Switching motorcycles

I decided earlier this year - in the summer - that I wanted to make the switch to a dual sport motorcycle by the following summer. It wasn't a decision I came to lightly. I have loved my Honda Nighthawk. It's been the perfect first motorcycle, and it's taken me absolutely everywhere I've wanted to go. But I can't see touring Chilé with it (yes, that's my goal - among many other countries). I want to be able to do dirt and gravel with more confidence, and while I realize that's going to require improved riding skills on my part, it's also going to require a different motorcycle.

I started researching possible dual sports - or even a motorcycle that had decent clearance and could be fit with knobby tires - that would fit my size. Being short, the possibilities were limited. One evening, we had pretty much decided on the KLR 650 - and then the very next day, found a fantastic deal on one on Craigslist. We couldn't pass it up - and we bought it. We hadn't intended to put the Nighthawk on the market until the Spring of 2012, at the earliest - and since that meant me riding it for six more months, we'd re-registered it, bought and installed a new chain set, and bought a new back tire. So, a few hundred dollars we would not have spent had we known this KLR was in our future...

So, that's my big news. Much more to come!