The elusive final drive no longer so elusive...

So, ever since my FD puked in Idaho coming down Lolo Pass I was interested in picking up a spare. Now that the rebuilt one puked too (although covered by warranty in full) I was REALLY interested in securing a backup final drive.

The model K1200LT final drive I have was only made for 3 years, then they did a small redesign that took out the speedometer sensor and changed the gearing to give it higher RPMs and put it closer to the power band at speeds yet killed the fuel economy.  I like the taller gears and more flexible top end (95 mph feels like 65 mph when passing) and sounds good, not like other lower ratios that wrap power you really don't need and sounds like a dozen squirrels in a box with their nuts crimped all at once when you crack the throttle.

Broken 2000 LT

So I spent WAAAAAAY too much time looking through eBay and other sites for drives that are either the new model or priced too high.  Then I see an add for an engine being sold in Iowa from a 2000 K1200LT and inquire about the rest of the bike. Seems the rider put it (quite unwillingly I'm sure) into something that broke the nose enough to be totalled and the engine is listed with this picture. Is that a final drive I still see attached?

It was.

How much?

$325 delivered to the doorstep.

SOLD!

Found it delivered when I came home and pulled the magnetic plug to inspect and found nothing less than normal wear. Plus I got the yoke and brake rotor to boot.

isn't it beautiful?

I am a happy man...

Early North Cascades Run

An early shot over Washington Pass for a 400 mile loop back over Stevens Pass and home. 61°f at the summit of Washington and clear skies, but 48°f at Stevens (go figure). 400 miles of nice weather, good company (Mrs. RedTigre), and a Sunday all-day run.

I don't want to go to work tomorrow...

Washington Pass Summit

61°f, can you believe it?

My favorite waterfall coming down the west side of the pass

Obviously we don't know how to smile...

Joan and West side of Washington Pass

Marbelmount, WA

Omak Lake

For scouting out passible roads Google Maps is my best friend. I ride an LT, short for Luxury Touring, but because of the weight it is more commonly referred to as "Light Truck" not an R/GS type, which the GS refers to either Gelände/Straße (German: off-road/road) or Gelände Sport, take your pick.  Needless to say, pavement is where I stay, which makes it important to know you are paved all the way to your next destined intersection.

State Hwy 155 travels from Omak to Grand Coulee and is a nice highway, but there are several shortcuts on county and BIA roads that beg to be traveled once, From Hwy 97 at Okanogan, there are several ways to get to Omak Lake Road, and as you up on the Columbia River Road, I swear you will not be disappointed. Follow it all the way to Nespelem, then take any number of roads from there. The BIA road to Keller is really incredible my friend Karen said after taking my route and riding it before I could, the bum!  :D

Omak Lake West

Omak Lake Central

Omak Lake Wes

Nespelem Falls

Buddies bikes and one buddy because Bob won't let 

his picture be taken very often   :P

I rode with my friends Bob (Triumph Rocket) and Karen (BA Harley) and had a blast for 300 mi. and some change.  So much fun in fact, that I rode it the next day with Mrs. RedTigre.

Adventure Rider Returns

My daughter Jacqueline came home last weekend from Seattle where she is a student at UW on her 2005 Suzuki S40 650cc Thumper and I went over to meet her and ride back with her.

We met in Sultan on HWY 2 and the ride back had the rain to our backs as we headed east back over the pass and just escaped a royale drenching.

.

It was great to have her over for the weekend but as weekends go, it was over before it should have and she had to head back

So we geared up late Sunday afternoon and I was honored again by being able to accompany her back over the pass to Monroe, where we said our goodbyes and she went off the rest of the way to Lake City while I got to come back over Stevens Pass at 38°f and rain.










It was a great ride.  :)

Tumwater Mudslides

To show how much it has rained here, Highway 2 was closed Thursday and Friday for mudslides.

Now, we are the cold, snowy side of the state here in the Republic of Eastern Washington, not rain.  Rain is for the Coastal clientele, those with web feet and a coffee cup fused (rusted?) to their hand. The rain is supposed to stop as rain 30 miles West of the Cascades, turn to snow, and then end as snow 30 miles East of the Cascades... about 40 feet from my driveway.

But we need moisture to keep things moving... fish, dams, sales at Condotta's Motorsports Central. But not too much. As it is, we can't seem to get enough moisture according to the environmentalists (is it odd that "mental" is part of this noun?).  We could have floods of biblical proportion and the fish would still not have enough water to do whatever fish need to do past whatever fish did prior to whenever fish needed to do it.

I'm sure mudslides aren't good for fish... they definitely are not good for K1200LT riders.

So the radio said we had a mudslide 2 miles West of Leavenworth and the road is closed on the best 20 miles this time of year (where is Woody Goomsba when you need him?).  Heck, not that it is open but I counted 3 slides marked by the smears in different areas up the road. It is cleaned up nice but keep the rain up high and not sliding down my favorite stretch of road this time of year (I am so fed up with the basin runs I could choke, and there are no Goomsba struttin' bierfrau's past Peshastin).

But, it is still 55°f climbing up to Lake Wenatchee on the 2, then North on the 207 to County Hwy 22 (Chiwawa Loop Road) where the incredible lack of sand and grit in the corners is amazing, but could have been all the water over the road at some time but I'm not complaining... let's me drag a boot from time to time on the corners, back around to Hwy 209 (Chumstick Hwy) back to Leavenworth (still looking for the Goomsba dancers, when is Fasching?) and on to home.  Seems that there was something important back in Wenatchee because all the cars were doing 70+ mph and not a Trooper in sight.


Let ME do 65 mph by myself one time and they come out of the woodwork... (ok, maybe 75 mph, but I was passing... I'm just glad they don't check the top speed registered on the GPS), I'm running out of consulting cash for tickets. I wonder if the courthouse takes VISA? Naw, the bonus points aren't worth the explanation to my "accountant".


When is Spring? In Oregon?

Oh... we're there?

Crum...

Rain, rain, rain

A good day to install new front disk brake pads... I love how easy it is to swap in new pads front and rear. 10 minutes per side and you are done on the front with new Carbone Lorraines and another 10 minutes on the rear mean a season of no worries.

Some maintenance is just sweet it is so well thought out, if only all the routine maintenance was this way!

Pinto Ridge Road

Snowed 2 inches here Friday night, but the temp has been in the 40's in the daytime so what was new here has gone and close to 50°f (10°C) so it's map time and look for a new road. Since it's still the "Great White North(West)" to the west, I decided to head East toward the Basin and take a look a a road that has SOME curves in it not far from Soap Lake.

Pinto Ridge Road ended up the target, since Dry Coulee Road ended up with a "Primitive Road" sign 400m into it. Went a little farther East to get to it, but it was paved (and stayed that way) although there were enough tar snakes that when the weather changes and it's 90°f out I wouldn't want to hit any curves at speed hence those snakes bite.

You forget how harsh the conditions are out here on the coulee flats, tough living and the abandoned homesteads reflect the attempts. But the road is fairly good and enough curves to make it interesting. There is actually a State Park out here (Summer Falls State Park) next to Billy Clapp Lake, an 18 mile lake formed by Pinto Dam (what?).  Who knew so much activity was out here...

















You end up in Coulee City, and then get the choice of high on the Waterville Plateau West on Hwy 2 West and 30°f, or stay low and run Hwy 17 South through Dry Falls/SoapLake-Hwy 28 East Ephrata/Quincy the way one came and 45°f.  I chose the latter but still had to turn on the grip and seat warmer after 3 hours of cool temps.

3.5 hours, 170 miles, new final drive, and about a dozen bikes passed... love the brotherhood.  ;)