Nope, not with the KLX... I use the electric start.

Now I have started a kick start bike that wouldn't kick start in a ravine. I worked hard to get it up the wall a bit, then coasted down and bump started - with the help of my friends riding with me. We've also pulled bikes up over the top of muddy hills that one guy couldn't have done too.

 

Are you calling me a fool?...LOL!

For most of my life I've ridden a lot by myself. If I had waited to find someone to ride with all these years for many of my big rides, I would have sat on the couch eating too many Cheetos and wasting time. Now, I've ridden with lots of folks over the years too and will usually prefer riding with other riders over riding alone. Still, I'd just as soon croak on the trail than croak on the couch. And, I carry a SPOT with me now as I've gotten older...just in case.

 

I ride alone. All my riding buddys have quit or died. I've ridden since 1962 and i'm not ready to stop. Besides, we all have to die sometime.

 

Add me to the "ride alone" list. Almost all my riding is done alone.

Certainly it's riskier than riding with others. That is unless your buddies are always running into you. Riding alone does require being prepared and being cognizant of your abilities.

Being prepared means carrying more gear than might be necessary otherwise. For example, I carry tools, tubes, pumps, etc. The SPOT is always with me. I even carry backpacking pulleys and rope to employ a Z-Drag if necessary. With that, I can pull the bike up out of a ravine if I have to.

I think a certain maturity level is helpful, too. In a previous life, I raced desert (cross country) for a number of years. Desert racers soon learn that if you are going to finish races consistently, a little wisdom is necessary. It is important to know when and where to slow down.

An anecdote:
Most of the desert racers were guys that had been riding for years. As a group, they were older (and wiser?) than the motocrossers. One desert race was billed was billed as motocross guys vs. desert guys. There was a pretty good turnout of motocrossers. They had different shaped number plates than desert racers, so were easy to identify.

At at desert race, everybody lines up at the start. Usually about a mile away is a smoke bomb. When the banner drops, engines are started and its off to the smoke bomb any way you want. There, the riders begin the actual course, which usually is somewhere around 100 miles long. Unlike motocross, riders cannot be on a desert course before the race.

On the way to the smoke bomb and for about the first 10 or 15 miles the motocross guys were going WFO. They were jumping everywhere,wheelies everywhere, etc. That takes lots of energy. Meanwhile, the desert guys were riding quickly, but not wasting energy. By the time the race was over (hours later), almost all of the motocrossers had DNF'd.

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I think the same type of riding maturity is especially important when riding alone. If you don't have the discipline, you shouldn't be there.

ol guy and I are probably be close in age (I'm 66). I know TNC still has the dew of youth on his brow. Even though it would break with tradition (riding alone), I would like to ride with those guys. I think it would be a good fit.

Ron

 

The Turtle vs the Hare. Classic!

 

Ron, good comparison on the MX and endurance racing riders. It's not to say that MX riders don't have talent...they certainly do...but it's a whole different level of experience and perspective for long distance endurance racing. You only see a few guys who are able to span both venues of racing with any success. Look at Dakar riders. That may be the toughest bunch of days on a motorcycle devised by man, and it's always some fairly mature guys who hit the home run in that event. This year the only U.S. dirt bike guy to even finish the Dakar was an older privateer named Ned Suisse from Colorado. Go figure. We often laugh at that old saying that, "old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill". Of course these older guys also have some skill, but there's some kind of knowledge over time that allows them to go fast but go fast for a long time...and finish.

 

Congrats to you all!

I picked up dirt biking four years ago at 50, and consistently get remarks from relatives that I am too old to do this. Can I refer them to you to show how their comments are inappropriate?

Seriously, Ron impresses me with his pulley and rope. I nearly needed it at one time... Yet I like to ride light, and tend to not go too far because of this. Still, reading the recent ride reports, I dream of doing a long ride with experienced riders some day. Not many in my area...

 

There's a saying down south, "Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo." In english it means, "The devil knows more because he is old, than because he is the devil."

 

Ray, you're welcome to use my 60-year old rearend as an example anytime...LOL! Hey, in 2010 I met up with some folks from other locations to ride in Moab. One fellow I camped and rode with for 2 weeks was from your neighborhood in Canada, and he was over 65. He was riding a pig of a KLR650, and he did great, even in some fairly gnarly sections. Maybe you know this guy?

 

Maybe I am and maybe I'm not.

I was just following that same "what if you're all alone in the middle of nowhere" logic though. Do the smart thing when possible and don't be all alone out there.

I'm thinking keep the battery up good and the odds are likely greater one would break a bone before the starter gags. But what the heck. I think the OP kind of proves the point of "why electric start?", because it's so much easier than kick starting and they ain't like the old DT1 starters of yore - they are extremely reliable. I'm not looking for a KLX R kickstart to fit to my KLX C by any means.

I hope the weather's good in Austin... you guys suck! It's freezing here!