I finally got to ride the KTM. Put on about 35 miles in and around Bailey,CO. Pretty cool to have another activity to do when Im on the road. So far I love the EMCF500. Its more of a dirt bike than road and I do get a little off road but not a lot. Mostly dirt\gravel roads with some firelane thrown in. But a ton of fun on this model. I originally was looking for a used 350 but this 500 came along and now Im glad I got the bigger bore as I can hit highway speeds pretty easily.

Im going to look forward to riding in the Parks. In and around Yellowstone for starters. Just the gas I will save hitting up all the cool spots is a good incentive. I will have to figure out how to carry my camera gear so I’m ready when I ride up to a bear jam.

I settled on a KTM but was not sure which model. But after some research I decided the EMCF was the one. First off it’s street legal. That was a must. Second was the weight. Rated about 280 pounds wet. I needed the low weight to be able to haul it on my hitch rack. I started out with a cheap Harbor Freight rack. $189 bucks. For the price it did a good job. Ultimately the Mojo Moto rack was my rack of choice. A bit pricey but worth it to me. Easy to load. It’s what I call hard mounted by the pegs to the platform. No compressing of the suspension. I’m glad I have it. Its old guy friendly.

Tomorrow Im headed northwest to Jackson, WY for a few days. Then north to Yellowstone by Thursday. I hope to find some riding along the way. I won’t forget about my MTB and I will try not to neglect it now I have a motorbike. I will find that perfect balance in time. I know my bud Jeff in Jackson has some MTBing in mind when I get there.

The quest continues tomorrow night with a stay in Dinosaur National Monument. Looks like a place I can spend some time in as I work my way North.

DLD