Back to riding after 15 years...bike suggestions?

Maybe go for the KTM 300 XCW or EXC might be a little more than you need but the extra torque makes it actually a little easier to ride!? Opt for the E-start as well you will never look back..lol.

KTM 200 exc! Just buy one you'll love it.
Its a perfect bike to come back to, smooth power that is just enough without being too much. I enjoyed my first one so much I bought another a year after I sold my first.
The exc's do seem more reliable than the sx models too from my experience with them.

What type of riding are you looking to do? Are you only open to 2 strokes?

Gotcha. For that type of riding the KTM XCW line is perfect IMO. These are bikes that are meant to be trail ridden so they have kickstands, a tail light and headlight, and electric start. They're a little heavier than a pure MX bike but for the kind of riding you're looking to do you probably want all that stuff so you would end up adding to a MX bike anyways. I used to ride 2 stroke MX bikes on the trails until I switched to an xcw and now I definitely prefer this type of bike and would recommend it to someone who isn't going racing. I rode a 200 xc-w a few years ago and I've never been able to shake the idea of getting one out of my head, too bad they're super hard to find, people dont sell em!

Also if you haven't ridden a 4 stroke in a while, you should give one a try. A 250 four stroke now is a really awesome bike, light like a 125 2 stroke but with torque.

If you don't get enough feedback here than you should ask this in the race shop section even though it does really belong here but I'd bet you would get some more hardcore KTM guys that could weigh in specifically. I know the 17's are getting air shocks and I think are also shedding allot of weight in other places too. Don't do the 14 cause the 15's are better in many ways so best bang for the buck would be #2 especially if he is around the same weight and has already done the suspension to your weight but if you have the money then screw it and go with the 17, most of the time the newer the better but you may want to wait a few months till some more news and time is spent on them. Whats the cost on the leftover 16, you said like 8 grand? This bike is high on my list too so I'd be interested to hear more opinions. Good luck!

Wow that looks super clean. Good for you that's awesome , ya that will be more than enough to get you going you'll probably keep it for the next 5 years at least.
I started riding again about 2 years ago, I had to stop cause I was unknowingly living with Crohns disease and it kept me from being able to workout cause I couldn't stay hydrated or keep enough vitamins to workout and feel right but now that I'm diagnosed and on meds and I moved to a better area for riding I finally am riding on a regular basis. Lost 15 pounds and am back in decent shape after riding 1 day a week for the last year or two plus a tiny bit of MTB! Have fun and now get some good gear cause you'll crash allot in the beginning. I've been riding on and off since I was like real young and I still took some real bad spills when I first started again after 6 years off. I used to only wear a chest protector when I was in my 20's but when I started riding again I got knee, elbow, and a chest protector with shoulder pads and if I didn't have those I'm sure I would have broken something cause when you go over the handlebars at 50mph and land on hard rock it's no fun, luckily for you your area looks softer than where I live!
I recommend these EE hand guards (also sold by MSR), they don't wrap around so they keep your bars shorter so you can get through tight spots plus they have some forgiveness so if you do hit something it won't rip the bars out of your hand. There are some minor design things that I would change about them but I tried 4 types and these were the best by far. Also they bend back so they can take falls good and also they aren't closed so there's no chances of getting your arm stuck in there and snapping your wrist like can happen with bark busters!
https://shop.enduroeng.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=10_6

Nice glad to hear, happy riding man! :-)

Share some pics once you have all the goodies on and she's almost finalized. My good riding buddy has the same bike but in a 15 and he loves it!

You're too old
Get the ktm 350
And be gone with ya

Awesome bike!!! I have always been a fan of the smaller bore 2 strokes.