I got to the KTM dealer in Santa Fe just as they opened. They had squeezed an appointment in for me as they new I was traveling and really needed to get the clutch issue sorted. It seems that part of this trip now is a tour of North American KTM dealers. The issue with the clutch was exactly what I thought it was. The bike has a hydraulic actuated clutch and air was getting in the line, preventing the clutch from fully engaging. This was primarily a problem starting from a stop and downshifting into the lower gears. It also made it very difficult if not impossible to get the bike into neutral. Upshifting was not a problem as the bike has a quick-shift mechanism that automatically engages the clutch when upshifting with the motor under load.
The mechanic found that the crush washers on the clutch line connections were worn and were allowing air into the system. They replaced the washers and got me on my way. The clutch is still engaging pretty abruptly - I'll need to get that looked at when I get home.
After I got back to Taos, the rest of the day was spend doing laundry and running a few errands - post office, grocery store, and just wandering around Taos. On Friday I took the bike to a car wash and tried to clean it up a bit. It had not been washed since I was in Rapid City, and the rain and incredibly dirty roads between Blanding and Taos had put a thick layer of grime all over the bike. It got the bike a bit cleaner, but I have a big job ahead of me when I get home!
Day 29 - Taos, NM to Woodward, OK
CLICK HERE FOR TODAY'S ROUTE
I was up and out early again today - this was not going to be much more than a mileage accumulation day, I didn't have any planned stops for anything more than a quick photo here and there. As I left the AirBnB, I did get to see a beautiful sunrise!
I made a quick stop for fuel and headed east out of Taos. Heading east, the road goes up above 8000 feet, so it got a bit cold. on the other side of the pass, you descend into a high valley passing Angel Fire and Eagle Nest.
Yes - that is snow on the half-hidden mountain in the center. From here the road winds through Cimarron Canyon before descending into the town of Cimarron - "Where the Rockies meet the Great Plains" (according to the welcome sign). It is pretty amazing how quickly you drop out of the mountains into the plains. The two photos below were taken within 20 miles of each other.
The rest of the day looked quite a bit like this. There were a few interesting things here and there, but it was pretty much a set the cruise control and go kind of day.
The photo below marks the upper northwest corner of Texas. The two dirt roads are actually the state line between Texas and New Mexico. This was as close as I wanted to get to Texas. CLICK HERE TO SEE IT ON THE MAP
Just a few miles after this, I made the only state line crossing of the day:
The only other stop of the day (besides for fuel) was a bit further into Oklahoma - the photos below are at the midpoint of the longest straight road in the US. 44 miles straight east to west with no deviation in either direction - there are a few hills up and down but the road is dead straight.
Looking west -
Looking east:
I did see a few other things today, but wasn't able to get photos of them - the first was a group of about 25 people riding vintage scooters, all wearing orange vests... in the middle of NOWHERE. Obviously a scooter club of some sort, out for a Saturday ride.
The second was a convoy of huge tractor-trailer rigs (2-piece trailers) hauling huge sections of wind turbines. A bit of Googling taught me that the largest wind farm in the US is being built in the panhandle of Oklahoma (CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE). The article also has a photo of one of the trucks.
Today's miles - 398 (628 km)
Total miles - 6098 (9814 km)
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