How do you learn to ride a motorcycle? Should you learn from friends? Should you take a class? How difficult is it to get into riding? In this episode of The Motorcyclist Podcast we talk about how you can get into riding if you are starting from zero.
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Looking to buy? Get prequalified
https://octane.co/vehicle-selection/?partner=jAYmx9P&a=303&flow=long-prequal&appTheme=3a49337c5724d18079602a4ca5a91626
Read the best motorcycle news and reviews: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/motorcyclistonline/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/motorcyclistmag/
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SportsTranscript
00:00:00Hey, welcome back to the Motorcyclist Podcast.
00:00:02This is where we talk about motorcycling and everything that makes it great.
00:00:06As always, the topics on this show are constantly changing, but what doesn't change is two-wheeled
00:00:10fun.
00:00:11In this episode, we're going to talk about learning to ride, getting into motorcycling.
00:00:17This is going to be a great podcast for anyone that wants to learn how to ride, has ever
00:00:22thought about riding, or has a friend or family member that wants to ride.
00:00:27So before we get started, as always, please, we'd love the engagement, we'd love to read
00:00:34your comments.
00:00:35So tell us how you got into riding.
00:00:36How did you get better?
00:00:38And have you ever stopped learning riding?
00:00:41So we're going to go over the first steps of riding, like if you've never even touched
00:00:46a motorcycle before, how can you get into it?
00:00:48We're going to talk about riding schools, we're going to talk about some of our helpful
00:00:51tips that we've learned over the years, so we'll each give you some ideas that we've
00:00:56learned in our, well, probably centuries combined riding experience at this point
00:01:02between the three of us, we probably are easily over a century.
00:01:06And then we're going to talk about advanced training.
00:01:08So before we get started, we've always got to do introductions.
00:01:13We've got editor Adam Waheed, we've got our photographer Jeff Allen, which we're going
00:01:18to call Jeff Burgundy today, because of his sweatshirt.
00:01:23And you got myself, executive editor Justin Dawes.
00:01:25So as always, we talk about what we've been riding.
00:01:28So Adam, what have you been riding this week?
00:01:32I've been riding that old fateful zero motorcycles, DSRX, yeah, I love that thing.
00:01:37The more I ride it, the more I like it.
00:01:39I actually went off roading on it the other day and gosh, like it's a really nice electric
00:01:47motorcycle, probably the best one out there, I'd have to say.
00:01:50So yeah, it just does everything, super fun.
00:01:52Really like that bike.
00:01:55That's a pretty solid, we'll say, accommodation or reflection of how good that bike is.
00:02:06If Adam has many, many motorcycles available at his disposal, and he keeps riding the zero.
00:02:14So when a moto head like Adam chooses to ride a zero around a lot, that says something.
00:02:22Yeah, that's like three weeks in a row, I think now.
00:02:25Yeah, I just, every time I ride it, I just really enjoy it.
00:02:28Like it's just like, it's such a nice electric motorcycle, especially with the other entries
00:02:33coming out in the class and the segment.
00:02:35It really, it just proves to you how good this zero is, you know?
00:02:40Right on.
00:02:41Okay.
00:02:42Well, I think it's cool.
00:02:44I mean, I've ridden a couple zeros and I've always liked them.
00:02:47So what about Jeff?
00:02:48What have you been riding?
00:02:49I'm back on the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT Plus.
00:02:54I love that thing.
00:02:55I mean, it's a great sport touring bike, but it's just a great bike.
00:03:00It's good for touring and I've spent, you know, time, like long, long days in the saddle.
00:03:07And for that stuff, it feels kind of bigger than it is, you know, like in the way of like
00:03:12comfort and being able to spend all those hours on it.
00:03:15But also just around town, it feels very small and nimble.
00:03:18So it's a really great combination of features.
00:03:22Yeah.
00:03:23I mean, it's got a killer engine and then it's sporty, but it's upright.
00:03:27It's comfortable.
00:03:28It's got bags, you can carry crap around with you.
00:03:31Like what's not to like, man?
00:03:33What's not to like?
00:03:34Yeah.
00:03:35Yeah.
00:03:36I haven't ridden the current GT Plus, but I did do a ride, that was probably five, six
00:03:44years ago now for the press launch of the Tracer 9.
00:03:48And I rode one all the way back from somewhere in Washington, all the way back to the office
00:03:55in a couple of days.
00:03:56Washington State?
00:03:57Yeah.
00:03:58Washington State.
00:03:59Not DC.
00:04:00Yeah.
00:04:01I don't think there's a whole lot of scenic motorcycling around Washington, DC.
00:04:07So but it was rad.
00:04:10It was a super comfortable bike then, and they just made it better and better as years
00:04:14went on.
00:04:15So pretty rad.
00:04:16Myself, I didn't get to ride anything this week.
00:04:21I was, well, I was riding a Boeing 737-800 multiple times.
00:04:27I went to Amex, American International Motorcycle Exposition, which is an industry trade show
00:04:36with, you know, manufacturers, aftermarket companies, and everyone gets their networks.
00:04:43Dealers come, they talk to people.
00:04:47It was good.
00:04:48It was a very busy show.
00:04:50The floor was completely packed with people and displays.
00:04:55So you know, they said that attendance was up 37% this year.
00:05:03So that is a good sign for motorcycling, I think.
00:05:08Because if you're not selling stuff and you're struggling as a business, you're not going.
00:05:14So if you're going, that means things are going well.
00:05:16So that's really cool to see.
00:05:18So maybe it's not all doom and gloom on the horizon for the motorcycle industry, because
00:05:24sometimes we fear.
00:05:25Well, it's good news.
00:05:26That's good news to hear.
00:05:31It is good news.
00:05:32And what is better news for motorcycling is getting more people involved with riding.
00:05:38How about that segue?
00:05:40Nice.
00:05:42So let's talk about, like, if you're brand new, if you're just beginning your journey
00:05:49into motorcycling, like, you've never ridden a motorcycle before, you don't know what to
00:05:53ride, you don't know what to do, like, how do you get started?
00:05:59There's a lot of ways people get into motorcycling.
00:06:01So we should start, we should talk about that first.
00:06:03So like, how do you guys see people historically getting into riding?
00:06:12Well, I mean, just camping, you know, going to the desert, going in the woods, going to
00:06:19the lake house, camping.
00:06:20So hanging out with somebody that has a bike and you're at a location, like, let me try
00:06:25that thing, sort of thing?
00:06:27I think so.
00:06:28Just kind of goes through like families and family, friends, and, you know, just getting
00:06:33out and just going to do something on the weekend.
00:06:36That's kind of where I think it begins for a lot of people, at least in the old days,
00:06:40maybe, maybe in the new days, it's shifted a little bit.
00:06:43But yeah.
00:06:44Yeah.
00:06:45Yeah.
00:06:46I think, I think there's a few ways that people get into it.
00:06:49Like, one, a lot of us as kids, not myself, but a lot of my friends learned by hopping
00:06:56on somebody else's bike.
00:06:57Usually when we were kids, right?
00:06:59Like somebody gets a dirt bike, everyone goes over to their house after school and it's
00:07:02like, let me try that thing.
00:07:04And that usually, usually ends in someone wiping out on their friend's dirt bike.
00:07:08Yeah.
00:07:09It ends in tears.
00:07:10Yeah.
00:07:11It usually ends in tears and road rash and maybe some damaged property.
00:07:14So yeah.
00:07:15A bike going through the garage door.
00:07:17Yeah.
00:07:18Yeah.
00:07:19It's probably not the best way to get into it, but that is the reality for a lot of,
00:07:24a lot of riders is they just, they learn from a friend.
00:07:27They just hop on a friend's bike and they give it a go.
00:07:30And some people are hooked, but I think there's also a lot of people that try it, they whiskey
00:07:35throttle through a fence and that's the end of it.
00:07:38They're like, nope, no motorcycles for me.
00:07:40Right.
00:07:41Those are my beginnings for sure.
00:07:44So the other way is, you know, family, you know, some of us were lucky to get motorcycles
00:07:51as kids, as, as Christmas presents or birthday presents or, you know, whatever it may be
00:07:56like we had families that rode and we got into it.
00:07:59So that's, that's my case, which we'll go on a little bit later, but but there's lots
00:08:06of people out there that just don't know where to start.
00:08:09So I think the top spot, best way to do it.
00:08:15One of the best ways to do it is get in touch with the motorcycle safety foundation.
00:08:19It is a nonprofit organization that promotes safety for motorcyclists with programs on
00:08:25rider training, operator licensing, and public information.
00:08:29This is the way that you can try out a motorcycle the first time, don't even own a motorcycle,
00:08:35but they will provide you a motorcycle to ride.
00:08:40And if you choose to do all the training, you can actually get most of your motorcycle
00:08:44licensing requirements done in their classes, right?
00:08:49So and we have a we have a good buddy that's buddy that's running that program now Corey
00:08:53Eastman, who is madly passionate about getting the word out about motorcycle safety foundation
00:09:00and, and we're, we're all about it because it's, it's a definitely has a large curriculum
00:09:08to teach you how to ride a bike from very beginning to actually having some advanced
00:09:12schools to learn and learn advanced skills.
00:09:15So have either of you guys ever done the MSF school?
00:09:21Personally I have not.
00:09:22No, I, it wasn't around for me.
00:09:25Yeah, it was, it was not around during my time, but I do have a neighbor that did it.
00:09:32My neighbor, Ted, he is a theoretical astrophysicist retired and he is a fairly adventurous guy,
00:09:43but he rode a motorcycle like one time and had the whiskey throttle situation happen
00:09:47in his, you know, in his twenties and now he's 65 or something like that, early sixties.
00:09:55And his, his wife was always like, Nope, no motorcycle for you.
00:09:59You know, like, no, no, no, no.
00:10:01And then they met me and just through osmosis, not saying, Ted, you gotta get a bike, you
00:10:08gotta try it.
00:10:09He's decided he wanted to, to start riding motorcycles.
00:10:12So he went, he signed up for an MSF course.
00:10:15He did the basic rider training, which is like a 15 hour class as classroom and practical
00:10:25training like on a bike, you know?
00:10:27And so I think he was on a, I believe he was on a CRF 250, if I don't, if I remember right,
00:10:35like a 250L, you know, and he did the whole thing and he got his license and he went out
00:10:40and he bought a CRF 300L Rally.
00:10:43Like that is a total success story for MSF.
00:10:46Like that's cool.
00:10:47You know, is the wife still talking to you?
00:10:50Yeah, no, she's very, she's she's very happy that he's doing it the right way.
00:10:56You know, I took him out on some, some little dirt bikes here and there in between all this
00:11:02to just help him with some skills, but he's he's progressing and he's starting to do longer
00:11:07rides and he's working up to it and his goal is to do some, some bike camping.
00:11:14So super rad.
00:11:15So you know, there's all kinds of other stuff for MSF.
00:11:20There's e-course, which is like a, like a primer for doing, doing the basic course.
00:11:27So it basically teaches you all the things about motorcycling online.
00:11:31It's like 20 bucks for the course.
00:11:34And then that goes towards, you know, your, your other types of things.
00:11:38And then they have, um, MSS have has ride days around some rallies and festivals and
00:11:45events where it's a 30 minute primer and you can do it totally free.
00:11:50They will put you on a motorcycle, put a helmet on you, put gear on you and let you ride a
00:11:55bike and see if you like it for 30 minutes for free, which I mean, for me, that would
00:12:00go by in a flash.
00:12:01I think 30 minutes on a bike, but it's enough to get some people hooked, I'm sure.
00:12:08And then you can go through the basic rider course, what we talked about, um, you know,
00:12:11most states to waive the riding test portion and, um, all you need to show up with is gear.
00:12:17So you do have to lay out for some gear once you sign up for that.
00:12:21So, um, and then they go further and further into, you know, like we said, dirt bike classes,
00:12:28advanced skills, um, and then, you know, uh, Harley Davidson dealerships, a lot of them
00:12:35have training classes as well, and they're based mainly on the MSF curriculum, but not
00:12:40all of them.
00:12:41Um, and then you've got Can-Am.
00:12:44They also have their own training classes on the three wheeler, um, which can get you
00:12:50your motorcycle license.
00:12:51They have a motorcycle license portion and then a non-motorcycle license portion, depending
00:12:56on what state, you know, and all these things, you know, they cost about a hundred bucks
00:13:00to like 400 bucks.
00:13:01So, um, you know, I mean, like is spending a hundred bucks to 400 bucks worth it to even
00:13:09find out if you like riding before you outlay all the dough?
00:13:13Yeah, no.
00:13:15Yeah.
00:13:16Yeah.
00:13:17Yeah.
00:13:18It's how much in your checking account, I guess, you know, but I would think it'd be
00:13:22worth it.
00:13:23Yeah.
00:13:24Yeah.
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00:18:16What about other ways?
00:18:17Like a lot of people are in the dirt, right?
00:18:20And I personally think that is a great way to start your journey and learn because one,
00:18:30there's less stuff to hit in terms of like curbs, cars, people.
00:18:36What do you guys think?
00:18:37Yeah.
00:18:38You also have an opportunity to learn a lot earlier in life, you know?
00:18:44You can't...
00:18:46It's hard to put a kid on anything on the pavement, you know, unless they go to like
00:18:51an MSF or something like that, and then you'd still have to bring your own bike.
00:18:55But yeah, obviously off-road, there's so much to learn.
00:18:59It's a little bit more of a controlled environment.
00:19:02Yeah, in a way, it's more fun and more safe, too, at the same time, you know?
00:19:09Yeah, and at some point, you're already out camping, or you're hanging out with friends,
00:19:12and...
00:19:13Yeah, exactly.
00:19:15I think there's also another element that, you know, dirt surface is not as consistent
00:19:22as pavement.
00:19:23So, it gets you comfortable with, like, situations that may feel a little bit hairy, or a little
00:19:29bit loose, or a little bit...
00:19:31You know what I mean?
00:19:32Like, you learn to be okay with the bike moving around a little bit, and you learn to be okay
00:19:37with quick little surprises that may pop up.
00:19:40So, I think that's a really nice part about learning on a dirt bike as well.
00:19:45So, let's go through, like, how we all learned to ride.
00:19:51Like, I want to know the origin stories of the crew.
00:19:55So, Jeff, let's start with you.
00:19:57Okay, well, my stories are pretty funny.
00:20:00They're very similar to, like, the scene in On Any Sunday, you know, where the neighbor
00:20:06jumps on somebody's bike, and then rifles through, or just runs through the yard and
00:20:10across the street.
00:20:11So, I'll tell you, the very first time was just a minute.
00:20:15I was with my dad at Saddleback Motocross Park, and I don't even remember whose bike
00:20:22it was, or if we knew them, but my dad, he's like, here, just try this thing out.
00:20:26And I got on it.
00:20:28I didn't have any trouble with the clutch, I just got on it, gave it gas, and just hauled
00:20:33that across the parking lot, careened off, like, one of those metal trash cans into the
00:20:37side of a pickup truck.
00:20:39My dad's like, that's enough for today.
00:20:44But then, like, to really learn, I was, like, 12 years old.
00:20:49I went with my dad, and a dad down the street, and his son, which was one of my best friends,
00:20:55Todd Townley.
00:20:56We went to a riding area that dogs would probably remember out in Corona, where people used
00:21:01to ride by the dam.
00:21:03And, you know, my dad was not really the best instructor.
00:21:09Todd had a CR-80.
00:21:10He had like a, I don't know, maybe like a 73 or something like that, CR-80.
00:21:17And my dad said, Tom and I are going to go riding, have Todd show you what to do.
00:21:24Todd's also 12.
00:21:27So, I jump on the back of the CR-80 with Todd.
00:21:31We ride over to this area where there's like a little track, and Todd's, you know, keeping
00:21:36the two-stroke running.
00:21:37He's, like, blipping, blah, blah, blah, blah, while he's explaining to me how to ride.
00:21:41I'm like, okay.
00:21:42He goes, you know, one down, the rest up.
00:21:45And at the time, I'm like, what the hell does that mean?
00:21:48Like, so anyways, I get, and so the rest of what are up?
00:21:53So I jump on the thing, and he says, go.
00:21:56And so I hit the, I let the clutch out, I hit the gas, and I'm flying down like, it's
00:22:00like a little track, you know, track, and I'm not flying, I'm in first gear.
00:22:07But I can't remember what he said, so I can't find second gear, because I'm just stepping
00:22:10on first again.
00:22:12And so while I'm looking down, I don't realize, I go off the trail a little bit, and I catch
00:22:19the barbed wire fence with my arm.
00:22:22And it yanks me off, and I kind of, like, spin into the barbed wire.
00:22:26And like, yeah, it just shredded me.
00:22:28I was just completely, and shredded the seat on Todd's CR-80, which his dad was very pissed
00:22:33about.
00:22:34But so I stand up, and I have holes all over me.
00:22:39I didn't have any, like, big cuts, but I had just, like, dozens of little teeny holes all
00:22:45over me, and holes in my shirt that started bleeding.
00:22:48I look like I've been shot with a shotgun.
00:22:52And so the funny thing was, that morning, before we left, like, I was a skate kid, and
00:22:59a BMX kid.
00:23:00I was always banged up.
00:23:02That morning, my dad took stitches out of my foot, so we could go riding.
00:23:07So when we were done that day, back to the emergency room for more stitches, like, one
00:23:11week later.
00:23:12Nice.
00:23:13That's awesome.
00:23:14How did you keep going after that?
00:23:17Like, what caught the spark?
00:23:20I mean, you got mangled by a barbed wire fence, got more stitches, and you still said, yeah,
00:23:28this is...
00:23:29Yeah.
00:23:30So a couple years later, I bought my first bike.
00:23:33I bought it from Todd's dad, the same Todd I was riding with.
00:23:38Ripped seat and all?
00:23:39No, I bought it.
00:23:41His dad was selling a Yamaha DT-175, you know, with the dual sport lights and stuff on it.
00:23:50And I was probably, I think I was about 15.
00:23:54And then I just went off on my own and just rode.
00:23:59We grew up in an area that's all houses now, but there was a lot of, like, open space,
00:24:05you know?
00:24:07Do, like, cattle trails and stuff like that.
00:24:09Just ride almost every day after school.
00:24:12Crazy.
00:24:13That's cool.
00:24:14Adam, what about you?
00:24:17How many fences did you break through?
00:24:21I don't think we actually did any fence breaking.
00:24:23I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota.
00:24:26And if you're familiar with that part of the region, a lot of people have cabins in Lake
00:24:32Home.
00:24:33In the summertime, when the weather's nice, you go to your cabin or Lake Home.
00:24:37So one of my good childhood friends, his uncle had a cabin, or he had a cabin in Lake Home,
00:24:44and next door was his uncle.
00:24:46And in his uncle's garage, he had a bunch of, like, just old motorcycles, like CT-70
00:24:51and, like, little quads.
00:24:53Just a bunch of just kind of small, you know, little bit rinky-dink stuff.
00:24:58But we'd go there, you know, when he wasn't around, we'd kind of go in the garage, grab
00:25:02the motorcycles, and just start riding around.
00:25:05We'd ride around through the forest and just around the roads.
00:25:09And back in those days, you didn't have, you probably had helmets, but you just didn't
00:25:14wear them.
00:25:15So you didn't wear helmets.
00:25:16You didn't wear anything.
00:25:17You just hopped on your CT-70 and went.
00:25:19And, you know, my buddies basically taught me how to ride those things.
00:25:23And like Jeff said, the clutch, it wasn't that hard to really, if I remember correctly,
00:25:27it wasn't that hard to really understand how to work that clutch.
00:25:31And those machines were just so easy and friendly to ride.
00:25:34It was just really easy to kind of learn how to ride a motorcycle.
00:25:39Right on.
00:25:40Nice.
00:25:41My story, so my dad, who's actually technically my stepdad, but he's my dad, my mom started
00:25:52dating him.
00:25:53And this dude was cool.
00:25:54Like, he had the jet skis, the motorcycles, the street bikes, like, a lower truck, a lifted
00:25:59truck.
00:26:00Like he had all the stuff.
00:26:01Right.
00:26:02And I was like, this, this dude is the coolest.
00:26:04And I was, I was eight years old and my mom and dad weren't even married yet.
00:26:09And Christmas Eve, they, he showed us On Any Sunday, the movie On Any Sunday.
00:26:14So we watched On Any Sunday.
00:26:15We were like, that was cool.
00:26:16You know?
00:26:17And whatever.
00:26:18And, you know, I guess I could have got the hint, but I didn't.
00:26:23In the morning there was, there was dirt bikes for me and my little brother in the, underneath
00:26:27the tree or outside.
00:26:29I can't exactly remember if they were in the front room or not, but I think they were in
00:26:34the backyard.
00:26:36But I had an XR75 and my brother got a RM50 or, yeah, RM50, like a little Suzuki RM50.
00:26:46And we went out riding on the dry lake bed in, outside of our little town, Boulder City,
00:26:50Nevada.
00:26:51You know, there's tons of room to learn, which was a good thing.
00:26:55And Christmas morning, man, it was like, open all these presents that have like a Honda
00:27:00jersey and a helmet and a this and a that, and then the bikes.
00:27:04And we loaded up one of the trucks with the bikes and headed to the dry lake bed and learned
00:27:10to ride down there, which was, the only thing I really remember about it is even the 50
00:27:15my brother had, had to be shifted and him going around in circles in first gear and
00:27:22my dad chasing after him yelling, shift, shift, you know, I think he, I think he nuked
00:27:28that bike a couple of times, just over revving it and melting it down cause he would never
00:27:32shift.
00:27:33But, yeah, that was, that was my first time.
00:27:36And I was, I was hooked immediately.
00:27:38That's all I wanted to do was ride a motorcycle once that first time came and I, that day,
00:27:44I think I crashed like four or five times, kind of like Jeff's story, but more like,
00:27:50you know, I was like a BMX kid too.
00:27:53I like, so, you know, I like would try jumping off of like little mud humps and stuff and
00:27:59I would just completely wipe out and, you know, I think it was like probably my second,
00:28:05my second dirt bike ride, I went to the hospital, I think the first one I didn't, but at second
00:28:09time we went out, I, I think I was definitely visiting the hospital on that one.
00:28:12So, and then that, that trend just continued my entire life of going to the hospital.
00:28:18Well, that, that sounds like the best Christmas ever.
00:28:21It was awesome.
00:28:22Like it does.
00:28:23Dirt bikes and dirt bike gear.
00:28:24Both.
00:28:25Yeah.
00:28:26All of it, you know.
00:28:27And it's funny.
00:28:28You know, it's interesting.
00:28:29Sorry.
00:28:30It's funny that like your dad, my dad, Adam's friend gave us something that we've carried
00:28:34with us our entire life, you know, like it's set, it's set our, our careers, just not our
00:28:40lives, but our careers from, you know, something that was just supposed to be fun.
00:28:47Yeah.
00:28:48You know, I, I think of them, honestly, I think of them as like a magic carpets, you
00:28:53know, cause they take you to all these, like you get on the motorcycle and it really takes
00:28:56you to all these magical places.
00:28:57I mean, we've all done lots of really cool stuff, you know, from the, from the seat of
00:29:03a motorcycle.
00:29:04Yep.
00:29:05Pretty much.
00:29:06Magic carpet ride.
00:29:07Yeah, definitely.
00:29:08I mean, it is the mover of the masses.
00:29:11Like there's, there's lots of countries where it's not a pastime.
00:29:14It's the only way that you can have transportation and that's a, that's a totally different experience
00:29:18in here in America, in the U S you know, and so I should say like, we're talking about
00:29:22getting into writing in the U S and how to do it because it is, it is a pastime and it's
00:29:26something that not everyone does and it's not the norm.
00:29:29So yeah.
00:29:30I'm sorry.
00:29:31I just wanted to back up just for a second because you mentioned on any Sunday I mentioned
00:29:37on any Sunday, my kids, Evan, who's here on staff, he watched on any Sunday on a loop,
00:29:44like just repeatedly.
00:29:45So we get, we need to give a shout out to Bruce Brown for, for getting all of these
00:29:49people into learning motorcycles, you know, Bruce Brown, nobody had a bigger effect than
00:29:57that.
00:29:58No, definitely not.
00:29:59You know, and then all the heroes in, obviously on any Sunday of course, starting with Michael
00:30:04Smith, RIP.
00:30:07But I mean, there was a load of, of awesome people in that movie and, and he really did
00:30:14show the joy of writing and what it felt like to be a writer, even if he weren't.
00:30:20And that's, that's what got a lot of people pumped on it.
00:30:22Yeah.
00:30:23Yeah.
00:30:24The, the, the competition and the, and also the folly, you know?
00:30:26Yeah, exactly.
00:30:27Just the fun.
00:30:28All of it, you know, cow trailing and you know, all that stuff that they did was just
00:30:34rad.
00:30:36Yeah.
00:30:37And we've all grown up with knowing somebody like Malcolm who could do it all and do it
00:30:41well and just amaze the rest of us.
00:30:44Yep.
00:30:45So I think that's a, on any Sunday should be added to the prerequisite of like how to
00:30:49get into writing.
00:30:50No, for sure.
00:30:51You wouldn't know how to ride.
00:30:52Just go rent.
00:30:53Watch this first.
00:30:54On any Sunday.
00:30:55Watch on any Sunday first and you'll definitely want to do it.
00:30:58So, so I want to talk about, okay, so those are, those are the ways to get into it.
00:31:06But what are some of the barriers to be getting into it?
00:31:09And I think one of them is actually us, other writers, experienced writers tend to be like
00:31:16gatekeepers or we forget how hard it was and we may belittle people that are getting into
00:31:26it that maybe aren't up to snuff, you know what I mean?
00:31:31Do you guys feel the same way?
00:31:33Yeah.
00:31:34Like, what do you mean?
00:31:35Like, like, you know, like you'll see people on the internet and someone will be like learning
00:31:38to ride and someone will be like, oh, look at that dumb helmet or why are your knee pads
00:31:42on the outside of your pants or, you know, that bike's a piece of crap.
00:31:45Why would you buy that?
00:31:46You're stupid.
00:31:47Like you should just give up writing like that kind of stuff.
00:31:51You know, and, and just in general, like, you know, belittling people for their choices
00:31:57in, in maybe the way that they start their motorcycling journey, you know, lots of people,
00:32:04you know, oh, electric bike or an automatic bike, if you can't use a clutch, you shouldn't
00:32:10be riding type of thing, you know what I mean?
00:32:13Like.
00:32:14Yeah.
00:32:15Welcome to the internet.
00:32:16Yeah.
00:32:17Like, you know, I mean, how, let's put it this way.
00:32:22If you're, you know, just a, a normal guy walking into a motorcycle shop for the first
00:32:30time and you don't know what you're doing, that's pretty intimidating, but what happens
00:32:34if you're female or gay or, you know, any other, you know, any other person, like, it's
00:32:45gotta be terrifying.
00:32:46Cause it's all sort of full, usually full of just bro dudes that, you know, don't speak
00:32:51your language, don't live the life you live.
00:32:54And how do they, how did, how do you get into it?
00:32:58Like that to me is one of the barriers too, is that people, it's scary to go into a motorcycle
00:33:04shop if you feel like you're going to be belittled and there are motorcyclists in general are
00:33:09amazing, great people, but we forget how hard it is and how scary it is to start this
00:33:15thing up.
00:33:16Yeah.
00:33:17That's a good point.
00:33:18That's a good point.
00:33:19And so I want, I, I think every motorcyclist should be an ambassador for motorcycling,
00:33:28you know, and a lot of us are, but you know if someone shows interest, help them increase
00:33:36that interest.
00:33:38If someone is struggling with riding, figure out a way to help them.
00:33:43And even if someone, you know, wants to ride something different or in a different way,
00:33:47we should, we should support those people because we're all part of a group of motorcyclists,
00:33:53right?
00:33:54Absolutely.
00:33:55Yeah, I agree with you.
00:33:56Yeah.
00:33:57I always try to be encouraging and I've, you know, I've, all my kids either currently
00:34:04ride or have ridden.
00:34:05I have three kids and a handful of their friends have come to me, you know, and because
00:34:13they see that we ride and their, their dad or whoever doesn't, doesn't ride.
00:34:17And I've, I try to be encouraging and help them make good decisions on what to buy and,
00:34:24you know, both that it's easy to ride, it's easy to maintain, reliable, cheap.
00:34:30That's another barrier is the cost, you know, make sure you can get something.
00:34:34Yeah, for sure.
00:34:35Yep.
00:34:36And so I'll say to everyone that's interested in learning riding, don't be afraid of motorcyclists
00:34:41like our, our saying just now of like, don't be a gatekeeper and all that stuff.
00:34:45That's, that's just aimed at the, the real a-holes of the group.
00:34:49You know, we're all usually pretty good people.
00:34:51And once you're in the club, you're in the club, right?
00:34:55Yeah.
00:34:56So.
00:34:57Yeah.
00:34:58Supporting people getting involved in motorcycling is supporting motorcycling.
00:35:01Yeah, absolutely.
00:35:02Exactly.
00:35:04So, okay, so we've talked about how to get into it, right?
00:35:11We've talked about basically like how to help someone get into it.
00:35:17Let's talk about before we get into like maybe the next step once you started to ride, but
00:35:22like bikes to start on.
00:35:23So we did a podcast probably about five episodes ago about great beginner bikes.
00:35:29And I still think you just need to go back and watch that one because we have a lot of
00:35:33good points about electric bike or about beginner bikes and electric bikes.
00:35:37I think electric bikes are in that discussion, but just one quick recommendation from each
00:35:44of you on a beginner bike, what should you get?
00:35:51I would say a small displacement off-road bike, not a motocross bike, but like a, like
00:35:58a CRF 125 F, you know, just perfect.
00:36:02Usually, you know, that's the seat height is, is probably accommodating for most people.
00:36:09If you're, if you're at least a teenage person or older, and they're just, like I said, like
00:36:16keeping them running, they're easy to, to maintain, but they hardly need maintenance.
00:36:23And I would say a Honda CRF 125.
00:36:28I would agree with that.
00:36:29I would agree with that.
00:36:30Just a small, you know, almost like a play dirt bike.
00:36:33At first I wanted to say like, oh, a Z 400 or a Ninja 400.
00:36:37But then Jeff brought up that point, you know, if you never were into it, you know, getting
00:36:44started in the dirt, it's just, it's just a lower barrier of entry, safer, you know,
00:36:49and then you ride that bike for whatever, a weekend, two weekends, a month, three months,
00:36:53whatever it takes for you to get comfortable.
00:36:55And then, you know, if you find a decent deal on one, you're going to be able to sell that
00:36:58thing for exactly the amount of money you bought it for.
00:37:02And then you can roll that into your street bike, which would be a Z 400 or a Ninja 400,
00:37:06in my opinion.
00:37:07Yeah, that's a, that's definitely a good point.
00:37:10I think for people that maybe don't have access to space to go off-roading, maybe I would
00:37:18say it's still like a small displacement dual sport.
00:37:23So like a Honda XR 150 L, like that thing is, you know, super light, super nimble, easy
00:37:30to move around, doesn't have a ton of power, lower seat height, and it's a Honda, like
00:37:38Adam and Jeff said, like you can sell that thing for almost exactly as many pennies as
00:37:43you bought it for a year later.
00:37:46Yeah, just about, yeah.
00:37:48Yeah, they really hold their resale.
00:37:50Yep, an XR 150 L would be a great bike for basically anywhere, anybody, anywhere, if
00:37:57you are completely fresh and have never ridden before and you're going to buy a motorcycle.
00:38:04That's definitely one worth looking at.
00:38:06Yep, that's a really good idea.
00:38:07And you can ride that thing on the street, you know, because it's street legal too.
00:38:10Yeah, when you get comfortable, yeah, absolutely.
00:38:15What about once you get up to speed, what do you guys think about riding schools or
00:38:20continuing, you know, your motorcycling education?
00:38:23Yeah, I think, I think, I mean, I think we would all agree, like Dodd said, we probably
00:38:29have close to a hundred years of riding experience, but we still continue our education.
00:38:35I mean, maybe not at a school, but we're constantly learning.
00:38:39It's an ongoing process.
00:38:43Yeah, for sure.
00:38:44I, you know, there's all kinds of riding schools that you can take advantage of as you, as
00:38:50you get better.
00:38:51Obviously you can go to track, track day schools, you know, like champ school or California super
00:38:55bike school, where like you learn to control a motorcycle at a high speed.
00:39:00And you may never have designs on wanting to go racing or do track days, but I tell
00:39:07you what, you will learn a ton going to one of those things because you will learn to
00:39:12control your motorcycle a lot better when, when there's higher forces than normal on
00:39:18your bike.
00:39:19Yeah.
00:39:20You understand what it's doing and what schools are.
00:39:24Those schools are also a great opportunity to try a different type of motorcycle too.
00:39:29You know, maybe you're a little bit more into dirt biking and you want to kind of give street
00:39:33biking a shot, but you don't really feel comfortable doing it on actual public roadway.
00:39:37You can, you know, do the Yamaha champion school or the California super bike school
00:39:41and get on a close course, you know, and kind of get up to speed those new, the new modern
00:39:47motorcycles with their adjustable power modes.
00:39:49Those things go from mild to wild with the push of a button.
00:39:52So even if you're new, you can ride a bike that's very high performance that's been put
00:39:58in easy mode.
00:39:59Yeah.
00:40:00I mean, that's a really good point is one, you know, like you said, you get to, to try
00:40:06different bikes because those, both those tools, they provide the motorcycles.
00:40:09Like you're learning on their bike because they want you to have a consistent playing
00:40:14field to teach everyone the phone.
00:40:16So that's super rad.
00:40:17And then you get to, you know, do something different.
00:40:21There's a bunch of different street riding schools around the country as well.
00:40:24There's one that comes to mind is, is the a lot of States have, you can actually go
00:40:30do the police riding school, right?
00:40:33So they teach you to, it's more slow speed handling in and out of stuff and, but you
00:40:38get a lot of, a lot of skills.
00:40:40They teach you a lot of stuff about clutch control and braking and looking where to go
00:40:44and all those things.
00:40:45Right.
00:40:46I, that's, that's news to me.
00:40:48Like the police, like those cone courses, I had no idea that was open to the public.
00:40:53Some of the States actually, you can go take the police officer riding school.
00:40:57I mean, it varies state by state, but if you should check it out, like if you're, you're
00:41:02learning to ride and you're getting better and you want to take the next step, that's
00:41:05it.
00:41:06That's an excellent way to do the next step.
00:41:09You know?
00:41:10Yeah.
00:41:11I have seen those trainings.
00:41:12They have a, they have a competition here in Southern California, the, the, the, the
00:41:15motor cop Olympics or something.
00:41:17Yeah.
00:41:18And it's impressive.
00:41:19Those guys, those guys are really great riders.
00:41:22They're amazing.
00:41:23Around all the, the cone courses where they're just like laying the bike, like completely
00:41:28full lock on the floorboard, turn first gear, second, yeah, that's, that's pretty rad.
00:41:36So you know, and then there's the, probably the most popular of all riding schools is
00:41:44ADV schools, right?
00:41:48Certainly right now they're certainly popular, you know?
00:41:53And there's all kinds of different, different schools to go to.
00:41:58Like you could go, you could go for a week to some places or you can do a one day's tool
00:42:01or two days tool or whatever.
00:42:03So we were just at the facility for our, our buddy, Jeff, Andre Laplante, his, his tool
00:42:14Moto Ventures, you know, he does, he's got an incredible set up there from the teaching
00:42:19and his, in his property and he's got everything there.
00:42:23Yeah.
00:42:24So he's, he's the second generation teaching, right?
00:42:29So and it's, you know, he does dirt bike stuff, he does ADV stuff, he can even do trial stuff.
00:42:37So you can learn a lot there.
00:42:40And then some manufacturers, they have their own riding schools.
00:42:44Triumph has the, I think it's called the Triumph Riding Experience and they have schools all
00:42:49over the world.
00:42:50Like I went to the one in Wales just to see the facility.
00:42:54I didn't take the classes or anything.
00:42:55We were there for riding a Scrambler 1200 XE for a thing.
00:43:02And but I got to see the facilities, super rad.
00:43:06Like they have like a beautiful classroom, you know, they have a locker room, showers,
00:43:14place for lunch, and then they have an amazing facility to, to do all the things.
00:43:19Is that facility an on-road and off-road facility?
00:43:22Yes.
00:43:23Yeah, it is.
00:43:24Oh, nice.
00:43:25And there's, there's one in Spain, there's one in the US, there's one, I'm trying to
00:43:32think where else.
00:43:33They're all over the world.
00:43:34So I think there's one like in, in not Thailand, but somewhere in the, in Asia.
00:43:40So you can find one and hey, go do a, go to a rider school in Spain or something and have
00:43:46a vacation and learn to ride a motorcycle better.
00:43:48Pretty rad.
00:43:49Yeah.
00:43:50Sign me up.
00:43:51Yep.
00:43:52And then BMW obviously has their, their schools as well.
00:43:57And they're worldwide.
00:43:58They usually partner with somebody to teach it, but they are all BMW approved riding schools.
00:44:07And same thing.
00:44:08You show up, you use their bikes.
00:44:11Super rad.
00:44:12You can ride a, usually a GS.
00:44:17So it could be a 900, it could be an 800, it could be, you know, a 1300 at this point.
00:44:22It's just what you want to learn to ride, what you want to improve your skills on.
00:44:26So and then there's, I think that's important to talk about female specific training.
00:44:35There are coaches out there that absolutely cater to females and and then there's at places.
00:44:44So there's a, there's a company called she ADV, they do ADV training and rides and it's,
00:44:52it's female trainers, female customers.
00:44:57And I think that's, that's super rad to be able to get people, you know, riders to be
00:45:01comfortable with what they're learning.
00:45:05Yeah.
00:45:06You know, they all come from the same angle.
00:45:10So, and there's a babes ride out, which is a street event and, and babes in the dirt,
00:45:16which is a dern event.
00:45:17And at both of those rally type events, they have they have training as well.
00:45:25So you could go to, I think you could go to babes right out or babes in the dirt and not
00:45:30ride.
00:45:31And you, by the time you left there, you would learn how to ride.
00:45:34Yeah, that was a, that was both of those events were really popular with some of the, some
00:45:39of the women that worked here in the office, in the sales and marketing teams.
00:45:42And they would always go to those and they would take those, those, those extra courses
00:45:46are super popular.
00:45:47Yeah.
00:45:48I mean, it's a, it's a cool weekend out, you know, it's a full weekend riding festival
00:45:54that super rad.
00:45:57Everyone that I've talked to that has gone to, gone to one is nothing but awesome things
00:46:01to say about.
00:46:02So anyway, okay.
00:46:05So there we've got, we've got how to get started, what to get started on, you know, where to
00:46:13get better.
00:46:14So let's talk about always learning and then our, our own training tips.
00:46:20So let's start with training tips first.
00:46:23So let's, let's each give like one thing that you would give a new rider as a tip that
00:46:31they should always have in their head.
00:46:33Adam, we'll go with you first.
00:46:36I think the biggest safety tip, you know, not the biggest, but one that I really, you
00:46:41know, think is important and something I try to practice most every day is just, you know,
00:46:46practicing spatial awareness, you know, your, your position relative to the position of
00:46:52other things, you know, especially in today's world, I see it quite often, even when I go
00:46:56to the store, you know, when I'm not on my motorcycle is people don't really have really
00:47:01good spatial awareness techniques of where their body's positioned relative to other
00:47:06people or objects.
00:47:08And, you know, it really matters on, on a, on a motorcycle because, you know, you always
00:47:14want to have a little bit of a cushion.
00:47:16You always want to have a little bit of a way out in case something in front of you
00:47:20happens, which quite often it does.
00:47:23So really just being aware of your position in relative to other objects, I think it's
00:47:29really important.
00:47:30And it's a skill that you don't, you don't need to be on a motorcycle to practice.
00:47:34You can do it when you're walking, shopping at the grocery store.
00:47:37Yeah.
00:47:38Know what's, know what's behind you, know what's next to you, stay out of blind spots,
00:47:42you know, like I know where the spaces are, you know, like you have an exit plan and exit
00:47:49You always have kind of an exit plan.
00:47:52You know, I think that comes second nature, obviously, as, as you become a rider and you
00:47:58ride more and more, that becomes normal, but there are, that's a, like an excellent, excellent
00:48:04tip because you do see a lot where you'll see like, maybe on the freeway and you'll
00:48:08see a bike like right in a blind spot and you're like, Oh, don't be there, please move
00:48:13up or slow down.
00:48:14One of the two.
00:48:15Come on.
00:48:16To your point, Justin, you know, motorcycling and riding power sports vehicles really fosters
00:48:21that, that type of mentality because you'll learn quickly that you, you know, not that
00:48:28the world's out to get you, but when you're on these riding these bikes, it's very easy
00:48:32to have some kind of mishap, but if you're paying attention and you're, you're, you know,
00:48:37making sure you're looking well far ahead of you and just know where you're at relative
00:48:42to other things, you're going to have a lot easier and more safe time.
00:48:46Yeah.
00:48:47Um, the preservation advice, yeah, yeah.
00:48:53Self preservation.
00:48:54Like it's, it's your, it's the word is there self.
00:48:56It's up to you to do it.
00:48:58Not anybody else.
00:48:59So, um, cool.
00:49:00Jeff, what about you?
00:49:01What do you got for a riding tip or training tip?
00:49:04Well, most of my experience teaching, uh, new riders is teaching my kids.
00:49:10I mean, I taught three of my kids to ride even, uh, even their mom.
00:49:15And, uh, so I would, I would sort of drive home this one idea, the three ups, you know,
00:49:23cause they were learning in the dirt.
00:49:24I was always telling them to move up, you know, like scoot up on the tank, you know,
00:49:28put weight on the front wheel, um, stand up into, uh, you know, like that helps learn
00:49:34how to weight the pegs, stand up and head up.
00:49:39You know, look up, don't look, don't look down at the ground.
00:49:42I would, you know, like give them the three ups, scoot up, stand up, head up.
00:49:48I think the three ups still apply to me to this day.
00:49:51Yeah.
00:49:52Yeah, for sure.
00:49:53Like it's, yeah.
00:49:54Yeah, absolutely.
00:49:55I, um, so I have, I have a, a riding tip and a training tip, but the riding tip, it was
00:50:02almost exactly what Jeff said with the head up is, is you want to look where you want
00:50:07to go, not where you don't target fixation is real in motorcycling.
00:50:11It's a very difficult habit to break because our, you know, just human nature and the way
00:50:18that our brains are, have evolved.
00:50:21We want to identify the danger and we want to keep an eye on the danger.
00:50:26But when you're riding your bot, the motorcycle follows your body and your body follows your
00:50:33head and it follows your eyesight.
00:50:35So if you, if you look at that thing, you don't want to hit, you're 100% going to hit,
00:50:40you know what I mean?
00:50:41Like it's just, that's the way it is.
00:50:43So, um, you know, it's always, uh, you know, scanning for danger of course, but when you
00:50:49identify it, don't fixate on it, look for the way around it and concentrate on that
00:50:56rather than that thing is danger.
00:51:00So, and then for, uh, like training itself, barrel training or cone training, like small
00:51:09space set up cones and go around in circles and figure eights and break and accelerate
00:51:15all that repetition going around and around and around in a small space has a big impact
00:51:21on your skills because you, you want to teach muscle memory.
00:51:25You want to teach autumns, you know, making those moves automatic, pulling in the clutch,
00:51:32pressing the brake down, shifting, rolling off the throttle, rolling on the throttle.
00:51:36And if you do that over and over and over and over and over again in a small space,
00:51:40you're going to learn it faster.
00:51:42Yeah.
00:51:43And you're learning what the tires are doing.
00:51:45You're learning, you know, how to modulate the brake and by repeating that process.
00:51:49That's great.
00:51:50Yeah.
00:51:51Leaning the bike over, right.
00:51:53You understand what happens when you lean a bike over a little bit and a lot and all
00:51:57those things.
00:51:58And the speeds are lower consequences, lower.
00:52:01Yeah, yeah, exactly.
00:52:02Slow speeds, small consequences.
00:52:05So yeah.
00:52:07So, um, we're always learning how to ride.
00:52:10Like I'm 48 Jeff, I don't know if you want to Jeff Bergen, older than 48, we'll just
00:52:19say Jeff.
00:52:20Jeff Bergen is past 48 and Adam, you're like 44, 45, 45, 46.
00:52:26Yeah.
00:52:27I'm reaching Jeff's Jeff's age soon.
00:52:30Yeah.
00:52:31We were all, we're all old dudes.
00:52:33We ain't boomers.
00:52:34Well, Jeff might be a boomer.
00:52:35Are you a boomer Jeff?
00:52:36No, no.
00:52:37Okay.
00:52:38Nope.
00:52:39Nope.
00:52:40Let's see your ID.
00:52:41Let's see your ID.
00:52:42Okay.
00:52:43Boomer.
00:52:44So, you know, we've been around it a long, long, long time and, but I, I still learn
00:52:52things and I'm sure you guys do as well.
00:52:54So, um, I want to know like something that maybe you've learned lately, because I want
00:53:00to, I really want to impress upon this, that, that writing is a constant learning journey.
00:53:08It never is the same and you're always finding new things.
00:53:11So Jeff, let's start with you.
00:53:15Well, uh, about 10 years ago I, I had my first track day and, uh, which was new for me, you
00:53:23know, I mostly rode off road and, you know, uh, touring, you know, doing long trips, vacation
00:53:31trips.
00:53:32And so I started going, I started doing track days and that was a whole new thing for me.
00:53:36And even though I had been riding at that point, you know, for a long time, many decades,
00:53:44still trying to avoid that age, getting on the racetrack was, it was intimidating because
00:53:50you get on your, the speeds are up and the references are different, you know, on the,
00:53:54on the road, it's a little different.
00:53:56Like there's, you know, you're looking for, you're looking for curbs and trees and mailboxes
00:54:00and stuff like that.
00:54:01When I got to the racetrack, there's a big flat open space.
00:54:04And, uh, I was a little bit lost for a while and, uh, I didn't, I didn't know what I was
00:54:10doing.
00:54:11In fact, one time I was riding with Bradley Adams.
00:54:14This is the first time I met Bradley.
00:54:16I didn't realize how fast Bradley was and I was going around the track totally lost
00:54:20and Bradley comes by me and I thought, well, I'll just follow this guy.
00:54:28So I get on and, uh, uh, I'm, I'm, I jump in behind him and he's going pretty good and
00:54:35gets to the turn.
00:54:36He just flicks it in and just disappears.
00:54:39And I am like, oh my God, like I couldn't believe it.
00:54:42So that was the thing.
00:54:43It's like, okay, you got to figure this out.
00:54:45So cornering, you know, man, cornering the main thing, obviously, um, uh, learning your
00:54:53braking points was a, was a first learning lesson and, uh, just being smooth and consistent.
00:55:00You can be kind of sloppy off road, but you can't hit the racetrack.
00:55:05Yeah.
00:55:06So that, that goes into my, my learning.
00:55:08Um, so I have been riding dirt bikes since I was eight years old.
00:55:12So 40 years of dirt bike riding, um, to the point where I was, you know, a pro level off
00:55:21road racer at one point.
00:55:23And, um, I'm still learning things about riding off road and, um, I do a lot of like hard
00:55:28enduro type riding now.
00:55:31And I didn't realize that the, how important keeping your feet on the foot pegs, um, to
00:55:42keep moving forward was like, you always want to be standing.
00:55:45You always want to have your feet on the foot pegs whenever you can.
00:55:47And that was always like a rule.
00:55:49But there's times when you get into some really hard stuff and you start paddling your feet
00:55:52and you're like, I'm not going anywhere.
00:55:53And I've on this like little tiny bump.
00:55:56I can't get up it because it's all muddy and slippery.
00:55:59And I was, you know, I was perusing YouTube and then there's a, there's a guy that has
00:56:05a pretty rad, hard enduro, um, YouTube channel called the IRC moto tire guy.
00:56:13And he, he does hard enduro training.
00:56:16And I started watching these videos about getting your weight forward, getting at least
00:56:20one foot on the foot peg to help you move forward, um, when you're stuck and really
00:56:24think about what you're doing.
00:56:26And I started applying that in the last couple of weeks and it's really changed the difficulty
00:56:32for hard enduro for me.
00:56:33I could get through, I could get over stuff, um, but it was always with kind of like brute
00:56:37force and no sort of, um, skill involved.
00:56:44It was more like willpower.
00:56:46And now I, you know, it's, there's a little more skill to it.
00:56:49So, um, you know, like I said, 40 years of riding and I learned something new two weeks
00:56:55ago.
00:56:56And, and we also still are learning like the, the basics, you know, like there's early things
00:57:02like what you said.
00:57:03I can't tell you how many times I've been, you know, racing down the sand wash and, and
00:57:08there's a, there's a rock in the sand wash and I hit it.
00:57:11I'm like, don't look at the rock.
00:57:13Like don't look at it.
00:57:15You won't hit it.
00:57:16If you like, you got to remind yourself, don't do that.
00:57:18Yeah.
00:57:19You always have to kind of go back to your, to your training and think about it sometimes.
00:57:22Even when it becomes what you think is automatic, it's not always that way.
00:57:26What about you, Adam?
00:57:28I mean, honestly, I'm, I'm pretty much agreeing with both you guys.
00:57:33It's, it's not so much that I'm, I'm maybe learning new techniques, but I always have
00:57:38to work on practicing the techniques that I should be practicing, like the three ups.
00:57:44I mean, we were somewhere the other day where Jeff literally said, scoot forward.
00:57:48And I'm like, you idiot, you know, and just simple stuff like that.
00:57:53Keeping your elbows up, not staring at the rock you want to hit.
00:57:56I do that all the time.
00:57:58So, you know, just, just honestly, just practicing just the fundamentals and always kind of talking
00:58:04yourself through that, you know, trying to stand up all the time, keep your toes a little
00:58:08bit in just, you know, just as you get older, it's, it's easier to kind of let some of
00:58:14these practices fade out of your memory.
00:58:17So you really have to just, you know, pay attention and be, you know, just be aware
00:58:23of these techniques because these things will make riding more fun and safer.
00:58:29Absolutely.
00:58:30So that's a, and if you're not, if you're not familiar with these techniques, go to
00:58:37a riding school, go to a, you know, seek out professional coaching, seek out a mentor who
00:58:42has these skills and, and try to try to learn these skills.
00:58:46A lot of these skills in motorcycling, it's almost a little bit like voodoo magic.
00:58:50Like people don't really talk about these skills.
00:58:53Like there's, you know, yeah, there's information on YouTube, but the person on YouTube may
00:58:57not be the person who really knows the subject matter.
00:59:00So, you know, buyer beware, buyer beware, but seek out professional coaching.
00:59:05That's always going to be your best bet.
00:59:07Yeah.
00:59:08I was going to ask you guys, have either of you gone to a professional coach, you know,
00:59:11for an advanced level or had a mentor?
00:59:14A long, long time ago, I went to Danny Hamill's riding school, which he was also a family
00:59:24friend.
00:59:24So it was, but we, we did a lot of barrel racing to start off with, like, you know,
00:59:30this guy was the fastest guy in the desert, natural talent, unbelievable.
00:59:35And he started with the basics just like everyone else.
00:59:39And it was to go around these cones.
00:59:40And, you know, all these guys are expert level dirt bike riders.
00:59:43And I'm like, why are we doing these things?
00:59:44Like, I'll show you why.
00:59:46And you start, you start to find flaws in your technique really fast when you concentrate
00:59:52it down to the simplest form.
00:59:54So I've done that one.
00:59:56I think that's probably it.
01:00:02I know I recommend Jimmy Lewis's off-road riding school a lot to people.
01:00:07Yeah, I've had a lot of training from Jimmy, whether I asked for it or not.
01:00:12Very true.
01:00:12You know, I, you know, Jimmy is actually a great teacher and he's also a very hardcore
01:00:19dude.
01:00:20So you put those two things together and you get a tough but firm teacher, right?
01:00:27Yeah.
01:00:27Well, he's softened over the years.
01:00:29You know, when I, I was one of his very first students before he had the, before he had
01:00:35his training school, we were just co-workers and I would have to go with him on photo
01:00:40shoots.
01:00:41And his, his advice was usually, I didn't ask for it, first of all, but it was, it was
01:00:52great advice.
01:00:53And I, in a lot of the things I learned from him, I still, you know, repeat to myself and
01:00:59practice them.
01:01:00Yeah, I, I, he, he has a lot of, of good teachings.
01:01:03And I think I always go back to this one thing that I was at a, an ADV rally and he was doing
01:01:10a class and I just was happened to be standing by listening and he's got a mic on and he's
01:01:16talking to everyone and, and somebody asked him about, you know, I can't touch the ground.
01:01:22How do I, how do I control a bike if I can't touch the ground?
01:01:26And he said, do you ride with your feet on the ground or on the foot pegs?
01:01:31And that, that really struck me as like, duh, like no duh.
01:01:35Yeah, you ride with your feet on the foot pegs.
01:01:36Like that's how you control a motorcycle.
01:01:38Not like you shouldn't be worried as much about getting your feet on the ground as keeping
01:01:43them up.
01:01:44And, and then he went through the whole process of why and how, and you know, here's how
01:01:48you combat if you're real, if you've got shorter legs, how to get on and off a bike and how
01:01:52to touch the ground and, and those things.
01:01:55But, you know, it started with like the, the duh thing that no one thinks of is, oh yeah,
01:02:00you do ride with your feet on the foot pegs and on the ground.
01:02:03So a very solid teacher.
01:02:05We should have mentioned him earlier, but if you're like in looking for a place to really
01:02:11hone your dirt skills, he's, he's one of the best for off-road riding.
01:02:15So I think we got to wrap this thing up.
01:02:18I want to say one more thing is with training is ego.
01:02:23Don't let your ego get in the way of learning things.
01:02:25You may think you're a good rider, but there's always someone better and always somebody
01:02:29you can learn from no matter what.
01:02:31Absolutely.
01:02:33You know what I mean?
01:02:34Like the number two guy in super cross can learn something from the number one guy in
01:02:38super cross.
01:02:38There's always somebody better.
01:02:40So I want to say the learning to ride is one of the most fulfilling things that you will
01:02:46ever do in your life.
01:02:48It will become part of your the way you are if you let it and you should let it.
01:02:55So don't be afraid to try it.
01:02:57There's easy ways to get into it.
01:02:59We will help you find someone that rides.
01:03:03They will probably help you.
01:03:05And then once you're doing it, it can continue to learn and help everybody else out.
01:03:10So that's it for this episode.
01:03:13We appreciate your support.
01:03:14Leave some comments down below.
01:03:16Tell us about your riding experience.
01:03:18Journey of becoming a writer.
01:03:20Hit that like button, subscribe, and we will see you in the next episode.