Riding offroad should be mandatory | GTAMotorcycle.com

Riding offroad should be mandatory

bigpoppa

bigpoppa

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(This is just my experience and perspective, so take it with a grain of salt)

So I spend the last week doing what could be considered mild offroading, mostly unintentionally when i was feeling adventurous, i ended up taking the street bike, with street tires, and standard(not lowered) tire pressure into some dirt, gravel, fire roads, double track

and BOY was it AWESOME!!

Mostly because I couldn't believe afterwards how much it improves your riding skill...

After spending some time offroad, your confidence, feel (and by extension skill) on the road improve TREMENDOUSLY!

After you feel your bike/tires constantly slipping around under you , your tires constantly losing/gaining traction and grip, your rear wheel locking up as you go down a big dirt hill because instead of modulating and pumping your rear brake, you stomped on it....the sheer amount of confidence and FEEEEL you get on the road is insane...


I know some of the veterans feel in ontario they should have an licensing system perhaps like the Europeans, but Id say its probably better to implement a system where for the first little bit you HAVE to start on a dirt/dualsport...my god, in addition to being ridiculously fun, it would probably make everyone a better and more skilled rider

I am by no means an expert on the offroad, but MAN this was just too awesome not to share...(feel like i discovered electricity or something)


Feel free to share your thoughts
 
Huge "LIKE".

But don't make it a law, we already have enough of those for "The greater good"
 
It is awesome, and there is nothing more fun than knowing at best is a raccoon not a tractor trailer that will run out in front of you.

But please dont look to impliment any new laws.

Or encourage the idiots that ride around "on ramps" playing GP to get dirt bikes. Access is a hard enough issue without dill holes riding around the forest.
 
Dirt and street riding is like
apples and oranges...every rider
should experience both...


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If only there were more places to ride a dual-sport off-road west of the 400...
 
Go North young man, go North.
 
I learned to ride on snow and fully agree with the training effect.

Now if we can only get cagers to learn to drive on other than perfect paving. A trip around a skid pad would be a start.

No skid pad? How about learning to use a side view mirror. Only two syllables in mirror, should be doable.
 
enjoyed the few trips I've taken my street bike into the bush
was looking to it more this year as I put some more suitable tires on
but have been too busy working to give them a try

hope you're not serious about making this law
never invite the government into your life
 
Underdog said:
Dirt and street riding is like
apples and oranges...every rider
should experience both...


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I'll disagree on the apples and oranges thing. They're still on a motorcycle and the bikes react the same way but yes, everyone should learn to ride in the dirt.
 
It's not practical but is sure is valuable.

Dirt and sand riding allows the bike to get loose and not panic. And if in low speed crashes, you experience what it's like to fall. The added bonus of getting up to keep going. Definitely a confidence booster.

Coming out of a turn sideways under acceleration. Braking and washing out the front end. Learning the importance of the rear brake under some traction limited surfaces.

It can make for a better rider for sure. And it can also handicap others. Some think they can ride their street bike with the same mind set as dirt riding. It's stupid. But it happens.

Much in the same way riders ride just like they drive. Following too close or riding with the assumption of right of way and getting smoked by a cage in the wrong. If they were in a car, likely wouldn't happen but on the bike, it does.

Anyways, glad the OP had fun in the dirt/mud/sand. It is great fun!




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nakkers said:
It can made for a better rider for sure. And it can also handicap others. Some think they can ride their street bike with the same mind set as dirt riding. It's stupid. But it happens.
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Both of my Nephews learned in the dirt before heading onto the street, and both have had minor on road get offs because off road traction doesn't apply to street tires.

One of them really needed to watch twist of the wrist to understand more advanced street riding and how it differs from drifting a berm on throttle with the front leg out.

Experience comes from making bad decisions. :D
 
While I agree with the sentiment, I also agree that we have enough laws as it is.
I enjoy as variety of terrain, which is why I chose my li'l G650GS as my bike and have no regrets.
Blackfin, lots of nice un-maintained roads around Orangeville/Creemore.
 
Rotten_Ronnie said:
Both of my Nephews learned in the dirt before heading onto the street, and both have had minor on road get offs because off road traction doesn't apply to street tires.

One of them really needed to watch twist of the wrist to understand more advanced street riding and how it differs from drifting a berm on throttle with the front leg out.

Experience comes from making bad decisions. :D
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yes, some habits from the dirt are bad news on the street
the feet off the pegs being one of the worst
needs to be un-learned quickly
 
Seems I'm one of the few that can apply dirt riding to street/asphalt riding. Cool beans.
 
I have a reversed experience .... rode street in Ontario for 7-8 years and got to a point where I barely ride it anymore. So last year, I got myself a dirt bike .... and found it to be the best thing I have done for myself in years. The problem was/and still is at times that I am so used to street bike position on the bike and movement that it has taken me long time, to stop leaning the body, instead of the bike. Still not completely cured the habits, but this year is a ton better. Getting there ....

In case you wonder ... I think Ontario has some of the best trail riding opportunities when all is said and done, I wish the same could be said about street riding opportunities. Once a year Deals Gap might be the only street rising thing on my calendar ....
 
Its great to ride both. Trail tours is a great way to start dirt riding and get the full dirt experience-ish, then you know what to expect slightly when you go back on your street back (minus probably 150% of the traction you get with knobbies lol)

But riding dirt vs riding street is opposites in terms of behavior. In dirt when you lose control you give'r to get traction, on street you shouldn't be throttling like a madman as you will most likely just increase wheelspin. But i do agree that in general, being able to ride dirt on your regular bike is a big confidence booster.

In my case being able to crash offroad and remain unscathed is a big booster for me. Also it doesn't hurt my ego as much to fall in dirt than if i'd fallen on the street as i can say "well that was too gnarly and i took a wrong line and misjudged my bike's capabilities" rather than " i'm a horrible rider, i can't keep it up on the street"
 
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Went downhill mountain biking in Whistler. Stuck my knee out on the first corner. Everyone asked me what the ****. Dirt riding is weird, and I didn't even have a motor!

Luckily the rear brake was on the right side or I would've crashed many more times due to muscle memory.
 
dricked said:
Whut?
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You don't let off throttle when riding in loose sand/dirt on a dirt bike if you're losing traction. You regain traction by increasing the throttle to enable knobbies to get a grip.

On a street bike, with street tires, completely different story obviously. I found that it was counter intuitive to give it gas, but it was what worked, and the instructors from trail tours did tell us we'd have to get away from certain habits we'd built up from street riding.
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