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Advice on Teaching the Kids

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nevlec

nevlec

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Charles
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Nevle
I am looking at getting into dirt biking as a family activity. I've got 3 kids, 13, 12, and 10 who have no motorcycle experience and though I have plenty of street experience I don't when it comes to dirt.

My thinking is just doing the parking lot thing, but my guess is that there may be a better way of teaching. Has anyone been through this that can offer advice?

Thanks!
 
nevlec said:
I am looking at getting into dirt biking as a family activity. I've got 3 kids, 13, 12, and 10 who have no motorcycle experience and though I have plenty of street experience I don't when it comes to dirt.

My thinking is just doing the parking lot thing, but my guess is that there may be a better way of teaching. Has anyone been through this that can offer advice?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hmm... maybe not the parking lot thing. Big grassy field, maybe so. Clutch control is a must and I would think makes everything else fall into place a bit easier. As a beginner learning how to use that rear brake in conjunction with all the other bike.. parts.. would be useful too. That and just getting used to how the bike reacts differently off road than it does on pavement.

Just my two cents. I'm a beginner myself, so take my advice with a grain of salt. :rider:
 
I can help (I think). Here is as drill that sounds incredibly boring- but it is highly instructive- if you think about it. Get two soft, large objects- like old car tires. Place them about 25 feet apart in a cleared field. Have the rider approach, brake, turn and repeat- again and again in a figure 8 pattern. The object is to go as fast as you can. As the rider becomes profecient, separate the tires by a further distance. Later, you can add another tire or an obstacle between the tires. This motion teaches the basics of dirt riding: acceleration, braking, turning, and overcoming obstacles- aka bike control. When the tires are 100+ feet apart, the rider will be in command of the skills to tackle some trail riding without being too intimidated.

I would also suggest there is no substitute for good instruction. Kids learn fast. And a skilled instructor can bestow a willing kid a lot of good habits that will last forever.

Obvioulsy, you must keep it fun.
 
chirpy has a thread where he's teaching his kiddos, and in another thread KenH had some really good thoughts, very thurough
 
Yup.

Big field. KenH's curriculum is great...maybe we'll get to it someday ;-)

I marked off an oval about 60 yards long by 15 or 20 wide with string, and that was(is) still our primary track for throttle and braking drills. The string is great, because it's no problem when they run wide and hit it.

Yours are older, so they might pick it up quicker, but for me I had to really ratchet my expectations down. So much of what we think as "natural" isn't, it's learned behavior, and it's hard to learn.

We still don't have braking down very well yet, but we're working on it.

I like the tire idea for a step up, and may throw that into the mix next decent weekend.

But go for "big" field. We had a five acre buffer, and still managed to run into a barbed wire fence in the first 10 minutes :doh:
 
Find a field instead of a parking lot. I've trained two and can tell you at times it can be pretty hard on you. I think I did ok with the first one but I never get to see him on the trails unless he has pulled over to wait on everyone to catch up with him. The second just transitioned to a bigger bike with a clutch and for now I can keep up with him.
 
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