Rogue Tech Day Report, a weekend ride/camp to Pueblo West, Colorado for
a tech day. May, 2007
This report segment was originated on KLR650.net. It is imported here with minor
editing for structure and flow (due to the import process). Typos, etc., have mostly been
left as they are, fixed only for clarity in some cases. The
authors have been identified by their user names. Rogue was
the host of the tech day, and is the originator of the report. Martin is identified here as SgtMarty.
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Rogue wrote: Eight riders showed up (for the tech day):
CBKLRER - Rode in from Crested Butte and was the first to arrive. He did the
Doohickey with torsion spring (his original spring was broken), the swing arm
lube and checked his valves.
Nevermiss - Rode in from Colorado city. He did no mods but helped others with
theirs while learning the secrets of the KLR world.
SgtMarty and Kawioops lead the group from the north. Both of these men did no mods to there bikes but spent all there time assisting thoses of us that are not
so well indowed. With KLR know how that is!
Scott_Rides_Again - Also a member of the Northern bunch, he did the most. This aggressive guy did the Doohickey, subframe up-grade, Swing arm lube, mounted a
new 606 on the rear and attempted to change the front sprocket to a 14 but was
unable to. The sprocket was not the correct one for his bike. Scott was also the
big winner in the late night card game.
MedicDB - A northern bunch member, did the Doohickey, T-mod, added fog lights,
put some shiny stuff in his taillight and "took apart the whole bike just to
replace a fuse.
BudLight - From the northern bunch, did no mods. He drank my Bud Light while
supervising SgtMarty and Kawioops.
BuzzardCo - He trailered down and planned to do the swing arm lube. Part of the
swing was frozen and would not come out. He put it back together and plans to
tackle the job at home.
As this was my first TechDay, I hope all were happy and pleased with the way it
went. I was very impressed with the knowledge and know how that you all have. I
took several pictures and will post them soon.
SgtMarty wrote: Well, I had a great trip, great company,
and a wonderful time.
I had packed the KLR lighter than I had done during my ride/camp experiments
last year, but this time I had also brought along some small spare parts (which
were mostly not needed) and tools. The mods and repair I had recently done to my
footpegs (and the longer IMS shift lever) worked out well.
Kawioops (Alan) led MedicDB (Damon) and BudLight (Bud) to my place, but our
original plans to do some wrenching became unnecessary, so after a bit of
chit-chat, we headed down to Monument for a late breakfast. No one else showed,
up, so we headed up Mt Herman Road. The road was in pretty good shape, all the
snow and ice was gone, and only a few wet spots from melt-off. Some rock debris
on the road and on-coming trucks were the only challenges.
BudLight (in the witness protection program)
Kawioops (also in the program) and MedicDB
More story and photos. Some photo credits to BudLight, others by SgtMarty.
Just after starting up Mt Herman Road, we stopped just to see how everyone was
doing and take a couple of pictures. The Air Force Academy is off to the right,
just outside this shot.
While we were on Rampart Range Road, MedicDB and I explored a side road a bit.
This one was known to me from a ride last year when Ironbrewer and I got stuck
for a while on a steep slope.
Lots of great rocky areas. MedicDB felt the need to pose...
Kawioops did the cool ride-by.
When we got to Rampart Range Road all was well, so I decided to create some
drama by almost playing tip-over-the-dominoes. I pulled up next to others as we
came to a stop side-by-side, and then I fell over into them. Three of us might
have gone down in an awkward comedy routine, except there was no audience, so we
managed to save ourselves. Yes, there is ample opportunity for embarrassment when
you're enjoying yourself.
We made good time, and were in Woodland Park earlier than expected. A call to
Scott_Rides_Again (S_R_A) made for new meeting plans in Manitou Springs, but
some timing problems put us back on our original schedule. Once we had gotten
our troupe together, S_R_A took us an alternate way to the beginning of Old
Stage Road where we aired our tires down again and headed out. Took a few pics
along the way, including one of Scott,
and one of Bud.
Old Stage Road and Gold Camp Road were in great shape, and since it was a
Friday, the traffic was light. We alternated cool temps and sunny warmth,
depending on the clouds, but it was comfortable most of the way. As we neared
Victor, it got ugly fast and started to snow on us. Visibility was a big
problem. We stopped in Victor where I asked a couple of local drunks in front of
a bar what the weather forecast was, and they assured us that the snow would be
limited to 8000' and higher. As it turns out, a couple of drunks in front of a
bar can sometimes be trusted! Even as we dropped down into Cripple Creek, the
snow stopped and it got milder. We had been concerned about our plans to camp
that night, but now it was looking better.
We stopped for groceries and beverages, got other reassuring weather updates
from the liquor store clerk and a random customer in the parking lot, and we
were all set. Scott saw the need to shove his bike over in the parking lot
(which scared the crap out of the lady cashier who had been looking out the
window at the time), and he got to enjoy the new "artsy" bend in his brake
lever. Cool.
We headed down Shelf Road for a campsite, and got to be entertained and
challenged by free-range cattle on the roadway. I later came around a sharp bend
to find a cow and two calves on the road--and they had nowhere to go due to the
up-cliff on one side and the down-cliff on the other. I started honking to alert
the riders behind me, and to shoo! the cattle along. That was almost as
dangerous as the ****stick driving that silver pickup truck that could have
taken us out. I felt like we could have used air support at times...
Anyhoo, the Shelf Road was nice. Part of it had been recently given a new layer
of road surface gravel (the third pic).
While on Shelf Road (after the most interesting parts), we hemmed and hawed,
sniffed and scuffed our shoes while wondering where the campground was. S_R_A
got out the map again. See that dirt road just ahead to the right? Yup, that was
it. No GPS for us, dadgummit!
It was hard to gauge distances using the simple map I had, and I thought we
surely must have passed the first campground. We stopped and consulted S_R_A's
map, and I decided to backtrack a bit and ride up a side road to see what was
there. I rode forward about 100' to a turn-around spot, and then saw a very
obvious campground sign. I recognized it as a campground sign, because it had
"Campground" written on it. *sigh*
We took one of the group campsites, pitched tents, scavenged a large pile of
firewood from a distant unoccupied campsite (helps to have a large luggage rack
on the KLR), got the proper testosterone-affirming fire going, and settled in
for chow, beverages, and BS. No one else was up to it, so I had to show proper
respect to the 8-pack of Guinness. <burp>
We didn't know all the words to "They Call The Wind Mariah," so we belched and
farted instead. The weather was cool but calm, and all was well in the world.
In the morning, I took a couple of pics of the campsite after we had pretty much
packed up again.
We finished Shelf Road, which became mostly just a farm road as it neared
Canon City. A running deer and I almost had an intimate moment, a couple of
ravens almost met my windshield, and MedicDB almost "met" a dog that had bad
judgment. "Almost" was a good word that morning.
After camping, we stopped at Denny's fer grub. Our five bikes were different
colors. My teal blue bike (under the Darien jacket), Kawioops' red, MedicDB's
early blue and white, BudLight's green, and S_R_A's black. BudLight
finally (wisely) decided it was best not to anger our waitress, who had bragged
about being in the axe-throwing contest at the Western Frontier Fest event that
was happening later that day. She had just about had enough of Bud's inability
to order some food and stick with his choice. Actually, she was great with all
of our silliness.
A quick blast down US50 and to Rogue's place. Our host, Rogue (Randy) was
well prepared for us. A couple other KLR riders were there already, so we got to
meet Nevermiss (Jim), and CBKLRER (Wes), whose bike was already on Rogue's
platform in the oversized Man Castle. He did the doo (spring broken), doo
torsion spring, swingarm, valve check (all good), etc. He had already done
several mods to his KLR.
When we arrived at Rogue's place, we were met by security. Nevermiss stood
guard outside the Man Castle, and you had to show him an ID (or give him money)
to get in. (not really)
We leaned MedicDB's bike over to save his new oil, and started on the doo
(dig his high-tech tail box). Got that done easily enough. Here's our host
lending a hand. This was not MedicDB's only issue, though.
Kawioops watches MedicDB do the doo on "Thumper." Can you feel that sense of
foreboding in the air? It was unfortunate (and nothing else) that things did not
go perfectly. All will be well, in time.
MedicDB had lost all his lights on the previous day's ride, and we had
already checked the fuses, etc. We had finally decided that the problem was in
the light's wiring or the switch housing or in the ignition or in the instrument
panel wiring harness or in the ground wires or in the battery...
MedicDB set about removing everything and tracing the wires, disassembling the
ignition and switch housing. It had to be something. We had already checked the
fuse, remember?
Anyway, as Sherlock Holmes had asserted, "Once you have eliminated all the
likely possibilities, whatever remains--however unlikely--must be the truth."
Yup, it was the fuse. Others had seen bad fuses that looked good, but it was a
first for me. The fuse didn't look "burned out" at all, but it had broken inside
the glass tube ends, and was dead. We all huffed and puffed and suggested that
he upgrade to blade fuses just so that we had something useful to say.
Sometimes, ya just gotta laugh.
BuzzardCo had a wonky knee (roller derby, I think), but still attacked his
swingarm. The swingarm attacked back, and had a couple of secrets.
Scott_Rides_Again had a lot of mods to do, too. One at a time, no rush, and they
all get done. Doo replacement, swingarm maintenance, subframe drill-through
upgrade, chain cleaning, rear tire replacement to the D606 he had brought with
him, countersprocket replacement. As it turned out, the used front sprocket he
had acquired was for a pre-'96 model, and it didn't set on the countershaft in
the proper alignment with the chain.
Rogue fed us well, and had a well-stocked fridge in the Man Castle, so we were
good. BudLight took off, as did Jim, but the rest of us kept cranking.
BuzzardCo (Brent) had showed up with a bad knee, and had trailered his bike
down. He intended to do the preventative swingarm maintenance, but it was too
late for his bike. The swingarm bolt was corroded and frozen in place. Also, one
of his linkage bearings was dead and frozen. You could see where it had been
wearing on the spacer, too. Folks, do your swingarm maintenance now, as a
preventative measure. If you ever have to remove your swingarm (to remove the
chain, for instance), you might not be able to get it off. I'm just saying...
MedicDB put some additional highway lights on his now-illuminated bike, and he
was good to go. He and Kawioops had to get home, so off they went into
questionable weather.
(see the post-script and other threads for the "rest of the story")
The rest of us decided that the Man Castle was a fine campground, so we camped
there. A confusing couple hours of Texas Hold 'Em ended the night (Aces and
Jacks beats Kings and Jacks, right? geeez. Again, there was alcohol involved.)
Rogue and Scott_Rides_Again ended up with all the washers we were using for
chips.
The next morning came again with a dreary expression. Bad weather coming?
Couldn't really tell yet. We all motored to breakfast, where Wes decided that
discretion was better than daring the sky to dump on him. He had a long ride to
Crested Butte, so off he went. Rogue, S_R_A and I buzzed back to
Rogue's place
to solve a fuel/air problem on S_R_A's bike, then we were set.
We decided to see what Phantom Canyon looked like today. Although I could have
easily been drawn elsewhere, I was ready to head somewhat "homeward," given the
weather. North and home were thatta-way, and, by the way, so was Cripple Creek.
I had ridden Phantom Canyon a couple times last year (twice, once each way on
the same day), but my memory was fickle. It was nice to ride it without all the
rock debris that Kawioops and I had seen last year. The scenery was still good.
Here's Rogue coming out of the earth.
S_R_A on one of the historic bridges. His new rear D606 was to his liking, and
now he wants a new front tire, too. Can't please the guy... LOL
There is a section of Phantom Canyon road that is twisty, and vehicles over 25'
long are prohibited. Here's a shot as we exited that section at the north end.
Back at Victor, and with dark, mischievous weather peeking ominously over the
hills, Rogue bid us adieu and headed back home via Phantom again. S_R_A and I
popped into Cripple Creek, stashed our bikes in a garage, and found us a
Blackjack table. One of the casinos has a Streak blackjack table I played last
year and really enjoyed. It was snowing on and off as we played. After an hour
or more, I had a slight profit. Scott needed to head home before I did, so he
colored up his bag of chips and we parted there. He probably won a lot, so feel
free to hit him up for a loan.
After Scott left, I played a while longer. I was up about $160 when a weather
report started to sound really bad. So, I cashed out my winnings, got back to my
KLR (and discovered that some misguided vagrant must have stashed a $20 bill on
my bike by mistake...), and loaded up for a cold ride home. I wouldn't have
bothered trying to get home that evening, except that I had a subpoena to
testify early Monday morning (an Officer-involved shooting case being held in
Brighton), and it would be best if I didn't show up in dirty, smelly riding gear
that I had been wearing for three days.
I got a few miles up highway 67 before it became impossible. I was having to
stop every minute or two, to scrape the ice off my helmet visor. The light snow
in Cripple Creek became icy sleet just north of there, and I was having trouble
seeing the roadway. It was still light out, but that didn't help. Finally, I
found a safe place to get off the road and called my wife. I had her look up my
subpoena so that I could call our court call-off message line and see if the
case was still a "go."
The cell connection wasn't great, but I finally got the message line and learned
that the defendant (a guy who was shooting into a crowd in a bar parking
lot--just before a cop shot back at him) had made a plea and the case was over.
HUZZAH!
I barely made it back to Cripple Creek, as it was getting worse very quickly.
Even the minor change in elevation dropping down into Cripple Creek made a
noticeable difference, as you can see in the next photo. The sleet was just starting
to stick to the roads in town, but look in the distance. It was white-out for
the last couple of miles coming back to find a hotel.
I booked a room in the 111 year-old Imperial Hotel and parked the bike back in
the same free garage Scott and I had used earlier (I was hoping that another
vagrant would put money on my bike again). After I cleaned up a bit and had some
dinner, I went back to the same Blackjack table and eventually gave them all
their money back. And some of mine. Oh, well... it's just entertainment expense.
I went from $160 in profit, to being in the hole. Hey, I got to play for about 8
hours, so that works out to, hmmmm... let's see... my losses divided by 8 hours
of play... Aw, screw it. I had fun, so there!
The ride home Monday afternoon was cool, but no snow. Even a bit warm when the
sun was out. A wonderful weekend over all. Gotta do it again soon.
Take care, all. Ride safe.
P.S. MedicDB had his engine grenade on his way home. Thankfully, Kawioops was
with him. There are other threads about that unfortunate event, so I won't
expound on it here. He had what we will call "an interesting weekend" and wish
him the best for his repairs.
Here's a few photos, though.
Sounds like Wes and Scott all got to enjoy the delightful outdoor weather, too.
I'm glad everyone made it home ok.