Trail Riding Hints & Tips

denny

denny

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I recently got the bug for trail riding so went & bought a CRF250L, which is apparantly also known as a Little Red Pig. So anyway, after a day out in the woods I now have a few questions, I know there are quite a few on here that have years of experience in the field...

Firstly, clothing...summer is around the corner and temps are already hovering around the low 20's. I was out in my everyday road jacket & troos and found myself sweating far too much. I've seen people with the body armour and those funky lightweight shirts however I need to ride city/motorway to get to the trails so I'm not keen on non abrasian resistant materials. What do you guys wear and/or suggest?

Next, essentials...what do you carry with you? Puncture repair kit? Spare tubes? Is rimlock essential? Brake snakes and folding gear levers?

Punctures, what's the best method, if there is one, to get the wheels in the air to perform a tube change?

Any other pointers would be much appreciated :thumb

Here's a snap from yesterday...

 
Hi Denny, just had a look in my small off road tailpack, contents are:-

Replacement front brake and clutch lever.

Tool kit that I use to do all work and serviciing on the bike.

Couple of chain links and a split link.

I don't carry a puncture repair kit as I use Slime in the tyres.
Seen grown men crying trying to get front tyres off on the trails. :D

Rim locks are essential.

Hand full of cable ties.

Small roll of sticky tape.

RAC recovery membership card.

Clothing wise from the skin out. Bottom half. Knee pads, breathable textile trousers, boots. Top half, tea shirt, body armour including elbow and chest protection. Breathable textile jacket. None of this is waterproof as I carry a two piece Heine Gerrick waterproof over suit. Lots of people use ex army Gortex, seems to work well. Motocross type helmet with goggles.

You'l get it right for yourself after a few trips out. Most important part of the entire off roading scene is to "ENJOY YOURSELF" :D:D
 
The most important thing to take with you is ANOTHER RIDER :D
(I see two bikes in your photo, so I'll assume that you know that )
 
And rather than chuck yer bike on the ground, ride up to a tree and lean it against it ... :D

 
Fit Barkbusters to your bike, to save expensive lever breakages.
Fit a haul strap front and rear.
Avoid riding alone.
Be able to repair a Chain, puncture, water submerged bike on the trails.
Buy a camelback, and a steady flow of food will keep energy up during the ride.
Don't be affraid to ask if you are unsure about anything.:thumb2
Be aware of other trail users, farm machinery and local rules/regs.

Go enjoy yourself.....:thumb2
 
Noddy, Does Slime really work??

Giles, mines the closer bike. That tree shoulder checked my pal, he managed to get his leg pinned under the bike. Easier to lower the bike than find a prop plus its a soft surface on an incline PLUS its a lot easier to pick up than a GS :D

Timpo, what to do after a water submersion?
 
I've been using Slime type stuff for many a year and have yet to have a puncture when using it.

But does it work ?

To be honest I don't actually know for sure.
 
Slime works with tubeless but not with tubed tyres, make sure the rim tapes are good and fit quality heavy duty tubes to greatly reducethe risk of punctures
 
I use mousses. It means that I don't have to carry spare tubes, tyre irons, a pump etc and you get complete peace of mind.
 
Greg Masters said:
I use mousses. It means that I don't have to carry spare tubes, tyre irons, a pump etc and you get complete peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Mousses are not road legal in Europe having no speed rating. They fail if large stretches of tarmac is covered, quicker if speeds are high due to heat generating. A mousse has a characteristic of a tyre inflated under 10psi (0.6bar) therefore heat is generated from the mousse and tyre rubbing together leading to the mousse breaking down.
I have had to remove mousses from wheels of folk whose 'piece of mind' expired, using my iron, one of my spare tubes and my pump to get them on the road again.:comfort
 
Timpo said:
They fail if large stretches of tarmac is covered, quicker if speeds are high due to heat generating.
Click to expand...


Interesting, most if not all Dakar riders use mousses and cover long tarmac liaison stages without problem of over heated mousse.
 
denny said:
Timpo, what to do after a water submersion?
Click to expand...

If your bike goes in deep water, whether fully submerged or takes water in to the induction via airbox inlet or down the exhaust and the engine has stopped, firstly do not try to start it with the button.
Remove the airbox drain plug and take the air filter element out and dry it, using your friends exhaust fumes like a hand dryer helps.
If you can remove the spark plug, do so.... whilst the plug is out press the starter button for several short bursts and the piston should push any water out of the cylinder.
Standing the bike up on it's back wheel to try and get as much water out of the exhaust.
If you can't remove the spark plug, whilst the bike is upright on it's back wheel, put it in a high gear a rock the bike backwards as the reversing effect will push the water back out of the inlet tract in to the airbox. Slowly the feel of the engine should change as it gets rid of the water. Eventually you should be able to get the engine to turn over fully whilst rocking it forwards and backwards, then again whilst upright, give the starter a couple of bursts, if it turns over fine, drop her down and try to fire it up.
Once the bike starts, give it a few minutes to warm up, you will probably see steam from the exhaust for a while, this is fine and will soon stop.
Ideally, once a bike has been submerged it will need an oil change as more often than not some water makes it's way in to the sump, so when home treat the machine to some new blood......:thumb2
 
Timpo said:
Ideally, once a bike has been submerged it will need an oil change as more often than not some water makes it's way in to the sump, so when home treat the machine to some new blood......:thumb2
Click to expand...

Especially if it's a KTM 950:D:eek:
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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