A friend of mine recently got a nice surprise present from her husband, a brand new KTM 350 dual sport bike. She hadn't gotten out into the dirt more than just a few miles with it, and wanted to take it out and christen it with a real ride. So we made a plan to meet up near Big Bear and do a nice easy loop. We met at Heart Bar on a lovely, sunny morning. Temps were cool and a breeze followed us all day long. Karen was digging her new ride, and I was enjoying my old one. We were having a great time until about the halfway point. Coasting down Rim Of The World road into Fawnskin, with about 46 miles on the odometer, my TE 450 just quit running. Not even a sputter or a whimper, it shut off as though I had hit the kill button. Puzzled, I restarted it instantly, but the power seemed rough and uneven. We hit the pavement and rolled up to an intersection where the bike died again. It would always reluctantly start back up, but would die within seconds. It had been running perfectly all morning long, and this was really the first time it ever gave me any real trouble out on the trail since it was new almost ten years ago (besides the the time right after I got it t that it had a starter motor problem). I was pretty sure that it was acting like an electrical problem. My friend and I decided that I shouldn't try to ride the bike any further, so she rode back on the highway to the staging area for her truck. We loaded my bike, then went to late lunch...or early supper at my favorite Mexican restaurant,, before heading back to the staging area, where we offloaded the 450 and got our own bikes loaded on our own vehicles. It was around 5 p.m. by now and time to head home. The next morning, I went out to the garage and tore the wiring connectors and starter switch apart, cleaned them, inspected the wiring harness for any damage. Checked the spark plug (it looked like new, because I had just done a valve adjust and changed the plug before the ride). The bike started right up and purred quite smoothly. Later in the day, I took it on a 50 mile ride, where it performed flawlessly for the duration.....so I have no idea what caused the problem. I hope that cleaning up all the connectors took care of the mysterious ailment, but I am suspicious that it is some sort of intermittent electrical bugaboo with one of the ignition components. I guess only time will tell. Karen does an over the cliff selfie. It looks like this from her camera's point of view. Stopping for a peek at the view around 9000 ft. Looking down into Yucca Valley. Happy camper with a new pumpkin. Creek crossing with a freshly built, overly ambitious bridge. spanning a very dry creekbed. This crossing seems to be a waste of tax payers money, but what else is new? Riding buddy fist bump. Overlooking Baldwin Dry Lake. Karen checks out somebody's posted memorial. End of the line for ol' Trajan The 450 at the Fawnskin fire department, while I was waiting for Karen to come back with the truck.
As they say in this part of the world "bugger me." I had an 06 450 for 6 years and it never missed a beat. They are great bikes. I bet this gremlin was a once off fueling or electrical connector glitch that has now gone. Great piccies by the way. Cheers.
