The day started great. Touratech sent over a new shock for Alex to install and we're good to rock and roll! We fiddled a bit with setting and the balance is as close to perfect as I've ever ridden.
Got back to the house to start a bit of cleaning on the bike and prep for remounting the panniers and actually doing a final pack before the trip. I was almost done rubbing the bike down, and had made it all the way to the back. I was just rubbing the last of the dirt off the rear rack and the cloth snagged a bit. I could see a "line" of dirt, so I pressed a bit harder and rubbed. Hmmm...that's odd...I could feel a small ridge. Nah, can't be.
Except it was - a stress crack in my AltRider rear rack. Sigh.
A quick checked proved there were cracks near all four mounting bolts.
A quick call to AltRider confirmed they had new racks in stock, so I loaded up the bike and beat feet into Seattle, knowing I'd hit a TON of traffic on the way home. My other option being to fish out the stock rack and run a second dry bag...
The guys took one look at the rack and handed me a replacement base plate - no questions. Just some time for photos and one of the designers checking it out to see what happened to this unit.
It's been mounted for about 3000 miles. Had a rotopax 1 gallon gas can on it for about 1200 of those miles. Then I added the Happy Trails top box - now keep in mind these aren't heavy boxes and I have one of the shallowest units HT makes - so not some oversized behemoth. Basically, the bike hasn't lead a hard life (I have a KTM 690 Enduro R for the tough stuff.) and it wasn't a weight issue.
I know the guys at AltRider are solid - they're going to eyeball this to see what' sup. I'm going to send over my old base plate after I make my swap.
Tomorrow morning I'll remove the top box and swap base plates in prep for the trip. Hopefully that's the last of the things I'll need to sort before heading out. LOL I sure hope so!
At this point I am simply grateful to all the local businesses that have come through for me. Touratech, Konflict Motorsports and AltRider. Each an example of excellent customer care. And so it appears the day will wrap up great, too! Fingers crossed!
Got back to the house to start a bit of cleaning on the bike and prep for remounting the panniers and actually doing a final pack before the trip. I was almost done rubbing the bike down, and had made it all the way to the back. I was just rubbing the last of the dirt off the rear rack and the cloth snagged a bit. I could see a "line" of dirt, so I pressed a bit harder and rubbed. Hmmm...that's odd...I could feel a small ridge. Nah, can't be.
Except it was - a stress crack in my AltRider rear rack. Sigh.
A quick checked proved there were cracks near all four mounting bolts.
A quick call to AltRider confirmed they had new racks in stock, so I loaded up the bike and beat feet into Seattle, knowing I'd hit a TON of traffic on the way home. My other option being to fish out the stock rack and run a second dry bag...
The guys took one look at the rack and handed me a replacement base plate - no questions. Just some time for photos and one of the designers checking it out to see what happened to this unit.
It's been mounted for about 3000 miles. Had a rotopax 1 gallon gas can on it for about 1200 of those miles. Then I added the Happy Trails top box - now keep in mind these aren't heavy boxes and I have one of the shallowest units HT makes - so not some oversized behemoth. Basically, the bike hasn't lead a hard life (I have a KTM 690 Enduro R for the tough stuff.) and it wasn't a weight issue.
I know the guys at AltRider are solid - they're going to eyeball this to see what' sup. I'm going to send over my old base plate after I make my swap.
Tomorrow morning I'll remove the top box and swap base plates in prep for the trip. Hopefully that's the last of the things I'll need to sort before heading out. LOL I sure hope so!
At this point I am simply grateful to all the local businesses that have come through for me. Touratech, Konflict Motorsports and AltRider. Each an example of excellent customer care. And so it appears the day will wrap up great, too! Fingers crossed!