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972 Posts
I have to admit, the last month or so I haven't been showing my TW much love. I got this new KLR and all of a sudden I just couldn't get excited about saddling up 455 less ccs.
The wife was riding the TW a lot there for a while and it looked like she was gonna be my new riding partner, so I bought the KLR to have a more highway capable bike that could still cruise the FS roads alongside the Mrs. on the old TW. Long story short, the Mrs. decided that the front seat wasn't for her after all before the KLR was even broken in. I was worried the TW's battery might die from lack of use so I took her out for a spin today.
At first, hopping back onto the TW felt a little, well, goofy. I'd ridden it briefly a few times in the last month to the park it or fill it up with gas, but the five miles of slab between my house and the FS road were an exercise in settling. The KLR650 is no Super Sport, but the ergonomics and power put the TW to shame on the street. Fortunately, I wasn't headed for the street
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After a month of conditioning on the sky-high stupid-heavy KLR, riding the TW on dirt felt as fun and fancy free as flicking around a mountain bike. When the KLR starts to tip over one must summon the strength of a new mother hoisting a wayward Buick off of her infant to keep the bike upright. When the TW starts to tip, you just touch your foot to the ground and it seems to change its mind. I was tearing down the dirt road faster than I ever had before, and those brief moments of lost traction felt more fun than terrifying.
When I came to the marker indicating a "high-clearance 4x4 only" FS road off to the right, my newfound confidence convinced me to tackle it. I quickly came to understand the "high clearance 4x4 only" advisement, but I cannot imagine the twisted mental reality of the sick bastard that elected to designate this rocky waste a "road".
I persevered nonetheless, never making it to 2nd and frequently having to hop off to guide the bike between rocks or plan descents down what appeared to be seasonally dry waterfalls.
After about a mile I seized the opportunity to turn back. This was the most physically and technically demanding riding that I've done yet, and it's a miracle that I made it out without accidentally draining all of my oil!
It was just a taste, but I'm hooked! This is the kind of trail riding that the TW is meant for! I see a TCI skid plate and another visit to this "road" in my near future.
I have a newfound appreciation for the TW as a gutsy trail hound, and I promise to share photographic evidence after my next attempt at FS 37!
The wife was riding the TW a lot there for a while and it looked like she was gonna be my new riding partner, so I bought the KLR to have a more highway capable bike that could still cruise the FS roads alongside the Mrs. on the old TW. Long story short, the Mrs. decided that the front seat wasn't for her after all before the KLR was even broken in. I was worried the TW's battery might die from lack of use so I took her out for a spin today.
At first, hopping back onto the TW felt a little, well, goofy. I'd ridden it briefly a few times in the last month to the park it or fill it up with gas, but the five miles of slab between my house and the FS road were an exercise in settling. The KLR650 is no Super Sport, but the ergonomics and power put the TW to shame on the street. Fortunately, I wasn't headed for the street
After a month of conditioning on the sky-high stupid-heavy KLR, riding the TW on dirt felt as fun and fancy free as flicking around a mountain bike. When the KLR starts to tip over one must summon the strength of a new mother hoisting a wayward Buick off of her infant to keep the bike upright. When the TW starts to tip, you just touch your foot to the ground and it seems to change its mind. I was tearing down the dirt road faster than I ever had before, and those brief moments of lost traction felt more fun than terrifying.
When I came to the marker indicating a "high-clearance 4x4 only" FS road off to the right, my newfound confidence convinced me to tackle it. I quickly came to understand the "high clearance 4x4 only" advisement, but I cannot imagine the twisted mental reality of the sick bastard that elected to designate this rocky waste a "road".
I persevered nonetheless, never making it to 2nd and frequently having to hop off to guide the bike between rocks or plan descents down what appeared to be seasonally dry waterfalls.
After about a mile I seized the opportunity to turn back. This was the most physically and technically demanding riding that I've done yet, and it's a miracle that I made it out without accidentally draining all of my oil!
It was just a taste, but I'm hooked! This is the kind of trail riding that the TW is meant for! I see a TCI skid plate and another visit to this "road" in my near future.
I have a newfound appreciation for the TW as a gutsy trail hound, and I promise to share photographic evidence after my next attempt at FS 37!
