I went on a big ride/race binge there for awhile and now that I’ve had a week or two off the bike I’m about to go crazy. Fortunately, the Beta 525 RS that’s been sitting in our garage needs a chance to get the dirt wheels mounted. So far we’ve been using the bike in supermoto trim and have enjoyed the wheel-lofting grunt across town and at the local kart track. However, the bike was delivered with a set of dual-sport knobbies and a skidplate which we mean to put to good use. Our pals over at OMA-KTM are doing another of their super-fun tours, this time a three day, two night trip to the Oregon Coast. It didn’t take much effort to weasel our way onto the signup sheet at the last minute using our standard flimsy excuse of magazine testing!

I’ve become quite the fan of dual-sport riding in the past few years and this is the first opportunity for me to get some in this summer. The weather forecast is great and our OMA-KTM guides are never boring. Here are the top-three things I’ve started to wonder/worry about as I prep for tomorrow’s early departure:

1. Small fuel tank or faulty electrical? – Capacity is 2.24 gallons, but I hit reserve this morning on the way to work. The real issue is getting the digital display to register so I can track the mileage. There’s a loose wire somewhere…
2. Monkey-butt – The seat feels better than I remember from the 2008 Beta Off-Road Lineup, but these street-legal dirt bikes have a reputation to uphold.
3. Storage – GiantLoop sent us some really cool motorcycle luggage to test out. Unfortunately, on the Beta it covers the air intake. Hopefully it has room for drill bits along with three days worth of stuff.