digest number 2694

[jackfrontz]

I have poor off road riding skills but want to improve. Can anyone recommend and books or videos? How about 3 or 4 tips to help a beginner. I have been street riding for many years but don't feel confident off road. Thanks for any help you can provide. Jack Frontz Coshocton , Ohio

[Frosty]

When I first bought my bike last year it had been 30 years since I had been on one. So, I took a class through the MSF motorcycle safety foundation that was a weekend of class and hands on - their bikes. I've heard that they offer a similar class for off road. If anyone knows about it I'd be more than happy to buddy up and take it. The road class was pretty good, so I'm confident if the same group offers one off road it would be good as well. I was looking for a good reason to do it. This would be great. Heck I've dumped it once, why not learn how to do it more gracefully. But let's do it quickly, the weather won't last like this much longer. Frosty -----Original Message----- From: jackfrontz [mailto:jfrontz@...] Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 1:31 PM To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_klr650] NKLR Off road riding tips I have poor off road riding skills but want to improve. Can anyone recommend and books or videos? How about 3 or 4 tips to help a beginner. I have been street riding for many years but don't feel confident off road. Thanks for any help you can provide. Jack Frontz Coshocton , Ohio Checkout Dual Sport News at http://www.dualsportnews.com Be part of the Adventure! Visit the KLR650 archives at http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 Post message: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: DSN_klr650-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com List owner: DSN_klr650-owner@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[guymanbro]

If you've got the money, look into some classes like MSF Sirt riding, or American Supercamp, or Jimmy Lewis' Off-road School. If you don't, find some riders that are better than you to go ride with. Here's the best pointer I can give you: STAND UP!!! Don't be lazy. Get used to riding around on the street standing up and handling the bike that way. Then go try it in the dirt. When you're standing on the pegs it doesn't feel nearly as scary when the bike shifts around a little on the dirt (or gravel, or mud, or sand, or rocks, or...) as it does if you're ass is fully planted on the seat. dat brooklyn bum -- In DSN_klr650@y..., "frosty" wrote:

> -----Original Message----- > From: jackfrontz [mailto:jfrontz@c...] > Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 1:31 PM > To: DSN_klr650@y... > Subject: [DSN_klr650] NKLR Off road riding tips > > > I have poor off road riding skills but want to improve. Can anyone > recommend and books or videos? How about 3 or 4 tips to help a > beginner. I have been street riding for many years but don't feel > confident off road. Thanks for any help you can provide. > > Jack Frontz Coshocton , Ohio >

[Allan Patton]

Find an old 250 to practice with. Much easier to pick up. I never did learn to ride in the ruff stuff, but I get by on a 250. My KLR650 is a road bike, including dirt and fire roads, but deep sand eats me up. Allan Kansas

----- Original Message ----- From: "frosty" To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 3:52 PM Subject: RE: [DSN_klr650] NKLR Off road riding tips > When I first bought my bike last year it had been 30 years since I had been > on one. So, I took a class through the MSF motorcycle safety foundation > that was a weekend of class and hands on - their bikes. > > I've heard that they offer a similar class for off road. If anyone knows > about it I'd be more than happy to buddy up and take it. The road class was > pretty good, so I'm confident if the same group offers one off road it would > be good as well. > > I was looking for a good reason to do it. This would be great. Heck I've > dumped it once, why not learn how to do it more gracefully. But let's do it > quickly, the weather won't last like this much longer. > > Frosty > > -----Original Message----- > From: jackfrontz [mailto:jfrontz@...] > Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2002 1:31 PM > To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subject: [DSN_klr650] NKLR Off road riding tips > > > I have poor off road riding skills but want to improve. Can anyone > recommend and books or videos? How about 3 or 4 tips to help a > beginner. I have been street riding for many years but don't feel > confident off road. Thanks for any help you can provide. > > Jack Frontz Coshocton , Ohio > > > Checkout Dual Sport News at > http://www.dualsportnews.com > Be part of the Adventure! > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > > Post message: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subscribe: DSN_klr650-subscribe@yahoogroups.com > Unsubscribe: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > List owner: DSN_klr650-owner@yahoogroups.com > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > > > > > > Checkout Dual Sport News at > http://www.dualsportnews.com > Be part of the Adventure! > > Visit the KLR650 archives at > http://www.listquest.com/lq/search.html?ln=klr650 > > Post message: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com > Subscribe: DSN_klr650-subscribe@yahoogroups.com > Unsubscribe: DSN_klr650-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > List owner: DSN_klr650-owner@yahoogroups.com > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > >

[Devon Jarvis]

I was in exactly the same situation exactly one year ago. I'd been riding street bikes for years, and the sensation of not having the tires firmly and precisely connected to the ground was frightening. I looked for an MSF dirt class, but they are hard to find. Those that I found didn't supply bikes, and were months away. So I decided to learn by doing. Find experienced people locally who ride offroad, and are patient (Tumu). Unless you are just going to ride gravel roads, get rid of the stock tires. Armour the bike, and yourself, as much as possible. This will mean the difference between riding home or towing home. Carry whatever spares you will need to get home and the tools to fit them. Don't ride alone, since you will drop the bike and if it gets wedged into a tree on a hill, you will need help to get it upright. Start off easy, practicing things like braking on dirt roads until you lock wheels. Resign yourself to not having a new bike, it's the first dent that hurts. The rest come easy, unless you dent the tank with your nuts. Some people have complained about deep sand, but this is mostly tires and rider acclimation. The KLR works fine in sand but doesn't have the power to go over 45-50mph in the deep stuff, thought this is plenty fast for me. Stock tires suck in sand, IRC-GP110 are just acceptable in sand (great street tires), Kenda K270 are better in sand and soft stuff (decent street tires, and cheap), Pirelli MT21 are very good offroad tires (sort of OK on street), and Kenda K760 are (I've heard) excellent offroad but only suitable if you live 5 road miles away from the dirt. The big thing is getting used to the bike not being firmly connected to the ground. Learning to not strong-arm the bike onto a precise line and allowing it to wiggle around a little makes the difference. Once you're on the gas, going about 15mph all the KLR wants to do is stay upright and keep moving in a straight line. You'll mostly fall when you panic and hit the brakes. Devon A15 jackfrontz wrote:

> I have poor off road riding skills but want to improve. Can anyone > recommend and books or videos? How about 3 or 4 tips to help a > beginner. I have been street riding for many years but don't feel > confident off road. Thanks for any help you can provide. > > Jack Frontz Coshocton , Ohio

[Felicisimo E. Madarang]

Same boat as Jack. Been street riding for over 20 years, but am loving my new KLR. I understand the need to stay on the pegs but at my age and laziness I also enjoy keeping my fat ass planted on the seat and just twisting throttle. Scary at times when tires break away, but here in southern AZ I mostly ride on hard packed desert with lots of sand and gravel thrown in.

[zootpatutie]

> If you've got the money, look into some classes like MSF Sirt riding, > or American Supercamp,

Is this a misprint? Did he mean skirt riding school? Man, how much money is that one? Todd (you'll need helmet, license, boots and title to your house.)

[Marc Illsley Clarke]

Gary Semics' books and videos. -- Marc, KLR650 A12, Loveland, Colorado, USA ----Original Message-----

>From: "jackfrontz" >To: DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com >Subject: [DSN_klr650] NKLR Off road riding tips >Date: Saturday, May 11, 2002 14:31 > >I have poor off road riding skills but want to improve. Can anyone >recommend and books or videos? How about 3 or 4 tips to help a >beginner. I have been street riding for many years but don't feel >confident off road. Thanks for any help you can provide. > >Jack Frontz Coshocton , Ohio

[Murray Dochstader]

Re: Trip to Bella Coola: The whole trip will be on paved road (except for the relatively short section down to sea level), so just decide if you want to ride a 250 c.c. bike that far on paved roads. Murray Dochstader. B.C. Canada.