14 yrs since last ride

[rbjoseph25]

Ok, I can't take it any longer. It's been 14 yrs since I've owned a bike, and I'm more than ready to get back into it. I started riding when I was 8. Long story short, i grew out of 3 bikes, and ended up on my 4th bike, an 86 XR250R. I bought it at 14, Rebuilt it, bored it .30 over, Factory Connection Suspension, all the good stuff. Started racing HS with it. I'm 5'5, 125lbs, so flicking the big bike around was nothing. I found myself starting my 1st race in C class. 2nd race in B class. And the next yr I was in A class. Well, being a 16 yr old male, one day I thought it would be a good idea to show my girlfriend at the time what a bad a** I was. It was Labor Day weekend, rain was misting, I was just going to hop on and bust out a few wheelies, then put it up. Tried one, bike spit n sputtered. So I was gonna run it through the gears a few times to warm it up. Came up the yard, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th. Back tire going from one side to the other, no biggy. until the back tire hit a rock. The back end of the bike shot up above me, so I pulled back as hard as I could and put my right leg out. The bike went down on my leg and i slid for 25 feet or so. HEY! i'm OK! embarrassed, but ok. So my friend got the bike off my leg, which was a little numb, i thought from the weight of the bike. Went to step down on my right foot, and it goes down 4 inches or so. When I look down, I was looking at the bottom of my heel. 2 plates, 7 screws later I'm in a cast for 6 months. Still riding when my dad was at work. A guy comes to the house looking for the 250 for sale. I had no clue what he was talking about. Turns out, my dad decided it was best that I didn't ride anymore and sold my bike (for $800) out from under me.

So hear I am, almost 30 and feeling the itch more than ever. I was a BIG 4-stroke guy, I hated 2-strokes... Back then. But after many yrs of researching, I think I'm wanting to get a 02 (or so) KTM 300 EXC. They just seem to me like one of the best woods bikes ever. But there's the whole converting from 4 to 2-stroke. Oh yeah, and the 14 yrs since I've rode. So, is this a good idea, or should I stick with the trusty XR's? Just looking for opinions.