CSC's Baja Trip 2016 - Page 4

rjmorel · 02-17-2016, 12:28 PM

I have them on mine I think. I'll have to look when I get home . I think they will serve you well down in Baja. I have around 3000 miles on mine and I don't think they are 1/4 worn yet, plenty of tread left for the coming summer trips. rj

3banger · 02-19-2016, 12:40 PM

Thanks for the feed back, I'll stick with my plan of installing the Kenda's. While I have lots of experience with Pilot Roads for street bike & full on knobbies for the trail bike but not so much with how long true dual sport tires will last.

CSCDude · 02-22-2016, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo_grande

Only ~3 weeks away. I can hardly wait.

Got my spares, tools, and gear sorted. Did a dry run packing everything on the bike. My commutes in the mornings on the RX3 and KLR have been frosty so I'm ready for some warm sunny weather and some fish tacos!

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_29...gs-closes-i-70

Hope they get this mess cleaned up quickly. They should have two way traffic (one lane each way) open by Thursday but not fully repaired for a month! I'm sure the construction delays will be substantial. It will add a couple hours to the drive to CSC for anybody driving West on I-70.

I still may opt for the Southern route depending on weather that will also add a couple hours to the trip.

Still hoping to bring back a TT250. Fingers crossed.

Rojo

We will most likely see huge swings in the weather while we are Baja. In the mornings before we cross into BCS (Baja California Sur, the lower half of the Baja peninsula) it will be cold. Once we cross into BCS we'll be approaching the Tropic of Cancer, and it will be most likely be hot and humid. It's likely we'll encounter rain, too (in 25 years of riding Baja, I've only had one ride where we had no rain...that was on the last CSC ride). You'll want to have rain gear. The only real weather challenge is the morning fog that sometimes occurs due to the marine layer. When that happens, we'll just wait it out. I've seen it so thick I couldn't see the road below me.

rojo_grande · 02-22-2016, 08:01 PM

Joe,
What do you So Cal folks consider cold?

I'm used to the big temp. swings here in Colorado. My commutes in the mornings have been in the 20's and the ride home in the mid 50's.

Did a trip on the KLR last year in June. Was in the 50's when I left Parker, in the upper 70's when I got past Pueblo, and in the 30's with raining/snowing going over Cordova pass in the Spanish Peaks. All this within ~250 miles but ~4000+ ft elevation change.

I have rain gear and few sets of gloves on the pack list. Jacket with a removable liner as well.

Rojo

CSCDude · 02-22-2016, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rojo_grande

Joe,
What do you So Cal folks consider cold?

I'm used to the big temp. swings here in Colorado. My commutes in the mornings have been in the 20's and the ride home in the mid 50's.

Did a trip on the KLR last year in June. Was in the 50's when I left Parker, in the upper 70's when I got past Pueblo, and in the 30's with raining/snowing going over Cordova pass in the Spanish Peaks. All this within ~250 miles but ~4000+ ft elevation change.

I have rain gear and few sets of gloves on the pack list. Jacket with a removable liner as well.

Rojo

I have become something of a wuss since moving to So Cal. To me, if my visor fogs, it's cold.

We won't encounter any freezing conditions in Baja, but we might experience low 50s or so in the early morning. That's a maybe. To this So Cal boy, that's cold.

3banger · 02-22-2016, 09:46 PM

I'm not too concerned about the temps, unless there is snow I plan on riding from the western slope of CO and planning on below freezing temps when I leave CO and Flagstaff the following morning. I just finished installing heated grips and a plug in for my heated vest. Once in SoCal I'm sure it will pretty mild compared to what I've ridden through leaving CO. Thought this is a record El Niño year (in theory) and there could be a giant storm crossing the sour western US. In that case I'll be hauling the bike out on the back of the 4Runner. I won't really know the return weather when I leave so riding home might be intresting. But hey that's what it's an adventure...

RedHawk47 · 02-23-2016, 12:41 AM

I just checked with my cell phone carrier, AT&T, to find out what it would cost to have cell service while in Mexico.
Surprise, they have a "Free Roaming in Mexico" offer, if you have the right service plan.
Score!

DanKearney · 02-23-2016, 09:53 AM

I wonder how the cell coverage is on the peninsula? As a cheap bastard, I use an AT&T GoPhone plan. When I travel abroad, I just buy a local SIM card. I was hoping to do that at the US/Mex border.

I'll also be carrying my two-way satellite tracker/communicator.

Cheers,

Dan K.

rickosuave1987 · 02-23-2016, 06:58 PM

I raced the NORRA Mexican 1000 (in a buggy, not on a bike) a couple years ago, and we went through/stopped at most of the towns you guys will be visiting.

Cell coverage will be spotty at best once you leave the more populated areas. Ensenada and other port towns will have better coverage. You will have signal around Loreto too.

AT&T has a coverage map on their website: https://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html

We rented satellite phones for our trip. And they worked out in the middle of nowhere when we were 100 miles from any civilization. It was worth the cost just for the piece of mind.

AZRider · 02-23-2016, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickosuave1987

We rented satellite phones for our trip. And they worked out in the middle of nowhere when we were 100 miles from any civilization. It was worth the cost just for the piece of mind.

Great advice Rick. We rented a satellite phone for our Alaska trip last year and split the cost amongst the participants. It ended up being less than $20 each. Very cheap price for the peace of mind.

DanKearney · 02-24-2016, 01:19 PM

I like the sat phones for the instant communication aspect of them, but they're so darns expensive. Definitely doable if you're traveling with a group though, to share the cost.

My InReach satellite does two-way messaging and uses the same Iridium satellite constellation as the sat phones, so it has true world-wide coverage (Unlike Spot). And its a lot cheaper.

Cheers,

Dan K.

RedHawk47 · 03-03-2016, 10:14 AM

Interesting Baja video
http://www.advpulse.com/adv-videos/b...torcycle-trip/
A lot different route than our trip.
I doubt that the CSC TT250 trip will take single track.

SeerAtlas · 03-03-2016, 12:07 PM

re singletrack: Joe will probably choose a more than safe, easy route so as to protect the less experienced dirt riders, but as far as the bike is concerned, betting the 250TT IS AT LEAST AS GOOD AS THE hAWK, singletrack would be a non issue for the bike. even at my age and weight,
i can run stuff on my hawk you'd have a hard time traversing/climbing, on your hands and knees. with the tunable suspension upgrades that CSC has included with the TT250 , well, I am dying in anticipation waiting for mine to arrive

I have seriously 4x4'd all up and down Baja and to my mind, the most dangerous places are the roads, and late night bars, not the dirt. U guys watch yourselves and ride super defensively down there . Sand is usually soft, its the other drivers that will hurt you.
oh, adding an inline fuel filter is cheap and recommended.
and i Do hope he takes you to the shipwreck site, early morning/late afternoon, that ambience will burn itself into your memory. The Bufadora is fun too.

GSC · 03-06-2016, 03:29 PM

So I'm packing the OEM side cases for the trip.
Its getting full with spare parts, tools, and stuff. Never really loaded 'em so much before.
Any body know what the weight capacity for these plastic cases are? I'd guess I've got about 20 lbs. in one of 'em?

SpudRider · 03-06-2016, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSC

So I'm packing the OEM side cases for the trip.
Its getting full with spare parts, tools, and stuff. Never really loaded 'em so much before.
Any body know what the weight capacity for these plastic cases are? I'd guess I've got about 20 lbs. in one of 'em?

I am not aware of an official weight capacity.

If you call CSC, I bet they will give you a recommendation.

02-17-2016, 12:28 PM	#46
rjmorel Join Date: May 2007 Location: Warshington Posts: 928	I have them on mine I think. I'll have to look when I get home . I think they will serve you well down in Baja. I have around 3000 miles on mine and I don't think they are 1/4 worn yet, plenty of tread left for the coming summer trips. rj __________________ Live Zong, and Prosper
	0

02-22-2016, 08:01 PM	#49
rojo_grande Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Weston, CO & Sangre de Cristos Posts: 240	Joe, What do you So Cal folks consider cold? I'm used to the big temp. swings here in Colorado. My commutes in the mornings have been in the 20's and the ride home in the mid 50's. Did a trip on the KLR last year in June. Was in the 50's when I left Parker, in the upper 70's when I got past Pueblo, and in the 30's with raining/snowing going over Cordova pass in the Spanish Peaks. All this within ~250 miles but ~4000+ ft elevation change. I have rain gear and few sets of gloves on the pack list. Jacket with a removable liner as well. Rojo __________________ '15 RX3 (Rojo's) '15 RX3 (marzhere's) '16 TT250
	0

02-23-2016, 12:41 AM	#52
RedHawk47 Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Berthoud, CO Posts: 205	I just checked with my cell phone carrier, AT&T, to find out what it would cost to have cell service while in Mexico. Surprise, they have a "Free Roaming in Mexico" offer, if you have the right service plan. Score! __________________ Dan CSC RX3 Cyclone, CSC TT250, Moto Guzzi V7 II, KLR650
	0

02-23-2016, 09:53 AM	#53
DanKearney Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 216	I wonder how the cell coverage is on the peninsula? As a cheap bastard, I use an AT&T GoPhone plan. When I travel abroad, I just buy a local SIM card. I was hoping to do that at the US/Mex border. I'll also be carrying my two-way satellite tracker/communicator. Cheers, Dan K. __________________ Dan Kearney - Black Hawk, Colorado, USA Dan's Motorcycle Blog - "Lost? I'm not lost. I'm just exploring. . ."
	0

02-24-2016, 01:19 PM	#56
DanKearney Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 216	I like the sat phones for the instant communication aspect of them, but they're so darns expensive. Definitely doable if you're traveling with a group though, to share the cost. My InReach satellite does two-way messaging and uses the same Iridium satellite constellation as the sat phones, so it has true world-wide coverage (Unlike Spot). And its a lot cheaper. Cheers, Dan K. __________________ Dan Kearney - Black Hawk, Colorado, USA Dan's Motorcycle Blog - "Lost? I'm not lost. I'm just exploring. . ." Last edited by DanKearney; 02-25-2016 at 08:42 AM.
	0

02-19-2016, 12:40 PM	#47
3banger Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 159	Thanks for the feed back, I'll stick with my plan of installing the Kenda's. While I have lots of experience with Pilot Roads for street bike & full on knobbies for the trail bike but not so much with how long true dual sport tires will last.
	0

02-22-2016, 09:46 PM	#51
3banger Join Date: Nov 2014 Posts: 159	I'm not too concerned about the temps, unless there is snow I plan on riding from the western slope of CO and planning on below freezing temps when I leave CO and Flagstaff the following morning. I just finished installing heated grips and a plug in for my heated vest. Once in SoCal I'm sure it will pretty mild compared to what I've ridden through leaving CO. Thought this is a record El Niño year (in theory) and there could be a giant storm crossing the sour western US. In that case I'll be hauling the bike out on the back of the 4Runner. I won't really know the return weather when I leave so riding home might be intresting. But hey that's what it's an adventure...
	0

02-23-2016, 06:58 PM	#54
rickosuave1987 Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 34	I raced the NORRA Mexican 1000 (in a buggy, not on a bike) a couple years ago, and we went through/stopped at most of the towns you guys will be visiting. Cell coverage will be spotty at best once you leave the more populated areas. Ensenada and other port towns will have better coverage. You will have signal around Loreto too. AT&T has a coverage map on their website: https://www.att.com/maps/wireless-coverage.html We rented satellite phones for our trip. And they worked out in the middle of nowhere when we were 100 miles from any civilization. It was worth the cost just for the piece of mind.
	0

03-03-2016, 10:14 AM	#57
RedHawk47 Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Berthoud, CO Posts: 205	Interesting Baja video http://www.advpulse.com/adv-videos/b...torcycle-trip/ A lot different route than our trip. I doubt that the CSC TT250 trip will take single track. __________________ Dan CSC RX3 Cyclone, CSC TT250, Moto Guzzi V7 II, KLR650
	0

03-03-2016, 12:07 PM	#58
SeerAtlas Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 770	re singletrack: Joe will probably choose a more than safe, easy route so as to protect the less experienced dirt riders, but as far as the bike is concerned, betting the 250TT IS AT LEAST AS GOOD AS THE hAWK, singletrack would be a non issue for the bike. even at my age and weight, i can run stuff on my hawk you'd have a hard time traversing/climbing, on your hands and knees. with the tunable suspension upgrades that CSC has included with the TT250 , well, I am dying in anticipation waiting for mine to arrive I have seriously 4x4'd all up and down Baja and to my mind, the most dangerous places are the roads, and late night bars, not the dirt. U guys watch yourselves and ride super defensively down there . Sand is usually soft, its the other drivers that will hurt you. oh, adding an inline fuel filter is cheap and recommended. and i Do hope he takes you to the shipwreck site, early morning/late afternoon, that ambience will burn itself into your memory. The Bufadora is fun too. __________________ Seer's First LAW-"FLY THE PLANE!", fail that, and nothing else matters. 12th Law- Consider what marvels you might do if only you had tomorrow to live over again. Third Law-When someone tells you some thing "Can't Be Done", what they're really saying is They can't do it!!14th Law-Just because something "IS", doesn't necessarily mean it SHOULD be.. Eighth Law-The only true personal security is anonymity.Ninth Law-Humans tend to learn very little when speaking.10th Law-Some lives ARE worth taking
	1

03-06-2016, 03:29 PM	#59
GSC Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Taos Posts: 104	So I'm packing the OEM side cases for the trip. Its getting full with spare parts, tools, and stuff. Never really loaded 'em so much before. Any body know what the weight capacity for these plastic cases are? I'd guess I've got about 20 lbs. in one of 'em?
	0