Nothing close. About an hour north is a dirt road that crosses BLM land from highway 16 to Morgan Valley Road.

Are you in the area? Given the time of the year, I probably won’t be heading that way until spring.

@@mbigatti I live in Hilmar about 1.5 hours away from Stanislaus national forest, just did a ride this last Wednesday before the snow came in.

That's okay. We have to start somewhere. This documentation of our ride is mainly for ourselves, but if others gets any enjoyment then fantastic! If not, no big deal. There are plenty of people editing and publishing content for others.

I'm glad it helped, and enjoy the trip! In hindsight it wasn't all that bad. I definitely want to do it again.

VacaRider I am curious what bikes you tried it with - we’re heading out with 1200 BMW GS Adventures (2) KTM 990 (1) and unknown as yet (1). How far did you get?

@@kevinryanlong5568 we had 2 Africa Twins with DCT one KLR.

Prairie City OHV near Sacramento, CA

Cj Smith take 505 north to Williams and exit 20 W. Follow 20 to Walker Ridge Rd on the right. Explore and have a blast!

Cj Smith sorry, wrong place. This one is between hwy 13 and Knoxville Rd. Look for Reiff rd near Clearlake. The Hwy13 side was closed last time i rode through there.

I don't think it's because of the knobby tire. I've since done many long trips on the bike and only rarely had a problem with wobble. I think it's a combination of wind, road surface, and speed that causes it. Every time, if I slowed down a little it would go away immediately. Then I can pick up speed again and find the sweet spot. That was normally up to 70 mph.

Ben Higgins Pretty much. Since then I did a 350 mile freeway ride and kept it at 65 the whole way. Had enough throttle left to inch up to 70-75. At those speeds I get wiggle on the front of the bike, though. Still have knobbies since my preferred riding is to combine on- with off-road.

I installed a larger tank because I didn't like the short range, but that's it.

OK, thanks. My brother is thinking about riding in a few years, and he had his eye on this bike but is not sure whether he will motard it or not. Hopefully the CRF250M makes it here in the states by the time my bro gets into it, and I was asking about your mods during that vid to see how well can the bike handle freeway speeds in stock, and it wasn't bad. He will definitely need sprocket changes, and the EJK kit to start with though, lol. This bike was my first love while I was in the process of getting into riding, but I opted for the DRZ400SM to better keep up in the freeway but even that bike needed a few mods to keep up with California's fast freeways especially I-15, lol. I still respect the CRF250L for having fuel injection, and that great 74 MPG, though. What's your aftermarket tank capacity, by the way?

Th bike does well, but on rough freeways or windy conditions I've had the front end shake pretty bad. I thing this is a function of the suspension being so long and soft. It started shaking at 70 and let off when I let go the throttle and it got below 65. As long as I brought it back down when it started shaking it was fine. Sadly I didn't have my camera to show footage. I'll try to get some one of these days.

The front wheel wiggling might have something to do with the front fender because if you look at it, the end seems to point downwards too much unlike the DRZ400SM where its tip points more parallel towards the wind. I remember the DRZ400S had the same issue until some of them decided to buy the SM front fender or a smaller aftermarket one. Try looking into the Acerbis front fender to start with.

Another thing I heard from some people is that knobbies are not very good for fast highway speeds. You might want to consider converting your bike to supermoto unless you offroad a lot, but for now I'd suggest looking into front fender switch first.

Thanks, about 35. You ride?

It's a great bike and no regrets. Underpowered for high freeway usage so I would go higher displacement if that were a requirement. For a fun bike to ride around town, on the twisties, and off-road the CRF250L can't be beat.

Thanks Brrap!

Anytime Brother!!

Thanks, I wasn't sure. The sign says no off road vehicles. Technically a dual sport isn't an off road vehicle, but that isn't a conversation I want to have with the police.

Not yet, maybe next time I'm out there. I've headed south at that crossing but not north. Have you? Is the riding better in that direction?

I have not, but only because I haven't got my dual sport bike, yet. I'm living vicariously through your videos. I'm only aware of this area because I used to backpack a lot on the other side of the creek. Many times I saw a bus coming down that road to drop off or pick up rafters. Looking forward to exploring out there.

+Mark Heinig There's such great riding in this area. Last Saturday I rode up bear valley road and then turned left to go to Clearlake. Fantastic roads.

VacaRider Yep. The Mendocino NF roads and surrounding areas are what inspired me to pursue a dual sport. Sounds like you may have ended up on Bartlett Springs Rd. One of many roads I look forward to riding.

+Mark Heinig the wr isnt any faster

+Recon9143 I haven't ridden the WR yet, but I took the CRF on a demo ride yesterday and it sure seemed like it could handle my commute and weekend play duties just fine.

+Mark Heinig The WR is a little lighter itll probably gain 5mph but for 1-2 grand more I wish it was a 450

Thanks! It was definitely a lot of fun. This turned out to be a great place to gain experience on the rough.

Thanks! It was definitely a lot of fun. This turned out to be a great place to gain experience on the rough.

+Ridin' With Drew They aren't always flowing as quickly as they were this time, as I'm sure you've experienced that plenty of times!

+Mark Heinig Thanks for watching! Those are the two bikes I was considering when I was on the market. The decision for the Honda was based primarily on price, but now that I own it I'm very glad I chose it. The extra 2 inches of seat height on the WR would have been a problem for me since I'm a noob too.

+mbigatti Those are good reasons. I'm leaning toward the WR for 2 reasons. First, I'd like to commute on it to work once or twice a week (46 miles round trip, mostly freeway) and the modest extra power of the WR should make that more doable. Second, I'd like to do some moto-camping and the better suspension of the WR should make carrying gear more doable. I haven't ridden the WR yet, but I rode the CRF last year on a tour on Maui and had a freaking blast. I could see myself being happy with either choice.

+Mark Heinig The WR certainly sounds like a more capable bike. Have you considered the KTM EX350? I know it's pricier, but it sure seems like it would be an amazing bike, too. As for the CRF, it does pretty well on the freeway but for the most part I think a 250 is going to struggle if you want to go much faster than 65 miles. I've ridden the CRF up to 80, but it was flat out and without any strong winds. Not something I'd like to do much.

+mbigatti The WR is more capable overall, but I wouldn't say it's much more capable. Frankly, if it wasn't for the desire to moto-camp I'd say the CRF would be all the bike I'd need. Even with that factored in, it might still be. Most of the riding I envision doing is the same stuff you're doing plus some forays up into Mendocino and possibly the Sierras. I would most likely be able to take the CRF everywhere I'd take the WR, and the better low-down torque of the CRF is more noob-friendly in rough and hilly terrain. That KTM, however, is a different beast. Much more dirt-oriented than I need and more maintenance requirements than I'm willing to perform. I'm also not a speed demon - just a simple explorer, so I don't see the KTM as a good fit for me at this point in time. I've still got a few more months of confusion before I have to decide.

+Ridin' With Drew Thanks for watching! We're actually both new to off-road riding on our motorcycles but experienced mountain biking. In my experience, if you have balance then everything else is in the head. Confidence will get you through anything. Hesitation will make you press the brakes at the wrong time. BTW, love your Buell!

+Break Man - I added a gallon of fuel at 78 miles or so and it just about filled it up, so it got over 70 miles to the gallon. Fantastic mileage. I carry an extra gallon and with that and the 2 gallons in the tank I know I should be able to go around 200 miles between gas stations.

Napa has amazing roads to ride... I I've ridden highway 121 and wooden valley road, both a lot of fun.

It looks like it's been torn up by four wheelers recently. Nothing against them, just sayin. Must've been really muddy when you went!

+Break Man - Yeah, I was kicking myself for forgetting to turn my mic on. Thanks for watching!

+Ridin' With Drew - It's an awesome and beautiful ride. Lots of great views.

Mine is a Contour HD that I bought on clearance. I think right now it's hard to beat the Drift. Fantastic camera. The GoPro is an obvious choice as well.

mbigatti Thank you! I am ordering the Drift HD.

What have you done for mods? Any changes on sound?

I installed a double bubble windscreen and rearset. I've since changed bikes, but it was a very sweet ride. If I could go back to change the decision I would keep it.