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New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:10 pm
by Gaijin
Hi all! I'm new here and wanted to drop a note to say hello to everyone and hopefully meet some like minded riders.

I am currently on a '01 DR650 and starting to revisit a beloved hobby from my childhood (used to ride dirt bikes on local tracks / trails when I was much younger and better looking!).

I am located in Bel Air, MD and have been disappointed to see that most of my old stomping grounds have had houses built in their place. I've found a few trails around my area but nothing too extensive or exciting. I gather from posts here and elsewhere that there are quite a few trails around me (especially in Cecil) that are not exactly "OK" but seem to be ridden by some of the members of this board. I'd be really eager to get out on a ride to meet some new folks and discover what kind of trails are hiding around me.

I've looked at the DAMN rides area but don't see anything too close by at the moment. Wondering if there are some riders out there that wouldn't mind a rusty tag along buddy (and my brother would love to come along as well if that's OK) whenever you do go out. Any suggestions on places to ride around my area would also be very much appreciated.

Look forward to hearing back and hopefully meeting some of you all in person very soon!

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:58 pm
by Rut Row
:welcome:

we have quite a few miscreants over by you.

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:04 am
by Bucho
Welcome. The DR650 is a good dualsport bike. Though it will wear you out if you are trying to do difficult offroad stuff.

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:02 am
by Gaijin
Thanks for the kind welcomes!

Thanks for the input, and yes, I'm realizing it is quite a pig compared to the MX bikes I used to ride. Also my height is leaving me feeling a bit scrunched up on it. I'm partial to the Jap bikes, so I'm considering an upgrade to a WR250R which seems to be better both in terms of height, weight and agility on aggressive trails sometime in the near future.

Any thoughts on that idea (for a 6'3" rider)?

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:00 pm
by Bucho
I'm a little shorter than you (just over 6'). I do have a taller "comfort" seat on my DR. This helps with longer legs.

I like the WR250R, if my DR650 ever dies, I would strongly consider the WR as a replacement. But since you already have the Suzuki I think you should just ride the DAMN thing for a bit. Make sure you know what you want.

If you really just want a dirtbike that is capable of riding on the road for legal reasons. Meaning you have no interest in any pavement riding, the Euro dualsport/dirtbikes are pretty hard to beat.

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:46 pm
by frogman1981
Welcome new guy! I’m in Parkville. I know a couple so so spots by me. I’d like someone to ride around with on occasion, even if it’s just pavement.

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 3:33 pm
by Gaijin
Bucho,

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely just ride the DAMN thing for a while and make sure I know what I am really after before going out and burn cash on the first DAMN shiny thing I see. The height is killing me though - I look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame whenever I stand up on the pegs. Perhaps some lowering pegs and bar risers for the DR are a good first step.

frogman1981,

Thanks for the welcome and the invitation to connect. I'm currently still heading out and about looking for more places to get dirty, which at this point is mostly limited to slow strolls on paved back roads. Do you ride through the winter (temps permitting) or have you put the bike up until the spring? If you are still getting out there, perhaps we could connect some weekend that suits? I'm gonna try to keep at it until the cold gets consistently unbearable (seems to be OK around the 40ish mark for me atm). Hope we can hook up soon!

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 4:48 pm
by frogman1981
I ride all year. Call or text me 4438042020.

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 5:18 pm
by Bucho
Its not really ideal but I will dirtride in below freezing temps. The first 10-15 minutes is cold but then you are working and soon will be sweating. I usually wear the same gear and maybe just heavier gloves and a neckwarmer to start with.
Faster road and dirt road riding not so much. Anything 50 degrees and above is decent. It depends on how bad I want to ride and sometimes I will ride street ride in the 40's and 30's.

Gaijin, I know its a haul but I hope you will come out to one of our rides at Taskers or the MotoCove. Or with warmer weather there is some nice dirt road stuff from in Frederick County and north up into Michaux (a few tiny offroad pieces).

Check your private messages.

Re: New member - pleasure to meet you all!

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 5:29 pm
by Laoch
"Put the bike up until spring"....that's crazy talk.

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