Every time we would get something fixed we would find something else wrong! After we had everything fixed, (or so we thought) we fired up my KLR which has never let me down but once and it was 5 degrees below 0 so, I can't really blame her for that one can I, and it wouldn't idle. We figured the gas had gone bad and took it out for a run to try to get some fresh gas through it and hopefully clear it out. It actually got worse! It would run fine for a moment then it would lose power and I would have to give it full throttle just to keep moving at all then it would suddenly gain full-power again! Then, it would die and leave me on the side of the road for a few minutes then it would start and run fine only to repeat the cycle over and over until we got it home.
Luckily, I had another carburetor that I had never used which was supposed to be set up for performance and would only get about 36mpg. At this point it was my only option. So, on it went. We fired it up and it purred like a kitten!
So, on Tuesday, June 17, we finally set off! Originally, we were going to be riding from here to L.A. and back but, this delay will really shorten our trip! No idea ho far we'll make it but, as long as we make it to Red Cliff, Colorado I'm happy! As it turns out, my friend's Great-Great-Grandfather was a founder of the town. He was also the town Marshal and Doctor!
We got up at 5am and had breakfast at Greenwood Deli and as always it was delicious! We came home and loaded the bikes down with all our gear and set off for adventure!
With my main bag behind me, I only had one position I could sit in and it was way against the tank! Not the best for long-distance riding! We later swapped my main bag for one of the sleeping bags on Mark's bike and I had a much better riding position! I like scrambled eggs but, not my eggs scrambled!! We rode to Duffield, VA. And stopped in to get a drink and to see a friend who unfortunately was no longer working there so, that was disappointing.
From there we hit Hwy 58 towards Cumberland Gap. The ride was fairly uneventful as I've made this trip many, many times! We stopped in Corbin, KY. To fuel up and dicovered I was getting 34mpg! This sucks! I'm used to 54 or more! This is really going to cut into my expenses!
From there we hit I-75 and headed towards Chicago! A very generous friend had us booked at the Marriott in Midway Illinois and I had called and told them it would be a very late check-in! This would turn out to be an understatement!
Once we got onto the interstate, I discovered whenever the big trucks would get around me I would develop
At one of our next stops, I decided to check my tire pressures since that's a main cause of such problems and I discovered they were quite low. I thought it odd since I had just had the tires and tubes put on and he said he had put the right pressures in them according to what I like to run. So, I aired them up and hit the road and it was so much more stable! Happy!
