Let's get DIRTY....

Let's Get Dirty!

I recently picked up a bit of a project bike; one unlike any of my other motorcycles. Now, I've been riding street bikes since the 1990's... but like many of you, I didn't start there. I got my start in the dirt and on the trails and it's been almost 30 years since I sold my last off-road bike. Take a quick ride down the memory "trail" with me, and let's get into the "brush" with this one, shall we?

Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

The year is 1980-something and your old pal the MotoWriter is still just a kid. A kid with a couple of fishing poles and a $10 bill burning a hole in his pocket. A few miles away, a classmate's dad had been to the auto auction and picked up an old Honda XR200 for his son. The bike was a beater and had been painted by someone with nothing better to do with himself but ruin a motorcycle with, what I can only guess was some kind of epoxy spatter paint (it was the 80's, after all), so my classmate's dad got it for a steal. 

Now, back then, I did a lot of fishing, but after ripping around on a mini-bike that my dad picked up for me from a neighbor, nearly breaking my neck on my cousin's Honda ATC and flying low on my buddy's motorcycle engine powered go-cart... my interests had shifted from peacefully standing on the bank of a bayou wetting hooks, to high-octane powered speed! On a school bus ride home one fateful afternoon, a couple of adolescent entrepreneurs had struck a deal! He would get two of my best fishing poles and that crinkled up $10 bill, and I would take delivery of his dirtbike... that didn't run. 

If my memory serves me correctly, I think I was still in middle school and I had no knowledge of motorcycle repair, and no experience turning wrenches on anything more complicated than a lawnmower engine and a BMX bike. After getting that ugly-ass Honda home and spending a few hours tinkering around with it, though- I got that old dirt bike running! It didn't take long for me to figure out how to ride it, and ride it, I did! I couldn't sand the paint down, and I definitely couldn't afford to buy a new gas tank and new plastics, so I did what any budget-restricted adolescent would do, and I got some red rattle-can paint and some cool looking "Mr. Horsepower" stickers (you know, the angry, cigar smoking woodpecker logo), and dolled her up. I ran the roads on that bike for months, much to the chagrin of the neighbors, and my parents. 

A Kid With Grown-up Money

Retirement has a way of, as my lovely bride has jovially commented, "de-adultifying" a person. Now, the best way I can describe this is, as I've previously stated... we only have 75 good years. The problem is, between age 5 and 18, you have to go to school (and many of us had to start working a part-time job for the last two to three years of those). The next 2-4 years might be college for some, or full time jobs for the rest of us. By our mid-20's though... we're pretty much all working and we'll do that for the next 25-30 years, at least. We don't usually get into the good years until we're in our 50's or 60's, and by then, most folks that never learned that motorcycles are basically the closest thing to a fountain of youth for the minds, are basically too tired to really do anything other than sit around, golf, fish or travel in an RV (which, I'll admit that a couple of those don't sound too bad). So, if you are lucky enough to retire in your "middle-age", you might find yourself in just the right spot to enjoy a time when you don't have to go to school, you don't have to go to work, and you have a little extra jingle in your pocket to get some cool stuff. Basically, you kind of get to be a kid again, but with grown up money.

My Last Dirtbike

I sold the last of my dirtbikes, a 1973 Suzuki TC100 Enduro bike, decades ago. I was married, working a full time job and Mrs. MotoWriter and I were expecting our first child. I hadn't ridden the old 'Zuki in a couple of years and it was just taking up space at my parents' house, so I figured I'd make a few bucks off of it and buy some groceries, instead. Over the next few years, I worked, paid bills and tried my best to make a decent life for my little family. 

Years later, as I was getting established in my career, I was finally able to get another motorcycle- an older model Honda cruiser- but that's a story for another day- and with it, my dirtbike days were over, or so I thought. 

In my younger days, I never raced or rode motocross, I was a trail guy. I loved getting into the woods and riding among the trees, along river banks and over sandy berms and along fire trails. After years of riding two lane highways, interstates and back roads on my street bikes, a long dormant fire was reignited inside of me. It was the call of the forest beckoning me, offering the tranquility of her trails for a chance to reconnect with nature the way I used to do as a kid. So I started looking for another off road bike. I toyed around with the idea of an ADV bike, like a Triumph Tiger or a Pan America. I still haven't ruled that out entirely, but I didn't want to drop over $15k on a bike that I was going to thrash on in the woods, so I figured I'd start with a simple little off-road bike, instead. 

Introducing, The "Leg Breaker"

I knew that I wanted a four stroke, since the last big two stroke I had was a Yamaha YZ250 that was a "retired" race bike that I nearly broke my back on during a failed attempt at a jump. I really like the Hondas, so I set out on finding a used XR250. What I found though, was that, apparently, everyone else likes the same bikes, because the only XR250s for sale were so overpriced that I could have bought a new bike for just a few bucks more. I had given up looking, for the most part, until I just happened to come across a deal that looked too good to be true. I found an 1989 XR600R, in 90% original condition and very well-maintained, for a price so good that I had to go see it. What I found was a super cool guy who was just ready to move on from riding, selling what would be my next bike. We struck a deal and I brought her home that day. 

After getting it home and on the lift, I starting doing some research on it to learn more about my new project. I learned a few things, but the most ominous was that the XR600R was nicknamed the "leg breaker." These bikes are kick-start only and, if you aren't careful, the kick start lever can kick back, and cause you to have a real bad day. I also learned that these bikes are still very popular and that parts availability for them is still pretty good, considering the age. 

Getting Her Ready 

Getting her ready for the trails was easy enough, thanks to the meticulous maintenance that the previous owner did. The plastics were in decent shape, albeit a little ugly due to some old decals and some abrasion transfers. The first order of business was to replace the Chinese Keihein knock-off carburetor with a proper Mikuni replacement kit from Speed Moto Co.. Next was a minor repair to a broken bolt boss on the engine case. After that, I cleaned up the plastics, replaced the headlight straps, grips, chain mud guard, seat cover, tank strap, tail light, fender bag, fork boots, trip meter cable and added a new headlight shroud decal and some aftermarket "XR" decals. She looks almost as good as she runs now. Since I didn't have any off-road gear, I figured I'd hit up Rocky Mountain ATV & Motorcycle and grab some riding gear. I had to do some research, but thanks to the good folks at Rocky Mountain (and after reading a lot of reviews and talking to some friends about what gear they were using), I landed on a pair of MSR Adventure boots, an MSR helmet with "MIPS" (Multi-directional Impact Protection System), and a pair of VSN goggles. I'll be doing some MotoReviews of that gear in the coming weeks after I've had a chance to beat it up a little. I've also been told that I need to consider getting some specialized off-road pants, a jersey and a chest protector, too... so if I do, I'll do a MotoReview of that stuff, too.

Time To Ride

While I'm not giving up riding my street bikes, I am excited to get back to my roots (pun intended) and reconnect with nature on a motorcycle. I learned a lot about riding, and a lot about myself, on trails deep in the woods. From exploring the wilderness behind my grandparents' house as a youngster, to riding dirtbikes and simply hiking on trails with my family, I've always been drawn to the outdoors. 

It's safe to say that I'm more than a little excited to jump back on a bike with knobby tires and, who knows, when I start adding some content about my off-road adventures, we might even add a few more folks to the MotoReader family. For now though, it's time for me to get this hoss out of the garage, loaded up and hauled out to some local trails. 

If you happen to see me out there on the trails, don't be too mad if I'm riding too slow in front of you... just say hello as you pass me by! 

Until next time, MotoReaders...

Ride safe and get Dirty!