The 2024 riding season is almost here, but the planning has been in full swing all winter, along with changes and modifications to Pepe (my 23 KTM 500 Six Days). Winter in Colorado gives a rider plenty of time to think and ponder, which, like any good adventurer, has dominated my free time.

And so it began a 3k-mile/21-day adventure across the Sonoran Desert by two middle-aged guys traversing the entire Baja Peninsula on KTM 500 Six Days, appropriately named Pepe and El Gringo. We were packed with minimum payloads and completely unsupported. We had yet to decide what to expect; only we wanted to make it to Cabo San Lucas and back to Yuma, AZ, where we started the adventure.