Routes over the mountains - escape routes?

[The Heretic]

that's a good one

It is a rare bike and I could sell it in a minute, but the fact that I have not even ridden it keeps me from considering selling it. If I can ever get the time and energy, I will mix up some gas (needs 100+ octane with no ethanol) and fire it up and at least try it out.

 

[41mag]

I've never seen one in the wilds or on the street.

Looks very purpose intense. Due to your post I read a bit on line about them.
Too exotic for my plans.

 

[CamoDeafie]

Other than the silly crossbow mount... this could be a decent light patrol moped. Its both pedal and motorized. A heavy duty hard tail MTB with a sturdy rack and MOLLE rack bags could also do a decent job especially if it is one of those newfangled electric bikes... although keeping its battery charged may be more difficult than using a 50cc gas engine.. do they make a diesel version? I know the KTM JP8 diesel dirt bike is used by both USMC and USAF... as well as other machines such as the Rokon (shown with ubiquitous ALICE med ruck on it) and the 4 wheelers.

Honestly though I think a diesel dirt bike with a sturdy rack for gear attachment and possibly a custom single-wheel trailer or just the trailer would do very nicely for going through the cascades off the logging roads...

 

[The Heretic]

Been meaning to get one of those Mule trailers.

 

[Ura-Ki]

My Husaberg 570 makes 52 HP, which is okay on pavement, but once off-road I flip the switch which adjusts the ignition and fuel injection to 'soft mode' to make the bike more tractable, and still it produces too much power for technical trails if you are not careful. I have flipped it a number of times. It has a Rekluse auto clutch so it is almost impossible to stall and will just keep climbing until it looses traction or lifts the front wheel and flips.

I don't feel that an off-road bike used for technical trail riding needs more than 30 to 40 HP, what it needs is lightweight, balance, suspension and traction.

Now a snow bike - that sucks up the HP, and I would mod my Hussy to produce 60 to 70 HP for that purpose (easily done with some tweaks).

If I ever get back in the saddle, I am seriously considering getting a snowbike conversion.

If I felt I need more power I would go two stroke, but keep it tractable. Again, if I can get back in the saddle, I am considering what I consider the ultimate off-road motorcycle (short of an electric bike that could be recharged quickly and easily); the Christini 2WD 300 cc two stroke:

View attachment 383163

It makes about the same power as my 570 but is a bit lighter and is 2 wheel drive.

GasGas made a four stroke 2 wheel drive as well, I test rode one and really liked it, but the price tag was WAY WAY more then I would spend!!! Still, a super nice bike and I would seriously consider finding a used one!

 

[Certaindeaf]

 

[CamoDeafie]

View attachment 383178

Buckshot and errant drones w metal rotor blades will take care of that bug out house lol

 

[Dungannon]

Just driving back roads on federal and state land [in a 4x4 pickup] I'm already underwhelmed by their present condition. And I'm not even going more than 50 miles from home to hike or shoot.

In a Cascadia event, I can't imagine them being passable for very far. Too many places already have perennial slumps and slides just from normal year-to-year weather events. Neither the feds or states are inclined/funded to constantly repair back roads. So every bridge, steep unstable slope, or crossing point under a major transmission line or over a gas pipeline is a potential roadblock.

 

[The Heretic]

The other bike I might want for the future would be an electric one. Christini makes an electric 2WD bicycle. If the range and recharge time on such 2 wheel cycles ever gets to the point where it only takes a few minutes to recharge and the range is 100 miles or more, then that would be a real contender for off-road. Electric bikes would be very quiet, and fuel would not be an issue if you had a solar panel at home.

Eventually someone is going to solve the energy density and charge time issues for batteries and/or fuel cells while keeping the weight/size manageable and then you will see all kinds of electric vehicles take off. In a SHTF situation being able to provide your own fuel (in the form of electricity) using a solar panel would solve a lot of issues, and how quiet these bikes are would solve one of the big issues for motorcycles.

If SHTF, I would stick around home 99% of the time anyway, with only the occasional run into town for trading/etc. - probably no more than once a month. Put a trailer on behind the bike and it would be a lot more efficient than a 4 wheel vehicle as long as I could haul what little I need back home.

Granted - 2 wheel vehicles have certain problems in a SHTF situation, not the least of which is being attacked/ambushed, but they have certain very real advantages too, not the least of which includes maneuverability and the ability to get past many obstacles quickly. I love watching 4x4 trail vids looking at all the effort and time they spend getting over and around obstacles that a 2 wheeled off-road bike would get over/around with ease very quickly - not the least of which is a fallen tree.

 

[P7M13]

My Husaberg 570 makes 52 HP, which is okay on pavement, but once off-road I flip the switch which adjusts the ignition and fuel injection to 'soft mode' to make the bike more tractable, and still it produces too much power for technical trails if you are not careful. I have flipped it a number of times. It has a Rekluse auto clutch so it is almost impossible to stall and will just keep climbing until it looses traction or lifts the front wheel and flips.

I don't feel that an off-road bike used for technical trail riding needs more than 30 to 40 HP, what it needs is lightweight, balance, suspension and traction.

Now a snow bike - that sucks up the HP, and I would mod my Hussy to produce 60 to 70 HP for that purpose (easily done with some tweaks).

If I ever get back in the saddle, I am seriously considering getting a snowbike conversion.

If I felt I need more power I would go two stroke, but keep it tractable. Again, if I can get back in the saddle, I am considering what I consider the ultimate off-road motorcycle (short of an electric bike that could be recharged quickly and easily); the Christini 2WD 300 cc two stroke:

View attachment 383163

It makes about the same power as my 570 but is a bit lighter and is 2 wheel drive.

You know, getting over the cascades between December and May, that could be an extremely handy unit.
Ten years ago, on a climb of Jefferson in late June, everything was still under heavy snow and I didn't even make the red saddle. Went back two weeks later, and the snowfields I had been navigating between Russel and Milk glaciers were now all trees. Where I walked and camped on open snow was also now all trees. Slopes I scrambled up turned out to be boulder fields.

 

[CamoDeafie]

In a Cascadia type of event.... we're mostly SOL in the valleys I personally believe that the best plan is to already not be in town when it strikes. In other types of emergencies... something that can get off road and not sink into the soft ground would be helpful. An inflatable raft also will be useful, or in a pinch, a pair of inner tubes if need be lighter than a raft.

 

[The Heretic]

You know, getting over the cascades between December and May, that could be an extremely handy unit.
Ten years ago, on a climb of Jefferson in late June, everything was still under heavy snow and I didn't even make the red saddle. Went back two weeks later, and the snowfields I had been navigating between Russel and Milk glaciers were now all trees. Where I walked and camped on open snow was also now all trees. Slopes I scrambled up turned out to be boulder fields.

Snowbikes are a relatively new thing and every year they improve. You can go back and forth in about an hour and they do much better than a snowmobile on tight technical trails. Snowmobiles have much more power, and go a lot faster, but they also are much heavier and nowhere near as agile.

If you leave the front wheel on they don't do bad in the dirt either.

 

[Ura-Ki]

If I was home, I have two serious off road fire trucks and have gate access to many areas that are normally locked! If it were winter time, I also have my 1986 Tucker Sno-Cat that has the rubber track conversion, and that sucker can go places that would scare a mountain goat!

 

[P7M13]

If I was home, I have two serious off road fire trucks and have gate access to many areas that are normally locked! If it were winter time, I also have my 1986 Tucker Sno-Cat that has the rubber track conversion, and that sucker can go places that would scare a mountain goat!

Where you at right now? Be safe!

 

[EPS]

My Beta Alp:

View attachment 383102

Had it for 5 years, I have not ridden it yet.

Street legal two stroke. Has a removable seat (see it leaning up against the front wheel?).

My Husaberg:



I've ridden this a bit, but not since I moved down here. I really like it.

Maybe even I get on an even keel with my property work this year I may get them both fired up and get to riding again, if I can get my left hip to cooperate (it is painful to bend over or lift my left leg much of the time).

Lol with a bike like that it being so low center off gravity and light you should be able to just lay it down step over it and pick it up under you no need to worry about sore hip lol

 

[EPS]

Other than the silly crossbow mount... this could be a decent light patrol moped. Its both pedal and motorized. A heavy duty hard tail MTB with a sturdy rack and MOLLE rack bags could also do a decent job especially if it is one of those newfangled electric bikes... although keeping its battery charged may be more difficult than using a 50cc gas engine.. do they make a diesel version? I know the KTM JP8 diesel dirt bike is used by both USMC and USAF... as well as other machines such as the Rokon (shown with ubiquitous ALICE med ruck on it) and the 4 wheelers.

Honestly though I think a diesel dirt bike with a sturdy rack for gear attachment and possibly a custom single-wheel trailer or just the trailer would do very nicely for going through the cascades off the logging roads...

View attachment 383167 View attachment 383169 View attachment 383170 View attachment 383171 View attachment 383172 View attachment 383173

I like the picture if the four wheeler atv you can carry lots of stuff and go almost anywhere

 

[EPS]

My Beta Alp:

View attachment 383102

Had it for 5 years, I have not ridden it yet.

Street legal two stroke. Has a removable seat (see it leaning up against the front wheel?).

My Husaberg:



I've ridden this a bit, but not since I moved down here. I really like it.

Maybe even I get on an even keel with my property work this year I may get them both fired up and get to riding again, if I can get my left hip to cooperate (it is painful to bend over or lift my left leg much of the time).

I can't remember what they call the competition where the guys ride those bikes but I knew a guy in Santa Barbara California year's ago who did the trail bike oh yeah I remember now trail bike trayals or something like that some of these guys did some amazing stuff ride the course with out putting there feet down lose points for stepping on the ground

 

[The Heretic]

Lol with a bike like that it being so low center off gravity and light you should be able to just lay it down step over it and pick it up under you no need to worry about sore hip lol

If you mean the Hussy, then the photo is not at a good angle. Like most dirt bikes the seat height is actually more than most people's inseam. I am 6'6" tall and I have a problem putting my leg over it. With my bad back, picking a 260 pound bike up off the ground is not easy either - easier than a 450# street bike, but still not easy - and when you ride on technical trails, you fall a lot, especially if you are as bad a rider as I am.

I have problems with my hips, not so much the joints as the muscles. Depending on whether I have been to the chiro and PT/massage lately or not, I sometimes cannot lift my left leg enough to climb stairs without pain. Sometimes I have problems walking - especially if I have been standing around with my left leg straight. Lifting my left leg up over a motorcycle of any kind would be almost impossible without screaming level of pain. Fortunately most bikes are like horses; you mount them from the left side, swinging your right leg over the saddle - but even that is sometimes hard for me.

It can vary day to day for me - some days I am mostly fine, but most days I am either leg or both are causing me pain in some way - and there are nights when I can't sleep due to the pain. So yeah, it sucks getting old - especially when the pain is from something I did 45+ years ago as a teenager (I flipped a car end for end, twice, and screwed up my neck and back).

If you mean the Beta, then yeah, it is easy to get a leg over because there is no seat and trials bikes are designed so the rider can move around a lot on them. The bad thing for me is that any rider is spending most of their time bent over like this:



And I am 6'6" tall so I am bent over considerably more. That kills my back.

 

[eightyeight mag]

The Hills Have Eyes

 

[The Heretic]

The Hills Have Eyes

And ears. Because it is so quiet up here, I hear motorcycles, tractors, chain saws, sometimes miles away.