Outstanding dirt bike tour. My guide, Dan, was awesome. Will def do this again!
I have mixed feelings about this tour.
First, the company that facilitated my booking of this Viator doesnt know much about motorcycles or what happens. They also dont let you contact the tour company directly American Adventure Tours to ask questions about bikes or gear. Anytime you call to ask a question you are placed on hold while someone at a call center calls the tour company.
For the ride itself:
Being a lighter rider 511/135lbs and considering myself more of a novice with some off-road experience I specifically asked for the lighter KTM 300 XC-W. I showed up and was given a bike that was not even on the list of options, a Frankenstein Kawasaki 450 that was 3 years old pieced together with bald tires and no electric start.
There were no other motorcycle riders this tour and about a dozen other folks on ATVs and Razors. So it was just the guide and I. I RECOMMED TAKING PHOTOS OF THE BIKE YOU RIDE AT ALL ANGLES BEFORE GETTING ON IT. More on this later.
Not much of a briefing. Now that I am finished with the tour I can tell you it was in 3 parts: up a technical section with whoops and single-track up to a radio tower lookout. Part 2, back down that section and across a dry lakebed to an outlet mall parking lot in Primm, NV 20 minute lunch break with opportunity to hit the food court. Last section was back across the lakebed and through another flat technical section of single track to the vans.
I dropped the 450 a few times on the technical sections. It was too big of a machine for the technical sections for me and the small wipeouts were 100 my fault. Kick starting the bike on uneven terrain was difficult and happened no less than 20 times. The bikes idle was set too low and the bike stalled anytime you let the throttle go to idle. The guide adjusted after I stalled out several times.
Once on smoother terrain the guide let me ride his personal 2016 KTM 300 XC-W for the flatter sections only reason for not a one-star rating. This bike was m
Fantastic tour! Highy recommend going on it! Very well organised and being able to go at whatever speed you are comfortable at is great. If i'm even back in Vegas again i will definitely be doing this again!!