Love riding, but I suck!

Kawisrok
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Kawisrok
Edited Date/Time 7/3/2015 1:27pm
I LOVE riding. I eat, sleep breathe moto whether it's sx, mx, enduro anything. I raced superbikes for 6 years, and about two years ago at 40 years old I got into riding dirt and I fell in love with it. My issue is, I suck! or at least I think I do. I bought a used 10 yz450f and I couldn't get that bike to work for me at all. Then I traded it for an kx250f and you couldn't peel this bike out of my hands. It works good for me and I feel comfy on it. I ride mostly enduro and trails and most the times I feel I do pretty good until guys go blasting by me like I was standing still. I want to get better, but in my quest to start pushing myself I blew out my acl and that set me back by over 8 months. I guess I need to just be ok with being mediocre, but my question is am I the only one that loves this sport but feels sub par at it?
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CarlinoJoeVideo
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CarlinoJoeVideo 4/24/2015 10:59pm
4/24/2015 10:59pm
No need to feel sub par man. Just ride at your comfort level and you will progress without even knowing. Enjoy your time outside and on the bike, that's all that matters!
RailinRuts450 4/25/2015 4:47am
4/25/2015 4:47am
CarlinoJoeVideo wrote:
No need to feel sub par man. Just ride at your comfort level and you will progress without even knowing. Enjoy your time outside and on...
No need to feel sub par man. Just ride at your comfort level and you will progress without even knowing. Enjoy your time outside and on the bike, that's all that matters!
Bingo. Have fun with it. Unless you are Dungey, Webb or Musquin, there's always somebody faster, and those guys get beat some weekends too. I'm 31 and ride Vet B pretty decent. On the harescramble track it's amazing when I'm in it, to get completely blazed by the AA pro guys but if it's an easier section and I can hang with em a few turns it's fun to me to try. plus if you can keep sight of em for long enough you learn a ton!
thecolonel610
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thecolonel610 4/26/2015 8:31am
4/26/2015 8:31am
dude, i've been riding all my life and I'm absolutely terrible. Just have a good time and don't worry about being any good.

Hell, i'm on a built 250f and i get passed by kids on minis during practice. Just have fun with it
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 4/27/2015 4:10pm
4/27/2015 4:10pm
Yea, I guess I'm a little tough on myself. Have you guys ever done something and felt you SHOULD be on one level but in reality you were on a far lower level? That's how I see my dirt riding. I rode a ton on Saturday and felt great, it was the first time since blowing my knee out that I felt strong on the bike again.

The Shop

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Red141
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Red141 5/1/2015 7:25am
5/1/2015 7:25am
Any moto schools in your area? We're never too old to learn new things.
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 5/1/2015 8:14am
5/1/2015 8:14am
Red141 wrote:
Any moto schools in your area? We're never too old to learn new things.
Actually I'm lucky enough to have the Josh and Just Hill Moto school about 45 minutes away. My 17 year old son is going to do a class with them this summer, I may have to join.
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 5/1/2015 9:10am
5/1/2015 9:10am
holverson34 wrote:
You guys live in Mac? Where do you ride at
We ride mostly in the Trask and TSF area. When we do moto style riding it's a friends property, but every time I ride there i get hurt lol...
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 5/1/2015 10:10am
5/1/2015 10:10am
holverson34 wrote:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WO-ASBkNxjY I'd check this track out. You can do private practice which lets you ride when you want for as long as you want. It's well...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WO-ASBkNxjY


I'd check this track out. You can do private practice which lets you ride when you want for as long as you want. It's well maintained and has a lot of tables.
Yea we've been there a few times, but I'm not so much a moto rider as I am trail and enduro. My son on the other hand loves the track much more than the trails lol...
ToolMaker
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ToolMaker 5/3/2015 8:08am
5/3/2015 8:08am
So i havent thrown a leg over in a long time but when i was riding, a goal for me was to be "better than myself"
When we would go riding i would focus on one thing i couldnt do the time before, or do that one thing better than the time before. Aside from the rest of the day of fun i could have a tangible thing to feel good about improvement.
TM
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 5/3/2015 5:57pm
5/3/2015 5:57pm
ToolMaker wrote:
So i havent thrown a leg over in a long time but when i was riding, a goal for me was to be "better than myself"...
So i havent thrown a leg over in a long time but when i was riding, a goal for me was to be "better than myself"
When we would go riding i would focus on one thing i couldnt do the time before, or do that one thing better than the time before. Aside from the rest of the day of fun i could have a tangible thing to feel good about improvement.
TM
That's a great approach I've never considered. Thanks!
KMC440
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KMC440 5/6/2015 1:17pm
5/6/2015 1:17pm
ToolMaker wrote:
So i havent thrown a leg over in a long time but when i was riding, a goal for me was to be "better than myself"...
So i havent thrown a leg over in a long time but when i was riding, a goal for me was to be "better than myself"
When we would go riding i would focus on one thing i couldnt do the time before, or do that one thing better than the time before. Aside from the rest of the day of fun i could have a tangible thing to feel good about improvement.
TM
Hell I'll just ride one section of a track to figure something out. On amateur practice day at Millville pro wknd last year I slid out in that right hander at the end of the whoops... some assbags were laughin behjnd the fence .. so I did what any self respecting +50 out of shape motogeek would do. I went back and hit that corner harder ..... damn near ended up on my ass again!! GrinningSillyLaughing
neverstop 6/4/2015 6:40pm
6/4/2015 6:40pm
thecolonel610 wrote:
dude, i've been riding all my life and I'm absolutely terrible. Just have a good time and don't worry about being any good. Hell, i'm on...
dude, i've been riding all my life and I'm absolutely terrible. Just have a good time and don't worry about being any good.

Hell, i'm on a built 250f and i get passed by kids on minis during practice. Just have fun with it
Haha, there are some fast little fuckers on those 85s though. I see them doing like 100+ foot triples and I'm just in aww like how the fuck does that little sewing machine bike even get the speed needed!
tomm55x
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tomm55x 6/5/2015 5:07am
6/5/2015 5:07am
I like this thread, I'm not exactly an A class rider,my starts are great and if the track was a straight I would be a lot faster,the people I ride with can be total assholes sometimes but it is hard to find new buddy's to ride with. I set goals for myself to be faster in corners and to learn how to ride ruts better, that is 100% my weakest area. Just keep on riding,the more you ride the better you will be,as long as you are enjoying yourself who gives a shit about anything else!!!!!
Zesiger 112
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Zesiger 112 6/5/2015 10:19pm
6/5/2015 10:19pm
I have the same problem. Except for I swear I feel like I'm improving, I feel like I'm really ringing out my bike pretty good. Then I watch a video and I'm barely moving. Don't worry about it, like was mentioned before there will always be someone faster. Try competing with your buddies and forget the rest of the crowd. Enjoy feeling fast and don't watch any videos of yourself.
Calhoun117
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Calhoun117 6/26/2015 7:29pm
6/26/2015 7:29pm
When you go out don't try to just "get better at riding", focus on one particular aspect each time you go out and hammer on it until you get it right. You won't learn a thing going out trying to get better at absolutely everything at once. Just focus on one thing at a time and you'll be scrubbin underneath bubba one handed while tossin back a Budweiser. Merica
mxer512
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mxer512 7/1/2015 3:13pm
7/1/2015 3:13pm Edited Date/Time 7/1/2015 3:14pm
Stand up coming into corners ...idk if this would pertain to you but one of the biggest things I see on beginners is they are sitting down coming into comers. Stand up, elbows up, gripping the bike with ur legs don't sit down till you are in the corner, inside leg up, tow in, pressure on outside peg. Cover the clutch. More often then not the clutch will be the first thing to get you out of trouble in a hairy situation. I myself am not blazing fastby any means...these are just some tips I've learned over the years that have really helped me.

Pit Row

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KMC440
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KMC440 7/2/2015 3:19pm
7/2/2015 3:19pm
Oh hey I just thought of something that may help some of you in ruts ... as described above let me add a couple ...

get the braking done before the rut starts as much as possible ... then start the sitting process .... here's where things go pear shaped !!!

KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME.

meaning if your head is tilting to the outside of the corner ... guess what , you're going to pop out of the rut probably ... so tilt your head slightly towards the inside of the corner .. this will help you commit just be ready with a moderate amount of throttle/clutch

You're welcome Cool
Kawisrok
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Kawisrok 7/3/2015 1:27pm
7/3/2015 1:27pm
Awesome tips guys thank you. I have just started riding a track. I have been doing the open track practices on Wed nights at a local track. Funny thing is I can ride the woods all day long, but my first day at the track I didn't even complete a full session and I was exhausted! It appears I need to concentrate on fitness primarily.

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