bit off more than i can chew/need advice
Posted: Sun Nov 21, 2004 1:54 am
Background
I'm a newby rider from the Sacramento, CA who has just logged his
2000th motorcycling mile on a recently purchased 1999 KLR 650.
While I was out exploring the back roads of the delta, I came across
a rode with a sign, "closed for the winter". I said to
myself, "Surely, they don't mean me and my KLR", off I went. It
turns out there was a reason for the sign. The road was extremely
muddy and had deep ruts. To make, a long story short, I ended up
dropping the bike for the first time and stuck in the mud.
The problem
After righting the bike, I started it and geared it into first. When
I released the clutch, the bike would lurch a few feet and stall. I
thought perhaps the mud was caked on too thick and interfered with
the rear tire movement. So, I dug away as much of the mud as I
could. Still, I had the same problem. I thought perhaps I'm being
too gentle on the bike. So, I revved the engine to about 6000 rpm
dropped the clutch and after a few feet of movement, it konked out
again. Next time, when I tried to gear it, release the clutch, and
throttle it, I got no movement at all. I COULD SHIFT THROUGH ALL OF
THE GEARS, RELEASE THE CLUCTH, THROTTLE IT AND THE BIKE WOULD NOT
MOVE. I put the bike in neutral and tried to push. It would only
move inches at a time as I pushed with all my strength. So, I'm
stuck. Luckily, a gentleman with a 4x4 comes by and pulls me out.
In the course of getting pulled out of the mud, the rear wheel
turned a revolution and spit out a chewed up old ragged that
appeared to be caught in the gearing. After, spending the rest of
the day on the side of the road, trying to resolve the situation, I
called it quits. I ended up calling the old man who has a small
van. Upon his arrival, we packed the KLR in the back of the van (a
Dodge Caravan-that's another story) and he gave me and the bike a
ride home. I was dejected and muddied after my 12 hr adventure.
PS, I'm now in problem solving mode, and would appreciate any
guidance on this matter.
)