From August 2008 – Pigs in Mud

Well this is an older report of the last ride I had on the Weestrom before she was put up for sale in August of 2008. While she was a great bike in all aspects I had been thinking before this ride that I wanted something a little lighter and easier to ride in the tighter stuff and this ride just reinforced that view, although it was heaps fun.

The idea behind the ride was that Greg (DR650) who lives at Nowra had been out a few weeks prior and found a nice little hill that he and another mate (Al – G650X) had played on a bit. Now, Greg knows that I was happy to try the Weestrom anywhere so we made plans to tackle the hill and all it’s rocks (not the hill in my earlier report), but not everything goes according to plan.

So, after 25 or so millimeters of rain overnight the hill was ruled out as access would have been near impossible, never mind getting up the clay so instead we headed into Currumbene forest which is less than 250 metres from Greg’s front door. The players were Greg on the DR650, Dave on the Tenere and lil ole me on the Weestrom and so this is the result.

Leaving Greg’s was easy as it is tar, turn off the road and onto the track less than 500 metres later and the fun starts as I find the limitations of the TKC80’s with mud. Basically the day started with no traction, and finished with no traction but man oh man, was it fun.

Basically, Greg lives beside Currumbene forest near Nowra and this place has everything from wide wide roads, to single track and on to 4WD tracks, we found the lot.

Given my grip problems the only way I could follow was the tyre tracks left by the two full knobby clad machines which was easy in the conditions, but they kept waiting anyway. After a while of traversing drainage ditches, clay surfaces, more drainage ditches and more clay we found our first puddle in which to play.

A little bit further along we decided to rest and recuperate which was just as well because we headed into a little bit of mud where the Strom, well, kinda got stuck.

The video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ict646CYwG4

Then pics.

Now, whilst I got stuck we did get the Strom out easily enough for Greg to follow my lines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af8JqQXtCA8

Seeing all this, Dave took the alternate route which proved the better option (Greg swears that last time the middle was deeper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX57a45ALNc

From here it was more of the same and then some until we eventually came across the road (if it could be called that) under the powerlines. Now, this was as muddy but twice as slippery as anything thus far encountered so the Strom was a handful and spent more time sideways than it did straight. But what fun.

After yet more rest and recuperation, it was off back into the forest along a track we found, and yep it was just a track.

While I would love to say the Strom handled it with ease and in honesty it did, but it was a monster handful as we traversed fallen trees, more slime, more puddles and some damn interesting track. Eventually though something had to happen and it did.

The track had a fallen tree to big to go over or around, but some thoughtful person had cut a hole in the middle big enough for trail bikes (note the trail bike part). So, first the DR, no problems, then me and I get stuck on the belly pan so cut the motor for safety as we push. The bike has hardly moved when PING the gear lever snaps off as it touched (and I do mean a slight touch) the tree. Oh well, I was mainly in first anyway.

Not having the necessities to repair we decided to keep going, but with my gear lever problems Dave decided to follow although I suspect it was more some masochistic voyeurism just to watch me with the ever sideways Strom.

None of us knew where this track went so we just kept following for the fun factor and yep, you guessed it we soon found more mud.

Eventually we found the more major forest roads and I soon bit some dirt.

Heading along at around 40kmh the front decided to go totally sideways and I just couldn’t catch it so the bike went down, I cleared off and landed with a nice forward roll ending on my side laughing as Dave came to a halt panicked that I may have been hurt.

No real harm done with the only damage being a blinker so it was off for more slime as I kept the sideways action up all the way to the sealed road.

From here it was a quick trip to Greg’s to repair the gear lever before Dave and myself headed off home.

All up it was a very tiring morning fighting gravity to keep the Strom in the right direction (did not succeed all the times) as the tyres just kept filling with mud but I tell ya, the fun was sensational and that is in all honesty.

The final count for the day.

DR – 2 drops
Weestrom – 3 drops (two whilst unbogging), one blinker and one gear lever
Tenere – No drops but two saves as she started to topple (one water crossing, one pure mudbath).

A highly recommended morning.

Garry