After a month off, I’m back on the road. I originally didn’t intend to take off this much time, but it just worked out this way. I had five days of work in California, plus two more in Fort Worth. I had started to feel a little let down with the DR650. It wasn’t as good on the road as I’d hoped, and its weight off road was affecting me more than I predicted. I decided that I’d rather take my Yamaha WR250R for the western half of the trip. Despite having a much smaller engine displacement, it is a much more modern bike, with better suspension and an engine that makes nearly as much power as the DR650. I didn’t take it originally because I was worried about the fuel pump failing (an oft cited problem on motorcycle forums). When I got home I started prepping it on the trip, and sure enough the fuel pump failed, thankfully in my driveway instead of in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. After talking to numerous dealers in the DFW area and Yamaha’s corporate office, I finally found a dealer willing to give me a new fuel pump for free (about a $250 dollar part). The pump was never officially recalled in America, although it should have been (and was recalled in Japan for some reason). I also installed a new complete FMF exhaust system, modified my fuel map, installed a wider seat, installed a radiator guard, added USB charging ports to the dash, built new side racks to hold my dry bags, and a few other modifications. All of this, plus waiting on parts, plus going to a family member’s wedding, led to me not getting on the road until now. Today, I just drove up to Tulsa to stay with my college friends once again. I went up 377 instead of 75 this time in hopes of finding a smaller road and more scenery. I think that was a good choice. We had a great dinner in Tulsa then hung out at their house before bed.
