| Author | Message | ||
     Mtuly |
I took a week off from work and headed to Southern Utah with two bikes on June 11. The plan was to ride the Uly on all the back roads and the 1125R on all the paved twisty roads. Kanab was going to be my base for the first half of the trip then Torrey the latter half. Mapquest said Kanab was 15 hours from home and it didn’t lie. I got there late Friday and stayed up to the wee hours planning the next days’ trip. Locals all said I really needed to ride to Toroweap to see the Big Ditch as the view was spectacular and no crowds. They failed to mention the most important information about road conditions! I took off around 10 am but not before checking the weather. There was a chance of isolated t-storms. Not a problem as I had rain gear. Oh how those words were going to haunt me.  The road to Torroweap  Clouds looking a little black. The trip out was absolutely beautiful, but I did notice cumulus buildup. I was on the Uly and it can handle rough roads, but I had read mud and deep sand was its’ nemesis.  As you can see, the deep sand part was very true. This is the first time to drop the Uly and getting it up by myself was a real bearcat! Through much trial and error I finally figured out to use the top storage box as a prop underneath the frame and seat. I was able to prop the back end up just enough the leverage the bike up by myself. I also discovered the back end weighs much less and can easily be moved around. Not so the front! Anyway , I arrived at the Canyon right at noon. As you can see by the photos, the locals didn’t steer me wrong.    A pickup and jeep arrived just as I was leaving, which turned out to be a gift from God. I had noticed the clouds building back from where I’d just been and figured it was time to get out of Dodge. Right as I was getting to the deep sand, the clouds burst open with copious amounts of rain. I was making it through the sand just fine when a deep rut caught the front wheel and down I went! No problem, I had a system in place and when I hopped off the bike I looked back to see the top box was gone!! Yikes, it must have bounced off over the rough roads. Loaded with adrenaline by now, I horsed the bike up and took off in the rain backtracking. Well, the nice folks in the Ford Pickup (Mike) had found my box and was bringing it to me. We met up and I asked if they wouldn’t mind following me out as it was going to get a little Western. They agreed and over the next 5 miles I dropped the bike 4 more times. The road was slicker than snot and getting worse. Oh, it had begun hailing too! After the 4th drop Mike drove on ahead to see if the road was any better. I kept going but the road was just too slick. I also had to keep feathering the clutch to keep my speed down. I was within ½ mile of making it to dry road when the clutch went out. There I was, not going any further with Mike standing on the side of the road on dry ground! They gave me a ride back to Kanab, I jumped into my truck and drove 60 miles back to the bike. As I topped the last hill I could see my bike on the side of the road and what looked like another bike down in the mud not 20 yards from mine? Sure enough, there was a young man on a GS 800 with his bike horizontal as well. This also turned out to be a God thing too. I helped Ian get unstuck and he helped me load my bike.  Ian "admiring" the muddy Uly. He told me "If the Uly can get this far the GS was bound to make it"! I chuckled at that one! These bikes are called “Adventure” bikes for a reason. Sometimes the adventure is more than we bargained but they sure make for great stories.  Note to self: Don't blow off the signs! My question for everyone, should the clutch have gone out in such conditions? I had to feather it a bit but not to the point that it should have gone out. I had the bike in for warranty work the week before due to weeping out the site windows. I’m at a loss but it’s going back in for work tomorrow. | ||
| Itileman |
Are you running the stock gear box/primary or have you switched over to the XB9 gearing? | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Hey great pics and story, looks like the Uly was pushed to the limit, good stuff | ||
| Oisterska |
That thing just looks so damn good on its side... they really look right at home like that. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Cool story! Doesn't seem like the clutch should have gone... How did it fail? Lever still feel right? | ||
| Bdrag |
Mtuly First off, great story. Love the pics. Like ordering off the Denneys menu! HAhahaa. Anyway, glad you had help. Hope you learned that a riding bud is a must on these rides. If ya got busted up you would have been in a pickle. I have made it to my 50's and plan to keep going so I need help when I fall over. HAHahaa. Loved the pictures. Did the guy on the GS ever make it back out? I see the Scorpion trails pack up just fine with mud. Humm? BDRAG | ||
| Bzrider |
when it gets that bad sandy or muddy flattening out the tires helps alot i always cary a air pum p for that reason looks like a fun trip | ||
| Buellerxt |
Great pictures and story! Well written and very enjoyable to read. Glad you got the help. You're a fortunate guy as I'm sure you fully realize. I hope the bike is fixed quickly. Thanks for sharing. | ||
| Jphish |
2 guys I know of toasted their KLR clutches under those muddy conditions. Gumbo builds up on tires & is just too much resitance for clutch to overcome. | ||
| Hotredjohn |
I had a problem with my clutch when riding a goat trail (that I had no business traveling) and my clutch all but gave out. So your problem sounds familiar. I was worried, but a clutch adjustment solved my problem and that has been two summers and about 10,000 miles ago. You are very correct about the adventure part haha. Great story, thanks for sharing. John (Message edited by hotredjohn on June 18, 2010) (Message edited by hotredjohn on June 18, 2010) | ||
| Fobyfo |
I'm not surprised by the clutch problem. I used to ride my 1977 Yamaha 750 full dresser on the back roads of Arizona and it had better gearing for that kind of riding than the XT. You can't go slow enough for treacherous terrain to maintain control. That said - riding on slick, wet, clay is not an easy task no matter what you are riding - slick street tires making it more "adventurous". One suggestion, if you don't already, stand up when the riding gets rough. You have better control with your body and it is easier to get off. | ||
| Arcticktm |
My '06 clutch fried at about 8K miles after only a few miles of jeep trail (rocky, slow, but not muddy). I then switched to the XB9 (lower) gearing and really like it. I also leave my off-road riding for my KTM. The clutch is a street bike clutch, and does not seem to like any abuse at all. Then again, as you found out, the rest of the bike is a bit much for real off-road conditions anyway, and you were on a road! Not sure any tires could make a heavy street bike handle muddy clay, but those Syncs were certainly not helping. Glad you had the fortune of people around to help. I had a similar experience in NC when my clutch fried, and learned that even within a couple hours from home, you can get into trouble on your own. | ||
| Skifastbadly |
I've got 27K on my Uly and the one thing that hasn't screwed up is the clutch. I've done quite a bit of steep dirt/gravel roads which has required a great deal of feathering the clutch. I've likely just jinxed myself. | ||
| Buewulf |
I have a 2006 12X with standard gearing and feather the hell out of the clutch on tricker (by Uly standards) offroad bits. It hasn't failed me, yet. But I have learned from piloting other heavy, street-oriented bikes in the dirt to stop occasionally and let things cool off, especially after some pretty heavy-handed feathering. It isn't exactly rare to fry a clutch under those conditions, especially if the grades are pretty steep, but I would not expect it to fail. |
