The Off Road diary, CRF250Rally

[Couchy]

Some may know I’ve ridden off road all my life but these days I just want a slower fun ride and nothing fast. With the Peak District on my doorstep there is still plenty of easy lanes to go at. I enjoy sitting on a PC with ViewRanger and planning a ride before uploading it to a garmin edge gps to show the route. Doing it this way means I can research the lanes and make a good days riding. I’d been doing this on the Africa twin a couple of years ago but it really was a bit too big and heavy. A CRF450L followed but I didn’t gel and for the road sections it was rubbish with a poor tank range. Next up was a cb500x this year with plans to convert it properly but the engine didn’t have low down power which is essential for off road for me. By chance an XR400 and a crf230 needed up with me, the XR is good and is still here but kick start only hmmm. The 230 was good but just too small but got me thinking and I looked again at the Honda 250 rally. I’d dismissed it as too slow but it ticks a lot of other boxes so I decided to try one and found an 18 plate local
Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

It had been used off road already and had -1 on the front sprocket and different bars. I fitted proper road legal enduro tyres.

Took it on a route of North Notts and it performed great, happy to cruise at 60mph, good wind protection and all day comfy. Hasn’t got the power to pick the front up but has enough off road and gets loads of traction. On tarmac you have to carry proper lean angle and be aggressive with the throttle to unstick the rear !. On normal gearing it would sit at 70-75. It’s a bike you feel you could ride for a long time in any environment. It also has off road abs so the rear can be turned off for skids

[Couchy]

So happy with the bike I planned a day out in the peaks with a mate, from a local cafe it would be a 70 mile loop taking in the best lanes the peaks has to offer, a couple being very rocky and tricky at times. We decided to ride there as well making a trip of 160 miles. There was a bit of snow forecast too which would make it more entertaining. We set off at 8.30 in the morning and stopped at the cafe at 9.30 for breakfast. It was proper cold but as we were fully waterproofed up all was good for now. The rally ate up the tarmac journey to the cafe superbly. We headed off and for the first hour there was some sleet but as we headed higher the snow started to come down heavier..see

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

Still dry we carried on and so did the snow....this was tarmac

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

We crossed and did a few miles on cat and fiddle and it was part gridlocked with stuck cars and lorries, one car in ditch with ambulance in attendance. The snow was sideways and vision was poor. The road was white over, more than 1/4 throttle had the rear spinning and a shut throttle had the rear locked. We had a good 30 miles of this and amazingly no offs. Picking our way through stuck traffic we got some smiles and some looks of amazement and plenty of deliberate slides, because people watching

The snow covered roads were great fun and we ticked off loads of lanes. The last couple of lanes are long and notoriously rocky, the snow hid a lot of rocks and steps..but we made it through all of them, some stunning views

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

[Couchy]

With lessons learned the same trip is planned for this weekend, I've fitted heated grips and got new gloves !
Whilst fitting the grips I found the bike had a fuel controller fitted and air box mods, lots of debate on these as the 18 bike has a lambda sensor and the ecu and controller can conflict so I've disconnected it and will ride it without. Apparently the ecu can adjust enough for th air box mods so we'll see

[weeksy]

Thread of the year contender

[Yorick]

It'll be a bit warmer when I take you out here

[Couchy]

Thread of the year contender

Needed more incidents.......2 of us have a bit of frost nip on our fingers and the XR400 rider who is a good mate and a fairly large chap had real issues, we returned to the work unit and he couldn't speak and laid on the floor in his thermals shivering and babbling in front of the heater. TBH I thought he was gonna die so I explained to him I was too tired to drag his big dead body out and would return in the morning and get help assuming he wasn't too smelly and mouldy, it was cold so I hoped he wouldn't be but it would be like dragging a big full double wardrobe out which is quite the comparison as his missus says sex with him is like a big wardrobe falling on her with a tiny key in it. Anyway he didn't drop dead but has decided off road bikes aren't for him as he is a relative novice and we sort of broke him, but as I explained memories ar made of days like these

[weeksy]

So whens he dropping my xr400 down?

[Yorick]

We're off tmrw. No frostbite here

[Couchy]

So whens he dropping my xr400 down?

After you drop £2750 over , it’s an 05 and only done 6000 miles

[weeksy]

So whens he dropping my xr400 down?

After you drop £2750 over , it’s an 05 and only done 6000 miles

Buy now pay later

[Couchy]

So whens he dropping my xr400 down?

After you drop £2750 over , it’s an 05 and only done 6000 miles

Buy now pay later

Yup no problem....

[matt]

Superb, probably a bit cold for my liking though.
Last time I went green Laning in the peaks was 10 years or more ago on my old drz 400. It was one of,if not the best day out I've had on a bike .
Are there many decent lanes still open in the peaks? I'm seriously considering getting rid of the road bikes and going this way.

[matt]

This was at the bottom of Monsall head. I should never have sold this bike

[Couchy]

There’s still plenty open enough for a day out but you have to link them with lots of tarmac work. I don’t mind that tbh it’s part of the day but others dislike it, not much choice though lol

[Couchy]

7 1/2 hours in the saddle today, 3 hours of off road. Fuelling is much better and heated grips are awesome but so are heated gloves, neither needed too much as it was warmer than last week but still very wet. Some of the river crossings were deeper than normal. 2 riders slipped off and one chain snapped along with weirdly 2 side stands !.

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

[formula400]

wow, loving this, looks great fun. I bet being out in the snow was amazing,

I went out on my Supermoto a good few boxing days ago with my mate chris, we were on some small back lanes and he was leading, coming up to a small T junction, he stopped, I tried to stop on some ice, lost the front and slide past him. great days rinding.

that little 250 looks great fun.

[Couchy]

Just a little 5 hour one today but tbh a boat would have been better !

Had one issue on a lane which is basically a river, going up there's quite a few rock ledges. I managed it on my 450CRF but on the rally I could only get the front end up and then didn't have enough power to drag the rest up. The weight really showed. But with the front up and a help from a mate we got the bike up without dropping it. I'm a bit disappointed although one of the proper enduro bikes also struggled but I know I can do it. Still it's only the first time the rally has been anything other than superb

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

Untitled by Tony H, on Flickr

[weeksy]

Still it's only the first time the rally has been anything other than superb

[Scuffmark]

Two Dale's is never fun , rain or shine

[Dodgy69]

I found the 1st and 2nd gear stuff is where the funs at. "Not knowing whats gonna happen next anxiety", is a great thing.