"Who Else Rides Dirt Bikes?"

Hey guy's how many of you ride Dirt Bikes, & do you think riding in the dirt makes you a better rider on the street? I know I do, I've ridden since I was 5 yrs. old. I also strongly believe that riding off road makes me a much better rider.
This is when she was new:

This is now:

A great day at Stonyford:

 

I do ride but I have thus far refused to acknowledge that 4-strokes are dirt bikes :biggrin:

 

While I have only ridden street bikes for a couple of months now I think it is a huge advantage. I know I'm a rookie in the learning curve, however the advantage is I can understand what I read and what another rider is telling me or warning me about. My dirt riding skills I think saved me on my last ride. I had to stop as fast as possible and a side road was coming up. I felt like the car behind would not be able to stop, so I hit front and rear brakes hard and the rear wheel locked up. I had to lean to the right and let the rear roll a little and I knew I would still be to hot for my skill level. I just went to my dirt bike instinct and locked the rear and slid sideways while using less front brake, I let the clutch out at about the middle of the turn and the bike stood up and I made the turn into the side street. I know this is a bad idea on a street bike, but I do think 36 years of dirt bikes and counting saved me that day.

 

I agree. Off road riding skills help you out tremendously on the street. I've been riding dirt bikes since I was 10 and spent many years racing MX locally. I think that riders that are new to the street that have off road riding experience have a huge leg up on things and that the learning curve is minimal.

However, I do agree two4one that when I think of dirt bikes, I think of high revving 2-strokes. Even though I traded by CR125R in for an XR650R almost 5 years ago, I still don't fully associate 4-strokes with off-road. You would think by now that I would!!! Oh I miss my racing days.

 

I ride a 98 Triumph Tiger, does this qualify as a dirt bike? 3 cylinders and 500 lbs. means you won't enter any enduros, but it is a lot of fun to ride. I take it on fire roads and logging trails. Here it is touching the Pacific Ocean.

 

I grew up riding dirt & enduro bikes (Yamaha YZ250 & Honda 350R) and I believe it helps. Hopefully got all the wrecking out of my system on those from acting like a fool, to just dropping one going around the yard.
A friend of mine is considering getting a sport bike and he has never rode a bike in his life. I told him he should either take a course on a small used bike, or get a dirt bike first. Don't know about the rest of you, but most all my accidents on a dirt bike were when I was going slow or even stopped (you know, getting off in a hurry.)

 

I ride dirt bikes but mainly just with my 10 yoa son, so maybe I just ride a "trail bike". I've not had any experiences which I feel my trail riding experience has benifited me on the street but any seat time is good time, right?

 

I used to think so, as I used to race motocross. One advantage is that MX taught me not to panic. Sometimes I think off road riding helps, and sometimes not.

 

I agree tremendously! I started out on a Honda 50 and finished by racing CR125s’ & 250s on the local So. Cal MX tracks. I learned how to get out of a lot of “OH SHIT” moments and the ones I didn’t, I learned how to fall with the bike. Unless of course she high sided and turned me into Superman.

I’ve been riding on the street for 25 years without incident. Had many Oh Shit moments from dumb ass cagers.

 

I got to try a friend's Aprilia SXV supermotard bike.. 450cc V-twin dirt bike..what a blast..

 

I think Yamaha is coming out with a 250f motard bike this year. I'd consider it or a Husky motard.

 

For myself, dirt riding improves my street skills, but not vice-versa. If I go too long on just street I find my dirt bike skills kinda rusty. I actually prefer dirt over street, so that's usually not a problem though.