Take a ride out to Red Rocks while you're there plus you'll be close to Death Valley - I just might have to meet you up there.

 

Just got back from shopping, the traffic is crazy with the Super Bowl maniacs on the road. After looking at bryantjt snow video, I turned the heater up in the house 20 degrees!

 

Desert dwellers.....sheesh

 

U SUCK... i would love to ride in 60 degree weather right now... that looks soo nice...

 

I know, just thought I'd share before it hits 100º+

Wilfred Thesiger wrote, “No man can live this life and emerge unchanged. He will carry, however faint, the imprint of the desert, the brand which marks the nomad; and he will have within him the yearning to return, weak or insistent according to his nature. For this cruel land can cast a spell which no temperate clime can match."

 

My wife and I went out for her first dirt ride yesterday (saturday) up on the road to Crown King outside of Phoenix. She had a blast, and I had a blast watching her have a blast. She did great! It did get a bit chilly on the way back, but not too bad at all. Here are a couple of pics:





Don

 

Hey Don awesome pics, and welcome to the site. A friend of mine has the TW 200 and I rode it and have to say its a lot of fun and actually does really well on the loose gravel. Again welcome and keep the ride reports coming. We have snow on the ground still and seeing your pics gives some of us something to look forward to.

 

How does your wife like the tw? I managed to drag my wife out to look at and sit on a few bikes a few weeks ago, the DR200, XT250, CRF230 and also the TW200...I thought she would like the DR200 (or is it a DRZ200?), but she liked the TW200 the best! I want her to get her bike liscence so she can come out and enjoy a bit what I enjoy.

 

Hello there Mr. Mudjunkie!

Well, so far she likes the TW200 a lot. She has only ridden it in a school parking lot once, and on the 34 mile dirt road ride yesterday. We both successfully went through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation training course a few weekends ago, so before that, she had no riding experience at all. The course was great, and really made her feel comfortable on a bike. The main reason we bought the TW200 was that the seat height is only about 30 inches. She is only 5'4", so having a bike that she can sit on and still reach the ground was very important. I have read quite a lot about the TW ( http://tw200forum.com) and can see that many people like them. In fact the bike has been produced in essentially the same form since 1987! Plus, ya gotta like those big fat tires!

Don

 

BTW, welcome to the forums..I should have done that first..lol...oh well you'll find lots of helpful people on here.

The fat tires is what my wife liked too, she's also about 5'4" although she thinks she is as tall as me at 5'6" but I know different haha...I took a bike course too and would reccommend that route to anyone before hitting the traffic. My wife has also never ridden a bike, although i did let her attempt to ride my 450 Nighthawk onetime in a parking lot with me on the back, but that's not the way to start. The course will be a must for her..it teaches you more than you will ever learn on your own..ie emergency braking, counter-steering, running over obstacles (if you cannot avoid), shoulder checks, etc

Did both of you succeed inyour ride without a spill...that would be impressive for a first ride in the dirt, and how was her cornering? I feel sometimes a little speed around the turn is better than trying to slow down in the middle of it.