The power of orange compels you!

[Slide Panda]

Got the 690 ready for some light ADV tour shenanigans in way upstate NY next week. In doing so discovered one of the bearings in the cush drive was bad. Lucky for this guy I have two. So sprockets got swapped and it's all good. 

Got some of the wolfman day tripper saddle bags. Took a while to figure the best way to fit them.  But now that that's done they are sporting my tool kit, water, if the sky opens on me stuff, and other brick-a-brack. Kreiga US-10 sits on the wolfman bags well and the meshy bit is perfect for a couple 1L fuel bottles for just in case.

Fitted up a USB socket from Burns moto. Pretty cool as one can get it with the SAE connector at the other end and just stick it on a battery tender lead. Gps will ride in a bag as I've no way to mount it... But it's mostly with to help me when I hit 'wow where the f am I?" or "where's gas?" moments

[Monsterlover]

Sounds like a great time.

[lethe]

Where and when?

[Slide Panda]

Where and when?

Couple days next week. It's not 100% sure which as its part of a trip to visit the in laws. Looking like one day will be from the Plattsburgh area and another from the family camp on lake Ozonia

Been told that a cousin owns a filled in gravel pit and 'wood lot' ie an undeveloped chunk of land that I might explore. Problem is no one seems to know exactly where they are...

[lethe]

Couple days next week. It's not 100% sure which as its part of a trip to visit the in laws. Looking like one day will be from the Plattsburgh area and another from the family camp on lake Ozonia

Been told that a cousin owns a filled in gravel pit and 'wood lot' ie an undeveloped chunk of land that I might explore. Problem is no one seems to know exactly where they are...

Wow, you really do mean WAY upstate. nevermind then 

[Slide Panda]

Yeah, I'm talking - Throw a rock and hit a Canadian upstate. No half measures here.

One of the planed day trips with the fam is to Chambly and Unibroue... aw yeah  Father in law has been scoping out roads and beer prices... I think he might have enjoyed a son of his own

[Slide Panda]

And because it's not real w/o photos

Here she is all gussied up for the trip.

[Monsterlover]

KTM450 Supermoto fun 2

[Slide Panda]

Glam shot just before the tool kit came out....


Went to lower the tire pressure a bit and the damn valve got jammed open. Managed to fish it out and bend the little metal cup back into correct enough form with the nail cleaner end of a leatherman Micra. Then got to pump the tire back up.

Despite the seemingly more strick regs in NY, I found plenty of marked ATV trails when we headed west. Some even had stop signs when you came back out to a crossing of a proper road.

[Slide Panda]

Ok, so KTMs engineers need a punch in the head.

You make an 'adventure/enduro' bike that doesn't have water proof connections! Grrrr.

Went out with a buddy and a creek crossing was part of the ride. I ford the creek and find the deep spot, lucky me. Power through, out the other side- hooray. Wait a min for buddy to come across. Hooray all on the next side.

Start up the road and a couple hundred yards up the gauges go dead and the engine cuts out. There's still power as the horn works, lights are on, but the bike is dead.

Have a look of obvious problems - nothing in the wiring i can see. Check the fuse box - yep ones blow. Replace.

Gauges back up - engine fires!  And dies shortly there after.

Now we mean business - tools come out, side panels come off. And I start pulling connectors.

Much to my dismay, I find that all the black, triangular 3-wire connectors in the harness are filled with silty water. WTF KTM - one basic water crossing kills your big boy single. Tut tut.

So blowing those connections out, dabbing with a towel and some salty language got the bike running without issue again. But I'm not impressed. Ducati, not know for off road machines uses more water resistant connectors than these things. They will be getting a further cleaning, a fat dose of dielectric grease and a tape wrap in the short term. Over the winter I may replace with the Amp Superseals.

So fellas - if you've got any of those connectors in your harness, Dan you will, I suggest you grease them up and do what you can for water proofing. 

[DanTheMan]

hmm, ive ridden through some hard full days of rain, and maybe only axle deep water... with no issues. I'll take a look.

[Slide Panda]

This was 21" wheel deep

[DanTheMan]

This was 21" wheel deep

yup that would do it

[Slide Panda]

Yeah so if you boys are thinking of getting 'adventure-y' save yourself some hassle and seal up those connections.

If you do some water and the bike craps out shortly there after - look for the triangle connectors and expect they are all wet.

[SDRider]

Couple days next week. It's not 100% sure which as its part of a trip to visit the in laws. Looking like one day will be from the Plattsburgh area and another from the family camp on lake Ozonia

Been told that a cousin owns a filled in gravel pit and 'wood lot' ie an undeveloped chunk of land that I might explore. Problem is no one seems to know exactly where they are...

Haha, I know that area pretty well.  I grew up not too far from Plattsburgh, NY.  A little lake in the mountains called Chazy Lake to be exact.