Motocross try out day

[bonio]

Last week I signed myself up for a motocross try out day run by mxtryout in Mildenhall.

 

What I didn't realise until I tipped up at the track was that all the other punters would be under 14. Ah well, can’t duck out now. I went to get changed, chatted to one of the Dads who was helping his 8 year old on with his kit, and faffed about working out exactly how many layers I needed to keep the cold out.

 

Then I bumped into a bloke in his 30s who’d ridden green lanes until some broken ribs had put him off. He was there to pick up confidence. Then a lad in his 20s who’d bought a dirt bike on a whim earlier in the year, gone out, crashed it, and sold it. He was there to get some proper training. And one of the Dads was going to ride as well. We formed a gang of four for the day.

 

Briefing. This is a Honda 250. Here’s is the gear change. Don’t use first. Here’s the clutch, but you only need it when you start or stop. Sit forward and stick your elbows up like this. Don’t be a nob.

 

And then we were off, just simple ovals in second gear on the dirt. The bike was super torquey; keeping the throttle smooth wasn’t easy, but we all seemed to do it well enough, so after a quick break we were let out onto the track proper. By lunch we were having a go at standing up on the pegs.

 

The afternoon was a series of 15-minute sessions with 15-minute breaks in between: time to decompress, grab a cuppa, and think about the next session. The track gradually got more challenging: the turns, chewed up by the bikes, were getting deeper and deeper in loose stuff, and the straights more and more pitted and rutted. But with plenty of time to pick up confidence, most of us were sliding out of the turns, standing on the straights, and getting steadily quicker. This bit was great fun

 

The day was run really well – good, clear instruction and then occasional tips and encouragement from the side of the track. Loads of marshals out, too, so you always knew what to do.

 

I’m never going to be a motocross rider but I’d definitely be up to do it again.

 

[Tinkicker]

Great. Glad you enjoyed it.  Its all about small steps.  Rome was not built in a day.  Something the modern world seems to have forgotten.

 

I used to get kids on bikes, not entirely novices, but said "in a hour, you will be riding over this 12" log".  Looks of disbelief on young faces.

 

Lesson one.  Throttle control and weight control.

 

Lesson two.  I throw a twig down on the floor.  Ride over that.  Do not touch it with the front wheel... Every time the twig gets a bit bigger...

 

An hour later and all are riding over the log...

[Simon Davey]

Sounds like a great day @bonio, nice to have a different kind of day to look forward to next time. 

[bud]

Motocross is fantastic at teaching you bike control.  It sounds like a fun day.

The last time I rode an MX bike was about twenty years ago. I couldn't believe how knackering it was. In our 20's we would ride all day, no problem.

[Mickly]

10 hours ago, Tinkicker said:

Great. Glad you enjoyed it.  Its all about small steps.  Rome was not built in a day.  Something the modern world seems to have forgotten.

 

I used to get kids on bikes, not entirely novices, but said "in a hour, you will be riding over this 12" log".  Looks of disbelief on young faces.

 

Lesson one.  Throttle control and weight control.

 

Lesson two.  I throw a twig down on the floor.  Ride over that.  Do not touch it with the front wheel... Every time the twig gets a bit bigger...

 

An hour later and all are riding over the log...

Ooh, maybe you could have helped me with this I found yesterday

[Tinkicker]

20 years ago, and equipped this one of these, yes I could, albeit with a carefully placed rock to launch from...  These days, not so much. Now I am just an old git who hits the ground with a loud splat and a careful poll of what body parts are no longer working afterwards.

 

Edited November 17, 2024 by Tinkicker