The 2020 Rally Season is kicking off in a matter of days.
Here's a look at the current status of the 2020 Rally Calendar:
(Event, Location, Dates, Equipment)
JANUARY
Polar Bear, Keystone Heights, Florida, January 9-12, KLX250
FEBRUARY
TransFlorida 2020.1, Palatka, Florida, TBD, TBD
Devils Creek, Brooksville, Florida, February 28-March 1, KLX250
Devils Creek Vintage Show, Brooksville, Florida, February 29, KLR600
MARCH
APRIL
2020 Cross Florida_AMA Adventure Series, TBD, April 4-5, KLR600
Wild Bear Safari, Samsula, Florida, April 18-19, KLX250
Perry Mountain Tower Run_AMA DS Series, Stanton, Alabama, April 25-26, KLX250
MAY
JUNE
The Hooch, Suches, Alabama, June 6-7
Smokey Mountain 500, Suches, Alabama, June 8-10
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
TransFlorida 2020.2, Palatka, Florida, TBD, TBD
NOVEMBER
Mt. Dora Classic Motorcycle Show, Mt. Dora, Florida, November 7-8, KLR600
DECEMBER
Cotton Pickin Adventure, Jennings, Florida, December 12-13, KLR600
Monday, December 23, 2019
Thursday, December 5, 2019
2020 Equipment Review
The 2020 Rally Season (for me) kicks off January 9, 2020 in Keystone Heights, Florida with the Polar Bear Rally. Generally, when I refer to "Rally" I mean any organized event, even though most aren't true Dual Sport or Adventure Rallies. "Rally" is just a good word that makes it easier to capture the vast majority of my saddle time.
In the absence of a really good reason, I only ride rallies with a majority (>50%) of off-road or dirt-road (e.g. forest roads) track. A good reason would be a Charity Event like The Gobbler this past November that was considerably under 50% dirt but had a charitable cause...in this case mental health.
I have two motorcycles returning for the 2020 Season:
2019 Kawasaki KLX 250 S
My KLX is for Dual Sport Rallies with high off-road and/or single track percentages to total miles (generally >75%).
I purchased the KLX, new off the show room floor, on December 5, 2018 and put it right to work two days later in the Wild Bear Safari out of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Being a 250, I really didn't expect too much from the 250 powertrain; rather, I was hoping for light and nimble forest and single track bike. With the addition of a set of Michelin AC10s (10/90 Dual Sport Tires) the KLX really did a great job. I led many groups with the KLX during 2019 and am looking forward to the 2020 season.
The only upgrade on the KLX for the 2020 season was a new, higher rate spring for the rear shocks. I'll probably be needing to replace the rear AC10 by around April.
1985 Kawasaki KL600-B1 (KLR600)
My vintage KLR fills in on Dual Sport Rallies with off-road percentages over 50% up to where I think the KLX would be better suited.
I purchased the vintage KLR in April 2019 with about 24,000 miles. It took me until August to get the KLR in "reliable" condition, then during the rest of 2019, I got most of the bugs out.
In August, the KLR got it's first taste of action on the three-day Smokey Mountain 500 in North Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Unfortunately, a snapped clutch cable cost me one of those days so I'll be heading back for another attempt at the SM500 this coming Summer. The other major ride for the KLR was the two day 2019.2 Trans-Florida Rally (this was actually a true rally).
Having got all the mechanical bugs taken care of the only need I have for the KLR in 2020 is some new tires. I ran 50/50 dual sport tires in 2019 and have decided to take it up a notch into something a little more aggressive. TBD.
As for the Polar Bear in January, I'll need the light weight KLX250 to deal with the deep sugar sand in Ocala National Forest.
In the absence of a really good reason, I only ride rallies with a majority (>50%) of off-road or dirt-road (e.g. forest roads) track. A good reason would be a Charity Event like The Gobbler this past November that was considerably under 50% dirt but had a charitable cause...in this case mental health.
I have two motorcycles returning for the 2020 Season:
2019 Kawasaki KLX 250 S
My KLX is for Dual Sport Rallies with high off-road and/or single track percentages to total miles (generally >75%).
I purchased the KLX, new off the show room floor, on December 5, 2018 and put it right to work two days later in the Wild Bear Safari out of New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Being a 250, I really didn't expect too much from the 250 powertrain; rather, I was hoping for light and nimble forest and single track bike. With the addition of a set of Michelin AC10s (10/90 Dual Sport Tires) the KLX really did a great job. I led many groups with the KLX during 2019 and am looking forward to the 2020 season.
The only upgrade on the KLX for the 2020 season was a new, higher rate spring for the rear shocks. I'll probably be needing to replace the rear AC10 by around April.
1985 Kawasaki KL600-B1 (KLR600)
My vintage KLR fills in on Dual Sport Rallies with off-road percentages over 50% up to where I think the KLX would be better suited.
I purchased the vintage KLR in April 2019 with about 24,000 miles. It took me until August to get the KLR in "reliable" condition, then during the rest of 2019, I got most of the bugs out.
In August, the KLR got it's first taste of action on the three-day Smokey Mountain 500 in North Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. Unfortunately, a snapped clutch cable cost me one of those days so I'll be heading back for another attempt at the SM500 this coming Summer. The other major ride for the KLR was the two day 2019.2 Trans-Florida Rally (this was actually a true rally).
Having got all the mechanical bugs taken care of the only need I have for the KLR in 2020 is some new tires. I ran 50/50 dual sport tires in 2019 and have decided to take it up a notch into something a little more aggressive. TBD.
As for the Polar Bear in January, I'll need the light weight KLX250 to deal with the deep sugar sand in Ocala National Forest.
Kawasaki KLX250 Shock Removal
From beginning to end, the rear shock absorber removal from my 2019 Kawasaki KLX250S takes a maximum of 15 minutes. That wasn't the case the first time I did it; now I know the trick.
Chapter 13 of the Service Manual addresses shock removal. It essentially provides for:
- Raise rear wheel off the ground with a jack [lift or center stand]
- Removal of left side cover
- Removal of mud guard
- Removal of front tie rods (aka dog bones) bolt
- Removal of top and bottom shock bolts
- Lift rear wheel [separately on jack] (see Factory Service Manual Excerpt below)
- Removal of the shock from the cavity to the left (see red circle in photo below)
I believe that the conflict has to do with lifting the rear wheel. Essentially, what you're doing by lifting the rear wheel with the shock unbolted is collapsing the suspension such that the suspension rocker (see photo below) moves forward enough to allow the bottom of the shock to pivot backward, then down allowing the top of the shock to drop out of it's bracket...at which point the shock can be angled to the left out of the cavity as shown in the photo above.
This process was shown, albeit buried, in my 41 minute video 2019 Kawasaki KLX 250 Sag and Preload Adjustment, BUT...
...instead of lifting the rear tire as per the manual, I collapsed the entire motorcycle down using the center-placed jack. Collapsing the motorcycle has the same affect as lifting the rear wheel/swing arm and is easier. See this video excerpt for a visual on this process...
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Devil's Creek
This year is the 24th Anniversary of Dixie Dual Sport and the Devil's Creek Rally based in Brooksville, Florida. The event runs February 28-March 1, 2020.
I was able to participate in the Withlacooche Forest Cleanup this year, which means Free Registration!
In addition to Devil's Creek, DDS will be hosting the second leg of the AMA Adventure Series on April 4-5, 2020 to be called the Cross-Florida Adventure Ride. Details apparently coming later.
I was able to participate in the Withlacooche Forest Cleanup this year, which means Free Registration!
In addition to Devil's Creek, DDS will be hosting the second leg of the AMA Adventure Series on April 4-5, 2020 to be called the Cross-Florida Adventure Ride. Details apparently coming later.
1985 KL600 Fuel Tank Mount
This is not the biggest and most important mod that you'll make to your vintage KLR600, but it is an improvement over the stock step up imo and it didn't cost me anything or even much time.
Essentially this mod improves mounting of the fuel tank.
Currently, the fuel tank has three mounting points. It fits forward onto two rubber donuts in the frame backbone like many other models, which I think is a good design. However, the rear of tank is connected to the frame via a cotter pin on a post that is mounted on the frame. There's built in play to accommodate the pin which means the tank is moving... not much, but it is.
I had the tank off to do some repairs on my carburetor and, before I put it back on, I put a M8 tap down the frame post. It's hollow and accepted the M8 tap without any drilling.
From there, I pulled an appropriate size rubber grommet out of my stock and bolted it down with an M8 cap bolt.
Essentially this mod improves mounting of the fuel tank.
Currently, the fuel tank has three mounting points. It fits forward onto two rubber donuts in the frame backbone like many other models, which I think is a good design. However, the rear of tank is connected to the frame via a cotter pin on a post that is mounted on the frame. There's built in play to accommodate the pin which means the tank is moving... not much, but it is.
I had the tank off to do some repairs on my carburetor and, before I put it back on, I put a M8 tap down the frame post. It's hollow and accepted the M8 tap without any drilling.
From there, I pulled an appropriate size rubber grommet out of my stock and bolted it down with an M8 cap bolt.
KLX250 Sag and Preload, Part 2
During Part 1, I chronicled the Sag and Preload measurements and adjustments on the stock shock absorber of my 2019 Kawasaki KLX250. Part 2 involved the recording of video as I changed the spring, ran new Sag measurements and reset the Preload.
Below is a table of measurements and calculations from my suspension work comparing the Factory Spring to the new Cogent Spring.
The most subjective aspect of these types of calculations is defining "Optimal Rider Sag." This is a searchable topic on the Internet with lots of hits. However, I find two things in these hits that detract from my needs.
What's fairly clear is that dual sport motorcycles are left out of these equations. However, the good news is, at the end of the day, the sag is adjustable! I figured out how to adjust the preload (increasing preload decreases sag) without removing the KLX250 shock absorber.
So when it comes to sag and preload, simply consider that the more off-road use, the lower the Optimal Rider Sag will need to be. Conversely, the more on-road use, the higher the Optimal Rider Sag will need to be. If you want to start at the dirt bike recommendations that you find on the web and work up, that's fine. If you want to start with the road bike recommendations and work down, that's fine. Or just start in the middle.
Either way, I'm fairly confident that you'll know when you have the right sag and, if you don't get it, that you'll be looking for a new spring like I did.
Below is a table of measurements and calculations from my suspension work comparing the Factory Spring to the new Cogent Spring.
The most subjective aspect of these types of calculations is defining "Optimal Rider Sag." This is a searchable topic on the Internet with lots of hits. However, I find two things in these hits that detract from my needs.
- First, the Sag information provided seems to be for two ends of the spectrum; that is, pure play dirt bikes (i.e. motocross) and road bikes. The confusion on this point is where dual sport motorcycles land in these recommendations.
- Second, many sites actually offer up Optimal Rider Sag as measurement (as opposed to a percent). A measurement is overly simplistic because, as we know, travel measurements differ greatly among dual sport models. See the table below on Travel by Model.
What's fairly clear is that dual sport motorcycles are left out of these equations. However, the good news is, at the end of the day, the sag is adjustable! I figured out how to adjust the preload (increasing preload decreases sag) without removing the KLX250 shock absorber.
So when it comes to sag and preload, simply consider that the more off-road use, the lower the Optimal Rider Sag will need to be. Conversely, the more on-road use, the higher the Optimal Rider Sag will need to be. If you want to start at the dirt bike recommendations that you find on the web and work up, that's fine. If you want to start with the road bike recommendations and work down, that's fine. Or just start in the middle.
Either way, I'm fairly confident that you'll know when you have the right sag and, if you don't get it, that you'll be looking for a new spring like I did.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
KLX250 Sag and Pre-Load, Part 1
As I approach the one year anniversary of the purchase of my 2019 KLX250, and after another bumpy rally (Wild Bear Safari), I finally started working on the suspension. I haven't had any issues with the forks. The rear shock has been a significant weakness, perhaps the only weakness the KLX has in it's design.
The rear shock is an oil dampened, coil-spring, mono-shock with a nitrogen reservoir. The spring rate is reported to be 5.6 kg/mm. Race Tech's spring calculators show a spring for my weight and riding of 8.0 kg/mm, so I'm already in the hole.
However, there's a process that needs to be followed and it starts with the pre-load which I hadn't touched until today because it required me to remove the whole shock.
There are so many sites to take you through the process of measuring sag that I won't go through the why of it all. What I will say is that before you can justify any changes, including clickers for compression and rebound, you need to set the rider sag using the following guidance.
Optimal rider sag 33%* of travel
Optimal static sag 10%* of travel
* Optimal percentages are those that we generally attribute to dirt-bike and motocross suspensions. Other type of motorcycles and riding may be less or more.
Below is a screen shot of my data and calculations. The measurements are from the rear axle to a random point consistently used. The meaningful numbers are the differences that calculate the sag numbers:
In summary, my stock Rider Sag was nearly 60% (optimum being 33%) at the stock pre-load of 107 mm. In short, what that means is that the shock in its stock configuration was giving up 60% of the available travel (9.01 inches) to my own weight plus the static weight of the motorcycle before I even got on the bumpy trails.
Is it any wonder why I was so whipped on the very technical Perry Mountain Tower Run last year?
Onward...
In advance, these actions and calculations are preliminary. They need to be tested, tuned in or abandoned.
To compensate, I adjusted the pre-load to near-max at 120 mm (max is 123 mm). That adjustment brought the Rider Sag percentage down from 57.8% to 38.6%; closer to the optimal sag, but not quite there. Plus, I wound up with an unwanted additional full inch of seat height that I need to look into.
I plan to do some testing next month on the Croom single track, where I can tinker with the compression and rebound. However, I'm probably heading for a new spring with a rate more in line with my needs.
Stay tuned.
I've now completed the purchase of a Cogent Spring with a 7.0 kg/mm spring rate. Installation coming soon...
See KLX250 Sag and Preload, Part 2 for completion of my suspension project.
The rear shock is an oil dampened, coil-spring, mono-shock with a nitrogen reservoir. The spring rate is reported to be 5.6 kg/mm. Race Tech's spring calculators show a spring for my weight and riding of 8.0 kg/mm, so I'm already in the hole.
However, there's a process that needs to be followed and it starts with the pre-load which I hadn't touched until today because it required me to remove the whole shock.
There are so many sites to take you through the process of measuring sag that I won't go through the why of it all. What I will say is that before you can justify any changes, including clickers for compression and rebound, you need to set the rider sag using the following guidance.
Optimal rider sag 33%* of travel
Optimal static sag 10%* of travel
* Optimal percentages are those that we generally attribute to dirt-bike and motocross suspensions. Other type of motorcycles and riding may be less or more.
Below is a screen shot of my data and calculations. The measurements are from the rear axle to a random point consistently used. The meaningful numbers are the differences that calculate the sag numbers:
In summary, my stock Rider Sag was nearly 60% (optimum being 33%) at the stock pre-load of 107 mm. In short, what that means is that the shock in its stock configuration was giving up 60% of the available travel (9.01 inches) to my own weight plus the static weight of the motorcycle before I even got on the bumpy trails.
Is it any wonder why I was so whipped on the very technical Perry Mountain Tower Run last year?
Onward...
In advance, these actions and calculations are preliminary. They need to be tested, tuned in or abandoned.
To compensate, I adjusted the pre-load to near-max at 120 mm (max is 123 mm). That adjustment brought the Rider Sag percentage down from 57.8% to 38.6%; closer to the optimal sag, but not quite there. Plus, I wound up with an unwanted additional full inch of seat height that I need to look into.
I plan to do some testing next month on the Croom single track, where I can tinker with the compression and rebound. However, I'm probably heading for a new spring with a rate more in line with my needs.
Stay tuned.
I've now completed the purchase of a Cogent Spring with a 7.0 kg/mm spring rate. Installation coming soon...
See KLX250 Sag and Preload, Part 2 for completion of my suspension project.
Monday, November 18, 2019
My $400 Toy Hauler
I have recorded a video of my $400 toy hauler. It is a 1995 Haulmark enclosed utility trailer that I converted into a toy hauler that I use at rallies around the southeast. Enjoy!
Wild Bear Safari
I completed my third Wild Bear Safari this past weekend and, once again, didn't see a single wild bear!
The Wild Bear Safari is a rally hosted by the Apollo Motorcycle Club in Samsula, Florida. The ride was in Seminole Forest and Ocala National Forest. Here are some photos from the ride.
Coming off three rallies on my KLR600 it was nice to be on the KLX250...and I really needed those Michelin AC10s out in Ocala National Forest.
Log into my YouTube Channel and watch My $400 Toy Hauler.
This is my friend Howard Alexander from South Florida.
Here I am (on dry land) trying to figure out my route across that huge/deep water crossing.
Actually, it was hunting season. Generally, we try and avoid the forests during hunting season, but Apollo decided to move forward with this rally. They'll be moving it to April starting in 2020.
Samantha Andrews, one of the leaders on Dixie Dual Sport, can be found riding her XT at most rallies around Florida.
This bike was drowned in the water crossing. These guys got it going and finished the rally.
I'd hate to have to have to lift a big adventure bike out of the sand.
Visit my YouTube Channel for video from the 2019 Wild Bear Safari.
Apollo has reported that the Wild Bear, which was moved from December to November for this year, will be moved to the Spring in 2020 in future years. That's really going to congest the Spring, but it's a good ride that I'll continue to participate in.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
2019 Gobbler
The "resurrected" 2019 Gobbler Adventure Ride is not in the books. Resurrected from the standpoint that it hasn't been run by Dixie Dual Sports since 2013.
I rode the 1985 KLR600 on the 115 mile Adventure Track. There was also a track for street bikes. Much of the tracks converged and overlapped which made for some heavy "toy-run-like" traffic, but overall a nice ride.
Benefited mental health issues.
Riders meeting video.
Next stop on the calendar is literally next weekend with the Wild Bear Safari. I'll be using the KLX for that ride. Stay tuned...
I rode the 1985 KLR600 on the 115 mile Adventure Track. There was also a track for street bikes. Much of the tracks converged and overlapped which made for some heavy "toy-run-like" traffic, but overall a nice ride.
Benefited mental health issues.
Riders meeting video.
Next stop on the calendar is literally next weekend with the Wild Bear Safari. I'll be using the KLX for that ride. Stay tuned...
Thursday, November 7, 2019
NGK Spark Plug Decoder
NGK spark plugs are my brand. I've always had good luck with them whether it be power sports, lawn equipment or automobiles. NGK are one of the OEM brands for my KLR600. However, I erred by using the KL600-A1 (1984) plug on my KL600-B1 (1985) that was a different spec, a result of misinterpreting the Service Manuals.
I was able to determine that the only difference between the right and the wrong plug was that the A1 called for a resistor plug and I determined that using a handy NGK spark plug decoder below.
The decoder is very helpful to understand NGK plugs. I printed a copy and now keep it in my shop.
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