Watagans 12th Feb ride report

[GregMember]

Here Eags it’s started

The bike I rode was good, mostly great actually. Going to wash my gear and download the videos and photos

Later Eags ok wait :kiss:

TB

[Geoff ForshawMember]

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Good report there TB. Eags will be pissed tho! :laugh: :laugh:

BTW the bike was always going to be good. It is ORANGE!

Lefty

[Dwayne OMember]

:laugh:
Nah,,, I got my ride report fix grom the guys on ORE that Jeffro ran into .
They actually did a report with pics

Just please tell me someone got pics of TB on the 530 Euro Trash ????? :whistle: :woohoo:

[GregMember]

ok thats good I just loaded 7 videos and 44 photos but I wont bother and will go to bed :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Read the report there as well while I was waiting for the uploads, its more your style ride then ours today Eags

Shit that seat is hard, Mick your right it is a space shuttle heat tile :laugh:

here is something to tie you over

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

TB

[GregMember]

Got your message Jeffro, hope it didn’t scratch the duco on the trailer :laugh: :cheer:

And here it is Eags

Going to bed now more tomorrow

TB

[David FirmingerMember]

Well what a way to get back on the Horse that kicked you off! 
TB talked up the technical and rutted singles of the Watagans, which made me more and more nervous that my first ride back on the Kato would be a doozie! And he did not disappoint! If n e one remembers Coffs, my riding of rutts was average at very best, and today was abit different but not for the good reasons! I thank everyone for your help and patience!
Couldn’t sleep at 3.30 so I got up, half hour early, we were early all morning, until as everyone gear up and got on the bikes, I realize I left my gloves and go pro in the car, and I just put my keys in my camelbak, I said to TB it’s going to be a long day! I sorted my crap out and we rode off!
It wasn’t long until we hit the singles and I must say my confidence in and me and the bike working as one was nil! I struggled for about two hours with it and eventually came good!
The first single wound it’s way round to a rutty, slippery, hill, which was a test for anyone and hence the reason everyone but Seb rode around! I got stuck between two ruts but all good with perseverance!
We rode some great tracks, popping on and off the main road, they had every thing, ruts, roots, bog holes, rocky uphills, rocky downhills, as the King would say, it was Primo!!!
I spent sometime getting soil samples! Important work, had to b done!
I don’t remember thing in detail, but I’ll fill in the highlights!
I came round the corner to find TB and the Kato in trouble! The front wheel I could not see, the rear was higher than handle bars, nice bog hole that one! 
Hitting a puddle in third and the Kato slowed a he’ll of a lot quicker than me, and almost snapping my thumbs off (dunno how)!
The wicked track Ollie took us on, which was Knarly and a half, destroyed by hardcore 4WD in spots, but unreal twin track, and wide singles, and a wicked step, down in to creek crossing! We watched all the guys conquer the step and crack, the worst which was my attempt, best was Chicken and his trials like efforts on the Xr630! Great to watch! Watching 4WDs attempt, the step up and casing out! Funny stuff!
It was a great day riding, good to get back to some wicked singles! Great bunch of blokes, Thanks again to TB for another great ride! All the boys, for helping me out! 

Top stuff.

Dejay! 

[Nick JacksonMember]

Nice one DJ , glad your mojo is back on the trail bike mate !!

[DeanMember]

First ride back on the gasgas since the sweep ride at Hastings and I am knackered. :blush: Glad to see the cars, as I was already on reserve, I will do a ride report tomorrow. Thanks for the day out again Boys.

Ollie

[GregMember]

So the day started early, I woke and couldn’t sleep I was wondering why it was just another ride, was it riding the 530 that was stopping me from sleeping. I was looking forward to giving it a run. I had helped put it together and had some input so from that side I was interested. The suspension side I was really looking forward to, here would be a PDS suspension that was setup for me. Yes it had over a K spent on it, it has the progressive spring but not only that more importantly it is valved to suit. As it turned out there was no faulting the handling of the bike in all the tight going, most of he day was 1st and 2nd gear stuff. The run up and down German track was quicker and I found the bike to be more nervous in the steering than I am used to, wasn’t going to crash nervous just twitchy. Maybe a click on the damper would have fixed it. Ok to the story

My trailer, two euro trash !!!!  :blush:

Hi I will be your driver to day :ohmy:

My ride for the day KTM 530, 2011 

Umm Rekulse for the ride, interesting 

It has Stegpegz, only seen them used at Finke would be interesting

Tekinks improved suspension each end

Akraprovic pipe, sounded bloody nice. I have been fiddling with the jetting. The owner likes the spark arrester / baffle in but thus far I haven’t been able to get the jetting 100% with it installed. I ran with it out and the jetting was good.

Under bar damper

CPW oil tank same as Lefty’s adds to the too small engine oil capacity

Pivot Pegz, enough said 

So of we went about 10 past 8. We must have just missed Jeffro (sorry mate) and the plan (just a rough one) was to ride the singles that run either side of the main track to the pines area. It’s 17 kms or so to the pines from the letter A so it would be a could warm up. The tracks have been used by the Watagns trail bike rally and have seem some traffic so ruts would be the order of the day.

Rock step down, Deejay spotted a dollar and jumped off to get it and pick his bike up

Dude

Seb

Polly

Polly (right) Chicken (left)

Chicken (right) Idle-jet (left)

Ollie

Deejay

And he spotted another dollar, good eyes that boy :laugh:

Chicken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy0cMFAjA8A&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Dude

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaQjO910SyA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Seb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_4N9Sum-Xc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Polly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st_iEtweYr4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Idle-jet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCLCKgwDnU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Ollie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7seBd6FyD4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

We continued on these style of 1st and 2nd gear tracks, over grown and rutted. Deejay showed how cool he is by cooling of in a big puddle. There was the odd drop going on in the pack by all accounts it was slow going and hard work lots of paddling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjXcdpMMVAc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
(used in the intro)

More later

[mikeMember]

G’day TB. Nice looking bike there mate. I was thinking of you blokes as I went past on my way to Sydney yesterday. Look like it was a good ride and the trails. :laugh:

I thought that ya may of got a 250 with all the talk about em at moment :ohmy: . Good to see ya got something with a bit of power. Ya can never have to much power I reckon. :cheer:

[AdamMember]

So my day started leaving home at 0500, met DJ & TB at Maccas then to the meeting point. Was not sure what to expect as had never ridden at the Watagans before, but have heard from numerous people that it had some great tracks to offer.
Some very funny person stole my helmet, goggles and gloves yet was soon found in DJs car… Some jokes just never get old.

Got going just after 0800 and straight into a tricky single then soon up a knarly rutted steep climb (great warm up). After TB did the track recon, DJ took some essential soil samples just to make sure it was safe. The rest of us followed Chickens lead by making a new track around the rutted one.
This followed by numerous singles which in places were quite technical yet rewarding to conquer.

Had a slight moment up one of the first climbs where the WR decided she wanted to lay down suddenly for a rest. Apart from that I was pretty lucky for the rest of the day. Some of the tracks really tested my ability and I think everyone on the day for that matter. Was quite happy what I did achieve, was a good test.

It was quite wet and boggy in many sections which made the right line selection a gamble at times as you just never can tell how deep some puddles are hey TB?

After conquering a downhill section fit only for lunatics and Hummer drivers, we came across a steep creek crossing followed by a steep climb out. Had a breather and decided to talk some 4wd drivers into tackling the creek crossing. I won’t go on any further but I will say I wish I had footage… priceless. What some guys think they can do in front of a group of men in their stock Pajero :blush:

Most of the ride was on and off the main dirt road with many great challenging singles and a bit of fire trail. Was very physical had me puffing at times.
Had a great day as it exceeded my expectations in track difficulty, length of quality singles and great company. Thanks to everyone who attended, the little WR and I had a ball!!

Adam.

[BrettMember]

Well this is my second attempt at a ride report today, did the first one on my iphone and had a iphuckup moment and lost it, any this was my first ride out on my xr after the rebuild and my firts ride in months to say christmas was good was an understatement(fatter than I realised) :woohoo:
I had put a new rear on and a good 2nd hand front with a mouse (with no injuries ) I knew it was geared a bit tall for the Watagans but thought I would just clutchit a bit more, well I checked the GPS when I got to the fellas and top speed was 128kph on the run through the Watagans, :blink: abit tall was an way outer wack.
The tracks were as expected very rutted and over riden(raped )
It wasn’t long before my clutch was cookin an so was I, I had cramps where I didn’t know I had muscles
Thanks for everyones patience I woosed out about 1 oclock nakerded but very happy with the bike
Another great Old BULLS day out i shall be getting back into it to get my fittness back
Thanks again TB for leading and Ollie for sweeping

[DeanMember]

Just through some Photies together that I took at the Bottom of Pajero Hill :laugh:

SEB

chicken

seb

Polly

Chicken Making the 630 look like a peewee :laugh:

Dude

Favorite Photy of Dude styling it up

Dejay gold prospecting

TB getting ready for the drop off

TB on the Kato- only one to go around the water

Dejay Bulldogging

Polly all smiles

polly

[GregMember]

Nice photos Ollie cool.

Where’s your ride report too sore :laugh: :laugh: Man those Kato seats are hard :pinch:

TB

[DeanMember]

Trailboss wrote:

Nice photos Ollie cool.

Where’s your ride report too sore :laugh: :laugh: Man those Kato seats are hard :pinch:

TB

Yeah my Knees are killing me and my arse feels like its gone 12 rounds with Ian Roberts :S

Ollie

[Author]

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