I biffed the YZ a little today.

[FastDoc]

The dry dusty conditions are rough. We have not had measurable rain in about 5 months, which is usual. This is the worst time of year for local riding. :?

I was heading up a stupid steep rocky rutted dusty sandy trail and bounced off one rock into another into another and was at a complete stop and tipped over to the left. On a rock about the size of a 50 cc scooter.

It was a perfect hit on my left radiator. It was also perfect to smack my right shin on the back of the footpeg. Ouch :evil: . The radiator bent in about 1/2 inch. No leaks and I rode home.

At home I was carefully able to bend it back to it's original position. A test drive revealed no leaks. A fresh coat of shiny black Plasticoat erased the evidence. :wink:

I may look into radiator guards, and shin guards. :roll:

[MICRider]

Ouch! Glad to hear you and the bike are okay, shin guards would be a good idea in that kind of terrain... You can never have too much safety gear

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by MICRider

Ouch! Glad to hear you and the bike are okay, shin guards would be a good idea in that kind of terrain... You can never have too much safety gear

X2.

Spud

[FastDoc]

Both bike and rider are fine.

Thanks for your concern though. :P

[FastDoc]

I really love this bike. The performance is intoxicating and the reliabilty comforting. I'm blessed to have it. :P

[FastDoc]

Note smoke from Central Washington wildfires.

We have lost about 200 square miles of forest. :(

[Krasi_BG]

Well Doc,
No hand guards, no radiator guards, no bash plate, no shin guards, which probably means no knee braces. I think you're asking for trouble. Don't be like 99% of us who get proper gear and wear it constantly AFTER the damage is done. Ask my right knee how I know that

And weirdly enough, that YZ is big part of the problem, believe it or not. 10-15 years ago we were offroading on some big a... XTs, DRs, XLs/XRs and were taking it slow and easy. Nowadays, we got light and powerful machines, and we started to get ourselves into some nasty and gnarly goat trails, slopes and gullies that we would never ever consider attacking in the past. It's like during holidays: my eyes want to eat, but my stomach can't keep up

[FastDoc]

Good points Krasi.

I will order more body armor in the next couple of days. :wink:

Regarding armoring the bike I have mixed feelings...

It does have a pretty good bash plate from the factory, but lacks armor in other areas, most notably the radiators.

On the other hand, radiator guards do not provide a guarantee, and are actually more expensive than brand new radiators! 8O

I think the overall risk of being stranded is quite low due to a radiator injury so I may elect to leave them off for now.

The fact is that the YZ, as capable as it is as an enduro, really is a hard core motocross racing bike. I am using it outside of its design as a dualsport/offroader. That's fine but in the long run it would better to buy a KTM dualsport or a fuel injected WR and dualsport it than convert this one. :idea:

To fully modify the YZ would take a bigger fuel tank, wider gearing, stronger stator, heavier flywheel, more armor, softer suspension, wider seat, etc. etc. etc. :roll:

It would be cheaper to someday sell and buy a WR or KTM.

For now though I love it the way it is. 45 HP and 230 pounds is nothing to sneeze at! :P

[FastDoc]

BTW I always wear a Snell helmet, gloves, kevlar armored jeans or armored pants, gloves, and armored jacket. The only open spots are (were) my shins and knees... :roll:

[Weldangrind]

One of your buddies with a TIG welder can easily fab some rad guards for cheap. My buddy used perforated aluminum plate, and it's tough and light.

Do you wear MX boots? I don't ride off-road without them.

[FastDoc]

I always wear boots but not always MX boots. Sometimes I wear steel toe/shank duty boots, sometimes 'Mucks' which are steel toe/shank tall neoprene rubber ranch/farm work boots. Those are what I was wearing yesterday.

For serious offroading I wear my Alpinstars, which I think I will wear more frequently now.... They are comfortale enough but it's a bit like riding with your feet locked in a safe. :roll:

[Weldangrind]

My Moose boots are so deep in the toe area that I had to raise my shifter to ride with them. Suits me fine, as I don't ride without 'em.