CSC TT250 Enduro Rocky Mountain Adventure!

“Five guys, two-thousand miles, one hell of an adventure.”

In May of 2016, five riders bought new CSC TT250 Enduro motorcycles. They drove from Texas to pick-up the new bikes at CSC Motorcycles in Azusa, California. Four of the five had never ridden motorcycles before and only received their motorcycle drivers’ licenses the month before.

The group of Texans included Matt (AgRider16 on ADVrider.com), Blake, Brian, Matthew and Joseph. The following is a recap of their adventure, with photos (used with permission) from Matt’s blog: themaplefiesta.wordpress.com

Five Adventure Riders and the CSC TT250 Enduro

Brian perhaps sums up the motto of this trip best with his favorite quote: “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards.”

All five members of the group were riding bone-stock CSC TT250 Enduros. They added some soft saddle bags and a variety of duffel bags and rear boxes. The bikes had stock tires, chains, and gearing – which Matt mentions later. The riders not only had to learn how to ride, but how to ride loaded dual-sport motorcycles ride off-road on some challenging routes.

When asked how the CSC TT250 Enduro performed on the 2,000-mile journey, Matt responded: (from the CSC TT250 forum at advrider.com)

“No major issues. I have fonder memories of how the bikes held up because mine was better put together than the other bikes somehow. We literally got the first consumer ones in the US, so that may have affected it. We had to drive to a distribution center to pick up the bikes in time for us to leave for our trip. We did have a lot of small things that slowed us down but I would say 50% was the bikes and 50% was us not really knowing what we were doing.

-One of the bikes had a fork leaking fluid on the first day
-All the speedos broke in the first two days besides mine
-A friend burned his clutch (probably his fault), we had it replaced in New Mexico
-The chains popped off ALL the time by the end of the trip. That was the main frustration because it happened so frequently by the end. Knowing what I know now, I think it was a combination of the cheap O-ring chain, the rear sprockets were very worn by the end, and that we weren’t great at chain maintenance at the beginning.

My only minor regret is not gearing the bikes for higher speeds. We got passed by a lot of cars in some paved sections and it would have been nice to be able to cruise at higher than 55 mph. We took very small roads when we were on pavement, but that was sometimes worse because cars passing you on a one lane road is worse than a two lane.

Overall it was a fantastic trip, I still think about it all the time. The minor mechanical issues were fun to figure out together and the engines themselves ran like tops the entire time. All the things that went wrong were pretty easily fixed by guys who didn’t know what they were doing, so I really can’t complain.”

The riders and their new TT250’s left Los Angeles and drove to Tucson. The next day they departed on a 2,000 adventure from Mexico to Canada. The ride began by looping south to the Mexican border:

Five Amigos at the Mexican border fence, south of Sierra Vista, AZ

On Day Two they headed back north again and learned how to repair a leaking fork seal. During the ride on Day Three the group learned one of the constants of dual-sport motorcycle riding: if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong at the worst time and in the worst place. One of these worst places is the desolate high desert south of Globe, Arizona. Matt writes in the Day Three blog:

“This trail took us through the wild canyon wilderness and over the Pinal Mountains, and it was without a doubt the toughest trail of the trip so far. Deep sand, big rocks, and trouble soon followed. My chain fell off on a uphill, and thinking we didn’t have the right tools to tighten the chain, we just threw it back on and hoped for the best. Well, the best didn’t happen, and my chain fell off again and this time got wrapped around a bolt and got twisted and stuck.

 Let me pause to emphasize real quick just how in the middle of nowhere we are. We were in the middle of absolute nowhere. No cell signal. No sightings of civilization. No sign of other riders.

 So needless to say, we needed this bike up and running again ASAP, so designated grease monkeys Blake and Joe hopped on it without missing a beat. With little more than vice grips, needle nose pliers and a greasy rag, they got the chain back on the sprocket and bent back into shape. After a couple tests drives we felt confident the bike would make it back to civilization where a real mechanic could look at it, and thankfully we were right.”

On Day Four they ignored the “haters” that told them that they would never reach their destination. The group was also beginning to learn that preventive maintenance helps avoid problems in the middle of nowhere!

By Day Six the group had crossed out of Arizona, through the corner of New Mexico and into Colorado. It was here that one of the bikes needed new clutch plates. Soon they were back on the road with the help of a local shop, Speedin’ Motorsports. As their riding experience was growing, the riders were learning why motorcycles are sometimes referred to as “iron horses”. Just like a horse, you can ride a motorcycle into the ground through inexperience or deliberate abuse.

Days 7 through 13 included riding over the high passes of Colorado, plus a few days off – including flying the whole group back to Texas for a wedding!

Days 14 through 16 were spent riding the mountains of Colorado and then Wyoming. The riders experienced both frozen passes and thunderstorms in the valleys, eventually riding through Yellowstone Park and then into Montana.

Somehwhere in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming

Days 17 through 19 the riders crossed a small sliver of Idaho and the rest of Montana, winding up at the Canadian border.

Successful arrival at the Canadian border!

Matt writes, “We jumped off our bikes at the massive CANADA UNITED STATES BOUNDARY sign to take pictures. Immediately our helmets were off and we were all hugging and laughing, overwhelmed with joy and a sense of accomplishment. So many people had doubted us that even a few miles earlier in Eureka, it felt just a little bit like we might not make it. But to really be there, to see the sign and the border station, felt sublime. I finally breathed a sigh of relief in acknowledgement that we actually got to the border.”

Days 20 through 21 were the last days of riding, heading south through Glacier National Park (that wasn’t completely open yet on July 19^th) and then to Helena, Montana. The bikes went into a storage locker and the riders all flew back to Texas for another wedding!

This was an incredible and unforgettable journey. In three weeks, the five friends rode motorcycles from the Mexican border, across the Rockies, to the Canadian border. They were riding new motorcycles – literally right out of the crates. All five riders and all five TT250 Enduros made it to the finish line. None of the motorcycles were registered, licensed, or insured!

This is also an inspirational journey. The five friends will never forget their three weeks on the roads and trails. If they had known the difficulties that they were going to face “in the middle of nowhere” they might have reconsidered. But they had the confidence that they would overcome whatever came along. Too many people over-analyze everything. Too few people understand that the “adventure” doesn’t begin until something goes “wrong”. That is, the strongest memories are formed when you are overcoming obstacles.

These five riders also proved that “adventure” is the accumulation of experiences, scenery, heat, cold, and horizons. The motorcycle is the vehicle that makes the adventure possible. The fact that these riders completed their 2,000-mile adventure on $2,000 CSC TT250 Enduros proves that adventure doesn’t need to cost a fortune. One of the keys to their successful journey was the lack of planning – being flexible, and not carrying too much stuff. (Although carrying a few more tools and the knowledge to use them would have helped!)

This journey also pointed out issues that TT250 Enduro owners should be aware of. Many, maybe most TT250 owners do not ride 2,000 miles in a year. It is now well-known that the stock chain is soft and prone to stretching. This chain should be replaced after the first 2,000 miles. Riding with a stretched chain will wear out the sprockets and result in throwing the chain under heavy loads.

Riding in dirt and sand will wear the chain faster. The stock chain (and sometimes the sprockets) should be replaced after the first year or 3,000 miles with stronger versions. Often different rear sprockets are installed to provide higher gear ratios, based on the individual riding preferences. CSC stocks all these parts for overnight delivery. New heavier 428 chains and sprockets as well as heavier knobby tires can even be installed prior to delivery of your new TT250, if ordered. New for 2018, CSC now delivers the TT250 Enduro with a digital speedometer – so you can never break a speedo cable again!

The 2,000-mile journey was also a testimony for the simple 230cc motor found in the TT250. This air-cooled, overhead valve engine has a history going back to the 1970’s. The motor was designed for durability and low maintenance, especially in Southeast Asia and South America. You can learn more about this motor and the CSC TT250 Enduro at the CSCMotorcycles.com website.