I Broke The Leg Breaker!
Okay, the photo may be slightly altered to make the affect hit a little harder, but you get the point.
The Honda XR600R is famously, or rather, infamously, known as "the leg breaker." It's a big bike. At 591cc, this air-cooled, high compression, kickstart-only, monster makes 46 hp and over 38 ft lbs of torque in stock form. In stock running order, it weighs in at over 320 pounds. Add a 5.8 gallon aftermarket gas tank, and you can easily add another 20 pounds to that.
Since my last dirty bike post, I took another solo ride in the National Forest, where I started getting a lot more comfortable on the bike, and felt like I was actually starting to hone some of my off-road techniques bit. I had a good ride that day, even though I was only out there for a couple of hours. I left that day feeling pretty good about myself and my off-road riding, so when it came time to meet up with the guys the following week, I was all about it.
Physical Exertion And Dehydration
I decided to video the ride, since we were all riding together and I figured some of the other guys might like to re-live their day through my camera lens, too. The day started out great, but pretty soon after we got on the trails, one of the guys had a family emergency, and had to head home, so we made a quick run back to the trucks. After helping him get loaded up, the rest of us went back out and kept riding. Everything was going great until a log crossing, one that I had successfully crossed in my first solo ride, kicked my butt. You know how they say, that if you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough? Well, it's a good thing I'm tough. Tough or not, after that debacle, I was still pretty gassed. I took a water break, regained my composure, and started riding again. Apparently, I was stuck on that obstacle, behind the guys, for so long that one of them circled back to go look for me.
Back Together
Once we were all back together, though... the ride continued, and I was feeling a lot better. We were all riding pretty hard... even though those guys are much better off-road riders than me. One guy has been riding off-road for, easily, half his life and the other, well... he's a class-A Enduro rider. I felt like I was riding pretty good, though, and a good bit faster and more confidently than I had been, especially compared my my first couple of rides. That is, until I took a simple spill and realized that I was getting dehydrated and physically exhausted. In my defense, we had been riding for a while, and the South Mississippi sun was bearing down pretty hard. The trails were still very wet from recent rains which made the trails hot and humid, especially when stopped. I knew that I was just about spent, but I think my ego, and maybe my immature mind, wanted to keep riding. Big mistake.
Target Fixation
As a motorcycle instructor, I tell my students all about target fixation. Basically, you go where you look and, just like riding on the road, on the trails, you have to look far enough ahead to avoid any obstacles... like small trees. I could keep going on that, but instead... I think I'll let you watch for yourselves:
https://youtu.be/zSn1RQqul7w?si=S0s-OA6GOTnhw3yt
Lessons Learned
The bike didn't explode like in the movies, but finding parts for a 37 year old dirt bike can be tricky, so it did blow up my bank account a bit. I was able to find a used gas tank, but it cost me as much as a new one would have. The fuel petcocks from my old tank wouldn't fit the "new" tank, so I had to order a new one of those, too.
This little incident made me realize that my "retirement body" wasn't cutting it, so I started a workout regimen to get myself in better shape. I'm not trying to bulk up, by any means, but I do need to improve my overall strength and stamina, in case I have to push this heavy bastard out of the woods in the future. It also got me looking for a newer, smaller and more manageable off-road bike, one that will be easier to throw around on single track trails, will have better brakes, and most importantly- won't be so dang tricky to find parts for. Until that happens, though- when I'm not on my Harley, I'll still be out in the woods throwing this big hoss around, and trying my best to stay upright and, hopefully, not running into any more trees.
Keep an eye out for some upcoming MotoReviews of my riding gear and, as always MotoReaders...
Ride Safe and Make Good Choices!
