mi to nc & va coastline ride

[achesley43@ymail.com]

A summary of my life with this KLR, a 2000 I bought brand new. Had a KLR 600 for awhile , the a '92 KLR 650 for about 3 years and put over 30K miles on it before selling it and buying a '95 BMW R11GS. Picked up a DR 350 to ride about the really bad roads and trails about the Southern US and in late '99 did the then new TAT  Arkansas portion on it with tent and all solo. Got caught in some hilarious rains in Central Ark and called it off .  Driving 525 miles in the rain and having to do some of I 40 really sucked on the DR350. Hence,. while waiting for the time to go do the rest, I bought the '00 KLR in the Fall of '99 really and broke it in on a quick trip to Ark that November. In March of '00 I loaded up and took off for Ozark, Ar to connect up and finish Ark TAT and went ahead and did Ok and Co also at that time. Camping and cooking most the time. The '00 saw quite a few bikes come and go from my stable till I sold/lent it to a fellow Fireman in '09 I think with about 22,900 miles on it. With the understanding if he ever wanted to do a different bike , it came back to me. In the spring of '12 with 23,900 on it due to him wanting to buy a Harley 883.  Restoration begin. From the front to the back wheel. Painted it a forest green. It became my local GO TO bike over the Suzuki Bandit 1250S I was traveling the country on. An at that time the 1250S was my only bike as I had tried and sold a DR650 for about a year. Put about 4 thousand on it in the mean while putting a pretty new '09 Shock and Carb on it. Then in May of '13 , on the Bandit headed for California , I had to do quick stuff to miss a dear and end up not being able to make a corner after missing the deer my inches and crash in the West Texas mountains. Mess me up more than the bike for sure. Hospital at Fort Stockton, then a van to get me and the bike back home.  Since then I've put about 4200 miles on the Bandit since rebuilding it and just crossed the 38,000 mark on the KLR. A trip to Mo before the crash and a trip to the Padre Island area last month helped. Guess it's like rejuvenating an old love affair.  

[Eddie]

What a neat tale of bikes, trips and good memories! Thanks! It's funny how we find certain bikes that seem to hit all the right notes, decide to try something different and yet come back again to the familiar later on. -eddie in Ga. former owner of two CB750s, two  EN450s, two XL600V Transalps, two GL1800s, two V-Stroms, etc... LOL

----- Original Message ----- [b]From:[/b] achesley43@... [DSN_KLR650] [b]To:[/b] DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [b]Sent:[/b] Friday, September 12, 2014 9:48 AM [b]Subject:[/b] [DSN_KLR650] Rejuvinated Mind Set!  

A summary of my life with this KLR, a 2000 I bought brand new. Had a KLR 600 for awhile , the a '92 KLR 650 for about 3 years and put over 30K miles on it before selling it and buying a '95 BMW R11GS. Picked up a DR 350 to ride about the really bad roads and trails about the Southern US and in late '99 did the then new TAT  Arkansas portion on it with tent and all solo. Got caught in some hilarious rains in Central Ark and called it off .  Driving 525 miles in the rain and having to do some of I 40 really sucked on the DR350. Hence,. while waiting for the time to go do the rest, I bought the '00 KLR in the Fall of '99 really and broke it in on a quick trip to Ark that November. In March of '00 I loaded up and took off for Ozark, Ar to connect up and finish Ark TAT and went ahead and did Ok and Co also at that time. Camping and cooking most the time. The '00 saw quite a few bikes come and go from my stable till I sold/lent it to a fellow Fireman in '09 I think with about 22,900 miles on it. With the understanding if he ever wanted to do a different bike , it came back to me. In the spring of '12 with 23,900 on it due to him wanting to buy a Harley 883.  Restoration begin. From the front to the back wheel. Painted it a forest green. It became my local GO TO bike over the Suzuki Bandit 1250S I was traveling the country on. An at that time the 1250S was my only bike as I had tried and sold a DR650 for about a year. Put about 4 thousand on it in the mean while putting a pretty new '09 Shock and Carb on it. Then in May of '13 , on the Bandit headed for California , I had to do quick stuff to miss a dear and end up not being able to make a corner after missing the deer my inches and crash in the West Texas mountains. Mess me up more than the bike for sure. Hospital at Fort Stockton, then a van to get me and the bike back home.  Since then I've put about 4200 miles on the Bandit since rebuilding it and just crossed the 38,000 mark on the KLR. A trip to Mo before the crash and a trip to the Padre Island area last month helped. Guess it's like rejuvenating an old love affair.  

[mark ward]

Hey

I will be leaving West Mi. heading south. I may be leaving a few days ahead of time, for wondering etc.

Meeting up with My cousin in Valdese NC. (15 miles E. of Hickory) to leave on the 26th, heading to Chesapeake Bay area to cross the Bridge/tunnel and ride down the coastline to mid + NC and back to Valdese. (OR reverse IF to avoid a storm)

We plan on carrying bedrolls (but no tents) this trip, hoping for a few places to use the bed rolls. 

I usually take the tent, and MAY Just on trip to his house & trip home from his place.

Thought I would toss it out there for any INVITES. 

(pending route MADE UP AS WE GO, LOL & Timing.)