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General SportbikesThis area is made for sportbikes in general. Posts that dont really belong anywhere else besides here. Questions can be answered and addressed to fully understand certain aspects. If your question is Manufacturer specific please post it there.
Ok so there are just wayyy to many people going down from what I see are mostly avoidable wrecks from new riders. So this is something that definatly can help people understand control alot more.
The Debate has raged for years if Dirt riding makes you a better street rider or not. There is no Debate, only stubborness on the street side to not see and accept the bennefits.
Here are some reasons why the dirt helps off the top of my head, feel free to ad.
First off it helps in the most obvious area which is throttle and clutch control, second it helps in the braking area, although braking is completly backwards on a dirtbike, rear brake more than front brake usually, you understand what braking does under different surfaces since riding on the dirt you usually encounter mulitple terrain types. If you get on your front brake to hard, it washes, you learn right off to let off your front brake and your fine. If you go around a corner and your rear end is sliding, on dirt, thats calld fun and you stay in the throttle and ride it out woo hoo. Panic situations, on the dirt there is always something new thrown at you, be it an animal, bumps, ditch, rock, tree, pickup, maybe some old people backing out in front of you in a RV at the campsite. So it really helps you in those oh shit situations.
The pothole, ditch thing is everywhere, so its to be expected, you learn to unweight your front end, lean back far and take the obsticle and its not even a problem. So apply that next time you hit a pothole, dog, ect. You would be surprised how fast your body can shift in heartbeat.
Now this seems obvious, but I guess its not, going back to different terrain types, some dirt or gravel on the road will no longer be an issue to you. that right there is a huge plus, as most people tense up, which is what you want to avoid when riding.
And the last thing I can think of its its cheap if you mess up, usually you just go down, slide a bit, laugh, pick up the bike and ride on, no real damage, sometimes you have to fix a broken lever or shifter, but usually, it doesnt get to much worse than that unless your getting pretty extreme.
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It is the best way to get used to a bike sliding around and learning to deal with it. I haven't been on a dirt bike for 30 years, and sure could use the practice. It helps a lot in a lot of ways.
And, as a bonus, it is a complete blast. Being able to ride dirt bikes whenever you want is one of the things I miss about living in the sticks.
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Ok so there are just wayyy to many people going down from what I see are mostly avoidable wrecks from new riders. So this is something that definatly can help people understand control alot more.
The Debate has raged for years if Dirt riding makes you a better street rider or not. There is no Debate, only stubborness on the street side to not see and accept the bennefits.
Here are some reasons why the dirt helps off the top of my head, feel free to ad.
First off it helps in the most obvious area which is throttle and clutch control, second it helps in the braking area, although braking is completly backwards on a dirtbike, rear brake more than front brake usually, you understand what braking does under different surfaces since riding on the dirt you usually encounter mulitple terrain types. If you get on your front brake to hard, it washes, you learn right off to let off your front brake and your fine. If you go around a corner and your rear end is sliding, on dirt, thats calld fun and you stay in the throttle and ride it out woo hoo. Panic situations, on the dirt there is always something new thrown at you, be it an animal, bumps, ditch, rock, tree, pickup, maybe some old people backing out in front of you in a RV at the campsite. So it really helps you in those oh shit situations.
The pothole, ditch thing is everywhere, so its to be expected, you learn to unweight your front end, lean back far and take the obsticle and its not even a problem. So apply that next time you hit a pothole, dog, ect. You would be surprised how fast your body can shift in heartbeat.
Now this seems obvious, but I guess its not, going back to different terrain types, some dirt or gravel on the road will no longer be an issue to you. that right there is a huge plus, as most people tense up, which is what you want to avoid when riding.
And the last thing I can think of its its cheap if you mess up, usually you just go down, slide a bit, laugh, pick up the bike and ride on, no real damage, sometimes you have to fix a broken lever or shifter, but usually, it doesnt get to much worse than that unless your getting pretty extreme.
Good post, but with one common mistake: The front brake is still the one who provide more braking power in the dirt - same as on the pavement. Ricky Carmichael, for example, said once that the only thing that prevents him from going faster is the power of his front brake-he wished it could have more (not an easy statement from someone who rode with a Nissin works front brake..). To really learn how to use it...now that's something to practice on! No doubt about it though that the rear brake has a main role too, especially in "rear steering" for cutting corners (and other technics in motocross).
Off road ridin adds a rider in so many aspects:
-Throttle and clutch control, ofcourse
- Better use of your lower body
- A lot of movement on the bike which helps to understand weight distribution.
- Like u said, dealing with the "unknown" and panic situations- even a long straight could hold a lot of surprises on the dirt.
- Riding alot in the dirt helps to keep your body in good shape, much more than road riding (every one who ever got on a demanding trail will realize it in a matter of minutes)
I learned over time though, that it's important to know what to take from dirt riding to the pavement. It's good to remember that on the typical sport bike, we r sitting with bent knees and very narrow hands span - this limit our movements alot, and make it impossible to save yourself from falling with your leg, for example, or an aggressive front slide like on soft terrain. There's is alot more attention to tires grip than in the dirt, and alot more importance for being smooth (especially on public roads).
But no doubt it adds tons of control - no wonder alot of the GP's riders do motocross even on their vacations. It's just a good useful training.
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IT'S NOT THE HORSEPOWER, SO MUCH AS WHO YOU BEAT WITH IT
Those are the few things that come to mind. Also when you make a mistake on a dirt bike you can learn from it and not worry about having a big repair bill if any at all.
Good post, but with one common mistake: The front brake is still the one who provide more braking power in the dirt - same as on the pavement. Ricky Carmichael, for example, said once that the only thing that prevents him from going faster is the power of his front brake-he wished it could have more (not an easy statement from someone who rode with a Nissin works front brake..). To really learn how to use it...now that's something to practice on! No doubt about it though that the rear brake has a main role too, especially in "rear steering" for cutting corners (and other technics in motocross).
Off road ridin adds a rider in so many aspects:
-Throttle and clutch control, ofcourse
- Better use of your lower body
- A lot of movement on the bike which helps to understand weight distribution.
- Like u said, dealing with the "unknown" and panic situations- even a long straight could hold a lot of surprises on the dirt.
- Riding alot in the dirt helps to keep your body in good shape, much more than road riding (every one who ever got on a demanding trail will realize it in a matter of minutes)
I learned over time though, that it's important to know what to take from dirt riding to the pavement. It's good to remember that on the typical sport bike, we r sitting with bent knees and very narrow hands span - this limit our movements alot, and make it impossible to save yourself from falling with your leg, for example, or an aggressive front slide like on soft terrain. There's is alot more attention to tires grip than in the dirt, and alot more importance for being smooth (especially on public roads).
But no doubt it adds tons of control - no wonder alot of the GP's riders do motocross even on their vacations. It's just a good useful training.
Im glad you posted on the front brake, I was talking about this with a buddy who is a state motocross champ and he said he used the front brake all the time, didnt have time to get indepth with him on it further but after reading your post its something I have to think about and look into more closely obviously (I havnt ridden seriously on the dirt in 18 Years)
On sticking your leg out, I actually did it on my old ninja 250, went around a street corner to fast, some sand on the road and the bike washed out, dropped my leg and saved myself from going under a car. Not sure if it would work on current SS but it did then. But my damn hip hurt for a year but better than the alternative.
Ok so there are just wayyy to many people going down from what I see are mostly avoidable wrecks from new riders. So this is something that definatly can help people understand control alot more.
The Debate has raged for years if Dirt riding makes you a better street rider or not. There is no Debate, only stubborness on the street side to not see and accept the bennefits.
Here are some reasons why the dirt helps off the top of my head, feel free to ad.
First off it helps in the most obvious area which is throttle and clutch control, second it helps in the braking area, although braking is completly backwards on a dirtbike, rear brake more than front brake usually, you understand what braking does under different surfaces since riding on the dirt you usually encounter mulitple terrain types. If you get on your front brake to hard, it washes, you learn right off to let off your front brake and your fine. If you go around a corner and your rear end is sliding, on dirt, thats calld fun and you stay in the throttle and ride it out woo hoo. Panic situations, on the dirt there is always something new thrown at you, be it an animal, bumps, ditch, rock, tree, pickup, maybe some old people backing out in front of you in a RV at the campsite. So it really helps you in those oh shit situations.
The pothole, ditch thing is everywhere, so its to be expected, you learn to unweight your front end, lean back far and take the obsticle and its not even a problem. So apply that next time you hit a pothole, dog, ect. You would be surprised how fast your body can shift in heartbeat.
Now this seems obvious, but I guess its not, going back to different terrain types, some dirt or gravel on the road will no longer be an issue to you. that right there is a huge plus, as most people tense up, which is what you want to avoid when riding.
And the last thing I can think of its its cheap if you mess up, usually you just go down, slide a bit, laugh, pick up the bike and ride on, no real damage, sometimes you have to fix a broken lever or shifter, but usually, it doesnt get to much worse than that unless your getting pretty extreme.
Great post! You forgot one thing though...Wheelies!
__________________ Gear: Scorpion Stinger Jacket, AGV Forza 1pc Suit, Teknic VR-II Gloves, TCX SS Performance 2 Racing Boots, Scorpion EXO-700 Burst Helmet ( Destroyed ) Bike: Drummer Muffler, Race ECM, High Flow Air Filter, Hepco & Becker Saddlebags, Front and Rear Axle Sliders, Smaller Rear View Mirrors, Heavy Bar-ends, Zero Gravity Taller Windscreen Are you Biker Friendly?
i feel like being loose on the bike helps me alot on the street. situational awareness flying through tight trails with trees and who knows what makes me look around alot more
Im glad you posted on the front brake, I was talking about this with a buddy who is a state motocross champ and he said he used the front brake all the time, didnt have time to get indepth with him on it further but after reading your post its something I have to think about and look into more closely obviously (I havnt ridden seriously on the dirt in 18 Years)
On sticking your leg out, I actually did it on my old ninja 250, went around a street corner to fast, some sand on the road and the bike washed out, dropped my leg and saved myself from going under a car. Not sure if it would work on current SS but it did then. But my damn hip hurt for a year but better than the alternative.
Thanks for the contribution.
What r u waiting for? Get an XR200 or a DR350 and start practicing!
You really don't need a top of the line motocrosser to have fun and train on off road technic, that's probably the biggest beauty of it (just like the fun you can get out a Ninja 250 if you move the little switch in your head).
Dirt riding is one of the reason I despise clip-ons on the street (ain't that funny to hear on a sportbike forum?). They're designed for aerodynamic and weight distribution for hardcore track riding, at least that's my opinion. They limit your movement alot, not to talk about the stress it puts on your wrists and back if u're an everyday rider. So I'm all for the wide handlebar on a supersport "thingy". Everyone should try it at least once on he same bike they ride with clip-ons. The results are amazing on some bikes. Counter steering become "blinking steering", and the upright position relaxes the body alot. Alot of people complain about shaking in higher speeds while turning, but I think feedback is a thing u get used to. If u're used to dirt riding, shaking of the front is just another element of the ride, not a "scary moment".
Forget about it, I just miss my Doctor Z who got stolen a coupe of weeks ago...
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IT'S NOT THE HORSEPOWER, SO MUCH AS WHO YOU BEAT WITH IT
lol well I ride a fourhweeler now, its more practical for me at this point in my life, besides, how do you haul an elk out with a dirtbike?
I May pick up a supermoto for the track, undecided but really likeriding the SS. I love the shelter the fairing provides from the elements.
I rode dirt for 14 years before I got out of it. Fourhweelers are just a new experience for me.
i think quads are alot more work than a dirt bike but thats on a track . i can ride all day on 2 wheels and i can only ride a quad for a few mins before im tired but it is nice to have a couch when you stop in the pits
but a quad is always nice for playing on trails
Last edited by bodydropcbr6 : 07-31-2008 at 02:34 PM.
I raced quads, and dirtbikes. But it was oppistie for me. I could ride the SHIT outa my quad. I could clear bigger jumps on it too. I know weird right?
Anyways I had a situation the other day that made me think " Man those douche bags on SBN that think dirt doesn't help are retarded."
I was on the highway. Going around this blind turn and there is a light on the other side of it. I knew that. But i was behind some douche bag that decided to lock em up right when the light turned yellow. So i braked HARD. Lots of front and a little back. Well the back started to skid a little bit and instinctively I let off and regained traction just to hit the rear brake again and come to a complete stop.
I didn't learn brake, clutch, and throttle control on a street bike. I learned it on the DRIT!!!! so preach on brother!
Riding a motorcycle is like playing the piano...you have to be able to use left and right hands and feet independently...by reaction and without thinking. I see many posts on this forum that say I saw the car pull out...or I went into the corner too fast and I GRABBED TOO MUCH FRONT BRAKE...
As Blurr said...starting on dirt teaches you balance, throttle and clutch control, and how to control slides...you learn how to handle situations at slower speeds that enable you to react and save yourself on the street
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Another element that isn't talked about much, nor do I recommend to anyone that cares about their bike is riding a streetbike off road. It's best if you have an old beater bike laying around. It doesn't matter if its dirt or a big grassy field. That really taught me to make smaller movements and not to work so hard to make the bike respond. It also taught me how to become a safer rider in dangerous conditions. It saved my ass when I was riding a fast sweeper in Georgia and all of a sudden the road went from paved to dirt and gravel.
The Benefit's of riding dirt
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Get an XR200 or a DR350 and start practicing! 
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