Ducati Monster Forum

Leaving SM at around 8:30.

Feel free to join us if you've got a dirtbike and a truck.

Where you headed?  LPNF?

George

I'm not totally sure of the deets, as I'm passengering with a buddy. I can get details if you're interested. Shall I?

Hey Matt,

How did your ride go?  Where'd you end up, LPNF?  What do you ride and what kind of riding?

Lately, we've been hitting the SBNF trails out of Arrowhead/Big Bear, and occasionally, LPNF out of Gorman. 

My 250X is over at Precision Concepts for suspension work and a little tuning.  Anxious to see how the bike turns out.

George

..so is this your excuse for not showing up at IBN lately?!?

Don't mind luca...he's just jealous.

I actually started to post where we went, but realized it's tough to explain and aborted. Essentially, we got off 5 @ Gorman and headed up Lockwood, turned off on some dirt road, drove a few miles and parked in a dirt culdesac. From there we rode a few out and back trails in LPNF. A bit of fire roads and bunch of pretty technical single track. I'm still getting used to off-road riding, had a few spills, but nothing to write home about. Lots of jeeps up there, pretty impressive to watch some of the crap they can do.

How are you dialing in your suspension? for off-road? MX? mine is too stiff for trails at the moment - plus, some of the whoops up there really beat the shit out of me.

I've only ridden LPNF a handful of times but like what I've seen so far.  There's great technical single track up there... lot's of rocks, steep, narrow, and for a guy who is afraid of heights, some attention getting drop offs.  Not a lot of traffic on the single track either!

I'm not exactly sure what PC is doing to my bike but when they offered to "dial in" my stock 250x for my weight, skill level (old, slow, out of shape), and favored terrain (tight, technical, hairball single track) I left it up to them.  I do know they're re-springing and re-valving  forks, re-building shock, opening airbox, mild headwork, header & exhaust (that's hopefully as quiet as stock.)  I don't want a loud fire breathing dragon but I'd like to soak up those killer whoops a little better and not have to burn up my clutch on the loose, rocky switchbacks.

Luca, I'm overdue for an IBN...maybe tonight if I can get out of here at a reasonable hour.

George

Alleluia!  ;D

George,

Let me know how Precision Conepts does on service/suspension and the cost.  I'm in need of a service and a supension freshening.  I've been going to Langston but they have slipped in the past year, IMHO.

Thanks,

Greg

I felt like a mountain goat at times.

Hey Greg,

I rode my 250x Saturday after the Precision Concepts tune and all I can say is "Wowza!"  It's a completely different motorcycle.  We have a jetting issue to sort as we're riding higher altitudes than the bikes were set up for but handling is superb!

As to cost, you may want to speak to Bob or Diane directly.  They aren't cheap.  I spent a boatload of cash and that was with a deep discount, good guy price.  PC went through my entire bike and replicated the Honda "Works Bike" they built for the 24hr Glen Helen event.

Here's a taste:

New bars, grips, switches, headlamp & odometer brackets and hand guards.  The bars flex more than the stockers and have a bend that works better standing up.

New BRP triple clamps/offset (sharpens handling.)

Scotts Damper (needs one after the BRP triples.)

Replaced my aftermarket skidplate with a composite pan to allow more chassis flex.

Forks re-sprung, re-valved and polished internals.

Shock re-valved and internals polished, stock spring.  HD shock bumper.

Ported and polished head, 1x Cam, SS valves.

SS Pro-Circuit pipe w/ USFS approved sparky.  Modified airbox.

New chain guards, Seal Savers... and a lot of other little details.

The bike steers very precisely and you need the damper to quiet her down.  Motor revs quick and pulls hard off the bottom.  The forks soak up things that would have knocked me out of shape, if not on my head.  The shock... I didn't even know it was there!  I could hear it working and the swing arm traveling but couldn't feel them, sweet!

And then...  I hit reserve at 32 miles.  Dry at 48 miles.  Had to steal gas from my buddy's 07 250x to get back to the staging area.  He had the exact same mods done and still had at least 1.5 liters of fuel left in his tank.  My 08 tank is smaller but I don't think it's that much smaller.

By the end of the day, we were both backfiring on decel and getting burrbly pickup on accel...  too rich for 5000- 8000 ft?  We returned the bikes to PC yesterday and Mr Bell's gonna sort the jetting.

Well, I don't know if that helps.  Precision Concepts is expensive, but they are the best when it comes to Honda off-road/ desert/ Baja racing. 

George

Thanks for he ingo.  That was a lot of "stuff" you had done.  Great write up and I;ll give them a call. [thumbsup]

The lesson I learned was:  Don't give your bike to a race team and say "Do whatever you think it needs."

Honestly, I would have never thought changing the bars and triple clamp would make such a difference!