Hunting From a Motorcycle

AWS

AWS

Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
The latest issue of Predator Extreme has an article called "Hunting from a Honda", great idea.

One thing that wasn't mentioned is most states do not allow dirt bike/motorcycle to be ridden off of roads on public lands. The road can be an overgrown rutted out two track but it still needs to be a road. My first experience with GPS mapping was with Tony Tebbe, I was hunting with him and we were driving across what looked like open prairie when he showed me his GPS and sure enough there was a road shown and then I realized that every once in a while, there were tracks.

I have a little larger bike that I hunt off of, 200cc that I license for highway use also. That way I don't have to haul it I just ride from home out to hunt and it gets 60 to 80 mpg compared to 15 for my truck.

First set up with scabbard
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It was successful but the scabbard was cumbersome and the gallon extra fuel can high and heavy. The large handguards sure make it warmer, I can ride at 20 degrees with just gloves on.
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Second go-round, I took off the scabbard, put a second panier with ball bungees on the top to lash my rifle in the back scabbard to the top for traveling, took off the rear footpegs and put a liter fuel bottle on each side in MC tool bags. I added crash bars to fend off mesquite thorns and a center stand to make repairing a flat much easier. Now it works for camping trips and for fishing back country lakes.
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I put a GPS on it right off the bat as it is almost an essential tool for me to sort out public/private lands and to just wander around the back country.
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This has been a great hunting tool.
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I'm turning 78 next month and age is catching up with me and it looks like this is my last hunting season on the bike. So this is my next project, four wheels that won't fall over as easy. It was a total POS needs all new brakes, new wiring, rear fenders, lights paper work, but it was cheap and the engine works and has a new trans in it. I just got the paperwork sorted and a new tittle and on pavement plates. Front brakes go on next week.
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Keep posted will follow with posts on how it works for a hunting vehicle, next year. Unlike an ATV this is another go anywhere hunting rig that I will be able run on the highways and now have to haul it.
 
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I'm glad you posted this. I've seen several photos you posted over time with your bike. I know longer ride and miss it. I've thought about using an ATV or UTV setup for the road. Even though there's stickers on the ATV's and UTV's that say not for highway use, I've seen quite a few with license plates driving down the road. I spoke with a fellow on one in a parking lot in WY about his. The state classified it as a utility vehicle and it can be driven on any public roadway that is 45 MPH or less.
 
Way back when I was a teen/young adult I hunted deer from my motorcycle. I had a Kawasaki F175 enduro, it would get me places my car wouldn't & I didn't have a truck.

Later 3 & then 4 wheelers became popular, though I never had one.
 
That's super cool! I have often wondered about a highway/off-road dirt bike for coyote hunting but the dang cold weather up here stops me from really utilizing one to it's full potential. The photo of the coyotes on it is awesome!
 
There was a fellow back in WI when I was a kid that road his BMW all winter fox hunting. He'd pass me on the highway with fox hanging out of the saddle bag and his rifle across his back. He wore a WW-II sheepskin bomber flight crew bibs and coat.
 
Very cool as usual. Hope to see the 4 wheeler in this winter season coming up. Haven't been down yet, but planning to come next month, be hungry, my treat. F
 
That new project is coming to be fun to work on as well as use in the field. In the early 70's, I bought a VW bug very cheap, took the body off and rebuilt it. I used an aluminum beer barrel for the gas tank. It was great. It lasted several years. Mine didn't have the side rails that yours have. If you didn't have your seat belt fastened, you could easily fall out. I got stopped many times by the police. Some just wanted a closer look and others said it was illegal. I carried the inspection booklet with me so I could show them it met state requirements.
 
carvercalls said:
I have a TW 200 but it is no where set up as neat as yours..
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I looked at and road a number of Tdubs while searching for a bike. Tdubs are a little more off road oriented and the VV 200 a little more road oriented. I knew I was going to ride it to where I was hunting and being on public lands I needed to stay on designated roads/trails. The ride is a little softer and the seat very comfortable. They bothe have the same tire set up and same size engine. The VV has FI and the Tdub a carb.

One thing if you are contemplating something like this be sure to to change out the chain to a decent roller chain. My first trips out I had to adjust the chain every trip, after the roller chain other than cleaning/lubing it I haven't needed to adjust it.
 
I had a tw200 for several years, great bike but I'm 6'3 and I think I needed to be three or four inches shorter to have it fit me right. My knees were so high I looked like a monkey sitting on a football. :)
 
I bought a used T-Dub 3 years ago, put 400 miles on it and sold it.

Kind of a gutless wonder, with piss poor seat position that angled forward and put a crimp on Big Jim & the Twins.

I tried to like it......

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My buddy Tim wrote that story. He goes by "switch" here. He's been doing quite a bit of writing lately in a few publications. I'm the guy he's referencing in the story. I've been using a trail bike for many years (decades) in the deserts where we hunt. I took him out once and he really liked it, I was surprised when I saw the story on it.

A lot of areas in the desert have trails, not specifically "roads" that are perfectly legal to ride. Some are too narrow to easily fit a truck through but a bike travels them just fine. I've always used my Honda XR100. Mid sized bike that easily fits in my truck with my gear. Very quiet and docile bike. Low seat height. Perfect beginner bike or to just putt around on. I have a gun case with a sling that I transport my rifle with and a small pack that I bring with all my necessities. I rarely travel too far away from my truck, usually do a big loop around it.

Most times when you hunt out of your truck is you find a concealing spot to park, grab your gear and walk out 100 yards or so to make a stand. After the stand grab your gear and walk back to truck, repeat. Usually on rough dirt roads you are travelling pretty slow so you don't tear your truck up. If you make 15-20 minute stand, 10 minute walk out and 10 minutes back plus driving to next spot it's roughly an hour per stand.

When I hunt off my bike I can get twice as many stands in. I'll park my truck, unload the bike and cover ground much faster. I can easily get off the beaten path and park the bike within feet of where I'm calling. I make 15 min stand and within 5 minutes back on the bike and moving twice as fast as my truck would on a rough trail to the next spot. I wouldn't recommend it in deep snow or mud but for dry desert climates it's always worked well for me.
 
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AWS said:
I added crash bars to fend off mesquite thorns and a center stand to make repairing a flat much easier. Now it works for camping trips and for fishing back country lakes.
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Crash bars would be necessary in mesquite country. Did you every try that motorcycle tire sealant to reduce flats, Erich? IDK how well it would work or even if you could use it on the highway in MC tires, depending on how viscous it is.

Loved "Slime" in my jeep tires; it almost completely eliminated flats other than a stob or something big, but it was so thick you couldn't run over 45 mph 'cause it balled up on one side of the tire @ road speeds. Since I left the jeep on the ranch most of the time and trailered it when changing ranches it was not a problem.
 
Ive been using this bike for over 10 years. Love it! I made a hitch carrier for it to haul it on the back of my truck or travel trailer. So I don't need a toy hauler. Inside the box is a day pack with my Foxpro and mojo decoy. The AR-15 and folding chair are carried beside the box. There are power plugs inside the box for charging batteries and running a GPS cable to the handlebars. It's also street licensed for running errands. Rides smoother than a quad on the trails. Top speed is 65mph and first gear is like a granny gear. I use Ride-On in the tires which has worked great for fixing punctures without having to patch the tube.

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Fursniper said:
I use Ride-On in the tires which has worked great for fixing punctures without having to patch the tube.
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I thought they made some leak stop for bikes. It must be less viscous than "Slime" for automotive as you can't run over 45 mph where tires get way out of balance.
 
hm1996 said:
I thought they made some leak stop for bikes. It must be less viscous than "Slime" for automotive as you can't run over 45 mph where tires get way out of balance.
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Ride-On also works to balance tires. I have had 2 punctures, one from a thorn and another from a rock. Sealed both very well and tires do not leak air. Here is a video showing how it works and what Ride-On looks like inside the tire.

 
That's some stuff! Wonder why it wouldn't work on automotive eqpt. as well? The only drawback I can see is the lack of sidewall protection. Mesquite thorns in sidewalls are what killed my jeep tires before "Slime" and they couldn't be patched but the Slime took care of them.

Never saw the inside of a tire w/slime but I assume it lies mostly @ bottom of the tire and centrifugal force distributes it around the tire in motion?? I did witness it at work on a rather large puncture after parking jeep in barn one night. I noticed a green puddle as it developed beside the tire but it sealed up the rather large puncture from a
stob. Great stuff; only problem is the balance problem at over 45 mph.
 
Ride On is great stuff. I used it on my Goldwing years back while doing a lot of traveling. It's one less worry when you're on the road. When I replaced my first tire due to wear, I watched the mechanic pull it off and there was no damage to the hub from the Ride On. During many conversations over the years other riders would say it will pit the hub and it will have to be replaced. What a crock of BS. Ride On is great stuff.
 


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