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Hello, this ride should be fine to ride with your son on the DR. Most of the trails are forest service roads with a few mild water crossings. I've seen big GS bikes do this ride with passengers. Only caveat is weather conditions and ruts caused from heavy rains which can happen overnight but there's plenty of space on most of these roads to pull over and scope out before riding. Theres also a good amount of pavement riding. I rode most of the trails with my daughter on the back of my KTM 790 ADV R and she weighs a little over 100lbs. With 20 experience riding and some off-road you should be fine since it's a lighter bike with ability to turn around if you see parts of the trails that you don't like. There are some rocky sections where both of you might need to stand. Hope this helps and enjoy!

Yes, you can find GPX downloadable files on Facebook on the Smokey Mountain 500 group. They update the file based on the latest route conditions. Cheers

Both bikes did really well. No drops or stalls and we were weighted down with camping gear, water, food, and gas. My KTM 790 tires worked great (new Motoz Tractionator RallZ front and Mitas E10 rear). Rich’s tires were stock 70/30 road/dirt but conditions were dry and he seemed to have enough traction when needed. Different story if we experienced rain I’m sure. Thanks!

Thank you. I think it’s important to tell the story of the places we ride. It adds to the adventure. The intro was initially longer including details like the native Cherokee name for the Smokey Mountains which is “Shaconage” translation “place of the blue smoke” and how the ancient forest was almost destroyed by logging until it became a nationally protected forest. My research has given me a much deeper appreciation for the Smokey Mountains that I now look at with different eyes when I ride through it.

So true! Tires make a bigger difference than the bike when riding off road. Good point, forgot to mention that. In the dryer conditions we road the trails gave us some mercy since my brother-in-law had 70/30 street/dirt tires.

@@theEHWAZ I noticed those 70/30s right off the bat. Replace them as soon as possible and add some crash guards and bark busters.

I haven’t adjusted my suspension and it’s a bit on the stiff side. Also, the camera is mounted on the handlebars with a long bracket mount that vibrates when riding rocky sections. My GoPro helmet mount vids (towards 2nd half of video) are much smoother.

Glad it was helpful, thanks.

Thank you, I must have mixed those up. I've been through the Tallulah River crossing numerous times and always thought it was Charlie's Creek but wondered why it was not a river. Now it makes sense, thanks.

Thank you for the comment! The best way to get the most up-to-date maps and gpx files for the SM500 is on Facebook. Search for the Smokey Mountain 500 and subscribe to this private group of over 19k subscribers. They post the latest Google maps and downloadable gpx files and have recent stories of the conditions and individuals looking to ride with others. Cheers

No, it did not melt the turn signal. Thank you

Agree, you really can't go wrong with either bike. It depends on the rider preferences with the unique features of each bike. Cheers

No, you really can't & I come to run ideas/info by folks like you hoping to glean some good sound advise w/o really asking for it. You've taken the time/trouble to make videos about things & for whatever the reasons you caught my eye. I appreciate the time/work & I won't hesitate to chat w/ you again. Thanks again, peace

The DRZ400 was actually the first bike I looked at in 2020 when I was looking for my first off-road bike but I ended up buying the KTM 790 ADV R. Cheers.

Thanks! The DRZ400 was one of the first bikes I was considering in 2020 when I was looking to get back into motorcycle riding and looking for my first off-road option. I ended up with the KTM 790 ADV R which was not a good first time off-road bike option. Sharp learning curve on a heavier bike but I still have it and love it now that my off-road skills are much better. Cheers!

It's called Whissenhunt OHV park in North Georgia. Great easy to moderate level single track.

Both are definitely great options for what you are looking for. Good commuter bike that you can jump a curb on to go off-road when you want to. 6th gear to get on the highway if needed. Due to your size and stature you should test ride both and consider the suspension. If you go with Honda, you will probably want to upgrade the suspension. The KLX might work due to adjustability. I'm 5'10" and about 180 lbs. and had to adjust the suspension on the KLX because it was too soft at stock set up. You won't have that option with the Honda.

I sat on the Honda at 6’3, 220lbs and the factory springs crumbled underneath my weight lol, definitely Kawi!

Thank you!

I hear you however I disagree with your statement that the Kawa has "crap" suspension. It's not that bad out of the box, and with proper adjustments for rider weight, it's pretty decent. This is based on my 2+ years of riding the KLX on road, dirt, single track, ruts, mud, rocks, you name it I road it there. Reviews also agreed including those from Rider Magazine and Cycle World where pro riders critiqued the bike's suspension. Also, most riders don't want to buy a bike and then spend more money on whole new suspension for these lower cost models. I also wonder if you are including the cost of suspension installation? A good quality adjustable rear shock alone can cost over $500. My video is a non-brand-biased experience-based review. I don't lean towards any Japanese or European brand but I understand Honda is a much more popular brand with a very large fan base. You sound like a Honda fan? 😉. Both bikes are good and have their pros and cons but neither one is "superior" over the other.

How's that flimsy Honda subframe working out for ya?

:facepalm: the message from someone clearly has no idea about suspension on these bikes. For kawi one can get away just with proper springs. For Honda one would need to replace entire shock and entire fork.

I recommend the T7 since it's you signed up for the Adventure Intermediate course. He teaches transferable skills regardless of bikes but the adventure training is geared more towards the adventure rider. I took the same course and there was a mix of bikes including KTM ADV 790 & 890 Rs, BMW 1200 GS, a Yamaha dual sport, and a Suziki DRZ 400. Your T7 is perfect for this course and your KTM 500 would be perfect for his Enduro training course in my opinion.

Good choice, I'm guessing a good set of risers too due to your hight. I found the KLX stock handlebar risers too low so I changed out the risers and bars.

Thanks for comment and sharing your experience. Sounds like a good range of bikes you were able to try out. I rented a few true dirt bikes that were set up for hard enduro and man what a difference, just soak up the terrain. Cheers

Thanks for sharing your experience. I totally relate. The small and big lessons that Chris teaches on the spot make a big difference in rider confidence and competence. I plan on attending another one of his training sessions as well. Cheers

I need to look into the secondary throttle plate delete, thanks for tip! Cheers

Kawasaki makes a great bike and so does Honda. I'm glad I bought the KLX 300 as my first Kawasaki.

Good to know! Thanks for sharing your experience, the 13t front sprocket change and secondary throttle plate removal. Cheers

No, but based on what I've read in recent comments, sounds like changing the front sprocket can make a big difference.

Get the 350 it's already street legal, and you get all those 600 miles oil changes still to do . Fun fun fun .

@@brianrahuba6919 would still want a 2 stroke. 350 would be nice though.

@butterytoast4836 Yeah, I do very little street riding these days . Gave up, my Harley . It's ok, though. I went through the seasons, but way too many funerals and among other things . I have a 1990 DR350s in its glory . Lol . It's definitely a better trail bike than the 300 being Kawasaki or Honda. See, carbs don't bother me . Keep those electronics . Yeah, fuel injection is nice when you have power . See here my retarded thinking . 1st here my age 56 soon to be 57 . Look what my choices were . No rider aids, no abs and the suspension was more for the bike than it was for us well it was always for the wheels to stay connected to the ground more than saving our skeleton.... Two strokes are to probmatic for me vs the lightweight and performance for me . Being well was 340pds now down to 255ish . So hurdleling myself through the air wasn't on my agenda on a small bike that was truly for what a 178 pds rider ? I never liked the DRZ in any trim . How the DRZ is a better bike than the DR I just don't get it . A couple of extra ponies but here take a 5speed and extra weight ? I can see putting money into these 300s for the suspensions bug a 14k bikes plus and still have weak suspensions . Well for me it would have to be the Honda . Due to how Honda bounced up the extra 50cc compared to the Kawasaki . Kawasaki stroked their motor where as Honda displaced the piston . So it will be cheaper to pull more power from the Honda due it still can be stroked and bored . Yeah you can still.bore the kawasaki but it will cost more money to do so and both still have weak motors if you ask me. Trail riding is more for me . Motocross at my age is like, nah, Im good . My DR350s still runs great. it gets me everywhere a Beta/KTM/HUSKY . The 450L I just don't understand that electronic crap . I wouldn't even want it at any level. To my understanding, after paying what like 13k 14k for a bike that won't run well till you remap the funking thing . Freaking junk . Look, thumpers didn't change too much from the 80ies . Really, the duel sports didn't really change too much, did they . Besides injection systems and computers . Really, there are no major gains if we are talking off-rode riding . Most duel sports got heavier with the same horsepower . Please tell me where the performance is ? Right, very little . Trail riding, I don't need a bike that wants meth all the time is nicer when trail riding .....

@@brianrahuba6919 it is unfortunate that just about every high end dual sport requires the ECU and pipe to be upgraded to actually bring the bike to where it should be despite those machines already being $10,000+. I’m not one to sell often so I plan on keeping my 450RL for quite a while, if not forever. So I didn’t mind the upgrades I was putting in. Eventually I will be buying a simple air cooled single cylinder 4 stroke to have something that’ll never die. I hope to have a few bikes a couple years from now.

Many choices out there with and without electronics and extras. I'm glad we have the choices throughout all price ranges too. The KLX and Honda opens up the world of dual sport to many riders on a budget.

The Husky 450 was surprisingly smooth but the owner did a lot of work on the bike including suspension, Rekluse clutch, and upgraded handlebar and riser. The KTM 500 vibrates significantly more than the KLX 300 in the handlebars, seat, and footpegs confirmed after riding it. And with all the extra money one pays for those bikes you are correct, they do not come with a fuel gauge so it must not be as relevant as I initially thought. I haven't ridden a Beta yet but have a few friends who do and love them. I'll try to test one out on a demo day. You have a good mix of bikes, it's interesting that once the off-road motorcycle riding bug bites we realize we need more than one to enjoy the different types of off-road riding available. Cheers.

Your 450RL does track how much gas it burns. I use that to keep track of my fuel level. Just cycle to it on your cluster and then reset it whenever you fill up with gas.

I had two EXC500Fs. I just couldn't come to terms with the horrible engine vibration, even through I tried twice. Same deal with my CRF450L. Vibrated just as bad. Sold it too for that same reason. I have couple each of DR650Ss, DRZ400s, KTM 690 SMs, XTs, and even a XL500 back in the day, and their vibration levels were just fine. To get a fuel injected bike I decided "to settle" for a KLX300 (2024). So far at least, I like it. I am just wondering if I will be able to live with the low power output. Other than that though, it seems like a really nice and well-rounded bike.

Thank you, that's excellent feedback and makes sense. I'm learning my way through the YT journey and adapting along the way. I'm working on my next video so it's timely feedback. Thanks!

@@theEHWAZ No problem man, I have been at this for almost 3 years so I have been really looking into growing my channel myself.

@@theEHWAZ Also if you go to the video itsself in Studio, look under analitcis while in that videos page it will show you something like "66% of viewers are still watching at around the 0:30 mark"

I just looked at that stat. Will be interesting to compare it to future ones with a proper intro. After reading your comment it dawned on me that my best performing video had an intro in the very beginning. Appreciate the feedback. Cheers!

The light goes on when you have approx. .6 gallons left. It all depends on the speed and type of riding. When I'm on asphalt I calculated approx. 40 miles, off-road approx. 30 or less if I'm at high RPMs. I only ran it dry once and recall approx 43 miles from when the light goes on but I"m going off memory. When the light goes on I reset my trip milage to keep an eye on approx. how many miles I have left.

Nice, I've seen a few YT vids with the ECU upgrade and it appears to improve the performance significantly.

​@@theEHWAZ It does, you notice a significant power increase throughout the range. Imo for the 350 bucks us it's well worth it.

Yikes, sorry to hear that and glad you are ok. ABS saved me twice on my KTM 790 but on asphalt. I turn it off when I'm off-road or on gravel roads where it hurts more than it helps. I had to hit both front and back breaks hard to avoid rear ending a car that slammed on it's breaks and if I didn't have ABS I would have slid right into or under the car. The bike stopped without me dropping it or sliding. Data is on the side of ABS however, for off-road or dual sport bikes I would only have it if I am able to turn it off which the Honda allows. Also my KTM 790 allows me to turn it off. Thanks for the comment. Cheers

@@theEHWAZ Yeah. I went from "on road" to "off road" and I think that fooled the ABS. I guess nothing is perfect.

Congrats! You will love it. I am running stock gearing but changed my tires. The front is Shinko MX216 Series Tire 90/100-21 (Fat Tyre) (57R) Tube Type and the rear is Tusk Dsport Adventure Tire 120/90-18 (65R) Tube Type. I'm very happy with these tires. They work well in the wet slippery GA clay and the rear lasts.

Thank you! If you mean does it cover the linkage for the rear suspension the answer is no it does not.

Thanks! Temping and expensive but double the price doesn't mean double the bike or at least I can't imagine so. Cheers.

Hello. Both bikes have their trade offs and you really can’t go wrong either way. It all depends on rider preferences. I’m glad both companies are making these very capable and fair priced bikes. Cheers

Hello and congrats on the new KLX! It’s a great first bike to develop your riding and also to grow into. A very capable machine. Cheers

Thank you! I used an Allen wrench and a torque bit and likely mixed up both, good catch! When I speak without a script these things happen. I'm very impressed with Emperor products, purchased two so far and they are good quality. Cheers.

That's fantastic! I was hoping to take his course in Utah as well this year but I unfortunately can't. You will enjoy it. Please tell Chris that Mike from GA says hello. Enjoy, you will become a better and more confident rider after the training.

There's a big difference in power, weight, balance and suspension. The KTM is definitely a different beast. After riding the KTM the KLX felt heavier and softer. It didn't respond to the more difficult single track terrain like the KTM did. The challenge is a new KTM will cost about double that of the KLX. Is it double the bike? I say no but it's tempting...

He is talented beyond belief and makes it look easy for sure. We swapped bikes at the event because he wanted me to try the new 890 vs. my 790 where he showed me what my bike can actually do with a talented rider. I still watch his course one episode at a time as well because there is so much great information. Cheers!

Hello. the pipe allows you to use your stock spark arrestor as I recall. It also comes with 2 different baffles and the sound is deeper and louder but not too loud where it will piss people off. It passes dual sport event pre-tests that require a spark arrestor and decibel limits. I am very happy with the purchase and it also helped improve engine performance.

I bought it off of Amazon but the one I purchased is no longer listed but sold under a different company now. Here's the product description, worth searching for on the web since I saw different prices listed on different sites including Amazon. 'Goplus Motorcycle Hitch Carrier, 600LBS Motorcycle Carrier Hitch Mount with Loading Ramp, Ratchet Straps, Dirt Bike Trailer, Heavy Duty Motorcycle Rack, Fit Up to 7.5” Wide Tire'

Wow, thanks

Yes, it just barely worked with stock cables but I had to adjust the throttle cable at the lever and further down the cable. If you follow the throttle cable down you will see an adjustment bolts that a give you a little more free play as well as adjusting at the clutch lever. Use your manual to adjust appropriately. Also moving the handle bar back and forward slightly makes a difference.

To each their own, I and others enjoy the music. I enjoy and accept feedback but only when it's constructive and delivered with positive intent.

Enjoy! One word of advice. Ride with guys that you feel are at your level and don't ride beyond your capabilities. If you do this you will likely have a great experience. Cheers

A few bruises but protective gear saved me from harm.

Welcome! Lot's of great trails to ride in N. GA and surrounding states.