Imploded Battery Blues: A sad night with a BMW F650 Dakar

Took the Dakar out for a ride in the PacNorthWet on Friday . Sun came out and it was beautiful. I stopped by a river (Snolqualmie) to see how the fishing was. Went to start the bike and everything lit up and then died. No power whatsoever.. I checked all the fuses and they were good.

I called BMW and they said my battery probably imploded. Short story...bike was dead. I ditched the bike at a farm, after pushing it nearly a mile. I then hiked about five miles in the dark to a small town (Carnation) finally got in touch with a friend and they offered to come get me ... It was late now. It was foggy and cold, so I hung out in a library. They closed and kicked me out. I hung around outside the library waiting to be picked up. In any event got, home and it began to poor buckets. Just in time.

 

See the video summary.

Long walk Back to Civilization

The long walk ahead

Ghostly fields of fog

A scene no bike lover likes to see - The long ride home

I got up at 6 am the next morning and got the bike. It was still raining.

Once at home, I checked f650.com and got an AGM battery, per the majority of the opinion over on the forum, from O'Reillys auto parts. The parts store did a load test on teh old battery, and sure enough there was a short in. I installed the new battery, fired up the bike and away I went to ride some Forrest service roads up to the snow. No problems.

I have never had a battery implode like this. I may have tried to start the bike with the heated grips on high and the PIAA lights were on. Not sure what really happened, but in my research, it seems that people have had similar probelms with bike and car batteries.

A new battery and a shake down run out to Snolqualmie Falls

The Old Mill (Twin Peaks Fame)

Cool beans to see this

 The Snoqualmie Falls Lumber Co. (later the Weyerhaeuser Mill) was constructed in 1917 and was the second all-electric mill operation in the country. From 1989 to 1992 it doubled as the Packard Sawmill in Twin Peaks. Just two months after it was filmed for the pilot, the mill was partially dismantled and downsized.

Another pose

Snoqualmie River Looking West

A forest service road the runs out and into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Shortly before I encountered snow and had to turn around.

Until next time....

Newest Family Member - BMW F650 GS Dakar

Born as the baby to the BMW R1150GSA, the BMW F650GS has a long and credible pedigree. The BMW F650 has off-road pretentions but, in the real world, is a sturdy and sensible road motorcycle (the BMW F650 Dakar’s the one for the green lanes), it deals with most situations with predictable power and confidence. - Motorcycle News.com

Yukon Johanns' First Riding Lesson

Oh and the R1200 GSA recieved a new sticker....

 

Untill next time...

Hex Mountain Snowshoe Hike - January 2013

Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." ~Robert Byrne

It was a super Sunday. Half of the folks in the Pacific NorthWest were glued to their TVs watching the Seattle Seahawks playoff game. The sun was shining and the air was crystal clear and the roads were clear.

We decided that it would be a great day for a snowshoe hike. Our destination, Hex Mountain, located on the East Side of Snoqualimie Pass, past an old mining town called Roslyn. Hex Mountain is a steep snowshoe trek that pays big dividends to those who dare the sub freezing temps and make their way through compact snow and ice to the top. Once at the summit, the reward is 360 degree views of Mt. Rainier, the Stuart Range, and the Teanaways. We could see over into the Yakima valley and the Wild Horse Wind Farm Facilities.

What a way to start out the first hike of the new year. (Actually, it was our second hike... but who cares)

Getting Ready

 

Kamiah thinks Steve has a treat for her.
We affectionalty call Steve the "Human" Milkbone

Kamiah Looking Pretty Cool

Wassup Bro? No Milkbone; No Love - That's the Code of the Dogs

The Views Were Good on the Way to the Summit

 

Traversing a ridge

 

It Was Cold. It Never Got Above Freezing

A Cold North Wind Began to Envelope The Mountains to the South West

At the Summit We Had Great Views of Mt Stuart and the Stuart Range

 

Awe, Mt Rainier and a Cloudy Top Hat

 

Without the Zoom - Mt Rainier w/ Cle Elum Lake Below Us

Comarade Steve



The Comrade and Kamiah

A great hike. We finished the long day with a hot meal in Cle Elum.

 

Until Next Time...