I've been looking more into GPS Nav off road maps. I thought that I'd really like OnX Off road, but using the free trial on my phone it is not quite what I want. I've been a map guy since I was a little kid looking for buried treasure in the woods behind my house. As a teenager I did a lot of 'orienteering' cross country with a map and compass. In my time in the USCG and Army, I navigated with paper maps almost daily. When decent products were developed for computer mapping and route planning, I immersed myself in them and trained others how to use them. My college degree is in Geography with a focus on GIS (Geographic Information Systems). My job now involves jumping in a helicopter within minutes of notification and flying to a location that I may not even know until I'm in the air on my way. I *am* a map guy. OnX off road is a nice simple trail app with basic functions, but configuration is far too limited for my taste and I found that it did not have a lot of local trail in the areas nearby in Oklahoma.
Watching YouTube videos I found out about Gaia GPS which is much better for me. It works with lots of available layers that you can configure and stack as desired. The range of map scales and formats is broad enough to keep me happy and you can even overlay forecast weather. Best of all it has an abundance of local trails and tracks that I couldn't find in OnX. I could go on for pages, but instead, just search it on YouTube if you want to know more. I still think OnX is good for what it is, but it is not for me.
The picture above shows a popular off road/rock crawling park in my area. All the green lines on the Gaia side are public tracks and trails that users have made available. It looks cluttered, but you can select an individual track and get detailed info. You can also zoom in to a scale where 10' on the map is about 1 cm on my screen. The OnX is limited in scale and zoom and seems to only have three versions of base map; Sat, Topo, and Hybrid. The paid version of Gaia has tons of different maps and I think I may be able to even scan in and georeference my own.
Thinking of nav, I went ahead and bought a cheap 7" android tablet that I plan to mount on the bike or in the Dung Beetle. 7" may be a little too big on the bike as it sits, but I'm sure I can work it out. I hope I can configure a good HUD screen so I can have basic speedometer and street nav when I'm not off road (Haven't tried that in Gaia yet). It's just a WiFi and BT unit, but I can use a hot-spot from my phone to keep it online.
The small windscreen is installed and I'm happy with how it worked out. Just a piece of Lexan, cut with shears, drilled and screwed to the cowl. The 7" tablet was too big to mount near the handlebars, so I put it in a rubber case and strapped it to the tank. For power I installed a plug by the cluster and wired it to the battery. As I was doing it I realized that it would be better to have it wired to 'switched' 12 volt. I'll fix that in the future.
Today's journey was to a 'Nature Conservancy' wildlife preserve. I had planned out a route with Gaia GPS and had it all set for offline navigation. The GPS worked well, but I quickly realized that it's not going to work well for nav while I am riding. In bright mid-day sun, a quick glance at the screen mounted on the tank is not going to yield much information. I'd really rather be focused on what's around me anyway, so I'm fine with stopping periodically if I want to check the map. I had the center bag from the KLR kit mounted behind the seat with some water, a snack, sweatshirt, and camera bag.
It was a beautiful day for a ride.
I found that my planned route would not work. There is a main road that bisects the preserve. It is a very well maintained dirt/gravel road. All of the other roads and trails are restricted from motor vehicles and gated. They are even strict about having hikers stay on the established trails. Still a fun trip.
After leaving the preserve, I found a fun trail near where I rode last weekend and got to play off-road for a little while before heading home.
The big annual off road and rock crawler event at Disney Oklahoma is next weekend. It's at the place pictured in the sample maps I posted. I'm still undecided if I'm going with the bike or the Dung Beetle. It may be a last minute choice based on weather or if any of my friends can make it with a bike or Jeep. It should be a huge crowd and lots of cool vehicles. A genuine outdoor Okie Super Spreader Event that would make Dr Fauci cringe.
Today I went down by the river. Played in some mud. Ran up a dry creek bed. Hopped over logs. Had an embarrassing low speed wipeout when I snagged a handlebar on a vine. Felt comfortable on the street. I thought that I got some decent video recording on my Action Cam, but it turned out that the memory card in it was already full and it didn't record a thing.
I'm really enjoying riding around in 1st gear working on balance and placement going through rough terrain. Points off if you drop a foot to the ground. Not saying I'm good at it yet, but it's fun and I'm getting a better feel for the center of gravity and use of torque. Although I loved 'Crusty Demons of Dirt' when it came out (II'm going to have to dig out that old VHS), I don't think I'll be trying for big air or Nac Nacs ever again.
There's a brand new front sprocket in the box of parts. I'm going to check how many teeth it has and either use it or buy another to lower the gearing a little. I've read that it doesn't really effect the highway speed, but can improve trail (and off trail) ridability.
mdshaw
Reader
3/14/21 10:07 a.m.
Looking at your pictures makes me want a bike again.
The lower tooth front should be a nice improvement. On my last KDX200 I lowered the front by 1 tooth & raised the rear by 1 tooth. Stock with the 6 speed it would probably do @70mph, didn't need that for trails. It really made it nice to putt around & climbing.
1972 should make it an R60/5. Sweet bike when in decent condition and generally built to cover distances at reasonable speed. Unless the gearbox has been changed out, it should have a four speed gearbox.
Also, make sure that the /5 specific parts like the handlebar switch gear is present and working, as that stuff isn't quite that easy to find.
In reply to BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) :
Beat me to it on handle bar switch gear.
Are you familiar with Avenza Maps? Its a pretty slick little GPS app. All it does is drop your location over a georeferenced PDF. Which can be awesome when used with CalTopo because it'll show you where you are on those cool Nat'l Park maps, or an actual topo.
Also, hello from a fellow GIS nerd!
Yes, R60/5. Is this how the handlebars *should* look? From what I see it all looks intact, but faded and aged.
I have told myself many times that I will not buy another 1970s vehicle. ...I now have three Porsche 914 projects and probably this.
In reply to thatsnowinnebago (Forum Supporter) :
I've heard of it, but didn't check it out yet. Thanks for the tip, I'll get a look.
In reply to AAZCD (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, allowing for the US version handlebars, that's what it should look like.
The exhaust doesn't look correct, and it looks like someone may have been at the exhaust as the exhaust nuts look way too clean given how "barnfind" the rest of the bike looks.
If you buy it, make sure you buy the current exhaust nut wrench. You don't want to damage the exhaust nuts when trying to take them off.
Oh, and it has the chrome toaster tank, which is desirable as these things go.
In reply to AAZCD (Forum Supporter) :
For sure. It's also free, which helps. I'm like 80% you can use your own georef stuff too...
A very similar bike, clean and complete on BAT:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-bmw-r60-5/
Probably a good reference for what I'm going to want to accumulate for lights and cosmetics to restore this. For now, my thought is to get it roadworthy for some good rides this year, then break it down for a restoration when the leaves fall from the trees.
These pipes look fully restorable:
So did you buy it then? You know you can park approximately six motorcycles in the space of one car.....
mazdeuce - Seth said:
So did you buy it then? You know you can park approximately six motorcycles in the space of one car.....
I'm going to look at it tomorrow at lunch time (with cash and trailer). I think that the seller was tipped off somehow that I am totally planning to buy it.
Does it run? If it does, check the weep hole between transmission and engine for oil. If there is any, either the rear main seal or gearbox input shaft seal is busted. Fixing that requires pulling the transmission as this bike has a dry clutch.
BoxheadTim (Forum Supporter) said:
Does it run? If it does, check the weep hole between transmission and engine for oil. If there is any, either the rear main seal or gearbox input shaft seal is busted. Fixing that requires pulling the transmission as this bike has a dry clutch.
Tim, I just sent you a message with the ad. Better than trying to re-describe it all.
In reply to AAZCD (Forum Supporter) :
Received, tried to reply but my iPad didn't want to send the mail. I'll email you back tomorrow morning.
Emailed over some more info and things to check that I could think of.
I'm just home from night shift and ready for a nap, planning to see it at around noon. BoxheadTim advised me of a few more things to check and said that it may be a little overpriced at $2,500 unless in great shape mechanically. Thanks Tim. I'll post some pics and let you know what happened by this evening. ...nap time.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1028199124374113
I have it at home now. It is ugly. It needs work. I drove it around the block a few times. It felt, sounded, and smelled exactly how I want a bike to be. ...then the right muffler fell off when the zip-tie melted through. So, yes I'm very happy and got pretty much the bike I've wanted for decades, but it's going to be a project bike for sure.
I have a box of parts that has rear lights, headlamp, and side covers along with some unexplored misc. More thoughts and plans later tonight after I get settled in at work.
That's a cool bike. You're doing a great job un-quitting motorcycles.
Here's a walk around with it running.
https://vimeo.com/524669350
***Vimeo video loads as embedded in preview, then vanishes when I post.
A few pics:
BoxheadTim gave me good tips and advice for what to look for. If I had followed it well, I may not have bought the bike. Given what he told me, I at least have a better idea of what I am getting into. There are leaking seals that will not be simple to fix and probably not cheap. A few odd bits and pieces are missing. The wiring is almost all there, but needs to be sorted out and connected. The carburetors were rebuilt, but need adjustment. The whole bike needs to be gone over and checked for loose bolts and screws, cleaned, and oil seeps monitored.
This size (600cc) and era (1970s) is exactly what I wanted and I hardly ever see them come up for sale locally. Even in rough condition, I didn't want to pass it up. My plan for this bike is to get it running well for the next six months or so. I don't mind a little oil here and there as long as it's not a serious leak. For now, cosmetics are not important to me. I just want to have it roadworthy. Over next winter, I'd like to do a mechanical restoration to it for reliability and longevity. This bike is for me to enjoy riding. Not for re-sale or show. I'm not concerned with keeping it all original, but I do want to keep it generally as it was designed. I saw a R100/7 'parts bike' for sale and tried to buy it to strip whatever I could use. Sadly it had sold just before I contacted the seller. Now, I'm planning to check on some fenders, a seat, and a few other parts that another guy is selling nearby. Hoping to get this on the street within a month or so.
The one that was already sold:
