Just got back from about 3 weeks of riding in Colorado with the KLX. So much rain in CO, however, even got me to wander over into Utah for some relief. The KLX was awesome. This was my first trip to the high mountains that didn't occur on a KLR650, and it was almost a 100% improvement. Between the 300 jug, pipe, jetting, and full Race Tech suspension mods, the bike was fully capable on singletrack or big open doubletrack.

It was great to get away from the Texas heat. Camping and cooking out every morning and evening in a free primitive campsite was great. Most of my camp spots were immediately next to a big running river. Temps at night ranged from low 40's to about 70 during the day. The biggest problem this year was rain. I ended up running around a bit more to avoid rain systems and get more riding in.

I ended up riding in the Silverton area for about 3 days...always good. I then moved over to Rico to ride some singletrack, but because of already existing mud and erosion, I rode some rougher jeep roads and ATV routes. With a decent wet weather pattern scheduled to move in for a few days, I moved over to Gateway, CO. This place has a huge plateau of the Uncompahgre forest with numerous canyon complexes...mainly around the Dolores river. I rode for 3 days in this area, and it was an impressive place. This is not a well known area for off roading, but there are jeep trails and singletrack all over this area...and there are no crowds. The canyons in this area rival anything I've seen in Utah without question. I even got to within about 25 miles of Moab while riding in the La Sals.

The jetting and performance of the 300 were about perfect. Even at over 13000 feet on Imogene Pass, I had no trouble with power. There was a bit of chugging right at the summit, but even my 650's did that. It would even idle at the top of the pass. There's something to be said for a CV carb. My Race Tech suspension valving was excellent in all the rocks. I'm more and more amazed at the climbing ability of this bike. When you get the suspension and power dialed in, the powerband can't hardly be stopped for climbing loose, rocky climbs. My suspension mods allow easy course changes while climbing gnarly spots. It's not always about power as much as it's about getting the right power with the right gearing and the right suspension to keep the wheels turning. I climbed a scary, rocky, steep section in the Dolores river canyon near Dove Creek, CO with ease that impressed me the most. Almost nothing stops this bike.

Off road fuel mileage ranged from a low of 48 to a high of 61. With the Acerbis tank, fuel/distance isn't an issue with this bike.

I also had an interesting incident with a nail in the rear Kenda Trakmaster with my Nuetech Tubliss system. While lubing the chain one morning after about 2 days into the trip, I found a 2" nail sticking in the tire. I'm running Stan's sealant in the tire, and apparently it had kept the tire sealed with the nail in place. I decided to plug the hole with a Slime brand "string" style plug. After a few minutes of easily installing the plug, the hole didn't leak any air the rest of the trip. I'm pretty well sold on the Nuetech system. This nailed would have flatted a tube while on the trail. A few minute fix with an easy plug repair was a lot nicer alternative. I also ran my first Trakmaster front tire this trip. I've heard some of you speak negatively about this front tire, but frankly it worked about as well as any other quality front tire I've used over the years. Now obviously I wasn't riding on any MX tracks or such, but I was in mud, rocks, sand, and just about everything else at one point or another, and I never noticed any bad habits from this tire.

I've had this '06 KLX for a year now, and every trip just raises my respect for this bike in its modded state. Other than plugging the rear tire on this trip, the bike needed nothing but chain lubing. I used no oil and didn't even have to adjust the chain. In fact, I find it utterly amazing that I haven't had to adjust the chain in the several months since I first installed it with new steel sprockets...DID's best X-ring chain with 14/47 gearing.

 

Here are a few more pics.

 

Wow that place looks amazing! I hope you took some high speed helmet cam video as well

 

What's a helmet cam?

LOL!...you're dealing with an ol' schooler here on stuff like that. My cell phone doesn't even take pictures. But I will go dirt riding.

Oh...wait a minute...I actually departed from disc CD's just before this trip and got me a Nano ipod. Wow! Now I have all my Frank Sinatra and Perry Como songs at my fingertips.

 

Ha ha, I have been waiting for this report. Looks like some great riding. Glad you had a safe trouble free trip. I know the Engineer pass alpine loop is fun, I've been there (in my truck). Are you riding all alone for these 3 weeks? What do you do for emergencies. I finally bought a cell phone before my Colorado trip earlier this summer, one of the main reasons being to have an emergency back up. I tried the phone in a few spots but in those mountains reception was very hard to get. I looked at the Spot satellite locator, but they were pricey for the amount of alone riding I had planned.
Put up more pics if you have the time. Love em.
Dan

 

dan, I usually go by myself because I can't get any locals to go. I know more of the folks on the ADV site to meet up with on a ride like this than any at home. Speaking of which, I met two of the ADV guys by Rico, CO that I was going to camp and ride with for a week. The very first morning we went out, we got about 3 miles from camp on the pavement to head to a trail. The two guys had a tangle on the pavement which resulted in one of them tearing his ACL...as it turned out later. They had to load up and leave for medical attention. What a freaky deal. These guys are very good riders, but a second of inattention turned into a small disaster.

Yeah, I carry a cell phone, and I'm surprised how I can get phone coverage in some high spots when in the mountains. The canyon rides are another situation, however. I tell my wife by phone everyday where I plan on riding, and I check in after every ride. At least she'll be able to call someone if I don't show back up. It's about the only safety valve I have. Sometimes the ride changes as the day progresses, but so be it. I'd rather die out on a trail somewhere than sitting on a couch wishing I was riding.

 

Wonderful... I bet if you advertise your next trip you would have riding company, just by showing them these photos. At least I'd be tempted...

 

thats one part of the country im dieing to ride. rice report and pics, glad you had a great time.

 

Great ride report. For some reason I can't see the photos. Maybe my Adblock Plus settings need tweaking.

I spent a week in the central mountains on my KLX earlier this month. I trailered the bike up and did day rides. I'll have to post up my own ride report soon. My bike did great at altitude too. I had it over 12000 feet, and it ran great. It did develop a flat spot off idle at altitude, but it wasn't a problem so I just rode through it. Adjusting the fuel screw leaner probably would have tuned it out.

I picked up a nail in my rear tire too! I didn't have any slime or anything and I was riding by myself so I had to ride out on the flat. A local guy who owns a KLX400 rescued me and we found a guy in Fairplay who changed out the tube for me. I'll have to look into that flat tire stuff you mentioned.

My bike performed great. I was very impressed with it.

Debby

 

awsome views you have got love the pics