abandoned gravel pit

[panterra_rider]

My own son and I went out with my buddy and his son on the bikes this afternoon. My buddy, coincidentally, actually has the same bike as me and has been happy with it too. His son has a 50cc off-brand bike from Cdn Tire and mine has his Suzuki JR80. Well we started off with some trails around town. It's pretty sandy in these parts so it was good experience for the young'uns. My boy bailed on his twice which was good cuz he can see it's not a big deal on these bikes. Still, he'd had enough and didn't join us for a tour of a local gravel pit.

I didn't think I'd ever use my 150cc China bike for riding that intense but, holy crap, it did real good. First, the stock tires didn't let us down and both my buddy and I were able to growl through fairly deep sand quite well. Then there were the steeply peaked hills ranging from 10 footers to 30 footers. The 150s climbed with very little complaint and they handled mild jumps with ease. Needless to say, the gearing is excellent for dirt/trail riding and the pushrod motors have the right amount of low-end grunt.

My buddy's kid had a blast in the pit with his 50...he beats the crap outta that thing and 1) it runs like new and 2) everything can be fixed like Legos. We could barely get him to the truck when we were ready to go.

My buddy is a mechanic by trade so he knows machines (it means something when he's impressed, IMHO) and we raved about them all the way home. We've got plans to hit this pit again before the snow...

Cheers,
R.

[ImEazy]

Sounds like a good time all around. I've yet to get my kids out of the backyard yet due to lack of funds. Maybe one day. Thanks for the report.

[frostbite]

I grew up next to a gravel pit as a kid. Great riding. I remember this one hill that was so long and steep that if you didn't hit it just right and didn't miss any shifts you could make it (ATC 200X).

I only tried if the confidence level was _really_ high, or if someone dared me... :oops:

[panterra_rider]

Originally Posted by frostbite

I grew up next to a gravel pit as a kid. Great riding. I remember this one hill that was so long and steep that if you didn't hit it just right and didn't miss any shifts you could make it (ATC 200X).

I only tried if the confidence level was _really_ high, or if someone dared me... :oops:

Well speaking of confidence I had to admit I was a little bit anxious (maybe more than a little bit - me=8O ) as I eyed the steep climbs at first...mainly because you want to trust the machine you're on and the 150 was unproven yet for me. The grin I sported after the first climb was doubly wide cuz the bike really punched up the hill in 2nd gear with very little effort...and decently controllable. I know lotsa people on this board are looking at switching sprockets, etc. but we agreed that our 150s are actually geared quite well for the pit 8)

Cheers,
R.

[dlunt]

Mmmmm gravel pits!
Some of my best riding when I was a kid were old gravel pits and old coal strip mines. I have not had a chance to try a steep hill with my 200.

Never ran a 4-stroke up a steep loose hill only 2 strokes. All I ever had to do with them was stick 'em in first and go wide open all the way up.

So I am curious and eager to try the GY-5. But the tire grip is a little suspicious. :?: I will start with the smaller hills...when I find some.

[mule3010]

An abandoned stip mine is hard to beat. Many different kinds of terrain all in one place. If it's an older one(or newly abandoned) that has not been reclaimed that's where the real fun is.
Joe