Rides, Reviews, and How-to’s. Riding mostly areas California and previous work on 2020 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro. New videos will feature my new 2024 KTM 500 EXC-F Six Days.
@@BlueADV214 I rode 88 to Kyburz on my 1250 last month. The only challenging section was the cross-the-road ruts on 10N39 that caught me off guard and nearly bucked me off the bike. 😳
@@seanvarvel Yeah, my buddy got thrown on those water breaks... another buy we rode past not only got thrown, but it broke his swing-arm and ended his trip. Luckily he walked away without any major injuries.
I agree 100%… I actually found a place to buy royalty-free music, so these videos will improve. Thanks for at least watching a little bit, and I hope you’ll checkout Sections 1 & 2 which we plan on riding in September.
Great video!! Im planning this section with some big bikes. Would you say the hardest part was that climb up to hell hole reservoir? I see a bypass from uncle toms cabin thru hell hole road. Thanks!
I’ve done it on a loaded Tiger 900… it’s not very difficult, just really rocky. There’s a few ways of bypassing it if you really want to avoid it, but I think it’s worth doing once for the experience of it.
I don't. Will be focusing more on riding, travel, and gear moving forward. I don’t have the resources to continue making videos on maintaining motorcycles.
Never sent any money to anyone, but they did start making you sign up for a forum or something. I don’t own the bike anymore, but hopefully the video gets you on the right path.
I think I'm going to try that in a few weeks on my 701. What time did you leave truckee on the 1st day and about what time did you get to Downieville? And where did you fuel up?
I got stuck once in a similar situation once and needed assistance extracting. It the midst of all the frustration and analyzing I now believe it is possible I might not have had the bike in Off Road Pro mode after stalling the first time (This was over 1 year ago so the details are blurry). When I zoom in on your TFT screen during your third attempt it looks to me like you might be in Street Mode… Do you recall selecting Off Road mode after stalling if you switched the ignition off? Just curious… Bruce
I don’t recall, but that was one of my big complaints about the Tiger, and I’ve heard others complain about it too. The ridiculous switch back to street after cycling the ignition makes the probability of making a bad situation worse. Doesn’t matter anymore though, I sold the bike and got a KTM 500
Well, sorry to see you exit the Triumph 900 platform. I will miss your maintenance tutorials- you really helped me out a lot with those! Much appreciated! Hope you find what you’re looking for with the smaller bike.
It’s a struggle only having one bike, but being able to ride single track and enduro like terrain before all I can do is drag massive amounts of gear down a fire road or to a coffee shop… that’s the important part to me. Besides, I so rarely get to travel on a motorcycle that being able to ride more aggressively at home just makes more sense.
I get it… I also have only one bike but I do 3 to 4 rides per year that range from 2 to 10 weeks long that always include long tarmac days. I upsized from a 650cc bike because of the long days on pavement. Just wanted to thank you again for your tutorials - you are very good at including all the pertinent details and are a great teacher!
Good ride! Watched your escape from brush creek vid. Its a ride you will not forget:) That 500 looked to be just a little easier getting out of the creek than the 900. lol I live near Auburn btw, ride a 701.
@@BlueADV214 I saw that!! Im thinking about getting a used 500 but several people say that when riding for or an hour or two on pavement the vibrations are too much. How long do you ride to get to the dirt/fun stuff?
Everyone is going to have a different level of discomfort they can tolerate. For me, the vibration is not all that bad, especially when you’ve got the engine purring in the right rpm range. The stock seat though… not a great experience on the taint. Needs a seat upgrade for longer distances in the saddle.
Did this on my 1250gs, and it wasn't easy(from winton rd to Mokelumne River)! When i got to the bottom of the hill though, the gates were locked by the campgrounds. We got a bit turned around at the top, and accidentally bypassed the barricades on a bypass trail. Pretty sure the trail is still closed.
I think total moving time was about 5-6 hours… unfortunately there are a lot of closures due to fire at the moment. Check the NorCal BDR Facebook group for updates.
So is pavement, but that didn’t stop anyone from riding on it, 😂 One day I will be able to afford two bikes and I’m sure it will be another ADV bike. I miss my Triumph, but the 500 suits the majority of my riding right now.
I got a bigger gas tank and had zero worries. My buddy on the 501s had the stock tank and a couple of backup liters but I don’t think he ever needed them… but he got really close to empty.
When you went across the bridge and there was a guy in the river waving at you - I really thought I might be watching WildHogs 2. Thanks for taking us along...
There is no possible way to measure exhaust valve clearances with stright gap gauge. I ended up doing the service myself, and i assure you, that friction and tension of the straight gap gauge inserted into exhaust valve clearance with some angle, will cause incorrect values result. You need curved gap gauges. Also, please remember to oil your o-rings, especially the one in chain tensioner. I just wasted the new one because i didn't do it. That's probably the basic knowledge that every mechanic have, but i guess the audience of this video are people like me, that are not experienced, and missing information like that may result in job failure.
Kudos! Taking on this level on maintenance is definitely not for the novice and should always be accomplished with the guidance of the manufacturers technical manual to mitigate any potential issues that may arise from the minutiae.
@@BlueADV214 thank you very much for your video, it gave me courage to do it myself, but I feel like the hardest part - measuring valve clearances was skipped. Even with curved gap gauges it is pretty tricky. Anyway, overall, I would not consider it too hard if you are skipping timing part (like you did). Definitely worth saving on dealership service.
Sections like this is why about done riding my Africa Twin for anything more technical than a gravel road. Some have the skill to do it, I'm not one of those people. I just have to get used to a slightly smaller kit for camping off the back of my KTM 500....
That’s a huge reason I traded my Tiger for the 500… as much as I wanted to keep it and get the 500. The Tiger is great for touring, but it’s just not a dirt bike; and I am always finding places that I want to go but the Tiger can’t (not with my skill level).
That Ridge trail above the Reservoir is amazing! Water level is looking good! How does difficulty on section 4 compare to section 3? Thanks for sharing!
@@upcountryoffroad2906 3 wasn’t difficult at all… but watch out for the water breaks north of Alder Hill once you cross over the highway… one guy we came across hit it too fast and broke his swingarm. Luckily not injured, but ended his trip.
I failed in my attempt. Found out I've got a pretty severe fear of exposure (not so much heights) with the dropoff on one side. Bothered me there like no place else I've ridden. Spent some time trying to overcome it, but ultimately failed to ride to the top.
It’s pretty much section 5 From Truckee to the Buttes. In the route sequence. First Truckee to Verdi Peak, then to Webber Lake. From there to Downieville. Then to the Buttes. Both peaks are optional (expert / advance sections BDR rating). Not bad in small bike. My fav section of 3,4,5.
Depends on a few factors such as your speed, number of stops, how long you stop…. my ride started around 10am and got to Downieville around 5pm. We would have been there sooner if not for a lost tool bag and a few extra stops.
Cant thanks you enough, done the valve shims, on to the forks now and then the RAD flush to follow... you vids are so helpful. Question - Triumph Fork Spring Compressor - T3880067 - What is the inside diameter of the tool? Trying to find a cheaper option. Also do you recommend changing the fork bushings at the same time? - 20,000 service here. Thanks
Sorry, I don't know the diameter of the tool. As to the bushings, they only need to be replaced if worn beyond a certain point... but having to leave the fork apart while you order them isn't ideal, and having them just in case is also sort of a waste when they are so cheap and the fork is already apart. In my opinion, I would just make replacing them a part of the fork refresh, especially if I planned on keeping the motorcycle.
When ever i do the shim change on my bikes and i need an odd shim size that is less than the shim in the bike i get a perfectly flat smooth surface and place a 400-600 grit wet and dry paper on it, spray WD40 and rub the shim in figure 8’s until i get the measurement im after.
I bought used Rally pro with 3k on it just stock. I installed T-Racing skid plate and upper and lower bars. They are strong as a group of POS Harley riders pushed it over in a parking lot. Broke a mirror. Used double take mirrors and bark busters. Outback motortek pannier rack that are compatible with mosko moto panniers. Look for tail trunk that is not plastic. Tires are Mitac 07 but they wear fast. Your Dunlop my be answer. My adventure bike is a Crf 300l rally. Thanks for the review.
I really liked the Dunlops… ran two sets on it before I sold the bike in favor of a KTM 500 EXC-F Six 6Days. The Tiger is a great bike for on and off-road touring.
According to the flags you are using as a background, I suspected a Harley Davidson review. maybe next uprgrade..? Just joking. My view on this bike: It is hard to get a descent crash protection for the bike. The OEM ones are just good for decoration. I tried hepko&Becker...bended after 2 minor drops Now i'm going to try the Outback Motortek bars.
I’ve had a few Harleys, but wanted something that I could take off road. You’re right about the crash bars, but I think they redesigned the OEM bars… maybe a little better.
my warranty expired on the rally pro 900 so i am kinda thinking of skipping this whole thing just do the filters and fluids and maybe plugs. the price of this job is 750,00 euro in the dealership which is just insane. any that has this bike skipped this?
I already made my decision… going to skip this forever… Never did this with my Suzuki never got a problem after +70K kms. I believe reduced oil change intervals really help dealing with this.
Btw a few moments abt TuneECU: As of September 1, 2023, newly purchased licenses are no longer valid for life. Modification from September 1st, 2023 : The standard license is valid for 1 year. Standard: for private users (limited to 5 bikes) € 25 NB - As before, all licenses purchased before September 1st, 2023 remain valid for life. So, each year you should pay for renew licince. Developer of TuneECU Fell victim to greed. It's unfortunate
What a great design to do the valve shimcs. Not too complex and room to get in. Its a far better bike in the real world to work on yourself and has to be the king of middleweight adventure bikes. Those engines are good for well over 100k miles and is probably the best triple out there and very strong as it seems to share the same crank specs as the daytona 675 but detuned by one third on the bhp but with more low down torque. I had a 1996 daytona 900 and i really loved the torque of that motor. These tiger 800s are far better with a better sprag clutch, more reliable engine. What a great bike.
