With my wife and kids in Michigan, I had a free Sunday and wanted to try Darth Nater’s Hanna, Utah ride. Our group of five became two by the time we left Center Street in Heber, on  Sunday, August 1, at 3:15 PM. Rich Morehouse aboard his 2005 KLR that had been in storage for four years, and me riding a 2006 KLR.

Armed with scribbled directions that Darth gave me over the phone, we were ready.

Scribbled directions from Darth. Now was that a left at the big fallen tree, or a right?

The ride east out of Heber was beautiful and we soon reached an overlook that was a good place to take a rest. We could see Currant Creek Reservoir to our southeast.

Things are looking good so far. Are those clouds moving this way, or are we going that way?

And dark clouds to the northeast.

The clouds are getting darker.

Despite our detailed directions, we took a wrong turn and encountered a mud hole and several creek crossings. But nothing was going to stop us from experiencing the Hanna ride.

As Darth says, always bring a saw, for trees and the impromptu amputation.

Once we found the right road down to Hanna, things were going well. We saw all the landmarks Darth mentioned – ranch, deep river crossing, small bridge. Then we encountered rain-soaked mud. Also known as greasy clay.

This is what happens when you ride through clay.

I tried to stop for a pick-up and horse trailer that slid off the road and it was like riding on ice. After five minutes of trying to get my kickstand to hold my bike I started hiking back to see what had happened to Rich. What I found was not good. Rich went down on the greasy mud and snapped the rear brake lever off his KLR.

The rear brake lever on a KLR doesn't do much when it is in your hand.

As the rain and lightning started in earnest, we began a two-hour slog over about a mile. The clay was so thick and sticky the bikes’ back wheels would clog and the bike would stall. We stopped and cleaned them out only to have them clog again 100 feet later. Even when the bikes would run it was so slippery you had to effectively walk down the road.

I sent this image to Moto with a simple question: this is bad, right?

Covered in mud and soaked from the rain, we headed for Heber. The sunset on Wolf Creek Pass was beautiful but cold and the deer and elk were out in force. We reached Heber around 10 p.m., had dinner, took the bikes to the carwash and then rode over Guardsman Pass, getting home around 11:30 or 12. Rich rode the entire way with his front brake.

We missed the return on dirt, so I’ll be going back, but it will be dry.

Indeed, it was a Double Rainbow All The Way.

http://www.triumphadventure.com/

Here’s the link, if the embedded slideshow doesn’t work properly, as in, if you can’t view Flash.

I am now testing out a locally-made product from Ricochet Offroad Armor, based right in Salt Lake City, Utah. Let me disclose that I approached them with the opportunity to try their product out and provide a review, and was generously supplied with a demo unit. Below are my thoughts on ease of install, comparative weight, likes and dislikes thus far. This will be a long term product review, and I will do a follow-up post after some miles off the beaten path. This is the only way to truly test the worth.

A little history on Ricochet: founded by motocross racer Don Gibbs, Ricochet Offroad Armor has been making aluminum skid plates and armor for motorbikes and ATVs for 30 years, originally under the Utah Sport Cycle name. I saw a little tiny ad in a dualsport digital magazine, and noticed they were here in Utah and a product for the BMW, so I gave Don a shout. I also learned they make skid plates for Toyota FJ Cruisers. How convenient, because I have one of those too.

The first thing I noticed about the Ricochet product; it’s black anodized finish is going to look sweet on the bumblebee. The next thing I noticed was the weight. Noticeably thicker aluminum than the BMW Touratech skid plate, but also heavier. In fact, below are the actual weights of the stock plastic guard, the BMW Touratech, and the Ricochet (all weighed by me, and including necessary hardware:

Stock plastic: 1.4 lbs (600 grams)
BMW Touratech: 3.8 lbs (1,700 grams)
Ricochet: 4.6 lbs (2,100 grams)

Why is this an issue? A pound here, a pound there. These bikes start getting less nimble in the dirt every time you add a farkle or doo-dad. But in this case I am willing to let it slide, because you really do need good protection to your engine.

The last thing I noticed was the amount of hardware required for the Ricochet: 20 pieces of hardware including nylock nuts, washers, bushings, brackets and bolts. The stock plastic plate only uses 6 pieces of mounting hardware, and the BMW Touratech uses only 5 of the 6 stock parts. Something tells me less is better, and although the install was easy despite all the parts on the Ricochet, I was still blown away. The Nylock nuts are a nice touch, and we’ll see if they loosen up. The hardware pieces on my BMW Touratech skid plate were not much more than finger tight when I went to take them off, which means I was probably one good ride away from losing a nut. If I put that one back on, I’ll have to use some Locktite.

That’s about it for first impressions. Below are some photos. The BMW model wraps around more of the engine casing in the front, but the Ricochet is sturdier and feels more solid in general, even with all the extra hardware. The Ricochet is far cheaper at $129, versus the $275 or so for the BMW. You’ll notice the BMW Touratech has taken a beating, all dented and scratched up. Imagine what your engine casing, oil filter, etc would look like after the same amount of riding and no skid plate! Grim.

Ricochet, BMW, and stock skid plates for BMW F800 GS

BMW Touratech skid plate has taken a beating.

Ricochet Offroad Armor aluminum skid plate for BMW F800 GS

The Ricochet skid plate uses thick aluminum plate and burly mounting hardware.