https://youtu.be/s6kEov50GPY
Tabernacle... he's riding the right way
The skill level of top shelf off road riders is amazing (well all pro riders..on or off). I had the fortune of being on track with some of these guys (both on an off). As a young man with more courage than brains, I was as fast as them....for precisely ONE lap. I lit off a firecracker of a lap....but these guys could do it for 20 laps...or seemingly for however long they wanted. Every lap within a tenth of the last. That was the difference between "kinda fast" and "pro".
My brother's boss continues to race off-road....he races in the Baja 1000 and similar races. Finished 2nd in class the one year. Wickedly, wickedly fast. I could have a factory works race machine and he could be on a moped (or his KTM 790R) and he'd kick my ass 10 ways till Tuesday...without breaking a sweat I'm sure.
They just make it look so effortless!
Sweet. Since i was a kid i loved the Dakar races and anything off road. I was thinking about getting one but i know i would get hurt or smash things.
I think i was pretty good at riding. Never did track(well couple time) but i was pretty good at trail riding.
You'd probably be just fine. Wear the gear..use your head.
Bob is a great example...l think just recently starting his off road riding...but riding within his ability (not over his head) and learning as he goes...and thoroughly enjoying himself in the process!
It's never too late.
Yeah I started in 2017 when I bought the CRF250L, so have 3yrs of off road experience. The best thing about it is challenging yourself to do more difficult things is really hard. You crash, fall over, drop the bike, again and again. But every time you go out, your skills get incrementally better, and you really feel it, it's very rewarding.
Now after 3 years I have a lighter bike with more power, it's like I've been training with weights on, things just got easier. I can drift the back end a bit, I can throw the bike around a bit more, it's easier to pick up when I drop it, and I have a bit more confidence in what I'm doing. You don't get that experience riding on the road. It also gives you the ability to learn stuff and test yourself away from cars, so IMHO it's safer than regular road riding.
I tried track days and I tried off-road, I found off-road to be more fun for me and I love it. I've always loved mountain biking so this is just the powered version, which is great as the forest is my church.