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My plan was to deliver Mikes new 450, take a couple quick laps since I was there, then head home. I hit reserve as soon as we went into the woods so I split off early and didn't get a chance to say adios. Hope you guys had a good ride.

Post up when you find out what caused the DRZ to lose all it's oil. I figure the drain bolt had to have come out!?!?! Truly bizzare it happend so quickly.

The tall guy on the '04 450, I'm sorry I didn't get your name. If you decide to sell the Lc4, keep me in mind, I might be interested.

And Mike J, you've finally moved over to the DARK SIDE. I think you will find the wait well worth it. After you get some seat time, I'd be interested in your impressions about the bike. I thought she was a real sweetheart.

Ride safe guys.

-Harvey

Mike, Brian, Larry, & I had a great ride! It sure was hot by the time we loaded up around 3pm, though. Too bad Kyle had to bail before the ride even got started. Terry, we wondered what happened to you!

xr-nut wrote:did I miss a the post on riding out to milford??? bunch a a**holes,,,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh boy...I knew this was coming! This "ride" came together last minute as a last ditch effort for Kyle (my brother) and I to get together for some riding this weekend. The plan was to camp at Tuttle Creek and check out the two off-road areas there. There is the 4x4 Jeep area at Randolph and the motorcycle trails below the dam. We've never been there. Mike & Brian know the place so I called to get info, and turned out they could make the last minute plans, so the four us decided literally on Thursday to camp Fri night and ride all day Sat.

Larry lives in Manhattan and had been PM'ing me about a fall ride--so I knew he was jonesin' to get his new-to-him KLX out on some trails. So I emailed him last minute to see if he wanted to join us. Turns out he could.

The weather threw a little wrench in the plans. The wind, lightning and 1" of rain Fri night made for some exciting camping and not much sleep. After a fantastic camp breakfast thanks to chef safiri, the rain started again. At this point a quick pow-wow with Larry on the phone and we figured we had 3 choices. 1. go home. 2. do a road ride--Larry knows the good roads in the area. 3. Try School Creek. Kyle & I knew School Creek at Milford is rocky enough to handle some rain plus it looked like the storms were lighter to the west and at this point were past that area. So we made the trip west about 40 minutes.

When we arrived, we found the gate closed and a few other riders unloading on the road and going under the gate. We unloaded and then a badge showed up and opened the gate. As luck would have it, we ran into some other riders we know and had a great time.

So, sorry I did not post, but this was supposed to be an exploration ride with a lot of unknowns. I don't usually post those kinds of rides because I don't know what I'm getting anybody into! PLEASE forgive me, Joe!

xr-nut wrote:did I miss a the post on riding out to milford??? bunch a a**holes,,,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!!!

....

Joe, I initially thought the same thing when they pulled up to the gate behind me...

Harvey Mushman wrote:And Mike J, you've finally moved over to the DARK SIDE. I think you will find the wait well worth it. After you get some seat time, I'd be interested in your impressions about the bike. I thought she was a real sweetheart.

-Harvey

I rode till just after noon then my daughter unfortunately took a hard spill on a jump with a short steep angle, landed on her front tire and wiped out. I took her to the ER in Jct. City and after 2 hours she wanted to leave. The ER was busy with a car wreak and 4 injuries and we still had 6 ahead of us waiting too. After the initial pain dulled I was pretty sure it wasn't broke so we went to the critical care clinic today and it's not broke, just bruised elbow and sprained wrist.

As for the bike: I was very pleasantly suprised. Front end doesn't wash out as easily, riding it doesn't tire me out as much as the DRZ, lots more power but still very controllable, landings after being airborn are not a harsh crash. The 40lbs difference feels like 100lbs, turning it around on a dead end trail isn't nearly as difficult. I instantly felt like a better rider. Everything I was hoping for. I didn't ride too agressively with Erin along but did get a good feel for what i was in for. I'm not too knowledgeable yet on suspension set up but I'm thinking that we are pretty close to the same weight (160) so I have some time before I need to adjust anything.

Now, to avoid any hard feelings can we make this post invisible to Tracy? I understand he was also interested in the bike!

Joe, I initially thought the same thing when they pulled up to the gate behind me...

Yeah, Mike....thanks for inviting US!!!
I wish Erin a speedy recovery so she can "get back on the horse" It was good to see you guys.

I haven't had a chance to even look at the DRZ to figure out where the oil was puking from; but it sure was pouring out at a high rate of speed I will tear into it this weekend. Hopefully the engine is completely shot so I can have an excuse to buy a REAL bike.

KC wrote:Yeah, Mike....thanks for inviting US!!!

Good point, KC! Slimtrader, what were YOU doing at School Creek without inviting us?!

KC wrote:I wish Erin a speedy recovery so she can "get back on the horse"

Glad Erin's arm is not broken. She actually did break her arm falling off a horse, though, she told me.

KC wrote:I haven't had a chance to even look at the DRZ to figure out where the oil was puking from; but it sure was pouring out at a high rate of speed I will tear into it this weekend. Hopefully the engine is completely shot so I can have an excuse to buy a REAL bike.

You've got that DRZ dialed in pretty good, bro. Hopefully it's something simple like the drain plug fell out--you forgot to tighten it? I'm sure you'll eventually get a "top-class" machine eventually though. It is inevitable. I had to get my Husky so I could keep up with you on your DRZ!

Sorry for hear about Erin and the DRZ. I wish both of them a speedy recovery!

troy wrote:

KC wrote:Yeah, Mike....thanks for inviting US!!!

Good point, KC! Slimtrader, what were YOU doing at School Creek without inviting us?!

It was supposed to be a covert operation! I thought about posting the night before that I was going to be there but I knew I'd be riding with Erin.

Troy said:

You've got that DRZ dialed in pretty good, bro. Hopefully it's something simple like the drain plug fell out--you forgot to tighten it?

Yeah, I got to thinking about that Bro...funny how my bike had no problems until you rode it for 5 minutes...think'n about taking you to court for a new motor
I just did maintenance on the bike two weeks ago, changed the oil which involved taking out both drain plugs and actually installing new crush washers this time, changed the filter and o-ring, cleaned the air filter, topped off the coolant and gave it good looking over. I took it out for about 40 miles of gravel the next day with no problems. The thing that is puzzling me is this: I only got about a half quart of old oil to come out of the beast yet it always showed full on the dipstick before the service. There is a plug in frame and a plug in the pan. There is a screen in the hose before the oil is pumped into the crankcase, that could be clogged, but doesn't explain why I was able to put the full 1.9 quarts of oil back into it. (By the way, I have over-filled it before and discovered that the oil filter cover will spring open and regurgitate the excess oil.) I did glance underneath the bike when I got home to see that the pan plug was indeed still in place. I will tear into it this weekend and research ThumperTalk and others as needed. Gonna be out of touch for the next couple of days.
Hope to ride again soon...for more than a couple minutes.