First time off road: Anticlimatic and embarising

[KiLeR650]

The weather was great. Unfortunetly for me nothing else was...

Somehow got it in my head we wernt meeting untill 9am at the nob hill. So naturaly I missed the group. Oh well shit happens, but I hadnt bothered to print out directions from the Nob Hill to Clear Creak. But I did have Pelikans number so I called him and asked how to get there.

The problem with getting to CC if you dont know exactly where it is, the sign for the turn off is on a corner. So if your enjoying the beatiful country and riding at a brisk pase, keeping your eyes on the road and looking through the corner, its easy to miss. And I did. Several times. Long story short the ride from Nob Hill to CC took over 2 hours.

But finaly I get there. Having lots of fun riding down the road to the first camp site mocking the people who told me the klr is a pig off road. Lil did I know yet...

So I finaly get to the first trail, mockingly labled 'easiest'. I look at the small water crossing and mud covered hill and instantly break out into a huge shit-eating grin. I havent smiled like that since I first rode my bike hom from the dealer. But I cross the water and nail the throttle on the mud-hill and very little happens. I'm certianly not accelerating very fast. And ever so slowly my back end begines to overtake my front tire.

Dropping the heavyass KLR several times I managed to get about a 1/4 mile up the hill, without ever actualy driving straight up it. My rear tire was in a constant state of spin, and the front tire wasnt. SO I decided to let some air out of the rear. Only I dont have a tire guage but figure I can guestimate. This works with some sucsess. I can get from landing to landing now without dropping the bike!

About 1/4 mile after letting the air out, with the clutch fully engaged, rpms near 4K, I begin to move backwards? So I put on the front brake, while still giving gas and lean over to look at my rear wheel. The wheel is spinning but the tire is not. I had let out too much air. The spining of the wheel inside the tire had ripped the valve stem off. Totaly flat.

I'm able to push/coast down the trail and get back to the camp site. Only what to do now? NO cell recetion, no spare anything, no idea how to change a tube even if I had one. Luckily someone noticed my plight and offered help. Very gratiously he showed me how to take the wheel off, then the tire and put a new tube in. Only he had 18 inch tubes where my rear is a 17. But he assured me it would get me home, as long as I didnt try anything stupid. I offered him $40 for his help, but he refused. He only told me to pay it forward if I ever see a biker who needs help.

So I leave the park, still not on reserve. About 5 miles from the 25 I have to make the switch. No problem I think, I'll stop at the first gas station. Only the first gas station never came. Ran totaly dry on the 25. Still no cell reception. So I started hoofing it. Got about 100 yards from the bike when a guy in a big truck towing an emty trailer stops. After explaining I'm out of gas and asking if he could give me a ride to a gas station, he tells me to put the bike on the trailer. I wasnt expecting him to offer that, but was glad he did.

And that was the end of my adventures. I drove gingerly home with my 18inch tube in my 17inch tire.

I rode 100 miles one way, to go off roading for half a mile.

I know the above story make me seem like an absolute airhead. Who am I to argue? But I really dont make it a habit to rely on the kindness of strangers. I was incredibly embaressed in each case to ask for help, but still glad it was there.

List of things before I try my hand ot off raoding again.

1. More agresive rear tire.
2.Spare tube.
3.Map to the actaul place.
4. More gas.

The great thing about hitting bottom is it can only get better. Looking forward to trying again.

[P455]

Hang in there, man, at least you made it back!

Your next adventure is sure to be much more successful and satisfying. I admit I too am guilty of offroading solo without tire changing equipment occasionally... I should carry all my stuff with me more often, but sometimes I take a trail on the spur of the moment.

Go ahead and get a more aggressive front AND rear tire for that thing, it'll track much better with some tread up front too. I currently have the Kenda 270's on, but will be going to a more aggro tire soon, either D606's or something similar (Karoo?).

Chin up and congrats on your first time... Next time will be better, surely.

[wayno2]

Hey man I think your rear tire was OK prob just the amount of air you let out was way to much. Just get you a new tube.
I think maybe the water crossing then a hill might of been the next mistake.....Maybe a little more gentleness with the throttle would have helped. Probably the air thing would have taken care of most of your prob and more gas or at least knowing where the critical gas stations are.
That riding very far on naked bike then going off road can make for some real challenges sometimes.
MY suggestion if you are going to ride a long distance then off-road is:
Spur of moment list
Air Guage
air pump
tools
first aid(small)
Duct tape
And anything else you can think of and pack.
But dont let the day get you down,You have a good story to tell and and think about all the the things you learned and how nice people can be and like the guy said pass it on.
Im sure these other guy have some ideas in addition to mine because I just recently got back into the off roading part myself
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!

[Ghostrider]

Great story with a happy ending !! Sounds like a ride you'll never forget.

Rides where nothing out of the ordinary happens, sometimes are soon forgotten....

But this ride sounds like a lifetime memory.

Like a couple of years ago when we got lost in Copper canyon for a few days....Oh yes now I remember ........

[LaserB]

Ouch, I wasn't expecting that bad of a trip for you. I've noticed that almost everyone into bikes is more than helpful. I had a guy from BARF give me and my bike a ride up to Foresthill from Auburn for nothing and he showed me around. Everytime my bike's had a problem and sorta left me stranded, I got help from strangers.
Look at the bright side, you're only out the price of a tube. Your bike probably took no damage and you're not hurt. Still, you didn't really get to ride. If you want to come out this way tomorrow (short notice, I know) or thursday or this weekend, we could go riding.
Thanks for the laugh . I think deep down you might be laughing too. I would.

[fixer]

pay it forward!

y'all just gotta get equipped to be able to do that.

the 4mm HD tubes that DualStar sells are 18" tubes, so no worries here... if you had a 21" spare stuffed into the 17"... then you'd have to baby it

[Judjonzz]

Sounds like a good adventure. Live and learn. That 18" tube will be fine in there, just be sure and carry a spare. A 21" will get you home if you only want to carry onr spare. A couple of tire irons and a lightwright mountain bike pump take up very little space. And, I'm going to say it again, lots of people ride solo off road, but I don't recommend it, especially if you are inexperienced.

[le man]

Hey Patrick,

Sounds like an OK first time. The secret to becoming a good dirt rider (I'm sure most will agree) is to do it a lot, in all conditions and try many bikes over the years. When some of us older guys (I'm 54) started dirt riding you would not believe the total junk we were riding. If anyone had shown up on something as advanced as a KLR he would have ruled the world!

Like most things in life just stay with it and enjoy the learning process..be prepared to have some very embarassing moments.
Trust me on this..the day will come when you will return without your bike, we have all been there. (Known as the "walk of shame")

Mike
IBA#15554

[Brad]

Originally posted by Judjonzz
... And, I'm going to say it again, lots of people ride solo off road, but I don't recommend it, especially if you are inexperienced.

What Jud said!!! It can be a dangerous place out there in the back country without the tools, skills or support you might need to get back safely.

[Glenn]

DS has them in 17" as well.
I really would not suggest buying them, they are over-priced.
Dennis Kirk has Duro double thick tubes for 10 bucks.

If you get stuck way off the road some where, experienced or not, you will still have a long walk ahead.
Don't go back there too far without another person, I learned the hard way when I got stuck out in the mud. Flat front tire to boot.

[shirojiro]

hey!

I'm in the same boat as you are in terms of being a newbie. I've been off raod 2 times with the KLR, and the first time, I promptly broke the rear brake bracket going downhill.

You're waaaay braver than me - going out to Clear Creek on your own. But then, I'm getting old, and I get more chicken as I et older. (funny how that happens)

How far away is Clear Creek anyways?

-S

[Glenn]

Check out this tube
Duro double thick 17"

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produc...eafCatId=40406

$8.99
can't beat that!!!!!!

Pick up a couple of these:
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/produc...Id=&leafCatId=

[Sabre]

The cool thing about Patrick's adventure is the fact that not one but TWO human beings reached out to help a stranger. What a great experience to have. I love stuff like this.

I was on a short trip a couple of months back on my Ural and had a little electrical bug that caused me to pull over to the side of the road a couple of times late one night. I had all the tools needed to completely tear down the bike in the trunk of the sidecar (chance favors the prepared mind), so it really was no more than an inconvenience. Not one, but three good samaritans pulled over to see if I needed a hand. One was a fellow on an old GS1100 who had to do a gnarly u-turn across a questionable median to come to my aid. Just sharing a few moments with someone who is willing to stop whatever they're doing in the middle of the night to help a stranger was the coolest part of my entire trip.

I dunno, maybe I'm a romantic...I get a charge out of life every time I cross paths with someone who reminds me that there's still some humanity left in this crazy world...like when all goes well with an e-bay sale or something like that. It's the way things SHOULD work.

Patrick, your spirit of adventure is admirable, and your karma is apparently in good working order!

[BigThumper]

Not only bikers do that I've found
Once, when I was parked along a desolate road in central Texas taking pictures of the landscape, I had 3 cagers stop and ask if I needed help. I was like....

I just smiled and held up the camera. They just smiled, nodded and continued on their way.
Guess I didn't look like a hells angel on my ZR-7S so they stopped to help.

[Worm~Hole]

...rim lock mod good...extra tube good...hand pump good...tire irons good...karma good...story good...

[fledglingme]

yeah glad you'r adventure turned out al right, startgers are wounderful people! i also thing the klr has a lame reserve it could use a bigger one

[Nev]

You done good pilgram, restores my faith in humanity!
Experience can be a cruel teacher and don't I know it.

[ZRod]

Patrick, your not the first one not to anticipate some of the problems associated with the quest for a Blast on the KLR!
I'll get around to mine, someday, not quite as forthcoming as you.
One thing I would like to mention is the reserve, reserve the KLR has, if you haven't done your homework!
You can get at maybe 10 more miles out of the KLR tank after you run out on reserve!
All you have to do, is push the bike up a small incline and lay it way over to the left, and it will drain the trapped gas in the lower right side of the tank into the left side where you can use it!!
Saved my ass!!!!!!
It may help in the future.

Rod