Well I just got back from my first trip to the Oregon Dunes in Florence. Though I've been riding for last 20 years or so, its always been dirt,gravel or street. This was also the first real test for my recently acquired 03 FE400e. I went with the bike bone stock, recent service done,15 hours on bike, brand new rear knobby,running full synthetic 10w40. The sand proved to be a good challenge to both man and machine. I found myself getting pretty comfortable with the feel on the second day. However, this brought out some shortcomings of my bike. First of all, it ran out of power, fast. Second, both 5th and 6th gears were useless due to not enough hp. Tighter gearing would also have helped, but more juice would have overcome that. Overheated after idling at 65 degrees for 5 mins with engine hot from a hard ride. Top steering nut vibrated off and disappeared into the sand. In summary, after this experience I'm itching to turn this bike into a mean machine. Sounds like a Lineaweaver Jet Kit is in order, as well as a rear sprocket up-size. Any other ideas?
ps- Thanks to Cerara, my riding buddy, for his sand-riding input.
ps- Thanks to Cerara, my riding buddy, for his sand-riding input.
ccasion5:
