The Making of a KTM Dual Sport Bike

D sadly said goodbye to his Yamaha dirt bike after the back surgeries as he knew that he wouldn’t be able to ride for some time. He also knew that he eventually wanted to have a dual sport bike (primarily off-road, but also street legal), and he couldn’t convert his particular Yamaha to make this happen. We set aside the money from his old bike, and he began some serious research during his down time to see what he wanted. Ultimately, he bike of choice was a KTM. The problem? A new bike was well out of the price range that we were willing to pay.

Once he determined what he wanted, our search for the perfect bike in the price range began. It took some time, but we finally found a used bike locally which had been professional maintained, and he had all the records to prove it. The bike was solid, but it still needed to be converted to a dual sport. After test rides, talking, and a bit more research, D purchased his new-to-him KTM 525 EXC from a really great guy. The parts were ordered from bajadesigns.com, a great military friendly company who made it possible for us to get D’s parts in time for this weekend. D eagerly awaited the arrival of the parts, and when they arrived, D was like a kid at Christmas.

Last night, there were instructions to be read as he planned on making the changes to his bike today. D woke up to a beautiful, mild Arizona day – a perfect day to work on converting his new-to-him KTM to a dual sport. There are many parts to be added, changed, and fitted during the process. He systematically makes the changes. I love how excited he is about all of this.

D has been cleared to go back to regular activities by his surgeon, but he’s still limited and will probably be limited to some degree for the rest of his life. We don’t know if he’ll completely recover to Marine Corps standards or not as the recovery is inching along at a slow pace. The ability to get back out on the trails and ride will be a great stress relief as he’s going through the recovery process. Don’t worry… we’re not talking about any crazy riding. If you know me, you know that there is no way I’m going to allow D to do anything crazy that would aggravate or possibly damage his back. He’s too young to take those type of chances. We’re talking about nice trail/desert rides – no motocross. lol!

Often, when we head out to a new location, we can’t ride directly from the campground. We need to ride over to the trails. Previously, D has been unable to ride his dirt bike to the trails, so we need to trailer the bike or put it in the back of the truck. My RZR is street legal, so I would just drive over. It would be much easier to have a dual sport bike for him to ride. Thus began this whole journey and dream. Soon, the dream will be realized, and we’ll be out exploring once again. The Lord, once again, provided a way to make a dream come true….