I failed to explain in the video which days we covered which sections and where we stayed each night, so here is a complete breakdown. Day 0 - Mammoth Lakes Day 1 - Sections 1-2.5 Stayed at Topaz Lodge (just a few miles north on 395). Day 2 - Section 2.5 and all of 3 Rode to Tahoe after the end of Section 3. Stayed at a casino (40 minutes each way out of the way). Day 3 - Section 4 Had a leisurely morning in Tahoe, then completed Section 4 and rode to Tahoe City. Day 4 - Section 5 Didn't start until noon due to tire issues. Finished around 8 PM after completing all the expert sections. Stayed near Graeagle. Day 5 - Section 6 Started around 10:30 AM, finished around 5:00 PM, and stayed in Chester. Day 6 - Sections 7 and 8 Started at 8:45 AM, arrived in Alturas by 5:00 PM. Day 7 - Half Day Completed Section 9 in about 3.5 hours. We rode back to Alturas for lunch, then returned to the trailer in Carson City. We then spent another 6 hours driving partway home. We could have completed the trip faster if that had been our goal. The two separate trips to Reno Cycle Gear slowed us down. We could have started earlier each day, stayed on the trails longer, and found lodging closer to the route. However, racing to the finish was not what we were trying to accomplish.
Sweet! Looking forward to doing that BDR after riding/camping through 7 western States last year. Mostly the TAT. Some great riding out in the pumice of Mammoth and June lakes. Bodie is worth a stop for a couple hours to walk around to check out a Ghost town. Great job getting those heavy, loaded bikes up to the 11,700' Mt. Patterson!
Excellent documentary, thanks for sharing! Planning to do this followed by ORBDR in early September on the 1290 SAR. Your video really puts this BDR into perspective. I'm considering leaving all camping gear behind this trip to keep the bike light and just doing motels. Decisions
Thanks for watching and commenting. You are correct; so many decisions, each with its own list of tradeoffs. Keeping the bike light and having a shower and bed are pretty nice. But they say you seldom remember a hotel and never forget a camp site. Good luck on your trip. It's a great route.
Hope you have a great trip! Heck of a drive to get there. Double-check with ridebdr.com and/or the NorCalBDR Facebook group for up-to-date route info. I know there were some route closures and workarounds due to fire last week.
Do you think a KTM 500 would’ve been a better bike for it? Great video, very helpful to anyone planning on doing it. Thanks for taking the time and work to post it.
Thanks for watching and commenting... As for a 500 being "better," it really depends on what you want to do and which parts of the trip you're talking about. I think I'd like to explore this topic in depth someday with a video or article. Different riders have very different goals on trips, so "better" for one guy is not "better" for another. And there's no right or wrong, as we are all just trying to have fun. It's kind of like what's better, ice cream or steak. A 500 would make the challenging stuff far easier and take much less energy. If that's better... then yes... a 500 would be "better" for the hard stuff. On this trip, I put 1800 miles on my 890, even though we trailered to Carson City. For me, the trade-off of having the 800 non-BDR miles on an 890 vs. 500 made the 890 the right choice. Also, the 890 pushed me just enough to make the expert sections challenging. They would have been fun but not challenging on a 500. If I did it again tomorrow, I'd probably take the 1290 just to prove to myself that I could do it, but I'm weird that way.
Great video! Thank you for sharing. I am thinking of doing this route next year in September with some friends; some of us like to air down for Offroad sections, a couple guys in my group don’t (I guess they compromise and use less pressure than usual for on road but also more pressure than me for off road). What did you guys do with your air pressure since this route goes from off road to on road back and forth ? Thank you.
You'll see a lot of different opinions on this. The air down trade-off is traction, vs protecting your rims and preventing flats. I would guess maybe 2% of the COBDR is steep and loose. (All of the big passes, which don't amount to that many miles compared to the trip). I just set front and rear somewhere around 26 to 28 and leave it... check it every morning and no issues. Really personal preference though. Hope you have a great trip!
Very well done, looking forward to our trip of this BDR end of July. How many total days did it take and how many miles did you average per day? Also, honest question, do you have a full understanding of how the Rally Mode works on the 890?
Thanks for watching and commenting. The BDR portion of our trip took 6.5 days. Day 1 - Sections 1-2.5. Day 2 - Section 2.5-3. Then one section a day thru Day 6. Day 6 - Sections 7 and 8. 1/2 day 7.. section 9. It could be done a lot quicker without the expert sections. We added about a day due to tire issues as well, but I feel like 6-8 days is a reasonable amount of time to enjoy the trip. As for the ride modes... I'm not an expert and I don't mess with it much. I like the slip adjuster around 3-5, no ABS off road and I like the rally throttle response. I'm pretty much a set it an leave it rider.
@@DansADVI fully understand, all the buttons and settings almost ruin the experience. That’s the beauty of Rally Pkg, takes all the stress out of the ride. Once in Rally, all the ABS, Throttle Response, Traction Control is managed by the Rally mode based on which level, 1-9. I noticed you were in level 1 going up and down Patterson, you would’ve gotten much more feedback from the electronics if in a higher mode, 6-9. All you ever need to use is the up/down toggle on the button cluster, super easy once you do it a couple of times. Anyway, I really enjoyed the video and appreciate you taking the time, it answered a lot of my questions.
I enjoyed the video but I have a couple of comments. I live right in the middle of that track. I live in Cohasset (near Chico) and have grown (I'm 73) up riding the dirt roads around here. Comment number 1 SMALLER bikes. 300's 400's 500's - a lot easier and way less tiring. Number 2 lower gears
The route they've chosen is supposed to be doable on a 1250GS... Obviously smaller is easier and requires less skill and effort, but there's something about having a weeks worth of gear with you, doing the entire route and making it back to the start on highways that is satisfying. I have a 500 exc-f and love it for single track, and I bet you know of some great single track in the area. If I lived there an could explore on out and backs, I'd be with you. But we just stayed on the BDR route, which is all jeep trails, and really not terribly difficult even for the big bikes. If I tried to do it again next week, I'd probably take the big 1290, just to prove to myself that I could do it, rather than take my 500 exc... which would make the tough stuff easy, but the long stretches of asphalt miserable.
Thanks for commenting. Great question, I've received it more than once. I should have included that in the video. I'm going to pin a post, in a few minutes, to the top of the comments section with the complete itinerary.
Epic trip for sure. Yes we stay in hotels to keep the bikes light and because we don't really like o rough it :). Had snacks for the trail just in case, but didn't miss many meals just finding restaurants.
Thanks for watching... I used the Zumo XT... as did Whit. Jared had a ZumoXT2. Jared claimed to have less trouble with the track to trip conversion on his. For me... I had to turn on the "show track on map" option... and then convert to trip... and then be very careful because sometimes the trip would deviate from the track. I don't claim to be a Garmin or .GPX expert... someone probably knows what I was doing wrong... just giving you a heads up. Also when making the trip from the track, even if you were on the route, it makes a difference in performance if you route to closest entry, or beginning.
We got lucky.... missed the heat wave by a few days... Most days were awesome 65ish in the morning mid 80's by afternoon. Got to the 90s a few times and that was hot. This group does not camp. They like to keep the bikes light and are not into roughing it. Camp or Hotel are both fine with me, I'm really there for the ride. Camping adds another dimension for sure.
Cardo between riders....We can hear each other, but the GoPro only gets my voice, and the faint sound of the speakers in my helmet. I need to figure out how to capture everyone's audio
We were very fortunate; 60s in the morning most days and low to mid-80s in the afternoons. Had a few hot afternoons (low 90s). The week after we left temps soared and the fire closures started.
I failed to explain in the video which days we covered which sections and where we stayed each night, so here is a complete breakdown.
Day 0 - Mammoth Lakes
Day 1 - Sections 1-2.5
Stayed at Topaz Lodge (just a few miles north on 395).
Day 2 - Section 2.5 and all of 3
Rode to Tahoe after the end of Section 3. Stayed at a casino (40 minutes each way out of the way).
Day 3 - Section 4
Had a leisurely morning in Tahoe, then completed Section 4 and rode to Tahoe City.
Day 4 - Section 5
Didn't start until noon due to tire issues. Finished around 8 PM after completing all the expert sections. Stayed near Graeagle.
Day 5 - Section 6
Started around 10:30 AM, finished around 5:00 PM, and stayed in Chester.
Day 6 - Sections 7 and 8
Started at 8:45 AM, arrived in Alturas by 5:00 PM.
Day 7 - Half Day
Completed Section 9 in about 3.5 hours. We rode back to Alturas for lunch, then returned to the trailer in Carson City. We then spent another 6 hours driving partway home.
We could have completed the trip faster if that had been our goal. The two separate trips to Reno Cycle Gear slowed us down. We could have started earlier each day, stayed on the trails longer, and found lodging closer to the route. However, racing to the finish was not what we were trying to accomplish.
You and your team rode impressively on some challenging sections - well done. Outstanding filming and narrative.
Thank you. I appreciate you watching and commenting.
Sweet! Looking forward to doing that BDR after riding/camping through 7 western States last year. Mostly the TAT.
Some great riding out in the pumice of Mammoth and June lakes. Bodie is worth a stop for a couple hours to walk around to check out a Ghost town. Great job getting those heavy, loaded bikes up to the 11,700' Mt. Patterson!
thank you for this amazing video. IMO, this is the video the BDR org should have made as their intro of the NorCal BDR, Great job!
Thank you!
Great video, Thanks for taking the time to put it together. Lots of good info for upcoming CABDR North riders.
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Excellent documentary, thanks for sharing! Planning to do this followed by ORBDR in early September on the 1290 SAR. Your video really puts this BDR into perspective. I'm considering leaving all camping gear behind this trip to keep the bike light and just doing motels. Decisions
Thanks for watching and commenting. You are correct; so many decisions, each with its own list of tradeoffs. Keeping the bike light and having a shower and bed are pretty nice. But they say you seldom remember a hotel and never forget a camp site. Good luck on your trip. It's a great route.
Awesome adventure. That thin air elevation zaps your energy too. Well done!
Thanks! You're correct about the thin air for sure.
Great ride... good video and storytelling about the route !
Thanks for watching and commenting
Good breakdown on this. I am just north of you in Kansas headed out the 1st of August to ride it on my 890.
Hope you have a great trip! Heck of a drive to get there. Double-check with ridebdr.com and/or the NorCalBDR Facebook group for up-to-date route info. I know there were some route closures and workarounds due to fire last week.
Nice job Dan, We are hitting that in September
Thanks! It's an epic route, hope you have a great trip.
You did awesome considering how exhausted you were.
Do you think a KTM 500 would’ve been a better bike for it?
Great video, very helpful to anyone planning on doing it. Thanks for taking the time and work to post it.
Thanks for watching and commenting... As for a 500 being "better," it really depends on what you want to do and which parts of the trip you're talking about. I think I'd like to explore this topic in depth someday with a video or article. Different riders have very different goals on trips, so "better" for one guy is not "better" for another. And there's no right or wrong, as we are all just trying to have fun. It's kind of like what's better, ice cream or steak. A 500 would make the challenging stuff far easier and take much less energy. If that's better... then yes... a 500 would be "better" for the hard stuff. On this trip, I put 1800 miles on my 890, even though we trailered to Carson City. For me, the trade-off of having the 800 non-BDR miles on an 890 vs. 500 made the 890 the right choice. Also, the 890 pushed me just enough to make the expert sections challenging. They would have been fun but not challenging on a 500. If I did it again tomorrow, I'd probably take the 1290 just to prove to myself that I could do it, but I'm weird that way.
You might consider getting a KTM 690 and outfitting it as an ADV with a rally tower. Most of those hard sections would be quite easy on the 690.
True, lighter is always easier. I kind of like the challenge though.
Great video! Thank you for sharing. I am thinking of doing this route next year in September with some friends; some of us like to air down for Offroad sections, a couple guys in my group don’t (I guess they compromise and use less pressure than usual for on road but also more pressure than me for off road).
What did you guys do with your air pressure since this route goes from off road to on road back and forth ? Thank you.
You'll see a lot of different opinions on this. The air down trade-off is traction, vs protecting your rims and preventing flats. I would guess maybe 2% of the COBDR is steep and loose. (All of the big passes, which don't amount to that many miles compared to the trip). I just set front and rear somewhere around 26 to 28 and leave it... check it every morning and no issues. Really personal preference though. Hope you have a great trip!
Thank you for your response. What you do seems to be the more practical thing to do.
Very well done, looking forward to our trip of this BDR end of July. How many total days did it take and how many miles did you average per day? Also, honest question, do you have a full understanding of how the Rally Mode works on the 890?
Thanks for watching and commenting. The BDR portion of our trip took 6.5 days. Day 1 - Sections 1-2.5. Day 2 - Section 2.5-3. Then one section a day thru Day 6. Day 6 - Sections 7 and 8. 1/2 day 7.. section 9. It could be done a lot quicker without the expert sections. We added about a day due to tire issues as well, but I feel like 6-8 days is a reasonable amount of time to enjoy the trip. As for the ride modes... I'm not an expert and I don't mess with it much. I like the slip adjuster around 3-5, no ABS off road and I like the rally throttle response. I'm pretty much a set it an leave it rider.
@@DansADVI fully understand, all the buttons and settings almost ruin the experience. That’s the beauty of Rally Pkg, takes all the stress out of the ride. Once in Rally, all the ABS, Throttle Response, Traction Control is managed by the Rally mode based on which level, 1-9. I noticed you were in level 1 going up and down Patterson, you would’ve gotten much more feedback from the electronics if in a higher mode, 6-9. All you ever need to use is the up/down toggle on the button cluster, super easy once you do it a couple of times. Anyway, I really enjoyed the video and appreciate you taking the time, it answered a lot of my questions.
I enjoyed the video but I have a couple of comments. I live right in the middle of that track. I live in Cohasset (near Chico) and have grown (I'm 73) up riding the dirt roads around here. Comment number 1 SMALLER bikes. 300's 400's 500's - a lot easier and way less tiring. Number 2 lower gears
The route they've chosen is supposed to be doable on a 1250GS... Obviously smaller is easier and requires less skill and effort, but there's something about having a weeks worth of gear with you, doing the entire route and making it back to the start on highways that is satisfying. I have a 500 exc-f and love it for single track, and I bet you know of some great single track in the area. If I lived there an could explore on out and backs, I'd be with you. But we just stayed on the BDR route, which is all jeep trails, and really not terribly difficult even for the big bikes. If I tried to do it again next week, I'd probably take the big 1290, just to prove to myself that I could do it, rather than take my 500 exc... which would make the tough stuff easy, but the long stretches of asphalt miserable.
What time if the year did you do this ride? Apologize if I missed it. I checked up and down the comments a few times.
Good question! We were on the trail the last few days of June, first few days of July 2024.
Thinking about doing this route. Probably avoid the expert sections though
It is an epic route either way. Thanks for watching
Thanks for the guide. I wasn't clear when yall stopped for the night each time. Did you do the rest of section 2, 3 and 4 all in one day?
Thanks for commenting. Great question, I've received it more than once. I should have included that in the video. I'm going to pin a post, in a few minutes, to the top of the comments section with the complete itinerary.
Great trip!
What part of Oklahoma are you in?
I am in Shawnee and would like to talk to you about this BDR.
Thanks, Bill
I'm in Tulsa... you can send me a PM on instagram @dansadv... or?
Email me dansadv@gmail.com and we'll connect.
Looks like a blast! Did you guys stay in hotels and do restaurants the whole trip? It looks like you guys are packed light.
Epic trip for sure. Yes we stay in hotels to keep the bikes light and because we don't really like o rough it :). Had snacks for the trail just in case, but didn't miss many meals just finding restaurants.
Watch those bag straps and gear. A guy recently died when his sleeping bag got sucked into his rear wheel on the highway.
Uh, no... Good advice but he didn't die.
czcams.com/video/slHQjPrLv0w/video.htmlsi=8Rn5daZoxQBrHP_5
What Garmin gps model were you using on this trip. Also, great video. Thanks
Thanks for watching... I used the Zumo XT... as did Whit. Jared had a ZumoXT2. Jared claimed to have less trouble with the track to trip conversion on his. For me... I had to turn on the "show track on map" option... and then convert to trip... and then be very careful because sometimes the trip would deviate from the track. I don't claim to be a Garmin or .GPX expert... someone probably knows what I was doing wrong... just giving you a heads up. Also when making the trip from the track, even if you were on the route, it makes a difference in performance if you route to closest entry, or beginning.
Thanks for the info.
On the calendar for late September. What was the temp range u encountered? No camping?
We got lucky.... missed the heat wave by a few days... Most days were awesome 65ish in the morning mid 80's by afternoon. Got to the 90s a few times and that was hot. This group does not camp. They like to keep the bikes light and are not into roughing it. Camp or Hotel are both fine with me, I'm really there for the ride. Camping adds another dimension for sure.
What communication set up are you guys using?
Cardo between riders....We can hear each other, but the GoPro only gets my voice, and the faint sound of the speakers in my helmet. I need to figure out how to capture everyone's audio
what was the weather like
We were very fortunate; 60s in the morning most days and low to mid-80s in the afternoons. Had a few hot afternoons (low 90s). The week after we left temps soared and the fire closures started.
What’s your tire setup?
I ran Motoz Rallz...
30 minutes in and you cut out alot of cool views like the dam. I would much prefer multiple videos with more views. Thank you
It was a tough call... Probably 40 hours of riding... 5 hours of footage... hard to decide how to make it watchable.
nothing wrong with doing both