2016 brought about some fundamental changes in my riding style. I’ve gone from solely street riding to more of a dirt and adventure style of riding. The pair of KTM’s that I purchased at the beginning of the season to replace the K1600 GTL have completely transformed my riding.
With the switch to more dirt riding, my yearly mileage has dropped considerably. I was riding over 20K miles a year on the street but this year, I’ve only gone around 10K on the bikes. A day out on the 690R only results in 100 miles of exhausting trail riding rather than a 300 mile leisurely cruise through multiple states. When riding the 1190, I tend to seek out dirt roads that I was previously reluctant to explore with a big touring bike.
At some point, I’m going to need to take another cross-country trip so that I can follow some long and lonely dirt roads to remote places that I was unwilling or unable to travel to in the past. I think I’m going to need another season of practice and experience with my dirt and off-road skills before I set off on the next big adventure. I still have a lot to learn about choosing the right line when riding off-road and haven’t really learned how to ride in sand at all.
I’m guessing that by the summer of 2018 or 2019 I’ll be ready for the next epic ride. Until then, I just want to avoid any serious injuries so that I can once again explore the USA on a motorcycle. There’s no better way to see the world than on a motorcycle.
There’s a steep hill off to the side of the road that I’ve looked at and avoided in the past because it looked like it would be difficult to navigate with the Versys. However, when I went past it today, I decided to give it a try. After studying the hill for a minute or two to choose a line, I started going up. About 3/4 of the way up the first part of the hill, I got into the deep bumps/ruts. The rear wheel lost traction about the same time the front wheel slid in the soft sand and down I went. Loose dirt and sand isn’t really what the street oriented Avon Trailrider tires were designed for so I’ll chalk this one up to poor judgement on my part.
In mid-April, I went down to my local KTM dealer and picked up a 2016 KTM 690 Enduro R to satisfy my dirt riding desires. While the 1190 is good on dirt roads, I want to to able to get off the beaten path and 500lbs is a little too heavy for more difficult trails. The 690 is quite good at the rougher, more challenging trails that go through the woods.
good when the trail turns into a collection of ruts and rocks. As a beginner to dirt riding, I took the 690 places that were way above my skill level and the bike seemed to just plow through no matter how tough things got.
I’ve taken it on some un-maintained dirt roads in a local state park and there’s no doubt that the KTM is better on dirt roads than the Versys. I’m not an experienced off-road rider so I really can’t pinpoint what makes it better. I suspect that the combination of better suspension, traction control, and wheel sizes just add up to a better off road experience. I guess that’s to be expected, after all, the KTM cost more than twice as much as the Versys. 
After leaving the fire tower and getting down the paved road, I headed up another forest service road that indicated that there was a trail that was only open to motorcycles. I got to the trailhead and there were two guys hanging out on the tailgate of their pickup. I asked them if they knew anything about the motorcycle trail and one of the guys jokingly said that if I were to go down that trail, I’d have “the adventure of a lifetime”. He went on to explain that it was a narrow trail with steep drop offs and nowhere to turn around. Even walking the trail was a bit challenging.