Jesse Felker, accompanied by his dog Annabelle, and camera, is a traveling photographer that calls his RV home. Originally from Idaho/Montana, he joined the military after high school and served as an F-18 electrician in the Navy for four years. After completing his service he moved out to the Pacific Northwest where he continued his aviation career with Boeing till recently. His time in the PNW region has taken a number of unexpected turns that have yielded a sense of both personal and communal adventure; the latter most notably in Jesse’s founding of PNW Dual Sport. A community cultivated through a hashtag and shared passion for riding. Little did he know how much the PNW region would change his life.
What is PNW Dual Sport?
“I brought my KLX250s over when I moved to the PNW and wanted to explore the area on two wheels. I couldn’t seem to find anyone to ride with, so back in the summer of 2015 I made a group on Facebook called “PNW Dual Sport Riders.” On Instagram, I had been posting photos of my bike while riding around the city and came up with #pnwdualsport. I put it on all of my bike photos, and no one else had ever used the hashtag. After a while, I noticed that people were using the hashtag. At that time, I decided to make an Instagram account called @pnwdualsport, where I would repost photos of others riding dual sports and ADV bikes in the Pacific Northwest.”
With a lot of growth and change, PNW Dual Sport became what it is today. The Pacific Northwest’s largest dual sport and ADV community. They now have a substantial following throughout the region. PNWDS is run to be “a friendly, inviting, no ego or rudeness environment.” Over the years they have hosted several group rides, meetups, and even a couple of rallies. “The vast majority of the community takes the time and patience to help others learn, ride, etc. It’s very refreshing to see a group that is so generous, friendly and gets along so well. Some people will show up for a group ride just a couple weeks after they start riding because they feel welcome despite their skill. Other riders in the group will give them advice, help them over obstacles, and become their friend, so they don’t have to ride alone.”
When and how did you start riding motorcycles?
“I grew up sometimes riding friends’ or relatives’ dirt bikes, but nothing too extreme. I bought my first dual sport when I was in the military, a 2012 KLX250s. For four years, I rode it alone. It was a lot of fun, I put a ton of miles on it, but I never really got any better until I made it out to the PNW and met tons of new friends that ride. After a couple of years of living here, I finally upgraded to a 2016 KTM 500 EXC Six Days edition, that I have been turning into a crossover between a dirt bike and ADV.”
Jesse rides a 2016 KTM 500 EXC that he’s had from new. “I wanted a bike that didn’t need performance upgrades, something light with a lot of power, a lot of aftermarket support, and capable of handling every type of riding I do.” The liquid-cooled single cylinder is well known for having ample power to handle asphalt and trails. With its lightweight frame, cast aluminum swingarm and WP suspension it forms an ideal base. “I built my bike to be a crossover between an aggressive dirt bike, and an adventure bike. I wanted to be able to ride single track, but also take off on my bike with luggage for days on end.”
Jesse upped the fuel capacity with an Acerbis 5.3 gallon / 20 liter tank giving the liquid cooled single cylinder a range of around 250-300 miles on the highway with a full tank. Up front, a Baja Designs Squadron XL Pro headlight provides the illumination while a Fasst Company Flexx bar with Cycra handguards deal with the punches that get handed out on the trail. Steg Pegz set a better footing with a Seat Concepts saddle that allows for comfort across those highway miles. Navigation is in turn handled by a Trail Tech Voyager mounted on the handlebar. “I use it to ‘bread crumb’ my routes while traveling and have accurate GPS speed. Sometimes I use Butler Maps to pick a route, but usually, I just browse satellite mode in Google Maps and just guess which way after that. I’m not a fan of planning routes in detail and following them; I like just to ride whichever direction looks good. Much more fun that way.”
Konflict Motorsports tweaked the suspension with a KM3 revalve and respring for Jesse’s personal weight and riding style. Jesse then changed the final drive from the stock 15:45 over to a DDC Racing final drive 14/48 to provide more low-end torque through to the back wheel. Tires are currently a Kenda Parker DT desert tire on the rear with a Maxxis IT on the front. “I go for DOT approved knobby tires. Usually 90/10 dirt/street. Riding on the highway with tires meant for the dirt doesn’t bother me, as long as I have the best tire possible for the off-road sections of my ride.” A Mosko Moto Nomad tank bag, Fatty tool roll, Reckless 40 v2.0, and Molle pouches take care of carrying all the essentials. “These guys are close friends of mine. Best soft luggage on the market, made by awesome people. They have a ton of design skill, and also use rider input to make the best product they can.” As for what modifications are still on the cards: “I really want to build a custom fiberglass rally fairing. It would be nice to have wind protection on long days of highway, and to frame-mount my headlight and devices so that I can take them off the handlebars.”
Tell us about riding in the PNW?
There are a lot of very different regions of the PNW. I think my favorite so far is the North Cascades. We are always searching for new, challenging dirt roads that lead us as far into the mountains (or through them) as possible. My favorite type of trail terrain is the rainforest type areas, lots of thick green vegetation, damp soil, shade, and cool air.” In addition to group rides, Jesse continues to ride on his own from time to time. “My longest solo trip so far was 11 days, where I covered five states on my 500. I can stop as often as I’d like for photos, ride fast, ride slow, talk to myself, or choose a new destination at any time., I have found that traveling solo forces you to reach out and talk to new people, which seldom happens in a group. I enjoy sleeping in the mountains in a hammock or tent, with my bike just outside of it. I have covered a lot of the Northwest part of the US. My KLX250s had 11.5k miles when I sold it. My KTM now has about 17k miles after just two years.”
Tell us about some difficulties you’ve had while on the road?
“I once lost my toolkit twice on the same trip. My trusted Mosko Moto Fatty tool roll fell off my bike in the Tetons, and I replaced it with a cheap tool bag from an auto parts store. Later into the trip, that bag shifted in my luggage and caught on fire while touching exhaust. It made my can of chain lube explode like a bomb and scattered my tools all over the desert. It was 100+ degrees out, and I had to stop every 20 seconds on the way back to grab one tool at a time.”
What items do you never leave home without?
“I carry a DSLR and tripod, usually only with one lens, gummy candy, a Garmin InReach, my trusted Mosko Moto tool roll, and some music.” Jesse is also a big supporter of Klim technical riding gear and never swings a leg over without it.
Jesse has a ton of PNWDS rides planned for this year, as well as some exclusive events with partnered motorcycle companies. The first one being the Summer Opener ride for PNWDS scheduled from the 31st of May through to the 3rd of June in Hoodsport, WA. But along with this Jesse is also keen to get further a field for the first time. “I also plan to travel out of the country a couple of times to ride, details still in the works.”
We’d suggest keeping tabs on Jesse’s inspirational Instagram account to see where he ends up next.
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