I settled up paperwork for the KLR but would have to wait a week or so for Beast’s owner to pay off the lien and get the title. In the meantime, I needed to get educated on shifting and how not to stall, so I could actually do something with the bike once I got it home. Luckily, I had recently befriended some local dual sport riders from advrider.com and got hooked up with a little TW200 to practice on. Another ADV rider, Brian, had been dirt riding for a while and his girlfriend Marisa wanted to get in on it too, so he took the two of us out to the desert for a learning day. This went well. The TW was forgiving, low to the ground and extremely stable over questionable terrain. I had a couple close calls, but saved it before it dumped each time. My fellow learning buddy wasn’t as lucky and went down on a rocky wash, suffering minor scrapes. I was proud of her though, she dusted off, bandaged up and went out for a second session the same day. This time we both kept upright.