Wayne National Forest Dual Sport Riding

 

At 73 years and 7 months I'm never sure when I will give up Dual Sport/Off Road Motorcycle riding...but my old friends, both 72, and I, gave it a go down in SE Ohio in the Wayne National Forest this past week...it was IMO too damn cold both Wednesday and Thursday, but improved some on Friday...we should have waited, Saturday thru tomorrow have been and will be perfect riding weather...O' Well, what you get is what you get, it was at least dry...

Nick and I ride the smaller Yamaha TW200s, sort of Jeep Wranglers with 2 wheels...Bob the much heavier and taller Royal Enfield Himalayan...it turned out that the TWs are much better suited for this kind of riding...

Bob laid down his RE twice, first time some semi major damage to the fairing and electronics up front, second lay down on Friday to his left leg, thus ending his riding for the duration...the TWs?  Nary a scratch, although Nicks' 2015 did receive some tank damage while in transport to Logan from Grand Lake...my 2014 fell into his and dented that tank...Oops...

Anyway despite the riding not going quite as expected it was good to get down to SE Ohio where Nick and I hung out in our college days at Hocking College in Nelsonville...Nelsonville?, while still Red Neck Villa, has changed since they bypassed 33 around that city...it was our first ride there since 2015 around Halloween, we lived in the Nelsonville/Athens/Ohio U area back in the mid 1970s...time flies.

Regardless, we got some decent food in us, plenty of beers, and had a good stay at the Baymont Motel in Logan...I would like to get back down there in warm and dry weather with 3 equally set up bikes, that way the riding skills, or lack of, would be front and center, and no tires to set ups to blame for accidents....


Photos:  Bob and I before entering day #1 and it's trail, the entrance to the trail it would be steeper and leave covered/wet later on ...Bob and Nick checking out the damage to fairing and electronic package of the Himalayan, and me near New Straighsville, Ohio, at the site of the Underground Railroad and Cemetery @ Payne's Crossing