Dirt bikes & Street bikes?

i'm so two-stroke-centric that i didnt ride street until i moved to a country where TZR250s and NSR250s are street legal. I transitioned just fine from a peaky finicky bike with knobbies to a peaky finicky bike with DOT slicks. im working on putting together a TZR-framed, RZ500-engined YZR500 replica, similiar to Max Biaggi or Garry McCoy's 97-00ish YZR500s.

looking for about 130HP at 299lbs. but even a 60hp 250 twostroke twin cylinder TZR or NSR will make your asshole pucker when it comes on the pipe.

there was a guy who did two CR500 engines together to make a 1000cc 240hp two stroke, which would be absolutely unridable but man... talk about pucker factor.

I owned 3 gsxr' s this year. Normally collect a few every year. As of July & my 11th ticket, I am all done riding in the street. NYS police force are on a constant "fuck motorcyclist " fixation, and the drivers here are terrible.

Unfortunately the first & best thing I learned working in a bike shop is that you will experience too many friends deaths on bikes, & there's nothing you can do about it

I got my motorcycle lisence in may just after I turned 20. Got a 07 DR 650. It was a pretty easy transition for me. The only thing was the huge weight difference from a yz250f to a 650cc beast. I've taken that thing on some loose sand trails and it's like driving on ice.

I started on dirt when I was 4 or 5 and have ridden dirt most of my life. I had a DT175 that was street legal back in the late 70s but my first real street bike was a Honda 400 when I was 18. These last couple of years I've gotten more into street than ever before. I picked up an '09 Ninja 650 with 0 miles on it the beginning of last year and an '08 ZX6R that had 3000 miles on it the beginning of this year. My 650 now has over 25,000 on it and the ZX6R has around 10,000. I got the ZX6R for me to ride on the track and my boy can ride on the street when he's home from school but I've put most of the miles on it. I've ridden a lot less dirt this year and the oddest part for me is getting back on the dirt bike after riding the street bike to work every day for a month before. The dirt bike feels extremely awkward for the first 30 minutes of riding.

Yeah. That Versys looks pretty sweet. My dad has a 05 Yamaha FZ1 that I plan on trying out soon haha.

I started on dirt bikes when I was 12 I believe. I'm 41 now. When I was about 27 or so I got a street bike, just out of the blue. Wasn't really much difference riding for me. I learned to keep a really good following distance behind cars though. It wasn't my thing so I started riding dirt again. Moto has always been my thing though.


P

Started on a Hodaka 100b, when they were new, had my street license at 16, on a Blue H1. A gpz750, an '80 CB750,
a HD 883 for 2 years, a 1970 250 husky, a '74 250 cappra, the '81 465yz, a '95 250 yz, currently a '75 250 Montesa Enduro.
Riding and racing dirt before getting on the street def helps.

Next up, a long haul tourer. Something big like Elvis had. The open road beckons.

Started racing dirt bikes at age 7, started Road Racing at age 19, did much better Road Racing than I ever did on a dirt bike.
Got 4th in two amateur national championships Road Racing at Daytona in Heavyweight Superbike and Heavyweight Supersport, raced some Pro nationals for a couple years, never was any good in the dirt. Still have a Gsxr 1000 and a CR 250.

grew up on dirt. got this 07 gsxr last year still havent scratched it once. did my first shifting wheelie last week. 95 mph in a wheelie is too much. makes the wrists hurt after 20 miles. has NO low end

For me the biggest transition from dirt to street was getting used to having massive traction without hunting for a berm! It took me a while to get used to that. Also had to become smoother on the street. The last thing was getting used to cage drivers that look right at you and then almost run you over. It is amazing sometimes. I always tell my dirt only friends that I started street because I wanted something "safer", they always get a kick at that.

I have ridden dirt all my life, ridding a CRF450 now. I have a dual sport (WR400), but don't ride it on the street much.

I got a "real" street bike (FZR600) when I was 30. My first son was born that same year, so I lost the street bike. I wanted to be around to see him grow up. That was 21 years ago, mission accomplished.

I got myself a 25th anniversary VFR800. I am a sucker for the paint job, single side swing arm, and the sweet song of the V-4.



I am a fair weather rider. Don't ride it too much. Between the cops and cagers, its scary out there.

Been riding dirt majority of my childhood. Got my gixxer 600 when I was 16 and my 1000 when I was 20. 3 years later and I still commute daily on my gixxer. Without the dirt bike experience, I'm not sure I would of survived my teen age years on a sport bike. And still to this day, I have more fun riding my RM 125.

Started in the dirt like most people. Street bikes I have owned are as follows:
1980 kz1000
1973 CB350
1975 XS650 (chopped)
1992 FZR600
2001 R6 (bought new)
2007 Mean Streak (bought new)
1979 KZ650SR ....the only one I currently own.

As for dirt bikes I currently own:
1983 KDX 250
1984 KX 250
1986 KDX 200
1993 KX 125

i got a ninja250. was planning on racing it in the ninja cup back in '08 when i bought it.

loved the thing so much i never turned it into a racer.

ive since sold my suv and now its how i get around all the time. saved me thousands in gas money this summer.

im moving out of the country soon, so sadly, its up for sale. i thought i'd die with this bike in the garage. it feels like giving up a child.

if there's anyone in the market, hit me up.


hopefully when i get to europe i can get my hands on a ducati 848 or a aprilia 125 two stroke. i'd prefer the aprilia.

I have a Katoom 640 LC4. Big, heavy but looks pretty cool considering it was made over 12 years ago.

I have a 2006 R1.
Love it, ultimate big boy toy.
So much power and torque, it's crazy.
Did a few track days last year but decided not to do that again.
To dangerous for MX guys if you ask me.

Jeffro, I assume that is you in the pic. Sweet picture! What track is that at?

Yeah that's me. Thx, I like that picture too.

The track where it's from is not a big MotoGP kinda track but a local facility used for police training and other riding skill courses.
It's good fun since it very technical but still has a high speed 140+ mph straight and fast 180 degree knee dragging turns and some elevated turns.
The turn below in the picture where you get on the straight is 100 mph knee dragger. Big fun but no more for me, I ride like mx and come into turns way to hot and shit like that.
Slow down to go faster is key for road racing.

Started riding dirt first, whenever I could get my hands on somebody's bike. Bought my own at around 15 or16. Started racing moto in '93. Started riding street in '98. The transmission in my truck blew up one night on the way home from the motorcycle shop I worked at. Got a ride to work the next day, walked in and said "I need a ride home from work, I'll take that one" It was a 1982 Yamaha Maxim 750, $500 trade in bike. Went and grabbed a brand new Shoei RF800 off the shelf and rode it home that night, no license, permit or anything. I've ridden street ever since. It could never replace dirt, but it's fun just the same. It's a lot cooler to take a chic on a street ride than to drag her around in the dirt all day at a moto track. Last year I rode 10,000 miles on the street, this year, none so far. But it's not snowing yet...

Ive practically been obsessed by dirtbikes since I was 4 years old, Im now 31 and have never felt any inclination to ride street bikes. However I do plan to get my license soon so I can do some enduro trips abroad sometime. Morocco or Costa Rica hopefully.

I do appreciate road bikes from an aesthetic point of view, I was almost salivating as I drove past one of these the other day...

I got a later start then most people did. I will be 26 in a few weeks and i started riding when I was almost 21. I started racing at 22 and bought my first street bike this past summer. I had a 05 ZX6R and a 07 GSXR 600. As others have said riding dirt previously helped out tremendously and im not sure i would have survived on one if i didnt have the riding exp as i did. The transition to a street bike seemed a little different as your more hunched over when riding but really that was the biggest thing for me. I actually think street racing would be easier for me(i could be wrong as i never actually raced) but i can say i got headshake at 130 going around a "sweeper" corner one day and that was scary as shit.

Recently got back into street riding since my boys have grown up. We rode dirt bikes as a family with them growing up, so I just left a couple of my old two strokes street bikes in the basement for over 15 years. You may break bones in the dirt, but the consequeces can be so much more deadly on the road. I thought with an agressive dirt bike background, along with being a youth it could turn fatal. Last year I restored an RD350 I bought brand new. It is just as much fun to ride now as 35 years ago. My wife and I met on the bike in 1980, and we have running the country roads in the Ozarks the last two seasons. A vintage bike can be so much fun meeting at local gatherings. I had a "kid" at a local gathering tell me his dad had one when he was little, and his Mom rode an RD200. Lots of cool stories everywhere you go.
Here is a couple photos 30 years apart. Same bike...Same young lady.Oh yeah...Still wearing Shoei's
[/img]

I love it.

Rode for years beore I was old enough to get a license.

In Southwest Missouri you could go all the way into town on backroads and even then most of the time the cops wouldn't bother you.

Miles and miles of dirt roads. The creek fords were always fun because you really had to pay attention or the moss on them would put you on your ass.

When I turned 16 finally got the license and got a dt 175.

Man, now that was freedom. Rode that thing everywhere. eluded cops a couple times. Broke down in the middle of nowhere in North Georgia Mountains many times and had to push it for miles until I found a phone.

My Dad had a T500 suzuki two stroke twin. He kind of lost interest in riding it and I made sure the cobwebs were cleaned out .

Seemed like it was 120mph everywhere.

In 1982 I worked for a brick mason and was riding it home for lunch one day when a lady back out in front of me from a blind drive.

Slid into her and my right arm took the full force of the impact. Dislocated shoulder and a shattered elbow.

I was fortunate enough to get an exceptional orthepedic surgeon that did wonderful work. I lost some motion and have arthritis but it didn't slow me down much then. Didn't go back to masonery though.

I didn't ride for a long time but about 1998 I bought a klr 650. I use it a lot when I haul equipment from one track to another. I put it on the trailer and ride it back to get another truck.

I usually ride it on back roads and it is actually a pleasant break.

Don't really like getting on interstates. The bike will run that speed but the trucks really buffet me around and you really have to watch for people texting and talking.

When business gets a little better I would love to get a little better bike and take some long trips around the country.

There is still nothing like feeling the wind in your face and feeling the differences in tempature when you drop through a valley and pop back out into the sun.

Started riding dirt at age 8....rode dirt my entire life, since that time I've never not owned a dirt bike.

My dad always had street bikes (sport bikes), and he started letting me ride his yamaha 600 around town (an extremely small town) when I was 14/15...and so I guess I've ridden street since that time, but never regularly as I've personlly only owned one street bike.

In 2008 I went an purchased a Triumph Speed Triple (I'm in love with the speed triples...). I put about 10,000 miles on it in one year, and then sold it. I loved rural route touring on it, and canyon riding on it...but I absolutely hated riding on interestates and surface streets (commuting). That year I spent nearly every weekend, riding it somewhere...and actually starting missing dirt. So I sold it.

Dirt bikes are my first love (literally), and I prefer that to street riding. Straight dirt for me now...

I have both. Don't ride either of them enough though.

Yeah, Foopers are too boring to really be worth riding on the dirt or the street for me... It's not that you can't go fast on a 4, you can, no doubt about it. It's just that they're dead, there's no life in those things once you've ridden 2 strokes. They can make'm bigger and bigger, faster and faster, but it never stops them from being boring.

By the time I was old enough to get a license, you hadn't been able to buy a bike worth riding, on the street legally, for many years...

But, the good news is that those 2 stroke road bikes last so long if they're taken care of that I have been able to buy some for myself, and I'll never have to suffer the boredom of a street fooper here in the United States of Boring.

And the JDM imports are even more fun...