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Adventure riding short rides and BS thread

matty said:
Oh man, not again:( Sorry man. If it means anything at all, your pictures are lovely and more importantly inspirational:thumbup

Wonder if you can add a kick start to that beast. A big 650 without a decomp lever, yeah, it should kick over easy.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for a Versys 300
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:thumbup

kick-starter would be cool ... think you can add the KLR 600 kick-starter to pre-‘96 KLR 650 cases, and that some guys used to do that 20 years ago. :laughing:facepalm

I’ll see if I can find an old ADV thread about that mod.

edit, guy provides overview of parts needed for a kick-starter:

[YOUTUBE]J86fMFqiwxI[/YOUTUBE]

pretty sure my KLR has an auto decompression assembly on the end of the exhaust cam, to assist the starter to a longer life, I guess.

Cabrito said:
x2 - Not again! Did your battery die again or what?

Awesome that MTERK and the others are doing the CABDR.
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so, the current theory is maybe it’s a bad brand-new battery or a bad starter (suggestion from one of my BMW R1200GS Adventure buddies, who just rebuilt his starter).

pretty confident the stator is putting out 13.4 volts at 3000 rpm, but I’ll check that again.

as you know, they are pretty basic bikes, it just sometimes takes me a while to wrestle problems to the ground, because ima clown. :clown

for example, this bike used to not run in the rain.

turned out it still had the stock carb vent, and adding the “T” mod solved that issue, as proved by how the engine ran flawlessly in the poring rain, recently.

but that was a problem with this bike that drove me nuts for a while. anyway, I imagine my recurring failure-to-restart issue will be something similar, a straight-forward solution.

So cool that Mr MTERK and the gang are doing the SoCal BDR! :thumbup
hopefully Mr greenhornet will post some pics. :gsxrgrl
 
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Sorry to hear your adventure was a bit more adventurous than planned, great pics though!
 
N4teTheGreat said:
Sorry to hear your adventure was a bit more adventurous than planned, great pics though!
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thanks, I always have fun taking pics, at least. :laughing:thumbup

had some moar fun this am:

picture.php


my good friend Kalle (@kalle on teh BARFs), took mercy on me and purchased this tricky little voltage reader for me after having gotten tired of listening to all my non-starting KLR stories-of-woe the last couple months.

I dropped the KLR off at my friendly local shop this morning, and before I bump started it, the new voltage reader read 12 volts, and of course the KLR didn't start when I pressed the starter button, and the voltage reader dropped down to 9.4 volts.

I gathered up my spare stator and put it in my backpack to bring to the shop and bump-started the KLR and at the shop we looked at the voltage with the engine rpms at 3000 and it read 11.4 volts. so, not charging when hot.

we're think the solution may require a new voltage regulator/rectifier and stator. idk. apparently they sometimes fail together? in any event, sounds good to me. like motorcycle suspension, I find motorcycle electrical stuff to be a profound, unsolvable cosmic mystery. :clown:facepalm

happy with Kalle's little voltage reader, it will also charge my cell phone, and plugs right into my pig-tail trickle battery charger plug, which I have on all my bikes.

anyway, that's the KLR update. shooting to wrestle the starting issue to the ground by the next StonyBARF in late April. :party
 
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Great pics and awesome looking place the Plains are! I need to check it out. Picked up a 990 last year but have not took it on a multi day camp trip yet. Plenty riding experience but just starting to dab in the ADV world. Will have to check in here for some rides.
 
Good thing the stator didn't die on you in Baja. Good place to be stuck for a while but you may have been stuck there a while...

May be a loose ground at the stator but more likely a broken wire in one of the windings, doubt its the reg/rec as you would see some voltage coming from the stator while running, just not be able to do much with it.

Saw a guy in Portland selling a "lot" of 2nd gen KLR stuff a few months ago; spare motor, some cases, swing arms and all kinds of parts that you collect after having a couple of these for years. Immediately thought of you and your two cannibal bikes to keep the one running...shoulda' sent you the link but it was too far away to be practical.

Only a couple of weeks to get it sorted...better hurry!
 
xx4fun said:
Great pics and awesome looking place the Plains are! I need to check it out. Picked up a 990 last year but have not took it on a multi day camp trip yet. Plenty riding experience but just starting to dab in the ADV world. Will have to check in here for some rides.
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990s are cool KTMs!

our next BARF camp/ride is:
OMG StonyBARF 15 April 28 to May 1

the more the merrier! the Stonyford area is a perfect ADV dab. :ride

elemetal said:
Good thing the stator didn't die on you in Baja. Good place to be stuck for a while but you may have been stuck there a while...

May be a loose ground at the stator but more likely a broken wire in one of the windings, doubt its the reg/rec as you would see some voltage coming from the stator while running, just not be able to do much with it.

Saw a guy in Portland selling a "lot" of 2nd gen KLR stuff a few months ago; spare motor, some cases, swing arms and all kinds of parts that you collect after having a couple of these for years. Immediately thought of you and your two cannibal bikes to keep the one running...shoulda' sent you the link but it was too far away to be practical.

Only a couple of weeks to get it sorted...better hurry!
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only a few weeks, for sure, 'til StonyBARF ... but think I have a handle on the starting issue, now. :thumbup

thanks for thinking of me re: the Portland gen-two KLR parts pile ... :gsxrgrl

the cool thing about the gen 2 KLR, besides that Kawasaki made it for 18 or twenty years, or whatever, is it has an exciter coil ignition system using two or three of the stator windings, and they will run with a dead battery/no battery as long as I can get it bump started.

the ignition exciter windings on the stator do fail, too, though--and then you're truly stuck even if the battery is charged--so you can't win ... :laughing

hope to see you in April! :party
 
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N4teTheGreat said:
Just pack a spare stator, R/R on your rides and you'll be good to go?
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:laughing:thumbup

or have spares in your garage in SF, and maybe you’ll be only stuck in San Ignacio one week, instead of three, waiting for the bus from SD to show up with your parts. :toothless

what we do with our vintage bikes, is know how to set the ignition system up to run total-loss off a battery, and carry a little trickle charger. have limped home that way with the ‘73 Tiger, recharging between overnight motels and Napa Auto parts stores. :facepalm

think that may be another down side to the pre-Gen KLR’s exciter-coil ignition system, may not be able to get it to run total-loss?
 
Could be worse, if the charging system fails on my modern Ducati I'm screwed, no bump starting if the FI system isn't primed. Best tool kit for that bike is a plug kit, handful of wrenches for simple things like replacing the headlamp (gonna need allen and star wrenches for that) and a credit card for anything else to get it towed home.
 
N4teTheGreat said:
Could be worse, if the charging system fails on my modern Ducati I'm screwed, no bump starting if the FI system isn't primed. Best tool kit for that bike is a plug kit, handful of wrenches for simple things like replacing the headlamp (gonna need allen and star wrenches for that) and a credit card for anything else to get it towed home.
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love the credit card solution, solves so many of my problems. :laughing



so, turns out there is a campground in the Presidio, and my friend Kalle, of course, solved the reservation issue so we could check it out last night:

picture.php


sunset and Point Bonita Lighthouse from Immigrant Point Overlook and the Rob Hill Campground …

picture.php


our campfire last night … we had maybe four tents set up and maybe 15 people at one point. think there are two camp sites for the hoi polloi, and have to say, it was pretty nice. guess one trick with the reservation is to snag week-nights.

anyway.

on to real BARF Adventure Riding business:

who’s going to be in Stonyford this Friday night, camping at the Rodeo Grounds? w00t! :party

hopefully getting a new front DOT knobbie and heavy-duty tube and oil/air filter change/service tomorrow on de KLR. maybe try to head up that way on Thursday afternoon, we’ll see. :ride
 
I think I knew there was camping there but I didn't think they'd allow fires, being SF and all. Pretty cool!

So here some BS for the BS thread. I routed myself on a fair bit of unintention dirt on a recent road trip that was mean to be sport touring not adventure riding. Looking at the map today is look like at least one of those sections actually had a paved option which Google Maps didn't route me on, boggles the mind. It did make for an adventure but I think I'd have enjoyed that paved section more!

Note the blue street view line versus the thicker blue line which is what I rode (all dirt, a fair amount of double track)

AM-JKLU_3CHKyLXZCLknA1CQ55HVP1tvbYwVjdcfcMwKrC_yhc9vJ3brpltgtCFKcW3qQNgzydBGX55RdXsJiyB0AkLicorR-3LpWr4JGtWHnxK4SGnldQb5KIpl2Oz2w-UEnrAZvvMkIEIjb3lyMps2B8jBlA=w606-no


Made for some cool photos, but I was glad to find pavement again.

AM-JKLVriE6kFfHE03VMCeOLKQ230GgKVbWpBy1CNct3HnkFUbyxLR6PuDUBOjITcaaea8lcMqyMSIYu7kg47OgLqk3xIbj2J70tJBcTXhYBZSpsmE3SSWExdoOrEgTSTsRU_uPLPyowecZvPYW1upAKYs8dKw=w1060-no
 
N4teTheGreat said:
I think I knew there was camping there but I didn't think they'd allow fires, being SF and all. Pretty cool!

So here some BS for the BS thread. I routed myself on a fair bit of unintention dirt on a recent road trip that was mean to be sport touring not adventure riding. Looking at the map today is look like at least one of those sections actually had a paved option which Google Maps didn't route me on, boggles the mind. It did make for an adventure but I think I'd have enjoyed that paved section more!

Note the blue street view line versus the thicker blue line which is what I rode (all dirt, a fair amount of double track)
Click to expand...

Now you have piqued my interest! Haven't been in that area and now I want to! From Seiad Valley up to Jacksonville is a nice ADV ride also.

Thanks for unintentionally finding this!!
 
Looks awesome Nate but I bet some sections were pretty tiring.
I’m looking forward to Weaverville in August.
 
The dirt wore me out and I wasn't even riding hard, just plodding along trying not to ride over anything too sharp and flat out by myself with a questionable amount of CO2 handy. more mentally tiring I think. I won't make Weaverville as I'll be in Colorado visiting my folks and pretending to know how to sail. Wish I could make it though, lots of good roads up there!
 
Cabrito said:
Good stuff John,
I've always wanted to do the noobs rally, and can't wait to ride DV again.

We looked for you in Carrizo last week, but only found EricB..

My CRF300L Rally was built for Carrizo
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*drool* :party

Wow, that looks so fun! Sorry I missed it :(
 
Oh yeah baby!
 
You guuuuuyyyysssss! :blush

It's been almost 24hrs now and I've only racked up about 4 miles - I'm going crazy. Hopefully I will have a successful launch tomorrow! :ride
 
Congratulations George and that bike is lucky, it will get ridden to all the places!
 
Nice bike, that or a desert X would the dual sport I'd want when I grow up and move on from the DRZ (if that ever happens)
 
Very nice! I'm eagerly awaiting some ride reports.
 
Heck... I did not even know Aprillia made an ADV bike. :teeth

Looks great. Enjoy it and congrats :thumbup
 
Very nice! The Tuareg's got all the bells & whistles including cruise control - you're set for some long-distance ADV!
 
Hot damn, George! You did it. Enjoy.
 
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