best ride my life : xj dual sport

[greg maz]

So sunday I was up ACH then monday I got to ride mulholland with a couple english fellows:

http://homepage.mac.com/gregmazz/XJ1...e%20my%20life/

& I discovered that xjs are full dual sport cruisers when I had to surf all that dirt

R1 in front of me: "even I was finding that turn long"
then he saw me dirt riding in his mirrors: "didn't think you'd make it"
me neither

I love ACH for its constant speed, it's all in between the top gears

but that ride in the back mulholland was the best

[3Phase]

[...]then he saw me dirt riding in his mirrors: "didn't think you'd make it"
me neither

Hey, Greg, I had one of those dirt-riding moments myself last weekend going out from Carpinteria to Taft on Hwy 150; didn't think I'd make it either!

I love that 340. I had one of those in my '73 Duster -- last of the 340s!


Regards,

Scott

[greg maz]

the guy is doing the right thing, taking out current 360 not original, but that 340 has been prepped too

glad you made it too, what happened?

[3Phase]

the guy is doing the right thing, taking out current 360 not original, but that 340 has been prepped too

A 360? Ack! Ptooie! A derated, detuned, smog motor in a classic car? He's definitely doing the right thing with the 340. Does he have the six-pack for it or a Carter AVS/AFB?

glad you made it too, what happened?

How did you manage to get through the dirt on the road when you hit it?

I was going into a tight, blind, left-hand turn with gravel all over the unseen apex where a truck had spilled some of its load or a car spun its tires getting back on the pavement. I'd already geared down for the turn so I braked hard, then lightly hit the throttle and crossed it up a bit to ride it out sideways, sort of, instead of shooting off the corner into the berm and doing a highside space shuttle launch imitation -- good times and less cholesterol clogging up the arteries!


Regards,

Scott

[greg maz]

I don't remember the detail on the engine except it'd been souped up, he said he actually prefers it toned down to make the ride more enjoyable

gravel man, gravel...

it wasn't the case for me, I had to go straight because I was following that R1 eventho the XJ is 30 years apart - that was a reminder.

XJ have combined brakes (brake pedal brakes both front and back) so I kept going and going straight (front locked on dirt a bit) until I was so far out on the side of the road that there was no side of the road anymore... I took the hill at an angle, luckily it was sand only, so I slid down holding with my left arm & foot on the bike pushing the hill and waving tchip-tchip on the other side (I was on the side of the engine more than on the tires), to fall back several feet on the road after that turn, all in one motion

didn't get the shakes but got the giggles big time with the rider that saw me

[3Phase]

it wasn't the case for me, I had to go straight because I was following that R1 eventho the XJ is 30 years apart - that was a reminder.

30 years and about 200 pounds makes a big difference and so does the price tag.

XJ have combined brakes [...] didn't get the shakes but got the giggles big time with the rider that saw me

Yikes! I forgot about the linked brakes on the XJ. Nice job playing paddlefoot with the hillside and not falling over. When you make a ride like that you're kind of supposed to giggle. I've done it with dirt bikes running off the trail into the sides of hills (trees, fences, rocks... cows) but I think I'd have lost it on a street bike with linked brakes. Nice riding!


Regards,

Scott

[greg maz]

thx man

riding / surfing

if I get an award it would be more for stupidity & big time luck

still get the giggles tho