I had a three day holiday weekend coming up so I thought I'd get on the bike and ride it somewhere. The 685 big bore kit needed to be thrashed now that I'd broken it in, and this was the perfect excuse, especially as eleven other riders felt the same way and I'd be the only KLR mounted hooligan, so I'd a reputation to live up to, hadn't I?
It threatened rain, but all we ran into on the southbound trip was some dense fog around Milton.
Once we hit US 219 Southbound, it started to look like a better ride was in store...
You have to keep your eyes peeled for these roadside photo ops
Now we're talking! US Route 144 South through Pennsylvania, destination Renovo PA for lunch!
[video=youtube;7RBLPc47alw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RBLPc47alw&sns=em[/video]
We ran into some slow movers that couldn't be bothered to let us pass. *sigh* It was almost as bad as being behind a logging truck in the Haliburton Highlands. Fast on the straights, park it in the corners.
A quick stop for some scenery in Sproul State forest
Waiting on a rider who left their sunglasses back at the last gas stop in New Market VA. That's a Wolfman fender pack on my front fender. I don't care for it, as I tend to like jumps and odd wheelie, and I pretend that I'm a veteran off road rider, but that's hard to do when an overloaded fender bag smacks into the front tire when you vault off a curb or land a nice wheelie. When on a rough gravel road that I did later on this trip in West Virginia, the bag began to shift forward on the fender, and in time would have parted ways with me. Loaded in it is one 21" tube, five 16gram CO2 cartridges, a shop rag to prevent them damaging the tube, an aluminium tire pressure gauge and a rubber patch kit twice the size of a box of matches. (The tire levers are ty-rapped to my frame under the seat). I'll have to support the fender, or lessen the weight to the tube only, or safety wire in in place and take the chance that I'll rip the fender off. <---NOT!
Doing some gravel in the Shenandoah valley with a Beemer for company.
Kenda 270's front and rear are my tires of choice, although with the .22 cent and 685 kit, I've been ripping a bit more rubber off them. They're sticking to the asphalt like glue and allowing me to easily keep pace with the sport riders, and when on the gravel bits, I'm roosting with confidence and able to lock up the rear with predictable results. These tires let you go the distance and still play around once you get there.
Rear
Front
I made it!
Yeah, I packed light for this. In fact I packed so light that I left my MSR Hydroshell rain jacket on the kitchen table like an idiot. :banghead: Lucky for me my jacket claims to be waterproof and was put to good use in twenty minute cloudburst in PA on the return stretch. I should have packed a sweat shirt in addition to my jacket liner for evening work on the bike and the cool mornings packing it up etc.
Here's the Day 3 route to give you an idea of how much fun you can have in a day of riding: http://goo.gl/maps/5Pol
Day three in West Virginia I revisted Cold Knob road for the fun of it. What a hoot!:nice:
This shot doesn't show you the incline, and let me tell you it was one fun ride on those switchbacks as it climbs up and down. I've yet to find something in Onterrible that offers quite as much fun for the gas money unless you've full knobs on and you're roosting it back at your mates. :ride:
Well, there are a ton more pictures here: http://rottenxxxronnie.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-gtasportriders-victoria-day-trip.html
Oh yeah, cartridge emulators are next on the "To buy" list. The front end with progressive springs needs better damping.
Next on the list is a ride to Newfoundland via the Trans Labrador Highway, but perhaps we'll have time for one or two more adventures before then.
It threatened rain, but all we ran into on the southbound trip was some dense fog around Milton.
Once we hit US 219 Southbound, it started to look like a better ride was in store...
You have to keep your eyes peeled for these roadside photo ops
Now we're talking! US Route 144 South through Pennsylvania, destination Renovo PA for lunch!
[video=youtube;7RBLPc47alw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RBLPc47alw&sns=em[/video]
We ran into some slow movers that couldn't be bothered to let us pass. *sigh* It was almost as bad as being behind a logging truck in the Haliburton Highlands. Fast on the straights, park it in the corners.
A quick stop for some scenery in Sproul State forest
Waiting on a rider who left their sunglasses back at the last gas stop in New Market VA. That's a Wolfman fender pack on my front fender. I don't care for it, as I tend to like jumps and odd wheelie, and I pretend that I'm a veteran off road rider, but that's hard to do when an overloaded fender bag smacks into the front tire when you vault off a curb or land a nice wheelie. When on a rough gravel road that I did later on this trip in West Virginia, the bag began to shift forward on the fender, and in time would have parted ways with me. Loaded in it is one 21" tube, five 16gram CO2 cartridges, a shop rag to prevent them damaging the tube, an aluminium tire pressure gauge and a rubber patch kit twice the size of a box of matches. (The tire levers are ty-rapped to my frame under the seat). I'll have to support the fender, or lessen the weight to the tube only, or safety wire in in place and take the chance that I'll rip the fender off. <---NOT!
Doing some gravel in the Shenandoah valley with a Beemer for company.
Kenda 270's front and rear are my tires of choice, although with the .22 cent and 685 kit, I've been ripping a bit more rubber off them. They're sticking to the asphalt like glue and allowing me to easily keep pace with the sport riders, and when on the gravel bits, I'm roosting with confidence and able to lock up the rear with predictable results. These tires let you go the distance and still play around once you get there.
Rear
Front
I made it!
Yeah, I packed light for this. In fact I packed so light that I left my MSR Hydroshell rain jacket on the kitchen table like an idiot. :banghead: Lucky for me my jacket claims to be waterproof and was put to good use in twenty minute cloudburst in PA on the return stretch. I should have packed a sweat shirt in addition to my jacket liner for evening work on the bike and the cool mornings packing it up etc.
Here's the Day 3 route to give you an idea of how much fun you can have in a day of riding: http://goo.gl/maps/5Pol
Day three in West Virginia I revisted Cold Knob road for the fun of it. What a hoot!:nice:
This shot doesn't show you the incline, and let me tell you it was one fun ride on those switchbacks as it climbs up and down. I've yet to find something in Onterrible that offers quite as much fun for the gas money unless you've full knobs on and you're roosting it back at your mates. :ride:
Well, there are a ton more pictures here: http://rottenxxxronnie.blogspot.com/2011/05/2011-gtasportriders-victoria-day-trip.html
Oh yeah, cartridge emulators are next on the "To buy" list. The front end with progressive springs needs better damping.
Next on the list is a ride to Newfoundland via the Trans Labrador Highway, but perhaps we'll have time for one or two more adventures before then.
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