Top 10 reasons why dirtbike riding is good for streetbike riders.

Forum Sponsor
Something very important.

Good zombie apocalypse vehicle (to run away from them in the wild)
 
But some are cute

ScreenShot2012-10-31atOct31201231834PM.jpg


and make a mean latte

ScreenShot2012-10-31atOct31201231818PM.jpg


•••

I like some of the dirt roads up and down the escarpment just to keep some practice for Australia.
Mind you Clay Road is not to be taken lightly on a street bike if it's wet.....lives up to it's name.
 
rmemedic said:
I've said it lots of times here. Start in the dirt.
It has saved me so many times on the street. I would have written of my fz6 by now for sure if it wasn't for my dirt experience.
Rear end slides out on a curve? Easily can ride it out. Need to emergency brake? Well it's habit to be ready to stop hard at any time. Front tire locks up? I do that multiple times a weekend and 99% of the time I stay on 2 wheels. Need to react fast to a change in traffic? Well I blow out of the start gate with 40 other dudes bar to bar heading for a corner maybe 5 bikes wide, and then we throw jumps in the mix, yeah, I'd say I can handle traffic.

I see so many posts here of "accidents" by.new riders that could have been prevented if they had previous dirt experience.

I love how tough my MX bike is. I thrash that thing, pick it up and finish my race. I'm not afraid to crash it if I push MY limits too far (I will never out ride my bikes abilities) and that keeps me progressing because there is very little fear.

However, mx riding and trail riding is not without risks. I have paralyzed friends and I have friends who have died due to what we do. I race, and this year alone I've broke. 2 ribs, a mild concussion, knee injury, a few sprained ankles etc. so there are risks involved... But it's so worth it.
Click to expand...

Ya it was fun and all, but the injuries made me stop......learned a ton though.
 
Yup injuries go with it - even the forest tracks and trails in Australia can bite.

Alas it was me with the split kidney, it happened at the OCR near Cape York and we were only doing 60kph!

I had been having trouble getting in the groove so to speak but it turns out i had a front puncture (didn't know at the time) and it was causing the front to wash out so i was cutting corners fine and a small tree reached out, grabbed my left handlebar and highsided me with a WWF style body slam into my right side handle bar and the ground but I had to hang on to avoid contact with the big tree on the other side of the track that seemed to have a strong gravitational pull, the bike landed on top of me but I must have been knocked out momentarily because my riding pants were severely burned on the outside of my right ankle, all I can remember is terrible pain and thinking I had broken every bone on my right side and my mouth was full of sand and gravel, riders behind me were able to get me clear and help me back on the bike, had it been impossible I would have hit my EPIRB button right away.

Had to ride 170klms back to camp at Bramwell because the Jardine River ferry had already closed but luckily the director of nursing from Bamaga hospital was at the OCR and I placed myself in his hands immediately, I was in a bad way at that stage, he went straight to action stations and arranged travel half way to Wiepa to meet the ambulance and notified the hospital all via satphone and the RFDS.

We have always donated to the RFDS when they ask for funds and this is why, a mighty organization for outback emergencies.

My Brother picked the bike up for me and brought it home.
Click to expand...

and he rides 170 km back with a split kidney ....and Ken is over 50 !!!! Tough bugger.

But yeah it's fun- I never rode dirt at speed tho - more into trials - KLR is the first that I'm comfortable with at 60+ on dirt and tracks. Tires are critical.

Some of those tours that provide the bike are good but they really don't offer the skills that come with regular off pavement riding. It's really too bad around here - it used to be fun. I recall lots of fun hours in clay pits in Hamilton and along the escarpment near Waterdown where they used to hold the trials.

All locked up now :(

If you have a kid interested tho - a season at MotoPark is superb preparation for street riding later.

seeing Kenz with confidence made the long hikes worthwhile and he's got 5 years street riding now - no accidents, dumps or tickets. Got it out his system on the motocourse. YZ250 was scary at first for him. Then he was king of the world :D

Screenshot2012-03-02atMar22012111711AM.jpg
 
jmx.jpg


handmp.jpg


this is what happen to me In August Broke my T-12 Vertebrae and my 5th metacarpal and this was all broke before I spun out and was laying on the ground just the shear impact of overshooting a jump hughly The owner of Motopark said never seen no one go that far. Opps. 1 week in the hospital! good times!

And this happened exact same time last year except last year I Landed on some one who didn't hold there line on the landing ramp and i landed on them i got the worst of it my head hit the ground first knocked my self out seizure. another week in the hospital.
 
murf said:
Me thinks this has scared people off lol
Click to expand...
Should I remove LOL

This only happens when you can't take the thought of being in second place in a race or in championship. I don't race motocross to get a Participation ribbon. So this is more rider error and riding the edge. which people don't have to do.(personal choice consequences)
 
The only thing I would add is that there arent any cars on a dirt track/trail, My first bike was a dual and I spent the first 5 years on dirt/trails (occasional roads to get home). That was years and years ago so traffic was an entirely different matter. I pity the kids that learn on dirt then try to transfer those skills to the road thinking that they will be safe.
 
My kid's skills transferred pretty well tho he still handles his street bike a bit too much like a motocross in terms of lean. The training course instructor said the same.
But surprising for his age he's a conservative rider so far. Go figure.
 
hdsomeday said:
The only thing I would add is that there arent any cars on a dirt track/trail, My first bike was a dual and I spent the first 5 years on dirt/trails (occasional roads to get home). That was years and years ago so traffic was an entirely different matter. I pity the kids that learn on dirt then try to transfer those skills to the road thinking that they will be safe.
Click to expand...
Why do you pitty them? The first time they get on the street, they already have more bike control than most riders on the street. This way, all they need to learn to deal with is traffic... And if they have raced mx, that even slightly helps them with that.
Brand new riders are dealing with learning how to ride while dealing with traffic... Very unsafe. My first time on the street, was on a 600. No big deal for me, all I had to deal with was learning to ride in traffic.

I would give up street riding long before the dirt. Despite the fact I'm banging bars and doing some pretty big jumps, I feel much safer on the track than the street.

I want to state that my injuries were due only to racing and being aggressive. I've never broken a bone in practice or while trail riding... But when you jus go for it is when you start to take the chances.
 
While I fully recomending learning to ride dirt, even if you already ride street and I agree it is a great place to start as well, there are some techniques that do NOT transfer to street riding, and on the flip side there are some new techniques that will have to be added when you move to the street.

If you already ride one or both it is important to learn to separate the techniques that are different and use the ones that help make you better.
 
I did 11 years of offroad riding as a kid and back at it this year after a lonnnggg hiatus. I've never broken a bone offroad... even when I did amateur motocross and trial races (8 years). Even did some ice racing on a KX 420. That was an experience... :)

Which isn't to say I didn't get hurt. I've had some quality flesh wounds and some fractures.
 
I wouldn't be 1/2 the rider I am now without learning in the dirt. Not everything is a direct crossover and there are things you need to learn when going to the street but going the other way there's twice as much to learn. Why do so many pro racers practice in the dirt.
 
does anyone dirt bike in the winter? in the snow?
is it doable for a new rider with two/three months experience?
are trails and tracks still open?
do you need metal studs?


sounds like a good winter blues cure. something i'd like to do.

i was planing on doing this >CMTS< in the spring, but winter riding's peeked my interest right now
 
Last edited:
dasiffy said:
does anyone dirt bike in the winter? in the snow?
is it doable for a new rider with two/three months experience?
are trails and tracks still open?
do you need metal studs?


sounds like a good winter blues cure. something i'd like to do.

i was planing on doing this >CMTS< in the spring, but winter riding's peeked my interest right now
Click to expand...
My cousin tells me you can easily ride a dirtbike in snow but the problem is that it's really only good in loose/deepish snow. The packed stuff you will get on the road is too slippery as the knobs won't grab. I've also learned first hand that smooth sport-touring tires won't get any grip on this as well (got stuck in my own driveway once when I stopped with the front wheel on the tiniest of snow humps and the back wheel was also on one and then I couldn't get off). From my previous winter riding research, studs will work great on solid ice (think ice racing on a lake) but will be utter crap on normal pavement when the road is clear (like riding on ice without studs). Studs are also illegal except for way north.
 
caboose483 said:
The King of Kingston will belittle you then point out that a fracture isn't really a break. Just a heads up ;)
Click to expand...

Who's that, I want to meet him... and no, a fracture isn't really a break if it's a closed fracture along the bone but not through it entirely. Although it's probably classified that way... I haven't had a bone actually break all the way through/fail due to a dirtbike. Clearer, my sarcastic friend?
 
unL33T said:
My cousin tells me you can easily ride a dirtbike in snow but the problem is that it's really only good in loose/deepish snow. The packed stuff you will get on the road is too slippery as the knobs won't grab. I've also learned first hand that smooth sport-touring tires won't get any grip on this as well (got stuck in my own driveway once when I stopped with the front wheel on the tiniest of snow humps and the back wheel was also on one and then I couldn't get off). From my previous winter riding research, studs will work great on solid ice (think ice racing on a lake) but will be utter crap on normal pavement when the road is clear (like riding on ice without studs). Studs are also illegal except for way north.
Click to expand...

If the snows deep the bike just sinks and you can't really steer either. It can be fun for a little while.
 
I rode in snow on my dirt bike in the younger years you go nowhere fast. if you go trail riding in the winter i would stud my tires does not have to be a zillion studs but would defiantly put more studs on the edge nobbys for turning. People ride our club track in the winter with studs.

My personal opinion is that I want to be a well rounded rider.

I would love to try Supermoto.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom