Getting in to motocross

[Aspect]

I always wanted to do it when I was younger, but parents could never afford it. Now at the ripe age of 23 im thinking about it again, and it's financially more of a realistic prospect (self funded).

Thing is, i've never ridden a motorbike in my life. I can ride a push bike just fine, but i have no illusions that it will be anything like that.

So my questions are...

Are any of you guys in to MX? And if so, any suggestions on how i should go about learning and getting in to it?

My dad used to race, but that was many moons ago. It was quite cool to see his face when i said i fancy trying it

Thanks in advance for any replies!

 

[Aspect]

Thanks for the reply mate.

Id plan on getting a decent second hand bike. I'll look for one that doesn't need much work. Saying that, my dads worked on bikes his whole life, so im pretty confident about the maintenance.

The real question i have, is how to go about learning when i've never rode a motorbike. I drive, so i have an understanding on how to work a clutch/gearbox. I guess im just worried about learning in a public setting.

Any advice?

 

[Aspect]

Was that the first time you ever rode a bike?

 

[Aspect]

you will crash. a lot! when riding a crosser. before you make the effort go to some practices at ryton nr coventry.

MEGA isn't the word when you see Gary Taylor performing stunts in the middle if he still does!

seriously look into it and get a ride on one before commiting - i race and i hated it!

Ha, i do suspect i will spend more time picking up the bike and my body parts than actually riding. I've been playing rugby for the last 10+ years, so im not a stranger to injuries or pain.

Is Ryton a good place to start? I think the nearest track to me is Little Packington, not sure how suitable it is to start on though.

 

[Aspect]

I don't have any close friends who ride, but i do know a few people i could possibly ask. I imagine the trick will be getting used to the power delivery initially, and the different way of clutching/changing gears.

Unfortunately i don't know anyone with land. Thanks for the kind offer, i will keep that in mind mate.

In the past i've had a tendency to rush in to new interests and burn out with them quickly. So i want to take my time to do this properly.

 

[Aspect]

I used to ride when i was 15 years old but due to the lack of money and the cost to maintain the bike i could not afford it then.

But at 25 i wanted to start up again so got my bike around November last year and all the gear i needed and been riding every week end since and am so glad i started back.

You say your dad used to race is there any chance your dad could learn you how to ride, i know you say it was a while ago but i had not been on a bike for 10 years and i could still ride so maybe your dad could help you ?

Im sure my dad would try and help, although i can see the arguments happening now lol.

It's expensive and it's hard, difficulty wise and physically, but it's fun.

You can get a decent bike for £1500, but the other kit is relatively expensive, another few hundred. You'll need a trailer or a van, trailer will be a couple of hundred.

Riding these days tends to be £30-35 a day for practice tracks, the bikes need a lot of maintaining - oil changes, filter changes/cleans, they destroy tyres, they destroy chains, two strokes need rebuilding and four strokes need valves checking (less often, more expensive), fork seals need doing and so on. It does eat a large amount of money but it's tons of fun.

If you're committed it's well worth doing - if you don't have any friends that do it you will be able to make friends through it if you're a little outgoing, the people at practice days are always friendly enough in my experience.

As for learning, you just need somewhere flat at first, I started off on wasteground locally, riding a couple of mates' bikes, then got my own and just trundled around every week for a while before I started going to tracks.

It's a steep learning curve but it's fun, and largely, falling off means aches and pains as opposed to real injuries. The day after I always used to feel like I'd just fallen down the stairs whether I'd fallen off the day before or not. It's a relatively low speed sport so the chances of massive injuries are comparatively low. Knees and wrists are most common injuries from what I've seen.

Yeah i think the trick will be finding somewhere flat where i can learn. Once i get the nack of it, i'll be much more confident in heading to a track.

 

[Aspect]

Any suggestions to what bikes i should be looking at guys?

 

[Aspect]

Cheers for the advice guys!