[emrat:7295] Learning to Ride Off-Pavement

Tuesday 7 July 2015

[emrat:7295] Learning to Ride Off-Pavement

For many moons now, I’ve been meaning to ask the EMRAT group if anyone would be interested in taking a one-day course to learn how to ride dirt-bikes.

If there’s one consistent point that I’ve noticed in all the books and articles on improving one’s street-riding skills that I’ve read since 2003, it’s learning how to ride off-pavement.

For those who do not have a background in riding off pavement, it can be frightening to encounter sand/gravel on a curve or suddenly find yourself in a construction zone riding through dirt, gravel and perhaps mud on your street bike. Plus, learning how to ride off-pavement opens up the rest of the American West to exploration, not to mention participating in the annual Bullet Bob Dual-Sport Ride.

Here are two stories about my sons, Ben and Aaron, who took up motorcycling a few years ago. Ben and Aaron took a dirt-bike course, and have been very positive about how it has given them more confidence for street riding.

Before then, Aaron had hit some sand/gravel on a curve in Left-Hand Canyon while riding the Thruxton (which he and Ben co-owned at the time), which scared the be-Jesus out of him. He did not go down, but it left him very shaken.

And, one week before taking the course, Ben dumped the Thruxton in a heavily graveled parking lot in Boulder Canyon, causing several hundreds of dollars in damage, which Erico’s repaired. Ben said later that, if he had taken the course earlier, he would not have put the bike down.

Here’s the web site for the school:

http://uniteddirtbikeschool.com/

The school supplies small Honda dirt bikes for the students. If I can get an idea of about how many people would be interested, I’ll see if they could offer a group discount. Right now, I don’t know what the total number of riders they could accommodate would be.

I’m looking at a tentative date in September, say, Saturday, Sept. 19^th, to do this. That will be after Triumphs in Taos but, hopefully, before Capt. Bob’s Fall Overnight Ride.

If you are interested, just reply directly me:

dpilcher@cochamber.com

Stay safe,

Dan