Sujit Kirpekar

Last weekend, I rode with Shobhit down to Half Moon Bay and Pescadero. The weather was a bit foggy as we set out, but cleared up pretty quickly as we hit the coast. Hwy 1 is arguably the most scenic route in Northern California and it was a pleasure to ride. We took a couple of pit stops and some pictures.

This also happened to be my first ride with the new windscreen 😀 I can definitely say the screen reduces wind blast significantly, especially off the chest. The ride is much more comfortable. The velcro stays in place — 100% firm. At speeds below 65 mph, the screen provides excellent protection; at 65-75mph it vibrates a bit and causes the headlight fairing to vibrate too. Above 75mph it is calm again and stays firm till 90mph (as indicated by the speedometer, not actual).

Some pictures of the ride:

One of the main reasons I bought the DR650 was for it’s dual sport (or dual purpose) capabilities. I’ve always fancied the idea of riding in the dirt, across an African desert or some other romantic destination. Well, I took the first step towards that goal this Labor Day, albeit in the not-so-romantic South Bay at Metcalf Motorcycle Park. Here are some amazing pictures of the park, from SBR.

A couple of days before the weekend, I hooked up with a few dirt riders online and they graciously agreed to help me with my first dirt ride. I rode out to Metcalf on the foggy Labor Day morning at reached there just as the park opened (8AM). Joel was the experienced one (on his YZ450F) and Steve (on his KLR650, pictured below) had had a couple of dirt rides before.

You can see the fog in the background; it was heavy, but burned off pretty quickly. All the pictures below are from Joel and copyrighted to him

Anyway, we first started on the novice oval: a very simple 500 feet oval, where you go up and down a hill. I got my first taste of dirt riding there: dust blowing in my eyes, wheels losing traction and tiny 12-year-olds zooming past me on their little bikes.

After we got comfortable on the oval, we rode down trail-1. Trail-1 is certainly not as benign as it sounds. A short distance from the entrance the trail goes into a steep descent and I was literally panicking the first time I rode it. I shifted down to first and used the engine to slow me down, but it was still a little scary. The trail is then fairly bumpy for the most part, with lots of places to jump. I rode it out pretty much standing all the way.

After doing trail-1 about half a dozen times (each round trip is 3-4 minutes), we decided to head down trail -2. Trail-2 is a little gentler (and I recommend trail-2 over -1 as an introductory trail) going through some scenic sections. At the top of trail-2 there is a little moto-cross track  — T. T. Track, which stands for “Tourist Trophy”, as in the Isle of Man race or the Audi sports car. The track has 2 jumps, one smaller and one pretty big. I got comfortable after a few laps.

I even caught some “big air” 🙂

Steve and me taking a break:

Anyway, after about 2 hours of riding, we rode trail-1 and -2 one last time before calling it a day. What a remarkable experience it was!

A short water break and I took the freeway back home (101-880).

Here are some things I learned:

1. The DR is an amazing machine. It will go just about anywhere you take it. And no matter how much you abuse it, it will start right up.
2. The DR transitions very well between a street and a dirt bike. I’m riding the freeway at 7:30AM, the twisties at 7:45 and the dirt by 8:00. And I’m equally comfortable in each situation. Like any dual sport, the DR is a compromise, but Suzuki has really nailed the sweet spot with this one.
3. The DR is heavy. I was close to falling more than a couple of times and that was scary. If I ever get into serious dirt biking, I will definitely need a lighter bike.
4. Dirt biking is not going to be easy on any bike, especially a dual sport. At every bump I was secretly hoping I don’t wreck my beloved DR. The DR is incredibly robust, but I’m sure a dozen rides are not going to be easy on it. In fact the bike was so dusty from two hours of riding, that I immediately washed it after coming home.
5. Metcalf is not that far from Fremont. It takes about 45 minutes to get there. I spent the morning riding down to the park, off-roading for a couple of hours and riding back. I was a little tired, but not terribly. I can certainly do this again!
6. Joel is an awesome guy, as are most folks over at SBR. Connect with them to learn about dirt riding.
7. The $6 I spent entering Metcalf was the best Labor Day purchase of any year!

I look forward to more riding in the future!

Last Friday, my employer hosted it’s annual picnic at Saratoga Springs, located in the hills of Saratoga.

If you know the Bay Area, any destination near Highway 9 is essentially an invitation to ride.

I took the freeway on my way there. Dumbarton Bridge – 101 – 85. The ride was mostly uneventful, except for a mildly odd feeling on Highway 85. This freeway has a grooved concrete pavement (for wet traction) but this seems to cause the motorcycle to drift. I loosened my grip on the handle bars and this definitely helped.

Coming back, I used Skyline and Page Mill. The latter is truly an amazing ride. Very sharp turns, elevation changes and beautiful views. Some pics from SBR:

I’ve now ridden about 800 miles in the last month and a half. It’s been an amazing experience so far.

I did my first 100 mile ride yesterday. Suminder came over at about 5:30PM and we set out towards the Peninsula to ride down Skyline (CA 35). We took the San Mateo bridge and it was very windy. I need to look into getting a) a good riding suit or jacket and b) a good windshield. My el-cheapo Wilson’s bonded leather jacket is not really a motorcycle jacket. It was flapping around, drawing air in and tiring me as I rode the windy sections.

The ride down Skyline was fun, with Suminder and I pushing it to the limit. He is an awesome lead and riding behind him gives me good feel for how sharp the curve is, how fast to take it and how much to bend. I’m now comfortable doing 60-70mph in the twisties and leaning the bike over sharply. In fact I was pretty close to scrapping the footpeg a couple of time. Well, that rite of passage will have to wait a bit.

As we stopped at Four Corners (Hwy 35 and Hwy 9), Suminder unexpectedly dropped his GS. One minute we had pulled into the parking lot to a complete stop and the next minute his bike was on it’s side and he was on his back. A little scary, but everything was fine. There was a small scratch on his engine guard and his bike started right back up. We even took some photos there :

Your’s Truely. My hands were tired, but the DR was definitely not!

Suminder and his lovely GS.

We then had dinner in Cupertino and took the freeway back home. 880N in the dark was not fun, but I survived. The DR has a pretty bright high beam and the blinkers shine brightly too at night.

Some more photos of Skyline (from SBR)