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Have you lost the fear of dirt?

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Broke 2 ribs on xmas eve. There was a bit of fear in me when I crashed, but that only started once the backwards slide came into play. The only thing keeping me from getting back is the need to heal more. 10/10 intend to conquer the hill, that I crashed on, my first time back out.
 
beefsalad said:
Broke 2 ribs on xmas eve. There was a bit of fear in me when I crashed, but that only started once the backwards slide came into play. The only thing keeping me from getting back is the need to heal more. 10/10 intend to conquer the hill, that I crashed on, my first time back out.
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😬
 
I think I’m over class 1 roads, don’t mind running road tire pressures either, however I want to learn how to take corners faster. I don’t mind some slip when cornering but there’s a point were it still makes me tense and want to put a foot down.

I rode a short class 2 road this week that was fun, no slick terrain but some ruts and holes, feels good when you’re peg weighing and making the bike move around the ruts.
 
I don't corner fast. I am a BIG believer in slow in, fast out... if you can see your exit line. This is ESPECIALLY true on dirt roads. Case in point. Last Saturday evening I was riding and my daughter on the back of my GS. We were cruising some local dirt roads and discussing riding technique. I had literally just finished talking about blind corners and how taking them to fast leaves you no time to react to surprises. Literally seconds later we came around a blind corner and there was a truck on our side of the road, stopped and checking his mail, but he could have been pulling out to cross the road to his driveway at any second. Fortunately, he stayed put and I was able to go around him. At that same moment, another truck was coming around him through the dust cloud created by the first truck and I had to thread between them because that other truck was moving pretty quick, obviously not expecting anyone else to be coming the other way. I was riding at a pace where I had plenty of time to process, decide, and act. I could have easily gone faster, but then I would not have had as much time to go through that process.

My firm advice is DO NOT worry about being fast in corners. Worry about being smooth and riding within your line of sight. Over time, you will naturally get a little faster and might even get faster than you should. This is when you will probably have a few good scare moments that let you know it might be time to dial it back even though you can go faster. Just because you can, it doesn't mean you should ;-)
 
There's some great advice in this thread.

I'll just add, riding with people who are better and more experienced on two wheels than you at every opportunity helps a lot as well. But remember, better and more experienced doesn't always just mean faster.
 
Tourmeister said:
Over time, you will naturally get a little faster and might even get faster than you should. This is when you will probably have a few good scare moments that let you know it might be time to dial it back even though you can go faster. Just because you can, it doesn't mean you should ;-)
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That faster than you should before you know it seems ridiculous, but it's the **** truth. DAMHIK! Best advice yet right here and something I still need to work on. It's a lot harder than it sounds. Hopefully I'll have better luck following it in the future.
 
There is nothing to fear about dirt , you are in total control all the time . The highway is where the fear is , every other soul on it is trying to take you out . Dirt skills will give you a huge advantage there because you always have the option of getting off the pavement to avoid them .
 
A little long but that handlebar shake on the sand :giveup:

 
I like Kamrad's videos. His love of the Tiger 900 Rally Pro helped push me over the edge.
 
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Ocho said:
A little long but that handlebar shake on the sand :giveup:

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Cool video. 13 gallons of gas for a 200 mile race hitting 100 mph on sand on a heavy bike. Lots of WOT. Heard the rev limiter several times on the video.

That's the fun way to ride sand. Fast.
(also probably terrifying...but in a definitely feeling alive kind of way)
 
Ocho said:
I definitely need more time honing my skills, even standing still feels a little alien to me (and I struggle to break/shift/corner a bunch). My thinking is if I get a dirt bike/light dual sport bike and do those single track rides (with gnarly rocks, ruts, etc), I might get more confident on the GSA. Then again I hear riding the big bikes requires a different skill set. My current plan is basically launch myself into challenging trips, like a BDR, or the Big Bend difficult roads, etc, see how I come out of them, and maybe with success comes confidence.
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I was thinking this too. River road / old ore and see what happens about 80 miles worth and you will come threw the other side changed.

I noticed that hole the rider entered was shaded and he said he saw it too late. I hit a shaded water hole that I saw too late going around 30or so and the wave action almost blasted me off the pegs. Scared me pretty good...takeaway, watch those shadows.
 
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I yell at myself when riding the same way he does. STAND UP! SHIFT YOUR WEIGHT! KEEP YOUR EYES UP! It really helps :thumb:
 
I have had more close calls on highways than i have had on dirt. But that one fall on dirt was what really hurt me. some years latter and i still hurt from it.
Like Tourmeister stated, I have just about yelled out loud at myself telling me to get on the pegs, lean the bike and get your butt off to outside or your gonna die.
 
I've had at least 10x and likely 20x+ the crashes on dirt vs pavement.

I can remember all my pavement crashes, 3 on track and 2 on street but I've had countless crashes on dirt.

Having said that, dirt crashes are typically little to no damage to me or the bike. I've had a couple memorable ones that took a bit of repair but most were just crashes that made me tired when I had to pick the bike back up.

Point being...I think I don't fear dirt as much because I've crashed enough and realize I'm probably not going to get hurt too badly on a dirt crash. That...and you learn from crashing so I guess I have learned a lot.
 
I wanted to give a quick update. I've been doing a lot more dirt this year than the year before and definitely have seen an increase in my confidence. There's still a lot of advanced techniques I don't even know how to do, but at least I've gotten used to the feeling of the bike on dirt. I just feel I need to remain constant with my dirt rides or I'll forget it!

I've been mulling about getting a small bike to OHV parks and become even more comfortable. Maybe, I still don't know if I'll do it. I primarily want to feel comfortable on a big bike on the normal Class 1-2 roads of Texas.
 
Ocho said:
I wanted to give a quick update. I've been doing a lot more dirt this year than the year before and definitely have seen an increase in my confidence. There's still a lot of advanced techniques I don't even know how to do, but at least I've gotten used to the feeling of the bike on dirt. I just feel I need to remain constant with my dirt rides or I'll forget it!

I've been mulling about getting a small bike to OHV parks and become even more comfortable. Maybe, I still don't know if I'll do it. I primarily want to feel comfortable on a big bike on the normal Class 1-2 roads of Texas.
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Great news. A smaller bike might give you a bit more progression in you skill development but it sounds like you are doing fine without it.

I'd probably not advise you to get one unless you believe you want to do that type of riding as it's an expensive way to gain that experience. It's just probably not worth it unless you want to ride technical, little bike stuff, in which case it would be a great addition.
 
I have really not ever had a fear of dirt. I learned to ride enduro trails up in a national forest in Ohio, lots of knarly trails with mud, sand, steep hills mixed with big trees right next to the trails. Didn’t really get into street until I raised a family and they brought home their own bacon.

Now, shoe is on the other foot. At my age, a spill can cost me more than I am willing to sacrifice simply for the pleasure of riding and seeing the sites from the saddle. In my mind, I still believe I can toss the bike around but in reality, not so much.
 
Even if you plan on only riding "easy" class 1 and 2 roads on the GS, riding a smaller bike can really help. I found that after getting my KTM 530 EXC and riding it, I became more confident and better at riding my GSs, even on the easy stuff. I think the lighter bike really allows you to focus more on the skills than on compensating for a big bike, which can distract from learning the skills. I started on an 1150 GS (HEAVY) and progressively went lighter, but have gone back to a 1200 GS (still heavy, but nowhere near as bad as the 1150!). There is just something about the big GS that I really love, even on dirt. But I don't trail ride it (intentionally...).
 
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