More Twisted Travels

As I mentioned in my last post, here is the second trip report from Brian over the summer:

"Immediately following the BMW MOA Rally this past July, I had the opportunity to ride the Twisted KLR 650 “GS” from Gillette, WY to Dallas, TX. We had to get our bike to Dallas so it could be built into a booth for this year’s Cycle World International Motorcycle Shows. It’ll be on display at every show, in the Factory Showcase section. Come by and check it out and say hi!

All said and done, the ride ended up being a little more than 1500 miles. Here’s a shot of the bike in the hotel parking lot before it was loaded up



The first day I rode from Gillette to Estes Park, CO. Estes Park is one of my favorite places in the country and I have some friends that live there, so I stayed with them for the evening. Unfortunately, what started out as a simple couple hundred miles, turned a bit more eventful just north of Cheyenne. I saw a couple bikes on the side of the road that I recognized from the rally. One of them was being put on a flatbed so I swung around to see if I could help. They were riding together, so they were all set, but now we had a KLR that wouldn’t start. After trying to bump start it unsuccessfully on the side of the highway, I have to thank the tow truck driver for jumping the bike. He took off by the time I got it pointed in the right direction and wouldn’t take anything for payment.

Continuing into Colorado I wasn’t able to get state sign pictures because of significant construction at the state line. I got Colorado on the way out, but was unable to get a Wyoming sign picture. I guess I’ll just have to go back.




By the time I got to Estes Park it was starting to rain, so I scrapped my plan to head up into Rocky Mountain National Park that evening and decided to go up first thing the next morning. Turned out to be a great idea as no one else was on the road on the way up, so I had a fun a ride and got some visits from the local wildlife. Here’s the KLR with some new friends:

And a few other pictures from the park:






The rest of the day was spent visiting some of our local dealers and I have to specially thank Roger at Rocky Mountain Kawasaki for taking the KLR in for service. They changed the oil, refilled the battery, and a few other items. The bike ran like a top for the rest of the trip.

After staying with my cousin outside of Denver; Wednesday was a long, hot day as I rode into Kansas.



As soon as I crossed into Kansas the wind kicked up and, combined with 100 degree temperatures made for a really exhausting day. I couldn’t keep my camelback full and ended up the day in Wichita after about 600 miles.

The next morning I stopped into Mid America Powersports. Thanks to Steve for hooking me up with a sub-frame bolt that vibrated loose. From there I rode to Dallas, on schedule to drop the bike off early on Friday.





I stayed "on the cheap" in Dallas, and the front desk was kind enough to give me a ground floor room. Maybe for my next career, I'll go into interior design!



I wrapped up the ride on Friday when I dropped the bike off and then flew back to Seattle. Here's one last look at the KLR GS washed and ready for display. It was so hot that even after washing the bike in the shade, I needed two cold showers to stop sweating.



All in all it was a great trip. I would have liked to have a couple extra days so I didn’t have to sit on the highway all the way, but the KLR performed better than I expected (having not spent a lot of time on one previously). Our bolt-on’s also went a long way to helping with my comfort during the ride, so I’ll give a quick review of a couple of the products that worked for me.

MRA Vario-Touring Screen – This screen was perfect for me. I’m 5’8” and with the spoiler up on the highway it provided a very comfortable ride. When I got into town, I would drop the spoiler and get some additional airflow through my helmet for cooling.

SW-Motech 1” handlebar risers – Provided that "little extra" by moving the bars towards me. The first time I rode the bike it didn’t have the risers and I could feel it in my shoulder after about an hour and a half. With the risers I was able to ride all day. (note: Barbacks won’t work on the KLR because the bars will then hit the tank).

Rivco Footpegs on the Twisted Throttle Crashbars – The forward pegs provided a well needed alternative foot position, allowing me to stretch out during the ride.

Coocase V36 Wizard – I LOVE the remote entry on these cases. I always end up starting the bike and then forgetting something in the case (earplugs) or forgetting to put something back (camera). With the remote, I didn't have to turn the bike off to get back into the case. It also locks on it's own after 15 seconds if you use the remote, so I never had to worry that I forgot to lock it when I took off. The brake lights proved very nice for additional visibility as well. I liked it so much during the trip that I put one on my V-Strom.

If anyone has questions on any of the other products, let me know and I’ll give you a full review.

Don’t forget to stop and take a look at the bike and accessories at the Motorcycle Show near you."

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