s about 5 PM. (I'll be back at the truck by then.) You can subtract 5-10 degrees from the high temps for being on the ridge I'll be riding later in the day. My idea was to wear my old waxed-cotton Belstaff outfit (coat/pants) that I haven't worn since a vintage enduro-type (ISDT-type format) event back in '03. I suspect it to be the warmest of all my riding gear for colder/foul weather, and today would be a good time to check that out. Tomorrow's ride, I will be wearing an older (heavier) MSR Goretex "enduro" coat I've haven't used in 10 -15 years or so to see how it fares against cooler temps. (Been layering and using an MSR Pak Jak as my "go to". However, my Pak Jak combo starts allowing me to get chilled when the temps dip into the upper 40s.)

Enough of this. Need to make a final decision on whether the ride is a go/no go and hop to it if it's a go!

V-man

Well darn. Bill had company from Florida come in, so tomorrow's off. We're looking at next Saturday and hoping for the best.

Yesterday:

Started by taking the Low Route to Waldron, AR. Temps were in the low 40s on the Low Route. After lunch, I hit The Ridge, where the temps were mid-low 30s. Overall, it never got out of the low-mid 40s all day. (Cooler than forecast.)

The Belstaff did pretty good. Quite bulky (and heavy), though.

Also, the pants zip on the side and have NO pockets. That surprised me, for I didn't remember that "feature". The no pockets thing SUCKS. (Got to remember, I wore this outfit ONE time back at that vintage ISDT event in '03!) In fact, here's a pic of me in said suit aboard my '73 Jawa 250 ISDT (complete with a replica helmet w/Czech team colors I painted) at Dalton, MA, fall of 2003, at the start of Day One:



The ride on the Low Route over to Waldron was quite chilly, but the Belstaff fended off the wind chill pretty good. Not so good as to the gauntlet gloves I was wearing. The hi-way speeds on the short blacktop sections really put the chill to the hands. Once at Judy's in Waldron, THIS tasted GREAT:



For the return ride I rode The Ridge. By this time, the cold was seeping through the layers (the 10-15 MPH north winds on The Ridge didn't help) and I was getting a mite "cool". I stopped a couple times to warm up my hands/gloves on the exhaust muffler. That works great... but doesn't last long. A pic from up on The Ridge:



In all, it was an educational ride:

* The Belstaff works good IF I can be okay with its shortcomings.

* With the gear combo I was wearing, somewhere in the low 40s, it starts getting to where it ain't as fun as it should be.

* Temps low 40s and lower would be probably best be used as trail days on the XT225 where the going is rougher/slower and the body temps would be higher on account of it being more physical.

Ever learning. Never quitting.

Ride 'till you rot!

V-man

V-Man - Thanks for the update and chronicle. Schedules change sometimes. I had planned a ride a couple of Sundays ago only to find a leaking fuel petcock and carb issues. So it got scrubbed. Now the snow came so we're SOL.

I enjoy watching the Red Bull hard enduro series. Graham Jarvis and Johnny Walker are amazing riders. GB fields some of the best hard enduro riders in the world. Especially Jarvis at his age being able to deliver podium rides against the younger riders.

Enjoy riding and be safe.

I've found I can reach down and put a gloved hand on the sides of the crankcase when stopped to warm them up. Not sure I'd do that with a nylon glove, but it works quite well with leather.

Hand warming:

Yup... any surface that gets hot (but not TOO hot) will work! I like to stuff the actual gloves being used between the frame and muffler. While those are warming up, I dawn lighter weight gloves I carry in my jacket pocket, and wearing those I warm my hands/fingers by gripping the underside of the WR's muffler. Great hand/finger warmer... just wish it lasted longer once riding again!

This coming summer, I'm considering fitting both the WR and XT225 with a set of lever protectors and then using these removable mitts (see link) in the seriously colder weather.

https://obradvgear.com/enduro-grip-mitt/

V-man

Monday, the wife and I went on a dual sport jaunt.

It was a beautiful day and a great ride. We did a 75 mile "loop" that I had put together. Here we are after climbing over Walker Mountain and out on one of the forest roads for the day:



We popped out of the forest roads at the halfway point to hit our current favorite burger joint in Waldron, AR. After a "deelish" burger n' curly Q fries, we headed back for the truck via The Ridge. Here's a pic taken at the upper switchback while descending off the long ridge ride:



Rode again yesterday. This time I was by my lonesome and on the WR, so I hit some light weight trails and such, ending up at the burger joint, this time opting for chili n' crackers!

Rain today and tomorrow, but nice and cool on Friday at 52 degrees for a high and partly cloudy. Friday the wife will be in NW AR visiting her aging mother and spending the night, so I'm aiming to load up the XT225 Friday morning and go ride much more technical stuff, which was the original reason for purchasing the XT! The fact that it got the wife riding again was frosting!

All fer now.

V-man

Good looking country and pleasant weather makes for a great ride. Thanks for the report and photos. Glad you guys enjoyed yourselves and the ride together went well!..

Hi Az:

We don't have spectacular mountains such as can be found in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and other states... but we're sure glad to live where we live. If I want, I can ride out of the garage and access those mountains with a 30 min ride. OR, I/we can load up and haul about 30 min to be more centrally located among the roads/trails.

OR, we can haul about 50 min to 1:15 hours (depending) and access the Ozarks to the NE.

Certainly better than the couple short years I lived out in OK's rolling hills "red dirt country". Yuk.

V-man

Nice! I'd say you're in great riding country all things considered, and that's what counts!..

So it was in the lower 30s when I left the house. Still in the 30s when I headed up into the mountains. In fact, I don't think it got out of the 30s up in the mountains for the duration of my ride.

It was a genuinely spectacular day in regards to sun n' sky... but the two days of rain (stopped last night) had turned many sections of the old clay-based roads into a sort of gummy mess and slick. You know, the kind of clay that cakes on the underside of the bike.

However, I rode stuff I haven't seen in years, and frankly, the years have been kind: Ma Nature is reclaiming! Some of the roads that used to be open enough for pick ups to travel are now covered in pine needles and grown up! I was really finding some neat stuff. To wit:





Hard to believe a log track could get over this road a few years ago!

Though our autumn foliage was mostly sunk by the hot and dry September we had, there was still some nice color to be seen where I was at.



Here I am making a junction with another road (on the right) that used to be wide open and traveled a lot by gas rig trucks and some logging trucks.



In all, I was finding that these mountains I haven't really ridden in several years has roads that are reverting back to being some GOOD STUFF. Here's another example:



Of course, there's always places where a view can be seen, some mores so than others. This particular stop had a great vista, but a marginal viewpoint with nearly maximum obstruction... but you get the idea:



I thought this kind of neat the way the trees were reflecting in this supply pond:



In spite of several stops to warm the gloves and hands via the hot muffler, the combination of the mud, the cold, and the water holes (constant battle to keep the boots dry) helped me decide to cut the day short and head back to the truck.

I got back out of the mountains after lunch time, so I made a beeline to "Mammaw B's Kitchen" and had a bowl of homemade chili, topped with a pile of cheese and chopped red onions.



Chili consumed, I headed for home. Even being down off the mountains and in the full sunlight, it had only made it to 44 degrees, so I'm sure the mountains were well down into the 30s all morning.

As for the XT225: Did great (as always). It's quite confidence inspiring for exploring/etc. Absolutely no biggie to stop at any time, even in rutted conditions, for the low seat height makes footing great. Also, it's light weight means you can literally lift the rear end with one of the grab handles and sling it back around and head out of a dead end. Wise purchase, this XT!

All fer now!

V-man

Wow, beautiful Fall weather you're having. And no snow! Perfect for riding. We're also having nice Fall weather but prior two snow storms pretty much finished off any alpine high country road access. Unless you have a vehicle for it. It's icy and slippery now. During the day snow melts and creates mud. All in all not rider friendly. Thanks for posting your RR. Be safe.

Gorgeous colors, pretty weather, great ride report! Thanks for the photos so we could 'tag along' after the fact!..

We did it!

I had the bikes loaded onto the trailer, and my long time friend and former riding bud, Bill, arrived this morning bright and early.

We spent some time having coffee and beginning the process of getting caught up on life while we waited for the tempt to warm up a bit before heading off to Bates, AR to unload.

Once underway, I could tell Bill was rusty and was being tentative, so I immediately lowered the speeds on the dirt roads.

Even using smooth forest roads and some back roads, I figured correctly that Bill wouldn't be up for a ride similar to the length of miles we used to ride way back some 30 years ago. So, I kept the route short, picturesque, and smooth.

We popped out of the east end of the mountains and headed for for the Charbroiler Restaurant at Waldron, AR for lunch. Finishing lunch, we started back to the truck at Bates, AR, on the same route, only reversed. Bill was settling-in nicely on the XT225 by ride's end.

We had a great time and Bill wants to do it again, and is even talking about finding/purchasing a suitable scooter! If a scooter purchase comes to pass, we can all go on a forest road dual sport rides together! (Bill, Sharon, and I.)

At the our (wife and I) pleading, Bill stayed for supper and we all dined on Mexican cuisine at a local dive here in Poteau, OK. In all, it was a fantastic day.

Here's a pic I took today of Bill at 77 years old, riding a bike for the first time in 20-25 years!



SO, if Bill follows through and starts riding some (even if on my/our XT225)... that would be TWO former riders the XT225 has got back into riding!

V-man

Good for you guys! An old truism would seem to apply. "You can take the kid out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the kid!" Another ride and Bill should be fully in tune aboard a bike. Hope your weather continues to cooperate and snowfall holds off so you can get out and about another time or two before winter sets in..

Man.... I've gotta find some time to ride somewhere other than home and work. Even if it was a little chilly, that sure looks like a good day.

Thanks fella's for the comments. Glad you enjoyed the pics.

Tomorrow I intend to take Lil' Goat back to the area in the pictures above to continue some recon exploration for possible use in a vinduro (VINtage enDURO) ride I used to host each year. Judging by what I've seen/found thus far, these trails would be "vintage friendly" for bikes with 6"-7" of front travel and 3"-4" of rear travel. I need to be able to string together about 30 miles worth of "vintage friendly" stuff for "Day Two". If I can find enough useable trails then I can possibly crisscross and reverse ride to get the miles needed.

You see, years ago I used to host a yearly "Vinduro* ISDT Ride" that was basically trail riding vintage "vinduro" bikes out in these mountains. However, the privatization of sections of these mountains, along with the extensive gas well drilling/logging/etc, contributed to the demise of the event. Now that I'm retired I'm reviving the yearly ride, but now it's a "Vinduro Dual Sport Tiddler" ride for Vinduro members with vinduro scoots 200cc or less. AND, I'm using a different ride area for the revival.

* "Vinduro" is a term I coined back in the early 2000's to refer to vintage enduro, dual purpose, ISDT, replica, scrambler, etc, bikes about 20+ years old. (20 years old at the time some two decades ago!) The original "Vinduro" group was via Yahoogroups email list that currently has 1500 members worldwide. We (the Vinduro group) have since begun to migrate to Facebook.

For giggles, here's the event flyer for VDS Tiddler '20:



SO... if it goes as planned... tomorrow I'll be back in the above area on Lil' Goat to see what I can do for a future VSD Tiddler ride in that area!

All fer now.

V-Man

Hats off to you V-Man! Hope the weather holds out your way and you're able to resurrect the old "Vinduro" event you ramrodded a couple of decades ago. If you can get a few of the old timers back and add some new riders that'll be a great start. Best of luck in that regard. If anyone can pull this off I'd bet you can!..

"Arizona's Mogollon Rim"

Thanks for the kind words, there Az.

It's a labor of love. Plus, I am blessed to have some great vinduro friends. Several have been to my house here in eastern OK, and we've ridden together in addition to my hosting of vinduro rides. So, my vinduro rides are used as a vehicle to hook up with them once a year and ride with them and enjoy some fellowship. (I no longer regularly compete/attend the vintage "ISDT" events.)

Here's a couple of pics. First up is a picture taken from my very first vinduro ride in '02:



In the above photo, I can remember at least two ISDT veterans in attendance, both good friends: Dwight Rudder, USA, 7 time ISDT/ISDE medalist, 8 time AMA Nat'l Enduro Class Champion, and Helmut Clasen, Canada (originally from Germany), ridden in at least 7 or 8 ISDT/E's (for both Germany and Canada and was Canada's first ISDT medalist), and FOURTEEN consecutive Canadian Nat'l Championships, with a total of over 1,400 trophies, medals, and awards! Helmut (aka "Speedy") is a hoot and a world-class riding talent. Remind me to tell of you about week-long riding visit with me where Speedy wound up in rubber boots and knee deep in "questionable" water during a pouring rain due to our septic tank failing during his visit!!

Next picture is from the vinduro ride of '04:



In addition to Dwight Rudder, and possibly one or two others ISDT/E vets in riding with us that year, I know for sure that the chap in the blue riding jacket (back to us) sitting on the green KE100 is many-time ISDT contestant/medalist and Nat'l enduro rider, the late Doug Wilford. Remind me to tell you a story sometime about what he did on that little KE100! Talk about a humbling experience for me and another riding friend.

Okay... all fer now.

V-man