Learning to ride a trail bike

[Bill in Oregon]

OK, confession time. Although I somehow managed not to kill my instructors with the Honda Rebel I was loaned for my motorcycle safety class some years back, all of my subsequent experience has been on a twist-and-go Honda Ruckus. Now that I live in the desert, surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of miles of great riding trails, I thought I ought to find myself a Honda Trail 90 or 110 on Craigslist. Then I discovered the Yamaha TW200. Light, lean, durable, simple, low, big tires -- ideal geezer bike.
So I'm thinking I'll just get a helmet and some gloves, and maybe a dedicated jacket, find a stretch of flat, open trail, make sure no one is watching, and proceed to make an utter fool of myself until I either fall off and die or learn how to shift and steer like a grownup.
Sound about right?

[pwl44m]

It don't work that way Bill. Trust Me !
Perry

[Chuck 100 yd]

You will have it down in no time flat. Have fun!

[2ndovc]

The TW200 is a very forgiving bike.
Take it slow and you'll be fine. Sit still and learn the gear pattern for an hour or so. Gear up and gear down.
Ride around the house in first gear for 10 laps and then shift into second, etc.

Good luck!!

Funny thing is
I just spent the last two hours convincing my better half that it's time for
our next bike.

I've wanted a BMW R1200C since they hit the pavement. I've never had a bike fit me so perfectly!

jb

[earlmck]

So I'm thinking I'll just get a helmet and some gloves, and maybe a dedicated jacket, find a stretch of flat, open trail, make sure no one is watching, and proceed to make an utter fool of myself until I either fall off and die or learn how to shift and steer like a grownup.
Sound about right?

That's the way I did it, though back in those days I was still young enough to heal fairly rapidly. Which came in handy several times that first year (or two or three...) But you are not going to have trouble getting the hang of things on flat, smooth ground. The learning thing will involve handling rocks, sand, steep hills, sharp ruts, stuff like that. That's where the bloodshed occurs.

[Mescalero]

Good helmut and gloves you will be ok

[Blaine]

Helmet, riding gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, good boots.....Seriously

[Larkbill]

No matter what type of riding or what type of terrain what gets most folks hurt is getting over confidant and going faster than they are ready for. I did it on the street, I did it on the dirt, and did it again when I started racing. All part of the process, but driven by youth and enthusiasm. As a fellow geezer you should be able to control that and survive quite nicely. That's the perfect bike for what you want to do.

Back in the day with the shiny part up:

[OldWin]

Bill,
You will be fine. The TW is pretty easy to ride. As said above, get the appropriate riding gear and take it easy. You will have a blast. I've ridden all my life but had the most fun riding dirt bikes.

Lark,
Cool picture! My first bike was a 73 DT-250.

[Rusty]

Always stay a little bit afraid of it and you'll do OK.

Overconfidence will bite you.

[Bill in Oregon]

Thanks for all the advice, fellas. Having some fun while seeing pretty country is the main objective. Being 61, I don't bounce so good any more, so will take it slow and easy.

[AJMD429]

Sounds FUN...!!!

Always stay a little bit afraid of it and you'll do OK. Overconfidence will bite you.

Sounds like good advice for all aspects of life...!

[OldWin]

Another trick to riding a dirt bike is to not watch too close in front of you, even if you are going slow. That way, you can anticipate instead of react.

[Les Staley]

Make sure your fuel gauge works...could be a looooooong walk back if you ain't paying attention..

[madman4570]

Bill,
Good luck and be safe.
You will have a blast!

[Griff]

Bill,
Good luck and be safe.

+1.

[Larkbill]

"Another trick to riding a dirt bike is to not watch too close in front of you, even if you are going slow. That way, you can anticipate instead of react."

REALLY GOOD ADVICE! One of the first things I had to learn (the hard way, naturally) in racing was if someone falls in front of you, don't look at them. Concentrate on the line you need to take to get past. If you look at 'em, you run over 'em (I did).

I rode that DT2 for a couple months in the trailbike class, then graduated to a DT2MX. First Yamaha MX with a completely different chassis than the Enduro model. Vastly improved, but unfortunately they did a better job on the engine than the chassis. It was a rocket and really came into it's own on the oval track, but was a handful on a MX track.

[Bill in Oregon]

More great advice, and thanks guys. They told us in motorcycle safety class not to fix eyes on anything, especially road debris, lest you drive right into it.
I took my kayak up to a mountain lake this morning for some solitude, and a camper there had his Tw200 parked at his tent. Said he absolutely loved the thing.

[Indigo22]

Here is a good forum with a group of good folks to help inspire you. http://tw200forum.com/ I like the TW200 also.

[Paladin]

Good luck on the riding you will love it.

[3leggedturtle]

If you want to be able to carry some gear on yer TW200 check out Cycle Racks out of Idaho. Also there is a dedicated forumn for the TW200. I have a '06 Rebel with 45K miles on it, think my next bike is going to be a TW. Only bad part is the small gas tank.

[BenT]

The Toad Wart 200. It is very forgiving. We call it the Circus bike. Getting to know your limitations is key. Refresh yourself by just starting and stopping at a preset marker. Being able to stop when you want to is important. Only use the brakes in a straight line not in a corner. Good Luck!

[homefront]

"make sure no one is watching"

I learned the hard way to do just the opposite.

I don't how if there's anything more risky than riding the trails alone. Always ride with a buddy on another machine, preferably with both having cell phones.

[Old Ironsights]

I really like those TW200s. Been wanting one for a long time but it's not really a commuter and I can't justify the expense for a toy.