The Adventures of SidewaysTim

Leading up to this trip, I was getting increasingly anxious. Talking with my friend Carlene, she gave me a good piece of advice, “You just need to rip the bandaid off.”  She was right.

I hit the road yesterday morning, Easter Sunday. Coincidentally, Sunday was the three year anniversary of my move to Portland.

I got on the road a little later than planned, about 11am, but still made my destination for the night, Klamath Falls. It was a chilly 305 mile ride with rain and temps in the low 40’s for the last 100 miles.

After some minor suspension adjustments, the bike road well with the exception of the fuel gauge. The KTM 1190 Adventures have an issue with the float for the fuel sticking, indicating that you have a full tank. No worries, just reset the trip odometer to keep track of mileage between fill ups and go by the rural Oregon rule of thumb, fuel up early and often. I, also, found that the heated grips don’t really get hot enough and the heated seat gets too hot!

I stayed in a hotel last night and woke up to find frost and ice on my bike. The hotel was a smart decision. I let the temp warm up to about 42* and set out again. This time, my destination was Reno, Nevada, an easy 258 miles away. The weather was better today with only a couple of light showers and temps in the high 40’s for the majority of the ride. It did, however, get into the high 50’s as I approached Reno, a welcomed change from yesterday.

I need to pick up my mileage or I’m going to be on the road forever!