How many of you have tried dirt bikes to enhance your skill set?

[FourThreeSix]

In a previous life, I rode motocross every weekend. Dabbled a little bit with some amateur racing, but got hurt too often to really make anything out of it. Nowadays if I get on a dirt bike, it's either for flat track training or woods riding. I did American Supercamp a couple years back and it brought to light a ton of things I was doing wrong. Glad I did it when I did!

 

[Smash Allen]

In a previous life, I rode motocross every weekend. Dabbled a little bit with some amateur racing, but got hurt too often to really make anything out of it. Nowadays if I get on a dirt bike, it's either for flat track training or woods riding. I did American Supercamp a couple years back and it brought to light a ton of things I was doing wrong. Glad I did it when I did!

that's what i am looking to get into... where is the closest flat track to the east bay? flat track seems to be the best way to move from reactive sliding to proactive sliding...basically i would like to not change my shorts every time things get loose...

does flat track help with front slides as well as rear? if not, how do the fast guys do it?

 

[vizcarmb]

I did and fractured my elbow. My whole riding life and as soon as i pick up a dirtbike i hurt myself. If you get a dirtbike take a class

 

[BURNROPE]

I rode dirt bikes for 7-8 years before riding street bikes. It helps immensely .

 

[1962siia]

I started in the dirt as a kid. Years later in the early 2000’s I took a flat track class put on by Frank Nye at Club Moto. It was a blast and then it was Thursday nights flogging an xr100 around the short track there until they closed it.

I stopped riding for several years until the fz09 got me riding again. It took about a year until I got back into trail riding and the whole Barf Baja thing started.

In the last year I’ve started riding trials to help improve my dirt riding. I wish I had started off riding trials as a kid.

I’m definitely in the camp that says dirt bikes help improve street riding.

 

[OaklandF4i]

There are so many skills you learn when riding dirt, even if just for fun, that many life long casual street riders will never experience or master while sticking to the pavement. No place better to learn all the skills than at a slower pace in the dirt. Those skills directly translate to pavement and or bigger bikes even if applied marginally different. Everyone should learn how to steer with their throttle, brakes, body, and feet. Life isnt just counter steering at the bars. Just my opinion and experience.

Those guys doing insane videos on Adventure bikes? I doubt a single one didnt learn many of their skills on a small dirt bike. MotoGP guys? Who doesnt train offroad in some capacity?

 

[Manimal]

I have ridden dirt bikes for fun. Thanks to my younger bro. Not necessarily to enhance my skill set. What I had learned from dirt riding, certainly translates and is helpful for those times when the bike ever became unsettled or encountering a hazard. I highly recommend those who street ride, to ride dirt as well.

 

[Lunch Box]

How much does dirt experience transfer to street? It helps but…it’s one thing to ride a 250 lb crash-proof dirtbike with 12” suspension travel and full knobbies at 14 psi, quite another to ride a 550 lb Adventure bike with 80/20 tires at 32/36 psi off pavement. The stress-level, confidence-level, and skills required aren’t nearly the same.

Holy crap, man. Whatever kind of bike that is, I want it. My dirt bikes crash all the time (never MY fault, of course ).

 

[cloudy]

I started on dirt bikes at a young age. I definitely think it helps.

 

[kuksul08]

I grew up riding dirtbikes and it definitely helped riding on the street. I haven't ridden dirt in almost 2 years because whenever I feel the desire to ride, I think would I rather:
a) throw on my gear and go ride street for 2 hours, or
b) Get my gear, gas can, and bike in the truck, drive minimum 1 hour, ride for 3 hours on blown out trails, drive minimum 1 hour back home, and unload gear and bike.

I think it becomes a lot more compelling if you make the trek into the forest, and make a 3-4 day trip out of it.

So now I exclusively ride road our of sheer laziness. Dirt can be more fun if you're with the right group of guys and the right trails because of the lack of cars, cops, and vastly more dynamic terrain.

 

[gixxerjeff]

I didn't *try* them to enhance my skill set because I started on them first when I was a kid...and I think in some ways I'm alive today because I did so many stupid things in the dirt back then rather than on the street.
But the complete answer to your question is yes, I rode them when I was younger because they were all that was available to me. I ride them today because they continue to enhance my skill set as well as being a pretty decent workout at the same time....and because they're the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

 

[FourThreeSix]

that's what i am looking to get into... where is the closest flat track to the east bay? flat track seems to be the best way to move from reactive sliding to proactive sliding...basically i would like to not change my shorts every time things get loose...

does flat track help with front slides as well as rear? if not, how do the fast guys do it?

There isn't one currently. Rumor is Diablo MX is working on rebuilding one, but dunno what kind of timeline we're looking at. Plenty of options for training though with Rich Oliver (Clovis), Ken Hill (Varies), and Feel Like a Pro Dirt (Kelseyville).

Flat track can help with front slides, but it's definitely an advanced technique. You have to be confident with burying the front end.

 

[onto1wheel]

Hmmmm…. Well, do you call TRIALS bikes dirt bikes
I believe riding Mototrials for many many years helped me develop skills that transferred to roadracing, dirt biking, and any other thing I’ve ever ridden that has two wheels.
Trials can teach you just how much things like throttle control, clutch control, body position, finding the edge of traction, etc can have on how well your bike can work for you. Any bike.

“Riding well” isn’t about the bike. It’s about how the rider deals with the bike underneath him/her.

For those of us who like to really push ourselves and our bikes most (all?) of the time (and I know there’s a lot of us here!), dirt is a great way to push limits without all those death cages trying to squish you every minute.

But to try and answer your question ”How many of you have tried dirt bikes to enhance your skill set?”: my love of roadracing and trials started kinda simultaneously. I don't even remember if one came before the other.

 

[Karbon]

as they say, "if u ain't slidin, u ain't ridin'."

 

[Gary856]

does flat track help with front slides as well as rear? if not, how do the fast guys do it?

I'm not the fast guy but I deal with front slides by keeping the throttle steady, body relaxed and let the bike sort itself out. The idea is to drift beyond and back within the traction limit gently enough so the transition is not violent.

One time I was riding on Carmel Valley Rd a bit fast, entered a turn and came upon a cattle guard still leaned over pretty good. There was no time to straighten up, and braking would've overloaded the front. I held the throttle steady, crouched down a tiny bit more, arms looser still but ready to catch the bar wiggle. The front slid upon hitting the steel grating but a fraction of a second later it got back on pavement and regained traction. There was a slight wiggle on the bar, as expected, but drama-free. It's similar to front wheel (or both wheels) sliding on gravel in a turn - experienced that on several different bikes (SV650, Speed Triple, Multistrada, etc.), mostly in the hills at night so no visual warning until the bike started sliding, but able to ride thru them.

 

[Gary856]

Gary,

How much you do it means a lot.

Agreed, but your question of "have you tried it" threw me. I thought you were asking about a casual dirt rider instead of someone who's fairly proficient on dirt.

Another thought - there are a lot of long time but bad street riders. Are there a lot of long time but bad dirt riders?

 

[stangmx13]

There isn't one currently. Rumor is Diablo MX is working on rebuilding one, but dunno what kind of timeline we're looking at. Plenty of options for training though with Rich Oliver (Clovis), Ken Hill (Varies), and Feel Like a Pro Dirt (Kelseyville).

Flat track can help with front slides, but it's definitely an advanced technique. You have to be confident with burying the front end.

Lodi Cycle Bowl closed? and the TT track at Hollister?

Another thought - there are a lot of long time but bad street riders. Are there a lot of long time but bad dirt riders?

from what i saw years ago, not as many. bad dirt riders tend to quit. if i met anyone w/ experience at Carnegie, they could rail on any of the trails. maybe they couldnt hit up the MX track, but itd be hard to keep up w/ them anywhere else in the park.

 

[ScottRNelson]

My first five motorcycles were all dual sports. (They called them "enduros" back then.)

You're missing a great riding experience if you haven't headed down some steep hill, gotten going too fast, tried to figure out the best way to crash, then saved it.

 

[fubar929]

I did a 2-day Fun Camp at Rich Oliver's Mystery School. It was a ton of fun, but didn't do anything to help my street/track riding. I think you'd have to actually buy a dirt bike and spend a decent amount of time riding it before any of the skills would transfer...

 

[Junkie]

Holy crap, man. Whatever kind of bike that is, I want it. My dirt bikes crash all the time (never MY fault, of course ).

I think he means that the bike doesn't get screwed up when crashed or at least not much


I have a WR450 and a YZ426. Both are on 17s: the former street tires, the latter slicks. When I had crappy tires on the YZ I got used to pushing the front all the time on track.

I'd really like to get a do it all "dual sport". Reliable and comfortable and powerful and low enough maintenance that I can hop on it and ride a couple hundred miles on slab (keeping up with traffic) to get where I'm going, adequate suspension travel (10" min, preferably 12") with decent springs/valves, adequate ground clearance to deal with said suspension travel, etc.

Sadly, such a thing doesn't exist (other than huge heavy pigs). I might have to build my own CRF500L. If Honda would actually build one - it doesn't seem it would be too hard for them to engineer - I'd seriously consider buying a brand new bike.

Oh, and in either situation, I'd like enough ground clearance that I could run 17s when I want to. I'm tall enough that I'm not too worried about seat height.