any advice for Carnegie SVRA newbie?

[ttsang91]

On the easier trails street tires should are ok. I took my 400+lb nx650 out there on street rubber and was mostly fine.

Tossing one of those around sounds like a workout. I'll have to give it a shot on street tires.

The final answer depends on your riding skills. I've ridden Happiness Valley (black diamond trail) on a RXV450 with street tires, but would not recommend a novice rider trying it.

A WR450F in sumo set up with some pressure let out of the tires I'd think would be a blast to ride on Pottery Loop... kinda like riding go-karts on a slick track... you'll have a very slideways time!

Im happy to call myself a newb on dirt haha. Not trying to get myself into trouble and end up tumbling down a hill. Damn, black diamond on street tires?!? Pretty impressive and sketch

You guys have inspired me. I will have to try and get out there and see what happens

Any tips on local fire trails in the Livermore area? Anything off of Mines, or is it all private ranchers back there that will kill me on site?

 

[Frame Maker]

Ya, I'd think a sumo with street tires would be a great way to practice sliding skills... try keeping your feet up and steer with the throttle arty

As for fire roads/trails around Livermore there are none that I'm aware of. Much of the land south/west of Livermore is owned by San Francisco Water District with no public access. I know of private land owners that had to sue the water district just for access to their own land even though there are dirt roads in place. If you even want to hike from Del Valle to Sunol regional park special permits are required. Everything else is private land, so there is nothing with public access that I am aware of.

If you get board with Carnegie, might try Hollister Hills, Metcalf, or Frank Raines. Otherwise if you just want to explore fire roads, I'd head up to Stoneyford / Cow Mountain / Mendocino County, or Sierras.

 

[ttsang91]

Ya, I'd think a sumo with street tires would be a great way to practice sliding skills... try keeping your feet up and steer with the throttle arty

As for fire roads/trails around Livermore there are none that I'm aware of. Much of the land south/west of Livermore is owned by San Francisco Water District with no public access. I know of private land owners that had to sue the water district just for access to their own land even though there are dirt roads in place. If you even want to hike from Del Valle to Sunol regional park special permits are required. Everything else is private land, so there is nothing with public access that I am aware of.

If you get board with Carnegie, might try Hollister Hills, Metcalf, or Frank Raines. Otherwise if you just want to explore fire roads, I'd head up to Stoneyford / Cow Mountain / Mendocino County, or Sierras.

Got it. This is exactly what I'm trying to achieve. I want to get more comfortable sliding the rear around and steer with the throttle. What about braking? Use the rear more? I have the fat 320mm free floating front rotor.

That all makes sense now. I've always wondered why there wasn't much access to the land between Mines and Calaveras.

Carnegie should hold me over for a while. But these sound like awesome places. I've always wanted to try Hollister. Thanks for the suggestions!
Sounds like I might get sucked into the dirtbiking world..

 

[ScottRNelson]

Any tips on local fire trails in the Livermore area? Anything off of Mines, or is it all private ranchers back there that will kill me on site?

There is really no dirt anywhere in the Bay Area other than in a specific off road vehicle park. One dirt road off of Mines - where all the mailboxes are at - can give you a tiny bit of dirt, but really there's nothing much you can legally ride.

You can get a detailed map of Carnegie here: http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1173

That's the map they give you at the entrance. Any of the green trails should be fine on the ContiAttack tires. The bike with proper dirt tires should be able to handle anything in blue as well. I've done all of the blue trails on my XR650L, with lower gearing and dirt tires. Do all of the green stuff, then see how you're feeling. Franciscan Loop isn't too tough if you are okay going up and down hills. If you can handle Carrol Climb up and down (near MotoMart), Franciscan Loop won't be too tough.

Let us know how you do.

 

[Frame Maker]

Franciscan Loop isn't too tough if you are okay going up and down hills. If you can handle Carrol Climb up and down (near MotoMart), Franciscan Loop won't be too tough.

Let us know how you do.

Unfortunately, the top half of Franciscan Loop has been closed for the past two years to allow for recovery from a grass fire. For nice "blue-square" single track there are some fun trails (Golden Eagle, Red Tail) to the east side of the park above the MX track. You might want to avoid Barn Owl though Also, Los Osos to Kiln Canyon is a nice loop on dual-track, although a few (short) semi-technical (steep) sections to be aware of. For nice wide sweeping corners to practice controlled slides, Pottery Loop might be very fun on your sumo. It also has some VERY big water bars if you want to get some air time

 

[ttsang91]

There is really no dirt anywhere in the Bay Area other than in a specific off road vehicle park. One dirt road off of Mines - where all the mailboxes are at - can give you a tiny bit of dirt, but really there's nothing much you can legally ride.

You can get a detailed map of Carnegie here: http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1173

That's the map they give you at the entrance. Any of the green trails should be fine on the ContiAttack tires. The bike with proper dirt tires should be able to handle anything in blue as well. I've done all of the blue trails on my XR650L, with lower gearing and dirt tires. Do all of the green stuff, then see how you're feeling. Franciscan Loop isn't too tough if you are okay going up and down hills. If you can handle Carrol Climb up and down (near MotoMart), Franciscan Loop won't be too tough.

Let us know how you do.

I've always seen that spot with the mail boxes and have been curious about it...
I hope to improve my skills enough to where I can do the blue trails with the dirt tires on. Thanks for the advise and input. I'm not sure when I can make it out there, but when I do the GoPro will be recording.

Unfortunately, the top half of Franciscan Loop has been closed for the past two years to allow for recovery from a grass fire. For nice "blue-square" single track there are some fun trails (Golden Eagle, Red Tail) to the east side of the park above the MX track. You might want to avoid Barn Owl though Also, Los Osos to Kiln Canyon is a nice loop on dual-track, although a few (short) semi-technical (steep) sections to be aware of. For nice wide sweeping corners to practice controlled slides, Pottery Loop might be very fun on your sumo. It also has some VERY big water bars if you want to get some air time

I think I will probably start off in the beginner area, get comfortable on dirt and how the grip is and then head out to Pottery Loop and mess around a little bit more. This sounds like it's gonna be a good day of learning and falling haha

 

[MegaMatt]

Carnegie trails have a tendency to change difficulty as you go, some greens turn into blues, some blues turn into black diamonds. Some trails start out tame but then get gnarly in the middle. There's also a lot of unmarked stuff and some times you end up at the bottom of a fuckin canyon if you don't know where the hell you are going.

Not trying to scare you, there's Adv bike rideable stuff there (you shouldn't end up where I was unless you are stupid or crazy), just maybe not my first choice of location for a 500lb bike.

I know exactly where this spot is and I can confirm that it does in fact suck. It's like a moto fly trap. Easy to get in, almost impossible to get out.

 

[Sharky]

I been down there...

 

[Yakoo752]

I think it's inevitable to fall into devils butt crack

it's a lot of work to get out.

 

[Butch]

I think it's inevitable to fall into devils butt crack

it's a lot of work to get out.

yeah, i been there too.
Dirt biking is great exercise.