Hi guys, first post here I live along the cape cod national seashore on cape cod, mass a historically ATV/Dirtbike unfriendly area unfortunely :( I just thought id provide some insight, Throughout most of the cape stretches a cleared area, probably about the size of a football field in width which has powerlines in the middle, and large access roads on each side aswell as some areas have a paved bike trail which runs off to the side, Alot of these powerlines are on town lands, and atv riding is generally allowed, however for me the area of the powerlines I live on is governed by the electric company, aswell as the NPS which leads to some problems. Heres a sattelite photo- The black line, shows the powerline route http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v259/xbreaka/Pit.jpg If you follow these powerlines to the south of where I live you reach a large sand/gravel pit which is now closed but the owner allows riding there. I have always riden on the powerlines, but today I was stopped by the rangers and issued a 300$ ticket for it? 1.I have several problems with this, first off the info is not posted anywhere, iv scoured google, and the cape cod national seashore website trying to find a spot where it says "ORV riding under the powerlines is prohibited" and have failed to find it. 2.The ranger vehicles themselves are much bigger than my dirtbike, and cause much more damage to the access road than I ever have. 3.They threw the book at me for it, I will be contesting the ticket however in the district court, I dont expect to win but will not tolerate getting ticketed with disturbing of wildlife(nothing lives on or around the powerlines its all sand), tresspasing on private property(the pit owner gives atv permission to ride there). Its these things than infuriate me, sure I dont condone riding in the habitats, in the dunes or in disturbed areas. However this is just ridiculous, riding on a all sand access road, which is uninhabited by any threatened or endangered animals or wildlife. The Cape Cod ORV community is slowly disapearing because of the actions of people like the ranger who stopped me, riding in a place where you dont disturb anyone, dont damage anything and then getting ticketed for the most BS offenses iv ever heard. Frustrating Sometimes.

Good bike shops also sometimes have nice bikes that people have traded in when they upgrade. The staff goes over them to make sure everything works properly, and sell them for a very reduced price. So you might not get the exact color you want - you could always have it painted at an auto body shop (or bust out the spray paint) if it meant that much to you. Also, you can call the local police department and ask if they have a bike auction. Many jurisdictions auction off stolen bikes that were never reclaimed by their owners, with the money going to a police charity (like college scholarships for children of officers killed or disabled in the line of duty). A triathlete I know got a $1k+ racing bike for under $100 at a police auction... he was about the only one who knew what it was and snatched it up. All it needed was new tires from sitting in storage for months. I miss riding a bike, but my balance is shot. There are stabilizer wheels for adult bikes but I think they'd just look too goofy. My PT says adult trikes tend to be tippy.

I am glad you enjoyed the reading. It sure was a wonderful trip. I am now trying to get all the pics offf my cell phone...sigh ...no memory card...and then I will get the whole thing put together. Will keep me busy for weeks ! c

Matt, I've never ridden the DR400, but my brother has the 650. With standard gearing, it's a great street bike and a white knuckle terror off road. Gear it down, and it buzzes on the freeway. And even then, it's way too easy to kill in tight going - not enough flywheel. That's why the wide ratio six speed is such a big deal to me. Any current dual sport would be more versatile with another gear and a wider spread. To me, that's the most critical need. However, if you want to actually go anywhere, like Alaska or Colorado or Baja, you need to carry some gear and you need some way to perform maintenance, and so far only KTM and BMW take those needs seriously. If I had a fabrication skills I would design a suicide center stand -- a skid plate with a removable pin in front that would rotate on a rear hinge and double as a center stand. I'm sure no manufactuer would touch it for liability reasons, but it could certainly be made to work nicely without the weight and ground clearance concerns of conventional center stands. Just the thing for the car wash after 75 miles of axle deep mud on the Cassiar.