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They just don't care to do it. My kids ride if I say hey we are going riding today. but they never ask me to ride. If I sold all the bikes today they might not ever notice they are gone. And my old buddies kids are all the same.
When I was I kid I would push mow the yard as fast as I could so I could steal the leftover gas to ride.
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Just to cover the bases.
8 yrs 1969 Honda mini trail 50
9 yrs 1980 Yamaha MX 80
10 yrs 1980 Yamaha YZ 80
11 yrs 1977 Suzuki Rm 125
I’ll leave off at 11 since I said in elementary school.
Riding with my son he had a 1985 XR 100 when I got him started. 94 KX 250 at that time myself.
But, I did get gas in my bike..
It's almost better if you act like you don't want them doing it.
My parents always had this thing where I was never going to have a motorcycle so I busted my ass until I bought one.
I found my own way to the track more often than not and my Dad was probably at a handful of C&B class races 1 or 2 A class races tops no Pro Am at all.
At that point he wanted me out.
I'm 61 still racing.
It's an individual thing that you either want , or you don't.
If you want to bring professional racing out of the stone age, we need more amateur enthusiast.
If you want to bring your local tracks out of the stone age, we need more amateur enthusiast, and likely more money going into the accounts of track owners.
I believe that means paying 50-60 dollars for a practice day, and 4k to 5k for a new bike.
Lower bike prices = more money for actually riding | more money for riding = more people riding
more people riding = more spectators for professional racing | more spectators = you get the point....
Some people will say bikes will stop progressing etc. Those guys are not really dirt bike racers. They are bike
aficionados...
There will always be losers that want to screw up stuff. Every public bathroom ever is destroyed. Must have huge sign with cameras outside facing doors. No tolerance.
In south Florida they were having problems where the city made the tracks use their emts instead of private and charged thousands a day and a lot of the tracks closed soon after because they could not afford it.
RVT.com has used campers for cheap. For half a bike you could buy a tow behind with AC, beds and toilet. Lots on there.
Kids are different today.
Just took a trip to SoCal and rode Glen Helen. There were no classes, no one controlling anything on any track. It was great! Max riding in minimum time.
And they haven't because
They're expensive.
There is less places to ride one.
They have to load up and drive somewhere and pay.
The kids friends don't have one.
Public perception is that they are extremely dangerous.
They have gotten more dangerous. (Tracks) (speeds)
(Bigger jumps)
I could go on
Pit Row
I have countless friends who ride pits, trails, woods whatever, but getting them to a legit track is difficult becuase they know its too advanced. They have legit skills on a bike too, but going out with 50 other riders on a track with questionable maintenece rutted faces and jump after jump isnt fun or safe.
The tracks need to model gp style outdoors and less about Instagram banger style sections. Make the tracks about cornering, lines, fitness, fun, off cambers, and less about the size of your balls.
Can still have plenty of jumps but they shouldnt after every single corner making them the sole priority.
My brother is a longtime Kaw/Polaris dealer here.
He will tell you he doesn't sell near as many playbikes as he used to.
And it's not because of cost. He sells the hell out of $20K plus SxS's.
I think too many kids just don't want to do things that are physically demanding and a challenge to learn. They want easy.
Could make a difference.
We have tracks, but sometimes you don't want to go to the actual track. I actually tried to find just a field to make a turn track at one point. And I couldnt. I know in some states though that would be easy to find.
we got kicked out. Then we’d use the ramps we built at home the rest of the day/night. Summer was funny cause most of us had stitches, bandages, or something broke. There was about 8 of us most the time. Looking back I wonder what people nowadays would think of a group of kids that looked like us. They’d either think we were neglected and abused children or we were looking for trouble. Back then you had to come up with your own fun. Building ramps, going snorkeling at the beach, fishing, skating, riding bikes, heading to the hills to ride a dirt bike. There was no YouTube, Snapchat or whatever. Kids nowadays are so scared to try anything out of their comfort zone. It strikes a nerve when I see a kid at the skate/bike park with his bike or board next to them while sipping on a Starbucks and watching YouTube. Lift your head up. There’s a whole world out here. Stitches were once bragging rights of any ten year old.
I miss the saying, bones heal and chicks dig scars.
OK, my rant’s over.
After reading all the posts so far, and most of another thread that questions how growth effects the sport, I can only conclude that all riders need to work together, be more respectful, and should all push for the growth of the sport. growth would not be harmful. sure you can ride for your lifetime as long as you can, but growth assures others after you can too. stop worrying about lines at the track. supply and demand will solve that. (and the iphone 17s and fortnite classic) stop worrying the man gonna take your sport, force liability to fall where it belongs. You all post on the internet and know what a vocal minority is. There is always a win button to combat them, money, respect, and community. (we can also substitute "power" for money or wealth. ie: with the respect of the non riding community and the commerce it brings to everyone gives the riding community power if not wealth directly)
I am 33, and I have have never ridden a dirt bike. I can tell you why I never did:
1) no legal local riding.
2) no information on how to go about getting into the sport legally. sure we can blame the naivety of a child here regardless of parent education on the sport. mind you, i had class mates who rode, and old guys at the motorcycle shops who rode. All illegally, so trying to be a good kid and trying to make your parents proud makes taking their advice seem questionable.
3) i couldn't get into it when my interest was peaked. once my time was taken up with other things i lost touch with it. the trials i used to see guys riding while on my mtb are all over grown and unused now.
thats it. thats why i never rode and instead i got into mtn bikes, saved up built this and that, rode parks, downhill, xc, raced road in college. now with college debt and a growing family, i want seat time. i soon will have the means to do so. (second or third hand bike are expensive out here. plus a truck van or trailer. looking at mx bikes specifically not trail bikes. i understand and appreciate the performance gains in technology. at this stage in the game, i want to get to a park, and ride with guys on all the tracks and trails. if i had local trails i would not mind an inexpensive 125 or 200cc 4st trail bike. not to mention supply and demand. im sure with more popularity there would be more bikes for sale at competitive prices.) i could have been riding already if we had local trails i could dual sport to. i could have been doing that for over a decade now. i hope for growth so what riding parks that are local in PA, NY, and field of dreams in nj, stay open by the time i can.
to closer get back to the OP theme. and aside from suggesting "bumper dumpers," i can only point out two things that are the most helpful. we need to look at how other facilities are able to get state and federal funding. there are dozens of parks, and athletic fields/parks near me, all with 1st world amenities. (taxes and fees for sports teams help) i also like the EU mx club volunteer model mentioned. funding for a niche market would be slim and volunteering to satisfy the influx of funding would help. as popularity and community approval increases, more money comes in.
And always be aware that we all come from a point of bias. i tried to shine some light through mine. try to be empathetic to all. we would all never get anywhere if we needed to post in lawyer legal lingo...
Gate drop tonight baby! see you there!
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It is a lot of Fun and there can be a Side to it were you can ride have fun and not have to be an Expert. But people rarely see that.
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