Mad-laners Megathread

I've only just thawed out, the mway on the way back from yours Col was a killer temperature dropped big time and cut into my bones.

Like you , I'm proper knackered now, thanks for today though, very entertaining, btw Northampton rocks for their green lanes and the way they deal with them.

Try to remember to fill up with fuel next time prior to meeting me btw

You took the motorway back home?!
On knobbly tyres?!

Couple of pics of the bikes from today

Firstly though, Phil's very ghey coffee that he had to stop and order after only one green lane! Thought I'd get that p1$$ take in before he posts the contents of the text message I sent him this morning.







And he's really gonna lose that grumpy persona at this rate.

Originally Posted by speedplay

You took the motorway back home?!
On knobbly tyres?!

Nope, Phil's on road tyres.

I need my bike to be dual purpose so it's on Conti TKC80's

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Suzuki-DRZ400-...item4153077244

Just found this on ebay for you blokes looking for bikes, interesting as well, he has a couple of really cheap bikes presumably from abroad that require registering in the uk.

Take a look at his other bikes in his shop.

And this...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-SUZUKI-DR...item3a5ef25485

And this...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-DRZ400-...item19bf732714

Guys, look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&h...&v=mGu_xDqzZr0, they are obviously good riders, but at 2 minutes into the video they come across some (not very big) logs and felled branches, and they struggle to get through them because the engine doesn't have the power and keeps bogging down as the rear wheel gets stuck and the engine stalls. On my XT600 the engine has the torque and the bike has the weight to push logs like that into the ground and move the logs around (or throw them at the person behind you ) giving you traction, rather than the logs staying put and the bike getting stuck between them and being bounced around. I would just have sat in the saddle with legs out ready to catch the bike if needs be, and given it some beans.

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Nope, Specialone's DRZ throttle is snappier than mine and more likely to get you into trouble, if you grab a handful by accident. The clutch is your best friend anyway, as soon as you start to lose it, nip the clutch in and then it doesn't matter ho much power you have. My bike is 170kg wet and though I did off-road stuff as a kid, 20 years later I might as well have been a complete noob, and I have learned to handle it.

Specialone's DRZ is easier to handle than mine 'cos it's lighter, but when he rode mine today he found it easier to get standing up on the pegs and make progress. More weight equals more stability when things are going well, it just means more to catch when it goes wrong and starts to drop, more momentum when it tries to throw you off, or more to manhaul when it gets stuck. It gets stuck in soft ground easier, but has more power to get you unstuck. You don't feel the weight once it's moving, and it ploughs on over bumps rather than getting thrown off course by them.

A DRZ is 119kg dry, Speedplay's 520EXC is 112kg, so engine size doesn't necessarily mean weight. A larger engine also comes in handy in tricky situations, like when you need to drop down into a muddy dip almost at engine stall speed, then give it loads of beans to get up a pure mud slope, the torque comes in really handy. Just twist the throttle and the rear tyre starts spinning and throwing dirt, whereas a 250 might have bogged down and stalled.

Quite a few bits to consider there (I did wander onto bike trader and mcn bikes for sale to look at the xt and a few ktm's but they're just so much more expensive than my budget would allow... unless I sell my SRAD, but I want to be a spoilt brat and have 2 toys, not 1 lol)

Originally Posted by speedplay

I loved my 200exc when I used to green lane and do hare and hounds on it.
My mate has a crf450x and the 2 stroke 4 stroke difference was interesting sometimes as the 2 bikes are very different on the power delivery but both had their plus sides.
Now after being a 2 stroke fan and thinking that 450 was to much for most of what and where I rode...
...I wouldn't swap my 520 for a smaller bike again.
The weight is about the same (within 7-10kilos) but the power is awsome.
Smooth delivery if you use the throttle well but still more than enough to pull your arms out of their sockets if you want to go down that route too.
Paul, if you want to try a larger enduro then your welcome to give mine a try..

Just don't kill it like you did the daytona in Wales..

I was no where near you when your triumph rolled over, farted and then died! lol and I think I'm made of the stern stuff required for green laning - I must have pushed you down that hill atleast three (yes, three) times in full leathers on a hot sunny day

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Couple of pics of the bikes from today






And he's really gonna lose that grumpy persona at this rate.

I say phil that coffee looks simply delightful

the yamaha looks more up my street in terms of physical size and less 'DRZ toy-like'. I keep having this dream where I get on a DR-Z but I'm too fat and it just drops to pieces because it's about as solid as an airfix model... But the DR-Z will be enough to get me started and is within the budget plus I doubt I'll break one that easily

Originally Posted by specialone

And this...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2003-SUZUKI-DR...item3a5ef25485

And this...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-DRZ400-...item19bf732714

emailed the guy in norfolk who's selling due to domestic issues. Watch this space

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

Quite a few bits to consider there (I did wander onto bike trader and mcn bikes for sale to look at the xt and a few ktm's but they're just so much more expensive than my budget would allow... unless I sell my SRAD, but I want to be a spoilt brat and have 2 toys, not 1 lol)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the XT is the ideal greenlaning bike, far from it in fact, it's a multi-purpose adventure bike. I'm just pointing out that small bikes and big bikes have both their advantages and disadvantages, and don't be put off by either and narrow your choice of bike.

The DRZ is a pretty good compromise between weight and power, but if I had a bike just for greenlaning, and I didn't want to go to Spain/Portugal on it, then I'd have had a KTM EXC (Speedplays head now can't get through the door, but then his bike is so crap on the road he goes greenlaning with it on a trailer )

I paid 1500 for my XT, what is your budget?

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

the yamaha looks more up my street in terms of physical size and less 'DRZ toy-like'. I keep having this dream where I get on a DR-Z but I'm too fat and it just drops to pieces because it's about as solid as an airfix model...

Ha, ha, that'll be Phil grumpy again.

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

emailed the guy in norfolk who's selling due to domestic issues. Watch this space

So can you afford 1600 or are you hoping to knock him down a fair bit?