Hello all! I have been lurking around this site for a while now and finally decided to post something. This site has allowed me to find some really awesome people that ride in my area, particularly Bob and Anne Brooks. They only live 5 minutes from me and have been really helpful with advice and bike maintenance. Thanks guys!
So here’s my story …. I have been riding street bikes since 93 and after having some close calls from the maniacs on 4 wheels I decided to give dirt riding a try. Of course coming off the street I automatically think I can handle a 400cc thumper since my street bike was bigger than that. Bob and Anne told me otherwise, and I am glad I listened to them. This past October they took me out to Buffalo Rock and were able to get a spare bike from a friend, a KDX 200/220, for me to try out to see if I even liked it or not. Really cool! I even got to try Anne’s XR 250 (before she switched to the KTM 200) which I soon realized why I don’t want a 400cc bike, that little 250 was heavy to pick up and had plenty of power. I didn’t do to bad my first time out; I fell a lot and had a hard time starting the bikes (I couldn’t find the electric start button). But Anne was really patient with me and all I could do is say I was sorry for falling so much.
Anyway, I decided this is what I wanted to do so in January I sold my street bike and bought a used 2000 KDX 220, from another friend of Bob and Anne. It had all the goodies on it, FMF pipe, frame guards, skid plate, FRP handlebar clamp thingy, FRP kick start lever, and the FRP rear fender. I was all excited about riding with them again. Then Anne had her accident on their trip to Oklahoma. That poor thing has been through hell and is doing a lot better now as she posted earlier. My first outing was interesting. Bob took me out to Buffalo again, and I did one of those seat drop offs and watched the bike fly through the air. The front rotor was bent along with the sub frame. I wanted to sell the darn thing, and was wondering why the hell I wanted to do this. Well in the next week or so they helped me put the stock pipe and sprocket on along with other things to make it milder. Bob, thank you for all your help! My next outing was a lot better, sort of. It was at Wardy’s place in Fox Valley. I did decent on the trail stuff but the 3 hills we attempted I made it up at least half way and fell over. This chick needs to work on the basics, body positioning and throttle control, etc.
The moral of the story is this dirt riding stuff is way harder than any street riding I ever attempted. Those boys on TV make it look really easy. My 2 experiences this year have been very humbling, as I no longer think I can pick this up as easy as I did with street riding. Bob and Anne, thank you so much for your support and talking me out of not giving up so easy.
So here’s my story …. I have been riding street bikes since 93 and after having some close calls from the maniacs on 4 wheels I decided to give dirt riding a try. Of course coming off the street I automatically think I can handle a 400cc thumper since my street bike was bigger than that. Bob and Anne told me otherwise, and I am glad I listened to them. This past October they took me out to Buffalo Rock and were able to get a spare bike from a friend, a KDX 200/220, for me to try out to see if I even liked it or not. Really cool! I even got to try Anne’s XR 250 (before she switched to the KTM 200) which I soon realized why I don’t want a 400cc bike, that little 250 was heavy to pick up and had plenty of power. I didn’t do to bad my first time out; I fell a lot and had a hard time starting the bikes (I couldn’t find the electric start button). But Anne was really patient with me and all I could do is say I was sorry for falling so much.
Anyway, I decided this is what I wanted to do so in January I sold my street bike and bought a used 2000 KDX 220, from another friend of Bob and Anne. It had all the goodies on it, FMF pipe, frame guards, skid plate, FRP handlebar clamp thingy, FRP kick start lever, and the FRP rear fender. I was all excited about riding with them again. Then Anne had her accident on their trip to Oklahoma. That poor thing has been through hell and is doing a lot better now as she posted earlier. My first outing was interesting. Bob took me out to Buffalo again, and I did one of those seat drop offs and watched the bike fly through the air. The front rotor was bent along with the sub frame. I wanted to sell the darn thing, and was wondering why the hell I wanted to do this. Well in the next week or so they helped me put the stock pipe and sprocket on along with other things to make it milder. Bob, thank you for all your help! My next outing was a lot better, sort of. It was at Wardy’s place in Fox Valley. I did decent on the trail stuff but the 3 hills we attempted I made it up at least half way and fell over. This chick needs to work on the basics, body positioning and throttle control, etc.
The moral of the story is this dirt riding stuff is way harder than any street riding I ever attempted. Those boys on TV make it look really easy. My 2 experiences this year have been very humbling, as I no longer think I can pick this up as easy as I did with street riding. Bob and Anne, thank you so much for your support and talking me out of not giving up so easy.
