Tour de Wyoming VI

[speedgoat]

Originally Posted by Dirtnadvil

Can you tell me what type of panniers are on the KLR? thanks

Powder River Panniers here is the website www.dakotadualsportsupply.com

[hayduke.klr07]

Believe me when I say that I beat the crap out of my bags and they held up great. I poked one small hole in them crashing and busting through standing dead lodge pole trees trying to avoid at least one of those damn water holes. It was easily patched with a slime patch. http://www.rei.com/gear/feature/sear...130118031820:s
I can fully endorse them and their water-proofness. I had beer (that i was aware of) and whiskey (that I was not aware of) sloshing around those bags for hours. I am pretty sure the 177 road was WAY harder for me due to all of the sloshing liquids constantly changing my center of gravity!!!

The bags are well designed and tough, I would not hesitate buying another set.

[hayduke.klr07]

That "road" is a bugger. Like Stiss said, I was glad that it was a "dry" year. Had I any idea I am not sure I would have gone down their either. That being said, I am happy that we got it done, non worse for the wear.




I took less pictures than the other fellas. I might have been a little gripped throughout the day. But here is the victory photo.

[hayduke.klr07]

Anyone who has spent time in a Frat house during school knows the smell...stale beer and whiskey. That is precisely the smell that was being emitted from my bags. Once we motel-ed up, i needed to rinse all my shit. It looked like my klr had puked all over the corner of the room.

[byways]

Bravo, guys. Great ride, and a great report. I especially appreciate your first-hand intel and pics of road 177 ...

[byways]

Just looked at Powder River's website. Those bags so look good, and for $160 ... that's a good price as well. But while they say the company is in South Dakota, they don't say where the bags themselves are actually made. Do you know?

[hayduke.klr07]

The night of day 5 I manage to bugger up my Nolan Trilogy helmet. http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/nolan-n43e-trilogy-solid-helmet?utm_source=nextag&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=sc&scpid=9&scid=scsho1554771
The weak point, of what I think is a great helmet, are the plastic tabs that hold the visor in place. I spun them out to clean up the mechanism (it was getting stiff due to all the dust) and managed to spin them the wrong way putting it back together again. Complete user error though I would say that they could be tougher to deal with a tired guy working by headlamp. At this point I start searching the internet for the local moto shop to see what I could purchase in the morning. I was happy I pulled the boneheaded move in steamboat where there would be retail support. Sure enough Steamboat Motorsports http://www.steamboatpowersports.com/index.htm had just the ticket. They had a Fly Trekker http://www.steamboatpowersports.com/...17858381&pos=0 for me…perfect. They boxed up my Nolan and mailed it out pronto for me. After a bit more retail therapy running around Steamboat we headed out north for Wyoming.
Hog Park was the destination. Hit some pretty decent roads along the way. We had a beautiful and uneventful ride to Big Wonderful. We end up camping just outside of Encampment in yet another perfect camp.








Shep did manage to get a slow leak in his front tire. The guy was so intent on getting it repaired he failed to get a beer opened first. Can you even believe it????


Tomorrow we take a "day ride" leaving camp in place. Battle Mountain, unladen, oh yes.

[bigdon]

N

[Sylvan Rocks Climbin]

Ya. Stover kinda glossed over the slowness of our start that day. Yes it was understood that we had to hit the motorcycle shop just up the road. So we packed up and cooked breakfast waiting for it to open. I think Shep probably baked muffins again....that little Backcountry oven is a pretty rad thing for a friend to bring along on a trip.

It was a great stop at the Steamboat motorbike shop, and we chatted it up with their staff who were a bunch of good blokes.. Stovers busted small part off the ratchet system of his visor was good timing if it had to happen. I understand how he did not want to risk riding the rest of the way without the right stuff. I like the sexy new FLY helmet….in white???? Why he chose that over my favorite color…the green HI-ViZ…I’ll never understand. But they shipped his old helmet home, and we all got to oolgle over new bikes and gear. After seeing the price, Shep decided his life could be lived without a GoPro cam, I decided I could survive without the used KTM 990 they had on the floor.

Stover also continued his unending quest for the MUCH coveted collapsible “fair share” mug. Thus, coffee and shopping for bobbles we did not need or have room to pack in our saddle bags…yielded another late start. Warm weather and city life can lead to lazy dayz for sure.


IMG_5783 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Seat top lunch was great, but the oyster burps were intense.


IMG_5666 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

The views continued to be beyond words


IMG_5674 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Everyone should be so lucky to have a day like this of riding.


IMG_5662 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Shep directed me up a wrong turn where I was gunna go film the rad boyz riding up the steep hill, so off I went and well, there is a certain amount of luck involved in bouncing off the rocks in a controllable manor up a hilly trail, and if the grade steepness lightning fast reactions don't align after you come around the corner...you only go so far until... gravity wins.


IMG_5680 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

I had not dumped on the tour for 2 years running...so I was due, and came out with only a flesh wound. More character to add to a prior injury that was again cracked open...might have to buy a new panel for 2013...anyone have one for sale??? Right hand side.

And what a great pic of the tool tube Mod. Stover...do you have yours completed yet????


IMG_5683 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

My hat off to Shep and Stover for getting up the hill and around me as the bike laid there.


IMG_5694 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Water for the night. A 2 man job that was fun to watch.


IMG_5695 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Up the road a few more hours...the camp spot was top notch....even if you had to change a flat.


IMG_5699 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Look how well that tents color compliments the landscape colors....sure does not blend in very well though. I bet everyone of the 3 people who drove past that tent saw it there.


IMG_5705 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Sheps center stand saved me a lot of work helping him steady that bike for the tube patch.


IMG_5700 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

Loving the Pizza and breakfast muffins


IMG_5704 by Black Hills South Dakota, on Flickr

[Sylvan Rocks Climbin]

Originally Posted by byways

Just looked at Powder River's website. Those bags so look good, and for $160 ... that's a good price as well. But while they say the company is in South Dakota, they don't say where the bags themselves are actually made. Do you know?

The Power River Bags are solid. Our friend Shep had them made in China I think... He could have made them built here and all it would have taken was more money...thus they would cost you more then $160...so its all what you want. Price point or pride.

Like anything else, you can F### them up if you wreck or run into stuff like a tree branch, but the design and materials are solid and easily field repaired when needed if you come prepared. I tried to use mine without racks on my 2008 KLR, but they got to hot on the right hand muffler side...so Racks are a necessity not an option, but that gave me room to create the tool tube...so it worked out.

PS, the top bags a few of us use are from MAD Rock Climbing Gear. they are Drag Bags http://www.madrockclimbing.com/produ...p?_item=100070 also from China or somewhere like that.

If they are still available...get one. Add a cam strap to attach it to your KLR factory rack. Cheap, solid and dependable. Mine has been thousands of miles on the back of my Triumph Sprint ST as well as multiple trips and wrecks with the KLR. I keep my sleeping/tent kit all in there as well as have room for my gerbings liner when its warm and a few other odds and ends that get thrown in as the tour progresses.

[byways]

Good insights! I, too, must use racks on my '08 KLR to keep my Ortliebs off the exhaust and secure. Having dropped my beast many times, I believe soft bags are the only way to go for this kind of riding.

[Sylvan Rocks Climbin]

Tony -- Checked out Backcountry Byways Journal did not have time to read very much, but looked worthy and well done.

[byways]

Hey, thanks! It's forever a work in progress ...

[RedDogAlberta]

Fantastic!

[hayduke.klr07]

I think you posting about our tour is yet another sign! It is becoming more apparent by the day, that tour de Wyoming may do Canada next tour. At least a VERY small portion of it anyway.