April 3-6, 2008: April Fool's Ride in Arkansas!

[chadman]

have aways wanted to try a night ride, but never done it! I might want to join you guys and give it a shot if I can get my headlight working. I put in one of those fancy stators, 60 watt light bulb, and helmet light, but I messed something up on my bike. Anytime I turn on the lights it seems to drain the battery as I ride. Even with a stock 30-35 watt bulb running for my headlight the battery will run out as I ride. I have tried to fix it, but have not had any luck yet. Chad

If the bike is properly fused then I doubt there are any wiring issues from the battery to the load(lights, etc.) Focus in on the Stator installation and associated wiring, it just isn't charging the battery.
Good luck!

Your battery might not have enough capacity. I have talked to Ricky Stator about this issue...they say that any stator/regulator/battery system with lighting or loads above 80 watts needs to have a battery that has at least 4 amp. hour capacity. Sealed lead acid batts are the most economical, and work well, and can be installed on their side (horizonally). They also say that ni-cads are trouble...don't know why.....
Your electrical load might exceed what the rectifier/regulator is trying to produce for charging, causing draining on the battery. Your stator output cannot be calculated to your charging amperage directly...there will be some loss... also, I agree that you probably don't have a wiring issue....maybe just batt capacity. A 4 amp/hr sealed lead acid will be about 3"x4"x6", and cost about $40. A lot of stock dualsport batts are about 850 mil amp/hr, up to 2 amp/hr, which don't work well with over sized stators, or systems that push over 80-100 watts.
If you think you do still have a wiring issue, make sure the new stator is wired "single output".

I am fairly certain it is a wiring problem. I originally tried the ElectroSport ESG145 Lighting Stator Kit (270W) and had nothing but problems with it (now I think it was a problem with my wiring the whole time). I kept blowing the 3 phase regulator that came with it. I also would slowly drain the battery leaving on a 60 watt light while riding (this is where I think my problem is). They battery would be dead after a days ride. After the second regulator died I got mad and pulled it all out and decided to float the ground with the stock stator and use a trail tech DC regulator. I still have the same problem with the light pulling way to much of a load. I tried a smaller watt bulb (35 watts) and still have the same problem. The last year I gave up and just keep the light off. Maybe I will take another look at it and see if I can finally get it working! I still have that ESG145 with a brand new regulator sitting on a shelf. Chad

[MoRidin]

I would try unfloating and going back to a split system.

The one thing I like about having the split system is that you can run "stuff" and never end up touching your starting system...not a huge deal since we have a kicker too.

With your system split, there is no way the light can have any impact on the your starting/charging system.

[safiri]

I am actually up for a 25-30 mile night loop...I am running stock setup on the KTM, but I run a double bulb, so it is pretty darn bright. If we had a night with some decent moonlight, it may be worth a go.

I have aways wanted to try a night ride, but never done it! I might want to join you guys and give it a shot if I can get my headlight working. I put in one of those fancy stators, 60 watt light bulb, and helmet light, but I messed something up on my bike. Anytime I turn on the lights it seems to drain the battery as I ride. Even with a stock 30-35 watt bulb running for my headlight the battery will run out as I ride. I have tried to fix it, but have not had any luck yet. Chad

Is your headlight AC or DC? Not sure what the new stator is. The beauty of AC is that the DC winding will charge the battery even if you try to overload the AC side. The AC output will be RPM dependent, but that isn't all bad. At least I think the two systems are separate.

You could also wire in a voltage based switch for your extra lights. A zener diode and a relay (both on DC) could be used to turn on the extra lights only when the voltage is above a set value (say 12.5 V or so).

[Nobiman]

We need to make sure Randy & Sandy get one of the big beds with a room that offers some decent privacy.

Why? - Sandy can't seem to keep from taking pictures of me changing in the woods where about my privacy?

She said that she had to have a pic of the hairiest (yup, head to toe fur alright) man she's ever witnessed.

Really though, she tries her darndest to just be one of the guys at these events. She doesnt want to stop boys from being boys and having fun just 'cause she's there, she says that she probably wont ride unless her girly men are there for her to ride with again.

Looking forward to it, R & S.

[Hayden]

The Girly men will be in Full force for sure

No worries for her.


Hayden

[troy]

...she says that she probably wont ride unless her girly men are there for her to ride with again.

The Girly-Men will ride again! Seriously, I don't know how many times you both apologized for having Sandy "hold us back". I'm telling you, there is nothing we didn't ride because of her and we never went slower because of her. She can ride and she's aint scared. If anything, she gives me an excuse to slow down a bit...yeah, because of the girl...yeah, that's it. I could ride much faster and more manly, but it's Sandy's fault...yeah, right.

Just over 4 weeks out! Woohoo! I'll be on a ski vacation all next week (Mar 8 - 15), so if I seem absent, well, I will be. If I break my leg skiing, I sure hope I can find someone willing to take my TE450 and show it a good time.

[safiri]

I had refrained from using the term "girly men" for the slow(er) group as I didn't want to offend any of the new riders, but now that the cat is out of the bag ... expect the girly men to be in force.

Looking forward to Sandy joining us. And hearing about Nobiman's high-speed-hijinx on the 525.

[electrician]

I am actually up for a 25-30 mile night loop...I am running stock setup on the KTM, but I run a double bulb, so it is pretty darn bright. If we had a night with some decent moonlight, it may be worth a go.

I have aways wanted to try a night ride, but never done it! I might want to join you guys and give it a shot if I can get my headlight working. I put in one of those fancy stators, 60 watt light bulb, and helmet light, but I messed something up on my bike. Anytime I turn on the lights it seems to drain the battery as I ride. Even with a stock 30-35 watt bulb running for my headlight the battery will run out as I ride. I have tried to fix it, but have not had any luck yet. Chad

Is your headlight AC or DC? Not sure what the new stator is. The beauty of AC is that the DC winding will charge the battery even if you try to overload the AC side. The AC output will be RPM dependent, but that isn't all bad. At least I think the two systems are separate.

You could also wire in a voltage based switch for your extra lights. A zener diode and a relay (both on DC) could be used to turn on the extra lights only when the voltage is above a set value (say 12.5 V or so).

yes they are 2 different systems

[electrician]

I am actually up for a 25-30 mile night loop...

Sounds like fun, but....from my experience, I give the ride my all during the day. By the time I get back to the lodge, I'm ready to shower up, eat, and relax before getting to bed to rest up for the next great day of riding. I wrote a song about it. Goes a little something like this:

Writing Poetry Does Not Make Me Gay
by Troy Wolf
Stuck at work, daydreamin' of the ride
Look out the window, it's snowin' outside
While some brave the weather, despite the cold
Between my legs, my tail will hide

The forest is calling, the trail is rough
Bikes are being prepped, and all that stuff
Lodging reserved, caterers on call
April can't get here fast enough

Some talk with fondness of riding at night
The next rock exposed by glow of their headlight
While that sounds exciting, and I hope you have fun
I'll ride with the sun, and sleep in the moonlight!

I like your style, and have written some guitar riffs around your lryics....

[MoRidin]

So now I have about 12" of snow in my driveway...and it is like 21 outside.

I have had the flue for over a week...my desk at work has probably been packed up them thinking I died in a plane crash somewhere...

BUT, today I walked all the way across the house without taking a breather...trust me, that is HUGE!

I live! I live!

Let us ride brothers (and sister)!

[troy]

I like your style, and have written some guitar riffs around your lryics....

Cool. I usually want to bring my guitar along for some porch pickin', but after I pack the truck with all my riding gear, there aint room left.

[david h]

WUFB ? Whats up for breakfast? Is this covered or do we all need to bring our own. Grocery stores are a ways away so I just want to be prepared. I reckon we could do a group thing pretty cheap. I could buy stuff for the group if needed, with costs split amongst those partaking .

My virgin Husky and I are ready to give'er hell , David h

[troy]

WUFB ? Whats up for breakfast? Is this covered or do we all need to bring our own. Grocery stores are a ways away so I just want to be prepared. I reckon we could do a group thing pretty cheap. I could buy stuff for the group if needed, with costs split amongst those partaking.

As outlined in the first post, the only provided meals are the catering Fri & Sat night. I think Sean may bring some general snacks and/or soda to share, but don't count on any provided food & drink other than Fri & Sat night. I'll personally be bringing my favorite breakfast cereal and some milk.

Now, we don't want to end up with 30 gallons of milk--no fridge space for that much. So if various groups want to coordinate a little, that would help. For example, I'll be showing up with my posse, and we'll coordinate and consolidate our food needs.

Here's a great trail lunch tip I learned from safiri: peanut butter & honey sandwiches made with bagels. (We use whole-wheat bagels.) Nothing requires refrigeration and the bagel is strong enough to hold up to the tail bag abuse.

As for lunch on the trail, it looks like Sean has the routes all days with a lunch/gas stop. So you may not need to bring any food, but in my experience, lunch can come too late in the day or even never depending on how "adventurous" the adventure becomes. I like to have something to snack on to keep my strength up.

David, my virgin Husky has not even had it's first oil change. Yikes! I need to break her in a little before Arkansas....the 2 weekends before the ride are my only options. I know you'll be doing the big Hillbilly Dualsport the weekend before the ride. What bike you taking for that?

[MoRidin]

I think I will bring a log of deer sausage..they make great bagel sandwiches.

IDEALLY we can get a hot lunch on the trail as I believe I tried to keep our loops around 50 miles except for BMA (66 miles) and that one we could be siphoning a bit of gas. I am going to search as I think there is a fuel option on the west side of the route. That one has a great big ? int he middle of the route that we will just have to discover on our own. I honestly dont know how fa my bike will go on one tank...guess I will find out !

Another thing I was thinking of today is that a few of the low density trails may not have any traffic since winter...and they got snow and ice, so we could see a downed tree or 400...I heard the KS boys are well versed in logging though.

[MoRidin]

FWIW, I am going through the routes one by one to find any major issues before we find them in real life...and as of right now, I don't see many. There are a couple of places that we can talk about around the big dining table that I have reservations about and what we can do to work around them.

I also found a gas stop midway through BMA that is about a 7-8 mile detour...not highly recommended, but if folks are running low on gas, it may be the only option.

Plan on getting lost several times...that way, after just 3-5 reroutes you will be discussing my prowess as a mapper !

I am working on which routes should go on which days based upon gas availability etc...more to come tonight if I get a call back.

Sean

[safiri]

Another thing I was thinking of today is that a few of the low density trails may not have any traffic since winter...and they got snow and ice, so we could see a downed tree or 400...I heard the KS boys are well versed in logging though.

BTW, earlier this week the area got pounded with rain ... what the locals would call a "turd floater".
The Mulberry River, at Mulberry, AR went up 12 feet after about 4" of rain in a few hours. I would expect that some of the trails got quite a bit of runoff/erosion. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?07252000

I will be carrying / sharing:
- tow rope / bike rescue rope (for that pesky 20' dropoff ...)
- folding saw with replacement blade(s) (KC!)
- fire starter and lighter
- space bag (emergency shelter for when Sean gets us really lost and out of gas)
- water purifier with extra batteries.

And yes, four of the girly men are experienced with clearing trail:

KC, Troy, Mike (Daryl behind the camera): (This is just before the lightning, thunder, hail, rain, and 20oF T drop)

[Hayden]

Been Fighting the flu myself this week Sean. It sucks. Although I have been going to one of my jobs anyway. Cant quite call in sick to both of them. Its been rough for sure.


Hayden

[KC]

folding saw with replacement blade(s) (KC!)

HA HA! yeah, I caught that Mike!

By the way all, we cut through all that at around 10,000 ft. elevation. One of us should tell the whole story one night at the lodge.

[david h]

Troy, my Husky is no longer a virgin. She and I got down and dirty last weekend.It's great on the trails till you are doing a 40ft long steep downhill facing north(shade ). The trail was a little muddy, but what I found out was that ICE was still in the ground about 1 " deep. I must have slid about 20 ft collecting mud as I slid. The bike got the better of the deal since I was the one on the bottom.

I will be riding the KLX400s in Eureka. Both of the rides I will be doing are around 200 miles so comfort and speed are needed. Geared the way I am 50-55mph is all I want to do for a few more hundred miles on the TE450. I sent off the check to you today so you should see it the first part of the week.

David H

[Nobiman]

Troy, PayPal-ed ya. Thanks again for all of the trouble of setting up and managing this ride. Its appreciated for sure.

Rand & Sandy.