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Road 2, Fred 0

2K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  flanga 
#1 ·
About a week ago, I tried riding a waterlogged backwoods jeep trail on my KLR... and didn't get very far. ( http://forums.delphiforums.com/NewEnglandRider/messages?msg=8682.1 )

This is the trail in question (click for topo map):
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=43.19044,-71.19922&z=16&t=T

Today, I thought I'd try it again.


It was a few degrees warmer than my last attempt, but still cold. The lakes that had been just skinned over with ice were much more substantially frozen this time.



The first part of the road was nice--- solidly frozen (as I'd hoped) with just a little ice.


But the more sheltered spots had not yet frozen solid. It was instead a cold, semisolid gumbo:


The mud hole that had stopped me last time offered good news and bad news. the good news was that it had drained significantly, and held only a fraction of the water as before. But the bad news is that a 4x4 had blasted trough sometime in the last few days, breaking the ice. I had hoped to be able to ride across the ice, over the mudhole, but that wasn't going to be possible.


I found a stick and probed the water: not too deep at all. I found a few very mucky spots (over-the-ankle deep mud), and noted their position. Because I was alone and wasn't sure what the ice+water+mud would be like to ride through, I didn't blast through, but instead *rolled* though, at very low speed with my feet out as outriggers.

It wasn't bad at all.




I breathed a sigh of relief: the worst was over!



I was wrong.



Crap like that always looks best when it's behind you.



The road then improved quite a bit: better drainage in the hardwood forest:



Even the four-wheelers had had trouble in spots. Here's a makeshift crankcase protector someone built:



It was a pleasant ride for a while.



A *little* while. This is looking down a 30% grade:



Going down was steep ("camera foreshortening; it's steeper than it looks in the photo" etc etc etc) but looked do-able.



But going back up (which I'd have to do) gave me pause. Here, I'm about 1/3 of the way down the hill (on foot); the top third is the cleanest, with a nicely open line on the left.



But the ruts and boulders frozen into the roadway at the bottom and the tree debris frozen into the mud at the top, and the icy spots throughout, were enough of a hazard that I didn't want to try it solo. I'll have to come back here with a riding buddy to press onward. So, my second attempt at this road fizzled to a stop. I U-turned and headed back.

Having already found ways through or around the previous obstacles made the return trip much faster.






And the rest of the ride was pleasant an uneventful.



Eventually, I'll get through. But so far, it's Road 2, Fred 0

:cool:
 
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#2 ·
Great report thanks for sharing it with us. You must have a lot more clothes than I do, (Bikes and Ice don't mix with me.)


It is always best to have someone alone just in case.

On my last off road adventure I hit something in one of those long deep mud holes and it was just enough to cause me and the bike to fall to the right side. When I fell over the bike pinned my right ankle aginst a rock (or something hard under the water) I was stuck. IF (big word) I would have had to I think I could have twisted enough, sitting in the water to push the bike up enough to get my foot out, But my brother was with me so I just got him to lift it, (I stayed dry, except my feet).

At that it the reason I don't go off road alone very often.
 
#5 ·
Great report and pics,my kinda ridin.NH country is alot like WV.Looks like your using the KLR for what it's made for-fun.We do alot of riding on the kind of terrain down here and use the Mefo Explorer 99s front and rear.Changed out the rear with over 11,000 on it.I saw your gps but couldn't make out the model.Also,what is the digital read out we are seeing above your gps? Inquiring minds want to know :lol:

Happy trails
Mike
 
#6 ·
klrmike said:
Great report and pics,my kinda ridin.NH country is alot like WV.Looks like your using the KLR for what it's made for-fun.We do alot of riding on the kind of terrain down here and use the Mefo Explorer 99s front and rear.Changed out the rear with over 11,000 on it.I saw your gps but couldn't make out the model.Also,what is the digital read out we are seeing above your gps? Inquiring minds want to know :lol:

Happy trails
Mike
I'm still on the stockers (new bike; only 1.5k miles so far). I do about 50/50 highway/off-highway. I'm thinking about the Mefos for when the stockers wear down.

GPS is a Quest 2. It's my 6th GPS; I like it a lot. I use it with a $16 amplified external antenna ( http://tinyurl.com/vrbe5 ) mounted on my topcase--- great reception.

The red digital readout is a radar detector. Yes, I use it in the woods because it has a built-in voltmeter. With heated grips and Gerbings, I like to keep an eye on the battery state, especially in low-RPM woods crawling.
 
#8 ·
Gerbings!So now I'm going into research mode.I have looked into gerbings jacket and pants,heated grips and do alot of cold weather riding.It was my understanding that the electrical system on the klr could not handle the amp load of these.Currently on our bikes (KLRs) the only electrical extras are for charging our chatter boxes and a hookup for an air compressor.I am assuming (that always gets me in trouble :lol: ) that you are hooked straight to the battery with it's own inline fuse.I ride in the winter with Field Sheer that has down lining and works pretty well down to the low 20s if not busting down the highway.So how about some true info on the Gerbings.As far as myself,you are the only one I know of that has them on a KLR.


Happy trails
Mike :smile:
 
#9 ·
klrmike said:
As far as myself,you are the only one I know of that has them on a KLR.
I'm not alone. :smile: Others do it too.

To make sure there'd be enough juice, I replaced the tail/stop lighyt and dash lites with LEDs. That freed up to 35 watts, which is enough to run the gerbings on a heat-troller or other pulse-width modulator; and the grips on hi or low.

At idle, the stock stator isn't quite up to the task; the voltage slowly drifts downward. At about3K, the stator keeps up with the demand; at and above about 3.75-4K rpm, the stator produces enough juice to charge the battery, even with the gerbings and grip heaters doing their thing.

Heated gear gives you warmth without bulk, and also replaces several layers of clothing because you can crank the heat up or down as needed. It means that in cold weather, you stop riding when you're tired, not when you're cold.

Heated clothing is one of the best investments you can make; it'll extend your riding year tremendously.
 
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