Finished putting the KLR to bed for the winter. Carb drained, battery pulled, exhaust oiled and plugged, and the cover is on.
It's going to be a long winter... time to start planning for spring!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Almost Tucked In...
Spent some time working on the KLR today to get it ready for winter. I pulled the front and rear fairings off, got the gas tank off, pulled the spark plug, and sprayed some fogging oil inside the cylinder. That done, I put the plug back in and tank back on, and filled the tank to the brim with fresh gas (Shell premium - no ethanol, whoo - thanks, Mrs. HAL!) and Sta-Bil.
The KLR is up on the lift now (and tied to it) so the wheels are off the ground. The transmission is in 5th gear so I can turn the rear wheel and make the engine innards move once or twice a week over the winter, keep things from sitting in one place for too long.
I put some heavy gear oil on the chain. Since the bike is just going to sit there over the winter, I'd rather use oil instead of wax - I trust oil to make a better air/water barrier to help keep the chain from rusting.
All I have to do now is drain the carb bowl, pull the battery, drop the pressure in the tires by 10-15PSI, and spray some WD-40 up the tailpipe and cap it. Oh, then cover it up, too.
I'm glad I stopped riding when I did - we've had quite a bit of snow in the last few days - I don't think it's going away until spring.
~sigh~
Safe riding!
The KLR is up on the lift now (and tied to it) so the wheels are off the ground. The transmission is in 5th gear so I can turn the rear wheel and make the engine innards move once or twice a week over the winter, keep things from sitting in one place for too long.
I put some heavy gear oil on the chain. Since the bike is just going to sit there over the winter, I'd rather use oil instead of wax - I trust oil to make a better air/water barrier to help keep the chain from rusting.
All I have to do now is drain the carb bowl, pull the battery, drop the pressure in the tires by 10-15PSI, and spray some WD-40 up the tailpipe and cap it. Oh, then cover it up, too.
I'm glad I stopped riding when I did - we've had quite a bit of snow in the last few days - I don't think it's going away until spring.
~sigh~
Safe riding!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Done For The Year...
Just a quick entry, I'll write more later... but it looks like that's it for the KLR this year. Snow and ice on the road this evening (I worked late) made for an interesting ride on the way home.
Oh, and the KLR _almost_ didn't start after work today, I spent a lot of time holding the starter button down, but eventually it caught. I guess I can't really blame it - it's running summer-weight oil and it was about -7C... after sitting outside in the parking lot all day. More later.
Safe riding!
Oh, and the KLR _almost_ didn't start after work today, I spent a lot of time holding the starter button down, but eventually it caught. I guess I can't really blame it - it's running summer-weight oil and it was about -7C... after sitting outside in the parking lot all day. More later.
Safe riding!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Oil Change!
It was quite chilly again this morning - more ice on the creek and cars were all frosted over.
The ride in was pretty good. I wore my big snowmobile gloves over top of my riding gloves so my hands were nice and warm. I've noticed that my new helmet does a much better job of keeping the inside of the visor (and my glasses) from fogging up, even with the helmet completely closed.
After work, I took off to HSS to pick up some oil, a filter, an o-ring, some oil drain plug gaskets, and some fogging oil. I had a nice chat with Ken and with the folks at the parts desk.
I took the scenic route through Headingley on the way home and even though it was dark out, it was still a nice trip. I can't believe how early it gets dark this time of year - every year it catches me off guard.
As soon as I got home, I drained the oil and pulled the filter:
The oil was pretty dark but was still pretty thick. I've heard that KLR motors are pretty hard on oil, and sometimes if the oil is in bad shape, it can come out more like water than oil. Apparently, it's something called "viscosity shear", and it's the oil molecules literally getting ground up into smaller and smaller molecules. Eventually, they get so small they can't lubricate worth beans anymore.
Anyway... I left it while Mrs. HAL and I had supper, and then after we were done, we went back outside to finish the job. The magnetic drain plug told a pretty happy story:
Yep - only a little bit of fine metal particles on there. No heavy shavings, no gear teeth, no springs... I was pretty happy with that!
I did, however, get a bit of a jolt when I looked inside the oil filler cap:
I was puzzling over it for a minute before I realized it looked just like the oil does when it's got a bit of moisture in it. It probably frothed up a bit and stuck to the inside of the cap. I cleaned it out and it was indeed oily and smelled like oil.
So... it was time to button the bike back up. A new filter, fresh oil, and the change was done. I started the bike up to circulate the oil a bit, and that was it.
Tomorrow will probably be my last riding day for this year. Like I said, I don't want to get caught where I can't ride it - I'd rather shut things down on my own. I'm going to do a loop around the Perimeter on the way home from work to get the oil right up to temperature and burn off any moisture, and that'll be it.
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 9047.2km
Distance since last fill: 180.7km
The ride in was pretty good. I wore my big snowmobile gloves over top of my riding gloves so my hands were nice and warm. I've noticed that my new helmet does a much better job of keeping the inside of the visor (and my glasses) from fogging up, even with the helmet completely closed.
After work, I took off to HSS to pick up some oil, a filter, an o-ring, some oil drain plug gaskets, and some fogging oil. I had a nice chat with Ken and with the folks at the parts desk.
I took the scenic route through Headingley on the way home and even though it was dark out, it was still a nice trip. I can't believe how early it gets dark this time of year - every year it catches me off guard.
As soon as I got home, I drained the oil and pulled the filter:
The oil was pretty dark but was still pretty thick. I've heard that KLR motors are pretty hard on oil, and sometimes if the oil is in bad shape, it can come out more like water than oil. Apparently, it's something called "viscosity shear", and it's the oil molecules literally getting ground up into smaller and smaller molecules. Eventually, they get so small they can't lubricate worth beans anymore.
Anyway... I left it while Mrs. HAL and I had supper, and then after we were done, we went back outside to finish the job. The magnetic drain plug told a pretty happy story:
Yep - only a little bit of fine metal particles on there. No heavy shavings, no gear teeth, no springs... I was pretty happy with that!
I did, however, get a bit of a jolt when I looked inside the oil filler cap:
I was puzzling over it for a minute before I realized it looked just like the oil does when it's got a bit of moisture in it. It probably frothed up a bit and stuck to the inside of the cap. I cleaned it out and it was indeed oily and smelled like oil.
So... it was time to button the bike back up. A new filter, fresh oil, and the change was done. I started the bike up to circulate the oil a bit, and that was it.
Tomorrow will probably be my last riding day for this year. Like I said, I don't want to get caught where I can't ride it - I'd rather shut things down on my own. I'm going to do a loop around the Perimeter on the way home from work to get the oil right up to temperature and burn off any moisture, and that'll be it.
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 9047.2km
Distance since last fill: 180.7km
Monday, November 15, 2010
Almost Done...
It was around -3C this morning when I left. With the cold thickening up the oil and robbing the battery of power, the KLR was cranking a little slower than usual. It still started and warmed up well, though.
The ride in was good but cold - I really need to wear some woolies if I'm going to ride at these temperatures. Jeans just don't cut it. There were patches of ice on the side of the road again.
During the ride home this afternoon, I noticed something. Not only did it feel about as cold as it did in the morning, but the patches of ice were still on the ground. There was also a thin skim of ice near the bank of the creek I rode by.
Not a good sign.
With the short trips to work I've been taking lately, there's a lot of fog in the sight glass again. I was hoping that it was going to stay away - after my last trip to Brandon the glass was clear as... well, GLASS, but I just haven't got the oil hot enough to burn off the moisture that's collecting in it. I really want to get rid of that before I put the KLR to bed for the winter.
In that vein, I think I'm going to have to put the KLR away before it snows. I was thinking of riding it right up until I couldn't ride it anymore, but I expect that very shortly I will either wake up in the morning or get out of work and there will be two feet of snow on the ground. If that happens, I won't be able to get the ride in I need to clear the oil.
So... if all goes to plan, I'm going to head to HSS tomorrow after work and pick up oil, a filter, an O-ring, and a spark plug. The ride to HSS should get the engine nice and warm, and as soon as I get the bike home, I'll drop the old oil and filter and replace them in the evening. Then, one more get-the-KLR-up-to-temperature ride and then that'll be it for this year - it'll go up on the lift and I'll finish winterizing it later this week.
It's been a great year! I've been able to ride the bike to work a lot longer this year, and even when it's cold out I'm still enjoying the ride!
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 9013.4km
Distance since last fill: 146.9km
The ride in was good but cold - I really need to wear some woolies if I'm going to ride at these temperatures. Jeans just don't cut it. There were patches of ice on the side of the road again.
During the ride home this afternoon, I noticed something. Not only did it feel about as cold as it did in the morning, but the patches of ice were still on the ground. There was also a thin skim of ice near the bank of the creek I rode by.
Not a good sign.
With the short trips to work I've been taking lately, there's a lot of fog in the sight glass again. I was hoping that it was going to stay away - after my last trip to Brandon the glass was clear as... well, GLASS, but I just haven't got the oil hot enough to burn off the moisture that's collecting in it. I really want to get rid of that before I put the KLR to bed for the winter.
In that vein, I think I'm going to have to put the KLR away before it snows. I was thinking of riding it right up until I couldn't ride it anymore, but I expect that very shortly I will either wake up in the morning or get out of work and there will be two feet of snow on the ground. If that happens, I won't be able to get the ride in I need to clear the oil.
So... if all goes to plan, I'm going to head to HSS tomorrow after work and pick up oil, a filter, an O-ring, and a spark plug. The ride to HSS should get the engine nice and warm, and as soon as I get the bike home, I'll drop the old oil and filter and replace them in the evening. Then, one more get-the-KLR-up-to-temperature ride and then that'll be it for this year - it'll go up on the lift and I'll finish winterizing it later this week.
It's been a great year! I've been able to ride the bike to work a lot longer this year, and even when it's cold out I'm still enjoying the ride!
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 9013.4km
Distance since last fill: 146.9km
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Happy Birthday!
It was a chilly -3C this morning. It had been down to about -7C overnight so there was a skim of frost on houses and cars, and there were patches of ice on the road where puddles had frozen over. Fortunately, there was still plenty of dry, clear road to ride on. The KLR cranked a little slow but started easily, and it warmed up pretty quickly.
The ride itself was good - like I said, a little chilly, but enjoyable nonetheless. It's getting to the time of year where I'm getting strange looks from pedestrians and car drivers - kind of the "What on earth are you doing out on that thing?" look. Fortunately, I've got a reasonably short commute and I'm wearing a vest underneath my riding jacket so it's not too bad.
The ride home this afternoon was also pleasant - traffic was pretty light and the temperature was warm enough to keep the chill off me. While I was on the way home, I approached what appeared to be a motorcycle with its high beams on. It didn't bother me (it was still daylight out) but I couldn't see exactly what it was. Finally, I got close enough to see it was a big dude wearing a ton of winter clothes while riding a little blue scooter. I waved, he nodded. Despite all the clothes, he looked pretty cold.
As I was approaching home, I took a look at the odometer - 8996km! I rode a couple of extra circuits around the neighbourhood and once I rolled into the garage, this is what I saw:
The KLR just turned nine!
I'm not sure what to get it... perhaps a valve check in the spring.
I've been reading a lot of articles on riding in the winter. There are quite a few people who do it, and as long as you use some common sense, it's pretty safe and reliable. I'm tempted to try, but my big concern about it is how badly the salt will rot the KLR away. My exhaust already has some rust on it, and if I was riding to work daily in the winter, I'm pretty sure that there'd be rust all over the place. Still, something that may be worth investigating further...
If I don't ride during the winter, I'm going to have to get things in place to put the KLR away soon. After some short trips to work, there is fog in the oil sight glass again, so I'd like to get the bike up to speed for a bit to burn it off before winter. So many things to think about!
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 9000.2km
Distance since last fill: 133.7km
The ride itself was good - like I said, a little chilly, but enjoyable nonetheless. It's getting to the time of year where I'm getting strange looks from pedestrians and car drivers - kind of the "What on earth are you doing out on that thing?" look. Fortunately, I've got a reasonably short commute and I'm wearing a vest underneath my riding jacket so it's not too bad.
The ride home this afternoon was also pleasant - traffic was pretty light and the temperature was warm enough to keep the chill off me. While I was on the way home, I approached what appeared to be a motorcycle with its high beams on. It didn't bother me (it was still daylight out) but I couldn't see exactly what it was. Finally, I got close enough to see it was a big dude wearing a ton of winter clothes while riding a little blue scooter. I waved, he nodded. Despite all the clothes, he looked pretty cold.
As I was approaching home, I took a look at the odometer - 8996km! I rode a couple of extra circuits around the neighbourhood and once I rolled into the garage, this is what I saw:
The KLR just turned nine!
I'm not sure what to get it... perhaps a valve check in the spring.
I've been reading a lot of articles on riding in the winter. There are quite a few people who do it, and as long as you use some common sense, it's pretty safe and reliable. I'm tempted to try, but my big concern about it is how badly the salt will rot the KLR away. My exhaust already has some rust on it, and if I was riding to work daily in the winter, I'm pretty sure that there'd be rust all over the place. Still, something that may be worth investigating further...
If I don't ride during the winter, I'm going to have to get things in place to put the KLR away soon. After some short trips to work, there is fog in the oil sight glass again, so I'd like to get the bike up to speed for a bit to burn it off before winter. So many things to think about!
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 9000.2km
Distance since last fill: 133.7km
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
The End Is Near...
Uh-oh...
Looks like the great weather we've been enjoying is nearing an end. I don't think I'll be out on the KLR for much longer.
On the neat side, though - the sunrise was incredible this morning. A band of cloud stretched across the sky and was lit up a bright red/pink by the rising sun. It was such a stark contrast to the clear blue sky above and below it... it was fantastic.
Oh, and something else I forgot to mention in my previous post - there is a LOT of standing water in the fields, ditches, and yards between Winnipeg and Brandon. If we get a lot of snow this winter, a quick melt will probably mean nasty flooding in the spring...
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 8966.1km
Distance since last fill: 99.5km
Looks like the great weather we've been enjoying is nearing an end. I don't think I'll be out on the KLR for much longer.
On the neat side, though - the sunrise was incredible this morning. A band of cloud stretched across the sky and was lit up a bright red/pink by the rising sun. It was such a stark contrast to the clear blue sky above and below it... it was fantastic.
Oh, and something else I forgot to mention in my previous post - there is a LOT of standing water in the fields, ditches, and yards between Winnipeg and Brandon. If we get a lot of snow this winter, a quick melt will probably mean nasty flooding in the spring...
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 8966.1km
Distance since last fill: 99.5km
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Support Call!
After a bit of a scare when there was some snow on the ground just before Halloween, the weather has been great. I'd been hoping to get another little trip or two in before winter finally shut the KLR down for four to five months, but life's been really busy lately and it looked like I wasn't going to get the chance.
Then suddenly, out of the blue, I got a phone call - my father's computer had bought the farm and he needed some advice and some troubleshooting.
ROAD TRIP, WHOO!!!
Friday night, I went over the KLR and got everything ready to leave Saturday morning. The weather forecast said it was supposed to be 8C on Saturday and 9C on Sunday. Cool, but not too bad.
I said goodbye to Mrs. HAL and left the house Saturday morning at about 10AM. It was 3C and a little cloudy out and just a bit of a breeze. The KLR was running like a champ and the road was clear and traffic was light:
I thought I was in good shape because I was wearing a fleece vest and long underwear but by the time I got to Elie I was already quite cold. I pulled over and put on my rain gear and swapped out my riding gloves for snowmobile gloves. Back on the bike, I warmed up right away and had a comfortable ride the rest of the way.
Speaking of comfortable ride - check this out:
Yep, there's lots of fresh pavement between Winnipeg and Brandon. Smoooooth!
Oh, and it's not a trip to Brandon on the Trans-Canada unless you say hello to the Halfway Tree:
More good news - the construction near Portage is finally done. No detours!
I passed two other riders heading towards Winnipeg. One was on a cruiser and the other was on a bright green bike that looked suspiciously like a dual-sport. Even on the highway and separated by the big ditch between the roads, there were still waves all around.
I wish I could figure out what that green bike was...
I took the Brandon bypass south and then took the low road into town. All the way, traffic stayed light and everything was great. The KLR was running smoothly (well, as smoothly as it runs, I suppose), and I was having one of those rides where I felt like I could have easily sat on the KLR and rode until I reached the moon.
I rode through Brandon and pulled into my parents' driveway at about noon.
My time at my folks' place was great - it's been too long since I'd seen them, and we had lots of time to talk and catch up on the family gossip. We got their computer working, ate lots of great food, and talked some more.
I left Sunday at about 12:30. The sky was clear and the temperature outside was an amazing 14C! Before the weekend, Crash had mentioned that if I was in the neighbourhood I could stop by his den of solitude to say hello, so I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity and see if I could find it.
Once again, the riding was great, with light traffic and just a bit of a breeze. I was enjoying the ride thoroughly, and after a bunch of highway, side roads, gravel, and dirt, I finally ended up at Crash's place. Crash and MC were there, getting the den of solitude ready for winter. They were pretty busy, but Crash invited me along on some trail riding, and I was happy to give it a shot again - after all, when I followed Crash on the trails last year, it was a blast and very interesting.
So, off we went - Crash on his dirt bike, and me on the KLR. Shortly after we started, we came across some sand and as the KLR bogged down and slid sideways, I remembered just how much I enjoyed riding on sand. Or, actually, IN sand, since I don't seem to be able to actually ride ON it. I was trying to remember all the hints I'd heard over the years, but between my inexperience, the weight of the KLR, and the rear tire being almost worn out and over-inflated for dirt, I spent a lot of time holding on for dear life (note the angle of the handlebars in the shadow... and yeah - the picture should be pretty much level):
Crash will probably roll his eyes if he reads this, but the path we took this time was a lot more intense than last time. I was following a fair distance behind Crash (he was giving hand signals where the turns and other features were) when suddenly he went straight down and disappeared from sight. I slowed down just in time to see him motoring up a steep slope on the other side of a little... well, it looked like a giant valley to me.
I stopped with the front wheel just a few inches from the edge where the ground dropped away and stared at what appeared to be a 200 foot, 90 degree drop. I'm sure that in reality it was a lot less than that, but at the time it looked pretty nasty. I tried to remember all of the things I'd heard about going up and down hills. I backed up a few feet, then stood up and back a bit, covered the rear brake, let the clutch out, and rolled toward the edge.
The front wheel went over and, for the first time, the KLR's skidplate and frame were dragging on the ground until the rear wheel also went over the edge. About halfway down, I realized that things were going much better than I'd expected - after all, I was still on the bike and not stuck in a tree. Right after that realization, it occurred to me that I was still going to have to make it up the other side. Crash had made it look so easy. When I reached the bottom, I shifted forward as best I could and goosed it. The KLR dug in and tractored to the top.
I really wish I'd had the camera running at the time. That was by far the steepest slope both downwards and up I'd ever tried, but when looking at it after getting to the top, it really didn't look that bad. Once again, I learned something that the KLR and I could do... and neither of us got hurt. I'm also glad I got that low-profile oil drain plug - the old one would have definitely been dragging on the ground when I went over the edge of that slope.
Crash is a really good guide - he indicates the turns really well and, while he goes zipping on ahead, he's quite patient about waiting while the fat city-rider on the KLR with the bad tires catches up.
We rode around some more (I was getting a little less scared in the sand), and then swapped bikes for a bit. Wow, what a difference a light, purpose-built dirtbike (Yamaha WR) with real dirt tires makes. Last year, we'd swapped bikes for a bit, and back then there was a big difference but this time I had more than two months of riding experience and was less nervous. Especially in the sand, the WR inspired immeasurably more confidence than the KLR did. Even on the KLR, Crash left me in the dust. I must admit it was kind of neat to see the big fat KLR trucking away, bouncing over the trail.
We headed back and, after a bit of chatting (well, it was more me watching them work (sorry about that, by the way)), I had to get going. The three of us took a short but enjoyable ride, after which I hit the road to head home.
I'm still amazed at how great the riding was this weekend! Eventually, I made it back to Highway 1 and was greeted with this:
Unfortunately, the sun set shortly after, and the temperature started to drop. Between that and running low on fuel, I stopped for gas just outside of Portage and dropped Mrs. HAL an email to let her know I was running a little behind. I put my rain gear back on (it does a great job as a windbreaker), and got back on the road.
As I got closer to Winnipeg, the sun got closer to the horizon... until finally:
The KLR and I were back in town. A little bit more riding around, and before I knew it I was in the driveway, shutting the bike down.
Once again, it had been a great trip, and while part of me would have been perfectly happy riding on until I got to an ocean somewhere, it was great to get home and see Mrs. HAL again.
I was really lucky to get that last ride in, and even better that I accomplished something while on the trip! I don't know how much longer the weather will hold, but who knows... there may be a little more time for me and the KLR yet!
Oh, and I got fuel three times this weekend - on the way out of Winnipeg on Saturday (the fuel economy worked out to 46.8MPG), on the way out of Brandon on Sunday (48.3MPG), and at Portage on Sunday (49.9MPG). Definitely not the best ever, but nothing to sneeze at.
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 8935.5km
Distance since last fill: 68.9km
Then suddenly, out of the blue, I got a phone call - my father's computer had bought the farm and he needed some advice and some troubleshooting.
ROAD TRIP, WHOO!!!
Friday night, I went over the KLR and got everything ready to leave Saturday morning. The weather forecast said it was supposed to be 8C on Saturday and 9C on Sunday. Cool, but not too bad.
I said goodbye to Mrs. HAL and left the house Saturday morning at about 10AM. It was 3C and a little cloudy out and just a bit of a breeze. The KLR was running like a champ and the road was clear and traffic was light:
I thought I was in good shape because I was wearing a fleece vest and long underwear but by the time I got to Elie I was already quite cold. I pulled over and put on my rain gear and swapped out my riding gloves for snowmobile gloves. Back on the bike, I warmed up right away and had a comfortable ride the rest of the way.
Speaking of comfortable ride - check this out:
Yep, there's lots of fresh pavement between Winnipeg and Brandon. Smoooooth!
Oh, and it's not a trip to Brandon on the Trans-Canada unless you say hello to the Halfway Tree:
More good news - the construction near Portage is finally done. No detours!
I passed two other riders heading towards Winnipeg. One was on a cruiser and the other was on a bright green bike that looked suspiciously like a dual-sport. Even on the highway and separated by the big ditch between the roads, there were still waves all around.
I wish I could figure out what that green bike was...
I took the Brandon bypass south and then took the low road into town. All the way, traffic stayed light and everything was great. The KLR was running smoothly (well, as smoothly as it runs, I suppose), and I was having one of those rides where I felt like I could have easily sat on the KLR and rode until I reached the moon.
I rode through Brandon and pulled into my parents' driveway at about noon.
My time at my folks' place was great - it's been too long since I'd seen them, and we had lots of time to talk and catch up on the family gossip. We got their computer working, ate lots of great food, and talked some more.
I left Sunday at about 12:30. The sky was clear and the temperature outside was an amazing 14C! Before the weekend, Crash had mentioned that if I was in the neighbourhood I could stop by his den of solitude to say hello, so I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity and see if I could find it.
Once again, the riding was great, with light traffic and just a bit of a breeze. I was enjoying the ride thoroughly, and after a bunch of highway, side roads, gravel, and dirt, I finally ended up at Crash's place. Crash and MC were there, getting the den of solitude ready for winter. They were pretty busy, but Crash invited me along on some trail riding, and I was happy to give it a shot again - after all, when I followed Crash on the trails last year, it was a blast and very interesting.
So, off we went - Crash on his dirt bike, and me on the KLR. Shortly after we started, we came across some sand and as the KLR bogged down and slid sideways, I remembered just how much I enjoyed riding on sand. Or, actually, IN sand, since I don't seem to be able to actually ride ON it. I was trying to remember all the hints I'd heard over the years, but between my inexperience, the weight of the KLR, and the rear tire being almost worn out and over-inflated for dirt, I spent a lot of time holding on for dear life (note the angle of the handlebars in the shadow... and yeah - the picture should be pretty much level):
Crash will probably roll his eyes if he reads this, but the path we took this time was a lot more intense than last time. I was following a fair distance behind Crash (he was giving hand signals where the turns and other features were) when suddenly he went straight down and disappeared from sight. I slowed down just in time to see him motoring up a steep slope on the other side of a little... well, it looked like a giant valley to me.
I stopped with the front wheel just a few inches from the edge where the ground dropped away and stared at what appeared to be a 200 foot, 90 degree drop. I'm sure that in reality it was a lot less than that, but at the time it looked pretty nasty. I tried to remember all of the things I'd heard about going up and down hills. I backed up a few feet, then stood up and back a bit, covered the rear brake, let the clutch out, and rolled toward the edge.
The front wheel went over and, for the first time, the KLR's skidplate and frame were dragging on the ground until the rear wheel also went over the edge. About halfway down, I realized that things were going much better than I'd expected - after all, I was still on the bike and not stuck in a tree. Right after that realization, it occurred to me that I was still going to have to make it up the other side. Crash had made it look so easy. When I reached the bottom, I shifted forward as best I could and goosed it. The KLR dug in and tractored to the top.
I really wish I'd had the camera running at the time. That was by far the steepest slope both downwards and up I'd ever tried, but when looking at it after getting to the top, it really didn't look that bad. Once again, I learned something that the KLR and I could do... and neither of us got hurt. I'm also glad I got that low-profile oil drain plug - the old one would have definitely been dragging on the ground when I went over the edge of that slope.
Crash is a really good guide - he indicates the turns really well and, while he goes zipping on ahead, he's quite patient about waiting while the fat city-rider on the KLR with the bad tires catches up.
We rode around some more (I was getting a little less scared in the sand), and then swapped bikes for a bit. Wow, what a difference a light, purpose-built dirtbike (Yamaha WR) with real dirt tires makes. Last year, we'd swapped bikes for a bit, and back then there was a big difference but this time I had more than two months of riding experience and was less nervous. Especially in the sand, the WR inspired immeasurably more confidence than the KLR did. Even on the KLR, Crash left me in the dust. I must admit it was kind of neat to see the big fat KLR trucking away, bouncing over the trail.
We headed back and, after a bit of chatting (well, it was more me watching them work (sorry about that, by the way)), I had to get going. The three of us took a short but enjoyable ride, after which I hit the road to head home.
I'm still amazed at how great the riding was this weekend! Eventually, I made it back to Highway 1 and was greeted with this:
Unfortunately, the sun set shortly after, and the temperature started to drop. Between that and running low on fuel, I stopped for gas just outside of Portage and dropped Mrs. HAL an email to let her know I was running a little behind. I put my rain gear back on (it does a great job as a windbreaker), and got back on the road.
As I got closer to Winnipeg, the sun got closer to the horizon... until finally:
The KLR and I were back in town. A little bit more riding around, and before I knew it I was in the driveway, shutting the bike down.
Once again, it had been a great trip, and while part of me would have been perfectly happy riding on until I got to an ocean somewhere, it was great to get home and see Mrs. HAL again.
I was really lucky to get that last ride in, and even better that I accomplished something while on the trip! I don't know how much longer the weather will hold, but who knows... there may be a little more time for me and the KLR yet!
Oh, and I got fuel three times this weekend - on the way out of Winnipeg on Saturday (the fuel economy worked out to 46.8MPG), on the way out of Brandon on Sunday (48.3MPG), and at Portage on Sunday (49.9MPG). Definitely not the best ever, but nothing to sneeze at.
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 8935.5km
Distance since last fill: 68.9km
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Winter's Almost Here...
Sorry I haven't posted much lately, been pretty busy.
Had a bit of a scare last weekend - when I looked out the window first thing in the morning, there was snow on the ground! Fortunately, it disappeared pretty quickly but it was a pretty forceful reminder that winter is just around the corner.
I'm still riding to work every day. For the last few weeks it's been pretty dark in the morning, and I've been wearing my little reflective belt when I leave the house. It's not particularly stylish, but hey - I'd prefer to look silly instead of looking stylish while being loaded into an ambulance.
For the most part, the weather has cooperated, too. A week ago or so there was some pretty nasty wind and rain that made riding quite interesting, but it was still great to be out and riding. My rain gear has been worth its weight in gold!
Today ended up being a great day for riding. It was about 5C in the morning and the sky was overcast, so it was pretty much like riding in the middle of the night. Traffic was light and I was having such a good time I could have just sat on the KLR and rode it all the way to the ocean. The afternoon felt pretty much the same. It was about 10C out, and the morning cloud and light rain gave way to sunny skies and a light breeze. I really wanted to keep riding but had a bunch of stuff at home I needed to work on.
After getting some stuff done at home, I dragged the KLR out to the back yard and gave it a wash. It had been a while since the last time (some people say KLRs look their best when they're dirty), and as I may run out of chances soon, I thought I'd get the "last wash before winter" done. The high windscreen has a couple of little rock chips in it, I'm much happier to see them there than on my helmet or chest!
After the wash, I dried the bike off and rolled it back into the garage to give it a quick once-over (I've been doing my weekly checks, don't worry!) and then started it and warmed it up to burn the water off the exhaust and other various parts.
I'm hoping to get another two weeks of riding in before I have to put the KLR away for the winter... then it'll be back to scheming about what things I want to add or change on it as well as what I want to do with it next year. Last winter, I was planning a trip to BC for this summer, but I didn't have the experience. I think I proved to myself this summer that both myself and the KLR can make a trip to BC, so I think I'll be back to spreading maps over the dining room table again once there's snow on the roads...
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 8404.3km
Distance since last fill: 137.9km
Had a bit of a scare last weekend - when I looked out the window first thing in the morning, there was snow on the ground! Fortunately, it disappeared pretty quickly but it was a pretty forceful reminder that winter is just around the corner.
I'm still riding to work every day. For the last few weeks it's been pretty dark in the morning, and I've been wearing my little reflective belt when I leave the house. It's not particularly stylish, but hey - I'd prefer to look silly instead of looking stylish while being loaded into an ambulance.
For the most part, the weather has cooperated, too. A week ago or so there was some pretty nasty wind and rain that made riding quite interesting, but it was still great to be out and riding. My rain gear has been worth its weight in gold!
Today ended up being a great day for riding. It was about 5C in the morning and the sky was overcast, so it was pretty much like riding in the middle of the night. Traffic was light and I was having such a good time I could have just sat on the KLR and rode it all the way to the ocean. The afternoon felt pretty much the same. It was about 10C out, and the morning cloud and light rain gave way to sunny skies and a light breeze. I really wanted to keep riding but had a bunch of stuff at home I needed to work on.
After getting some stuff done at home, I dragged the KLR out to the back yard and gave it a wash. It had been a while since the last time (some people say KLRs look their best when they're dirty), and as I may run out of chances soon, I thought I'd get the "last wash before winter" done. The high windscreen has a couple of little rock chips in it, I'm much happier to see them there than on my helmet or chest!
After the wash, I dried the bike off and rolled it back into the garage to give it a quick once-over (I've been doing my weekly checks, don't worry!) and then started it and warmed it up to burn the water off the exhaust and other various parts.
I'm hoping to get another two weeks of riding in before I have to put the KLR away for the winter... then it'll be back to scheming about what things I want to add or change on it as well as what I want to do with it next year. Last winter, I was planning a trip to BC for this summer, but I didn't have the experience. I think I proved to myself this summer that both myself and the KLR can make a trip to BC, so I think I'll be back to spreading maps over the dining room table again once there's snow on the roads...
Safe riding!
Odometer reading now: 8404.3km
Distance since last fill: 137.9km
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