The obligatory new bike ride report

As the title alludes, this will be the ride report for my new bike. We will get there but first you need a history lesson to make any of my commentary valid. I casually rode BMX bikes EVERYWHERE as a kid. Like all the time, every day. We lived on top of a river valley so I rode lots of singletrack before the term was coined, most likely. My dad bought us dirt bikes when I was around 13, and every weekend we got out a dad's place, we rode our dirt bikes constantly. Mine was a 1985 XR100. Dramatically underpowered, air cooled, but pretty. As I got my skateboard, then a driver's license, my desires to ride greatly diminished, in fact I took an eight year hiatus from any biking whatsoever. I got a mountain bike when I was around 20 and rode it EVERYWHERE for about 4 months until I broke my elbow into a million pieces. I couldn't ride anymore, period.

Fifteen years later, I bought a brand new DR-Z400S because the riding position allowed me to actually ride again. I used it to commute and rode some trails on the way home. I found a local singletrack club and re-established my love with singletrack, albeit in a different sense. Well, after some changes in employment, and some other stuff, I realized that I was not riding the right bike for my purposes. I was riding a ultra-reliable, ultra-heavy bike in tight woods trying to keep up with KTM 300XC's and such. Now frankly, I did well amongst those other bikes, but ultimately the bike was 320lbs ready to ride and those KTM's were 230lbs. Not the right weapon.

After much deliberation over a 2 stroke or a 4 stroke, I narrowed down the field to two competitors. One was a proven technical design but nothing flashy, and the other was a technological marvel, that was crazy expensive. If I was going 4 stroke, I was going for gold. EFI was a must, as was a light feeling bike in the woods. If I was going 2 stroke, it had to be simple, and I mean as simple as possible. I am not a maintenance lover. I do what I need to, but I'd much rather ride.

Ultimately, I went into a few showrooms and sat on the Husky and the 'Berg and decided, the weight was going to be the deciding factor, both on the trails and on the wallet...

A new day is dawning...

I figured it was a good time to get rid of the tank and learn how to float over obstacles instead of mowing them down. I'm so exited!

Anyone want to buy a DR-Z?