Ride to Wickenburg AZ, the back way
 

If there's interest, I'm thinking about doing this group 250 ride like I did before by myself on my Hawk 250 back in March 2017. The ride is about 70 miles one way and it starts at around the city of Surprise Arizona and heads west through Buckeye AZ and on up to Wickenburg AZ. Its a mixed trail of pavement, dirt roads and some trail riding in the desert. The route passes by the Chrysler proving grounds, The Ford proving grounds and the Toyota proving grounds. Your bike will need to be street legal as some of the ride is on blacktop. Once in Wickenburg there are places to relax for lunch and then ride back. There is also primitive camping in Wickenburg and a trail system in that area. There are also gas stations to fill up. Grocery stores and gift shops. It's a small town with a western flair of gift shops and such. There is also the vulture mine tours that occur on various dates and times. Almost everyone that goes to Wickenburg and on to Vegas travels on Hwy 74. A two lane highway. We will be on this road for a short 3-4 miles then get off of it if starting from the ohv staging area. At the staging area before the ride starts is an OHV park, see the link I added. It has free camping! The trails there are more challenging than the planned ride to Wickenburg. The OHV park will serve as a staging area and camping for those that would travel from another state for this ride or even local Az residents. This also gives you the ability to stay longer and check out the OHV trail system if you like. The trails there will be more challenging. However, to stay at this park an OHV tag from the Arizona state game and fish dept. is required to ride on that trail system. The cost for resident and non-resident is 25.00 per year. I'll provide the link for that. If there is no interest in staging and camping for those that can, then an alternate staging area will be picked out and no OHV permit tag would be needed. So, for this ride, I'm looking at the calendar for this Nov 9th. I'll add some previous ride pics on this post. If anyone has interest in this, send me a heads up on what you would do. 1. camp at the OHV or 2. just meet at a staging area non fee area. Lets get the Hawks, Brozz, TBR's, Sharks, and all other 250 riders on a trail ride.
for the staging area
https://www.blm.gov/visit/search-details/262775/1

For the OHV tag
https://www.azgfd.com/ohv/decals/

Vulture mine tours in Wickenburg
http://www.vultureminetours.com/

Town site Wickenburg
https://outwickenburgway.com/

Very cool. Wickenburg is a neat town and that sounds like a great ride. Chrysler also has proving grounds in Yucca, AZ I believe. I do a fair amount of travel in AZ so I will tune in again if the timing is right. I have a free night to burn at a PHX hotel so if it works out I'd probably use that and meet at the trail head.

ok on that, the tail head is a good option. Let's see how many are interested in going.

I can't make the second, but the 9th would be awesome! I'd be coming out of the Tolleson/Goodyear area, so getting up to Surprise would only take me 30-45 minutes or so. What can I do to help organize this shin-dig?

I will hopefully have my bike by then. If not, would like to use my Subaru to find you guys at the camping spot, or somewhere up that way, and meet you all in person. I doubt my 151cc TGB scooter is up for the task, lol.

Fantastic idea! If we were closer we would go!!! My folks years ago lived in Yuma, and we have been to Wickenburg several times years ago, but never knew any or visited the history.

Ok let's set the date for the 9th of Nov, I'll update the invite. The staging area will depend on if we have riders wanting to camp at the ohv. I wont be camping as I can just ride up to meet up with other riders. If we get riders camping I will ride up the the park and lead them to a second staging area that you could be parked at. That would help.

It's a great ride for a Hawk

Ok, the Subaru should be able to make it all the way

Sounds like a great ride, i'm about 6 hours away , but might be able to swing the 9th Nov ? I'll keep this on my radar and hope i can make it.

Ok sound good. More info will develop closer to the ride date

250 Ride to Wickenburg Nov 9th 2019
 

Facebook post now.

https://www.facebook.com/250-Ride-to...dmin_todo_tour

I might be up for this depending on when my TBR7 gets here. If my bike is road registered, do I need OHV tags as well?
Also is there a non-facebook link for this since I don't have a FB account?

The OHV tag is only needed if you decide to ride the trails at the OHV park. The facebook is just paralleled information to this group. all updates will occur here as well as FB.

my bike arrived yesterday, so I'm definitely in

ok sounds good. I did a pre ride today to make sure some areas are not closed off to new housing starts

brozz got dirty today. doing a pre ride check for wickenburg of some of the trip today. stock tires handle the gravel roads good.

I'm trying to talk my riding buddy from Georgia to come out and do this trip, too. I'll loan him one of my bikes to ride, and we'll make an outing of it. That means that one of us will be on the DR, but I don't think anyone will really mind that. Really looking forward to this ride.

Great! Its a good ride for the 250's and the DR is no problem. your friend might like the desert views. Its nothing technical but some spots are loose gravel/sand. Nothing major but it keeps me alert as always.

He's been out a few times. I'm trying to get him to move out here. We're both pilots and the flying WX out here is so much better than it is back in Georgia. We're giving some thought to buying an airplane or two and starting a flight school. He's working on his CFI, and I just need to get current again and go for a couple of proficiency flights to get my ticket caught back up. In any event, not sure if he'll be able to make it out here yet, but I'm trying like hell to get him on a flight.

If you fly to Yuma, let me know. I am back here for good, now, ready to start my new/old job tomorrow morning. I can now order any Chinese bike and get it street plated once again!!

I'm only a RC pilot. I have a few planes in my hanger. My latest has full LED lights for dusk flying. Luke has an aux runway just north of surprise Az. I rode up on a military practice of some sort just outside the runway a couple years ago. They were armed and I was like get the heck out of here on my Hawk. If he doesn't make it he'll just have to watch the ride videos later. I'll have my goPro clone with me.

where's you get the saddle bags from, and is there some kind of support to keep them out of the wheel?

Culcune, I have only flown a handful of times since we're out here. Just enough to keep the paperwork current. I have to find a flight surgeon out here to do my flight physical before I turn 40 in December. Once you're over 40, a flight physical is only good for 2 years. Before you're 40 it's good for 5 years. Haven't really done much to get the ball rolling in that direction, though. I've been super busy with a 2 year old and the move and such. I also just changed jobs, so that's another time-suck there.

I picked them up on Amazon. They stay put once you strap them down. At first, I put the seat straps under the seat for a clean look. But, it put the left bag down too low to dangle. The right was ok on the muffler shield. So, I have the two straps on the top of the seat and the bags don't move at all into the wheel. They really couldn't be any better for the 250 bikes.



https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-20000...SIN=B006JMKJ5E

I may or may not have a bike for the ride. I mentioned my Subaru which you think might be doable, but I didn't mention it is an Impreza car, and in no way has any of the off-roadish features like found on an Outback or even that newer model, the Crosstrek, has. So, I figured I would trade my son that weekend for his Tacoma pickup as he complains about the crappy gas mileage he gets. This is assuming I won't have a bike by then, which is probably more likely the case. So, the good thing is we have a truck. The only glitch is my son might be working in Florence, so I would have to drive out that way from Yuma to trade vehicles before the ride. I really hope I have a bike by then...

Sounds like fun, guys.

Want to come out for the ride? Out here in the desert, there's no snow on the ground in November. Might be a novel thing for you to see, coming from Chicago as you do... :lmao:

checked the trails out today. The views are awesome! Depending on rider experience and wanting to do some hills with possibility of laying the bike down I have mapped out two different routes. A easy route and a moderate route the bikes can handle. The bikes can do it and I have.

If only...


BTW, it's a crapshoot here in November. Could be mowing the lawn on Saturday, could be shoveling snow on Sunday.

Well, if you want to make your way out here (perhaps even with the Missus), I have a Ural stashed somewhere in the garage you're welcome to use.

I think the car would make the easy route. There are a few washes though that depending on ground clearance If you want to chance that.

From the planned staging area to meetup. The ride from that location to Wickenburg is about 48 miles one way. It will take about 2 hours to reach Wickenburg on the planned route. Today I did a full loop and my mileage was about 112 miles round trip. One tank of gas no problem.

I was out that way on saturday morning, I have a 2 acre plot of land about 7 miles south of wickenburg that we're going to build on. it looks a lot like the 3rd picture you posted, the occotillos were very green

Really looking forward to this ride.

I doubt I will have my bike by the ride, BUT I look forward to meeting you guys in person! :tup:

So far the Hawk and DR are spoken for. If you don't have a two-wheeled conveyance by then, and want to do the ride on two wheels, let me know. I may drag the Ural out on the trip, let you ride the Hawk, and my buddy will hop on the DR. You would have to come down to Southwest Phoenix and pick the Hawk up, though. I don't have a means to drag all the bikes up there. Cheesy also has an open invitation to commandeer the Ural, but I'm not sure if he's up to making the trip out this way for a day's worth of riding.

I REALLY appreciate the offer, but hate the idea of laying someone's bike down. I really don't mind doing the run in my car (actually, probably will hate that) or my son's pickup (would MUCH prefer that). :tup:

Great pictures!!!! Thanks for sharing!!! When my folks lived in Yuma, I wanted to explore around the area, but didn't have a chance.

it was super green! must have got some good rain last week