Possibly moving to Charleston, WV

Looks like I am flying out to Charleston this month for a job interview ... While I don't want to jump the gun, its with a company that my initial impression with was that I'd be a good fit for, so I imagine if they are serious enough about flying me out to interview they're really looking to fill the position :)

Oddly enough, one of the things that got me interested in WV in the first place is that there appears to be no lack of dirt biking out there

Looks like yall do plenty of DS riding ..... So I have some questions about the Charleston area!

1.) How is the Hatfield/Mccoy trail system? It looks pretty cool from the website. Is it mainly smooth graded trails built for larger DS bikes and ATVs and stuff?
2.) Does a KTM 300 XC-W have a place riding the types of trails yall have out there? I basically have this bike as a purpose-built singletrack monster for the CO mountains .... do a lot of folks run 2 strokes out there?
3.) Now that the important questions are out of the way ..... Can anybody recommend a good 24-hr gym in the Charleston area? I've been googling this and so far haven't found much. Doesn't look like there are any of the big health clubs there (Balleys, Golds, Lifetime, etc) .... what is a good local gym? Preferably not planet fitness, I saw there was one of those and I don't think I'll go there I'd be working in downtown charleston I believe, so I'd be commuting from somewhere near whatever gym I sign up at lol
4.) Where would yall recommend getting a condo at for the first year? Preferably something with a garage so I can keep a car and a bike or two inside.

Look forward to seeing some new country, let me know what yall think!

I can help a little with questions 1 & 2.
The HM trail system has some of everything, from relitavely smooth trails to gnarly dedicated single track.

There is quite a lot of dirt biking within 30 miles of Charleston. While most of the trails are used by ATV's, there are some single tracks.

Check out the thread "WV Dual Sports Check In" in this regional forum. On the last page is a pic of a ride from Sunday that shows the general terrain of the area. The power line pic is about 25 miles upriver of Charleston.
One of the bikes is a 300 GasGas.

You won't be disappointed in the off road riding opportunities around Charleston.

You have the perfect bike for WV, 2 strokes are alive and well in WV. Jet it for the elevation (600-2000ft), pick the right tires and ride ride ride. Hatfield McCoy has everything from gravel roads to gnarly singletrack. IMHO there is better riding closer to Charleston. I havent had a HMC permit for a couple years. Get to know some local trail riders and you will be good to go for endless singletrack, you will need good handguards. A lot of the single track guys around here vacation in Colorado

Appalachain Offroad MC will be the local KTM shop. www.aomc.mx They are in Cross Lanes. The sell more 2 strokes than anything else. KTM/Husky/Beta/GasGas/Sherco.

Snap Fitness will be the local 24hr gym chain around here. There is a Crossfit gym in Charleston as well.

In addition to HMC and local trails you also have Burning Rock Offroad park near Beckley roughly an hour south of Charleston.

You need to learn to ride in slick ass clay and mud, because it rains here a LOT.

Condos? Not a clue, I prefer being out in the country. There are several people on ADV that live in Charleston, they can be more helpful with good areas, bad areas, etc...I would suck up the commute and not live in Charleston but my view may be skewed

I'm used to commuting about 45 minutes a day as it is, a little commute won't bug me too badly. I'll check out the 24 hour gyms, that will probably dictate where I look for an apartment/condo/townhome/whatever ... Thanks for the info :)

This is some "open" WV singletrack
IMG_3262 by Rider_wv, on Flickr

Most of the time you cant see two turns ahead.

You can ride/drive from one side of Charleston to the other in a lot less than 45 minutes. 45 minutes from the center of Charleston will put you in the wilds.

Beautiful state, good people, and wonderful riding. I love visiting there.

Nice! Sign me up for some of that "open" single track.

Its green .... that'll be a refreshing change from brown :)

I guess one other question I should have asked .... If my bike is currently plated in Colorado, will WV just transfer the plates or will I have to have the bike inspected?

Looks to me like its fairly easy to get a bike plated there, but do I really need the Hi/Lo headlight switch with high indicator on it to pass the inspection? :)

A CO street title should transfer straight to a wv street title. Technically a street legal bike in wv needs an annual inspection. To pass inspection the bike is required to have hi/lo headlight, turn signals, tail and brake light, horn, mirror, etc... Think factory street legal like a 500exc.

You can't get it inspected until it's insured AND registered, they hand you a plate with the registration.

Some people tend to forget to get it inspected since it already has a plate and insurance

I highly recommend a plate, small town cops won't pay any attention if you have head/tail lights and a plate. Most, if not all, of the kick ass dual sport events in Ohio require a plate as well. Hell most of the enduros do as well since they have transfer sections on county roads.

There is no shortage of green from April-October. Some areas look like a rain forest.

I need to figure out how to wire up the hi/lo and turn signals then ... CO they don't make you have that, you just have to have a headlight and DOT tires basically .... are they sticklers for the DOT tires down there too?

If you haven't seen it...pics from all over WV:
West Virginia

Totally depends on the inspection station. They are privately owned shops and the ones out in the country hate taking time to do bike inspections. I wouldn't stress out too much about it. You could probably run the CO plate for a few years

Quads and sxs can't be plated here and there are days I pass more sxs on my way to work than cars.

Thanks for posting that link WayneJ, I meant to find it earlier and got side tracks.

Nice ...

I'm sort of getting the notion that since I already have a dirt bike, maybe a 990 Adventure would compliment it well living out there :)

don't drink the water, or kool aid!

That's a very good call. I find you need three bikes at minimum. One for single track, one for ratty ratty back roads (big single) and one for fire roads to pavement (big twin GS or 990). And if you have a notion for a fourth i'm partial to a super bike on our twisties! But three is my sweet spot. Superbikes get you in too much trouble.

Agreed on the superbikes ... I sold my RC8 and bought a used Pontiac sedan .... How lame is that? Lol ... As much as I'd love to get a new 1290 SuperDuke, I just really can't justify it at this point in life ... But, an 1190 Adventure R and a 450 XC ..... Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Yeah, I liked the 1190 I test rode. Third gear wheelies for a couple blocks were nothing for that bike. I got rid of my ZX10r a few years back, I miss it so bad some days but in reality I'd never ride it over my GS. The only times I would ride the ZX10 or my RC51 was when when I wasn't going far and wanted to go fast and look cool. I've given up on looking cool. So I just enjoy my GS

I still giggle like a school girl thinking about riding that 1290 SD. Bad ass bike.

life is too short to only own one bike.

Charleston area is literally a big chemical valley and the interstate passing through there is as rough as a single track trail from 30 miles north of Charleston all the way to 40 miles west of Charleston

When you here the chemical leak sirens don't bother running, it is already too late.

Bring lots of bottled water to drink and bathe in!