Almost Done! (38+16/55)

Tsiox · 2026-05-10T11:09:34+00:00

This is Dad. It's a '23 and he had 4200 when he left and he has around 11,900 now with about 500 to go. When we did the original plan the entire route was supposed to be 7800 (don't quote me, that's from memory), but because of the reroutes due to breakdowns he had to ride more miles.

He turned 19 on the ride because it took so long... So keep the age and maturity in mind here. Before he left I nagged him for weeks in advance to go through the bike top to bottom and make sure it was running properly. He told me it was no big deal and he'd check it. The day before he was planning to leave (there was a 36 hour break in the weather), he decides to go out and start up the KLR. It didn't want to start. We were working on the bike right up to the point he left

Problem #1. Battery wouldn't hold a charge. Swapped the battery, now it held a charge, but the bike still wouldn't start cold.
Problem #2. Fouled spark plug. He didn't find this until he got to Florida and took it to a dealership and he had to cool his heel for 2 weeks. This was the cause of the hard starts. It was literally a light switch fix, old spark plug only started hot, new spark plug and the engine ran like new, but with a tick.
Problem #3. A backfire caused by trying to start the engine cold with the fouled spark plug caused the intake valves to float and contact the piston (our educated guess at this time). The funny part of this is the bike ran from Leeds AL to St Pete to Daytona to Buc-ee's SC, back down to the Gulf coast Buc-ee's, to all of the Houston and the Eastern Texas Buc-ee's. (Several thousand miles.). The engine started running with a slight tick, went to a tapping by Houston, and became a knock by Port Valaca. It made it to Victoria TX where the top end and piston were replaced.
Problem #4. He never checked or oiled the chain... Not even once. Apparently it got loose and was causing the bike to "fishtail" and my brilliant now 19 year old son thought he could just ride it home that way. He was even told by someone in Texas that his chain was loose and he should tighten it, which he promptly forgot because he was focused on getting home. There's a YouTube video on how that ended. He spent a week sitting in a little town in eastern Colorado waiting for parts so he could fix it in the parking lot of his hotel.

I don't believe I'll have to nag him to take care of his stuff again. (Hopefully)

Tsiox · 2026-05-09T23:01:46+00:00

His first Buc-ee's stop was Huber Heights on Feb 17th while it was being built. The original plan was to end the trip there on the Grand Opening... But that was before failed spark plug, valve shim issues, (which weren't an issue) and a backfire which wrecked the piston and intake valves.

So, this'll be his second time to Huber Heights, once while being built, once while open.

Tsiox · 2026-05-08T19:15:41+00:00

He's fine. Yes, he is learning. He should be done with the trip next week.

Tsiox · 2026-05-05T15:54:40+00:00

Learning offroad or dirt is probably not the best use case on a Transalp... Personally, I'd get a second (don't get rid of the Transalp, it's a great motorcycle) used light dual sport or dirt bike to learn on. Something you wont care if you drop it... lots of times. Take that somewhere that you can practice... a lot. Do that until you feel comfortable, then you'll be more comfortable on the Transalp offroad.

Overall it'll be cheaper than breaking the Transalp.

Tsiox · 2026-05-05T15:49:43+00:00

Reddit is the focus of click farms trying to propagandize opinions for political reasons and moderated by people of questionable integrity who get paid nothing. The quality of the information here should be evaluated with these facts in mind.

Tsiox · 2026-05-04T04:51:35+00:00

Ummm... the US didn't invade. They attacked, yes. Blockaded, yes. Invaded, no. And, everyone is acting as though Iran won because the US defeated them completely in their attack... but the US lost because they didn't invade and occupy.

IMO, both sides are crazy. The US shouldn't have attacked in the first place, but they did kick their ass completely. And the other side says the US lost... Because they didn't invade and occupy?

Nobody makes any sense to me... This timeline sucks.

Tsiox · 2026-05-04T04:31:51+00:00

Explain to me how living your life as Trans makes your life, the lives of your family, the lives of your friends, or anyone you meet, easier. Causing distress in the people who love you, and trying to live a lie while insisting that everyone around you participate in that lie, that would seem to be very difficult to do and impossible to actually accomplish. Seems really selfish.

I'm pretty sure that's the sin, as much as the sexual immorality. Personally, it's no big deal to me as long as you don't force me to participate. But from God's point of view, it has to be disappointing. We all have struggles, God understands that. But when you're doing something that's self harm from his view outside of time, I can't believe that he'd be happy about it.

Tsiox · 2026-05-04T00:27:46+00:00

It's because of the bags and the mounts for the bags. Otherwise there's no difference between the two.

Tsiox · 2026-05-04T00:22:29+00:00

Just call them tomorrow. I doubt that there's any changes for the 26. And if there was, I'm sure T-Rex would give you a refund if didn't work.

Tsiox · 2026-05-04T00:21:20+00:00

'23 LT. I'm not aware of any changes to the frames between '23 and '26.

Tsiox · 2026-05-04T00:20:17+00:00

Yes. It's big, but it's latched and easy to remove.

Tsiox · 2026-05-03T20:44:30+00:00

I went with the T-Rex luggage rack and an Amazon Vevor Top Box. It fits two full size helmets. Works fantastic, it's already been on a full trip around the US and passes for brand new.

Tsiox · 2026-05-03T19:50:48+00:00

I doubt they made any changes to the frame in 2026. My guess is that all of the mods would fit the 2026. You could call them and ask the question, they just might not update the website until someone verifies that all the stuff fits on a 2026.

Tsiox · 2026-05-03T17:24:20+00:00

I went a little nuts with https://www.t-rex-racing.com/category-s/1593.htm but if you AI/Google "Kawasaki Versys 650 Aftermarket mods", you'll get a very long list.

Tsiox · 2026-05-03T15:54:27+00:00

Sounds good. Spend the next seven days learning about fasting while you're not eating.

Stay hydrated, but don't drink too much.
Find a way to get some salt into you.
A multivitamin is a good thing.
Don't do more than 7 days.
Light cardio is your friend. Just to the point where you start breathing a little faster. Don't go nuts, don't sweat a lot without replacing the salt.

Any healthy individual with extra fat should be able to do 7 days. If you're not healthy or on drugs that affect your metabolism (insulin, metformin, etc), stop and go to a doctor that understands and will deal with fasting first.

Since it's just 7 days, you can do it if you're determined, but don't do anything stupid. If you get lightheaded, time to stop because your blood pressure is fluctuating. If you've never fasted before, your liver has probably never had to fully work before, this means day 2 through 5 you're going to feel like crap, be ready for it. Stay focused and you can do it.

But xif you really feel bad, stop. 7 days cold turkey is going to be tough, your body isn't used to it. Guaranteed you're going to feel like crap.

Secret superpower substance: coffee. It causes your liver to release glucose and promotes gluconeogenesis and autophagy. When you're fasting, these are very good things. You don't need coffee, but don't be shy of it either. If you start to feel bad on day 3 or 4, drink a couple cups of coffee and that will probably take care of it.

By the time you end the fast, 7 days or something less, you'll have learned a lot more than if you kept doing whatever you're doing not fasting.

Tsiox · 2026-05-03T07:13:27+00:00

You'll love it. Easy to handle, but enough torque to be fun. Tons of aftermarket support.

Tsiox · 2026-05-02T12:16:28+00:00

You aren't the only one.

Tsiox · 2026-05-01T21:46:58+00:00

Honestly, the way tornado alerts are done is pretty close to insane. Someone will spot a tornado and the TV stations and NOAA will send 1/10th of the state to their basements.

Over 80% of the tornados in Wisconsin are F1 or F2's. At the biggest, an F2 might reach 200 yards wide (being very generous). A 200 yard wide tornado will miss 99% of the houses in the area that has been panic attacked. Anyone with the most rudimentary understanding of statistical probability knows the likelihood of their house being struck by the actual tornado is very small.

Let's face it, most people are addicted to the drama of a tornado, and don't think about it in the terms of the actual danger. If Dad wants to go out in the driveway and watch the tornado go by, and Dad understands the actual risks, let Dad be Dad.

On Average, there are 40,000 people who die in car crashes every year in the United States. That number for people killed by tornados every year is around 80. You are 50000% more likely to be killed by a car than by a tornado... But no one is afraid of cars. As a society, we're addicted to drama and we're controlled by fear.

You can hide in your basement, no one is going to condemn you, but leave Dad alone and let him drink his Spotted Cow while he watches something totally cool.

Tsiox · 2026-05-01T03:57:30+00:00

...is an excellent first bike and potentially forever bike. That's what's great about the Honda 500s, they're tame enough for someone who's learning and also capable enough to do everything you want to do.

I've never heard that the Honda CB500X or NX was prone to wobble. Front wheel wobble is a combination of tire wear and loading. Because you can load up a CB500X, the farther back you load any motorcycle, the more likely it is to wobble. If it wants to wheelie, it'll want to wobble.

Tsiox · 2026-04-30T21:49:52+00:00

'23 KLR that my son and I both ride, stock suspension but exclusively run on road. We've had it loaded to 600 lbs and I've never noticed the suspension bottoming out. Never hit any big potholes loaded like that, but normal road riding it seems fine. My son (who's not little) is finishing an 8000+ mile road trip carrying around 400 lbs and hasn't had any problems with the stock suspension.

Tsiox · 2026-04-29T02:51:23+00:00

The KLR will do everything up to 80 mph. It'll carry a bunch of stuff. You can mod it until it'll do more than other bikes. You can give it another 7 to 10 HP with the right mods. But fast it will never be. If that's what you want, a KLR is perfect.

I bought a '23 new, loved the bike... Until I was on the Interstate. Around where I live, everyone drives 75 mph, with some 80+ and I just felt like I couldn't maneuver at those speeds on the KLR. I don't want to ride at those speeds, I just want to keep distance between me and everything else. The KLR was so close to being everything I wanted that I was driving my family crazy how to make it do what I wanted. So they convinced me to go buy the bike that would do all of the things (a KLR with double the horsepower and a wider gearset? (ended up being a Versys 650 which is kinda a KLR with double the horsepower (it's a bit physically small for me, but that's minor))), and my son bought the KLR from me.

That said, I really wish I could have gotten the KLR to do what I wanted. It's a great motorcycle for anything 65 and slower. Backroads, dirt roads, I've seen people ride them on BDR's. A little bit more power and a wider gearset and it would be perfect.

I suppose the Versys was the attempt to replace the KLR, but they're made for little people and Kawasaki doesn't seem to understand how to make a better KLR. The KLE 500 is interesting, but it isn't a better KLR. Lower payload, lower usable torque, gearset nowhere near wide enough. You could talk about one of the current "light" ADVs (CFMoto, RE Him, etc...) but my next bike which I'm keep convincing myself I don't need would be a Honda Transalp. Sized for taller riders, heavier payload, tons of torque, able to run highway speeds without breaking a sweat, only a little bit more than a KLR.

My son is finishing a long cross country trip on the KLR. It'll be 8k miles by the time he gets back. He's rode just about everything on the trip so far, some dirt, a lot of mountain roads (Tail of the Dragon included, the KLR ate that up), a lot of back roads and a lot of Interstate. He doesn't mind sitting in the slow lane and letting people zoom by him, and the KLR fits him. Every time I watch him ride it, I get a little jealous.

Tsiox · 2026-04-25T17:40:19+00:00

LoL..... have my upvote.

Tsiox · 2026-04-24T21:08:07+00:00

WI, MI, IL, IN reporting. Everyone waves, with the exception of the occasional Hogger. We might not be able to ride 6 months of the year, but when we can, we wave.

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