Riding in the desert in southern NM

[Spydie]

Weather was beautiful today, high 60s, blue skies, little wind. Got into the mountains near my place. Unfortunately most of the off-riding in the mountains near my place (and most of NM) is very rocky once you get off the bottomlands and start going up into the hills. It got so rocky today that I gave up about half way up. this is really ATV/UTV/Jeep country. Two-wheelers don't go very well in our hills here. Rocks are just too big. Too small to go around and too bike to go over. Just look at the beautiful blue sky! Really helping my solar panels today!

 

[G19Tony]

Very nice!

 

[m in sc]

thats very cool. If i lived near terrain like that id def use my 125 differently. beautiful pics.

 

[TahoeMike]

Looks a lot like the riding I do around Reno on my Talon. Two friends have ridden their 650 Kawasakis while the rest of us ride in Pioneers, ATVs, and my Talon. One trip, the motorcyclist hit a rock, went down and broke his collar bone. Kudos to his toughness, he kept riding thru that day and the next. It's amazing what motrin and IPAs will do for the pain! The next trip the other guy simply tipped over on his bike in an icy rut and split his knee open. Didn't rip his jeans at all, but the skin over his knee split clean. Had to have been 6-7 inches. I had to give him a ride back to the ambulance in my 2012 Can Am Commander. After I got the Talon, the two of them split the cost on my Commander and have never been trail riding on bikes since then. I know the Trail 125 is very capable, but I think it's for a different trail than what the 4 wheelers go on.

 

[Spydie]

Looks a lot like the riding I do around Reno on my Talon. Two friends have ridden their 650 Kawasakis while the rest of us ride in Pioneers, ATVs, and my Talon. One trip, the motorcyclist hit a rock, went down and broke his collar bone. Kudos to his toughness, he kept riding thru that day and the next. It's amazing what motrin and IPAs will do for the pain! The next trip the other guy simply tipped over on his bike in an icy rut and split his knee open. Didn't rip his jeans at all, but the skin over his knee split clean. Had to have been 6-7 inches. I had to give him a ride back to the ambulance in my 2012 Can Am Commander. After I got the Talon, the two of them split the cost on my Commander and have never been trail riding on bikes since then. I know the Trail 125 is very capable, but I think it's for a different trail than what the 4 wheelers go on.

You need to watch my video at Quartizite, AZ. I went everywhere the ATV/UTVs went (on my CT125).

 

[TahoeMike]

Thanks for posting that. Similar to the Reno/Sparks/Virginia City stuff we do. No doubt it's a capable little beast, but you have to constantly be on alert. That's why I like the Talon, just easier to ride for me. 8 of us going out next Saturday. It's been a while since we rode. Can't wait. Taking a friend who's never been.

 

[Spydie]

Thanks for posting that. Similar to the Reno/Sparks/Virginia City stuff we do. No doubt it's a capable little beast, but you have to constantly be on alert. That's why I like the Talon, just easier to ride for me. 8 of us going out next Saturday. It's been a while since we rode. Can't wait. Taking a friend who's never been.

Those UTV side-by-sides look like fun. I have a Polaris tandem two-seat because it fits in the back of my pickup with my camper on. I'd like a side-by-side but they won't fit in my pickup box. Have fun. Summer is coming. Maybe a new Royal Enfield Himalayan in my future. I have a Kawasaki 650KLR now, but it's a little too tall and heavy. The Himalayan is about the same weight, but it's much lower. Getting excited about it. Four motorcycles in the garage now, number 5 coming soon! I'd like a Honda CRF300L, but they don't have the touring accessories the Adventure bikes do.

 

[TahoeMike]

Two of my riding buddies got hurt on their Kawasaki 650s riding the trails with us. One fell and broke collar bone, the other fell and split knee wide open. Saw both of them do it. They put the bikes away for the trails and split the cost on my Cam Am Commander. They take turns riding/driving. Will see them next Saturday. I'm sure they are great off road bikes, but it has to be the right trails. Not the ones we were on. Lots of rocks and turns the first time, and icy snow ruts the second time. My Trail 125 will be primarily a road bike for that reason. Maybe a logging road. For the tough stuff, this is what I prefer.

 

[Spydie]

Two of my riding buddies got hurt on their Kawasaki 650s riding the trails with us. One fell and broke collar bone, the other fell and split knee wide open. Saw both of them do it. They put the bikes away for the trails and split the cost on my Cam Am Commander. They take turns riding/driving. Will see them next Saturday. I'm sure they are great off road bikes, but it has to be the right trails. Not the ones we were on. Lots of rocks and turns the first time, and icy snow ruts the second time. My Trail 125 will be primarily a road bike for that reason. Maybe a logging road.

The trail 125 will go anywhere your ATV will go, as I proved in the video, but it's a hairy ride! LOL. I agree, the KLR is too heavy and tall to be doing the really rough stuff. The Honda CRF300L will go anywhere you can go, but I want a more touring/adventure bike. The KLR is good for that (I took it dirt riding yesterday and went places I never thought that heavy\topheavy bick would go) but it's a better road bike and light two-lane trails bike. The Himalayan has a lower weight (even though it weighs as much as the KLR) and a more comfortable saddle and suspension, but again, it's a compromise bike made for off-road and highway, but not the gnarly stuff that a true dirt bike can do, like the CRF300L. But I very seldom have need for a bike that can do that because I have my Polaris ATV to do that stuff. I'm just trying to justify a new 5th bike! LOL

 

[TahoeMike]

I don't bother justifying things anymore! As long as I have the space and don't have to finance, I'm good. The wife has capitulated! The problem is the space. Especially when I'm much more of a car guy than bike guy.

 

[Spydie]

I don't bother justifying things anymore! As long as I have the space and don't have to finance, I'm good. The wife has capitulated! The problem is the space. Especially when I'm much more of a car guy than bike guy.

ha ha, 55 bikes and 114 vehicle later, I have to agree with you!

 

[vhortykho]

Spydie, where in southern NM? I'm in Las Cruces and always looking for riding buddies.

 

[Spydie]

Spydie, where in southern NM? I'm in Las Cruces and always looking for riding buddies.

I'm just outside Deming, NM. PM me and we'll hook up for a ride. There's another guy in Las Cruces with a CT125 also I'll tell you about. He and I have been talking all winter about hooking up for a ride when it gets warmer. I'm not riding my CT125 much now as I'm breaking in my new Royal Enfield Himalayan right now. So many bikes... so little time!!!

 

[McRuss]

The trail 125 will go anywhere your ATV will go, as I proved in the video, but it's a hairy ride! LOL. I agree, the KLR is too heavy and tall to be doing the really rough stuff. The Honda CRF300L will go anywhere you can go, but I want a more touring/adventure bike. The KLR is good for that (I took it dirt riding yesterday and went places I never thought that heavy\topheavy bick would go) but it's a better road bike and light two-lane trails bike. The Himalayan has a lower weight (even though it weighs as much as the KLR) and a more comfortable saddle and suspension, but again, it's a compromise bike made for off-road and highway, but not the gnarly stuff that a true dirt bike can do, like the CRF300L. But I very seldom have need for a bike that can do that because I have my Polaris ATV to do that stuff. I'm just trying to justify a new 5th bike! LOL

I think I'll drop a deposit down on the CT125 with White Sands Motorsports next week, tired of fooling around. I rode a KLR from Phoenix to Fort St John, then to Copper Canyon, MX. Next I rode it from San Antonio to Basalt, CO and on the Colorado 500. Took it over multiple jeep-road passes and then after five days of the 500, rode it back to San Antonio. The only problem was lack of power at 12,000 ft!. Oh, also rode a BMW R100GSPD on the Colorado 500 one year, over Black Bear Pass into Telluride and then Imogene back to Ouray. Now that is a bike that is too big for the 'gnarly stuff!'

 

[Spydie]

I think I'll drop a deposit down on the CT125 with White Sands Motorsports next week, tired of fooling around. I rode a KLR from Phoenix to Fort St John, then to Copper Canyon, MX. Next I rode it from San Antonio to Basalt, CO and on the Colorado 500. Took it over multiple jeep-road passes and then after five days of the 500, rode it back to San Antonio. The only problem was lack of power at 12,000 ft!. Oh, also rode a BMW R100GSPD on the Colorado 500 one year, over Black Bear Pass into Telluride and then Imogene back to Ouray. Now that is a bike that is too big for the 'gnarly stuff!'

I think you'll like it. I've had mine since last Dec 3 and have 1500 miles on it. I'm thinking about selling it and moving on to bigger bikes. Deming, NM

 

[Opfor656]

Looks just like the BLM land I used to ride thru on my ATV and later my jeep all the years I lived in Las Cruces. I would definitely do some mods to my 125 (tires and fender clearance to start) before I ever rode it around Cruces thru anything but around the river or bottom lands. But regardless, bet it was a blast !