Overlander
Trail Ready
In my pursuit of getting back into motorcycling (after 20 years hiatus) I've been narrowing down my search and I was leaning heavily towards one of these Honda's here. The person who owns these machines, by the looks of it, loves these machines, and is meticulous about maintenance. He's already done a lot of the reasonable add-ons that I was thinking of doing. These are nice, solid bikes that would probably do everything I need to do. Stock, they weigh 348lbs - with those add-ons, probably 360lbs+.
And then, these KTMs started popping up on CL - they're also in my price range, and are about 100lbs lighter than the Hondas above, which is a serious consideration for a novice dirt rider like me. But on the down side, these machines are probably a lot more than I need in terms of power, and they have been heavily modified by really experienced riders... Frankly, I don't know what half of those add-ons do... plus they look like they've been ridden a lot harder than those Hondas.
2002 KTM 520 EXE - clean, with electric and kick-start...nice
2008 KTM 450 XCR-W - is the tail crooked on this one? Tank also seems off to one side...
So, what to do... I want something that I can take on most easy/moderate trails in CO/UT - I want to go on some of those guided adventure trips through there. I've seen videos from Rainbow Trail and Rampart - it looks like some of the sections are tough: narrow, twisty, steep and rocky - I want to be able to ride those without regrets that I bought a heavy bike that I can't control...
I'm willing to take some courses and probably will sign up for some to make the most of the equipment - regardless of what I buy. It's just that it got more difficult to decide now...
James
And then, these KTMs started popping up on CL - they're also in my price range, and are about 100lbs lighter than the Hondas above, which is a serious consideration for a novice dirt rider like me. But on the down side, these machines are probably a lot more than I need in terms of power, and they have been heavily modified by really experienced riders... Frankly, I don't know what half of those add-ons do... plus they look like they've been ridden a lot harder than those Hondas.
2002 KTM 520 EXE - clean, with electric and kick-start...nice
2008 KTM 450 XCR-W - is the tail crooked on this one? Tank also seems off to one side...
So, what to do... I want something that I can take on most easy/moderate trails in CO/UT - I want to go on some of those guided adventure trips through there. I've seen videos from Rainbow Trail and Rampart - it looks like some of the sections are tough: narrow, twisty, steep and rocky - I want to be able to ride those without regrets that I bought a heavy bike that I can't control...
I'm willing to take some courses and probably will sign up for some to make the most of the equipment - regardless of what I buy. It's just that it got more difficult to decide now...
James