Bob from Florida
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Since in discussions in here we have touched on offroad riding, risks, etc etc… let me share a story from about 2013 or so. Sorry if a bit lengthy… but hopefully a bit fun, and no one gets hurt badly.
A very good, longtime friend of mine had a big IPO windfall, buys acres and builds his dream house. He enlisted my opinion for two things: His audio shrine, and (as he had ridden motorcycles as a kid) recommendations for an MX bike, since he wanted to build an MX track there. I was super excited about it, since public MX tracks have become rarer than flying unicorns anywhere near our California ZIP code.
He clearly does a lot of research and even hired some ex-Champion to consult on the MX track course, which looked awesome – three tracks in one, from flat track to super jumpy. I was there when he started considering which bikes to buy (4 of them at once), and I was like “make sure you get a 250 at first, enough power to scare you initially and go really fast, but not over the top”, a view that was greatly endorsed by the consultant.
One day he calls me up and says, hey it’s all ready and the bikes are getting delivered tomorrow, why don’t you come over and join our grand opening?”, and of course I said I’d rush there first thing, went into the garage to unbox my MX equipment and try it on and air out some of the mothball smell. I also noticed the equipment seemed to have shrunk a bit in the 6 years or so I hadn’t used it, odd how that happens. :-D
So the next morning I get there, and my friend, his son (17 at the time) and the MX consultant (pretty stereotypical CA-style surfer dude is there with his personal bike, a Beta 400-or-so two stroke race edition bike) are already there. And I see he is looking at my friend’s bike lined up there doubtfully, and as I walk close, it is a Kawasaki KX 450, and I also go, “Dude, I don’t know, didn’t we say 250? I am a bit rusty here myself, and when was the last time you rode an MX bike? They are faster these days, you know?”… but he won’t hear us and simply goes “LET’S RIDE! Check it out Pablo and let me know what you think, Surfer Dude here was already out but he’s an animal, give me some amateur hints before I go.” I knew the other guy had been out because the sweet, nearly forgotten smell of a 2-stroke engine is in the air, the dirt on his face, and his smile.
I jump on the bike, start it, go around the flat track twice to gain confidence, and damn me, that thing is fast – then switch to the mid level track… it actually has a pretty steep bump before a left turn, and there’s a wooden fence by the exit, but off I go and I am enjoying myself, while riding cautiously… and complete my second lap and want to tackle the advanced track… but he waves me down and I stop by them.
Surfer Dude is “nice nug, dude!” while my friend goes “That looked easy, I am skipping the flat shit!” and both me and surfer dude raise an eyebrow, but before we can say much, he starts the bike and shoots off like a freaking greyhound with his tail on fire… and heads for that first bump, flies like Evil Knievel and lands on that wooden fence and disappears in a cloud of dust. It took us a few seconds to process what we had seen, and as I am about to start to run I can hear Surfer Dude mutter a stretched out “soooo radical!” before he starts to run with me and my friend’s son.
Things don’t look great as I get there. My friend is lying on his back, trying to catch his breath but unable to speak. I give my friend’s son my phone, and tell him to call an ambulance, now. Meanwhile I gently put my hand on my friend’s chest, and calm him down, just saying “You’re OK, nothing seems broken. Just stay calm, don’t move. We called the pros.” Meanwhile Surfer Dude also knows what he’s doing, clearly gently feeling out his arms, legs and says “He’s breathing, he got the wind knocked out of him something fierce, let’s all chill.” My friend tries to move but winces, but now he seems to breathe much better, I keep telling him to not move, his first two words are “helmet… off” and sufer dude shakes his head and I say “no way, friend, let the medics take us through it, just relax.”. I could see he was getting better, but inside I was still very worried.
The medics arrive in less than 10 minutes (it’s a rich area :-D), and assess the situation… one of them communicates back to home base, and says “motorcycle down, white male in his 60s…” and my friend utters his fist full sentence… “I am 52, you fuc____g as___le!”.
That’s when I knew he’d be fine. :-D
He was lucky. That wooden fence split into several very sharp pieces that could have caused some nasty injury, he told me later it was just there to protect some fruit trees his wife had planted. They took him and MRI’d him, nothing broken other than his collarbone and two ribs, and a dislocated shoulder and very lightly cervical C4 or so. And of course he was super sore all over for a bit. His pig headed-ness gave us quite the scare.
He bought himself a much smaller bike for a bit, and these days has 250s (the 400 clearly was a big liability with anyone he has over). I must admit I am also much more comfortable with the 250s! (I can't believe the guy earlier in this thead that dirtbikes around with 700cc and 80hp! Go wrestle grizzlies already, man! :-D) Every year we BBQ right on that track to celebrate the day he didn’t do himself in. :-D
When the motorcycle gets "throttle by wire" ride modes become possible. My Goldwing has 4 - economy, rain, tour, and sport. Tour is default and attenuates to around 70% of what is possible coupled around sensible shift points for the DCT. Economy and rain are seriously mild with rain holding gears longer to avoid any abruptness in slippery conditions. Sport mode is like your 450 to 250 example - not something an inexperienced or rusty rider needs to enjoy right off the bat. Last time I tried to ride in the sugar sand without knobby tire on my R1150 GSA I had prior to the wing, the guy I was riding with let me try his bike. That was a KTM 450 and the first minute convinced me it was "too much" for my limited off-road skill set. I did not crash - I had already dropped the GSA in the sand earlier in the day and and discovered it was possible to pick up a 650 pound dual sport - but it got my attention before I did anything stupid. So, I did a search on dirt bikes with ride modes and there are a number of offerings from the likes of KTM, GasGas, and others. Which - as you previously mentioned - as long as the "fancy living" electronics work are good things. Nowadays you could get something beyond your abilities and start out slow and work your way up without having to purchase multiple motorcycles.
I ran across the below video on the GasGas site of a youngster riding one of their new model electric dirt bikes. It has 6 modes to accommodate the learning curve. It looks like so much fun!
