Motorcycle Rides

New Tire In the works

After 2 hours in the dentist chair today I got the kLR in for a new front tire. I'm getting a IRC GP-110 to match the same brand back tire that already has 3500 miles on it. I'm also getting a new heavy duty tube and will keep the old one as a spare. It costs $2 to dispose of an old tire by the way.

Dale, grounded for the moment/

Bike Notes

Last weekend I rode thru Yosemite, hiked Slate Crk Valley at over 10,000 feet and then rode home via Ebbetts pass. What a blast! I have the hike plcs online at:
Slate Crk Valley
I rode 493 miles and the last 283 Were on the tank of gas at Crane Flat. I hit reserve in the dark in Stockton which means I got 58.2 mpg!
I need a new front tire and plan to get one this week along with a heavy duty tube.
I put on my 2004 DMV tag today.
I made it thru high winds today ouer Patterson Pass to Vasco Rd and back on Rte 4 for a 90 mile loop today. Ugh.
Dt
/relaxing now

I've had a couple of great rides recently. Two weeks ago, I joined a bunch of KLR riders for the first East Sierra KLRista ride. We camped below Sonora Pass and spent two days exploring the mountains and high desert covering several hundred miles on dirt and lots more on backroads. I discovered lots of new routes and areas and bike tips from some good riders and other newbies like me.
That was so much fun, I headed solo last Saturday through Yosemite and up to my old haunt, Slate Creek Valley for a great hike. Afterwards, I headed down to Lee Vining and up 395 and home via Monitor and Ebbetts passes. I didn't arrive home til well after dark nearly 400 miles for the day.

Dale
/ready for a new front tire now for sure!

More Riding

Last week I joined 7 other KLR riders and met Up near Sonora Pass for a camping and riding weekend. We put on hundreds ot miles mostly in the dirt. I learned a lot about the bike and the area that I didn't know before. Take a look here:
http://homepage.mac.com/dtsteele/Dale_Test_Page.html
I had so much fun I went back solo yesterday through Yosemite and hiked up Slate Creek Valley before vlsiting Mono Lake and heading back through Bridgeport and over Monitor and Ebbetts passes. I didn't make it home until dark 393 miles total. I'll get the pics up today probably.
This was a great way to end the Summer even if the Equinox is not for a day or two...
Dale
/taking it easy for a bit

New Oil!

And a filter too at 9500 miles. Now I need to figure out what to do with the old stuff and make sure that I don't have any leaks. Maybe a ride today after all. I did get useful info about the centerstand on a lowered bike like mine.

Friday Commute!

Well, I finally did it. I hit the backroads and made the commute between Stockton and Sacramento. It was pretty roundabout too as the bridge over the Cosumnes is down for repairs and that triggers about a 10 mile total detour if you stay off the freeway. I got to meet lots of large farm equipment up close, an ambulance, and some fairly thick traffic in the ever expanding Elk Grove area with road widening construction underway to make it worse. It was nice to ride right into the heart of downtown and just park between two cars without any money going into the meter and more bikes have been showing up all summer. It took about 90 minutes each way with about 105 total miles and I probably didn't hit the worst of the traffic. I could have done better sticking to the freeway but that would defeat the whole purpose and take some of the fun out of it all. All told, it was a good excuse to come in late and leave early on a Friday and the weather was pretty nice too. I did have a fairly close encounter with an old couple in a very large sedan that decided not to look both ways before pulling into traffic...

Now I'll have to buckle down and do that oil change that's due. i did hit 9500 on the odometer today. I've put about 3200 of those miles on it since I got this 2001 model in April. I seem to be getting a shade over 50 mpg too.

Dale
/on the road again...


BLOGGER

The page below really needs to be updated as I've been up in the Vaca hills, on top of Mt. Diablo, over the Burma Grade (Merced River Cyn), in the state game refuge above Calevaras Big Trees, and in the bad lands beyond Mercy Hot Springs (and more!) since these early pictures were taken. I think you will still get the idea though....

Early KLR650 Rides

Dale
/inside waiting for a ride in the dentist chair


BLOGGER

Looking for some place to ride?

Check this site out if you are ever thinking about getting out to do a little back road exploring somewhere in California. I have been on a few of these roads and can tell you that the information here seems to be very good, at least from a motorcyclist's perspective... California Motorcycle Roads

Dale
/should be out riding, was earlier this weekend

BLOGGER

OK, after many years away from riding while I was busy raising a family and such, I have returned to the sport with a 2001 KLR 650 dual-purpose bike. I was searching for this type of bike for about a year and when my daughter went out and bought a used Honda 250 Rebel and took it to college, I knew I'd better speed things up. I took the MSR safety class and started searching much harder. I had several great leads and ended up buying one used from someone in Berkeley this spring and even managed to ride it home over some great backroads between the east bay hills and the delta to Stockton. I have taken it out most weekends since then and made it to such places as Patterson Pass, Mount Hamilton, Ebbetts Pass, Monitor Pass, Burma Grade/Merced River Cyn, Mt. Diablo, Watsonville via Mercy Hot Springs, and more. I'm taking pictures of these rides and am a member of a very active yahoo group focused on this brand bike and dual-purpose riding. I have yet to do any overnite camping with it but have one or more trips planned this month.......Stay tuned for more.