VentureFar Posted June 27, 2013 Share #1 Posted June 27, 2013 I am planning to ride Guanella Pass in Colorado from Georgetown to Grant- Pass is beautiful up to 11,000 + feet. about 34 miles long. All but about 3 miles are paved - of course the gravel part is in the middle. It is not in a flat/ straight area either - it is in an area of down switchbacks ( going north to south or UP hill switchbacks from south to north). I am a dirt bike rider and was very comfortable doing "crazy" dirt/sand/gravel roads on my 565 pound Honda Spirit but the RSV fully loaded is about twice that and I know just putting a foot down 'off camber' can mean buying a new mirror at the minimum. Please speak up about your experience level and comfort level riding a mountain pass gravel road for 3 miles on an RSV. Thanks for your support. VentureFar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friesman Posted June 27, 2013 Share #2 Posted June 27, 2013 They are a real bear on loose gravel or sand I will not willingly ride mine onto an unpaved surface. MY 85 G1 wasn't good on loose roads, but its better than the 03 G2 is!. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farm1810 Posted June 27, 2013 Share #3 Posted June 27, 2013 I have a 2008 Tour Deluxe. My wife and I were near Ashville, NC and made a wrong turn. GPS showed us a different way to get back to the main road, we followed it. Yikes! The paved road turned into a gravel road, loose gravel, not tar and chip. We rode about 7 miles at about 10 miles per hour as anytime I started to lean a bit the front tire start to slide out. So slow speed and steering from the vertical. We made out fine and the road eventually opened up again onto pavement. When I was young I rode enduros / dirt bikes for many years. These bikes are not off road bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfitzbiz Posted June 27, 2013 Share #4 Posted June 27, 2013 I ride a '99 RSV. Rode 2 up past Rough Lock Falls passed the point where the last scene of Dancing with Wolves was filmed. About 5 miles of gravel road. Not a lot of fun, kept the speed down to about 15-20mph. Bike handled it well, just a bit loosey-goosey on the back wheel. Stayed off the front brake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etcswjoe Posted June 27, 2013 Share #5 Posted June 27, 2013 I have rode mine in sand and gravel the later being easier than sand. If there is much of an incline I would say beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stroker ace Posted June 27, 2013 Share #6 Posted June 27, 2013 I am planning to ride Guanella Pass in Colorado from Georgetown to Grant- Pass is beautiful up to 11,000 + feet. about 34 miles long. All but about 3 miles are paved - of course the gravel part is in the middle. It is not in a flat/ straight area either - it is in an area of down switchbacks ( going north to south or UP hill switchbacks from south to north). I am a dirt bike rider and was very comfortable doing "crazy" dirt/sand/gravel roads on my 565 pound Honda Spirit but the RSV fully loaded is about twice that and I know just putting a foot down 'off camber' can mean buying a new mirror at the minimum. Please speak up about your experience level and comfort level riding a mountain pass gravel road for 3 miles on an RSV. Thanks for your support. VentureFar... 35+ years of riding, gravel no problem. I would do it without thinking twice. My driveway is a mile of gravel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentureFar Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share #7 Posted June 27, 2013 I ride a '99 RSV. Rode 2 up past Rough Lock Falls passed the point where the last scene of Dancing with Wolves was filmed. About 5 miles of gravel road. Not a lot of fun, kept the speed down to about 15-20mph. Bike handled it well, just a bit loosey-goosey on the back wheel. Stayed off the front brake. Rode that road last year. Honestly on my Spirit I was doing 30plus mph comfortably, my buddy on a FatBoy did about 15-20. It felt like a paved road to me. I don't consider that road "gravel" but rather hard pack dirt. But on the RSV - I have only had it for 3.5 months and 5000 miles - I am not sure I would consider riding that road at all so I commend your 15-20mph 2 UP ! VentureFar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragtop69gs Posted June 27, 2013 Share #8 Posted June 27, 2013 I have done that several times up on Beartooth Pass. If you take some of the loose gravel spur roads you can get another 1-2,000 ft. higher. some beautiful vistas and natural areas up there. One time was with trailer in tow. Now sand is a different story, very hard to control the bike on deep loose sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cecdoo Posted June 27, 2013 Share #9 Posted June 27, 2013 Got onto a gravel road by accident in Vermont, I was going uphill and the road wasnt wide enuff for me to turn around on. It was a construction zone with a newly laid stone bed, compacted and oiled, I figured it would only last for a mile or 2, wrong!! It went on for about 10 miles till it turned back to blacktop. It wasnt any fun but it was doable, dont think I would want to try it heading down hill though:think: Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.J. Posted June 27, 2013 Share #10 Posted June 27, 2013 Last year we were riding our 2nd day in Hocking Hills Ohio. Two of the guys wanted to get off the main roads so we were on some pretty rough paved roads that turned into gravel once we got to the top of a hill. No turning back now. The roads got worse and worse. To make a long story short, I was in the lead. We all had big bikes mine being the biggest of all. One older Gold Wing though. We went through some really tough areas with sand , gravel , and ruts. We all made it out of there and was real glad to get back on the main road. Lot of hills both up and down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jactana Posted June 27, 2013 Share #11 Posted June 27, 2013 A couple of years ago I was watching a Canadian produced motorcycle show called "Motorcycle Experience" that featured an instruction portion by a well known motorcycle instructor named Clinton Smout. Most of the Canadians on here will recognize the name. The episode I was watching was about riding a large cruiser/tourer on loose surface roads. His tip to make it easier, was to apply some rear brake pressure while applying the throttle to help "stretch the chassis" and keep the application of power smooth and not abrupt, while at the same time keeping your speed down. I've used this technique several times since watching the show, and it really works well. Give it a try, hope it helps. Cheers, Ron:080402gudl_prv: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentureFar Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share #12 Posted June 27, 2013 A couple of years ago I was watching a Canadian produced motorcycle show called "Motorcycle Experience" that featured an instruction portion by a well known motorcycle instructor named Clinton Smout. Most of the Canadians on here will recognize the name. The episode I was watching was about riding a large cruiser/tourer on loose surface roads. His tip to make it easier, was to apply some rear brake pressure while applying the throttle to help "stretch the chassis" and keep the application of power smooth and not abrupt, while at the same time keeping your speed down. I've used this technique several times since watching the show, and it really works well. Give it a try, hope it helps. Cheers, Ron:080402gudl_prv: Excellent tip. I used that in the turns on dirt with the previous street bike and when dirt bike riding. I think I am realizing I am more concerned about stopping with poor footing, and dropping the bike. I don't think I will have a problem in motion. I will have about 2000 miles on new rubber, Metz 888 on the front and metz 880 on the back when I take on ( or don't take on ) the 3 miles of no pavement. I can hear the reply now -" then don't stop"- sort of like - Doctor it only hurts when I do "this" - .....so don't do "that" ..... VentureFar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted June 27, 2013 Share #13 Posted June 27, 2013 When we went to do the Campbells Soup commercial, we had to ride in to a remote campground ... about 10 miles of very loose, mostly single lane, windy, up/down hills road ... 2-up! It wasn't fun at all and even worse since we were a ways back of a cage that was kicking up a lotta dust. I would not do that without a very good reason and this time, money was being waved at me LOL That was on the RSV On the Wing, I have taken it onto gravel just to see how it handled .... no problem and even better with the Khumo car tire on the back. Yet to try it on the Vic but I will. There are times when a person has no choice either ... like a few years back when they were seal coating the highway ahead of us (we didn't know) .... extremely loose gravel on top of paved surface ... can be quite tricky. It's a good idea to purposely get onto some gravel roads just to get a feel for how the bike handles so that when you get caught by surprise, you're not surprised. Or in your case, you will already know what to expect before hand and maybe feel more confident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainJoe Posted June 27, 2013 Share #14 Posted June 27, 2013 (edited) the steep switchbacks and inclines would concern me more than the gravel or sand. Just ask yourself, "if i had to turn around and come back this way...Could I?" .You don't want to be stuck 30 miles from nowhere.. I've ridden dirt bikes all my life and have taken them places that would make a billy goat puke...lol The RSV is a "BIG FAT HOG" comparted to a dirtbikes "mountain goat agility" ... you've got a slick tire compared to a knobbie and 1000 lbs compared to 250 lbs...not to mention no ground clearance or torque... After riding YZ250s and RM250s I bought a DR400 to do both street and trail... let me tell you, "I was extereemely dissapointed".... It also was a heavy pig that found the bottom of ruts, and liked to have scared me to death riding down steep inclines "out of control"(and this bike was only350-400 lbs). keep in mind it's a touring bike... designed primarily to be driven on a road... Prerhaps you could ask on other forums about that specific streech of road? Unless you can find someone that has done it on a touring bike I'd be very leary... Edited June 28, 2013 by CaptainJoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Behm Posted June 28, 2013 Share #15 Posted June 28, 2013 on over 75 miles of gravel road to get there. The Venture took it all in stride. It's one of my greatest memories ! Kurt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Haywood Posted June 28, 2013 Share #16 Posted June 28, 2013 Only if I am following Bryan Ruggles:whistling: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan52577 Posted June 28, 2013 Share #17 Posted June 28, 2013 Only if I am following Bryan Ruggles:whistling: OH, OUCH!!!! Rick! What about the cabin "I" followed you to in Arkansas????? Huuuum? Bryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV1100SE Posted June 28, 2013 Share #18 Posted June 28, 2013 If you ever take one of Marcarl's rides... you get used to gravel, farmers fields, u-turns... Depending on how much riding you've done on gravel/sand... practice a bit beforehand if you can. 3 miles isn't much... but once you are into it there might not be an easy way back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Haywood Posted June 28, 2013 Share #19 Posted June 28, 2013 OH, OUCH!!!! Rick! What about the cabin "I" followed you to in Arkansas????? Huuuum? Bryan I wasn't going to mention that:stirthepot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VentureFar Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share #20 Posted June 28, 2013 If you ever take one of Marcarl's rides... you get used to gravel, farmers fields, u-turns... Depending on how much riding you've done on gravel/sand... practice a bit beforehand if you can. 3 miles isn't much... but once you are into it there might not be an easy way back. Like I said I have ridden "dirt" on my 565 pound spirit. Actually the longed was close to 50 miles of dirt road. Also road it into trona pinnacles which was 5 inches of sand over hard pack and I rode through the entire unpaved road of monument valley. That had off camber turns on sandy hard pack and I almost dropped it several times.....but didn't. I have a feeling I will opt for the uphill direction of the unpaved section. Much more control going up hill on iffy ground than down hill. You all are great help. Thanks. VentureFar... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowpuc Posted June 28, 2013 Share #21 Posted June 28, 2013 Yep, done many many miles of off roading on the Gen 1's. Have done miles of sandy back roads while ghost towning out in Arizona and the Utah mountains, also LOTS of two trackin the Grand Canyon area.. All fully loaded with tent and bags and most of the time with a rider on the rear. I jumped on a two track one time at the end of the Spear Fish Canyon ride while out in sturgis, it all began with a "short trip" on gravel to see some falls, ended up doing some single trackin, came out in Wyoming about 25 minutes from Devils Tower - all day in the mountain woods but a BLAST!!! One of the reasons I still ride a Gen 1 are the mid frame foot pegs - I ride alot standing up just like I did racing motocross.. Stay on the pegs, if your a dirt biker you KNOW how to handle sand - throttle on keeping the front end light, for cornering its throttle and rear brake application (not a bad idea to carry xtra pads if your going cross country). Run max air both front and rear in your boingers and set the rear shock at position four, I also run 15 wt in my forks when I go west - they are surprisingly well valved!! . Of course, these bikes are NOT dirt bikes or, for that matter, dual sport bikes. You gotta use your brain when it comes to mud/river crossings/steep hills - if it looks like you might get stuck and your alone DONT DO IT (I got stranded for two days in the out back of Utah once cause of mountain rain - not good - you NEVER want to get one stuck!). Gravel roads are a HOOT on these babys, very controllable on the hot shoe, just got to remember the xtra weight of the bike.. Couple years ago I spent 3 weeks checking out old coal mines in New York, Penn and the Virginias on mine, lots of two tracking and woods riding. One of the things that I learned about on that trip was how low the pipes hang on these bikes - destroyed a set of pipes. While off roading watch for rocks and roots and remember - this aint no CRF your ridin... Wonder if anyone makes an aluminum skid plate for em hahahh Have fun Puc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G in SC Posted June 28, 2013 Share #22 Posted June 28, 2013 Take Imodium with you ,,,,, and,,,, take it FIRST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorcycle_1300 Posted June 28, 2013 Share #23 Posted June 28, 2013 these are big top heavy bikes, but you can ride on dirt and gravel. just be carefull. My wife and I took our bikes to Nova Scotia for a ride. we went all the way to the end of the road at Meat cove (northern most town in Nove Scotia) as well as the Cape D'or light house. Both are steep dirt roads with many switchbacks, steep hills and long drops if you go off the road. I was on my Venture, she was on a 750 shadow. we were loaded with luggage. I would suggest avoiding heavy use of the front brakes. downshift and rely mostly on the rear brake, and you will do fine Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeWa Posted June 28, 2013 Share #24 Posted June 28, 2013 Deep loose gravel and sand are no nos. Well used compacted gravel or dirt are no problem. Be careful where you put your foot when stopping. Otherwise just enjoy your trip and the experience. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcarl Posted June 28, 2013 Share #25 Posted June 28, 2013 Couple of years ago we took some back roads, not quite what you are describing, but with hills, wash-outs, wash-ins, corners, puddles, you name it, even loose gravel. Marca said it was the best part of the ride. Go slow, relax, relax, relax and enjoy, and NO front brake. Remember that you're much less likely to go over with power to the back wheel, rather than brake to the front, or back for that matter. You'd be amazed at what these ventures can do. You might want to look at the roads we took,, came to a 'puddle' that I thought to better not cross, turns out I was right. http://s512.photobucket.com/user/marcarl_photo/slideshow/?albumview=slideshow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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