Getting back into off roading after 20 years, you forget how friggen thirsty you can get in ol so.cal desert in augest.Rode in Hungry Valley last sunday and noticed just about everybody had a water hydration backpack on.Unless you just scream around camp in circle all day like an idiot, you need one of these.So I bought a Camelbak Lobo, looks perfect holds 2 liters of h20, and has just enough storage for keys, gps, cell phone, flashlight and crap.Fits good over chest protector. Still new to ridding a quad after racing a 125cc Bultaco, and a 250 Ossa staleto with CRC at a place in the dinasor age called Indian Dunes, and still not sure if I made the right choice,bike or quad ? However quad is still the poopoo in the dunes.I ask three above average dirt bikers if I could go along for a brisk trail ride. They were on 400 exc ktm,400 kdx and a 400 xr.They pulled away from me from time to time but could'nt loose me. I was surprized, and when it came to deep sand, forget about it, I smoked them. 400 xr man found himself in a five foot deep ditch stuck and stalled out. Front wheels of dirt bikes have to hunt in deep sand and sometime you just go where it gose, not so with Baja quad. After an hour of this hot ride could'nt go on, too thirsty, so back to camp and also noticed no forarm pump and not even a little tired after riding hard as hell! Dose anybody know what the hell is faster in the desert, bike or quad?

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of quads! Good choice picking your quad too!
As for you question, I don't know which is faster on average. I know the DS piloted by Greg Rowe that won the Baja2000 beat a lot of bikes, and jeeps too for that matter, but I don't know if any bikes got over before him. Its a place to start - you could do some net research on that race and see what you find.

 

Fortunatly at Little Sahara it's only a 15 min ride to the cooler!!

As you found out On hard pack the bike will be faster, When it gets into deep sand or powder the quad will be faster. a lot depends on the riders too.

 

Hey there Moose! Hows the Raptor been draggin' lately?

 

It's been doing pretty good!
I put struts on the front & the launch is much better.
I just got through putting on a 14T front sprocket, I noticed at the last race that I was shifting at the 40~50 ft mark & with the 14T I should be able to carry first past the 60 ft light.
Since 60 ft times are an important indicator of how well I'm launching.
I should be able to get my Raptor dialed in better. Shifting before the 60 ft light made my 60 ft times very erratic (I'wouldnt always shift at the same point & sometimes I'd carry my front tires over the light) So I should be able to do my fine tuning with out so much guess work!!

Ernie has been talkin S#!T about his "Improved" Raptor!!!
You gonna mod the DS to keep him humble??

You gota be at work to be online this late!
I'm gona check out some stuff & hit the rack soon, I'm going trailer shopping tomorrow.
It looks like I may be in your neck of the woods in Feb. I'll be picking up my Enclosed trailer at White Pidgon Mich, Just actoss the border from Elkhart.

 

yeah, I've been wanting to do some work to my motor as well. Probably not until winter though. If and when I do, it'll be all or nothing - piston, cams, springs, porting, etc.....

February huh? You need to stop in for some Hoosier hospitality, and maybe even a ride at our favorite spot. You bringin' the bike? If you're coming in on I70 (no clue what route you're taking) I'm only minutes off of it. If you plan for an extra day then eRAPTOID and everybody else can show you around the Badlands, then drink beer all night afterwards. Just bring the coveralls though, it can get mighty cold here in Feb.

What sort of trailer?

 

I'd like to bring the quad but it depends on the weather (you guys get a lot of snow that time of year). I haven't planned a route yet but I'll probably take a direct route to get the trailer & go through Indy on the way home (where is Greencastle? is it a suburb of Indy?)

The front runner right now is an Enclosed 18'long W/ a 32" V nose 8' wide & 6'6" interior height (You'll have to duck!! LOL) SouthWest Expressline. I'm getting it insulated & A/C (WHOO HOO) along with other options. I do too much Drag Racing & take too many trips to Sahara to sleep in a tent or the back of my truck & be pinned down by the weather any longer!! I guess a bigger truck will be coming before long too!

It just hit me a couple of weeks ago that my $6200 OTD quad that was such a good deal is gonna end up costing me a lot of money!!!

 

Greencastle is a town 30 miles west of Indy (population around 9000 i think), about 10 miles south of Interstate 70. I live in the stix 3 miles south of town.

That trailer sounds really sweet, one of these days I'd like to have one too...

In the snow, we only ride the woods if the ground is frozen, 'cause otherwise its too muddy (that's what the Arctic Cat is for). if its too wet then we stick to the sand at Badlands, there's 500 acres of it.

 

being a desert dweller I have learned quite a bit about the need to keep one hydrated. When I was looking for a hydration pack I learned that Camel bak is owned by Jan sport who is a major contributor to the Sierra Club. Now I mention this because the Sierra Club as we all know is one of the groups that works on shutting down our riding areas to protect a weed or beetle or whatever. I am not advocating a boycott or anything like that but I feel it needs to be mentioned that the products you purchase my be finacing the groups trying to shut us down.
Now Bombastic I realize that you may not have known about Camel-bak and their affilliations as for me I won't purchase Camel-bak or Jansport even thought they do make excellent stuff. just my .02

 

midlfinger, good info there.

I have a camelback and it is great, but had I known that info, I would not have purchased it and would have found another company.

It would be great if we had a list of companies that support organizations that are for or against what we are for.

If there is one point me to it.

Bat