Considering getting dirty.....

Morrissey

Morrissey

Well-known member
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.
 
I enjoyed dirt riding more than street riding... simply for the fact I could be hooligan and have a lot of fun without getting in trouble with the police. All in all I think I will be picking up a dirt bike again. Only regret was crashing the dirt bike and tearing up my knee.
 
muddysixtysix said:
I enjoyed dirt riding more than street riding... simply for the fact I could be hooligan and have a lot of fun without getting in trouble with the police. All in all I think I will be picking up a dirt bike again. Only regret was crashing the dirt bike and tearing up my knee.
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I AGREE.. wheelie heaven and no bs or worries...
 
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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I've been riding street since 1988 and now I also have a dirt bike so as to ride with my 8 year old son (who's had a 50 since he was 2). Unfortunately my son appears to have lost interest so the future of my dirt riding is questionable (given the choice between the two, I'll ride street).

That all said, Trail Tours is the school you're referring to and I HIGHLY recommend them. They've got a fantastic setup there and some top-notch instruction. I had a lot of fun there. IMHO the answer is simple; try out Trail Tours and see what you think... and go for the whole day!
 
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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I've been to Trail Tours a few times and always had a blast - go for it.
 
+1 on Trail Tours. Did it a few years ago before I got my own dirt bike again (started when I was a kid and then life got in the way for a while). Super fun! When we were there, there was a girl who had never thrown a leg over a bike in her life and she had a blast! Learned how to ride first thing in the morning, and then rode the woods the rest of the day. We weren't with her since we were lucky enough to group 4 of us together as we all had lots of experience and we went with one instructor on our own. Single and double track all day, awesome. :)
 
Trail Tours is great and Ganaraska is awesome!!
 
Yes, do a day with Trail Tours, it is absolutely worth it.

After a decade of street riding everything was looking pretty boring, so this fall I did a day with them. I started checking kijiji as soon as I got home and ended up with a dirt bike in the garage a couple of weeks later. The street bike hasn't been ridden since.

Ganaraska is simply awesome. An afternoon in there and you'll wonder why anyone rides a bike on the road in Southern Ontario at all.

And if you want to get into the dirt and don't have room for another bike and a trailer, you can arrange to have Trail Tours store your bike on site at Ganaraska, service it and even wash it for you after every ride. It is a bit pricey, but it is an interesting option if you are short on space or if you just want to hide the bike from the wife. =)
 
Dirt is the way to go. More fun, safer. Only downside is that we don't have many options around GTA besides Ganaraska.
 
As much as I love road racing the thought of blasting a berm into a whoop section makes me get all giddy.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I'll be signing up for a ride in the spring. Sounds like I'm not alone in my situation. I don't want to be doing jumps or anything, but it would be nice to spin a tire or gas it coming out of a corner without worrying about getting a ticket. I'm willing to bet that 35km/hr down a twisty dirt trail is more exciting that doing 100km/hr down a paved road. Also, now that I have a kid, I can't get out and tour like my Givi encrusted Bandit would like me to, so dirt riding is very appealing. I can go out, release a little of my inner hooligan, blow off some steam, and still be home before supper. Best part to me is the lack of straight/boring sections and lack of distracted drivers. Living up in Peterborough, I am easy driving distances to the Ganny and several other trails up in Haliburton and even Bancroft. Its going to be a long winter!!
 
i struggle with this on a daily basis.... i do ride my streetbike everyday but its mainly commuting and the odd night jaunt. But with 3 kids I dont get out on rides as much as I like. So I keep struggling with selling my street bike and buying a dirtbike. I have only been dirty once, and that was with trail tours and I f'in loved it! the single track was amazing, and the guy even told me that he was shocked it was my first time i was super technical and knew what to do.
I just dont know how often i would get up to the ganny, thats the problem. I would like to look into a decently priced sul sport or supermoto maybe would be the best of the two.
 
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!
 
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.

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 race every weekend typically.
My track fees for the weekend (gate fee, camping, practice, and 2 race classes on Sunday) was $115.
My big expense is the 3 hour drives one way with a large trailer through a pretty hilly area.

Its a great group of people, the club is growing. Your son will make friends with the guys he rides with as long as he isn't shy. It's one of those environments that after riding Saturday all the kids scatter to go to whoevers trailer and nobody worries because it's such a tight group of people. Same people every weekend. We call it a roving trailer park. Heck, everyone even parks in their regular spots at each different track. Sort of neat how that has happened.

You can message me anything about it, I know the promoter pretty good.
 
Morrissey said:
I'm willing to bet that 35km/hr down a twisty dirt trail is more exciting that doing 100km/hr down a paved road.
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That's right. It's all relative. Grabbing a handful and a couple gears thru the trees is a beautiful thing when done correctly. Tangling with trees, roots, rocks and 250lb machinery can be painful. Be prepared for time off work due to injury. Or have that on your mind at all times.

I did 10yr street before dirt. My 4yr. MX experiment is now 20yrs ago. Great learning experience, everybody should do it.
 
inreb said:
That's right. It's all relative. Grabbing a handful and a couple gears thru the trees is a beautiful thing when done correctly. Tangling with trees, roots, rocks and 250lb machinery can be painful. Be prepared for time off work due to injury. Or have that on your mind at all times.

I did 10yr street before dirt. My 4yr. MX experiment is now 20yrs ago. Great learning experience, everybody should do it.
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That is one thing about riding fast off road (or slow when you're new). You will get hurt. You will end up face down in the dirt. So be prepped for that. If anything, it gives you a reason to get or stay in shape.
I crash frequently and usually I just pick up the bike and keep going. Sometimes parts break, either on the bike or me but it's part of the game.
 
rmemedic said:
That is one thing about riding fast off road (or slow when you're new). You will get hurt. You will end up face down in the dirt. So be prepped for that. If anything, it gives you a reason to get or stay in shape.
I crash frequently and usually I just pick up the bike and keep going. Sometimes parts break, either on the bike or me but it's part of the game.
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And it's the darndest thing you don't expect when new. Like a stiff MX boot just grazing the shifter into neutral setting up for 2nd gear creek jump......rrrrrrrrrinnngggg plop!
 
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