'81 Gs850 on dirt roads

[mrhedges]

now that I've gone on two long tours and plenty of camping inbetween I've had to take the bike on some unpaved roads, either to a primitive campground or to some pals house out at the end of a dirt road that's "not that bad" . While I've managed without dropping the bike it was less the pleasant. Do ya'll have any tips? Any mods? Do y'all just avoid such roads?

 

[bwringer]

If you don't have them already, get some crash bars on there; the stator cover and ignition cover are pretty vulnerable.

I'd also add some sort of handlebar ends at least, and carry a spare set of levers. And watch some Youtube videos for how to pick up a really heavy bike; there's a specific technique.

I've also found that tires with more tread "features" do a tiny bit better off pavement. A lot of street tires these days have minimal tread pattern. So, for example, the Shinko 230 does a wee bit better than the 712.

You needn't fear a bit of dry dirt or gravel, but in the end, it's a really damn heavy streetbike that has absolutely no business being off pavement.

Still, it'll fare a lot better than a modern touring or sportbike, but most of your tactics for dealing with dirt and gravel still boil down to "don't". And mud is a definite hard nope.

No chain to clean, anyway...

 

[Redman]

Keep Some of your weight on the foot peg.
Lower gear, higher rpm.

 

[Brendan W]

Few years back I ended up on a few miles of lunar road surface to get to my destination. Big holes everywhere. Walking would not have been much slower. On restart it ran like a dog until I got the carbs cleaned out.
Something got shaken loose?

 

[mrhedges]

Crash bars were the first thing I added, Actually got them from a fellow member! I'll look into handlebar ends, never considered that.

 

[Rob S.]

I have done some off roading on a Honda CB 350 (the 'mule trail' along the Erie Canal) and a little bit on a Kaw 900.

Go slow. And when I say enjoy the scenery, I mean the road right in front of the front tire.

 

[Wingsconsin]

Relax --Light grip on bars -- keep speed up a little more than you think --
Let the bike wash around a little - it will find it's stability when under power-
When in doubt -- gas it (a little) -
Head UP -- Look at the horizon more (down the road) not at the gravel your wheel is crunching --
I have done it on my Goldwings - not fun-- but do-able.

 

[Steve]

When in doubt -- gas it (a little) -

A former member had a bit of advice in his signature that was a bit tongue-in-cheek.

When in doubt, apply full throttle.
It may not fix the situation, but it WILL end the suspense.

I find it amusing the number of members in the last couple of years that have expressed interest in taking their 850s off-road. Yeah, I understand using what you have, but why start with the heaviest street-going bike available?

Carl (Wingsconsin) and I have attended a rally in Nebraska for several years on our Goldwings. Our destination could be reached by two routes, but either one involved a full mile of gravel road. In the four years I was there, the number of attendees varied from about 65 to over 100. We stayed at a motel in town, then rode out to the site. Mostly on Goldwings, but other bikes were there, too. Any meals, rides in the country or other excuses to leave involved another ride on the gravel. It was not unusual for most riders to do three or four round trips per day (2 miles each) on the gravel. I did not ever see one bike on its side, so it must be possible.

.

 

[Lorenzo]

I would turn the preload on forks and shocks, to the softest setting, and deflate the tyres a whiff, so that the bike is gonna "copy" the trail potholes and sticking rocks and not unhorse you at the first occurrence.

 

[salty_monk]

Bajazuki...

 

[salty_monk]

from the front..

 

[eil]

I took my L model down some dirt roads once just to see what it was like. Plain old Shinkos for tires. As long as I kept up some speed, she was very sure-footed the whole time, even in the loose gravel. It was quite fun to twist the throttle and have the rear tire kick out a bit. Need to get a dirt bike one of these days.

 

[Guest]

Had a lot of gravel and dirt roads where I used to live. It was no big deal for my GS1000E with Shinko Tourmaster 230's. Large fist size gravel and anything wet and muddy should be avoided at all costs, but street tires do nicely on most well maintained unpaved roads.

 

[Burque73]

now that I've gone on two long tours and plenty of camping inbetween I've had to take the bike on some unpaved roads, either to a primitive campground or to some pals house out at the end of a dirt road that's "not that bad" . While I've managed without dropping the bike it was less the pleasant. Do ya'll have any tips? Any mods? Do y'all just avoid such roads?

Sometimes those roads are unavoidable. Especially if you don't pay attention to the map and wind up on Indian reservations that could care less about maintaining dirt roads. I can say the Dunlop 404's do not do very well on rutted dirt roads. Honestly, I can't put all the blame on the tires since I was there too. :hopelessness:

 

[dpep]

When the pavement stops......so does my motorcycle.
...

 

[Tom R]

And as always, stay loose with your grip.... and also, use your rear brake.

 

[LAB3]

Hands off the front brake!

 

[Burque73]

 

[bwringer]

As I once found out on a rented Harley (nothing parties like a rental!), cruisers are surprisingly capable and stable on loose surfaces.

Obviously, there are limitations due to weight and ground clearance, and there are certain potential issues with belt drive and rocks, but this is one area where cruiser geometry and "old-skool" tire treads work unexpectedly well.