Considering getting dirty..... | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Considering getting dirty.....

ajaxguy said:
Hey man, do you do the races? Now this seem sup my alley and one of my sons would definately love this. Would this be expensive, or can it be done relatively cheap? You can IM if you wish, as i would like more info.
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Check out these guys: http://www.ocmc-racing.ca/

They are local. Tracks are North of Oshawa and Pickering. I've raced a few of their events. Friendly atmosphere and family oriented.

They would probably be one of the most cost effective solutions for racing.
 
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rmemedic said:
Being in Peterborough you are in a prime area.
If you want to try track riding, check out MMRS.ca. You'll be able to do Saturday practices with on site medics and flaggers on all the jumps. You wouldn't be much more than an hour from the furthest track.
You will be put in a group of the same skill/age class. I'm finally 30, so I can finally ride and race with mature guys.
The offroad guys race in eastern Ontario a fair bit (might be giving this a go in the spring).

Dirt riding if done right is a work out. You'll gain more control and skill than street riding can ever teach you, and in general, the guys are all cool. Nobody cares how old your bike is or what brand, if you're in head to toe of the latest high end gear or riding in jeans.

Get out and give it a go!
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I agree with the fact that it is a work out. Everytime I ride... honestly, my arms and forearms get sore afterward. I thin kit's because I grip a little bit too hard
 
mdouglas71 said:
I agree with the fact that it is a work out. Everytime I ride... honestly, my arms and forearms get sore afterward. I thin kit's because I grip a little bit too hard
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I would agree that you're using your arms too much. You should gripping the tank with your legs more.

If you haven't already, I highly recommend doing the ODSC and/or Rally Connex training day/s.
 
mdouglas71 said:
I agree with the fact that it is a work out. Everytime I ride... honestly, my arms and forearms get sore afterward. I thin kit's because I grip a little bit too hard
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That gets better with time for most people. Called "arm pump". You know you've got it when your throttle hand locks at wide open and you can't get your clutch fingers off the bar to pull the clutch in... Always fun!
Biggest thing is to learn to relax on the bike, remember to breath and like stated, use your legs to hold you to the bike.
Cardio off the bike helps with this, improves your body's circulation to clear out all that lactic acid.
 
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Snobike Mike said:
More fun, yes, safer? Doubtful. It's simply a different type of danger.

Nevertheless, ride safe and enjoy.
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I would rather take my chances ripping through the trees over cautiously doing 50 through a busy intersection. Trees don't make stupid judgement calls and pull out in front of you.
If you ride to have fun and don't overly push yourself it's perfectly safe. It's when you start pushing yourself too hard and too fast that you have a good one. I've been landed on, landed on other guys, and have taken dirt samples all across Ontario, but if I was just out taking it easy and enjoying a mild paced ride, I doubt I would have another big accident.
I've never dropped the street bike. And chances are, if I do have an accident on the street it will be due to another motorist. Dirt experience, especially racing, gives you an advantage on the street. Having an outlet to get all your agressive riding, like in the dirt, will make you calmer on the road because you do have the proper place to ride like an idiot.
 
rmemedic said:
I would rather take my chances ripping through the trees over cautiously doing 50 through a busy intersection. Trees don't make stupid judgement calls and pull out in front of you.
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True, however, try hitting one of those trees and you may find that ripping through them hurts if you end up ripping into them.

What happened right in front of me at about 10kph in the Ganny resulted in a Air ambulance ride and over a year of physio for a friend of mine so those trees can be very very very dangerous.

My point is to those who quickly dismiss the road as dangerous and say the dirt is "safe" simply haven't had their serious off or known someone who has.
 
You're right there... But those risks are the ones I'm more willing to take.
I've seen enough injuries at the track and have had a few myself to know it isn't 100% safe. I had a bad enough incident last year it took me out for the season. Had a buddy rip his intestines out on a foot peg. Broken bones are common, concussions are common and we get a few deaths in the sport in N/A every year... That is just the ones that are profile enough (at an organized race/event) that make it in to the news. There most be a fair bit more fatalities in the group that rides off road due to the higher amount of riders riding in uncontrolled environments, and generally, those that are the "weekend warrior" types aren't as skilled/fit as the guys that make it a serious part of their life.
 
Morrissey said:
So after 15 years of strictly street riding, I am giving some thought to switching to trail riding/dirt bikes. I have a kid now, and I don't get to take off for days at a time any more (lucky to get 5hrs) and everywhere I can ride to and back on a day ride I've done 20 times over. I've always been interested in dirtbiking, but never had the opportunity to try it. I was thinking of going to the dirt riding school in Ganaraska Forest to see if I like it. They give you a quick lesson on riding in the dirt, rent you the bike and all the gear and then let you loose on the trails for 3-6 hrs depending on the package you get. They even serve lunch. Has anyone tried this school? Recommendations? Regrets? Thanks.
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Just made the same jump this fall (after 10yrs of street) for similar reasons.

Bought a Tiger XC though, not a straight dirtbike as I could not square with the 'image' of riding a dirtbike to customer meetings or out and about the town.

Took the trail-tours course, met a great group of Toronto riders from ADVRider.com, found some local-ish trails, now spending 80% of my riding off the pavement and loving it.

Riding a bigger bike does pose some learning challenges (mainly being darn tiring picking up the 500LBS beast after dumping it 3-4 times a day), but so far haven;t regretted the decision to go with a bitter bike.

If you haven't already, i'd say sign up for a course (next year) and go for it!
 
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