Rhino's AF rides

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Rhino89523
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Rhino's AF rides

Post by Rhino89523 »

O.K I'm going to start littering this part of the site since this place is dead and needs action. Bob's AF has begun an extremely tough portion of it's life and has begun to get the shit beat out of it. I'm sure you have read my other posts and know I'm digging it. I'll post some pictures but be warned I ride solo a lot so pictures of this bike in different scenery will not be the most exciting shit you have ever seen.

Riding again tomorrow...honing in on these suspension settings.
Here is a picture in it's new environment, this is the daily grinder trails behind my house. I have 30 miles or so of single track, a bunch of fire roads ranging from gravel marble stuff to sand whoop ripping. some mean ass hill climbs...then mud snow dust depending on conditions. It's dumping rain right now and I rototilled my Mom's backyard so she will watch my kids tomorrow when I get off work and me and one of my really fast 24 year old buddies are ripping....be a good test for where we are at with this thing. I always get him in the rocks, tie in the forest, I get him on stamina and I'm not sure how because I'm a fat old man, but he kills me in the whoops or the marbles.
Image
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cowboyona426
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Post by cowboyona426 »

Do you have a spare bedroom? Looks like some killer country to ride!
16 YZ 450FX
01 XR 400R
98 CR 500R
91 CR 500R
95 CR 250R
98 WR 250Z
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

I have a spare bedroom with separate bathroom so it's like a free hotel room. I have an xr650r that I don't mind riding at all so that means guys who know how to ride 500's or 650's I have a spare bike. I try to ride every weekend....this picture is just the behind the house stuff. I ride the 650R to work once a week or so in the summer, all fire roads and single track. I moved here 25 years ago because it's a killer place to moto (and football at the time but they didn't know I moto'd) It has not failed me on being a great place to ride and Nevada is pretty Redneck so the areas don't seem to be closing too fast. At this point I'm prett sure I will be able to moto out of my house until I am no longer able or take my last breath.
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cowboyona426
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Post by cowboyona426 »

Rhino89523 wrote:I have a spare bedroom with separate bathroom so it's like a free hotel room. I have an xr650r that I don't mind riding at all so that means guys who know how to ride 500's or 650's I have a spare bike. I try to ride every weekend....this picture is just the behind the house stuff. I ride the 650R to work once a week or so in the summer, all fire roads and single track. I moved here 25 years ago because it's a killer place to moto (and football at the time but they didn't know I moto'd) It has not failed me on being a great place to ride and Nevada is pretty Redneck so the areas don't seem to be closing too fast. At this point I'm prett sure I will be able to moto out of my house until I am no longer able or take my last breath.
Nice man! I grew up in southern Idaho, most of what we rode when I was a kid looks a lot like what's in the photo. Up here it's a WHOLE different world... too damn many trees and lots of slick clay but the riding is still good. I don't have the convenience of riding from the house though, unless you count playing on a couple skid roads on my back acreage which is pretty fuckin boring, but the kids enjoy it at least.
16 YZ 450FX
01 XR 400R
98 CR 500R
91 CR 500R
95 CR 250R
98 WR 250Z
91 XR 200R
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

Here are my main dudes I roll with out here. The sleeveless CR500rider is my boy Conan, the KTM rider (He also rips a YZ250 no F) is my Dude Brenden...both Rip pretty good. Brenden is 24 so he still has a lot of Goo on the brain and has zero fear. Conan is mid 30's and hasn't slowed much yet.

Image

This is a little stopping spot up in the woods single track, this area the LEO's don't know exist yet so we stop here. Nevada started making us register dirtbikes...I'm not doing it because its bullshit. Make you pay so they have more money to close areas down under the guise of opening more areas up and maintaining trails...they haven't done anything but hand out tickets. I'll say it right now, you will never catch me in a truck or on a bike unless you sneak up in one of the rare instances I'm not moving...I have decided if I do ever get the ticket I'm going to court and tell them I'm not paying the ticket, I'd like to do community service on the trail building (which they don't have) crew to pay my fine..........rant over.

Image

Same area shot from the other direction, it took me a few to get this all worked out but I did it for you guys....most pictures I have ever taken in my life.
Image


We have been getting some rain so the moto sessions have been killer. This was a Friday after work ride, I was all beat up Saturday but rode again solo Sunday after a mean rain Saturday night. I didn't take one picture Sunday just rode a quick tank and called it good. Loving this bike.
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Tharrell
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Post by Tharrell »

Those 3 bikes leaning on their kick stands remind me of 3 gun fighters leaning against a bar :)
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MojoScojo
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Post by MojoScojo »

<Like>
:urock: :rmwl:
No longer have a CR500.
07 Yamaha YZ250, 17 Husqvarna 701 Enduro
Get on with riding or get on with dying.
https://www.youtube.com/mojoscojo
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AlisoBob
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Post by AlisoBob »

Good to see Elmo, still getting it on.
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other
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Post by other »

I haven't been on Banned for a while (but still riding and loving my Gen4 500AF), and I was blown away to see 'Rhino's AF rides' as a topic heading . . . . weren't you always the dude telling us AFers that we were "wasting our time, can't improve on a steelie, rode one once but ya coudn't even give me an AF" . . . . . . . you seen the light, brother ? Haha
o.t.h.e.r . . . . .Over The Hill Enduro Rider
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

Oh man have I...I had ridden Bob's when it was Bob's, and I spent an hour on Tracy's (AP) and both times I wanted my Steely back, but both times it was in AZ.

I love how this AF turns and handles, I have it all set up for me, my way, with all my chosen controls. I resprung the thing even stiffer than Bob had it, put even taller bars than Bob had on it, have my grips and controls, a cable clutch, Cycra handguards....I can't even ride without handguards anymore I have them on my sand bike, this thing has all the stuff I like. It is very precise and when I'm on my game I can go pretty good on this thing. It's a beast in the whoops and a scalpel in the woods. It is awesome for hopping around on and I find myself flying through the air more...perfect for where I live. In AZ I'm not sure I won't wish I had my bucket of mush Steely back, we will see.

So I will come clean with a little story. I smoke pot once in a while (don't tell anyone...haha) Well as I am getting older and my kids are getting older it has turned into extremely occasional. It was pretty much a just with the boys thing which for me has turned into my riding time. For the last few years I noticed it effects my riding and makes me slow so I have pretty much stopped it while riding as well. So I go out the other day with the boys and I'm ripping this AF. I'm giving them the business and I can tell they are tired because they are both pulling the "we will follow you" the bike is feeling magic, it's turning anywhere I wan't to go, I'm launching it over ever little hit in the woods, I'm killing it in the whoops...straight magic, and the boys know it, the game has changed. Anyway end of the day we go to the top of the hill about 8500' and I decide to pull a little puff. Talk about game changer, I'm terrified, the rutts that I had been killing all day I can't seem to stay out of. The rocks are having their way with me. My buddies were seriously putting miles on me everwhere and joking about how bad I suck now when I'm baked.

So my buddy who owns the local shop RMS who has been helping me with this suspension because it's my first time messing with twin chambers calls me up to see how I'm liking my setup, I said "Paul this thing works great pretty much everywhere but I'm having a small issue under certain circumstances and we might need to do a revalve"

Paul says "whats the issue? is it the chatter on braking? that can be a problem sometimes with the Showas" he mumbles something about a mid valve I think

Me "No Paul it seems O.K. there"

Paul says something like this... "Does it need more rebound, are the springs too much for the rebound? or do you think it's on the compression side? You know adding stiffer springs essentially adds compression and sometimes requires more rebound or softer compression. Are you maxed out on your clickers? How is the overall stroke of the suspension, have you checked to see your overall percentage of use, are you used to the bike at all or are you just putting around on the thing? you said you wanted to be able to roll on this thing and the spring rate is pretty close for your weight if you are just cruising it's not going to feel like a big couch you said you wanted it to rip"

Me " No Paul it feels great everywhere until I get super baked and then it feels really stiff and it doesn't handle for shit, it's too precise on the steering and I find myself all over the place"

:D :D :D
Last edited by Rhino89523 on June 11th, 2015, 1:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

It's raining here now....means I'm ripping after work tomorrow!!!
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Kuma
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Post by Kuma »

Man, I'm jealous, I can see this being a very long thread, looking forward to it :cool:
Gen 2 AF, yes it's a SH, so I can call it an AF Damm it!
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other
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Post by other »

That made me laugh Matt, I admit. I ride with a guy here who is the polar opposite. He considers smoke to be one of the major food groups, and so he's pretty much cross-eyed most of the time . . . . but he rips on his old steel framed KX500. However, I rode with him one day when he couldn't get any weed, so he was poker-straight . . . . . man, what a dodo ! He wobbled around, giving terrified glances at trees he'd normally powerslide between at high speed. You could almost see him thinking "this shit's dangerous, what if i clip one of those damn things" . . . . . Doped out, he's SO focused, straight, he's a bloody menace on a dirt bike, and slow as a wet week ! Hahaha
Glad you've discovered the joys of a well setup AF. There ain't much better !
o.t.h.e.r . . . . .Over The Hill Enduro Rider
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

I used to be the other way as well, I used to call weed the "groove maker" weather I was surfing, snowboarding, or riding a dirtbike my flow seemed better when I was all whacked out....times change i guess.

Rode again Thursday night after work, pulled 47 miles, and then again Sunday for similar mileage. I'm almost done playing with clickers. I'm very close.
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Fastriverrat
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Post by Fastriverrat »

I'm loving this thread, I can really relate to your report, not just because of the feeling of good rides on a dialed 500 with some awesome buddies. But really because I know exactly where this is, and I used to ride from my house to the same trails, after good rains, with some good buddies, and partake in the same break activities,. ( I notice your not naming any of it, out of respect I won't mention either, if that's the case.) I lived there for a year starting in the summer of '07. I lived on the northern side of the '8500 peak, my first ride on my '97 500, (solo) was over the peak to the grand opening of the popular hunting store. Found the really fun wooded/loamy trails on the way back home. I frequented this area a lot. One of my favorite places because of the freedom. Would even come in by vehicle from the nw side. I really miss reno living/riding. I worked on the peppermill and atlantis expansion as an ironworker. And i even had the honor to be the lead connector on the northstar ritz carlton hotel in Truckee. Still the coolest job i've ever worked on in my 18 years of ironwork.You guys really have it good. Heard a little about the blm sanctioning ohv trails up there though. That really sucks! Your way of dealing with it. I completely agree with and would do the exact same thing. Been working on a gen lll AFC for way to long myself, five year old daughter and changing trades have taken precedence. Just have to weld, and purchase the goodies I want to install and i'll be off to the promised lands. I really want to b up there on my AF by Halloween. If I don't have to vicariously live through you and your ride reports by actually getting up there. Maybe I'll see you up there or maybe we can plan a meet and ride. :D take care, have fun on your baby.
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

I work up right near that Ritz....rode hard Thursday night in the woods behind the house and Sunday up off Hwy 20 in the Chalk Bluff OHV....really fun stuff, the dudes who build the trails off of 20 never go straight, all turns.
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Fastriverrat
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Post by Fastriverrat »

Right on! Yeah I rode chaulk bluff for the first time 2 months ago after a good rain and light snow. Loved it. Switch backs are awesome. You we're loving it I bet. Really testing the handling.
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

Still Moto-ing the living piss out of this thing. Been riding it mostly by myself, when I moto solo I don't stop so no pictures. I did a revalve on the suspension and have this sucker working exactly like I want. Best bike I have ever owned or ridden, thing fucking rips!! I have it compliant enough to blast through my specialty...Rocks, and yet it tracks straight though fast whoops. I seat bounced a big set yesterday and subed the front end straight into a big third, thought man this is going to hurt. Soaked it up no problem. Love this bike.
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

Back to the drawing board one more time. Have the forks working really really well. My weight creates issues. The rear spring was the stiffest race tech sells. I end up setting for race sag and having little to no free sag. Then I try to compensate with valving. If I twist in the rebound clicker to slow it down so it doesn't slam me in the ass over log hits etc. it will pack when I'm in the whoops and start swapping. I would back out the rebound enough to straighten out in the whoops and deal with logs and stuff with body position. Found a custom spring for the back in the weight I need....pretty excited. Should be able to set the rear right in the zone where my race sag is perfect and it turns good and all that but now the spring wont be trying to return to it's natural state a couple inches above where the collars are adjusted and my free sag should be in the zone as well. Hopefully this will allow me to run straight through the whoops and not have it smack me in the ass when launching.

Of course this means we are starting over on the clickers again!!!

Chasing the dragon!! Think I'm really close to having a perfect bike for me...I'm already on the best bike for me I have ever ridden but I'm near perfection. Really excited. This thing has me rolling faster everywhere now with confidence and comfort.
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AlisoBob
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Post by AlisoBob »

:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

O.K. a couple updates....since this website is mostly dead, yes I realize I am mostly talking to myself.

First off my rims. When I got them I preferred the red hubs with the black rims over the black rims with black spokes and white hubs but they were out of the red so I went with the white. Well I fucking hated them and wanted to do something about it so I painted the hubs, what an abortion that was, figured I totally screwed myself and thought I was going to have to take them apart or something. Well a little research revealed a product sold at wally world that would pull off the powdercoat so I went for it. put this crap on the hubs with the rims still laced, let it sit for 15 and blasted it with the pressure washer. Had to do it a couple times but they turned out pimp and now I have what I wanted.

Image

Second, my suspension. Here is where I am at.

Front and rear are resprung to perfection to my weight. Front forks are newer CR250 black tops revalved to my riding style weight and conditions, rear is the stock 250x unit with perfect spring rate also revalved to my weight conditions and riding style. I ended up having Dicks Racing do the revalve and I am very happy with the way they work but I just dont like a big black Dick sticker on my front forks so those had to go. I have heard some lip on the internet about Dick being a Dick. My experience was an extremely fast turn around with the valving being exactly what I asked for. Suspension is a compromise when you ride everything like I do. I am amazed how well this thing works in all terrain and the level of plushness I am able to get out of these things while still maintaining confidence at speed as well as good bottoming resistance. For me Dick is a magician. The proper spring in the rear made a huge difference as well. It tracks straight and handles whoops like a beast, with the proper spring it soaks up square edged hits and hops without bucking me in the ass as well.


Really happy, best bike for me I have ever been on, thing turns and now does everything else really really well. Still getting used to the way it hill climbs but I'm getting used to that too. Lovin it!!

I ride pretty much every weekend and have been getting at least one night a week on it after work as well. My XR is starting to feel neglected.
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MojoScojo
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Post by MojoScojo »

...magic dick...
...no bucking in the ass...

:knock:
No longer have a CR500.
07 Yamaha YZ250, 17 Husqvarna 701 Enduro
Get on with riding or get on with dying.
https://www.youtube.com/mojoscojo
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Roostius_Maximus
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Post by Roostius_Maximus »

Rhino, that hub set wasn't anodized?
Bro rides my hand me down AF, red DNA hubs have fadded to pinkish, would like to strip them but I'm lazy haha.
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Kuma
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Post by Kuma »

hey, I'm here nearly every day at lunch, If I don't have anything productive to say, then I'm pretty quiet about it.
I would like to see some more activity, Bob, ho about more posts in Wally World, you know what we want! :twisted:
Gen 2 AF, yes it's a SH, so I can call it an AF Damm it!
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Rhino89523
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Post by Rhino89523 »

I'm pretty sure it was powdercoat because it came off more like paint, I did remove some anodizing off a part or two but that took a little more effort and the part underneath didn't come out looking all bling like these hubs did. I think the spokes were powdercoat too because they were black and it blasted off as shrapnel to the hub project. I kind of liked the black spokes but given the choice between white hub with black spokes or bling ass billet hub with regular spokes I'll choose the latter. I don't really know why I even care the bike is starting to get a regular old Rhino beating and already doesn't look all clean.
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