Praying Mantis

Well I have been riding my KLR 650 since May and have put about 5000 miles on it myself. I bought it with 2350 on the odometer. Somewhere I read that in order to stay current you need to ride at least 4000 miles per year...so I am ok for this year.

It took me a while to feel comfortable on a bike after all these years. I was lucky a few times when I misjudged turns on the road. On one particular turn, it was a good thing there was grass alongside the road, because I was mowing the lawn for a bit.

The KLR has been awesome for me. I am 300 lbs and 6'4". I was 6'6" at one time in my life but have shrunk a bit with age. Anyway the KLR was my choice because it was big and the price was right. I also wanted to go off-road. I have found limitations with a KLR off-road. It is very heavy for an off-road bike. In really tough stuff where I come to a stop on single track because of fear, I sometimes have fallen over because even my long legs were dangling up in the air on a steep downhill that I straddled. I do better on uphill sections but have modified my riding so that I don't go single tracking with this bike. I wish the bucks were available for me to get a smaller, lighter bike for real off-road stuff...the problem is that at this age (60 years old) I am not sure that I am athlete enough to do most of what I took for granted when I was 18.

Riding back roads is the best with this bike. I have explored many neighborhoods and have found places that I didn't know existed within 20 miles of my home. When I see a dead end street I now follow it to the end to see if there is any dirt at the end of it. So far I have found two dirt roads that continue as town roads but are not on maps.