Manawan Reserve ride

When I came back from a test ride to Parent in July, I met a retired logging truck driver in Mont St-Michel.  He suggested I take the Manawan fire road instead of the boring Highway 15. 

Waste of time.  Despite searching around for a while, I never found the road in question.  I promised myself that I’d give it another shot eventually.

So, in September, I planned a ride to the Manawan reserve taking the road bearing the same name.   I brought a ratchet and a socket along just in case.  The last time I rode on a fire road, the Parent road, it was more than the Versys suspension could handle.  Most of the vibrations caused by the washboard sections of the road were directly transmitted to the handle bar.  So the ratchet could come in handy for adjusting the suspension and hopefully making the ride enjoyable.

The ride plan below (http://goo.gl/maps/gQYe0):

Note all the parks on the map, from the left: Papineau-Labelle, Mount Tremblant, Ouareau Forest, Taureau Lake, La Mauricie National Park and more.  It is amazing all the places I can explore just few hours away!  More to the east, there is the huge Laurentian Park.

To reach Manawan, I left early in the morning to have some spare time to take a few shots.  So at around 7:30 am I was off: 640 east, 25 north, 125 north, the 337 north.

9 a.m. The most beautiful site during this ride: the Dorwin falls in the Chute-Dorwin park along the 337 in Rawdon.

Quite a nice waterfall! I told myself: “How come I never heard of this place before?”  The picture does not really show how great it is: it is huge!

Accessing the park is not free, but when I got there, the gate was open and the booth was empty - I could access freely.

I went back with my family a few weeks later.  The ride is a little long with young kids from my place, but once there everyone enjoyed walking in the forest along the river.

To be continued.  See next part.

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Metzeler introduces the new Karoo 3 at EICMA

Munich, 12 November 2012 – After the global preview of the newTourance Next at Intermot, Metzeler introduces another jewel from the 2013 range at EICMA: The Karoo 3, a knobby tire made for bikers who love adventure and want to use their motorcycles for long off-road trips.

The new Karoo 3 is the perfect tire for large and medium displacement enduro bikes which have to travel both on asphalt and off-road. Bikes like the latest BMW R 1200 GS, which can be equipped with the Karoo 3 in 120/70 R 19 on the front and the brand new 170/60 R 17 on the rear.

The Karoo 3 is capable of guaranteeing high mileage to all those bikers who love to take on long distance travel, provides excellent grip off-road and terrific stability and handling. These are all important elements, considering that riders must often travel for many miles over asphalt in order to reach their off-road destination.

These are the main characteristics of the new Karoo 3 with respect to its MCE Karoo and MCE Karoo T predecessors:

The compounds in the new Karoo 3 use high dispersibility components capable of obtaining a more uniform mix which provides mechanical resistance to lacerations, all to the benefit of mileage, while still maintaining high dampening capability.

The structure in polyester guarantees a sturdy, yet flexible product because the tire is able to perfectly follow the unevenness of the terrain when riding off road, to the advantage of handling and traction.

The trapezoid-shaped knobs have an innovative geometry which ensures progressive off-road traction at various lean angles. The “V” shape of the pattern provided by the knob arrangement optimizes power transmission and wear.  The center knobs are larger, which  reduces their mobility to enhance stability at high speed. The knob-spacing varies from the center to the shoulder: at the center the knobs are spaced farther apart to guarantee better penetration in soft terrain, offering better traction off road, while on the shoulder the knobs are closer together in order to guarantee more rubber on the road—and more grip—when leaning into a curve on asphalt.

The Karoo 3 will be on sale from spring 2013 and will replace the current MCE Karoo and MCE Karoo T. The new tire will be available in the following sizes:

Front:

110/80 – 19 M/C 59R TL M+S

120/70 R 19 M/C 60T TL M+S

90/90 – 21 M/C 54R TL M+S

Rear:

150/70 – 17 M/C 69R TL M+S

170/60 R 17 M/C 72T TL M+S

130/80 – 17 M/C 65R M+S

140/80 – 17 M/C 69R M+S

140/80 – 18 M/C 70R M+S

150/70 – 18 M/C 70R M+S

 

[SRC:Metzeler]

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JCR Honda Wins 45th Baja 1000

After fending off numerous challenges from other motorcycle teams during the 45th running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda team and their Honda CRF450X pulled out a decisive lead and sailed into La Paz to win the race with a margin of more than an hour, and lock up the 2012 SCORE 1X championship. It was a fitting tribute to Honda’s 50th Baja anniversary, stretching back to the inaugural ride from Tijuana to La Paz undertaken by Dave Ekins and Bill Robertson to promote Honda’s CL72 Scrambler in 1962. 

After leading for more than 970 miles, the JCR team’s finishing time totaled 20:09:30 for an average speed of 55.64 mph. The success of JCR Honda team riders Colton Udall, Timmy Weigand and David Kamo extended the Honda win streak in the Baja 1000 to 16 consecutive victories and 23 overall motorcycle wins. Equally impressive, nine out of the top 10 finishing teams this year in the motorcycle division chose to ride a Honda CRF450X. 

The toughness of this year’s Baja 1000 was evident at the finish line: Of the 298 starters only 174 teams finished the race. The JCR Honda CRF450X—prepped for the race by JCR’s Eric Siraton—worked flawlessly while racing over the brutal 1121-mile course. 

“It was a very tough course,” said Udall. “The section through San Felipe was probably one of the gnarliest workouts I ever had in my life.” 

“My stretches went by really fast,” said Kamo. “There were lots of cows and lots of cars and lots of people. Donkeys, horses, everything. Some were on the trail and some just stood there because we were going by so fast that they didn’t move. It couldn’t have gone any better.” 

“We have three amazing teammates,” said Weigand, “and we have a great mentor in Johnny (Campbell) and a great bike in Honda. We’ve won this race before so we expected to do the same.” 

“I am overwhelmed by the effort my pit crews put together to make this race run smoothly,” said Johnny Campbell. “JCR brings a small army of some of the most extraordinary people together to make a race like the Baja 1000 possible. I can’t thank them enough for their service and support. I am proud to have each one of them in the JCR family and look forward to many more adventures together. Thank you to the racers for their commitment to upholding this Honda legacy and our 16th Baja 1000 win in a row.”

[SRC: Honda]

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Tweets de @dakarofficial

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Polaris Acquires KLIM Technical Riding Gear

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2012-- Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced the acquisition of Teton Outfitters, LLC, a privately owned, Rigby, Idaho-based company which designs, develops and distributes KLIM Technical Riding Gear. Calendar year 2012 sales for KLIM are anticipated to approach $30 million. KLIM is an industry leader in technical riding gear. This acquisition adds KLIM to Polaris’ growing parts, garments and accessories (PG&A) business. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

A collection of snowmobile gear designed and developed by KLIM Technical Riding Gear. Today, Polaris Industries Inc. announced it had acquired KLIM. (Photo: Business Wire)

“The KLIM acquisition provides yet another growth opportunity for our PG&A business, a key contributor to Polaris’ top-line growth and profitability,” said Steve Eastman, Polaris’ vice president of PG&A. “KLIM is an established leader in the powersports apparel market with a strong track record of providing innovative, premium technical riding gear to a broad range of consumers. Adding an outstanding brand like KLIM, whose strengths complement our existing business, gives us a more complete PG&A product lineup, one which will flourish in the global market. We are excited to welcome KLIM employees into thePolaris family. With our common culture and vision, we believe this will be a mutually beneficial partnership for everyone involved.”

Polaris will maintain the KLIM brand positioning and name while continuing to drive its existing apparel brands. KLIM will continue operations in Rigby with its current staff. Polaris has plans to establish the Rigby facility as its new apparel Center of Excellence, bringing the unmatched capabilities, expertise and knowledge housed in Rigby to all Polaris branded apparel.

“I built KLIM with a passion for the category and a commitment to the world’s adventure snowmobile and motorcycle riders,” saidJustin Summers, KLIM founder, president and CEO. "We had a vision of making products that mattered, that solved problems and that were the best they could be. I am very proud of what we have built at KLIM, and I am fired up that the next chapter of the KLIM story will be written through our exciting partnership withPolaris. KLIM will now have the resources to reach the next level as we continue to innovate and lead into the future.”

KLIM is known not only for superior quality, innovation and performance, but also for its understanding of riders’ needs and devotion to addressing them in its products. This passion underscores KLIM’s culture and vision, which in many ways mirror Polaris’ own guiding principles. KLIM was advised by The Meriwether Group.

KLIM’s Rigby facility and its business culture, are highlighted in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDwmb6eO-g4.

Photos of select KLIM products and a slide summarizing KLIM's business and its fit with Polaris are available here:http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50499525&lang=en

About Polaris

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2011 sales of $2.7 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road vehicles (ORVs), including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER® side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.

Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory and Indian motorcycle brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global on-road small electric/hybrid vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) and Goupil Industrie SA, and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships.

Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index. Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicles accessories are available from authorized Polaris dealers or anytime at www.polaris.com.

About KLIM

KLIM Technical Riding Gear is a global leader in designing, developing, sourcing and distributing the most advanced powersports apparel for the snowmobile and motorcycle rider. Utilizing the world’s highest technologies in waterproof, breathable, durable and comfortable materials, like GORE-TEX® products, KLIM offers gear for the most demanding riders. Driven by the continual feedback and input from dedicated test pilots and passionate customers, KLIM strives to do one thing above all – improve the riding experience without compromise. For more information, visit www.KLIM.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20121206005370/en/

Source: Polaris Industries Inc.

Polaris Industries Inc.
Marlys Knutson, 763-542-0533 (Media)
marlys.knutson@polaris.com
Richard Edwards, 763-513-3477 (Investor)
richard.edwards@polaris.com

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KTM 350 EXC-F: A Conclusion

 

KTM’s “Ready-to-race” mantra sticks to the 350 EXC-F for sure - but this motorcycle is more than a race bike.

Every part of this motorcycle was designed to perform.  It sums up to a very agile, predictable and easy to drive off-road bike in all trail conditions.  Surprisingly, it also makes the 350 EXC-F an ideal motorcycle for off-road neophytes as it easily forgives mistakes.  However, there are fine prints: the bike does not fit everyone.  As an example, with my 5’9” frame, I had to adapt to the seat height.  But once you’re off, the experience is unique.

In 5 points, what I liked the most about this bike:

1. lightness: at more than 10 Grand (Canadian), we may ask what exactly we are paying for.  The answer is rather unusual, but we are paying for something we don’t want: extra weight that would impact negatively the 350 EXC-F’s agility.  At only 240 lbs. (109 kg), this bike is the reference in the matter;

2. the engine: I was surprised by the engine’s efficiency – a 350cc which has more punch than I originally expected.  This small mono is smooth at low RPMs and has enough torque to have fun.  There is also power in higher revs – I reached speeds that are way above highway limits.  On no occasion while riding the KTM was I under the impression that the engine was short on power or deficient – KTM announces an hefty 45 hp!

3. ground clearance: it is huge, stratospheric, impressive.  The ground clearance on this motorcycle will let the rider go anywhere without the hassle of an impact with a big rock.  However you can’t have your cake and eat it too: because of the ground clearance, the rider must deal with a sky high seat;

4. suspension: it absorbs obstacles on its path with disconcerting ease;

5. narrowness: the bike is so thin that it sneaks in anywhere.  This was extremely useful on many occasions.

I could certainly add more items to the list, but it can be summarized to this: the bike has been engineered without compromise to excel in all off-road situations.

On the other hand, of course there are negative points.  So here is what I dislike in 5 points:

1. seat: unless one rides nearby trails week after week, it is required to travel long distances on paved roads to reach new paths.  After a few experiences, the seat will gradually erode one’s enthusiasm.  There are aftermarket seats that could help in this area (SeatConcept manufactures one).  Towing the bike is an alternative solution;

2. autonomy:  many bikes have an autonomy issue.  With only 112 miles (180 km) of autonomy, the KTM requires to carefully plan adventure rides according to the location of gas stations along the way.  Also, it runs on high octane fuel, some gas stations only offers regular – an issue I had to deal with on my test ride;

3. wind protection: riding most dual sport motorcycles at 65 mph (110 km/h) for hours on the highway makes you feel like a fish out of water – it applies to the 350 EXC-F as well;

4. maintenance: high performance parts of the KTM require rigorous maintenance.  As an example, the piston must be serviced after 105 hours of normal use.  Unless one is an advised mechanic, maintenance fees can escalate rapidly if the bike is used regularly;

5. practical aspect: it is not possible to have a passenger and it is difficult to carry anything - this is simply not a bike designed with this in mind.

Despite the drawbacks mentioned above, riding the 350 EXC-F was a pretty satisfying off-road experience.  My only regret: I ran out of time due to circumstances out of my control and I could not ride the bike in all the trails I had planned…hopefully, the end of the world will be postponed again and I’ll get another chance.

I don’t think I exaggerated when I described the 350 EXC-F as the dual sport Ferrari.  The price tag is high when compared to other bikes in the same category, but considering this bike as the sum of KTM’s “savoir faire” accumulated over the years – just think about Dakar rally victories – it is possibly a bargain.

Thanks to KTM Canada loaning the bike and thank you for sharing!

DSAQ

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