Dirt Bike folks

[musclefan21]

I am just another financial victim of COVID here. I decided to get into dirt biking. Never ridden a motorcycle before. I did take a Honda gixxer 600 for a ride around the block once like 10 years ago. So that’s it.

I found a decent used 2013 KTM 350excw and bought all my riding gear. Gonna try to pick the bike up this coming week or weekend.

school this noob please. I don’t wanna die.

Also, share your bikes and gears please. I would love to see them

UPDATE:
Here she is; 2016 KTM 250xc-f with Athena 290 big bore kit

 

[nxhappy]

I am just another financial victim of COVID here. I decided to get into dirt biking. Never ridden a motorcycle before. I did take a Honda gixxer 600 for a ride around the block once like 10 years ago. So that’s it.

I found a decent used 2013 KTM 350excw and bought all my riding gear. Gonna try to pick the bike up this coming week or weekend.

school this noob please. I don’t wanna die.

Also, share your bikes and gears please. I would love to see them

a 350 is pretty powerful. how much do you weigh and how tall ?

stick with KTM. they make BAD ASS bikes. super reliable and top quality.

 

[musclefan21]

a 350 is pretty powerful. how much do you weigh and how tall ?

stick with KTM. they make BAD ASS bikes. super reliable and top quality.

yeah I agree, it’s got plenty of power and I considered getting a 250 but then I was like what if I like this gig and get decent at it, I know I will want more power. So I decided to get a 350 and play it safe for a bit until I learn how to ride it and then when I am ready to really have fun, the bike is capable of giving me that.

I am 6’3 at 195 right now.

 

[nxhappy]

yeah I agree, it’s got plenty of power and I considered getting a 250 but then I was like what if I like this gig and get decent at it, I know I will want more power. So I decided to get a 350 and play it safe for a bit until I learn how to ride it and then when I am ready to really have fun, the bike is capable of giving me that.

I am 6’3 at 195 right now.

you are a bigger dude, 350 should be fine. just take it easy and learn the dynamics of the bike. first couple of trips should be some what flat dirt. don't be trying hills or soft sand lol. Soft sand is REALLY tough at first. also be aware the front brake is very very touchy. if you grab it all the way you WILL go over the handle bars. practice first gear rolls with the clutch. over and over and over. also watch your legs. NEVER ride in shorts. always wear full gear. i've seen some knarly shit. the more gear you are wearing the better. also NEVER ride alone. always always have a buddy in case of emergency. That way the helicopter can find you.

 

[gimmie11s]

Congrats!!

Ive been riding dirt bikes since i could ride a bicycle... It is one of my true life's passions along with drag racing.

You'll love it. Best way to learn is get out and ride. Start slow and confidence will come with more riding time.

Im not a "full gear" guy myself, but for a beginner, thats probably a good idea.

 

[ShelbyGT5HUN]

You will go down. I rode for 10 years on crotch rockets, never crashed. First time on a Honda CR125, I washed out the front wheel, and went down. Dirt is a lot different than pavement. Always wear head to BOOT, protection. Get real off road motocross boots and equipment. Also, ruts are really scary too. You just gotta let the bike do what it wants through them.

Don't ride alone, or if you do, tell someone where you are going, and when you are coming back. My friend broke his leg in the middle of nowhere by flipping his ATV, climbing a steep hill. I went for help. No cell service, and he would've been stuck at least overnight, as it was already dusk.

 

[ajaf1656]

Honda Gixxer? Hehe

There are some good youtube channels that demonstrate some drills you can practice to develop some really useful skills for off-road riding. One important thing to remember riding off-road is that even if you've been somewhere before, you never know what's just around the corner. When I was a teenager, I was riding with some friends and fell head first into a 6' sinkhole that wasn't there a week before.

 

[musclefan21]

Thanks guys, I will be following your advice.

I went ahead and bought dirt biking boots, FOX helmet, full upper body armor to wear under the hersey, bought knee guards.. those knee braces are way too expensive...

should buy one of those padded shorts to wear under pants too? Or is it overkill?

actually two co workers convinced me and will be riding with theme

 

[coposrv]

Definitely going down so protection is pretty important. Good boots and gloves at least minimum.

I’m not too familiar with ktm but the guys I know who have them like them minus some of the new new bikes and valve issues if I remember right.

I’m still a 2 stroke OG lover. 01 Rm250 plenty of power honestly too much for the single track stuff around me.




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[coposrv]

Also, ruts are really scary too. You just gotta let the bike do what it wants through them.

This is pretty good advice. OP you’ll have to feel things out but don’t try to muscle the bike around. You have to sort of work with it. It feels like you’re guiding the bike more than trying to force it to do what you want. If you don’t you’ll be beat to hell in no time.


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[MFE]

Look where you want to go, not where you're afraid you might be going. Target fixation is built into our lizard brains and it's the bane of motorcyclists everywhere. Your lizard brain WILL tell you to drive at that bush, or off the side of the road, simply because that's where you're looking, and you're scared. The only way to stop this from happening is to recognize that t's happening, and give your brain different information. Do this by instead looking where you want to go, at which point, your lizard brain says "OK cool, let's go there, no big deal". Looking further ahead in the first place helps a ton, but when you get spooked (and you will), you will target-fixate.
If you've ever seen a video of a guy standing his motorcycle up mid-corner and running wide into oncoming traffic or the guardrail or off the cliff, 100% guaranteed Target Fixation was the cause.
BTW works the same in cars, boats, bicycles, skateboards, any form of transportation.

 

[Blk04L]

When in Doubt throttle out. Lol


Just get comfortable with the bike and remember basic rules when jumping and riding. Most times I fell it was due to fatigue or getting sloppy with technique on jumps or turns. Don't be afraid to take it easy at first on tracks. Go at your own pace.

Know how to fall.

I wore a neck brace which saved my neck a decade ago. Had a bad wreck where I hit and cracked my helmet. Concussion but the braced saved my neck from a bad injury. Don't remember that wreck but was told it didn't look good.

 

[DRTYAPE_SRT]

My old 500EXC
I had more fun with it in supermoto trim than off road. Desert riding just wasn’t for me after 20 years of riding the trails in Michigan (some of the best dirt bike trails in the world). One day I jumped this bitch square into the middle of a large cholla cactus, picked needles out of my thighs, ass and arms for about an hour. Sumo’d it the next week lol.

Have fun!

 

[03Sssnake]

Congrats!!

Ive been riding dirt bikes since i could ride a bicycle... It is one of my true life's passions along with drag racing.

You'll love it. Best way to learn is get out and ride. Start slow and confidence will come with more riding time.

Im not a "full gear" guy myself, but for a beginner, thats probably a good idea.

The only 'gear' I wear is a helmet and goggles....Helmet kinda goes without saying, but after nearing losing an eye while riding in the woods, big fan of goggles now too other than that jeans, boots etc suffice, no need to dress up like Ricky Carmichael for me.....

 

[Rct851]

What kind of dirt bike riding are you trying to do?
Wear proper Moto boots.

 

[gimmie11s]

The only 'gear' I wear is a helmet and goggles....Helmet kinda goes without saying, but after nearing losing an eye while riding in the woods, big fan of goggles now too other than that jeans, boots etc suffice, no need to dress up like Ricky Carmichael for me.....

Preach brother. I’m was a shorts/t shirt, helmet and boots guy.

My buddy would be FULL geared out chest protector and everything like god damn Jeremy McGrath. So damn funny.

Here’s one of me from about 15 years ago at Dumont Dunes

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[Riddick]

I'm a noob myself, I have only been riding for less than a year. My 8 yr old daughter is obsessed with riding and does single track and mx. We currently have a crf50 she uses for the trails, about ready to upgrade to a 110. She also has a 2 stroke KTM 50 for the track, little bike moves compared to the crf.

The only advice I have is to go easy. I have a 13 KX250 and even though it's only a 250 it still makes some steam up top. I don't wear full gear since my daughter's 50 isn't going that fast out on the trails, I only ride trails... If you are riding on mx tracks I would recommend full gear. However, helmet, boots, gloves, google's, pants, and long sleeves should be the minimum equipment you have regardless of where you ride.

Best mod I did was put in a rekluse auto clutch. This made riding the trails so easy and I dont have to worry about clutch control. I can focus on riding technique. On technical terrain if you are not good with a clutch you will constantly be stalling. Not that big of a deal if you have electric start but if your kick-starting your bike it gets old when your stuck on a steep incline or in rocky terrain.

For all your parts I'd highly recommend rockymountainatvmc. Good prices and badass customer service.

I honestly wished I started riding years ago, it's a blast and these things are easy to work on compared to cars. I just rebuilt my entire top end to include full head refresh, new piston, and new cylinder. I wish working on the stang was this easy.

Good luck and remember....... respect the power of your bike.

Here are a couple pics of our bikes:

IMG_20200208_173200394 by Leonard Riddick, on Flickr

IMG_20200118_150646385_HDR by Leonard Riddick, on Flickr

IMG_20191127_150434653_BURST001 by Leonard Riddick, on Flickr

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[DRTYAPE_SRT]

Yes, please dress up like RC.

This guy was on a short ride, hit a little tree stump sticking up about 10in. he was wearing leather work boots, ended up losing the big toe.

Pay up for a good pair of MX boots, Pay up for a good helmet/goggles and a neck brace.

Most dirt bike riding pantS and jerseys will offer better air flow than jeans and will dry out quickly if you get wet. They also offer better protection in most cases.

I like to ride with gloves that have good knuckle protection, every little piece of gear counts.

the one time I decided not to wear my knee pads I ended up getting a nice gash from a trail sign nailed to a tree.

better safe than sorry and even fully geared up you can still get hurt pretty bad.

 

[03Sssnake]

Preach brother. I’m was a shorts/t shirt, helmet and boots guy.

My buddy would be FULL geared out chest protector and everything like god damn Jeremy McGrath. So damn funny.

Here’s one of me from about 15 years ago at Dumont Dunes


View attachment 1639690


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I think it’s cosplay for a lotta guys!

 

[Rct851]

Even if you insist on a t shirt at least get some Moto pants. So much more
Comfortable then riding in anything else.

You may feel weird “gearing up” but at the track you will blend in. It’s the guy in jeans that is the focus of everyone’s jokes. Everyone assumes if you watch the guy in work boots long enough you will see a crash.