I just got back this morning from two and a half days on the OR BCDR, during
which I rode the northern half, from Walla Walla down to Seneca on Route
395. In this half there were two sections of the route that were on ATV
trails, per the OOHVA maps (and, in one case, per the signs; there were no
signs anywhere near the other section). The northernmost ATV trail, and the
one I ran into first, runs west from Winom Creek Campground. This section
is, I think, definitely not suitable for a loaded KLR. I didn't know that
until I was into it. This trail had some very abrupt, 3-4 foot high,
closely spaced ribs, as well as some very steep, twisty, and rocky up- and
down-grades, all generally embedded in a rutted trail from which there was
no easy exit. I felt lucky to get through this stuff without dumping the
KLR. The second section of ATV trail I skirted, based on my experience with
the first. Except for these sections, everything was fine on a loaded KLR.
There is one section where the trail, as ridden from the north per the
hardcopy maps, follows a barely-visible track over rock and through forest.
In fact, the trail was completely invisible at the point where it passed
over a rocky knob, and I drove around in circles a bit looking for its
continuation. Upon exiting this section, I found a BCDR signpost directing
travelers from the south down an alternate route.
My rear tire was a two-month old K750 with 3,000 miles, and on the front I
had a one-year old K750 with 10,300 miles. The front had just under a half
inch of tread left on the knobs, which was okay, but more would have been
better in the deep gravel. I ran both tires at 18 psi. The rear tire was
great in all conditions except mud (I had 3 hours of rain one morning, and
the riding was miserable). But I will surely go for knobbier tires before
hitting the sand in the southern section next summer.
I got 55 to 58 mpg from the KLR while on the trail. I gassed up in LaGrande
(a 37 mile detour, round trip) and Austin Junction (a 35 mile detour, round
trip). There is also gas in Seneca.
BCDR signs are useful when they are there, but they are often not there.
Oregon has restrictions on ATV travel on forest roads, and many of the
signed sections seemed to be on those roads open to ATVs. A GPS is
definitely essential to making the route--the alternative would be an
unbearable amount of map shuffling. A few intersections are signed on both
sides, but most are signed only on the southern approach, so if you are
coming from the north and want to check for signs, you generally have to
look through the intersection. I found a few places where the signed route
differed from the map route.
The only trouble I had with the KLR was after gassing up in Austin Junction,
which was after riding through the rain and quite a bit of mud: when I put
the bike in gear to ride away, the engine died. I hosed down the sidestand
cutoff switch with WD-40 and was on my way again in less than 5 minutes.
Altogether, the BCDR is a great ride. I took a few pictures, but a camera
is just insufficient to capture the breadth of the spectacular views that
abound. And nothing can capture the odors of Ponderosa pine and sage, and
all the other things making up the sensory milieu.
Incidentally, Route 395 south of Pendleton (which was on my way home) is the
clear, hands-down, all-time, no-holds-barred winner of the award for best
motorcycling road I have ever encountered. It is 120 miles of smooth,
empty, two-lane blacktop, sailing over the top of the Columbia Plateau and
then winding down into a valley along some little stream, and then twisting
its way back up the other side onto the Plateau again. Whether for scenery
or sport riding, this road is the best. I lived in Oregon for several
years, but have never ridden this road before--what a shame.
Dreas
> From: Tom Myers
>
> >Recently you had a post about the discovery trail.
> >I'm planning an early summer trip next year and am
> >working on the logistics.
> >I'd like to get your opinion on some issues.
> >Is the trail okay for loaded KLR's and riders with
> >minimal trail experience? We have two experienced off-road
> >riders and one guy with some forest road experience only.
> >(All mid 50 age)
>
> It's 100% two-track roads (no singletrack trail). There's lots of
> variation in the 1000 miles. 90% would be fine for loaded KLRs. The
> other 10% is OK for experienced off-road riders. By the end of the
> trip all three will have experience! The KLR is probably the
> perfect motorcycle for the OBDR.
>
> I think it would be difficult on a twin. You want knobby tires, I
> think roadie tires would be 'tiring' on the many miles of loose
> gravel, and worse in the sand.
>
> >Did you purchase/utilize the set of maps($60.00) available?
> >I also use an Emap(and your RAM mount).
>
> I did not purchase the map set. However two of us dumped five hours
> each into transcribing the map from a CD-rom (that's 10 man-hours).
> We would have come out ahead by purchasing the $60 map set (but it
> wasn't available in time for our departure date), and in addition
> we'd have the hardcopy maps. Think of it as $10/day (definitely buy
> the maps). Also, the money goes to support the OOHVA, a worthy cause.
>
> >What is the acessibility to civilization(gas/food) along the trail?
>
> Lots of accessibility to little towns. You should be OK with the KLR's
range.
>
> >I would appreciate any comments.
>
> I intend to continue to put more info on the website
> (
http://www.cycoactive.com/obdr) to help others plan their OBDR trip.
>
> Tom