From zero to your first service in one day.

[inte]

SUBTITLE The “Iron-Cheek� club (because a 500+ mile day doesn’t count for a whole 1000-mile butt…)

As many of you on this board know, my recent mishap ended the life of my 640 Adventure .

Insurance totaled it, arrived at my residence & wrenched the carcass from my hands…












This is no good.








The garage seems empty.






The search begins, a bike is found finances will be considered later…, and a plane ticket is purchased. Because the plan was to fly up & ride back camping along the way, I didn’t want to bring luggage – everything would be transferred into the KTM boxes …

…black plastic trash bags & duct tape to the rescue.







After looking at that thing I was guessing my “adventure� would begin at the airport with my trying to check my luggage … Honestly, it’s not a bomb….

The 1st-level guy outside looked at it, looked at me … �Oh they’re going to want to cut that open…. I said that’s fine as long as they have tape for me to put it back together & he waved me inside.

Once again in line waiting for one of the dozen or so check in people to call me, I was finally waved over to the 1st available counter…


…similar reaction. This lady wasn’t concerned like the guy out front, she thought the package was funny, if suspicious. Seeing my helmet bag she asked if I was going to be doing some riding.

�Going to pick up a new bike & ride it back down here.�
�Really, what kind?
�A KTM 950 Adventure.�
�No way! …

Her knowing reaction to the bike surprised me at first, then I found out her dad owns a (the?) KTM dealership in Kansas City (“Letco� or something like that I think…?)! She had grown up with guys like David Pyle & Malcom Smith and had actually gone to Austria to tour the KTM factory …

…twice!

What are the odds?


Needless to say I got a wave & a You’re fine… & to the plane I went.


Couldn’t see the bag getting stowed though..., but with no connecting flights I had to assume all my gear would be there … it would be a very wet ride home without…





My new ride is somewhere down there…







My little luggage ball contained all my riding & camping gear, so it had some heft – small but dense. I’m typically only mildly entertained by “peoplewatching� in airport baggage claims, but watching this 30-pound black & silver ball come flying out of the chute, down the ramp & bounce right off the chute into the lobby, taking out a guy in the process was just awesome. I’d be $10,000 richer had I been running videotape …


…actually I’d be $15,000 richer had I not done what comes next…


After helping the guy up … ( ) I grab my things, hop a shuttle to the B.A.R.T. system (1st time on it, SF has their public transportation down! I get off at 16th/Mission & hike 3 blocks with my fuseless luggage.

Turning the corner in a light rain the skies briefly part to reveal Mecca of sorts…







Never having been here, I had no 1st hand information about the shop, but had been told there were close to, if not the premiere 950 dealer in the US. One look around inside confirmed this in my mind at least, the bikes were everywhere…





I had almost got used to not seeing the bikes at all in KTM shops, seeing maybe one or two, or having the shop tell me they’re not available in the US (seriously!). The above photo was just one wall, there was more on the other side, more in service, still more in receiving …

We discussed all sorts of mod options (stock for me now … at least until the warranty expires…) – but these guys have the gear to get it done.

Dyno room:





Service (2-month waiting list to get service done here!):





I finish my brief tour & get to cutting open my luggage … and my finger in the process… and packing the bike.





One thing needed for the planned multi-day camping trip on the way home was a way to charge my cellphone. I had a 12-V adapter installed but was told it would be a standard plug, turns out it was a BMW-style. Having left my adapter at home, they scored an adapter (of sorts) I could use. Out came the Leatherman & I cut the end off my car charger & wired it into this thing – worked perfect.





Now it had been raining the whole time I was there & just as I was leaving the rain quit … yay. I burned over to REI to get some camping fuel (couldn’t fly that with me) and added to the eclectic bike collection in the parking lot:





After the getting the fuel, with less than five miles total on the bike, the adventure starts homeward…

[gaspipe]

Go Inte!

[terry.mc]

Sound of Googling for totaled 640 adventure in the Huntington Beach area...

Nice looking 950 inte.

[inte]

From there I had no choice but to make a brief freeway run. Not wanting to “drone� a new engine, I did everything possible to get pulled over …

Up & down through the gears, constant lane changes, on & off the freeway, lots of engine braking, whatever I could to keep the RPMs moving around. Then the 101 just stopped. I’m guessing accident from the CHP & ambulance stuck in traffic with their lights going.

I had already got out of the city MUCH later than planned, rain was on & off at this point, so doubled back on the 101 to the 280 (?) billed as the “world’s most scenic freeway� to make time southward. It was very nice. The rain made a perfect full-arch rainbow over the road in the distance (aren’t rainbows always in the distance…?) … it had faded & was all but gone before I was able to pull off & get the “bike at the end of the rainbow� shot…





Of course it came back, but rather than try & get photos I just decided to enjoy this stretch of hwy.





Then the rain started.

And the wind.

Lots of wind.


At times (rarely) I would be in the sun, but still getting pelted by rain – it was going completely sideways. Amazing thing is how little it bothered me. I’ve never ridden anything other than a single – most of the time on an LC4. The big bike is so smooth, no head buffeting at all … amazing. Turns out my riding gear actually is waterproof as it claims, so I was dry & having a blast, despite the gnarly weather.

I got off the hwy near Gilroy… & connected onto a two-lane road (map from GPS pending…). VERY fun twisty road over the mountains toward the coast. The Scorpions stick surprisingly well to the slick road – I was also taking it a bit easy. No traffic, rainy weather & riding an unfamiliar fully-loaded bike…


I couldn’t find the orignal place I had planned on camping, so I continued on, eventually hitting the coast & heading south. Found an RV park long after sunset, just before it got dark actually & pulled in. Didn’t see any indication they allowed tent camping, but I thought I would pull in & ask … office closed, no host … the place was pretty crowded, but the sign indicated a few available spots, so I took the card with the smallest space & headed over to set up.

I’ll do a quick gear review at some point, but in short I was VERY pleased with all the gear I bought (not much). Tent was fully waterproof, sleeping bag was actually too warm for this weather. Pants, jacket, & boots stayed dry, stove worked … etc …

I set up the tent, it gets dark, make some food…

A big bike camping among a sea of HUGE RVs:








The rain just CUTS LOOSE…that night. Woke me up on several occasions. Finally about 2 or 3 a.m. I woke again & couldn’t go back to sleep. Just messed around with the GPS looking at roads for a while until it was time to go…

120 miles for today, the real ride would start tomorrow…

[Ignore Amos]

good adventure soooo far.....

[mutineer]

[inte]

A: all of them.


The next morning I woke to find everything outside pretty well soaked, but all my gear was dry (pic from my cellphone).




The rain had fortunately stopped just before dawn so I packed up a wet tent & hit the road. The RV park was at the beginning of an access road to the beach. You could see toward Monterey from there…





Again on the freeway for a short distance I was all over the place to keep the RPMs unsteady as much as possible. Pulling into Monterey I remembered that I had programmed a route into the GPS to take me directly through the costal mountains between HWY 1 & 101. I pulled over to activate the route & turns out this spot was just over one mile from the first waypoint:





“Carmel Valley Road� – very scenic valley community. Also a nice, twisty road, perfect for running in a new 950.





There’s going to be a lot of bike pics coming …


Over 500 miles of bike pics actually.








I stopped to gas up & get some breakfast at this gas station. Dry bagel & OJ – something quick so I can get back to the ride!





At the above gas station it occurred to me that aside from all the funny looks, I had spoken with at least one person every time I stopped someplace about the bike. KTMs generate interest.


This road went from good to better. Turning off Carmel Valley onto Arroyo Seco, it became a little more narrow & twisty, no cars going my direction & only a handful passed going the other way.








Funky trees, flowing creeks, and panoramic vistas … great road.








Rest stop area:





On the GPS the road was indicated as connecting through all the way to Jolon – with all the recent weather this was not the case.





There was an easy go-around, but I had already passed a CHP officer & a gang of firemen/forestry workers about a mile back. They might get suspicious seeing my bike pass by & not return from this dead-end road …

…the ’05 KTM isn’t exactly a stealth bike.


I stopped & talked with the forestry workers about the closeure, turns out the road was completely washed away. Given some of what I had been seeing up to that point, it didn’t surprise me:





The crew explained the go-around, which involved heading all the way to 101 & south to a different route.

Turns out the alternate route was a great ride in itself. A one-lane bridge:





More locked gates.





Homestead.





Hotel.





From here I was going to hook up with Naciemento-Fergusson Road to the coast. As it passes through a military base you’re required to show ID, registration, insurance, etc… that wasn’t an issue though.

The fact that the road was washed out here too was however. This was being explained to me by an armed officer in a booth – no go around option.

The route was well guarded.





So another 60-mile backtrack to 101 & further south to another coastal route. Stopped & talked with a parks service worker at a 101 rest stop. He thought it was cool that I had no problem finding shaded parking in the full-up lot:





Going through Paso Robles I ended up taking 46 (I think it was…GPS coming…) to the coast.

Hard to believe I was hanging out with a tweaker on the B.A.R.T. just yesterday … I didn’t tell that story did I … mesh-wearing guy pacing around, sits, then jumps out of his seat yelling �RCA plays the f-in B sides…� … good stuff.


At the coast I head south toward El Morro – the rock:




I get to El Morro & decide to grab some lunch. Not being sure of when, or if, I’ll stop again it seems like the prudent thing to do. Turning down a small residential side-street with nothing more than the intention of backtracking to the main road, I come across a “hole-in-the-wall� Thai place that convinces me it was a good decision.


…and I discover scientists apparently don’t date. From the newspaper in the restaurant:





…and this was page one!?!


Made some work-related calls & hit the road again. I had been to Montana de Oro state park several times in the past for surfing, mountain biking, and camping and knew the road dead-ended. The GPS begged to differ however, so I decided to try it again & search for what I was perhaps missing in the way of a connecting road to Avila Beach.


I was right … missed nothing. Road ends.

Good view though.





And a nice twisty coastal road.





Back to 101 again I’m south bound until the next available turn off – end of the line at Avila Beach:





You can drive right out onto the plank piers here. Several seafood shops & an inn at the end.








I met a local guy who had biked from Pismo to here for a day ride & he explained the dirt go-arounds from here to El Morro! Next time definitely. I also found out the road the GPS indicated as connecting through did, but the GPS did not show the nuclear facilities gates that prevent the public from passing…





So BACK to 101 & south to Lompoc.

More gas station conversations. This guy was on a dual-sported 650R. Dug the KTM & wheelied away afterward…just before the highway patrol pulled up.





The plan was to camp at Jalama, but the short way in from Lompic was closed … road damage? Not sure, but it indicated a go-around I hadn’t done before so an extra 50 miles of 2-lane hwy trip started….


I finally get to the other entrance to the road (near Gaviota) & again CLOSED!! The “local traffic only� basically reads “go-around� at the point, so I proceed. I have to see what’s up & I was only planning on traveling to Jalama as my final destination so I guess that’s “local�…

After passing some road work areas I come to a K-rail barrier. No go around for equipment or anything else – full barrier. I see workers about 500 yards ahead, so it’s up the berm & down the other side (loaded 950 works good!). I pulled up & the workers could care less than I had blown the barricade. We just talked a while about the damage (a friend of the guys had been parked here the day before it fell into the canyon!)

Only go around from here would have been for me to ask the guy to move his loader …



I decided to backtrack again.


A long backtrack, but NO TRAFFIC AT ALL made for a nice ride regardless. Took everything in me to keep the speeds under 80 … new motor & all.





up next … to camp or not to camp … the conclusion.

[MotoMike]

WOW! COOL! Hey Inte, there's this off road race and we're going down to pre run and...









































Bitchin' Bike man. I want one.

[modrover]

Great way to break-in a new bike. Even better way to begin a long relationship (keep this one together) with your new ride.

[Pantah]

You must've taken the 152 over the top to Watsonville. I can't guess why you'd pick that route if you are trying to get to SoCal. Maybe it was the notion of a campsite? Very neat road, though, in the wee hours when you're out for a putt. Have not been there for 20 years, but I know you went right by a very special 'former' MX track from back in the day; Watsonville Fairgrounds. Was built in a gulley. It was a tough place for me, I'll tell yah, but fun...
I like your pics of Scuderia. I was wondering about it, given all the press they get. It seems as it should; A store-front deal on a SF hill!....very cool. Thanks for the ride.

-pantah

[inte]

After leaving the road from Jalama, it’s a relatively short way to Refugio state beach – the next closest camping option. Old Hwy 1 is visible on the way:





I pull into Refugio around 7:30 pm ….








I was surprised there weren’t that many people there – this place is PACKED in the summer. The few people there were checking out the bike …





I sat for a little while watching a group of longboarders waiting in the lineup at the point. In the 20 minutes or so I was watching no body caught anything.

I was feeling really good, not tired … no reason to stop riding, so I decided to make the final 150 or so miles home. It was 8pm now it would be riding through LA at night … not much scenery in downtown to miss so why not.

The ride south from here takes you through La Conchita – where the MASSIVE mudslide happened that killed a few people (lot of news coverage out here about it). I hadn’t see it in person – pretty gnarly. Back part of the community is a mound now – it was dim by this time, but I thought I could make out some crosses in the mud at the top.


It was completely dark when I got to Ventura for my final gas stop. A quick cup of gas-station coffee & I hit the road home. I had ridden through LA during the day, but never done the whole length of the city at night before – downtown has night-blooming Jasmine somewhere … 405 smells nice…

Rolled in just after 10pm – 537 miles later.

The reason for the ride was twofold – to get the bike home, and to get the motor properly run-in…thus the “long way around� route was planned. As much side-street & twisty road as possible.

I got it home the day after picking it up, only slightly overdue for its 600-mile service. Surfphoto was gracious enough to offer me a ride home from the shop, so I rode there this morning to drop it off.





So picking up a bike on Sunday & arriving home Monday with 657 miles on it … a good ride.





















Looking for knobbies ….

[Burren Rider]

Great Report, nothing like setting off on a trip with a new bike.

I almost thought you had left the US when I saw this picture, it could be just about anywhere in Oz with those gum trees.

[bpeterson]

nice report, and nice new bike! I love the color combo, best of luck w/it.

[acupuncture4u]

Sexy looking ride. Glad your still riding and loving it! I wonder how long it will take to get that lovely black truck bed liner cover on it.

[ktmnate]

she's purdy!!!