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KTM 450 Adventure

Not available from the factory, but a potent exploration weapon nonetheless 

KTM Zweiradcenter Bernhardt in Germany has performed an impressive conversion the to KTM 450 EXC, a factory dual-sport motorcycle with a considerably bias towards short-distance technical dirt travel.  The interesting result of Zweiradcenter’s modifications is a motorcycle better suited to long distance, remote exploration, with expeditions into the Sahara, the Road of Bones and even the Trans-America Trail all coming to mind. The concept of this platform has considerable appeal, combining the athletic performance of the 450 with additional range and greater rider comfort. The brakes are bigger, a rally computer has been fitted, along with 37L of fuel.  The complete modification list is impressive, but additional oil capacity or improvements to the service intervals seems to be absent from the line-up.  I could easily see strapping a Giant Loop bag to the back and ripping up the Skeleton Coast. Zweiradcenter Website

VOTD: Barstow to Vegas Dual-Sport Ride

via West County Explorers Club: The 2011 AMA District 37 Barstow to Vegas Dual-Sport event took place at the end of last month. Here’s a nicely documented and narrated recap of the 2009 event.

The two-part video is about an hour long and is a little slow to get going but there’s some great footage of guys on BMW R1200GS and F800GS bikes working their way through sandy, rocky canyons, dry river sand washes, and some fantastic flat-out desert riding, including the use of a roll chart for navigation.

Part 2, around 14:45 even shows a guy jumping his big GS over berm.

Here’s Part 2: http://youtu.be/qvgqL0-b83U.

And here’s a link to the event, in case you’d like to take part next year: http://www.labarstowvegas.com.

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