Finally got over 600 miles on the bike (670 to be exact) so
have bike in for it’s first oil change and the break-in period is now over. So
far I’ve had no problems with the CRF250L and it is lots of fun to ride.
Compared to the big bikes I’ve had in the last few years this is like riding a
sports car; quick and responsive.
On Sunday, 20 Sep three of us took another ride into the
Ouachita National Forest to ride the logging roads and anything else that we
found interesting. Steve, Terry and I met at the Crystal Hills commuter lot at
7 am and headed out Hwy 10 with Lake Sylvia as our initial destination. See the
map below for our route. Rode about 110 miles total, about a third on gravel
roads.
We did find a very scenic overlook that gave a great view of
the Ouachita Mountains and Lake Maumelle in the distance. Steve was taking the
lead at first while Terry and I were sucking his dust. During one of our stops
at an intersection, Terry and I were covered with dust and Steve and his bike
looked freshly washed. We decided it was time to put Steve in the rear so he
could appreciate the ride to the maximum. He got his share of eating dirt as a
result.
During one of our side road explorations we were riding an
up-hill rocky road with a pronounced slope to the right, Steve in the lead,
Terry second and I in the rear. I was about 15 feet behind Terry when he came
to a sudden stop and then fell over to the right. I immediately stopped and
pulled out my camera while Terry just stared at his bike on the ground. I asked
him what happen and he said he was riding slowly up the road when his front
wheel hit a rock in the road, his engine stalled, he put his foot down on the
right side but did not feel any earth. He just learned a valuable lesson about
riding on sloped roads. On these tall bikes when you are usually on tiptoes
during normal stops, a sloped road will be several inches lower so it’s worth
knowing which foot is closest to the ground. No major damage, just a few
scratches on his brand new bike. He also got to see how hard it would be to
lift his bike when it is on a downhill slope.
Lots of gravel roads in this forest so we got some good
practice. None of us are hard-core dirt bike riders so we have to learn the old
fashion way; tires on dirt. I took a selfie at one stop in the middle of a
thick forest. The new helmet does a great job keeping the dust out of my face
while still being cool enough in the 90-degree heat.
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