All that gear! Wow! They must spend a lot of money on gear,
especially those boots that looked like they should be getting
ready for a lunar landing. Helmets that made me suspect the
Death Star recruits candidates from Earth, and breast plates
of hard plastics - actually called roost protectors. Were these
guys getting ready for a joust or what? I only jest about the
jousting; being conscientious of one’s safety on any bike is
smart. Later in the day I saw a rider twist into a ball when
missing a corner, then he got up and looked around in what
seemed to be more embarrassment than for any concern of
injury. Quickly he jumped back onto his bike to complete the
turn; wheel spin and all. Anyone who’s done a burnout (on
private property of course) can imagine and appreciate the
sensation.
Along with the unique lingo of the turf, the dirt biking stickers
were brought to my attention. It is the choice of the rider to
embellish his bike and make it ‘his’ or ‘hers’ with whatever
logo’s or design that suits them. Road warriors love their
logos too, just sayin’.
Bikes! Let’s talk about bikes! As I watched people hoisting
their bikes onto portable stands I had to ask the question.
How much does your bike weigh? I was surprised to find
that around 250 lbs was a good estimate. To put this into
perspective, with no rider a typical 450cc motocross bike
at 55+ hp has roughly double the power to weight ratio of
a Sportster 1200. Impressively light, yet heavy enough
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for me to grab some arm muscles to check things out a
little further. Riding dirt bikes isn’t for wimpy ones, and it
didn’t take long to realize that these riders where getting
a major work out in controlling their bike while sliding,
burning out, and let alone doing those big jumps. So what
is with the big jump? One rider compared it to the flight
of “into the unknown”. Accelerating up the ramp while
unable to see what is beyond it, then a prolonged sense of
weightlessness in the air, and then landing on Kate Upton.
The bike’s suspension makes for a smooth landing, but
only if it’s timed right. No one ever seemed to get tired of
hitting the same jumps over and over.
Yet another rider was asked about the big draw to dirt bikes.
Grinning widely he replied, “We have no speed limit!” I
couldn’t help but smile at such a thought and then smiled
all the more at the way all the riders were respectful of each
other in sharing the track, the jumps, the conversation, and
helping out anyone who may have needed a hand or some
tools that day.
Sure some of the people had come just to blow off some
energy from a long work week and enjoy themselves, while
others were working to up their skill level another notch for
motocross racing. No matter what turns you on about riding,
whether it is dirt bikes, road bikes, or for the currently popular
scooter bikes…no matter where you go, the shared love of it
makes for great friends and adventures. RIDE ON!!
March 2015
Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 23