CADBR NORTH 2024

TAKE ON THE WORLD WITH THE DRZ

Originally set to be ridden on a 2021 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally, this adventure was accomplished on the legendary DRZ400. 

Pre-Start:

Plan your trip, test your bike and your gear; never assume it is in working order until it has been tested. I failed to do so on this BDR. While loading the motorcycles onto the U-Haul, I grabbed a handful of front brakes and the bike kept moving. I checked the cables, bled the brakes, cleaned the calipers and nothing. I could pressurize the brakes when still, but once I rolled two feet the brakes would loose pressure and the front brakes were useless. Not a great way to start the trip. Once it was determined that there was no quick fix, plan B needed to be created along with a mid-shift and expectation of the trip. I spent about ten minutes looking at my fully loaded tiger with brand new Motoz tires and looking at my dirty DRZ in the garage. I knew with the timelines and plans in motion, I would not be able to take the tiger out on this trip. Every once in a while, I tell my riding buddies; It’s not about what gets you there, it’s how you get there. It was time to practice what I preach. I gave the DRZ a good check and of we went. Tiger and DRZ taking on the Northern California BDR. 

We did the long haul to Reno with a late pit stop in the Klamath Falls KOA. We pulled into Reno mid day and set out around town. This outing set the tone for the rest of the trip. Fancy drinks and good food whenever possible. The following day we took off on our three hour ride to the start of the BDR. The DRZ did great on the highway, except for the rutted parts, my front tire was moving like Jell-O on top a washing machine anytime a rutted section would pop up. I was full hard on the suspension and made it to Mammoth Lake. We lucked out and got the last spot at another KOA, this was also our first encounter with a bear. 

Section 1:

Three days in and we finally started riding offroad. The ride was fun enough, but what sticks out is the water crossing and the climb to Mt Patterson. Both sections were labeled expert and one definitely was. This was our first major water crossing and we were both excited. I usually do a bit of prep when I know that I will be doing something tricky or for the first time. I watched a couple of youtube videos and listened to the ARR podcast with Clinton Smout specifically for this water crossing. When we pulled up to the water section, I applied some of the information from my prep; I walked the area, scoped out a good line, determined how deep it was, how fast the water was flowing, it all looked good so off I went. I hit it in 2nd gear, probably not enough speed, but enough to get through with a little dab. I recall that you don’t really want to go whole hog when you hit water as the front end will most likely dive and that’s no good. My friend did not listen to that podcast or watch the videos. He went for it and made it across and it was awesome to watch. I got a good slow-motion video of him partying the water like Moses. Crossing this section had us feeling pretty badass about our riding. That quickly faded once we made our way up Mt Patterson. We crossed deeper water to get into “deeper waters” on our way up Mt Patterson. We made it about ¼ of the way up before deciding it was too much for a big bike to handle. I had a hard time staying of the deep ruts on the DRZ, I could only imagine how tough it was for my friend. I should also mention that my friend likes to ride fully loaded with large panniers, so that adds another level of difficulty that I don’t care to experience. The section was very tricky, not only did you have a steep incline, but there was very deep ruts on the inside line so if you didn’t have enough speed to ride the small berm, your back tire would slide down into the rut and then you were pretty much crawling out, falling over or getting stuck. Usually all of the above, but reverse the order. We got a good work out in that day, a fully loaded Tiger is not easy to pull out of a rut. Another good tip I picked up from the ARR podcast was to take my gear off anytime you have to work on your bike. This allowed me to cool off a bit while I was helping my buddy get his bike back in order. We made it down, tightened up a few parts and made out way to Bear Valley, the normal way. It was a fun fast ride to Bodie. The ghost town was a cool stop. I would prefer to see it at night but it made for good pictures non the less. 

Section 2:

They call it Bear Valley for a reason. We met Shawn the cool IT guy for “three cedars resort” and had some awesome pasta from the Creekside restaurant. He gave us the lowdown on places to camp for free but with the night creeping in, we opted for the closest campground. That night we ran into the campground manager for the area, he took my $50 dollar bill, the campground was $30, he warned us about bears, my friend then heard a bear while getting water, it made for an uneasy feeling. I do not mess around when it comes to wild animals. I know what they are capable of and I do not t want to take selfies with them or get mauled by them. We had no means of protecting ourselves so I made the call to pack up and find another spot. We ended up moving to the main campground a few minutes up the road which felt more secure. I bought bear mace the following day. $70 for mace is a price I am willing to pay to keep my limbs. My friend thinks he is immune to bear attacks. 

Section 3 & 4:

I recall these sections were just a fun ride through the woods.  Unfortunately, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was closed when we passed through. Section 4 did have some awesome windy pavement. I had a blast revving up the DRZ and carving through the roads. It’s really cool feeling the difference in motorcycles; the engines, the suspension, the handling. This was the first time I actually paid attention to the single cylinder engine feel. I love being able to use the engine to slow down into and out of a corner, the transition from stopping to accelerating is great. I can see why people put street tires on these bikes. They are extremely fun to ride, off-road and on the street. 

Truckee-like Sisters, will always have a place in my heart. Sometimes you come across towns and feel right at home. I won’t give details on the town, just go visit and experience it for yourself. We met great people, ate great food, had plenty of drinks, and had a hard time leaving. T-Club, Motorhead, Miles Davis, Baroness, Ween, whiskey and tequila. Enough said.

Section 5 take one:

We found that on this BDR, some sections labeled expert were spot on or a total miss. This is to be expected, the terrain changes every season for better or worse. We decided that we would give every section a shot and if it got to hairy, we would call it quits and go around it. Having the DRZ on this trip might have been a blessing in disguise. I was able to enjoy the scenery more than usual and I was able to scope out the trails before my friend hit them on the big bike. This is not to say that the sections were easy, they were pretty challenging compared to other BDRS, but there were a few moments that could have ended bad if I were also on a big bike.  Unfortunately, my friend found one of those moments during the Verdi Peak hill climb. Luckly nothing was broken but we stopped at the Emergency Room in Truckee for a quick check anyway. What’s the point of insurance if you don’t use it? This is one of those moments where you have to respect the wishes of your riding partner and go with the flow. I probably would have checked if my limbs still moved and called it good, but it’s not just my ride, it’s our ride, it’s also a health issue, I can’t make the call for how someone else feels. He ended up getting the ok to ride from the doc, but it was getting late and a goodnight sleep would do us both good, so we ended up staying in Truckee another night. There is definitely a lesson to be learned here, but it’s one that I have yet to put into practice. Don’t party before a hard day of riding. 

Section 5 take two:

With some Chinese food in our system and a few hours of sleep, we decided to skip some of this section and go straight to the Sierra Buttes look out. If there was any goal in mind for this trip, it was to try and make it to the top of this lookout. It is the coolest location on this BDR. We rode pavement to Sierraville the started the climb to the lookout. This is a very fun climb. It has a nice transition from medium to hard. It has plenty of spots to call it quits but the sections are short enough that you want to keep going. When it comes to riding on trail, I usually take off and check in occasionally, to make sure everything is still good and that we still have radio communication. This climb will test you for sure. I had to take a few mini breaks during the climb and stalled out once or twice. I was very impressed with my friend and how well he was doing. It must have been a tough go. There is a section in the climb that gets you to the base of the lookout where you can opt to hike up or keep going on trail. The terrain gets harder, the rocks get bigger, the incline gets steeper. It really makes you earn that last section to the top. I took a little break, checked in with my friend and then took of for the top, on my bike. I was sweating, my hands were starting to cramp, but I knew I could make it. I just had to adjust my strategy half way into this section. I couldn’t get enough momentum to make the turn and keep traction. I ended up lining up each turn and hitting it enduro style. Two turns from the top I heard “my clutch is out, my clutch is going out”.  The radio was loud and clear. I lined up my next turn, I killed the engine and checked in with my friend. I made sure he was ok, got the status on his situation, I let him know my status and we decided he should park the bike and hike up. (It’s not about what gets you there) We were so close, he had to make it up. I hit the start button and kept making my way up. There are a few turns on this climb that open like curtains on a movie theatre, to beautiful landscape that can only be found when you travel far and wide on a hot gnarly machine fueled by gas and determination. Making the last turn, seeing the gas cans and climbing the stairs is well worth the effort. There is no point in describing the view from the top, it wouldn’t do it justice, just make sure to take some time to take it all in and leave a little note in the stash box. 

We made it back to Sierraville thanks to the help from the big G. We also had an awesome burger from the general store. If the owner of the shop tells you they make a good burger, trust them. 

Pre-end:

The DRZ is a killer bike. It can handle almost all of the elements of nature minus one. Wind, wind is the enemy of the DRZ. I got lucky on the way down from Reno, but my luck ran out on the way down to South Lake Tahoe for a U-Haul. The most dangerous part of this trip for me was this last ride on pavement. I got close going down a few times. When you see the yellow flashing lights on the side of the highway, warning semi trucks about strong winds, that means it is time to get off the highway. If semitrucks have no chance, imagine a small bike. This is another good lesson learned. A-wind and DRZs don’t mix. B-check on your riding partner, specially if you are on a bigger bike and in charge of navigating. Normally this is where the radios would come into play, but if you’re listening to music and you have your radio volume down, it defeats the purpose. I was behind my friend for a solid 5 minutes trying to get his attention and nothing. Fortunately there was an area that slowed down a bit and I was able to get beside him to let him know that I needed to pull off the highway. We found a different route and got to our destination, but we both learned a good lesson from that situation. 

This is where motorcycle riding ends for this adventure. We did not complete the BDR, we had to change plans from the start, we had mechanical issues, we had injuries, but we met awesome people, had great rides and a few firsts. We both feel accomplished and more seasoned. We can’t wait to finish this BDR next year or take on a new one. Good times, always.