Charged With Battery

It didn't cost much, $32.95, Walmart. Not only did I get charged but I also had to charge the battery.

It often happens with things mechanical that you get the euphoric feeling of accomplishment only to be stung by a reoccurance of the same old malfunction. After crying to my new friends at KLR650.net and getting a dozen different diagnoses it all came down to a weak battery. But not before I was served many an interesting story from bugs in the tank vent to a bug that caused a flat (wedged in the valve stem at speed). There is nothing like a bunch of guys talking who have been riding for a while to get one's imagination running wild. One guy said that an old deisel mechanic told him that whenever a starting problem crops up, try the battery. I assumed that that the old mechanic's advice was from experience not just because he was old. Anyway, I knew that my battery had to be recharged after about 4 or 5 start attempts so it sounded like the best and cheapest advice. I also found out that my KLR was a CALIFORNIA BIKE!!!! Extra hoses, extra canisters, tubes that no one can explain, and all. But fortunately Tex Earnhardt, a local car dealer and previous owner, had someone yank all that good stuff so that all there is left are hoses going nowhere.

To celebrate and check out the fix I rode out to 7 Springs, started it various times, and tempted fate since it was an area with no cell phone service.