The camera mount on the XTZ for the GoPro is still on the to do list so we have to do with some pictures.
Today was the testdrive for the Power Commander and the rear suspension.
It started easy but it sounded like the battery was having a hard time with it, but he was sitting for more than 3 weeks so let’s see after a few days normal (ab)use.
First an easy drive towards the gas station to fill him up, i had to take the gas tank of so i had him with just a little gas in it to make that easier.
It felt good, could be a bit better with a custom map but good enough to ride on until i saved up a little to have a custom map made.
The weather was nice and i decided to take a longer testride. Somehow i missed a turn and i ended up taking a shortcut for the long option but i had nowhere else to be.
I drove towards the river Maas where i have one of my standard offroad tracks and from there i used the GPS to send me home the long way before.
That was mostly because it was still a commute from work to home but today i had all the time and i took the same road without the GPS, now it didn’t matter if i went the wrong way taking me a bit further.
On the offroad part i noticed that i could go right at some point taking another offroad section i didn’t knew yet but it ended up at the Maas with only a bicycle path and a lot of pedestrians so better not risk it.
I had a lot of thankful nod’s for slowing down when i came across pedestrians and/or animals and that’s very important to keep the tracks open for motorcycles, there is al lot closed due to the few who don’t care about others (bikers as well as pedestrians).
Tracking back to the track i know and the rest of the curvy road option Garmin gave me before. The curvy roads in the XT are great unlike the ones from the 3XX and 5XX series.
Back at the final road home i decided to take the offroad part i planned in the first place. Not turning right but left and try to find the road i sometime take on which it’s a bit unclear if it is closed in all directions at the end of the road or only to the right. The sign there is tilted slightly to the right but coming from the other side it was clear it was for all the roads.
I made a U-turn and went in from the other side.
Riding offroad is starting to feel a little more comfortable. slowly getting used to a bit of sliding. You can see the trail from the locked up rear wheel which i was a bit scared of at first.
Not scared of falling though, because of my autism what i mentioned in the “about me” page i don’t posses very much fear because that’s an emotion and also not connected completely. This is a kind of scared caused by reasoning.
I don’t care if i get hurt, not that i like pain, but i’m afraid of damaging the bike and that is a left over from when i was in a relationship. I was the big spender so i was afraid to say that i had to spent even more due to doing crazy stuff.
That just has to wear off and learning offroad things when dry is also easier than in the mud like today in most places.
At the end of this track i took another road than usually, still not in a hurry and at one point i turned around because i saw a dirt track and i wanted to check that out.
It was a dead end… now what?
The end was in a meadow and the end of the track was a mudpit leaving me with the challenge to get the bike turned around.
First i got off and try to push it but that was very hard in that soft underground. I did see some YouTube movies about offroading and one technique is standing next to the bike with the bike in first gear and let it powerslide around you.
At this moment i felt comfortable enough to try that out. It was not a one slide turn around but i did it in a few parts but i was turned around and could get on the bike again and get back to the road.
There i decided to go home and took the same way back with only a little detour via a known road.
It was a nice ride and it was clear i didn’t stay on the asphalt….
