That was one of the first times I have taken the time to really read through someone's ride report. That was truly epic my friend. I grew up in Idaho and fished the Salmon often and my parents retired to their cabin just South of Ennis, MT. That to me is my heart land with big montains, big rivers, and a bigger sky.

I wish I had the experience to do a ride like this but I have only had one motorcycle for just a couple years and I would be sure to get stuck somewhere having forgotten something like oil or coolant. I say this because I have learned some hard, silly lessons in the last year with my simple little KLX.

But anyway, thanks for the pictures and taking the time to share your adventure. Truly awesome stuff. Cheers.

 

Thanks for the compliments, but there are some really amazing trips on the ADV website. It really is worth browsing through.
I wouldn't look at the problems you had a silly. They were just what you said, lessons, valuable lessons. If you want to do trips, just start with a small one night trip with a back pack and go from there. Just ride to a state campsite, ride home the next day.

 

You make a good point. I can start small and extend my trips as I get accustomed to it. Sounds like a plan. Now I just need to get my bike back together. This will be good motivation. Thanks again.

 

What is the status of your bike?

 

Well, I ran it hot after upgrading my radiator hoses and blew my head gasket. I ride my bike as a commuter about 45 miles/day at 75 MPH and probably ran it hot for a couple days with little to no coolant in it. It developed a leak after the gasket around the thermostat failed and it was downhill from there. Now I am just rying to decide which big bore kit to get and save up the cash to get it. But the weather is turning here is Utah so I have plenty of time until next spring to get it fixed. It's an 07, and I saw a guy jsut post a 300 kit for sale so maybe I'll go that route. It woudl be nice to have a little more powre for the highway riding as well as for quick spirts of speed when needed.

 

sorry to hear on the failure dacoontz.
Isn't this something that can be spotted on your preliminary walk through of your ride? Checking for leaks, chain, etc? Just asking, and I do not own a klx yet but it sounds like a costly mistake.

 

Yes, I should have caught it way sooner. I like to learn things the hard way. I was somehwat confused about the purpose of the coolant overflow tank in the rear of the bike and thought that it would also help to replace any lost fluid. With this line of thinking I kept an eye on that tank and the level never went down, so I concluded that there was plenty of coolant in the system (Durrrrrr!!!!). I guess I still don't quite understand what the purpose of putting fluid in that tank is if all it is for is overflow, I am guessing that it is a pressure thing or something. Or maybe it is so hot fluid from the radiator doesn't overflow into an empty plastic tank and melt the thing. Well, now I know better. And that is why I bought this bike as my first bike and not a 10,000+ ducati or soemthing expensive like that.

In the long run it will turn out to be a good excuse to buy a big bore kit so not to big of a mistake, not that I have $500 growing out my *** or anything. Also, I will be able to chaulk it up as a good learning experience since now I get the chance to take my bike apart and put it back together. I already have it apart, which wasn't too bad, but the putting back together process should be fun.

 

When coolant gets hot and expands it will flow into the overflow tank, then when it cools and contracts, it will flow back into the radiators to keep the level constant.
I wouldn't wait too long to put your bike together as the you may forget the sequence of things etc.

 

+1 to all that.
If your bike wasn't pulling the coolant in the overflow reservoir back into the system when the system was low on coolant, I am thinking something is not working correctly with your overflow system? I'm no expert, but you shouldn't have coolant in the overflow reservoir and not in the rest of the system.
Dan

 

Yep, that's what I was thinking. But this system is pretty simple. What could go wrong with this system other than a kink in a hose or something?