My new ride for the Motorcycle guys

[cycleboater]

That is a sweet Katoom. I've been racing Hare Scrambles, GNCC's and Enduros on a KTM since 2003. My next bike will probably be a dual sport or an adventure bike. Enjoy in good health!

[liquid]

hey YT! Nice bike!

[Nicad]

That is a lovely bike. Just bought my first street bike since 1985.....went for a much much blander version of your KTM. A 2017 Vstrom 650. I have spent a ton on riding gear so far. Hoping it takes me far far away over my Golden years.
As for dirt, I have a wild animal for that ..... a 2017 Yamaha YZ 250X.

[Ytmsn]

Hey nice Nicad! I had a Vstrom and those are awesome bikes. Folks that aren't familiar with them tend to overlook a strom. That bike is super versatile, fast, well handling and great on fuel mileage. I love them! And your YZ is no slouch either. I owned YZ400 back in the day when Doug Henry won the National Championship on on one (and they thought it couldn't be done on a four stroke) then a WR450 when they came out. Good bikes!
After those bikes I went back to 2 strokes and started racing a 300 EXC and a 200 SX off-road. Nowdays it's a KTM 350 Six Days for riding trails.

[Nicad]

My YZ 250x is a two stroke. Same as the YZ 250 except wide ratio tranny, different pipe, ignition, porting and suspension tuned for woods. Amazing bike, but ultimately wanting to go faster than my reflexes and capabilities. Best dirt bike I have ridden was a Husky TX300 with Rekluse clutch two winters ago in Arizona. Instant torque,tractable, go anywhere bike.
Doing some mods on the Vstrom, I see that it is built to a cost, but seems to perform brilliantly. Amazing value at $5700 new with a five year warranty.
I rode a Super Duke GT last summer. Talk about power!

[Ytmsn]

My YZ 250x is a two stroke. Same as the YZ 250 except wide ratio tranny, different pipe, ignition, porting and suspension tuned for woods. Amazing bike, but ultimately wanting to go faster than my reflexes and capabilities. Best dirt bike I have ridden was a Husky TX300 with Rekluse clutch two winters ago in Arizona. Instant torque,tractable, go anywhere bike.
Doing some mods on the Vstrom, I see that it is built to a cost, but seems to perform brilliantly. Amazing value at $5700 new with a five year warranty.
I rode a Super Duke GT last summer. Talk about power!

One of the best things to ever hit the dirt world is the auto clutch feature. I had the early pioneer Rev-lock in a KTM 520 I used to race,and then Rekluse came along, bought Rev-lock, and now I have a Core EXP in my 350. A game changer! I'd highly recommend one for your YZ. You feel absolutely no difference at the clutch lever, but no stalls, and you can still blip the throttle for jumps or obstacles.

I've kicked around the idea of getting another Wee-strom too, for a couple years now. For now I'm digging this SMT, but I REally like that 650. Post a picture of that bad boy.

[Nicad]

It's a little taken apart at the moment getting it's touring farkles fitted. When it is semi done and out of doors, I'll take a picture and post it.

[Stagdad]

Nice KTM.Rode a 360exc two stroke when I was into dirt riding.A beast!Sold my 1990 Honda Transalp and went retro. Just installed a 2into1 exhaust.

[Nicad]

Here is my Vstrom 650. Thought I'd get it out and test out some of the mods I did , circulate the fuel stabilizer and get it ready for a few months of sleep. Bought most all the stuff I will need to be self sufficient on the road. New sleeping bag, fold up Helinox chair, Snap on tank bag. I added an air horn, very bright Led lights, better fairing ,Flashing LED rear brake light, heated grips, heated clothing circuit and will get a Russell all day saddle built over the winter. Will also buy a Helite Turtle air bag vest. Seems like a very safe bike from a power delivery and handling point of view.

[Ytmsn]

Those are nice bikes Nicad and Stagdad. I've never owned a wee-strom but my best riding buddy has one.

And I had a Bonneville for awhile but couldn't come to terms with how it rode. It was a beautiful bike but transferred every bump I hit right up my spine. I kept changing the settings but never could work it out so it went down the road motors. I love Triumph so later on bought an 800 Tiger and loved it!. One of the smoothest motors on the planet!

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Then I got one of these beasts and tricked it out. My favorite so far next to my SMT and I'd still own it now but it has no range. 60 miles and your looking for a gas station. 80 miles and your looking for a ride.

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[Nicad]

Can't really say I like the looks of my Vstrom, but I find both the Triumphs pictured and your KTM quite striking. Hoping to bond with the bike over distance. I am still in the break in phase on the engine and it is very docile. Looking forward to winding it out.

[Ytmsn]

Oh it'll air out alright. That's the same motor they put in the SV 650 and you should be able to cruise 80 all day long.. while gettting 50 plus mpg.

Heres some more cool bikes I've had.

BMW GS 1200

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KTM 950

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KTM 640 Adventure

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[Nicad]

Quite the fairing on the last KTM pictured. What model is it? Never seen that Blue KTM either. Love those BMW GS and all the intricacy to the design. For the last few years I had it in my mind that I would buy myself a BMW 1200 RS. Love the way it feels when I straddled it in the showroom and it's looks too. I also like the sound of the boxers when I hear them. I get the feeling the motor is reassuring when underway.
But for now I figure it is more than I need. I'm hoping I keep the bulk of my touring in the 50 to 65 mph range on scenic roads. Did one test drive recently on a very busy highway at night in Toronto and it made me dizzy how many threats I was tracking. Gotta worry a bit about being an old biker getting back into it. Should worry even more about over confidence in a year or two. The last bike I owned I still miss. It was a Yamaha Seca 650 . That was in 1985 though. I remember it as perfect basically. Same with the Yamaha RD400 that was my first street bike.

[Bfun220]

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[Nicad]

Just sold a car I have owned since 1983 and bought a couple of motorcycles to fill the space. A 2018 Yamaha WR 250R I hope to setup to travel down trails and dirt roads at under 60 mph and a 1984 Honda VF500f Interceptor to tweek and restore and have fun on. I quite like middle displacement bikes from this era and might buy a Kawasaki GPZ 550 or Yamaha RD 400 if I see the right deal. New obsession buying bikes, especially in October in Canada. I am loving my 2017 Vstrom 650 for Touring and general purpose travel