Some asked for an update on this project, it is complete and the ride is done - Continental Divide Trail, from Salida Colorado to Wyoming and then a detour to Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and then back home to El Paso. Not sure how much was offroad (unpaved road, to be more precise), probably around 500 miles of the 3000 or so.

Here is the finished product, in use:













More on the creation here:

http://paochow.com/forum/index.php?topic=15.0

Thanks to all for the suggestions for long-ranging the SuperHawk. One I didn't take, due to time constraints, was an aftermarket seat. The first couple of days were uncomfortable after an hour or so; after two days, I seemed to settle in on the stocker. Carrying an extra 4 gallons of gas in the saddlebags was good peace of mind, but ultimately unnecessary - I could have done just fine with a 1.5 gallon Kolpin.

The Distanzias did great, even in the mud. The 17" front was decidedly a disadvantage over the 21" fronts that the two big KTMs I was with were sporting - but the SuperHawk did everything they did, some things just a little slower.

Overall, it was a fun experiment, and a great trip.

Anybody wanna buy an off-road 2000 SuperHawk with ~10k?