I think I may have had the best ride of my life yesterday.
After a couple of months of work I finally got my XR200 in good working condition. For those who don’t know, I got this bike for free. The down side was that it came in three boxes ;).
Anyway, the stars aligned yesterday, and I took Samantha and Nick out for their first ever dirt bike ride. Now these are no young-uns. Sam’s 21, and Nick is 18.
Until yesterday, Samantha had never tried riding a dirt bike. Nick had one bad experience trying to ride my XL500 when he was 15, and never tried again. L
Since Rob, Samantha’s boyfriend, had to pick up his bike before going to the pit, Nick got first shot at the bike.
He got geared up; Helmet elbow pads, knee and shin guards, gloves, and goggles. He did not want a repeat of his previous experience.
Once he was astride the bike, I gave him the basics. He works in a bike shop, so he pretty much had the book knowledge of what to do; he had just never applied it.
A couple of kicks got the bike started. He slowly let out the clutch, and miracle of miracles, he started moving. I swear, I heard him let out a little “whoohooo!” once he realized that he didn’t stall it!
Nick got one little circle in before Sam and Rob showed up.
Now it was Samantha’s turn. :eek:
Sam is a bit of a girly girl. I don’t think she ever would have wanted to even try riding if her boyfriend didn’t ride. But, I wasn’t going to stop her if she showed the interest. She geared up. Kicked the bike once or twice, then slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the bike started to list toward the left. The more it leaned, the faster it went. I grabbed the handlebar just before the point of no return. She needed to figure out the balance of the bike. Laughter all around. J She tried again. I wasn’t so quick this time. The bike went down, but Sam stepped aside, so no harm done. She tried kick-starting it a little bit longer, but got nothing more than a burble out of it. I think that I eventually started it for her.
So, there she was, sitting astride the bike, engine running. She pulled in the clutch, I showed her how to shift into first; we all held our breath. Off she went!!! Same as her brother, First try.
She was doing great!
Then it happened.
I think there was about 20 feet of mud in the 10 acres we were riding in. And I had parked next to it. Samantha tried to ride through it. She grabbed a fist full of front brake. Instant slide. Down she went.
I really thought she would be done at this point. She proved me wrong. She got up, and with a bit of help from Rob, got the bike upright again. Then she swung her leg over the seat, checked for neutral, and kicked the bike over. It sprung to life, and off she went again.
The two of them traded places all afternoon. Samantha ended up with one heck of an egg on her shin where the bike fell on her. Her response?
“ I guess I won’t be wearing any skirts for a week or two.”
Nick was tearing around like an old pro by the time the sunset. The only reason he stopped was because he couldn’t see where he was going anymore. (He is completely hookedJ)
About the only thing that would have made the day better would’ve been if my wife Paula had braved the cold to try the bike out. Technically, I built it for her. She said she would try when it’s warmer. I’ve got a feeling that Nick and Sam wont want to give it back.
Yup, best day I’ve had yet.
I’m one proud Papa.
After a couple of months of work I finally got my XR200 in good working condition. For those who don’t know, I got this bike for free. The down side was that it came in three boxes ;).
Anyway, the stars aligned yesterday, and I took Samantha and Nick out for their first ever dirt bike ride. Now these are no young-uns. Sam’s 21, and Nick is 18.
Until yesterday, Samantha had never tried riding a dirt bike. Nick had one bad experience trying to ride my XL500 when he was 15, and never tried again. L
Since Rob, Samantha’s boyfriend, had to pick up his bike before going to the pit, Nick got first shot at the bike.
He got geared up; Helmet elbow pads, knee and shin guards, gloves, and goggles. He did not want a repeat of his previous experience.
Once he was astride the bike, I gave him the basics. He works in a bike shop, so he pretty much had the book knowledge of what to do; he had just never applied it.
A couple of kicks got the bike started. He slowly let out the clutch, and miracle of miracles, he started moving. I swear, I heard him let out a little “whoohooo!” once he realized that he didn’t stall it!
Nick got one little circle in before Sam and Rob showed up.
Now it was Samantha’s turn. :eek:
Sam is a bit of a girly girl. I don’t think she ever would have wanted to even try riding if her boyfriend didn’t ride. But, I wasn’t going to stop her if she showed the interest. She geared up. Kicked the bike once or twice, then slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, the bike started to list toward the left. The more it leaned, the faster it went. I grabbed the handlebar just before the point of no return. She needed to figure out the balance of the bike. Laughter all around. J She tried again. I wasn’t so quick this time. The bike went down, but Sam stepped aside, so no harm done. She tried kick-starting it a little bit longer, but got nothing more than a burble out of it. I think that I eventually started it for her.
So, there she was, sitting astride the bike, engine running. She pulled in the clutch, I showed her how to shift into first; we all held our breath. Off she went!!! Same as her brother, First try.
She was doing great!
Then it happened.
I think there was about 20 feet of mud in the 10 acres we were riding in. And I had parked next to it. Samantha tried to ride through it. She grabbed a fist full of front brake. Instant slide. Down she went.
I really thought she would be done at this point. She proved me wrong. She got up, and with a bit of help from Rob, got the bike upright again. Then she swung her leg over the seat, checked for neutral, and kicked the bike over. It sprung to life, and off she went again.
The two of them traded places all afternoon. Samantha ended up with one heck of an egg on her shin where the bike fell on her. Her response?
“ I guess I won’t be wearing any skirts for a week or two.”
Nick was tearing around like an old pro by the time the sunset. The only reason he stopped was because he couldn’t see where he was going anymore. (He is completely hookedJ)
About the only thing that would have made the day better would’ve been if my wife Paula had braved the cold to try the bike out. Technically, I built it for her. She said she would try when it’s warmer. I’ve got a feeling that Nick and Sam wont want to give it back.
Yup, best day I’ve had yet.
I’m one proud Papa.