What do you absolutely need to buy when you already own three motorcycles for a household of two people? Another bike, of course! This month we welcomed the newest member of our dual sport pack, the KTM 350 EXC-F. This is a great dual sport choice for a taller woman (which I am not) or a taller guy who wants a nimble true-dirt bike with street-legal mods. Welcome to the family, KTM!

Julian in the eastern part of San Diego is an amazing day-trip that allows you to experience a wide variety of terrain.  Lakes, desert, woods, towns, windy roads, vista view rest stops, this area has it all.  As a bonus, you can stop in the pioneer town of Julian for their signature apple pie and ice cream.  You can also purchase homemade quilts and other vintage-look pieces, so saddlebags are recommended!

Tomorrow morning, my boyfriend and I are taking an off-road motorcycle class in the San Diego area.  The focus is dirt riding, including turning and stopping techniques.  The program is "Coach2Ride" and the instructions have great reputations in the local riding community. Can't wait!

Everyone benefits from having a motorcycle mentor.  For many, it's a friend or family member.  For others, like me, it's a significant other.  My boyfriend has enjoyed riding motorcycles since he was young, including Ducati sportbikes, motocross dirtbikes, and dual-sport bikes.  His extensive knowledge and patient ways made my entry into this hobby very easy.  I appreciate all the advice, and respect his opinions, which are based on years of experience.

For one birthday, his present to me was to enroll me in a motorcycle riding course so that I could get my M1 endorsement and learn the basics from certified instructors.  Even though he is a phenomenal rider, and actually also a very good teacher, he thought I should learn from the pros, which turned out to be a great idea.
 

I rode a small Honda Rebel in the class, and spent a weekend navigating cones and practicing safety braking. When I passed my test, I was elated.  The photos are of me and the Rebel. 

It was not long after that when I decided to buy a bike, which thrilled my boyfriend.

He has always been a trooper when it came to participating in my sports, like horse riding, because doing things together brings us closer.  This would add one more shared interest, which would be fun for both of us.  The idea of a motorcycle you can take on trails as well as roads appealed to me.  I love anythign that is multi-purpose, because I love variety and options.

We researched together, and decided that my first bike should be a Kawasaki KLX 250s. I chose black, and we got a 2010 model new at the dealer.  Please visit my "mods" page to see how we modified the stock bike to make is fit me better as well as improve functionality.  Some of the mods were just for fun and aesthetics.

The adventure began there!