Those KTM's always have problems!!!! (Joking Dave) I decided to do an impromptu ride Presidents weekend cause the wife and kids were out of town. Called Dave and Justin and they were all in. We decided to leave Chico, Ca Saturday morning and head over highway 36 to Fortuna for dinner and drink at Eel River Brewery(have the XXX). The weather was clear and sunny so off we went. I was on my XChallenge, Dave his KTM 950 ADV, and Justin his KLR 650. For Justin this would be his first ride over 100 mi. He was a bit nervous about what the next 2 days would hold. More to come....
Saturday was beautiful in the valley and we headed out. Justin was very nervous about riding on the I5 so it took soooo long to get to 36. After a quick fuel stop in Red Bluff we hit the curves. If you haven't ridin' 36 you must treat yourself. Beautiful! We packed light and since it was warm in Chico I didn't even consider it being cold over the passes. It was freezing with snow, gravel, and ice on the road at the high points. Not the ideal road conditions for carving turns. We made it to Fortuna without any problems. In the middle of dinner the waitress asked if we were on the bikes outside. She was hot so we all said yes. "your lights are on" was replied. Of course it was the KTM. Dave went to have a look and of course the grip heaters were on as well. Dead battery. After several attempts at dragging it with my trusted BMW it fired up. We were off to Eureka. More fun from our KTM friend to come. Here is a hint.
I work in Chico...let me know next time you plan a ride in the area, I'd love to tag along! Ed ps: subscribed!
Nice twisties and elevation changes. one of my favorites. KLR is just fine on the freeway. It'll do what you need it to all day long.
We rode north to Eureka to find another watering hole and ended up at the Lost Coast Brewery. Decent beer but not much to look at if you know what i mean. We figured we would try a bar across the street so we headed outside. That is when my eye caught Lake KTM. Well i guess it was more like a pond. Nevertheless there was 50 wt on the ground. After a few chose words from Dave we decided to push it to a parking lot across the street and dig in. There was oil everywhere on the bike so it looked like it had been puking for a while. We all had our fingers crossed we wouldn't have to call for a truck to give the 950 a lift home. Thankfully it turned out to be the oil line had slipped off the nipple.
After we settled into our hotel it was off in a cab for more fun! The details of what happened next are classified. And not scheduled for release until the fall of 2027. Lets just say that the following mornings activities were directly related to the preceding evening. After a SLOOOOW breakfast we geared up and went to warm up the bikes. Apparently someone had decided to warm up their grips last night and didn't turn them OFF! Not so much as a click click from the starter was to be heard. So once again we were left to try and get the mighty 950 running. Anybody getting the theme to this trip? After a lot of attempts of pulling it we got it to the local Kragen and they offerd a jump. Battery pack didn't work. Luckily inmate Marco(not sure of his Screen Name) and a friend were in the parking lot working on a VW bus they had bought and were driving it to Long Beach. Bad heater core was their issue.Thanks again guys. Did I mention we were on a motorcycle trip? Anyways they pulled the bus over and we jumped Daves bike with the VW. So lets see....pulled by a BMW, pulled by a KLR, and jumped by a VW. That has to be a record of some sort. The KTM is on a roll!!
>"We rode north to Eureka to find another watering hole and ended up at the Lost Coast Brewery. Decent beer but not much to look at if you know what i mean. " Arcata... College town 6 miles north. There is a congregation of bars on the town plaza.
Sorry for the delay....Out of town on business. After we got The 950 running we headed north to the 299. I had never ridin' it so I was looking forward to the ride. After freezing our ass's off again over some high passes we made itto some warmer territory. That ride is fun with some high speed lazy turns along the river. All was going well then........ The oil line SOMEHOW wiggled its way loose again! No worries we had extra oil from last night so it was a quick fix.(Dave can't catch a break) We made it back to Chico that afternoon with everyone and all 3 bike intact. Minus some dents to one ego we had a great trip. Rubber side down.
