2002-09-15

Prepping my KLR

Here I am, looking for all the world like a man who knows what he's doing. But if you've read this far in the journal you know better.

I am installing a set of new Avon Distanzia tires for my upcoming tour. There are two useful things to learn from the photo. First, Helge Pedersen taught me how to use the sidestand to break the bead of a tire. Put the bike on its centerstand, deploy the sidestand and carefully lean it over using the weight of the bike to force the tire off the rim. It works! The other useful tip comes from John Shelton. Carry a few pairs of disposable latex gloves in your toolkit. They don't take much space and they come in handy when the job gets messy.

I was having some trouble getting the new rear tire over the rim when the phone rang. It was John Shelton, one of the Globeriders who I plan to visit in Chicago in a few days. I mentioned that I was wrestling with the rear tire and he asked me if I had made sure the opposite side of the tire was pressed down into the well of the wheel. Yes, I assured him that I knew to do that. It buys you a little more space on the other side of the tire and makes it easier to slide it over the rim. This was just a tough tire. After the call I went back to my task and noticed that, no, I really hadn't made sure I was pressing the tire all the way down into the wheel well. A little more weight on the knees to push it down and the other side easily slipped over the rim. Thanks, John, for the reminder! I will eventually get the hang of this.

The original plan was to circle the country and fit a tour of Route 66 somewhere in the middle but when I laid out the route I could see there would be no way to do both and still make it to Phoenix in time for a friend's wedding. So I either had to drop the Route 66 portion or the east coast. I chose to defer the east coast to a later time. Next March I will visit Daytona for Bike Week and it makes sense to work the east coast route into that trip.

My plan is to head east to Chicago where Route 66 begins. Chicago is also the home of my fellow Globerider, John Shelton. John was the unlucky passenger involved in a crash on the second-to-last day of our trip. He suffered a small but trip-ending fracture of a vertebra in his neck. I felt terrible for him- not just for his injury but because his accident came so close to the end of the trip. The good news is he has already recovered and is riding again. Along the way I will stop in Boise, Idaho to visit Tim Bernard and Happy Trails. They provided the accessories and upgrades that transformed my KLR into a world tourer.

Route 66 still lives. Some parts are as lively and kitschy as ever. In others it has been all but forgotten, even abandoned, and possibly unpassable. I intend to traverse as much of it as my KLR will allow- all the way to Santa Monica. From there I will go up scenic Highway 1 through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obisbo, Monterey, Carmel and my old stomping ground, Santa Cruz. Then it's back home to Seattle.

I'll have more than a few pleasant stops and sidetrips along the way. There is a friend's wedding in Phoenix. I plan to spend a lot of time with my family and friends near Dallas and Austin. Las Vegas is on the itinerary and there are a few other places to see if time permits. The total comes to about 8,000 miles and I have two months for it so this should be a relaxing trip.