Off-Roading at my age?

[BlueR32]

Hi Team. Not related to 2-strokes but I really respect the general input from this Forum's members so I feel I would get some good feedback on my dilemma. First up I am 66.5 years old but in good physical shape & health. I've been a street rider since I started riding at age 16 (many 2-strokes BTW). I live in NC USA but in the last couple of years I have been spending extended periods in Colorado to escape the mid-summer humidity of NC. I will retire in July 2023 and our plan is to spend the summers in CO (particularly Salida/BV area). I have discovered there's a big offroad community out there. I am strangely drawn to the offroad riding scene having binge-watched Itchy Boots on Youtube but I have not ventured beyond some well maintained gravel roads. I wouldn't see myself going too extreme but I think I would enjoy exploring more of the unpaved roads and the scenery that comes with it. Of course I know I will want to do more if I get into it. I bought a 2014 Honda CB500X from a friend in NC and it is now housed at our second home in Salida CO. However it is not the ideal steed for anything more than smooth unpaved surfaces. Considering my complete lack of off-road riding ability am I mad to consider getting into this at my age? 

[kpke]

I don't think so. Enjoy it while you can, just don't fall over  . After I my Gold Wing sells (wife had hip replacement so she's not getting on it again and that's what we bought it for) I'm pretty sure it will be replaced with a dual sport. Not a giant one which are all the rage these days. Maybe a Tenere 700 or???

[1976RD400C]

Not crazy at all. It helps you get the exercise you need in your senior years. Wear some heavy-duty protective gear so if something happens you say "oops" instead of "ouch".

[m in sc]

go easy. i gave up off-roading because i knew i was going to take it too far.. but, def nothing wrong with some trail riding. try it!  be aware, you will def feel it in your core and upper arms/shoulders the 1st few times.

[edgefinder]

I have a lot of experience from a young age and backroads go on forever in Colorado. I recomend an old XR200 or 250 to start with. You can ride from your house in Salida and not go more than 30 miles away taking different mine roads each time. I like paper quadrangle maps from the US geological survey so I can pencil in roads I know. Later I like to compare with goggla earth satellite view. Big adventure bikes and lots of gear ruin the whole thing for me. I like to keep it simple and enjoy the ride kinda like rd350's do

Luke

[BlueR32]

Great feedback guys! Thanks for all the good advice. I am definitely looking at smaller displacement/lighter bikes for this adventure. The big ADVs don't interest me one iota. If the bike goes over I need to be able to pick it up without assistance. I was able to pick the CB500X up from a tip-over on a gravel road but it just confirmed that will not be going heavier than that. Would love to get my hands on a Yamaha WR250R but they've become "rare" (aka expensive) since Yamaha stopped making them. I don't get it.....why stop making such a great machine?

[m in sc]

Id def look at street legal dual sports. for some reason the XT250 has been catching my fancy lately, and its relatively cheap.  I have -zero- personal experience with them or feedback. 

https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/dual-sport/models/xt250

[SoCal250]

I agree with the XT (XT225 or XT250). You can pick up a used one pretty cheap and they're super reliable and easy to work on. If you go the used route and then decide the off-road thing isn't really for you, you won't have much invested.

A lot of good info here about maintenance, mods, troubleshooting, and trail ride areas.
http://www.xt225.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

[85RZwade]

At 54 now, and off-roading since I was 12. I still feel great riding in the woods and desert, but I am aware that I heal more slowly than I used to, so there's something to be said for taking it a little easier these days. Gotta be able to go to work on Monday! I usually feel fine the day after riding, but day two I'm junk parts and everything is sore. pdxjim is close the same age, but I think he's in better shape and maybe doesn't suffer the same. Jim?
I say go for it!

[pdxjim]

I'll be 55 in a month, and I love woods, trail and ADV style riding.

I do it all on my 2T 300, including a few 1000mi 10day BDR rides here in OR, WA and ID.

Super fun, and only as high-impact as you make it.  Aside from picking up a dropped bike, I see no reason it'd be any more demanding than street riding.

Certainly a helluva lot safer (than the street) in the long run as the trees, rocks and sagebrush aren't actively trying to run you down.

[busa1300]

How about a KTM 390 Adventure.
Lightweight, yet enough power for highway speeds
...And it's a KTM...

Check this place out...
These guys will give you more options than there are bikes in the world...
https://www.advrider.com/

[BlueR32]

KTM 390 adventure is on the list for sure! I've watched a ton of You Tube videos and it looks like the right balance of road/off-road for what I would be doing.

[irk_miller]

I'm in my 50s and do way more dirt riding than street riding.  I'm a short guy at 5'6", so I tend to gravitate towards 200 - 250cc bikes.  My favorite woods bike is an IT200.  I would put an XR250 then XR200 a close 2nd and 3rd.  All mid-80s bikes.  Nothing new.  I also run an 87 XL250r, which is a 3 year only bike where Honda put an XR engine into an XL.  I put XR running gear to replace the XL stuff (shock, front end and wheels), which makes it a lot better offroad but it's still street legal.  I have also owned a few DR350's.  The market on them is higher, but they are great engines.  One I converted to a 440 big bore and the others were mostly stock (One was an S and one a dirt only).  The 440 was just stupid for me.  The 350s are amazing trail bikes, but they're too tall for me.  I had more whiskey throttle episodes with a DR440 than any bike in my life.