10/1/09

The Crown King Weekend, Day 2

After laying in bed for at least 30 minutes debating the intelligence of going on another ride, I bit the bullet and got out of bed and on the road again. I was late (surprising I know) but there was some maintenance being done on a KTM carb so I got to the meeting point in plenty of time. I missed the memo that this was a little bike ride! Oh well, I didn't want to load up the Jetta anyway.
It was the same route as Saturday but with a right at the ck rock. I'd ridden this a year or so ago on the 990. It was much more enjoyable on the 690! We all gathered up here in the shade and waited... One of the bikes was having starting problems. Eventually after a pull start we were on the trail again
The technical level of this section of trail was similar to the route from Saturday, possibly easier. However the last three miles of the route are suppose to be the most trying.
I was third from the end of the group and I hadn't seen the tail end for awhile. I stopped for a potty break and still no bikes... might as well back track, the group in front should miss three bikes just the same as two. And this is what I came upon. It's never a good sign when you have to get this far into a bike. X-Challenges didn't have a great run of luck this weekend.
Seamus, the owner of the non-starting X-Challenge, hit a bump in the road and the bike died, not to begin again... After putzing and wrenching and general head scratching we decided to wait till noon for a kind 4-wheeler with a truck bed. Noon came and went so we hid the bike. Jim is modeling the lovely side panels from the stranded bike, very in this time of year. The group in front didn't appear, they assumed that we had decided to take a bypass to miss the last three miles.
So now we were down to two bikes and three riders. Guess who has buddy pegs? Added benefit of carrying an Irishman, I can touch the ground on both sides! We made our way up to Crown King (because it and food were closer that way) carefully. There were some walking sections for Seamus, the rock gardens. He was a good sport through all of it and Jim had plenty of entertainment watching our antics on the way back.

Of course we did bypass the last three miles, instead we chose the 10 mile bypass that had a minimum of rocks.
By the time we rolled into Crown King we were more than ready for food and drink. There's a reason I stand a lot when I ride, it's uncomfortable to sit over rocky terrain! There was a tip over or two but all in all we made it unscathed. Seamus tried to drum up a tow from someone local but there were no takers.
Gas in Crown King, it's a classy affair. You should notice my luggage ended up on the XR650R to give use more room on my bike. It's nice having that flexibility to toss it on almost any bike.

With no other options left open, we headed down the front side back to Lake Pleasant. Thankfully this time there was no flat tire on the route. As it was we didn't get back to the staging area at 6pm. After two days of eventful all day riding I fell into bed that night completely spent.

Filling in the rest of the story, I'm still waiting for the diagnosis on the bike issue but it was retrieved by a towing service on Monday.

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9/12/09

Leaving Las Vegas - 11 Sept 2009

Ah, morning in Vegas. It doesn't quite have the same flair as the night view. On the way out of town Frank Sinatra came on with "The Best is Yet to Come." Quite a beautiful sign if you believe in the god of the iPod shuffle. Either that or I have to much Sinatra on my playlist. At any rate it put a smile on my face to start the day. And Frank and Vegas just go hand in hand.
Heading over the damn dam was tedious with a line of possible terrorists waiting to go through security. The route was mostly downhill so I was able to coast on the bike powered off saving some gas and the added heat of the engine.
I was starving and this was my last option for food for awhile. So I parked at the dam tourist center and picked up a light breakfast while marveling at the engineering feats. The new bridge going in is quite incredible. I come through at least once a year and it's interesting marking the progress.
After past the dam and the tourist trap that it is and back into Arizona I headed off road. I've always wondered about the trails to the west of the road to Vegas. I made a short loop back to 93. It was hot hot hot and I couldn't stay out of the trails for long. I'd like to come back to do more exploring. Now there was some sand and I did tip over once... on the left.
I took a heat break at a gas station to cool off, I could feel the starts of dehydration and heat stroke. Frozen sugar water (aka ice cream), gatorade and some air conditioning were what the doctor ordered. I also had to tighen up the bolts clamping down the handlebars which were completely adjustable by this point. The vibrations of the bike just affect everything. I need to go through with some locktite when I get though.
Well, queue the begining of the drama of the day. My bike died along the side of the road. This would be the part that I keep thinking about the horrible fuel pump issues but of course it seems really early. The fuel light was on and we need to get into the workings of the tanks on the bike. The stock tank, under the seat is what feeds the infamous fuel pump. Now the Safari tank in the front has a higher level than the stock tank so if all the tanks are full, and all the lines are open the stock tank will overflow. So the procedure that the former owner walked me though involves opening the petcocks for the lobes of the front tank as required. Hypothetically each time you open up a lobe of the front tank you would get another 100 to 150 miles of range. I was keeping track of it at the start of the trip but the odo fogged over on the humid coast so I couldn't keep track of mileage. That's my excuse anyway. So when I opened up the last petcock for the lobe and expected at least a hundred miles, logically. Well, remember I said I crashed on the desert trails? That will transfer gas between the lobes on the front tank and screw up my assumptions.
Initially I thought that there was a blockage of some sort from the right lobe and that's why I was having this fuel problem. So I finally got to make use of my Starbucks coffee bladder to transfer fuel. There was about a quarter of a gallon hiding in the front tank so I drained it and pored it into the rear tank and crossed my fingers that it would be enought to get me to a gas station.
Putting along at just bellow the speed limit (and pissing off all of the vehicles behind me on the two lane road) I managed to coax my bike to the edge of Wikiup, AZ and Joe's BBQ. Inside I asked about a gas station and the lady working there said it was about a mile down the road but she would give me a ride. A much better alternative than hiking around at 100+ degrees! I've been really impressed with the people I've run into along the way that have been willing to lend a hand or a ride. I'm going to have to pass it along now, knowing how much of a difference it makes.
So with a minimum of drama from running out of gas in the middle of the desert I was off again! I was just ready to be home. I played around with stopping over in the Flagstaff area for the night but it was just time to get home.
So I was within a hundred miles from home so all the drama should have been over. I saw a rainbow on the horizon and pulled out my camera while riding to get a picture. Well this was the one time that my fears came through, I dropped it. I pulled off, dropped my backpack and started running back to save my camera from the 65+ traffic. At least I wanted to try to recover my memory card that had all my pictures from the day. I saw the camera bounce off to the side of the road and found it slightly mangled but better than I could have expected. The battery and memory card were missing so the scavenger hunt begin. I figured it was worth the effort to try to find the memory card.
As I found the battery a Sheriff's department SUV pulled up at my bike. Oh, boy. I kept looking for the card and one of the officers came up and joined the search. The second started asking me about the ownership of the bike, the tag of course was the old owners and apparently their system showed that the tag was expired. Then I heard "You owe me a beer!" The first officer had found my memory card! I take back at least some of the things I've thought about cops. We went back to my bike and I handed over the bill of sale and title that wasn't yet transfered to my name. Eventually, the officer came back and wished me luck, told me to be careful and I was back on my way. An amazing event. And best yet, the camera still works! It's no longer waterproof but what can you expect dropping the camera at 65+?
I took it really easy riding back into town after all the incidents I'd already had. Dinner and conversation with a friend on the way home was a perfect way to wrap up the day. I headed home and passed out in my own bed. Always a wonderful feeling after two weeks on the rode.

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9/9/09

Patience be damned! - 9 Sept 2009

Well, it's official. I'm not going to be back at work this week. Yesterday, Tuesday, the day my fuel pump should have come in if it was overnighted on Friday, I got on a bus to to Grass Valley, CA. About half way there, I got a call "Um, your fuel pump didn't show up." That was about 4:30, well after Sierra Motor Sports knew that the pump didn't come in with their UPS shipment. Yes, I should have called them before I got on the bus but I thought it was a simple, sure thing. You order a part first thing Friday (I assume) to be overnighted (I assume) and the part gets there by Tuesday (again I assume). Also SMS knows that I'm trying to get back to Arizona (I'd never have thought I'd be in any kind of hurry to get back to the heat.) and would have kept in better touch about the situation.
Me after getting the news and trying not to have a hissy fit.

All of my gear I'm lugging around on public transportation.Just goes to show you that assumptions can bite you in the ass whether it's work or real life. I have a coworker that gives me a dirty look anytime I use the word "assume" and after this I hope I've learned my lesson. With hind sight I would have flown home on Monday or Tuesday and come back later to pick up the bike. But of course I didn't know what KTM had in plan for me at the time. I should have been more forceful with the dealer. "Please check the fuel pump first so you can order it today instead of tomorrow" "What is the tracking number for the part? What do you mean you don't have a tracking number? That is not possible and I want you to explain to me how you could not have a tracking number." "Hello, I'm calling to check on the status of the 690" Of course that last one I should have done at least twice a day while they were open.


Yes, I sound bitter, it's because my patience only lasts so long. Again with hindsight I would have rented a car in Grass Valley so that at least I would have been mobile. Being dependent on people to fit me into their schedules is extremely frustrating and to some extent humiliating. That's why I'm currently camped out at a bus stop in Auburn, CA for the next hour and a half, to ride a bus for an hour and then get on another bus to finally reach my bike that had better be fixed. All that to make a trip that would take 30 minutes in a car. People have lives and after a week I feel like more of a disruption to their daily schedules then a guest. I'm not criticizing my friends and family, I would feel the same way in their positions. It's nothing that they planned or bargained for. And they suffered the inconvenience without complaint, it's just uncomfortable feeling like a burden and completely out of control.

Looking on the bright side of all this, I have more experience in dealing with issues on the road. I have more options sitting in the back of my mind for another situation like this in the future.

I did get a call this morning telling me the new fuel pump arrived. So here I sit, assuming (there's that dirty word again) that when I get to Grass Valley my bike will be fixed and I will finally be able to shake the dust of this valley off my boots. If my bike's not ready, I'm camping out at the dealer. Setting up a tent with a sleeping bag, sleeping mat and the whole shebang in the middle of the showroom. That'll show them.

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9/4/09

Waiting


So yesterday after I dropped my bike off and bugged the guys in the shop for awhile I got redirected to the florist/coffee shop next door.
This is the first drive up florist I've ever seen. I guess it's for husbands that need a caffeine fix along with forgive me flowers.


I was quite comfortable here, wifi and a comfy couch, who could ask for anything more! I also got to listen to wedding flower plans. If/when I do get married, eloping sounds more and more attractive. I can't imagine caring about flower colors, ribbons, vases etc. Jaymi and Adam had it right running off to Jamaica.

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Logistics Game


Well, after hours of diagnostics and disassembly the fuel pump is officially dead in my bike. Now it's going to be a game of logistics. How long will it take KTM USA to get a fuel pump to this dealer? Is the part even in stock? Then there's the added stress that the bike is just out of the one year warranty. So my pocketbook is at the mercy of KTM USA. And of course you have to keep in mind that Monday is a holiday.

I do have a friend driving through this weekend with trailer space to Arizona. But the bike probably won't be fixed before then. I booked a flight through Southwest for Monday as a backup plan but getting the bike home is still a wrench in the works. Like I said a lot of logistics to think through. I'd really like to wait for the bike and finish my trip but that would require me to miss days at work that I don't have vacation for. So today (Friday) I'm killing time with my cousin while he chauffeurs me around.

UPDATE:
KTM USA will be doing a courtesy warranty of my bike and the replacement fuel pump should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. I've gone over the issue with my boss and he's understanding of the situation. So I'm going to hang out while my bike is fixed! There are many worse places I could be stuck.

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9/3/09

Why won't the bike start?

Here I sit in the KTM dealer in Grass Valley waiting for the diagnosis on my bike. I'm torn between hoping that I made a rookie mistake or a serious problem that's going to delay my trip. I didn't actually add gas to the tank so it could just be out of gas (even though the gas light didn't come on and I swear I hear gas sloshing in the tank). The other option is more complicated and would probably involve a broken fuel pump. I've read of other people have the typical 990 fuel pump issues but at just over 2K on the odo it's a little early!

The day started well enough. I grabbed breakfast with a cousin and helped him change out some headlight bulbs in his car. Then I starting riding around, finding interesting roads and staying away from any interstate signs. I need a setting on my GPS would allow me to set my arrival time in a location and just route me around on surface streets until I have to actually make progress to my desination. It's been relaxing being in an "anti-hurry." Usually I'm always trying to find the shortest, fastest way. Not the twistiest, most out of the way route. I get to wander around in what's my friends and family's backroads.

So I'm purposly not making my way directly to Tahoe. I drove through Applegate, which apparently doesn't have a welcome sign but this sign had to suffice.

After some dead end dirt roads I ended up on 174 and pulled over to take pictures and check on lunch plans. Then the bike decided that it was done, finished, pooped, etc. After going through the normal routine, battery, gas, etc it became clear that this bike was not going anywhere on it's own. So my poor beast had to suffer the indignity of being loaded into a truck. I was lucky that a local named Bob offered me a ride to the KTM dealer 10 miles up the road.

So now I'm camped out in the Sierra Motor Sports show room wondering if I can stretch my trip out because of unforseen dificulties? By the way, if you're in Grass Valley, this shop is well equiped with riding gear, parts and riding paraphernalia.

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