This is the first of a six-part series on dirt bike riding.  In these articles I will cover topics such as choosing the right bike and riding gear as well as navigating trail obstacles using advanced techniques such as wheelies and jumping.

By relaying my personal experiences (and countless mistakes!), I hope that readers can shorter their own learning curve.  Beginner riders and those just starting out will probably get the most from these articles. 

My love for dirt bikes started when I was probably around 10 years old, living in urban New York. (Warning - long, boring story that has nothing to do with "how to ride" follows.  Read at your own risk.)

Where I lived in NY, virtually every inch of ground was covered with concrete or buildings... except for a single trail that ran behind the 19 story apartment building that I lived in.   The trail was called an aquaduct, which as far as I can tell, is basically an underground water pipeline.  

On a daily basis, I would spend hours on my balcony (which was on the top floor) in the hopes of catching a glimpse of one of the dirt bike riders that would occasionally go by.   On average, I would get lucky about 2 times a week... mostly I just stared down at the empty trail and imagined how it would be to ride one of those bikes.

Keep in mind that from 19 floors up, the detail of a dirt bike going by almost 1/4 mile away is a bit limiting.  Basically, it was a noisy dot.  One day, however, my friends and I were playing in the parking lot that separated the building and the trail and one of the riders came cruising through.

Having only viewed them from my balcony, seeing the bike from ground level made it seem like it was 10 feet tall.   I have no idea what game we were playing at the time, but all activities stopped and with me in front we took off on foot after this helmeted hero.  Even though he was going very slow, it took all our 10 year old legs had to keep up with him. 

After a hundred yards or so, he stopped to talk to one of the older kids from the neighborhood.  While they talked, we formed a semi-circle around the bike and whispered about how cool it was.  For most of us, this was the first dirtbike we ever saw up close.  I don't know what effect it had on the others, but it was one of those life altering moments for me.  One that I would only get to take advantage of after another life altering moment yet to come.

After this up close sighting, my vocabulary for the next 3 months consisted of, "MOM!!!  why won't you get me a dirtbike?!"

Each time, she would rattle off a reason and the conversations inevitably ended up with me running off mumbling about how she didn't really love me.  Suffice it to say that I never got a dirt bike while living in New York.

Enter the second life changing moment.

In one of those odd twists of fate, our 19th floor apartment caught fire and we lost everything.  Next thing I know, I find myself saying goodbye to my friends and headed up to rural Massachusetts.   I was deeply saddened during the first months and as kids sometimes do, I let my folks know that a dirtbike would sure go a long way toward easing my suffering. 

The battle was easier now because most of my Mom's excuses no longer were valid.  We did a 180 degree turn as far as living conditions.  Now, the only concrete was the single road that ran in front of our house... everything else was trees and trails, with the occasional house.

After a few months of pestering, I got my Dad to agree.  We began the shopping process and shortly thereafter I was the proud owner of my first dirt bike - a Yamaha 80.  A quick trip to a local store and I had the best helmet $19.95 could buy... (there all the same anyway, right?)

Since my father had never ridden, and we didn't know anyone that did, I learned the old fashioned way.  Read the first few pages of the manual, start it up, and ride.  And fall and ride and fall and ride...

After a couple of years of this, and an upgrade to a larger 175cc bike and a new $19.95 helmet, the falling had pretty much stopped.  Looking back, however, my skills had not really improved... I simply learned which trails I could navigate and at what speed.

This new bike was a dual sport bike, and as soon as I turned 16 I got my motorcycle permit and hit the open road.  My first legal street trip was a ride to school about 7 AM in late March or April.   About 1/4 mile from my house was an "S" turn that snaked underneath a railroad overpass.  While the morning sun had dried the dew elsewhere on the road, the overpass prevented the sun from reaching the pavement. 

What appeared to be water was actually black ice and I quickly found myself on the ground in a ditch on the side of the road.  I was able to pick myself up and continue on to school where I took a quick inventory.  Helmet cracked, nylon windbreaker torn to shreds, elbow dripping with blood, jean pocket ripped.  The moral here is to where proper riding gear.  I was only going around 20 mph during this crash and suffered injuries when they were entirely avoidable.  But I'll leave street riding gear to another place on this website.

After 10 years or so of street riding (where I made many of the same mistakes as dirt riding - mainly not getting proper training), I returned to my dirt biking roots.  I started off on a quad, but quickly realized that a dirt bike would be more agile and switched over.  I still did not seek help from anyone and quickly realized just how poor my skills were. 

The trails that I now found myself on were much more difficult than those of my youth.  I quickly repeated my previous method of learning - ride, fall, ride, fall....  (what's that saying about age bringing wisdom?)

Well, with persistence and time, I now find myself writing this series of articles.  Before you get the wrong idea, I do not consider myself an "accomplished" off road rider.  However, after many years of trial and error, there are very few trails that I can't get up, through or over at a decent pace.

Please read the upcoming articles with the spirit in which they were intended... a general guide to getting into dirt bike riding the smart way.

I hope you enjoy the articles and welcome your comments. Tony

04/03/01

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