I up until this May had never ridden a Motorcycle, but I was racing XC mountain bikes locally and at provincial (state) events. I was putting in 5-7hrs. a week of riding my tricked out hardtail. I was in great shape but then something happened.
I finally got a new job I was after (Network Analyst) and riding to work (25k round trip) stopped Then my boss invited me to try dirt biking out, I had always wanted to try it and couldn’t wait. I envisioned tabletops (jumps), wheelies, throwing the bike around, clearing doubles and the rest of what I saw on TV. So when we got out there he said "just try 1st and 2nd gear until you get used to it" and I was like “more like 3rd and 4th and big air”. Not a chance, the XR200 I was on was 10 times heavier and soo unresponsive to steering input compared to my 21.5lb bicycle. I just couldn’t point my way through the tight trails like on my bike, I was amazed that I wasn’t strong enough to bunnyhop it or even use the same bicycle body english at all. Plus what the heck is the front brake doing on the right side, and how do you coordinate this pedal brake dealy. What I did love was when there was a straight-away or hill, it made my bicycle like, well ugh - human powered. I was always hoping for a little point and shoot action. I was at 5% blood adrenaline levels; it was and still is awesome. I have but can’t afford to anymore, raced Formula Fords and I still love them but the power to weight ratio of a 250MX bike is so much higher that it puts them to shame. Now maybe a Toyota Atlantic car might be closer but @ $250,000 a season I’m not sure I’ll ever know. I guess I just fell in love with them and now and I can’t stop.
So then it really happened, my pedal bike took second best to motorcycling, I purchased a 90 RMX and I haven’t looked back. Though I’m still learning, every knew ride is better and better, and soon I will be able to say to the RMX what I say to my pedal bike “Now I am the master”. (STAR WARS reference– hey some people have never seen it – the same people that say “motorbikes are too loud and lets ban rain because it erodes the trails, a motorcycle you must be a hooligan, I’m scared of stuff)
Anyways bicycles are great training for motorcycles.
Anything with 2 or 4 wheels should be driven hard and raced even harder always all the time.
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90-RMX 250
Formula Ford
[This message has been edited by Formula (edited 12-14-2000).]