La Mesa Mike

Looks like all that property is owned by Mason Valley LLC I found a document where it was owned by John Daley, Donald Daley is the trustee. John Daley is a BIG TIME real estate developer in the county... You can find all that info and more at https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov just type in mason valley, click LLC and click search... 199811210054 MASON VALLEY, LLC Registration Date: 04/22/1998 Jurisdiction: CALIFORNIA Entity Type: DOMESTIC Status: ACTIVE Agent for Service of Process: MICHAEL D LIUZZI 655 WEST BROADWAY SUITE 1600 SAN DIEGO CA 92101 Entity Address: 3337 BUENA VISTA STREET SAN DIEGO CA 92109 Entity Mailing Address: 3337 BUENA VISTA STREET SAN DIEGO CA 92109 LLC Management One Manager

Update? I know others here have said it, but it cannot be emphasized enough. Once you have the initial side on You absolutely have push the bead of the tire to the center of the wheel while you install the second side. If you do not center the bed on the rim, you will not have adequate stretch to pop the 2nd bead over the rim. Wherever you have your tire iron, make sure the the bead is in the center of the wheel opposite the iron, this will give the tire the extra inch it needs to roll on smoothly. Once you get that bead centered, it is as easy as putting on a bicycle tire.

I'll try that tape, and I'm still waiting on the title to come in the mail.... Hopefully I don't get a call from AAA. Will update one way or the other when it happens.

long story short, I met the guy at a storage facility, he had the bike advertised as a 2014 XCW500, I look at the frame tag and it's a 2013 XCW450.... Stickers say 500... I'm assuming someone broke the rear fender and just got one from another bike, or bought the wrong stickers. he swears it has < 500 miles on it, sure enough the trip odometer agrees, I believe those to be the stock tires the bike sold with, and I really don't see many signs of wear on it at all. The title is not in his name, it has Ohio tags that don't match the title. I call Ohio DMV and verify the bike has not been reported stolen and the tags match the VIN. We agree on a price, and off to AAA I go - got new CA plates for it, and added it to my insurance and now it sits in my shop. Ordered oil, filters, new air cleaners - going to do standard maintenance and take it for a ride. Ordered a tusk lighting kit so I can make it street legal, a real kickstand and that's it so far. It has bark busters, and IMS pro pegs. A trip to suspension 101 is in order. New tires are in order. Normally I run Desert IT's, but I don't believe they are DOT approved. What do you guys like? Few questions - What else do I need to do? I know nothing about KTMs. Do I need to purchase a new ECU? remap existing, or richen it up? anyone use https://www.tpstool.com to richen it up? Does the fuel pump live in the gas tank? If I want a larger gas tank and the ability to swap them, besides a second fuel pump, do I need to order anything else? Hopefully the pic upload works, let me know if you see anything strange... I should add, I called Rocky Mountain ATV and gave them the VIN, and they said it comes back as a 2013 450 XC-W.

Ok, did some cleaning up, turns out it is an Akropovic exhaust (Astute reader award goes to Robertaccio!) , I was more concerned that it was USFS approved, it is, they put the printing on the inside farther from the end, so you need to stick your head above the tire by the shock to see it. In the picture is the damage to the end cap, any suggestions? just use black duct tape over it? do they make heat resistant carbon fiber tape, or should I just not worry about it. I'm just concerned it will get worse over time. I guess if it does, I can worry about replacing it then. SoCalMule - good call on wiring the thumb fastener, I'll get it done. tape?

That looks great!! Thanks for posting it

Actually, you are right, it's not on. It's a plastic (i think) one, that has hooks on the back and a thumbscrew thingy on the front, easy on/off. I'll ride with that for a while and see i I'm getting any knicks anywhere else that needs to be protected. I know the end cap looks to be carbon fiber, and it has a small tear in it. (why I assumed he replaced the rear fender and stickers) I would like to replace that cabon fiber piece, I'll look to see who makes the muffler and call Pro Moto Bilet to see if they make a billet end cap for it.

already ordered/received the kickstand - the stock skid plate not good enough? recommendations ?

Correct. all I can say is the gods smiled on me. It had Ohio plates, and they allowed me to transfer them to CA. No one was payed off, no shenanigans.

Tom, they will fit in my oven if you want to cerakote them...

Congrats! That will be a fun ride!

Awesome, thanks much Ken

headed up to big bear to explore tomorrow. never been, thought it may be wise to ask where to park my truck... to start the exploring? taking a plated bike. Not wanting to do anything hard, just explore, I was thinking up by holcomb valley

I have a 2010 KTM530, a 04CRF250x, 99 TTR250, a 96 XR400 and a mid 2000 Polaris sportsman quad that all need maintenance done on them. Oil, check valves, adjust carbs. I called Veys but they won’t work on the older stuff I’d like to take them in today or tomorrow if possible only need one back for this weekend! any ideas? Mike

Done. Thanks for the great site.

Just wanted to update this post. I took my junk to Tom (tntmo), and I got back great running toys. Price is more than fair, turn around time is great and Tom went the extra mile, made sure everything was good and tight and fixed little things I didn't even ask for. I have my new go-to guy! Cheers, Mike

PM sent

What data logger are you using? I like the info it posts on the video.

I have spoke torque wrench and a truing stand if you need to borrow, I'm in La Mesa.

All the wheel sets I see say fit KTM from 2003, I have a 2002. Anyone know what the difference is? I thought all KTM hubs/rims were the same, it was just the spacers the were different, if so, can I just put my spaces on the new wheel set? I guess I should also ask if anyone has wheels that would fit a 2002 for sale, I'd be interested! TIA Mike

mctrails, Good info to know, thanks for sharing. Beezzz - PM sent!

Lessons I learned: Definitely camp there over the weekend - getting up at 5AM to drive down, do a hard ride, then drive back sucks Hydrate well - It was Hot, I ordered a Helmet Hands-free hydration tube, and it was awesome. I went thru 3 liters by mile 25, luckily we could refill at mile 28. Bet i was one of the very few that actually had to stop and urinate during the ride. https://goo.gl/yKqUzE Eat breakfast and take snacks on the ride - Another casualty of not camping there. I skipped breakfast and had no food for the ride, I was rode exhausted quite a bit. The toll road is much faster - I took the toll road down, and somehow screwed up and took the free road back, Not terrible, but probably another 20-30 mins added to the drive. Pace yourself - it is a long technical ride, make sure you have the endurance to finish it. Find a shady spot to rest a few minutes every now and then. Wear your crappiest outer gear - I ripped the knee off my pants in the first 10 minutes, both elbows had holes in them shortly after. That is the tightest single track covered with cactus and manzanitas that will poke, prod and stab you (I heard some guys got knocked off their bikes at times). Wear your best protective gear - If it wasn't for my knee, elbow and chest protectors, I'd have a ton of lacerations. Use a Mousse or Tubliss system, the cactus was abundant, and there was downed barbed-wire on the trail, I think it was from gates or fences that were temporarily down, I remember riding over it at 2 or 3 spots. Absolutely a great ride, I plan on camping Fri, Sat, Sun next year, and maybe wearing some old camo gear from goodwill for the ride!

I'll be headed down with a friend.

Just saw this XR400 on OfferUp, https://offerup.com/item/detail/464501429/?ref=Explore_K And this DRZ400s https://offerup.com/item/detail/175400215/?ref=Search Really clean and CHEAP KLX300 https://offerup.com/item/detail/460797787/?ref=Search

I went ahead and signed up for this. http://www.losancianos.com/events/?action=evregister&event_id=5 If anyone else is going and wants to carpool or ride across together please let me know, will be my first time riding across the border and would like to have a friendly face with me. I have truck/trailer, and live in La Mesa. Cheers, Mike