Lappeman takes on Deadhorse...

Okay, now I've started...now I just have to get going

This all started a few months ago. Where I work, it's large enough that they shut down in the summer for 18 days to accommodate everyone's vacation time...some take longer but regardless, we get 18 days. From Lappe, Ontario, it didn't seem feasible to run to Deadhorse and back in 18 days, it can be done but I didn't really seriously think I would be going. I suffered a huge get-off in May of this year racing Hare Scrambles in Minnesota and was still hurting. I had enough of racing...getting too old and it takes too long to recover from injuries! So, I ended up selling the Ktm 300 and then after thinking about it for awhile...the Ktm 530 went too I was facing a change of riding style and thought I'd try an older KLR and set it up for long distance touring in case I ever got some time off and enough money to carry through with it. I'd owned an '09 KLR before and though it was nice, I thought it was too street orientated and preferred the older style looks. So I went out and found what I thought was a decent deal on a 2003 KLR 650. It had just over 15,000kms on it and was fairly stock except for a couple of add-ons when the previous owner thought maybe he'd take it to Alaska...and never did. I brought it home thinking that I'd take my time and get it ready for the 2014 riding season...then the idea of maybe making a trip this summer started creeping into my head and the urge became stronger. I started stripping the bike and ordering parts left and right. Soon I was down to the frame and engine and had everything else apart. There it sat for a few weeks while parts starting trickling in. Time was running short and I had asked for 3 extra days off work to make the trip...it was a no go...they won't give me the 3 extra days and it was only three weeks until I was to go and the bike wasn't even together yet, so I gave up. Then I caught a break...well some might disagree but...I caught wind of a rumor that a large group was to be laid-off and I was sure that I was going to be one of them, so I started back putting the bike together and before I knew it, I was taking it out for a couple of test runs to sort any problems out...it ran great!! 2 weeks before the vacation time and all I had to do was figure out what I was going to need and how I was going to pack it!

1 week left and we got the news...lay off, 130 workers, the day before the shutdown, that was it, all I needed...I'm heading to Deadhorse Alaska

KLR stripped down


Ready to roll...almost

Hey Lappeman,

Can't wait to read your reports and photos. Always interesting and highly entertaining. Subscribed!!

Mike

Bike looks great ! Have a great ride

Looks great Rob!
Looking forward to reading (and seeing) more.
Damn your shop looks sweet!

Subscribed from New Brunswick!

Watching from Peru. Lay off rides are great for a mental reset ! Go man!

This promise to be a great ride report. Riding beats going to work any day.

Thanks Everyone!!

Today was a final get everything together...too much stuff, argh :eek1 I have gone as light as possible but when you plan on camping...well, the weight piles up quickly!

for those of you wondering about the bike, I've gone thru it and this is a list of stuff done:

New front brake pads and SS line, greased all bearings, changed all fluids on bike, new fork seals/dust seals and progressive springs, rear shock oil change and heavier spring, wheat whacker mod on front fairing and made dash to hold gps/spot/12v plugs and grip switch, heated grips, heated vest whip, charger whip, distribution box, ground box, upgraded main fuse block, doohickey and torsion spring, drilled thru subframe bolt, mud flap for rear shock, happy trails rack/9" boxes and top box, new handle bars, half inch bar risers, '09 front fender, 16 tooth front sprocket (chain and rear sprocket where apparently new when I bought the bike) and I added a Omni-cruise throttle lock. I added some more plastic above the hand guards to block the wind and it seems to help the top of my hands from getting cold wind on them. There's brand new Hiendeau K60's on the bike, so we'll see how they hold up with the weight...got a new rear waiting anyway, just in case!

I would have posted a loaded photo today but it was pouring rain all day today, so it will have to wait...glad I didn't leave today

I may make some weather related adjustments to my trip, so that I can hit the Dalton Highway in dry weather...hopefully we get some

Can't wait to get this ride on the road and start some reports and photos!!

Forgot the micro USB charging port.

Ride safe and have fun!

I think that bike looks great after looking pretty bleak there for awhile! Good job.....stay safe....


Gary "Oldone"

Grampa’s Lake Superior Ride
Grampa’s National Monument Ride

I woke up this morning to rain, so I went back to bed...nothing like getting wet the very first day to ruin your mood :huh

About an hour later it stopped and I checked the radar, looked good, time to go! I headed out on my slightly overloaded and very heavy ride but it felt good right of the bat. Soon the road began to dry and the sun was out and it was great The first day was underway and I was starting to settle in and click of the Kms. Just past the 270km mark I noticed that the temp gauge was maxed out and she was running hot...now what! I pulled over and thought things thru, could be the Thermostat packing it in I thought. That would be no problem as I could run to Winnipeg without one and get one there. I tried to phone some people but no service, so I rode the bike further west to find cell service. I was worried about damaging the engine from the heat, so I rode slower and it seemed to help just a wee bit. I was looking for a place to stop that had water, so if I took the thermo out, I could fill the rad again. Finally I found the perfect stop, a rest stop at a nice little lake that had a make shift boat launch. I parked by the launch and proceeded to phone a couple of people, one was Dryden_Rider_54 in Dryden, which was now only 40kms away. I told him what was up and what I was going to do...just in case I ended up stranded.

Ready for Alaska


Time change




I proceeded to pull apart the bike...boxes, seat, covers , tank, crash bars, etc., to get at the rad cap and the thermo. It took about an hour and half in which over 20 cars pulled into the stop beside me and not one even said hello to me...a**holes! I put the mess back together and proceeded to head back out onto the highway and continue my journey...the gauge hit max heat in a matter of seconds, "well that's not the problem" I thought...great. I limped it into Dryden and went to Dryden_Rider's place, since he gratiously offered his garage to work on the bike. Once there we pulled off the water impeller cover and low and behold, the damn nut and the end of the shaft fell out! :eek1 The shaft looked like it had been broken almost all the way thru for some time...thanks a**hole previous owner! Someone had damaged or messed with it a long time ago and there was no way to know...my ride was over!!

Dryden


Rides Over!!




I guess the only good thing that came out of this, was that I was still only 4 hours from home and my wife was able to bring my truck and come and get me. We arrived back home at 1am this morning...time to go into full depression and drink myself into oblivion!!

Sorry for the short Ride Report, I put a lot of time and money into this and it's all gone to hell!!

Big thanks to Dryden_Rider_54 and my wife for coming to get me and to everyone else that made my day a little better...Thank You!!

Well Rob, that just plainly sucks.
Considering all the other work you've done on the bike, once you get it sorted, you know you'll have a bulletproof ride.
Cheers!

Ouch! But everything for a reason, right? See the folks at Excal, have it fixed in short order and still plenty of time to have a hell of a great trip!

What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger...

This too, shall pass...

Uh, and a bunch of other crap to make you feel better


MFS

When you fall off, you get up and go at it again..

Unless the engine experienced catastrophic failure, I think that's a simple fix.. inexpensive one.. so get it fixed and get back on the road! You can't burned that much money just yet.. and yes you are right.. you put so much work into it to call it a quit!

I managed to get a used impeller shaft from Excalibur today...thanks guys! Have the covers taken off both sides, as the shaft needs to be hammered lightly from one side of the engine and out the other. I need to order a couple of things, so there's still a chance that this trip may fly yet...not holding my breath though.

New used parts...old impeller and thermo are in photo also in the photo


Old Impeller...looks like it was whacked and bent at one time, which would account for the shaft being cracked for awhile before I bought the bike


Opened up


Broken shaft end

Could you drill and tap it for this ride, and put a bolt in? It's been done before.

As I told you before, Dryden is not a very friendly town in general.

Good point. We have some good machinists in this burb...

Thought about doing that but it's such a small diameter stud to begin with, just wouldn't sit right with me knowing it was below standard, especially when I would be riding it for 15,000kms :eek1 Maybe if I was cheap and was selling it and didn't care about the next guy...

No problems with Dryden here...now Thunder Bay...

Yea, I can see 15k on a "maybe" shaft could be a bit nerve racking.

Look at the bright side, at least you are mechanically inclined enough to repair it yourself!

As I mentioned yesterday, it's no use taking apart mine to get the shaft...it's a part you want to put in new, and my motor has 44k on it.

Piffle, stop being silly!! (NEXT time, WE WILL HAVE A RUM!!!!!)