FJR on gravel and fire roads

[Spud]

Agreed the big knobbies look really cool. I've been up a few dirt roads, took this one to the top of a ski hill in MT....

Heading to a little fishing hole in Yellowstone...

 

[gixxerjasen]

Can I play?

Gotta stay off that washboard part if you appreciate a well connected subframe and enjoy your teeth in your mouth.

 

[Burnspot]

Cottonwood Pass, CO. 13.5 miles of dirt from Taylor Reservoir to the summit...it was in pretty good shape, with the occasional soft spot. Ain't much, but with a heavy street bike, it was interesting. Did quite a bit of dirt in CO actually.

 

[JSaul]

I had a rather sphincter tightening ride across Trail Creek road Kethcum, ID after dark. Garmin made me do it. If it would have been daylight I suspect I would not have ventured very far down this road. I later found this road is closed more than it is open due to avalanches and rock slides. I got to a point on the road where a rock slide made it not much more than a goat trail for a short stretch but there was not enough room to turn around. I was more worried about large game hitting me and knocking me off the road and down the hillside.

 

[Niehart]

Panman and I rode 18 miles of gravel to see this water falls and yes it was worth it.

 

[ionbeam]

A pleasant ride down a dirt country road. What is hidden from view is the wife under the FJR.

A thin skim coat of water and mud over a base layer of ice.

Country roads.

Remember to yield to the traffic.

But, if you ever have to traverse a bad patch of gravel it's always good to have friends.

 

[wfooshee]

How 'bout this? Yes, it's a road. On the map and everything. It's on the Box-R Wildlife Management Area near Apalachicola, FL. I was out birding with the camera.

The turf made the ground invisible, so no clue where there were rocks, holes, whatever. At least it hadn't rained for a few days so it wasn't wet.....

The aforesaid map.

The roads were gravel through most of the area, some dual-track, but after that last intersection the reach to the river was turf.

 

[Fred W]

A pleasant ride down a dirt country road. What is hidden from view is the wife under the FJR.

Tiger down!

I kind of miss his tolerant wife, Sandy. And what ever happened to Dennis?

A thin skim coat of water and mud over a base layer of ice.

Ah yes. The infamous Burdick's breakfast shunning. This road was not supposed to be unpaved (according to Garmin). But it was a good test of bike balance, and we all made it through to Fiddlehead's Cafe for a better breakfast than those stuffy Burr-dicks would have supplied us.

Who dat bad man up 'dere?

Where was this? I don't recall the farm, though clearly I was there.

These pics are proof positive that ionbeam (and Mrs. I) will follow me all sorts of dirty places on their FJR.

But we always seem to come through unscathed, and maybe better street riders at the end of the day.

 

[FJRPittsburgh]

If you would have seen the dirt and rock road I traveled for 18 miles on the way back from EOM, you wouldn't have believed it. I can thank my GPS and a closed road for that particular excursion. Good thing I didn't have to deal with a clutch lever.

I would have been much more comfortable on a motocross bike. Yeah, I know. Motocross bikes have clutch levers and I'm good with it. I rode clutched bikes for years. I must say, not having one on the FJR is a dream.

 

[yanktar]

One of the things bike manufacturers seem to think is a good thing is interlocked front and rear brakes. Personally, I think they are dangerous and deadly on anything but paved roads or in serious poor traction conditions.

It's like so many refused to make convertibles with either front-wheel drive or AWD assuming NOBODY would drive a convertible in snow. I grew up driving my mom's '67 LeMans rag-top equipped with studded tires and sandbags in the trunk in snow but studded tires are ancient history.

But without interlocked brakes you can go slow and depend on the rear brake without sliding the front end. One of the reasons I'm not trading in my 2004!

 

[Auburn]

The Burr trail 2up towing a trailer - going down the waterfold

Pan Man behind us (it is steeper than it looks)

Beamer Reemer's about 200 feet ahead of us (this comes close to showing how steep it is)

at the bottom of the waterfold.

once you make it down that, then there are these water bars where the flash floods are directed through. Very soft sandy silt, much wetter and it would have been impassable.

yes it is that steep going down into it and out of it.

 

[fjrob1300]

Ok ok In the land of one - up- man ship. Tom n Pam, Mike , Mitchy n me. Climbing PIKES PEAK right behind the effing water truck . I would rather ride on a frozen lake next time. JSNS

 

[HotRodZilla]

One of the things bike manufacturers seem to think is a good thing is interlocked front and rear brakes. Personally, I think they are dangerous and deadly on anything but paved roads or in serious poor traction conditions.It's like so many refused to make convertibles with either front-wheel drive or AWD assuming NOBODY would drive a convertible in snow. I grew up driving my mom's '67 LeMans rag-top equipped with studded tires and sandbags in the trunk in snow but studded tires are ancient history.

But without interlocked brakes you can go slow and depend on the rear brake without sliding the front end. One of the reasons I'm not trading in my 2004!

Personally, I believe your understanding of the FJR's brakes is flawed. You have to pass a pressure threshold before the front engages. Using the rear brake to do whatever you're going to do won't magically crash you.
All this dirt road amazement makes me laugh. I grew up on a dirt road, and I still have to ride it to get to my mom's. Had to ride a steep dirt road to get to my brother's for almost 11 years. It's not that hard.

 

[wheatonFJR]

dirt and gravel are scary.

 

[Auburn]

Ok ok In the land of one - up- man ship. Tom n Pam, Mike , Mitchy n me. Climbing PIKES PEAK right behind the effing water truck . I would rather ride on a frozen lake next time. JSNS

not one upsmanship - just showing how capable the FJR is in adverse conditions. I believe Iggy has a great story from one of the IBR

 

[bluesdog]

"All this dirt road amazement.."

 

[BanjoBoy]

One of the things bike manufacturers seem to think is a good thing is interlocked front and rear brakes. Personally, I think they are dangerous and deadly on anything but paved roads or in serious poor traction conditions.

It's like so many refused to make convertibles with either front-wheel drive or AWD assuming NOBODY would drive a convertible in snow. I grew up driving my mom's '67 LeMans rag-top equipped with studded tires and sandbags in the trunk in snow but studded tires are ancient history.

But without interlocked brakes you can go slow and depend on the rear brake without sliding the front end. One of the reasons I'm not trading in my 2004!

Personally, I believe your understanding of the FJR's brakes is flawed. You have to pass a pressure threshold before the front engages. Using the rear brake to do whatever you're going to do won't magically crash you.

All this dirt road amazement makes me laugh. I grew up on a dirt road, and o still have to ride it to get to my mom's. Had to ride a steep dirt road to get to my brother's for almost 11 years. It's not that hard.

Yep, dun rode up 'n down all kinds of dirt roads. Often all the other bikes I see have green stickers.

 

[900gc]

I don't mind dirt/gravel so much if it's fairly smooth but I did about a 10 mile stretch a couple years ago that was much more suited for an enduro bike. I didn't fall but I really thought I would break something on the bike from the pounding but didn't. Love riding these kind of roads, that's why I bought a DR650 last year.

Enjoyed the photos in this thread!

 

[chivvalry]

Has anyone had a sidebag come loose on the gravel? I was out playing with a tiger, a KLR, and a weestrom on some gravel/dirt/mud/sand roads and going over some small rises (not hills... just covering drainage pipes crossing the track) and caught air a few times. Not sure it it was that or the occasional washboard that caused it. Didn't actually come all the way off but the front tab came unseated on my left side bag. Happened twice before I put a strap on it.

 

[El Toro Joe]

Try State Rt 619 from Norton VA. to Fort Blackmore VA., it's a great road, all the way up until it turns into 18 miles of dirt/gravel downhill switchbacks.