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Great news, guys! I just got off the phone with Cory Bacon of Backwoods BBQ. He will cater a dinner for us Fri night, May 2nd. (Unless we'd rather do it Sat night?) I figure Fri night is better so we can take advantage of leftovers Sat.

To facilitate this, I will need an accurate head count about 10 days out. Cost might be close to $15/person, but we are talking ribs, brisket, and pork. We can go cheaper by just doing pork & chicken, but I'm telling you, his stuff is some of the best Q I've had.

We'll be inviting the MoKan riders over to the lodge for the catered meal as well. It will be a time of bonding and healing between the 2 & 4 wheel communities. Seriously though, I plan to include those guys in the meal plan. They are camping and riding the same weekend as us.

You are the best Troy!

I'm in for the Q and will either find a couch in the lodge or a nice piece of floor to crash on. Let me know how much I owe you for the lodging.

Cheers,

MrHix

Working on getting bikes ready for the ride. Poor old neglected KTM 300 is need of some care. Nothing we can't tackle in the next few weeks though.

My son and I are looking forward to this for sure!!

BBQ - me too.

Count me "in" for the BBQ feast!

Cool. When I was down there for WUDI, I ate at Backwoods BBQ Thur & Sat nights. GOOD Q! I talked to Cory & Anita, and Cory is ready to cook for us. I have decided that it's easy for me just to drive up and get the food, so that's what I'll do. Makes it easier for Cory & Anita, too.

Do you guys want the dinner FRIDAY night or SATURDAY night?

Randy, how you coming on routes? What's the plan? What does everyone WANT to do? Scenic dualsport road riding? Gnarly trails? Big loop to incorporate some of the fantastic pavement and forest roads? We don't all have to do the same thing of course.

I'm putting together 3 or 4 ATV-appropriate route loops for the MoKan group. The primary differences are the need to keep them off the road as much as possible and fewer miles per day since they run a slower pace.

Troy,

I have a 100+ mile track on dirt roads I did Friday @ WUDI I can share. The Sat DS ride was short but scenic and I have that too. I also have some pavement that I think you and Sean did a while ago.

Friday Q is good for me.

Cheers,

MrHix wrote:Troy,

I have a 100+ mile track on dirt roads I did Friday @ WUDI I can share. The Sat DS ride was short but scenic and I have that too. I also have some pavement that I think you and Sean did a while ago.

Friday Q is good for me.

Cheers,

Mike, how would you feel about putting together a "dualsport" loop and offering to lead it on Fri or Sat for those wanting that experience? I have the "easy", "medium", and "extreme" route loops I created for the GS Giant rally last June that was in the same area. My easy loop includes a lot of pavement and a lot of miles. The medium is a good bit of rugged forest roads. The extreme turned out to be a bit too extreme for some!

troy wrote:Cool. When I was down there for WUDI, I ate at Backwoods BBQ Thur & Sat nights. GOOD Q! I talked to Cory & Anita, and Cory is ready to cook for us. I have decided that it's easy for me just to drive up and get the food, so that's what I'll do. Makes it easier for Cory & Anita, too.

Do you guys want the dinner FRIDAY night or SATURDAY night?

Randy, how you coming on routes? What's the plan? What does everyone WANT to do? Scenic dualsport road riding? Gnarly trails? Big loop to incorporate some of the fantastic pavement and forest roads? We don't all have to do the same thing of course.

I'm putting together 3 or 4 ATV-appropriate route loops for the MoKan group. The primary differences are the need to keep them off the road as much as possible and fewer miles per day since they run a slower pace.

I have no preference on which night for BBQ. As for the type of riding, my son will be on a no light, non street legal 300 so hopefully someone else is also wanting to ride mostly trails. If not, maybe some maps we can use?

troy wrote:

MrHix wrote:Troy,

I have a 100+ mile track on dirt roads I did Friday @ WUDI I can share. The Sat DS ride was short but scenic and I have that too. I also have some pavement that I think you and Sean did a while ago.

Friday Q is good for me.

Cheers,

Mike, how would you feel about putting together a "dualsport" loop and offering to lead it on Fri or Sat for those wanting that experience? I have the "easy", "medium", and "extreme" route loops I created for the GS Giant rally last June that was in the same area. My easy loop includes a lot of pavement and a lot of miles. The medium is a good bit of rugged forest roads. The extreme turned out to be a bit too extreme for some!

I can do that. It will be all dirt roads, except for getting to lunch. Quite scenic and fun roads.

Maybe I can hop on a 2-track group ride the other day.

Cheers,

MrHix

As Troy so smartly predicted "some will back out", I have to back out. A recurring back injury is the culprit.

This should leave a lodge bed open.
If I'm too late and this causes a problem, please let me know. I'll come down, hang out and rehab in the beautiful lodge while you guys ride.

3SuperSports wrote:As Troy so smartly predicted "some will back out", I have to back out. A recurring back injury is the culprit.

This should leave a lodge bed open.
If I'm too late and this causes a problem, please let me know. I'll come down, hang out and rehab in the beautiful lodge while you guys ride.

It's TARKC Randy's deal, but I think we'll be fine with the lodge so no worries there.

How bad is the back? It's bad enough to keep you off the dirt bike, but how about that 2006 Triumph Bonnevile I see in your signature? I can't think of a better place to enjoy the smooth, twisty pavement and excellent scenery. Is your back healthy enough to come ride an easy 100 mile pavement loop? Of course consider that you have about 9 hours round trip in the truck to get down there, too.

I'm okay enough to walk. Just stiff right now. If I sit in any position for more than an hour, it's tough to stand up straight.

The worst part would be the drive, and just loading and unloading the bike. I quit riding altogether years ago, because of this. When it finally seemed all was well, I got the KTM. I still get tweaked every now and then, but not as severe and I seem to heal sooner. I'm just afraid this trip is too ambitious right now. I still have some core work to do. I work out now, like I did when I was in my 20's, but now it's just so I can function normally.

I hope to maybe meet up with you when you do a local day ride in the area.

If you have a bivvy sac tent, someone could stake it out in a trailer or the back of a pickup and you could lie down the entire way!!!

I hope you get better soon, back problems can be nightmares.

Cheers,

Anyone going to be down there Wednesday after work for riding Thursday?

I don't care what night for bbq, whatever you guys want.

I will take whatever routes you got for big bikes! However I have no gps I will need to down-convert those to bearskin and tallow pictorials (paper notes). I need boots more before this than a Montana, I can get lost its fine half of the fun until its dark - the I get a bit pissy.

My truck will have room to haul crap down (bikes too I suspect), wife is not going. I need a ramp if anyone has one? A real ramp. I got a high truck Fx4 F150. I got a 6ft pos [piece of ] and it looks like suicide at that angle. Anyone know how long it needs to be to safely get up in there?

Hey Andy, I have a pair of size 10 or 11 Oneals that need a good home... Also, Tractor Supply in Lansing has nice ramps at a good price, go for the 90 inchers.

Creekside wrote:I got a 6ft pos [piece of ] and it looks like suicide at that angle. Anyone know how long it needs to be to safely get up in there?

Part of the trick is choosing your place to load and unload. If you can find any kind of a slope and park pointing down hill it helps. I back up to the slope at the end of my wing wall in my backyard at home, and the ramp not nearly as steep. Using tie downs to secure the ramp so it can't fall out of the back of the truck can save disaster too.
A big bike like yours is almost always a two man job. If your ramp isn't wide enough for your to walk up next to the bike, a step stool or something for you to step up on as you roll it in makes a bid difference.

Others gave good loading advice, but I want to echo what Bob said. Even a small advantage helps a lot. I live in a culdesac, but just positioning my truck so the back wheels are in the gutter gives me several inches of advantage with my slightly uphill driveway. I have to block my street for a few moments while I load/unload, but nobody seems to mind.

The other thing I'll say is you gotta commit. Of course that's easy to say. With a big, heavy bike, you don't want to stop halfway up while you teeter on a tiny ramp. Getting lined up, then slip the clutch and roll all the way up in one motion is the easy way to do it. Takes practice of course.

I remember the first time I loaded my KLR650 in a the truck. Scared the crap out of me! I was shaking. Now that I've loaded that bike, my 650 Vstrom, and now my F800GS dozens of times, it's pretty easy.

I use a single, long ramp that folds in half and a bike stand to step from ground to stand to tailgate. My truck is a F150 4x4. Your FX4 is a bit taller yet.

Sometime you just have to get creative.

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Or buy one of those tri-fold extra wide three wheeler ramps. They take up more space but you can drive up normally both feet down no problem. My dad has one and I use it to load my 990 when I can.