The 34-year-old Coloradan, who works as a buyer in the aerospace industry, remembers the trip with her husband Chris, he on a BMW R1150GS, she on an 2004 F650GS, as the ride of a lifetime. Not only did they survive bike breakdowns and border issues, wrong turns and road blocks caused by political unrest, Katelyn says the trip taught her even more about riding than it did about life. 

“I thought I knew how to ride a motorcycle,” she says. “Until we got to Africa.” Choosing to take more challenging dirt routes through the different countries made for some epic adventures that ended up becoming the most memorable parts of their trip. “Really, when you ride all day, every day for six months, you can’t help but improve as a rider, especially when you’re either in sand up to your knees or dodging livestock, oncoming buses and hot tub-size potholes.”

Back home in Colorado Springs, Katelyn continues to challenge herself with trips into the Rockies, including riding so far, about half of the Colorado BDR and checking off her state’s legendary passes, most recently, Ophir. 

Adventure riding felt like a natural fit for the outdoor enthusiast, an avid skier, paraglider pilot and mountain climber who loves to wild camp and catch her own fish for dinner. She says the moment she encountered the concept of riding long distances on- and off-road while living off the bike, she knew she needed to be a part of it. “So about a week after I found out adventure riding existed, I bought the F650GS and never looked back.”

She currently owns a 2016 BMW G650GS, though most of the time you’ll find Katelyn exploring on a new Honda CRF250F. Though 5’2,” her only modifications have been adding lower-profile seats. That, she says and “all the dents and scratches from having way too much fun in the dirt,” if we count those as modifications. She’d bought the Honda last February right before the lockdowns began, which she says turned out to be great timing. “It gave me the opportunity to focus my energy on getting to know a new machine and modifying it to fit my plans.” Thanks to YouTube, she says she even figured out how to wire all the necessary lights and accessories to make the CRF street legal.

Since 2017, Rev’It! has been choosing women around the U.S. to be a part of its Women’s Adventure Team. The ladies are hand-picked for their passion, leadership, riding ability and embodiment of the “REV’IT! spirit” to act not only as ambassadors for the sport, but also as product testers for the brand’s extensive line of female-specific riding gear. 

Much like her teammate Amelia Nunn, who we interviewed ahead of her #weADV episode, released on February 25th, the thing Katelyn loves most about being on the Adventure Team is how it enables her to inspire and support other women who are thinking about or just getting started in the sport and don’t know how to take the next step. 

While getting out and meeting new riders has been very challenging over the last twelve months, Katelyn says she’s so grateful to have had motorcycles and the ability to jump on and escape for a day or weekend. “There is nothing better than pushing yourself all day and then winding down at night around the campfire and waking up in the morning to do it again.”

You can follow @distant.tracks on Instagram to keep an eye on Katelyn’s latest adventures, which include plans for a trip down Baja in the summer and further down the road, a potential solo ride to Alaska. 

Also stay tuned for these new episodes highlighting the REV’IT! Women’s Adventure Team:

• Episode 1: Amelia Nunn, produced by Niki Murphy, available now
• Episode 2: Katelyn Barnecut, produced by Kasen Schamuan, available now
• Episode 3: Kris Fant, produced by Flewid Films, coming 3/16
• Episode 4: Jenna West, Bayonet Media, coming 3/23
• Episode 5: Erika Tango Bean, produced by Roberto Serrini, coming 3/30

For more information about REV’IT!’s gear and its programs, visit www.revitsport.com. And don’t forget, if you have a story to share about how access to adventure riding helped you survive during these socially restrictive times, please share by tagging @revit_adventure and using #WeADV in your post.  

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.