Bey Blades Tournament at the Johnstons

Belinda signed up and won a free Bey Blades Tournament package - she always finds the good deals.  Kids had a good time. 

Tough Loss to a VERY GOOD Sawnee Mountain Bulldogs Team

The Midway Central Wolverines lost a tough game Saturday - 6-0 against a very good Sawnee Mountain Bulldogs team.  It was a battle of the defenses and they broke 1 50YD run to win the game.  Tough way to lose but the coach said this was probably the toughest team we have to play this year and he was very proud of how hard the boys worked.  They have really come together as a team.  Antonio had a few good tackles and also recovered a fumble. 

Just a little tuning - one more video!

Waking up the neighbors.

Just a little tuning!

So I have now completely "farkled" this KLR.  First, I got rid of the factory carburation settings (which are set way too lean in order to meet emissions standards) by shimming the needle and increasing the mixture.  Then, I removed a silly rubber piece from the airbox called a snorkle to improve air flow, and replaced the factory air filter with an Uni performance filter, and modified the exhaust system.  The bike ran fine from the factory but by doing the items mentioned above, it has "come alive".    I did loose about 4 MPG of fuel mileage, but the bike still gets 44MPG and I have a 6.1 gallon tank (5.6 useable - don't ask me why - it's one of the quirks about KLR's) so I have a nearly 250 mile range - plenty for my butt's comfort. 

Nerf Bar Bags

Another useful modification I found on KLR.net - nerf bar bags.  You can buy custom fit ones for $100 through Wolfman products, or, you can go to Walmart's Automotive section and do some shopping.  They have a few ATV products and carry $17 gas tank throwover bags made for ATV's.  Take the bags apart and you have matching nerf bar bags - one for each side of the bike.  This allows me to move more stuff that I hopefully will never have to use, my spare tire tubes, out of my top box and into an out of the way place.  Useful - very useful!

$10 Tool Tube

So my friend Chris shared an idea for external motorcycle storage tubes made out of a tractor manual holder from Agri Supply the other day.  I was intrigued by this idea, so I started surfing the KLR.net forums, I found a similar idea to turn a $10 welding rod holder sold at Home Depot into a tool storage tube.  I installed it Friday night in about 5 minutes - very simple - very handy.  This external tool storage now allows me to move all my tools I have been carrying in my top box to an out of the way place, freeing up storage in my top box so that now I have the option of leaving my saddlebags at home on day trips.  The welding rod holder came in red - almost the same shade as my bike - just a little off.  It's got a screw on cap with rubber washer to keep water out.  Pretty neat idea.

South Carolina Run

On Sunday, I got up to a beautiful day, and a "yard pass" to ride all day - sweet.  I decided to head out in search of more twisty mountain roads that I haven't been on before.  I set off up to South Carolina - the northwest corner.  I rode through the Sumter National Forest, over to Clayton GA, then down to Lake Burton - what a spectacular lake.  The road around the lake was newly paved, lots of curves, and very little traffic.  I then motored down to Helen GA - they are gearing up for Octoberfest - lots of traffic there.  Then I went south to Dawsonville, GA, then home.  In total, about 250 miles.  It was a good day.

Tellico Plains / Cherohala Skyway Ride

Took off Sunday on my motorcycle and rode up to Tellico Plains and the Cherohala Parkway and then back.  What a spectacular day for riding.  The weather couldn't be any better!  I logged right at 300 miles in total.  In October, myself and some friends are doing a group weekend ride in this area and also up to the Deals Gap area - the views will be spectacular - I hope we hit the fall colors right!