Adventure Bike Rider Forum

http://www.adventurebikerider.com/forum ... e-fun.html beat you to it B) a couple or three of us are coming. How easy will it be? I am getting pressure to do it on the XTR660 with mitas EO9s.

It will be a straight forward course which will easy on a 660 on those tyres.

Burtieboy wrote:It will be a straight forward course which will easy on a 660 on those tyres.

Easy as in no snotty mud climbs that result in bikes overheating and clutches starting to drag or easy as in you'll be ok, just bang it in 2nd and hold it open no matter how steep it gets?

I'm sorely tempted but the D2D Big bike event last year made me swear never to do anything like that again unless it was on a bike weighing around 100kg.

If it's a BBRC organised event (and it is ) you can be assured that Burt will ensure it will be big bike friendly.

I'm tempted to give it a try on the 990 on the basis the lights on the CCM are totally shite... 35 watt tungsten bulb (one filament only on main beam) versus 55w+60w Halogen combined on main beam, no contest really :woohoo:

AndyB wrote:

Burtieboy wrote:It will be a straight forward course which will easy on a 660 on those tyres.

Easy as in no snotty mud climbs that result in bikes overheating and clutches starting to drag or easy as in you'll be ok, just bang it in 2nd and hold it open no matter how steep it gets?

I'm sorely tempted but the D2D Big bike event last year made me swear never to do anything like that again unless it was on a bike weighing around 100kg.

I rode that D2D night course but on the 200 and I truly felt for the big bikes. In truth it would of been achievable if it had not rained. This course, however is being set out by the BBRC folks not Nick and his chums who can ride up anything and leap small buildings with a single bound :huh: Ok Burt 660 it is :unsure:

herman wrote:

AndyB wrote:

Burtieboy wrote:It will be a straight forward course which will easy on a 660 on those tyres.

Easy as in no snotty mud climbs that result in bikes overheating and clutches starting to drag or easy as in you'll be ok, just bang it in 2nd and hold it open no matter how steep it gets?

I'm sorely tempted but the D2D Big bike event last year made me swear never to do anything like that again unless it was on a bike weighing around 100kg.

I rode that D2D night course but on the 200 and I truly felt for the big bikes. In truth it would of been achievable if it had not rained. This course, however is being set out by the BBRC folks not Nick and his chums who can ride up anything and leap small buildings with a single bound :huh: Ok Burt 660 it is :unsure:

I'm doing the Hafren on my 250 so will have a chance to see what Sweet Lamb is like then make a decision. I'm really tempted to do it on my Tenere because the lights on my 250 are crap and I don't want to blow yet more cash on helmet mounted lights.

i can assure every one, its all doable on big trail bikes and adventure bikes
the difficulty is riding in the dark thats where the test will be .......
with good lights it will be awesome over the top thats for sure

Hi all this is my first post!!
I only normally read through and be nosey :whistle:
This topic has made me think i should throw in my hat.
This my version of events on doing the Big Bike Challenge.
I have always wanted to do some racing etc so about 5 years ago i saw the blurbs about the big bike chalenge and thought ok thats for me. I had an africa twin at the time but i could'nt bring myself to risk such a good bike,so i bought a 1980's yamaha tenere just like the poster i had on my wall when i was just a sprog.
So i enter my first meeting (wales) and the first thing that strikes you in the BIG bike challenge is that there only about 20 BIG bikes!!! and everyone else is on 250's 400's etc !!!!
So then off you go......not so bad you think I can handle this! these fire roads are great!! and then suddenly you have to turn off the lovley fire road .....down a ditch...up a steep muddy bank...through some pretty hard muddy ruts....all the time you are sweating buckets hmy:
and all the while you have faster guys about an inch behind you, and they REALLY want to get by you no matter what it takes. Then you drop your bike in a place that is impossible for anyone to pass you!! and that heavy bike becomes very very heavy. 60 miles pass by..........and then there is another lap of it! This time it's either easier or you are now terified of doing the bits you struggled on during the first lap.....another 60 miles go by and now you are getting very knackered and thinking can i do another lap!!! But someone will ALWAYS stop and help you, so dont worry.
but you carry on and do another lap......it's a lot harder than you ever thought it was going to be...........
then thats it! you have finished!!! (hopefully) no cheering crowds, no just a bloke at the gate of the rugby club who hands you beer mat/coaster with the rally name on it.... but it feels like a real achievment and the beer mats just fine.
Then its the long drive home.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

So then i do another and then another and another, some are a lot harder than others and some that you do one year and though was easy, was really hard the next year because the rain made it a totaly different story.

and after a while you start to think why am i struggling around on this big heavy monster when everyone else is on a bloody 250 flying by me!!!! so thats it i get my self a 250 and do another couple of years on that.

And there WILL always be someone 2 inches from your back wheel trying to get by you! because no matter how good you get at it there WILL always be someone faster than you !!

Good luck to anyone doing it for the first time.

Regards Mike

The Hafren covers Sweet Lamb and Hafren Forest. The night rally will not go into Hafren Forest this is where the more tricky technical riding is and we WILL NOT be riding in the forest

This event is all fire roads so no snotty muddy bits and loads a grip on TKC's