After about 10 years of riding, I finally did some dirt biking. I went with a group and did a Trail Tours day in Ganaraska. I did not know what to expect, but it was a great time!
The morning was a bit of training, including getting used to the bikes, seat positioning, and how to get through some obstacles. Then it was about 90 minutes of trail riding, followed by lunch, then another 2 hours of trail riding. For the 6 hour day, it was about 4.5 hours on the bike. I was definitely shaky in the morning. Getting used to shifting while standing, and not using the front brake were a couple of things I had to adjust to. I also had to realize that when you have a rear wobble, it's best to stay smooth on the trottle, and the bike will correct itself. By the afternoon I was alright on all fronts though, so I (and my group) were picking up the pace.
We used Honda CRF230s which were perfect for beginners. They are light and nimble and a forgiving on the throttle response. There is also enough room in the gear ratios to get up and down so you can have some fun with that too.
They had some CRF250s as well. Some of my group members used them in the afternoon. Their feedback was that they were definitely more responsive on the throttle (I believe they also had a stiffer suspension, but I can't remember). The consensus was that it's probably not the ideal bike to start on if you have no dirt experience.
The cost for the whole day, including bike insurance for damage was $300 all-in.
If you haven't tried Dirt Biking, I would highly recommend it, and Trail Tours is a very well run outfit. I am beginning to see the appeal of dirt biking, and will likely do another Trail Tours day again.
The morning was a bit of training, including getting used to the bikes, seat positioning, and how to get through some obstacles. Then it was about 90 minutes of trail riding, followed by lunch, then another 2 hours of trail riding. For the 6 hour day, it was about 4.5 hours on the bike. I was definitely shaky in the morning. Getting used to shifting while standing, and not using the front brake were a couple of things I had to adjust to. I also had to realize that when you have a rear wobble, it's best to stay smooth on the trottle, and the bike will correct itself. By the afternoon I was alright on all fronts though, so I (and my group) were picking up the pace.
We used Honda CRF230s which were perfect for beginners. They are light and nimble and a forgiving on the throttle response. There is also enough room in the gear ratios to get up and down so you can have some fun with that too.
They had some CRF250s as well. Some of my group members used them in the afternoon. Their feedback was that they were definitely more responsive on the throttle (I believe they also had a stiffer suspension, but I can't remember). The consensus was that it's probably not the ideal bike to start on if you have no dirt experience.
The cost for the whole day, including bike insurance for damage was $300 all-in.
If you haven't tried Dirt Biking, I would highly recommend it, and Trail Tours is a very well run outfit. I am beginning to see the appeal of dirt biking, and will likely do another Trail Tours day again.
