When an adventure ride turned trail

[Paul in NZ]

Awesome stuff guys...

[Switch]

Thats really cool, looks like great fun even if the weather isnt nice. I'ld love to try that sometime.

[PLUG]

Wicked work TA ... your best yet I think.

[Transalper]

I think he needed more dry stuff than that! Was bloody lucky the camera didn't get dunked so we still have the footage to prove the incident is real...

Yea, until that moment i was quite dry under my wet weather gear. Even my socks were ok until that swim.
As for the camera, well my tool kit was swimming in a puddle inside my backpack when i opened it to get the sparkplug socket out. The helmet camera is fully submersible to several meters and the camcorder that it plugs in to was enclosed in a plastic box and is water resistant enough for a quick dunking, so we were all good this time.
Have i thanked you for jumping in and stopping me and bike from being washed away? Well THANKS!! It's definitely good to have you around in the tricky spots.

... A lot of hardwork and a ton of support later I was up where you see in the photos. Bit of rest, piss and a smoke later. TA flew past on up further (you have some serious skills)....

Serious skills, well thanks... but... to give a little perspective here, one must think of the tyres we were running. Our bikes (CRM250 and CRF230) may be similar in size and weight but your tyres if memory serves are fairly well worn close pattern duel purpose knobs. Mine on the other hand are as new (had done only about 150km on them) dedicated open pattern dirt/mud tyres. Can't use my tyres on the sealed road, they'd be bald in 5 minutes if i haven't already lost it on the first bend anyway.
But that goes back to the old story of compromise in Adventure riding. How much Road vs Dirt vs Durability works for you.
Had i been on the DR250 with it's duel purpose tyres or even worse the Transalp with its extra weight and duel purpose tyres, i assure you i'd have be en sliding and dropping my bike all over the place too... on that fateful day.... the day that an Adventure ride crossed the threshold and turned Trail.

[merv]

Just beautiful guys - a winter ride in summer - I miss the snow of Canterbury.

[TonyB]

Bloody excellent stuff! Nice job on the vid too. That ford was nearly as deep as the one I took the FZR through....

[miSTa]

Shit that looks good!


Great photos and shit again T/A

[paulj]

Going up a slight gravel incline I heard that metal breaking sound no one likes to hear.

I was therefore quite releved when I was informed that I no longer had a chain. Stopped the bike and a huddle began to form, discussing options. PLUG the legend had a chain breaker, one of the other guys had some spare links. So I got to observe (and undo a few nuts) a true adventure roadside repair. I was initially going to turn tail and head home, but it was discussed some more and decided that it would be fine for me to continue.

Yeah - I read it all and lived the moments with you! - Keen to know what caused the chain break - any ideas or observations?

[Ghost Lemur]

Yeah - I read it all and lived the moments with you! - Keen to know what caused the chain break - any ideas or observations?

Not sure. One of the guys noticed that one of the links had an old break on one side. Chances are it was probably a stone that got flicked up and hit it.

Also here's a few of the pics I took.

[Ghost Lemur]

Couple more.

[Transalper]

Final cut 9 minute video of the rest of the trip that goes with the crf dunking...

[YOUTUBE]2L5n5bq7D5s[/YOUTUBE]

[windboy]

excellent footage transalper, who was shooting it?

sounds like you were on the DR for this ride?

[timg]

Awesome vid TA A bit too 'adventurous' for my limited ability!

[young1]

Great video clip, looks like a great place to ride although I think I would be there on my DR and not my KTM.

It always makes me laugh when I see people going through water and lifting their legs up, I was always told (and it is what I try to do - but I am no expert!!) to stand up which gets the centre of gravity down and also lets the bike move round when it hits the hidden rock that you hadn't noticed.

[Transalper]

Cheers, I was recording it with the helmet camera.
Was on the CRF230, had vaned it in to the end of the seal, the others all rode in from Christchurch and near by. The CRF was a greatly advantaged over the others especially as it was a lot slipperier than expected.
Standing on the pegs is definitely a good way to cross a ford, we are just a little lazy and in some cases the weight of the 650s and 750s seems easier to control while sitting (seems being the operative word there). Sometimes I just want to try not getting too wet so I pull my feet up and in toward the motor to try keep my feet dry instead. Depends whether it appears to be an easy ford or one I'm not so sure about. Have to laugh a bit at the guys who pull their feet up and out in to the splash zone.
Also general advice is to not hang ya foot out on the bends yet a lot of the guys here do it. I don't as I consider it to be more risky to your foot and knee than helpful if you do start to loose control.
We all have our bad habits and own way of doing things that will take a lot to break.