Well I've got to be honest. I got my Ass Kicked in this enduro. DNF. I'm not happy about my performance. The trails were tight. Very tight. PA tight rocky single track. I was not able to get the bike out of first for most of it. I banged my bars off of every tree imaginable. After the first 90 minutes I had arm pump like never before, and had a hard time opening my hand to use the clutch, making feathering it impossible.
It would be easy to blame the bike, but I know I should have ridden more up to the race, and that I was riding poorly and never found a rhythm. I'm debating what to do next. I could get the suspension set, auto clutch, and set up my spare cylinder for more low end. I wasn't ever lacking power, I just couldn't get the bike to move around enough. At that point I'm spending around 2k on the bike.
I got lots of looks and everyone said I was crazy to run a race that tight with the 500. I looked at specs on a friends 08 KLX450r and his bike is actually heavier! My riding buddy says I would have finished on his bike but I'm not sure. If his bike is heavier how in the world would it have been easier to lug around the single track?
I love the 500 and am addicted to the power. I also really liked the enduro and have to figure out if I can make the 500 work, or if I need a different bike.