Finally

[MikeRC]

Update from this thread: A month in So Cal  Little did I know when I locked my bikes and trailer away in Palm Springs on March 13, 2020 that it would be a 20 months until I set eyes on them again.  But when the land border opening was announced in late October the planning began.

 

I finally drove down to Palm Springs last week to see what I could see and recover.  Those two bikes and trailer had sat through two summers of temperatures over 110ºF and I just didn't know what I would find.  I acquired some parts (tires, battery, oil & air filter) and supplies (oil, brake fluid) and packed them and my tools into the car and set out for a little 2,500 km (1,500 mi) drive.  I actually got to stay in a pretty nice resort because I had some leftover credit from my cancelled winter 2020/2021 vacation.

 

 

So initial impressions were pretty good.  Lots of dust and sand.  Dead batteries, flat tires.  Spent the first hour or so making sure no critters had moved into anything.  Pumped up the tires (I brought a power source and pump) so that I could at least move the bikes around.  Cleaned off the majority of the dust/sand.  The GS fuel tank was empty.  I had parked it pretty low so I assumed the fuel that was in there had evaporated.  Put in some fuel stabilizer & fuel injector cleaner and 4 liters of fresh fuel, shook it around and siphoned it out - looked OK.  Added some more stabilizer/fuel injector cleaner and some more fresh fuel.  Oil level was OK, coolant and brake fluid levels OK.  

 

The KLX had been left with fuel (the tank only holds 10 liters) and when I siphoned that tank the fuel looked awful.  Yellow, thickish and lots of small black particles.  On inspection those "bits" were of a foam or rubber consistency.  A bigger problem to be tackled at home in my own garage next spring.  The axle grease in the Kendon had partly liquified/separated in the heat so I topped that up with a lithium grease and cleaned up as best I could. 

 

Back to the GS I took off the wheels and took them in to a local shop to have new tires installed.  Next was the brake line flushes.  Then check out the air filter.  Yippie!  No rodents. Put the wheels back on with the new tires, installed the new battery.  Hooked up the GS-911 to reset everything.  Started her up and rode to a car wash to clean off more of the dust/sand.  Filled up with fresh fuel.  Changed the oil and filter when I got it back. 

 

Of course all the above took a couple of days.  But then it was time to go for a ride!

 

 

First stop was for a latte at Sixth Street Coffee in Coachella.  One of the more "European-like" lattes I have had in the US. 

 

I wanted to check out the Borrego Springs metal sculptures.  I guess there 130 in total, and they are spread out over a few miles.  I probably only saw 1/4 of them.  

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to hit CR S22 (Montezuma Grade, Glass Elevator):

 

 

 

And then finish off with CA 79/371/74 back to Palm Springs.  Too much traffic on the last leg to get any velocity late in the day.  But really, it was just nice to get out. 

 

Maybe I will be able to get back to my original plan from 2 years ago in March? 

 

Mike C

[longjohn]

Fridays and Mondays are days that some of us are available here in socal, if you want some company.  There are some nice roads in the San Bernardino, San Gabriel, and Santa Monica Mts.  And it hasn't snowed  yet so all roads are open.

[Lester V]

1 hour ago, MikeRC said:

Update from this thread: A month in So Cal  Little did I know when I locked my bikes and trailer away in Palm Springs on March 13, 2020 that it would be a 20 months until I set eyes on them again.  But when the land border opening was announced in late October the planning began.

 

I finally drove down to Palm Springs last week to see what I could see and recover.  Those two bikes and trailer had sat through two summers of temperatures over 110ºF and I just didn't know what I would find.  I acquired some parts (tires, battery, oil & air filter) and supplies (oil, brake fluid) and packed them and my tools into the car and set out for a little 2,500 km (1,500 mi) drive.  I actually got to stay in a pretty nice resort because I had some leftover credit from my cancelled winter 2020/2021 vacation.

 

 

So initial impressions were pretty good.  Lots of dust and sand.  Dead batteries, flat tires.  Spent the first hour or so making sure no critters had moved into anything.  Pumped up the tires (I brought a power source and pump) so that I could at least move the bikes around.  Cleaned off the majority of the dust/sand.  The GS fuel tank was empty.  I had parked it pretty low so I assumed the fuel that was in there had evaporated.  Put in some fuel stabilizer & fuel injector cleaner and 4 liters of fresh fuel, shook it around and siphoned it out - looked OK.  Added some more stabilizer/fuel injector cleaner and some more fresh fuel.  Oil level was OK, coolant and brake fluid levels OK.  

 

The KLX had been left with fuel (the tank only holds 10 liters) and when I siphoned that tank the fuel looked awful.  Yellow, thickish and lots of small black particles.  On inspection those "bits" were of a foam or rubber consistency.  A bigger problem to be tackled at home in my own garage next spring.  The axle grease in the Kendon had partly liquified/separated in the heat so I topped that up with a lithium grease and cleaned up as best I could. 

 

Back to the GS I took off the wheels and took them in to a local shop to have new tires installed.  Next was the brake line flushes.  Then check out the air filter.  Yippie!  No rodents. Put the wheels back on with the new tires, installed the new battery.  Hooked up the GS-911 to reset everything.  Started her up and rode to a car wash to clean off more of the dust/sand.  Filled up with fresh fuel.  Changed the oil and filter when I got it back. 

 

Of course all the above took a couple of days.  But then it was time to go for a ride!

 

 

First stop was for a latte at Sixth Street Coffee in Coachella.  One of the more "European-like" lattes I have had in the US. 

 

I wanted to check out the Borrego Springs metal sculptures.  I guess there 130 in total, and they are spread out over a few miles.  I probably only saw 1/4 of them.  

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to hit CR S22 (Montezuma Grade, Glass Elevator):

 

 

 

And then finish off with CA 79/371/74 back to Palm Springs.  Too much traffic on the last leg to get any velocity late in the day.  But really, it was just nice to get out. 

 

Maybe I will be able to get back to my original plan from 2 years ago in March? 

 

Mike C

Envious in B.C.