Milton did a couple of ride reports that are probably the ultimate proof of that statement. LINK The epic story of Milton, solo, attempting to blaze a path through Mexico to join up on Richard's (Trail Boss) Around the Bend ride in Terlingua. If you want a tale of huge cojones, fearless Mexico exploration, and an insight into one of, well, let's say "legends" of Mexico riding, this is it. Although this one ended in an abort, Milton would return with JT and with JT's nav skills, eventually find the way from Ciudad Acuña to Ojinaga (Del Rio to Presidio) on another attempt. Here's the LINK to the successful follow up attempt. The point being, there are dirt riders in Mexico, then there are dirt riders who get caught out overnight due to breakdowns (but they're really not interested in camping - only as a last resort). Then there is the "Milton Class", the Mexico rider who is drawn to the unknown, doesn't care if he gets lost, considers getting lost part of the price to pay for making discoveries, and places the risk of doing so at the bottom of the list of things to worry about.
Uh-oh, KTM and Touratech have schemed to make an interesting adventure bike out of the 1190. If orange is your flavor, this video adds several shots of Touratech liqueur <object width="640" height="360"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/JS8HzrNoDvE?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/JS8HzrNoDvE?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Or, I'll just hang on to my trusty 2006 Tricemobile. A lot cheaper
Tricepilot: So yeah the "breakdown" happened the next day..... It was getting on in the day and we were 45 minutes outside of Durango when we stopped for gas. Filled up the Safari tank and pulled over to the Oxxo to get a drink....as I was pulling in to park I went to put my foot down and my pant leg caught on my peg....only had it buttoned up to the second button instead of the third, that won't happen again. Anyway over I went....Kevin was close by so the two of us flipped the bike up pretty quick but it was flooded. So a long story short it wasn't starting...started checking things and the oil res had filled with Gas and the socket wrench for the plugs wasn't fitting (just got this bike the week before) didn't realize normal sockets won't cut it for the plugs on this bike. We had it tore down in the Oxxo parking lot at this point and I saw the sun slipping down the horizon so I jumped on Kevins bike to find a place to stash the bike or whatever......as it turned out this all happened about a mile from a Socialist Agricultural College. All the students are rural kids attending for free and get this.....El Che Guevara is their role model.....his image was painted on the water tower of the campus. Motorcycle Diaries!!! So I pushed the bike the mile to the campus and got set up at the groundskeepers house and went to work pulling the plugs, drying out the airfilter, changing the oil, draining the radiator and all the other crap you have to do to this bike to get things done. Oh yeah and making a spark plug wrench by welding on an extension to an old one that the school bus driver had in his tool bag. By the time we did all this it was dark but Kevin had the tent set up and sleeping bags rolled out. Next morning we put her back together fired her up and we were off again Oaxaca bound!
I'm having a hard time processing why you had to do all that to get the bike started. I can understand a bike drowning and having to jump through hoops, but not all this for a parking lot fall. Good thing you have mad bike skillz
Me either, usually for flooded carbs, crank starter with ignition off to clear gas out of combustion chamber. Great story and probably a highlight of the trip. Funny how that seems to happen down there.
The low opening parachute might be useful too. Most of those KTM's farkled out like that will never see anything more gnarly than the Long Island Expressway, and only May-Oct on sunny days.
Yeah I tried that.....still didn't fire.....when I eventually got the plugs out they were fouled....cleaned them up......cranked it with the plugs out to clear again. Then she fired up. Wouldn't of been a big deal but the bike literally had to be taken apart to pull the plugs. And the oil res. filling with gas was what concerned me the most.....since a KTM mechanic told me that if run that way it could of crushed the oil filter and then fried the motor? Later that trip I ended up upside down in a ditch and I was worried the same thing was going to happen......it flooded but all it took was to crank it with the throttle wide open to fire it up. I ain't a mechanic but if someone here is I'd love to hear their ideas.....it's a 950SE without the canisterectomy which is happening this weekend.....I read that these can also fill with gas when dropped.
Poor Mexico. The tourist hotels will just jack up the prices. The places like the lenas that Mike Mike likes will be hurt, bike parts and llantas also through the roof.
Sorry RMO, I already deleted my rant. Jimmy deleted his comment nearly instantaneously as he so often does, so I was left ranting to nothing and nuked.
What kind of buddy is Tricepilot to not mention? Don't know when you came through? I may have been out of town anyway. I was gone about half of last month. Next time Saludos SR
Jimmy, your premature deletion of posts is causing a cascade of problems!:huh 14-15 pesos/$ is what the exchange rate will be next year when Mexico's new tax raising initiatives kick in. Fire up your engines.
