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So I rode.... BRAAAAAAAAAPPPP!!

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
So I rode motorcycles for the first time. Well I must admit, it is probably just as fun as downhill. I have ridden downhill bikes in the past a lot, and own a Canfield Jedi myself. I want to get back to it but it's so hard with going to school full time and work nearly full time with some harder science classes to boot. Motocross is just closer and I would beg to differ, it is cheaper if you go with a friend to split gas etc.

I was surprised however, how fast I caught onto shifting and how natural riding felt because of downhill. I even hit all the jumps, including one that was nearly 40 feet (3rd gear pinned). When I hit woops my front end wanted to jump around too which is something I am not used to. My back end was everywhere (no homo).

So I know the common mantra here is "PICS OR STFU" so I here are pictures. Mad fun day, I ended it though over shooting a jump, grabbing a fist full of throttle, and smashing my tailbone, which still hurts 2 weeks later. I am in the blue with my KTM, my friend is in the TLD gear with the Honda. It was a blue diamond motocross track, the beginner track though.

Credit of photos goes to my friends brother.
 
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Kanye West

220# bag of hacktastic
Aug 31, 2006
3,740
470
Moto makes DH seem extremely cost prohibitive by comparison. And by that I mean initial purchase costs, maintenance/upkeep costs, and dollars per hours of fun in a weekend - sheer amounts of saddle time.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
I think I am only going to stick to tracks. And yea that's one thing about moto, hour for hour of riding, it is more expensive. But it is closer too, I could go riding in the morning at a track an hour away and go to work on a Saturday night still, I can't do that with downhill.

We shall see, I hear my type of bike (KTM 144sx) are pretty reliable for the most part too.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,135
Portland, OR
wait till you start riding trails
:stupid:

Just don't follow GFF, he's crazy.

Moto... is not the macarena. It takes patience. She is like a fine, well-aged prostitute... it takes years to learn her tricks. She is cruel, laughs at you when you are naked, but you keep coming back for more, and more! Why? Because she is the only prostitute I can afford!
 

jekyll991

Monkey
Nov 30, 2009
478
1
Belfry, KY
See you on ktmtalk.com.


First thing you need to make part of your sub-conscious is squeezing the bike with your legs and using your legs to turn instead of your arms - then you get into things like using the front brake to set the bike up in corners and actually gain traction.

If you hit a jump 3rd gear pinned I'm sure it's bigger than 40ft.. I finally managed to clear a <90ft table top at my local track and I'm just starting wind 3rd out.
 

-BB-

I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
I think I am only going to stick to tracks. And yea that's one thing about moto, hour for hour of riding, it is more expensive. But it is closer too, I could go riding in the morning at a track an hour away and go to work on a Saturday night still, I can't do that with downhill.

We shall see, I hear my type of bike (KTM 144sx) are pretty reliable for the most part too.
Just the opposite here... I can be at a DH spot in about 10 min. It would take hours to get to a decent Moto spot.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
See you on ktmtalk.com.


First thing you need to make part of your sub-conscious is squeezing the bike with your legs and using your legs to turn instead of your arms - then you get into things like using the front brake to set the bike up in corners and actually gain traction.

If you hit a jump 3rd gear pinned I'm sure it's bigger than 40ft.. I finally managed to clear a <90ft table top at my local track and I'm just starting wind 3rd out.
Yea it is weird holding the bike with my legs. I kept sitting back to far at first because of my downhill bike. I have no sense of traction though with the motocross bike, because in downhill I can feel the vibration and feel the tires sliding the least bit.

The jump was about 40 feet. It is only a 144sx but the jump didnt have much of a lip. You could only get about 5 feet of air out of it, and I don't know how to preload so the bike sucks up the whole lip I felt like. I can't preload yet or won't try because I am just trying to get comfortable on it still. Super fun though.
 

jekyll991

Monkey
Nov 30, 2009
478
1
Belfry, KY
Yea it is weird holding the bike with my legs. I kept sitting back to far at first because of my downhill bike. I have no sense of traction though with the motocross bike, because in downhill I can feel the vibration and feel the tires sliding the least bit.

The jump was about 40 feet. It is only a 144sx but the jump didnt have much of a lip. You could only get about 5 feet of air out of it, and I don't know how to preload so the bike sucks up the whole lip I felt like. I can't preload yet or won't try because I am just trying to get comfortable on it still. Super fun though.
I'm still bad about staying too far back sometimes too, mainly while cornering though and in the air.

Trail riding is fun, but simply doesn't compare to lining up on a gate with 15+ other riders waiting for it to drop.

Speaking of the 144, I would really love to give one of those a try since a catastrophic failure of my 250f will lead to serious $$$ needing spentb after getting a 30 yard holeshot on a 120yard start straight this weekend I don't know if I could give up the power haha.


EDIT: I also recommend getting a gopro and an LSP lap timer if you plan on racing. My LSP hasn't come in yet but I took some gopro video of practice last week and I was able to see all the places I was losing time, I was amazed at how much I was coasting into corners. Also having someone take video of you ride could help because you could see how your bike is behaving instead of just going off of feel.
 
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manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
i'm looking forward to getting some bikes when i finish the academy and move the family out to tucson. i bribed noah with a dirtbike to motivate him about the cross-country move ;) tons of open areas to ride out here....
 

flymybike

Monkey
Jan 7, 2004
260
0
Jackson Hole
DH - 15 min drive to the top of the pass.
Moto - ride from the house, 6 min to the top of the mountain.

Both have something great about them but a DH bike IS more fun, imo.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,941
13,135
Portland, OR
i'm looking forward to getting some bikes when i finish the academy and move the family out to tucson. i bribed noah with a dirtbike to motivate him about the cross-country move ;) tons of open areas to ride out here....
Man, the thought of your kid with twist power is scary! :thumb:
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
DH - 15 min drive to the top of the pass.
Moto - ride from the house, 6 min to the top of the mountain.

Both have something great about them but a DH bike IS more fun, imo.
I like downhill and really was comfortable with jumping and was getting quick, especially when I started centering my life around it for a year, riding 3-4 times a week, but I don't know if it's as fun as downhill. I would have to ride downhill again since I haven't been on a bike forever. It's been a good year maybe a little less, and I have been in the gym a lot and gained 40 pounds within the past year, so I need a heavier rear spring, and funds are low...
 

jekyll991

Monkey
Nov 30, 2009
478
1
Belfry, KY
In my opinion nothing comes close to lining up with 15-20 other bikes on the gate waiting for it to drop.

Last weekend there was a huge lightening strike over the mountain in front of me right as the gate dropped, lets just say I now I truly understand what it means/feels like to be stoked.

I never got that feeling racing dh for the short time that I did. I got the typical butterflies in the stomach for a few seconds waiting in line but as soon as they started counting me down to drop in that went away, and I always ended up riding my slowest during race runs because I would get bored with no one around to follow or pushing me and just ride the brakes all the way down.
 

Iridemtb

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2007
1,497
-1
Whenever I took race runs I ended up wrecking. As I got better I rode more reserved but was still getting better and better placing. It's such a fine line to ride. And yea, about the starting gate, I followed my buddy to a track called Englishtown, which is apparently pretty popular and the gate looked mad intense. It was sick seeing people go 0-40 that close to each other, brake checking each other. The little kids (age 3-5) were the best to watch. So funny.