Beware of Bigfoot
#1
03-04-2013, 05:02 PM
Beware of Bigfoot
and friends or family riding your bike-
I rode my 250 and my long time street oriented father N law rode my wifes out to a fairgrounds grassy parking (acres big) lot so we could have a couple bikes available.
We had about ten miles to get to the spot. He rides behind me, lags and then catches me at the stops. On one of the sections between stops I don't see him. He's gone- I check the rearview every 5 or ten seconds. Gone- I zip around and find him about a 1/2 mile back on the side of he road. He's fine but checking over the bike. The rear brake is locked up-wow- that's wierd- I have ridden both of these bikes various times before to make sure things were in order.
As I push it up to get it on flatter ground and more away from the road its dragging the rear wheel. Well long story long he was riding the rear brake with his cromagnom foot.
I laid over the seat and rolled it back and forth while working the rear brake and it broke loose. Its fine he is imbarrased and I have a bluer rear disc and maybe glazed pads.
So we continued on the mission at hand.
Out of the six of us 4 ride 2 are 1st timers-my sister and her 14 yr old (my nephew).
This whole thing was for my nephew to try and learn to ride in a safe simple location. He's almost 6' so he fit and could almost flat foot. All this went well and I hope to be able to find a good used drz125L or crff150 for him to be able to handle,throw around and learn to work on. Our 250s are too big and heavy for a 1st timer to do well by but it' the smallest bike in our family for now.
My father n law lead for the ride home so I could keep my eye on the brake light:-)
Steve
I rode my 250 and my long time street oriented father N law rode my wifes out to a fairgrounds grassy parking (acres big) lot so we could have a couple bikes available.
We had about ten miles to get to the spot. He rides behind me, lags and then catches me at the stops. On one of the sections between stops I don't see him. He's gone- I check the rearview every 5 or ten seconds. Gone- I zip around and find him about a 1/2 mile back on the side of he road. He's fine but checking over the bike. The rear brake is locked up-wow- that's wierd- I have ridden both of these bikes various times before to make sure things were in order.
As I push it up to get it on flatter ground and more away from the road its dragging the rear wheel. Well long story long he was riding the rear brake with his cromagnom foot.
I laid over the seat and rolled it back and forth while working the rear brake and it broke loose. Its fine he is imbarrased and I have a bluer rear disc and maybe glazed pads.
So we continued on the mission at hand.
Out of the six of us 4 ride 2 are 1st timers-my sister and her 14 yr old (my nephew).
This whole thing was for my nephew to try and learn to ride in a safe simple location. He's almost 6' so he fit and could almost flat foot. All this went well and I hope to be able to find a good used drz125L or crff150 for him to be able to handle,throw around and learn to work on. Our 250s are too big and heavy for a 1st timer to do well by but it' the smallest bike in our family for now.
My father n law lead for the ride home so I could keep my eye on the brake light:-)
Steve
#4
03-04-2013, 06:35 PM
I also am looking for a bike for my Nephew. I have been keeping an eye out for a XR/CRF100 or a TTR125(L) (larger wheels). Your nephew is tall so maybe the CRF150F would be a good start. The DRZ/KLX 125 might be a little small for him. The XR's seem to be the best bet for me as they are fairly cheap since they been around for decades. Other choices I have been searching for are the KLX140, KX100 (MotoCross) and any of the 85 two stroke bikes.
#7
03-05-2013, 12:40 AM
Funny stories.
In defense of bigfoot, however, I'll say that the KLX brake pedal is terribly limited in its adjustability. The actuation rod, at least on my bike, appears by design to have little latitude for sufficient clearance to lower the pedal...especially for MX boot use. This is the first off road or DS bike that I've had that didn't allow some decent mechanical adjustment. I ended up removing the pedal, heating it, and bending it to a more usable angle...at least for me.
In defense of bigfoot, however, I'll say that the KLX brake pedal is terribly limited in its adjustability. The actuation rod, at least on my bike, appears by design to have little latitude for sufficient clearance to lower the pedal...especially for MX boot use. This is the first off road or DS bike that I've had that didn't allow some decent mechanical adjustment. I ended up removing the pedal, heating it, and bending it to a more usable angle...at least for me.
#9
03-05-2013, 02:54 AM
Join Date: May 2012
Location: North Central Arizona
Posts: 128
Major GOOD on you guys who are helping your young nephews and nieces, sons and daughters, or any other young or old who might be interested in taking up the sport! Nothing like getting a little good guidance to get started!
#10
03-05-2013, 04:38 AM
They are. But they may also bust into your shed at night, and you'll have to beat them down with aluminum baseball bats.