nklr my moab motoring

[Rex Hefferan]

I have read some of the posts and thought I might add my 2 bits. I rode with Bogdan and Juan Villarreal, all KLR650s, from Colorado Springs to Moab. Juan started from San Antonio, TX. We tried to take scenic paved and dirt roads that were in as direct a line to Moab as I could find and still make reasonable time enroute. We allowed for 2 days travel and managed to make the most of it I think. We enjoyed many excellent vistas, perfect weather and little traffic. I had built a GPS mount for my 12MAP and this was the first test. I didn't get it wired to the bike power so it was battery operated. I experienced vibiration power loss at around 65mph on the road, but not off-road. Taping the batteries did help, but did not eliminate the problem. I WILL be wiring for bike power. [side note: my design is similar to the A-Loop design and I only used cusioning material made for tool chest drawers. No other vibration isolation is used in the mount, yet] While at the evening gatherings I met 5 other riders from Colorado I had not known before. 4 of them from the Springs! We ended up riding together the next day to Mussleman Arch via Pot Ash Rd. and back thru Long Canyon. Thursday I joined Bob Carerras and another KLR rider (from Canada, whose name has slipped my mind, sorry). We burned up the roads to intercept the group led by Fred on the La Sal Loop to Onion Creek Canyon. Onion Creek is fun on a hot day, lots of creek crossings. Friday was the White Rim and it turned out much cooler in the morning with the chance of scattered showers. Nothing much developed and it cleared up later. Temps were in the low 90s I'd guess, it was better than the 100+ degrees we would have had on the previous days. I had decided to take an easy going, slow ride which put me in the company of Bogdan, Mariola and Eric (who is riding his first motorcycle, a KLR650 like the rest of us). I soon had my first mechanical problem, my stock shift lever cracked at the clamp weld. Not an uncommon problem and I had repaired it once myself. Luck was with me as Eric had his stock lever with him after just replacing it with an aftermarket upgrade. We were soon on our way and I found myself paired with Mariola as support for the more technical sections and snapshots. Not bad duty, and a challenge of focus at times. (not a photo pun). Toby "Slided" in to assist later when I took off to "catch" some more experienced riders. Turned out there were less ahead of me than I thought, I never caught up. I soon realized I either missed a turn or was way ahead, so I rested at a big lone Cottonwood tree near the river while the others caught up. Later Toby and I helped Mariola and Eric at the last tricky sections. Mariola didn't give up and has earned my respect for her effort. She made it up the Hogs Back hill without a problem. She'll soon be able to ride her KLR anywhere it will make it. Eric was doing great too from what I saw of him. Excellent for his experience level. My final ride was Gemini Bridges Road on Saturday. A fine shorter ride with enough challenging sections for most people. Mike from Canada and Larry from Chicago were my riding partners. I managed to ride as much as I desired and came away satisfied with the entire event. When I was about to air up my tires for the ride back to Colorado Springs I discovered my next machanical problem. The petcock was leaking gas like a little sprinkler head. I tried calling Fred a couple of times and was going to ride to his shop, but also found a ride home for me and my KLR and decided to take "the bird in the hand", as it were. I found out later that Fred had the petcock repair kits in stock (of course!). Moab can be what you make of it. Ride safe, have fun and meet new friends. Respect the land and fight for access so we can enjoy it forever. Rex A7