2007 -- Sept -- Naches Trail
Below are my pictures from our successful attempt at taking KLRs down the Naches trail. Unfortunately, the trail itself is pretty intense, so I didnt get a lot of shots while in the thick of it. Plus, my overheating problem was a little distracting. Below is a great writeup from Steve, our host for the day:
"We started the day with great weather and a great group of seven guys
(Steve, Bill, Mark, Scott, George, Brain and Robert) but by the end
of the day this route thinned the group down the 4 guys and crippled
a number of bikes.
We scooted easily over Snoqualmie Pass via the back roads and quickly
got over Stampede Pass. George introduced us to a nice curvy road
(#5403) which gave you a chance to practice sliding through corners
about every 15 seconds. At the end of this road was where the day's
carnage began and for Robert it was his last corner on #5403. We
spread out on this road get out of each other's dust and the lead
riders had already dismounted as we waited to regroup for the next
section. I was busy watering the bushes when I heard a bike coming
down the road then I heard a skid followed by the sound of metal
sliding on the hard packed gravel road. Okay rider down…guys start
running(I was no position to be running anywhere at that moment) then
I overhear the dialog of are you alright and I piece the dialog
together to determine the rider is on his feet, good news. Robert
seems good however the back brake bracket snapped at the lower
mounting bolt. As the Dual-Star website claims this is very
difficult to repair in the field. Our solutions included, quick
epoxy putty, a large washer, plumbers tape and bailing wire. This
stirred up the group because a simple low speed low side fall snapped
the bracket and rendered the back break useless. Second we couldn't
make it functional and we had a good deal of equipment with us.
Brian was the only rider in the group with the upgrade bracket.
My tool kit lesson learned here is to add plumbers tape and pre-drill
some of the holes to match some of the larger KLR bolts. It takes
awhile to enlarge a hole in plumbers tape when you don't have a drill
bit. I am also going to consider adding a 4" piece of flat bar with
a few holes in it to serve as a brace or bracket for future breaks.
In addition about half of a hacksaw blade seems like a good idea.
We packed up all the tools and headed for the gap in the ridge line
that would get us down the start of the Naches Trail. Bill and
George mistakenly ended up doing a little exploring on the Pacific
Crest trail while the rest of us had a lunch on the ridgeline. We
were not a 100% sure of the "right" road down to the Naches Trail
even with two different maps and GPS. We ended up picking the right
road down and made it to the Naches Trail.
At this point Robert was not in a position to run the Naches Trail
without the back brake so he and Brian opted to bypass the trail and
headed back to town.
We are now a group of five and ready to get on "the trail". I am
leading the way up the trail and enjoying the terrain of the trail in
first and second gear. I recently replaced the stock fork oil with
15w oil and was please with the ride over the whoops. We get off the
trail for a short section and stop to group up to find the trail
again. That's when the ride claims the next victim. I am on an
opposite side of a gravel mound from Scott and can only see his head
and shoulders. Then his head shoulders disappear, the loose gravel
took him down in a less than 5mph spill and shorten his front break
level. The good news was the front brake was still functional. I
get he report that the dust is brutal and making it tough to see
obstacles. As I rotated back in the pack I got my chance to
experience the dust and how difficult the dust made it to navigate
the logs, rocks and roots on the trail. I lost count of all the
spills but I think the Naches Trail knocked all of us off our bikes a
time or two.
The Naches Trail claimed Mark's fan as the next victim in sneaky
way. He didn't fall but rather clipped something on the trail that
tweaked his fan shroud enough to bind up the fan and blow the fan
fuse. The bike is now running hot so Bill and Mark hop off the trail
to run the road to cool the bike down. At this point the Trail goes
straight up the mountain however there is a road that switchbacks its
way up the mountain and cross the trail a number of times. Scott and
I meet up with Bill and Mark at the next intersection however George
was already working his way up the section of the trail without
knowing we all stopped to work on Mark's bike.
George becomes the next victim. We spend about 30 minutes
successfully working over Mark's fan so he can ride the rest of the
trail without overheating. However when George noted we weren't
behind him he stopped and waited 30 minutes on the trail for us to
show up. He was working off the knowledge that Scott and I would be
behind him on the trail. After we didn't show for 30 minutes George
began working his way out thinking we must have taken a different
way. Thankfully George found some other guys and made it home
without incident.
Mark's fan incident highlighted that the radiator guards provide
limited protection and the need to carry extra fuses. The solution
here was much less complex then Robert's brake. Pliers and zip ties
got Mark's bike back in busy. I am considering welding a piece of
flat bar to my radiator guard to provide more protection for the
radiator and fan.
We are now a group of 4 and reach the summit without further
incident. At the top we take some pictures to prove a KLR can make.
Now we head into the down hill sections that Brian stated were ugly.
Hey Brian, they are still ugly with rocks, logs, roots and lose dirt.
Now it's about time for one of the most shocking spills to me. On
one of he steep down hill sections Mark decided it would be best to
wait for someone to watch him descend just in case he bit it. He
stops just past the start of a steep down hill section which has soft
lose dirt in the middle and 30-45 degree walls on either side. Mark
is a really good rider but loses his balance and tips over into the
wall. Ironically this simple tip over pins his leg under the bike.
Moments later I come across Mark and turn my bike off so I can yell
down to him to see if he's okay. He says he's okay but pinned. I
think to myself that can't be good and find a spot to lean my bike up
against the wall of trail and scamper down to Mark. He reassures me
he's okay and we work out a plan to lift the bike. Now comes the
shocking part. Mark was somewhat facing forward and sideways to the
bike however when the bike came up his boot was pointing to the back
of the bike. In my head this was the wrong direction for his boot to
be pointing, his foot should be facing forward. I thought for sure
he blew out is knee. For a moment I thought we've got a big problem
here with a blown knee on this hill. Thankfully Mark jumped up and
was just fine and it was just my brain throwing me off.
It was a great reminder about the risk of riding alone in the woods.
Mark figured he could have gotten is leg out but knew there was some
risk of the bike sliding on the steep hill and changing the situation
from okay to bad. Knowing that he had pals right behind him he
waited to get help to work free of the bike and reduce/eliminate the
risk of getting hurt.
We continue on and I noted to myself that I would have had a really
hard time running this trail West to East. I would not attempt it
unless I geared the bike down, had a fresh knobby on the back and had
some pals around to help out on the falls that I am sure would happen.
On one of the last sections of the trail it's another one of those
challenging "V" sections with lose crude in the middle and 30-45
degree walls on the sides. The ride is about to make it's final
claim of the day. Mark and I think this is where his brake bracket
broke. At one point Mark was riding the wall at maybe 3-5mph when
the back wheel slipped to the bottom of the "V" and kinda high
centered the bike. I did hear metal on rock contact and thought it
was the skid plate. We get to the bottom and Mark learns he's joined
the broken brake bracket club. The high centering seems like the
only logical place where this could have happened but shoot he was
barely moving. His bracket broke below the lower mounting bolt which
is a section of solid metal. Thankfully we were at the gravel rode
that would lead us out. Bill and I opted to ride the last short
section of the trail that was between the last switch back. Totally
ugly, everything is big and bad, and I was amazed to see a wall that
the 4x4 guys somehow get up. If you can run this section West to
East the rest of the trail will be a cake walk for you.
We motor out to Highway 410 and aired up the tires for a refreshing
the ride home on smooth pavement.
Have fun next weekend, unfortunately I am going to miss it and try
not to snap any more brake brackets.
Steve"
Read More"We started the day with great weather and a great group of seven guys
(Steve, Bill, Mark, Scott, George, Brain and Robert) but by the end
of the day this route thinned the group down the 4 guys and crippled
a number of bikes.
We scooted easily over Snoqualmie Pass via the back roads and quickly
got over Stampede Pass. George introduced us to a nice curvy road
(#5403) which gave you a chance to practice sliding through corners
about every 15 seconds. At the end of this road was where the day's
carnage began and for Robert it was his last corner on #5403. We
spread out on this road get out of each other's dust and the lead
riders had already dismounted as we waited to regroup for the next
section. I was busy watering the bushes when I heard a bike coming
down the road then I heard a skid followed by the sound of metal
sliding on the hard packed gravel road. Okay rider down…guys start
running(I was no position to be running anywhere at that moment) then
I overhear the dialog of are you alright and I piece the dialog
together to determine the rider is on his feet, good news. Robert
seems good however the back brake bracket snapped at the lower
mounting bolt. As the Dual-Star website claims this is very
difficult to repair in the field. Our solutions included, quick
epoxy putty, a large washer, plumbers tape and bailing wire. This
stirred up the group because a simple low speed low side fall snapped
the bracket and rendered the back break useless. Second we couldn't
make it functional and we had a good deal of equipment with us.
Brian was the only rider in the group with the upgrade bracket.
My tool kit lesson learned here is to add plumbers tape and pre-drill
some of the holes to match some of the larger KLR bolts. It takes
awhile to enlarge a hole in plumbers tape when you don't have a drill
bit. I am also going to consider adding a 4" piece of flat bar with
a few holes in it to serve as a brace or bracket for future breaks.
In addition about half of a hacksaw blade seems like a good idea.
We packed up all the tools and headed for the gap in the ridge line
that would get us down the start of the Naches Trail. Bill and
George mistakenly ended up doing a little exploring on the Pacific
Crest trail while the rest of us had a lunch on the ridgeline. We
were not a 100% sure of the "right" road down to the Naches Trail
even with two different maps and GPS. We ended up picking the right
road down and made it to the Naches Trail.
At this point Robert was not in a position to run the Naches Trail
without the back brake so he and Brian opted to bypass the trail and
headed back to town.
We are now a group of five and ready to get on "the trail". I am
leading the way up the trail and enjoying the terrain of the trail in
first and second gear. I recently replaced the stock fork oil with
15w oil and was please with the ride over the whoops. We get off the
trail for a short section and stop to group up to find the trail
again. That's when the ride claims the next victim. I am on an
opposite side of a gravel mound from Scott and can only see his head
and shoulders. Then his head shoulders disappear, the loose gravel
took him down in a less than 5mph spill and shorten his front break
level. The good news was the front brake was still functional. I
get he report that the dust is brutal and making it tough to see
obstacles. As I rotated back in the pack I got my chance to
experience the dust and how difficult the dust made it to navigate
the logs, rocks and roots on the trail. I lost count of all the
spills but I think the Naches Trail knocked all of us off our bikes a
time or two.
The Naches Trail claimed Mark's fan as the next victim in sneaky
way. He didn't fall but rather clipped something on the trail that
tweaked his fan shroud enough to bind up the fan and blow the fan
fuse. The bike is now running hot so Bill and Mark hop off the trail
to run the road to cool the bike down. At this point the Trail goes
straight up the mountain however there is a road that switchbacks its
way up the mountain and cross the trail a number of times. Scott and
I meet up with Bill and Mark at the next intersection however George
was already working his way up the section of the trail without
knowing we all stopped to work on Mark's bike.
George becomes the next victim. We spend about 30 minutes
successfully working over Mark's fan so he can ride the rest of the
trail without overheating. However when George noted we weren't
behind him he stopped and waited 30 minutes on the trail for us to
show up. He was working off the knowledge that Scott and I would be
behind him on the trail. After we didn't show for 30 minutes George
began working his way out thinking we must have taken a different
way. Thankfully George found some other guys and made it home
without incident.
Mark's fan incident highlighted that the radiator guards provide
limited protection and the need to carry extra fuses. The solution
here was much less complex then Robert's brake. Pliers and zip ties
got Mark's bike back in busy. I am considering welding a piece of
flat bar to my radiator guard to provide more protection for the
radiator and fan.
We are now a group of 4 and reach the summit without further
incident. At the top we take some pictures to prove a KLR can make.
Now we head into the down hill sections that Brian stated were ugly.
Hey Brian, they are still ugly with rocks, logs, roots and lose dirt.
Now it's about time for one of the most shocking spills to me. On
one of he steep down hill sections Mark decided it would be best to
wait for someone to watch him descend just in case he bit it. He
stops just past the start of a steep down hill section which has soft
lose dirt in the middle and 30-45 degree walls on either side. Mark
is a really good rider but loses his balance and tips over into the
wall. Ironically this simple tip over pins his leg under the bike.
Moments later I come across Mark and turn my bike off so I can yell
down to him to see if he's okay. He says he's okay but pinned. I
think to myself that can't be good and find a spot to lean my bike up
against the wall of trail and scamper down to Mark. He reassures me
he's okay and we work out a plan to lift the bike. Now comes the
shocking part. Mark was somewhat facing forward and sideways to the
bike however when the bike came up his boot was pointing to the back
of the bike. In my head this was the wrong direction for his boot to
be pointing, his foot should be facing forward. I thought for sure
he blew out is knee. For a moment I thought we've got a big problem
here with a blown knee on this hill. Thankfully Mark jumped up and
was just fine and it was just my brain throwing me off.
It was a great reminder about the risk of riding alone in the woods.
Mark figured he could have gotten is leg out but knew there was some
risk of the bike sliding on the steep hill and changing the situation
from okay to bad. Knowing that he had pals right behind him he
waited to get help to work free of the bike and reduce/eliminate the
risk of getting hurt.
We continue on and I noted to myself that I would have had a really
hard time running this trail West to East. I would not attempt it
unless I geared the bike down, had a fresh knobby on the back and had
some pals around to help out on the falls that I am sure would happen.
On one of the last sections of the trail it's another one of those
challenging "V" sections with lose crude in the middle and 30-45
degree walls on the sides. The ride is about to make it's final
claim of the day. Mark and I think this is where his brake bracket
broke. At one point Mark was riding the wall at maybe 3-5mph when
the back wheel slipped to the bottom of the "V" and kinda high
centered the bike. I did hear metal on rock contact and thought it
was the skid plate. We get to the bottom and Mark learns he's joined
the broken brake bracket club. The high centering seems like the
only logical place where this could have happened but shoot he was
barely moving. His bracket broke below the lower mounting bolt which
is a section of solid metal. Thankfully we were at the gravel rode
that would lead us out. Bill and I opted to ride the last short
section of the trail that was between the last switch back. Totally
ugly, everything is big and bad, and I was amazed to see a wall that
the 4x4 guys somehow get up. If you can run this section West to
East the rest of the trail will be a cake walk for you.
We motor out to Highway 410 and aired up the tires for a refreshing
the ride home on smooth pavement.
Have fun next weekend, unfortunately I am going to miss it and try
not to snap any more brake brackets.
Steve"
